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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCEDC Minutes 2015-03-04 RegularFriendswood Community and Economic Development Committee Meeting Minutes March 4, 2015 The Friendswood Community and Economic Development Committee met on Wednesday, March 4, 2015 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, Vice Chair Tony Annan, Brett Banfield, Mark Conrad, Jeremy Magnuson, Marcus Perry, and Dr. Hilmar Zeissig. Liaisons present were Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Marketing Manager Barbara Cutsinger, President of the Friendswood Chamber of Commerce Carol Marcantel, and Friendswood Independent School District Superintendent Trish Hanks. Absent from the meeting were Skip Evans and Bill Provenzano. Staff members present were Karen Capps and Morad Kabiri. 1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 8:33 a.m. 2. Roll call was made. There was a quorum. 3. Approval of Minutes. Brett Banfield made a motion to approve the February 2 and February 4, 2015 meeting minutes. The motion was seconded by Mark Conrad and passed unanimously in the committee. 4. Discussion and possible action regarding: CEDC Goals and Objectives for 2015 The CEDC discussed with City Staff the process for the committee to make a recommendation to City Council regarding rezoning application requests from commercial to non-commercial use. After discussion, the committee decided to provide their recommendation to City Council and to also provide their input through the Rezoning Report under a new section named Economic Development. Prioritizing list of funding needs for economic development The committee reviewed a list of unfunded infrastructure projects that would help commercial tracts develop. The list was previously prioritized by the committee, with the top two projects as FM 528 sanitary sewer and downtown paved sidewalks. Other unfunded items on the list include the extension of Brittany Bay and Blackhawk Boulevard, regional detention for the panhandle and downtown areas, bury overhead utility lines in downtown, install sidewalks along FM 528, pedestrian improvements for downtown, and create a downtown anchor for citizens. CEDC members discussed how these projects could be funded — general fund, impact fees, sales tax, and/or financing districts, and determined that City Council should decide how the projects will get funded. The committee suggested that a near term project that could be completed in a year or two might be the top priority. The committee also discussed educating the community about the importance of economic development. Marcus Perry volunteered to meet with the City Communications Specialist to discuss possible strategies in order to move forward. The CEDC reviewed the Neighborhood Empowerment Zone resolution and made no changes. 5. Reports: Friendswood Chamber of Commerce Carol Marcantel reported that the State of the City address by the Mayor will be held on Thursday at the Green Event Center. The monthly Friendswood Farmer's Market will be held this Saturday. Currently, there are approximately 550 Chamber members. Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Barbara Cutsinger reported that Dr. Bill Gilmer will be the guest speaker at this month's membership luncheon on March 24. 6. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 9:54 a.m.