Planning Commission Minutes 2015 07 09

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Planning Commission Meeting Minutes July 9, 2015 Page 13 of 17 DeJong says it would be looking at the urban renewal authority taking ownership of the property and then the court addressing the blighting factors determined on a just compensation for that. The other critical component to condemnation is there must be just compensation. O'Connell asks if the just compensation be to surrounding businesses or solely to the current property owner? DeJong says it would be determined through the process. I do not have the answer to that. Bergman says on the draft plan dated August 2015 in the packet, in terms of what the plan authorizes in terms of future actions, Section 4 is Plan Implementation, Section 4.1 says "taking actions to remove restrictive covenants that might otherwise contribute to the property remaining vacant and/or under-utilized." In the blight survey itself, that survey noted that the most significant restriction affecting the marketability was the Albertsons restrictive covenant. If I could make one more comment, with regard to the blight survey's determination of blight on the Sam's Club property, it identified a pothole, a crumbling curb, and stated that the building is not at full maintenance. If that is the baseline for determining blight, there are a lot of businesses in this community that should take note. Brauneis asks Bergman to describe the covenant between Albertsons? Bergman says I don't have it before me, but when Albertsons originally went in, as you can imagine with the typical overall development, no competing grocery stores or pharmacies in that Sam's Club space. There are other restrictive covenants that also encumber that space as well. When Sam's Club came in, people came to Albertsons and asked for help and assistance, saying we want Sam's Club to come in. Albertsons amended its restrictive covenant to allow that to happen, although technically it would have been, in my view, prohibited by that restrictive use. Albertsons is not a no -growth platform; Albertsons wants to see this property redeveloped; wants to see the City succeed. The question is, "is this the right way to go about it", which I would characterize as a sledgehammer to allow another competing grocery store to go in. Joan Adams, 5823 Wetland Loop, Frederick, CO I currently serve as the store manager at the Albertsons store located right next to the former Sam's Club. We are proud to call Louisville as our home. For over 20 years, Albertsons has prominently served a cornerstone of the City's primary retail center. Our many local customers, residents, and as well as those that live outside of the City boundaries recognize that Albertsons is an important part of the fabric of the City's gateway urban center. Albertsons values its partnership with the Louisville community. The partnership has been molding over many years. When Albertsons first came to this location, we were the only grocery store in the area. Of course, things have changed and there are more competitors in the area in the larger Louisville community. Growth and carefully planned development has contributed to the overall stability and vitality of this area, even during tough economic times that we all weathered. Through all this, Albertsons has been proud to be a City mainstay, serving our customers with faithful loyalty, quality service, and excellent products. Good partners make strong communities and all of us have seen the investment of the payoff over the years. The benefit of partnership includes providing important jobs and tax revenue for the community. As we continue into this next phase of Louisville's growth and development, we view ourselves in the same vein: your store, your community partner. Albertsons is interested in working with the new property owners and the City of Louisville in a way that maximizes opportunity for the community and does not divest the impact of those who have been partners of the community for years. Thank you for your time.