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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEcon Dev Adv - 2006-02-22ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES February 22, 2006 City of Kitchener The Economic Development Advisory Committee met this date commencing at 11:10 a.m. with the following members in attendance: Councillor John Smola, Hans Pottkamper, Glen Woolner, Len Carter, Mark Paleczny, Adrian Conrad, Peter Benninger, Howie Budd, Sunshine Chen, Dan Peidra, Sheryl Petricevic. Regrets: Lawrence Bingeman, Donald Zehr, Robert Denton, Henrick Nosegaard, Ian Cook Staff in attendance: Rod Regier, Kathy Weiss, Hans Gross, Janette MacDonald, Sandy Curzon, Rob Morgan, Tracey DeVille 1. NEW BUSINESS 1.1 Approval of Minutes On request, the discussion regarding the approval of the January 25, 2006 minutes were brought forward on the agenda. Questions were raised regarding the new format of the minutes and agenda, Tracey DeVille, Committee Administrator, advised that the minutes and agenda have been changed to follow the same set-up as the other Committees of Council. After a lengthy discussion surrounding the new format has resulted in the following changes to the minutes: ^ List all members in attendance ^ List all members that had previously advised they are unable to attend (regrets) ^ List all members that are absent (those who have not previously declined) A concern regarding the lack of quoting members comments was also raised and it was advised that the Co-Chairs and Committee Administrator would look into that and advise the Committee. The Committee questioned follow-up from the South Kitchener Presentation Study and specifically the status of the motion/comment that was to come from the Committee. Mr. Jeff Willmer, Director of Planning advised that the report was initially going to Committee at the end of February; however, now the report is tentatively scheduled for the March 27, 2006 Development and Technical Services Committee. Agreement was reached that the January minutes be amended to include the discussion surrounding the South Kitchener Presentation Study re: comment/motion from EDAC The Committee was supplied with a copy of the Meeting Planner Schedule for January to June. Hans Pottkamper asked the Committee to review the schedule and advise of any additions and/or changes as soon as possible. A request was made to have the schedule dated to ensure the most current document is being used. Developer Interest Hans Pottkamper, advised that he was approached by a local developer who owns a parcel of land located on the Kitchener-Waterloo border. This parcel is currently zoned industrial and is interested in applying for a zone change to retail. The developer is interested in feedback from EDAC and is prepared to provide a presentation to the Committee. The committee members raised the following points: ^ At a recent urban design workshop, planners indicated strip mall type developments were not conducive to vibrant urban environments. ^ City of Waterloo staff need to be involved since the property is also in Waterloo ^ The discussion needs to be informed by the Non-Residential Land Inventory and the Regional Land Budget analysis. ^ The impact on the economic structure of the community (through an analysis of the impact of various types of employment) needs to be taken into consideration. The Committee agreed to hear what the developer has to say at the April meeting. Economic Development and Planning staff will meet to prepare background information on the impact of various types of employment on the urban economy in order inform the discussion on highest and best use for Ira Needles properties. 2. DISCUSSION 2.1 Centre Block Update and Discussion An update on the status of the Centre Block project was provided. Council has concerns over project costs and heritage issues. The KPL/Centre Block Committee has presented a comprehensive set of recommendations to Council regarding the financial package and the heritage properties on the Block. Regarding the heritage property, the committee recommended the Mayfair building be maintained and 156-158 King Street facade be retained preferably with the interior floors as well. The Committee is recommending, to achieve maximum residential densities, the remainder of the Forsyth buildings be removed. These recommendations are being considered at the March 20, 2006 Council meeting. Committee discussion on the project included the following points: ^ Non-library section of the project should be privately owned with the exception of the underground parking garage. Market conditions have become favourable in downtown Kitchener, however committee members were skeptical about the potential value in the Centre Block properties; ^ The Library retained an architects last year to provide their opinion on the placement of the essentials within the library; ^ Preliminary costing could have a 10% or higher variance since a final architectural design has not yet been determined ^ There have been two independent cost reviews of the library's capital budget ^ Current costing has been estimated on a level C costing on just the structure of the library - no furniture etc. It was noted