Economic & Community Development Committee

Village Hall Village of Lombard 255 East Wilson Ave. Lombard, IL 60148 villageoflombard.org Minutes Economic & Community Development Committee Bill Johnston, Chairperson Reid Foltyniewicz, Alternate Chairperson Dennis McNicholas, Garrick Nielsen, Matthew Pike, Brian LaVaque, Markus Pitchford, Christopher Carter and Paula Dillon Advisory Members: Alan Bennett and Larry Kelly Staff Liaison: William Heniff Monday, September 12, 2016 7:00 PM Village Hall - Community Room 1.0 Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance The meeting was called to order by Trustee Johnston at 7:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 2.0 Roll Call Present 8 - Bill Johnston, Dennis McNicholas, Brian LaVaque, Garrick Nielsen, Matthew Pike, Christopher Carter, Paula Dillon, and Alan Bennett Absent 2 - Markus Pitchford, and Larry Kelly Also present: Jennifer Ganser, Assistant Director of Community Development; William Heniff, Director of Community Development; Lynne Magnavite, Lombard Town Centre; Chris Cholewa, Lombard Town Centre; Wayne Kankovsky, Lombard Town Centre; and Scott Saxe, Charity Resources. 3.0 Public Participation 4.0 Approval of Minutes On a motion by Mr. McNicholas and a second by Mr. Pike, the minutes of the August 8, 2016 meeting were unanimously approved by the members present. 5.0 Unfinished Business 160243 Lombard Town Centre Strategic 2017 Funding Request Village of Lombard Page 1 Economic & Community Minutes September 12, 2016 Development Committee Recommendation from the Economic and Community Development Committee to approve a resolution providing funding for Lombard Town Centre as the official Illinois Main Street Program organization serving the Village of Lombard. (DISTRICT #1) Mr. Heniff gave a summary of the memo and the previous meeting discussions. He said that anything spent from the TIF needs to be a TIF eligible expense per State law. He said the previous year audit has been completed. Trustee Johnston noted the three options in the memo and opened the discussion to the members. Ms. Cholewa thanked the ECDC for this opportunity. She said this was a learning year with the strategic planning process and they will use and review the plan over time. She referred to the attached goals and objectives document and said they are working on an action plan. Ms. Dillon said the document shows significant scope. She asked if the funding and membership for 2017 is part renewal and part new and also how much volunteer turnover there is. Ms. Cholewa said the numbers show both as they hope to maintain and grow. There is volunteer turnover and therefore they are working on a volunteer guidebook and giving the volunteers key tasks and times. Mr. Carter asked about membership for 2016 and Ms. Magnavite said they are on track. Mr. Carter asked about the Spooktacular budget and Ms. Cholewa said they had two sponsors depart which affects the budget. Mr. Saxe said LTC has spent a lot of time defining what they’ll need from volunteers, vendors, sponsors, etc. Mr. McNicholas asked if LTC knows what other organizations their members are also members of. Ms. Magnavite said not currently, but it’s a good idea. Mr. McNicholas asked where the remainder of the LTC funding comes from, as only a portion is shown in the TIF budget. Ms. Ganser said the hotel-motel funds. Mr. Heniff said this helps stretch our dollars and is useful with events like Spooktacular which is tourism and promotion. Mr. McNicholas said he is prepared to make a motion and hopes the funding will help LTC create a synergy around downtown Lombard and make it easier for more businesses to come to the downtown. On a motion by Mr. McNicholas and a second by Mr. Nielsen, the ECDC recommended approval of the LTC funding request at $55,000 for fiscal year 2017. