Economic Development Commission

AGENDA Economic Development Commission Meeting January 8, 2021 8:30 a.m. LOCATION DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) 2179 Sycamore Road, Unit #102 DeKalb, Illinois 60115 COVID-19 Notice: This meeting will be conducted in-person with a physically present quorum and open to the public. The corporate authorities of the City of DeKalb intend to conduct this meeting in compliance with all applicable social distancing and public health requirements. All persons attending this meeting in-person shall be required to wear protective face masks/coverings. Furthermore, the corporate authorities of the City of DeKalb intend to conduct this meeting pursuant to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s Executive Order 2020-73 dated November 18, 2020 (the “Executive Order”), which prohibits gatherings of more than 10 people, unless the City of DeKalb determines that it is necessary to invoke the Governmental Functions exemption contained in Section 4(c) of Executive Order 2020-43 “to ensure the operation of government agencies or to provide for or support the health, safety and welfare of the public.” Persons who are unable to attend the meeting in person but wish to comment on an item listed on this agenda may email their comments to Executive Assistant Ruth Scott at ruth.scott@cityofdekalb.com no later than 3:00 p.m. the day before the meeting. Comments will be disseminated to the EDC members prior to the start of the meeting. A. Roll Call B. Approval of the Agenda C. Approval of Minutes 1. November 6, 2020. D. Public Participation E. Reports 1. City Manager Report. 2. DeKalb Chamber of Commerce Report. 3. DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation Report. F. Old Business 1. Business Retention Program Business Update. G. New Business H. Next Meeting: March 5, 2021. I. Adjournment  MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MEETING NOVEMBER 6, 2020 The Economic Development Commission (EDC) of the City of DeKalb, Illinois held a Regular meeting on November 6, 2020 at the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation Office, 2179 Sycamore Road, Unit 102, DeKalb, Illinois 60115. The meeting was called to order at 8:30 a.m. A. ROLL CALL Executive Assistant Ruth Scott called the roll and the following EDC members were present: Chair Jeff Richardson, Members Vernese Edghill-Walden, Grant Goltz, Mark Sawyer, and Brian Scholle, and Ex-Officio Member Paul Borek. Member Sam Walt was absent, as was Ex-Officio Member Matt Duffy. Others present included Mayor Jerry Smith, Alderman Carolyn Morris, and Transit Manager Marcus Cox. B. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA MOTION Mr. Grant moved to approve the agenda; seconded by Ms. Edghill-Walden. VOTE Motion carried by a 5-0-1 roll call vote. Aye: Richardson, Edghill-Walden, Goltz, Sawyer, Scholle. Nay: None. Absent: Walt. C. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES 1. July 10, 2020. MOTION Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the agenda; seconded by Mr. Goltz. VOTE Motion carried by a 5-0-1 roll call vote. Aye: Richardson, Edghill-Walden, Goltz, Sawyer, Scholle. Nay: None. Absent: Walt. D. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION There was none. Economic Development Commission Minutes November 6, 2020 Page 2 of 4 E. REPORTS 1. City Manager Report Mayor Smith, on behalf of City Manager Nicklas, reported on the Facebook and Ferrara projects, noting the round about at Gurler Road and Peace Road was almost complete. He also reported that DeKalb continues to see economic development commercially with the addition of the Raising Canes restaurant on Sycamore Road and Isaac Suites at Sycamore Road and Oakland Avenue. Mayor Smith also reported that City Council has approved the Pappas Development of Johann Suites at the former City Hall site, located at 200 S. Fourth Street. Pappas Development continues to work on Agora Towers at the former Mooney property. Mayor Smith also noted that CJ’s Gaming would be moving to Sycamore Road early next year. Brief discussion ensued regarding parking at the new location. Ms. Edghill-Walden reported that she and City Manager Nicklas hosted a virtual Belonging event with Northern Illinois University (NIU) and Dr. John Powell in October. They’re looking forward to doing more of these types of events to bring the community together across different stakeholders. There was brief discussion regarding the event. 2. DeKalb Chamber of Commerce Report Mr. Duffy was absent, but Mayor Smith reported that the State of the City event would be taking place virtually on December 3, 2020. The event will be a collaboration between the City and NIU. Brief discussion ensued regarding Annie Glidden North, Hunter Properties, Opportunity DeKalb, and the demolition of Campus Cinemas and 912 Edgebrook. 3. DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation Report Mr. Borek reported that the DCEDC branding strategy is now complete and the purpose will be to distinguish DeKalb County in the marketplace to sustain business attraction and ensure the success of new and established businesses. Mr. Borek noted that the county needs to attract a younger age population and introduced DeKalb County Opportunity Unbound made up of focus groups, community, and neighborhood leaders to address just that. Brief discussion ensued. F. OLD BUSINESS 1. Business Retention Program Business Update Mr. Borek and Mr. Sawyer provided an overview of the visit they had with Unified Wire and Cable, and the Forge Resources Group.  Economic Development Commission Minutes November 6, 2020 Page 3 of 4 Brief discussion ensued. 2. AGN Resource Guide Transit Manager Cox provided an overview of the resource guide that was updated with suggestions from the EDC. Those updates included Q&A changes, an updated link for the guide, and business names with phone numbers. He also stated that the website is active and that the guide will be made public soon, with Spanish versions also being made available. There was brief discussion regarding the addition of the QR code. Transit Manager Cox stated it would be added to the guide. Brief discussion ensued. Transit Manager Cox also provided information regarding the transfer of service from the Voluntary Action Center and Transdev. Mayor Smith spoke briefly about the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on DeKalb and its businesses, mostly restaurants. G. NEW BUSINESS 1. Discussion of the Economic Development Meeting Schedule. Mayor Smith provided information regarding this topic, stating he had spoken with Chair Richardson about reducing the number of annual meetings the EDC has from each month to every other month. Those meetings would be held in January, March, May, July, September, and November. Special meetings could be added if an important topic of discussion were to come up. Mayor Smith continued, stating that one of the reasons for this change is due to the City’s administrative staff not being large enough to provide support to all the City’s boards, commission and committees on a monthly basis. Chair Richardson agreed that every other month schedule would be acceptable. Ms. Edghill-Walden asked about virtual EDC meetings, with Chair Richardson stating that we could make than an option. Brief discussion ensued regarding in person meetings versus virtual meetings. H. NEXT MEETING: DECEMBER 4, 2020 The December 4, 2020 meeting was cancelled. I. ADJOURNMENT MOTION Economic Development Commission Minutes November 6, 2020 Page 4 of 4 Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the agenda; seconded by Mr. Goltz. VOTE Motion carried by a 5-0-1 roll call vote. Aye: Richardson, Edghill-Walden, Goltz, Sawyer, Scholle. Nay: None. Absent: Walt. The meeting was adjourned at 9:45 a.m. Respectfully submitted, ________________________________________ RUTH A. SCOTT, Executive Assistant