Business Retention and Development Committee Agenda and Packet 2014 05 05

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Business Retention & Development Committee Meeting Minutes April 7, 2014 Page 2 of 2 DOWNTOWN PARKING STUDY PRESENTATION: Troy Russ presented the parking study presentation provided in the meeting agenda packet. He walked through the data gathered during 2013 to update the 2010 study, discussed parking policies and how they relate to character based policies vs. parking oriented policies. He outlined several possible options for addressing parking concerns. They varied from increased supply, fostering sharing through leases, neighborhood parking permits, increased compliance, new development parking requirements, and fee-in-lieu pricing. RETENTION MEETINGS: Wheels Manufacturing – DeJong visited with Dave Batka, president of Wheels Manufacturing, a bicycle parts manufacturer in the CTC. Mr. Batka noted that the bicycle industry did not grow in 2013 but 2014 is looking promising. Much of the manufacturing utilizes CNC machinery and he has difficulty finding the skilled workforce that has experience in CNC operations. The community colleges do not have the programs available to learn these skills. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BRIEFING: DeJong provided a retail vacancy map and report as requested at the March meeting. Excluding the Sam’s Club vacancy, retail occupancy is on par with the Denver Metro area. The patio program is ready to go for 2014. Discussion began about the flowers provided by the DBA. Tienken mentioned the cost for 2014 is $25,000 which includes product and maintenance. Menaker asked if the City would be willing to pay for the flowers. It was mentioned a Business Improvement District (BID) would be a good vehicle to provide funding for costs like this. A BID would be contentious but it may be time to re-evaluate its benefits for downtown. COMMENTS: DISCUSSION ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING: Review Retail Broker Roundtable Meeting ADJOURN – The meeting adjourned at 9:30 am