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 6- Dennis McNicholas, Brian LaVaque, Garrick Nielsen, Matthew Pike, Christopher Carter, and Paula Dillon Absent: 1- Markus Pitchford, and Larry Kelly 160295 Business Lighting Review - Next Steps Review of various options and approaches regarding the use of perimeter lighting in storefronts. (DISTRICTS - ALL) Village of Lombard Page 2 Economic & Community Minutes September 12, 2016 Development Committee Mr. Heniff summarized the memo and past discussions with the ECDC. He said the Chamber took a vote and opted for option 1 - status quo. LTC took no action at this time. Staff is looking for direction. Trustee Johnston said the first discussion was how to solve a problem, the second discussion included businesses who said it wasn’t a problem and then issues were discussed. Mr. Bennett said he recommends tabling the discussion until LTC makes a vote, as the focus started in the downtown. Mr. Carter asked if our vote would affect all of Lombard and Trustee Johnston said that is what the ECDC needs to decide. Mr. McNicholas said we should also give customers credit as some people may not shop at stores with the lights. He said an ordinance could hurt more than help and it would be difficult for staff to enforce. He said he is ok with the status quo and would await a vote from LTC. Mr. Nielsen said his agrees with the status quo, though is still concerned about someone affecting the ambiance of a neighboring business with outdoor seating. Mr. Carter asked if something could be regulated thru square feet. Mr. LaVaque said regulations can always be added in the future, and he is ok with status quo. Ms. Dillon said she is ok with status quo and said maybe in the future only one type of lighting per business should be allowed. Mr. Pike said he is ok with status quo and noted that businesses came to speak on the topic, but no one spoke for new regulations. Mr. McNicholas said perhaps landlords in the downtown could not allow window lighting in their leases. Mr. Kankovsky noted that LTC is not shy about bringing issues forward and said this issue didn’t come from the business community. He agreed with Mr. Pike. Mr. Heniff noted that LTC can discuss this again and come back to ECDC with a vote. Ms. Magnavite said she spoke to four different people who each had different views. A motion was made by Mr. Pike, seconded by Ms. Dillon, to table the matter until the November 14, 2016 ECDC meeting, pending receipt of a vote by the Lombard Town Centre Board. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 6- Dennis McNicholas, Brian LaVaque, Garrick Nielsen, Matthew Pike, Christopher Carter, and Paula Dillon Absent: 1- Markus Pitchford, and Larry Kelly 6.0 New Business 160386 Lombard Economic Incentive Policy - 2016 Revisions Review and recommendation regarding amendments to the Lombard Economic Incentive Policy. (DISTRICTS - ALL) Mr. Heniff said four (4) economic incentives have recently been approved by the Village. Every so often, staff will review the economic incentive policy, which helps staff negotiate incentives, for updates. He said this best handled as a collaborative effort between Staff, the Village of Lombard Page 3 Economic & Community Minutes September 12, 2016 Development Committee ECDC, and the Village Board. He reviewed the proposed changes. Mr. McNicholas asked to delete the word “regarding” in the memo for clarity. On a motion by Mr. Nielsen and a second by Mr. McNicholas, the ECDC unanimously recommended approval of the edits. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 6- Dennis McNicholas, Brian LaVaque, Garrick Nielsen, Matthew Pike, Christopher Carter, and Paula Dillon Absent: 1- Markus Pitchford, and Larry Kelly 160387 Downtown TIF Funds - 2016 Review and discussion regarding the goals and priorities relative to future TIF expenditures. (DISTRICTS #1 & #4) Mr. Heniff summarized the memo and said staff will continue to update the ECDC with the TIF funds. The overall result is good - money was spent and businesses came to our downtown and the Village completed capital projects. Now the ECDC and Board should continue to be prudent with the remaining money. Mr. Heniff noted the grants distributed since the 2011 Downtown Revitalization Plan was adopted. 7.0 Other Business 8.0 Information Only Lombard Town Centre Report Ms. Magnavite referred to her monthly report memo that was done in-line with the goals and objective document. She mentioned the Purple Plans newsletter change, increased likes and activity on Facebook, and Constant Contact. She said volunteer and membership numbers are on par with last year. Ms. Dillon said it’s great to see the downtown thriving again. Mr. Bennett asked for an update on the Capone’s site. Ms. Magnavite said the new owner is developing plans for a restaurant. Mr. Heniff said the site has been gutted for a projected Spring 2017 opening. 9.0 Adjournment On a motion by Mr. Pike and a second by Ms. Dillon, the meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m. Village of Lombard Page 4