that the current costs are based on 2006 numbers with a need to add 5% inflation costs due to the timing of the construction. Councillor John Smola noted that members of Council are hearing feedback regarding the heritage issues of the site and the downtown parking issues. Questions were raised on the timing for the Request for Proposal (RFP). Timing for this document is tentative to March 20, 2006. Once this document has been approved by Council, there will be a need to provide approximately 3 weeks for re-costing, then a decision on how to move forward as well as any modifications required. Hans Pottkamper noted that one option is to develop a new RFP without a library component and have Council provide direction on that opinion. There was concern that this may be going back instead of forward with this project, and Mr. Pottkamper noted that it could be perceived that way; however, the market has changed. Councillor John Smola noted that members of Council have indicated that the need to keep taxes in check is very important and if this project comes back will a call for more taxpayer funding, then the chance of success decreases. The Committee discussed the current successes of the downtown core, such as the loft projects and the progress that the KPUCentre Block Project Committee has been able to achieve. The Committee raised concerns on the entire process, with some members arguing for a separation of the library component from the remainder of the development. The library project, they argued, should be treated as a major civic project using adesign-contract-build model. Others argued in favour of the existing process. The Committee as a whole indicated that saving the Mayfair Hotel site and the surrounding buildings known as 156-158 King is a positive step to success of the block. There was recognition for the work that the KPUCentre Block Project Committee has done so far, noting that it is important to remember that Council has a responsibility to stay within budget and look at the past projects the City has done, such as The Market, and learn from those processes to ensure that the Centre Block project is a success. The Committee agreed to put forward a motion of support for the current process that the KPL/Centre Block Project Committee has done to date. 2.1 Centre Block Update and Discussion (cont'd) On Motion by Peter Benninger, "The Economic Development Advisory Committee supports the KPL/Centre Block Project Committee in their current approach to the development of the Centre Block site and recommends that they move ahead with the RFP including a new Main Library." This motion will be brought forward to the Finance and Corporate Services Committee on March 6, 2006. 2.2 Employment Land Inventory Hans Pottkamper informed the Committee that the Region has been working with the Cities for feedback regarding the employment lands issue in preparation of their report that is going to Regional Council on March 6th, however the document is confidential at this time. Kathy Weiss, Director of Business Development, presented the recommendation that was made to Regional staff in relation to not reserving the East Side lands specifically to parcels 20 acres or larger, rather have a diversity of lot sizes to accommodate local future business expansion. She advised that as a Committee, we should put forward a motion regarding these lands. Ms. Weiss advised that the Region's plans for the lands are part of the Growth Management Strategy in which a consultant was hired to determine the demand on lot sizes within the Region. This study concluded that there is a shortage of large flat parcels within the Region, however Kitchener staff were never approached for input to this study. The Region feels there are enough small parcels scattered throughout that will accommodate local business expansion, however staff feel that most of the sites are infill within areas that are not suitable to industry. There was concern raised about addressing the lot sizes at this time in the process as we do not know what the future land requirement will be, rather putting the focus on expediting the East Side lands. It was agreed that the following motion be accepted by the Committee for submission to the March 6, 2006 Finance and Corporate Services Committee: That Kitchener City Council requests Regional Council to expedite the development of the East Side Employment Lands in order to ensure that the strength of the local economy will not be impacted negatively because of lack of available, serviced employment lands and: That Regional Council makes every possible effort to persuade the Province to expedite construction of the Hwy. 7 expansion between Kitchener and Guelph in order to accommodate these new employment lands as the businesses who will locate there must have transportation infrastructure for the purposes of moving people and goods to and from the Business Park". Outside of this recommendation, the City of Kitchener has concerns regarding the future availability of smaller lots, based on past and current sales, and believes there needs to be flexibility in the diversity of lot configuration on the East Side lands. On motion, the meeting adjourned at 1:15 p.m.