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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCEDC Minutes 2014-05-07 RegularFriendswood Community and Economic Development Committee Meeting Minutes May 7, 2014 The Friendswood Community and Economic Development Committee met on Wednesday, May 7, 2014 at 8:30 a.m., in the second floor conference room of City Hall, 910 S. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood, Texas, with the following members present: Chair Pauline Moore, Brett Banfield, Skip Evans, Jeremy Magnuson, Marcus Perry, and Dr. Hilmar Zeissig. Liaisons present were City Councilmember Carl Gustafson, Mark McLean and Jim Gibson of the Planning and Zoning Commission, Dan Seal of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, and Eva deCardenas of Clear Creek ISD. Absent from the meeting were Tony Annan, Mark Conrad, and Bill Provenzano. Staff member present were Karen Capps and Nick Haby. 1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 8:34 a.m. by Chair Pauline Moore with a quorum present. 2. Roll Call. Roll call was made. 3. Approval of Minutes. A motion was made by Marcus Perry to approve the March 29 and April 2, 2014 meeting minutes. The motion was seconded by Brett Banfield and it passed unanimously in the committee. 4. Discussion and possible action regarding possible changes to the permitted use table for NAICS 236 General Contractors and 238 Specialty Trade Contractors. Jeremy Magnuson stated there are several plumbing and air conditioning businesses wanting to relocate to the city but their use is not permitted in CSC zone. He thought this was recently changed in the new PUT ordinance adopted by City Council. A description of the NAICS category was read. It was discussed that requiring a specific use permit in Community Shopping Center (CSC) zone, would not provide or require additional screening for these uses, rather only a PUD could negotiate additional screening or buffers as part of the site plan. Discussion then ensued about the possibility of requiring special screening requirements in CSC zone for these two NAICS categories only. The CEDC asked staff to provide information on how other cities treat 236 and 238 in their zoning ordinance. 5. Discussion and possible action regarding the development of policies pertaining to economic development. At the joint retreat with City Council that was held on March 29, a steering group was appointed to work on policies pertaining to economic development. The steering group consists of Councilmember Carl Gustafson, CEDC Chair Pauline Moore, Marcus Perry, and Brett Banfield (who was subsequently added). The steering group has held bi-weekly meetings since that time and decided to appoint sub groups to work on the policies. Two sub groups were created that will provide information back to the steering group. The first group consists of Brett, Skip, Hilmar, Mark Conrad, and Dan Seal who will work on items 3, 4, and 7 (how to help businesses, incentive plan, encourage redevelopment); and the second group consists of Carl Gustafson, Marcus Perry, Pauline Moore, and Bill Provenzano to work on items 5, 6, 8, and 9 (structural policies and impediments, find businesses that don't know about Friendswood, benchmarking with other cities, and honor/recognition program). Items 1, 2, and 10 (accountability, performance metrics, and joint planning meetings) will be addressed later. The groups made plans to meet on Friday, May 9. 6. Reports: Planning and Zoning Commission A status report was given for a specialty tire store's specific use permit application. There was also a report regarding possible changes being considered to the downtown district regulations. City Staff Karen Capps reported that June's CEDC meeting will be on June 11 instead of the first week. A report was also given about the status of the Whitcomb tract and an updated on business prospects. Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Dan Seal reported on the Citizens for Space Exploration trip to Washington, D.C. later in May, the Offshore Technology Conference currently being held in Houston, and other events being hosted by Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership. Clear Creek Independent School District Eva deCardenas reported that CCISD held its annual Volunteer and Partnership Breakfast last week at Space Center Houston where the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce was announced as the Community Partner of the Year for their visible advocacy for education at the state and local level as well as being a champion for CCISD students and staff. Four CCISD high schools were named among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report: Clear Horizons Early College High School, Clear Lake High School, Clear Springs High School, and Clear Brook High School. Clear Brook High School Principal, Michele Staley, was named CCISD Secondary Principal of the Year. CCISD is home to 38 National Merit Finalists. CCISD was named the Top Large School District in the Houston Metropolitan area by the Children At Risk Organization. CCISD Trustee Position for District 2 is up for re-election. Win Weber (incumbent) and Nick Long are the candidates. 7. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 10:30 a.m.