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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCEDC Minutes 2016-02-03 RegularFriendswood Community and Economic Development Committee Meeting Minutes February 3, 2016 The Friendswood Community and Economic Development Committee met on Wednesday, February 3, 2016 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 Marcus Perry, Brett Banfield, Bill Provenzano, Mark Conrad, Skip Evans, Gary Kay, Bill Provenzano, and Dr. Hilmar Zeissig. Liaisons present were Planning and Zoning Commissioner Craig Lovell, and Friendswood ISD Deputy Superintendent Thad Roher. Also present was Friendswood resident Mike Foreman. Staff members present were Karen Capps and Aubrey Harbin (left at 9 am). Absent from the meeting was Jeremy Magnuson. 1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order by Chair Pauline Moore at 8:35 a.m. 2. Roll call was made. There was a quorum. 3. Approval of Minutes. Brett Banfield made a motion to approve the January 6, 2016 meeting minutes. The motion was seconded by Mark Conrad and it passed unanimously in the committee. 4. Discussion and possible action regarding: a. Economic Development Policy Action Items Pauline and Brett reported on the February 1 City Council meeting where a 1/8 cent sales tax proposal for downtown was discussed and approved by City Council. City Council also approved 3/8 cent street maintenance sales tax ballot measure for the May 7 election. Brett and Pauline were among seventeen speakers in favor of the sales tax measure for downtown. b. Status of proposed ordinance regarding requiring a specific use permit for single -use large retail establishments Gary Kay and Skip Evans reported on attending the P&Z meeting that was held on January 21 opposing the requirement of a specific use permit for large retailers, stating that CEDC does not support the proposal as it would deter developers, create a negative impact on land owners trying to sell to large retailers, and was anti -business. Gary also stated the intent was contrary to the Economic Development Policy as well as the FM 528 Strategy. Skip said the lack of support was a unanimous decision amongst CEDC, and the committee felt that P&Z already had the necessary tools to regulate large retail development. Craig Lovell reported that P&Z formed an ad hoc committee to review if there is an overlap in existing ordinances. Craig suggested that a CEDC member attend their February 18 meeting. Both Skip and Gary volunteered to attend. The committee asked that the Chair send CEDC's position to Mayor and City Council regarding this item. 5. Reports: Planning and Zoning P&Z Commissioner, Craig Lovell, reported that City Council tabled the proposed ordinance making changes to the permitted use table in the downtown district. CEDC asked staff to draft a statement in support of P&Z's recommended changes. The statement is below. The CEDC concurs with the proposed changes by the Planning and Zoning Commission pertaining to the City's Permitted Use Table as they relate to the City's Downtown District and the future vision of downtown, more specifically prohibiting several NAICS uses with the City's Downtown District zoning category, including Use 447-Gas Stations, Use 493-Warehousing and Storage, Use 532-Rental and Leasing Services, Use 8111-Automotive Repair and Maintenance, and Use 8112-Automotive Body, Paint, Interior and Glass Repair. As far as existing uses businesses currently allowed in the Downtown District, those existing uses would be protected until the use is changed to a conforming or allowed use or abandoned for twelve months or more. They would then become non -conforming uses and would not be allowed to expand. In addition, if the structure that they occupy is damaged more than 50%, they would be able to continue the use and rebuild the structure, provided that the structure meets zoning regulations in place at the time it is rebuilt. Friendswood Independent School District Deputy Superintendent Thad Roher reported Friendswood High School Academic Decathlon team won the regional competition in the 6A division at Alvin High School this past weekend. FHS's Musical Department is currently hosting Beauty and the beast which is the school's 481h annual production. Both the boys' and girls' swim teams are heading to state competition. Administration staff visited Angleton's museum as a possible model for putting a Friendswood museum at the old Junior High building. Staff Karen Capps reviewed with the committee a draft report including development projects, building permit data, employers, sales tax trends, employment, unemployment rate, and other data. 6. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 10:18 a.m.