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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEDA 1999-02-10 Minutes NORTH RICHLAND HILLS' ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING FEBRUARY 10,1999 MINUTES Board Members Present: Richard Bates, Ranchview Investments, Inc. Bob Driscoll, President, Paragon Furniture Janet Golightly, Owner, Golightly's Gallery Paula Grohman, Owner, Sir Speedy Printing Terry Willey, Manager, North Hills Mall Jim Makens, Owner, The Makens Company Randy Moresi, CEO, North Hills Hospital Don Waters, President, Summit Northeast Bank Kathleen Williams, Regional Manager, LaQuinta Inns Alan Young, Owner, Alan Young Buick-GMC Trucks Board Members Absent: Dick Dansereau, Operations Manager, Kimberly-Clark Staff/Guests Present: Charles Scoma, Mayor, City of North Richland Hills Lyle Welch, Councilman, City of North Richland Hills Larry Cunningham, City Manager, City of North Richland Hills Steve Norwood, Managing Director of Development Services, City of North Richland Hills Marty Wieder, Director of Economic Development, City of North Richland Hills Phyl Baloga, Administrative Secretary to Economic Development, City of North Richland Hills The City of North Richland Hills convened the first meeting of the Economic Development Advisory Committee in the Pre-Council Room at 11 :45 a.m. 1 . Mayor Charles Scoma welcomed committee members and discussed how the City is nearing build-out. He noted that the City Council is currently addressing NRH's landscape and sign regulations through recommendations by a citizen-based Land Use Ad Hoc Committee. He also pointed out that a second Ad Hoc Committee suggested ways to increase code enforcement, benefitting business owners and protecting the City's quality of life. The Council is awaiting direction from City staff on both Committees' recommendations. 2 2. Marty Wieder then passed out the Committee roster and asked members to introduce themselves. Mr. Wieder referred members to the City Council's Goals for FY 1998-99, as well as a one page list of Expectations for the Committee. He also pointed out the need to fill two positions on the Committee. 3. Mr. Wieder presented members with an update on the health of the NRH economy, providing a mini-tour of developments in the city with his pointer and map. Stops included: a. North Hills Hospital The Hospital will open the first pediatric ambulatory surgery center in all of Texas. North Hills' $25 million expansion will also include a five-story medical office building and new women's services. The City administered a tax abatement agreement with the hospital to help facilitate the expansion. b. BHC Richland Hospital The old Richland Hospital has been bought by Rick Motycka and is being converted into an assisted living center. c. Richland Business Center An investment team led by Richard Bates and Tony Calloway bought the former outdoor mall with plans to convert it into a mixed-use center geared toward office and manufacturing. The City and the owners have been working toward resolving an adjoining drainage issue, since much of the property is located in a 1 OO-year floodway. North Richland Hills created a tax increment financing district to help fund the redirection of water from Mackey Creek. Neighboring cities will also realize the benefit of revitalizing Richland plaza as far as restored land values and an increased day-time population. d. Rufe Snow Two property owners plan major renovations to shopping centers on Rufe Snow prior to the planned road widening project. Service King is renovating the old Western Auto. They will also have a new office on NE Loop 820. Further north, a new Walgreens and Blockbuster Video recently opened at the southeast corner of Rufe Snow & Hightower. This area is booming due to the residential growth north of Hightower-and especially north of Bursey (in Keller). e. Davis Boulevard & North Tarrant Parkway City staff members anticipate dramatic development, beginning with a new Walgreens, Eckerds and 12-acre center anchored by Albertson's. 3 f. Town Center Arcadia Realty Corporation of Dallas is planning a "traditional neighborhood development"-including 600,000 square feet of office space, 160,000 square feet of retail and approximately 1,400 housing units. The location encompasses 280 acres from Grapevine Highway to Mid-Cities Blvd. to Davis Blvd. g. Blue Line Ice Complex Located just west of the new high school, Blue Line Ice Complex will be the largest of its kind in Texas. Blue Line will have three sheets of ice, with one sheet being Olympic sized. h. Birdville High School BISD's new $42 million facility is located west of Precinct Line Road and south of Mid-Cities Blvd. Mayor Scoma mentioned that the football stadium located on site will be one of the largest in Texas. i. Ged's Carpets Moved outlet mills into Richland Centre this last year and filled remaining space with relocated corporate headquarters. j. Kimberly-Clark While Kimberly-Clark did cut employment, the Las Colinas-based company has over 60 acres in which to grow-and they expect to add additional medical care product lines in the coming years. 4. Mr. Wieder reviewed the Economic Development Department's FY 1998- 99 Goals: a. Coordinate and direct a multi-departmental team to work with Arcadia officials and help facilitate development of the NRH Town Center. b. Complete creation of the tax increment financing district (TIF) to fund the revised Mackey Creek Improvement Project near Richland Plaza (now known as Richland Business Centre). c. Convene a multi-departmental task force to examine Rufe Snow project plans, meet with affected businesses and prepare a strategic plan for maintaining access and promoting alternative routes. d. Conduct a detailed study of NRH's community profile and report any trends uncovered in the analysis. e. Organize a multi-departmental review of the 1995 Smithfield Area Feasibility Study, research and explore the grants and assistance programs available through the Texas Main Street Program and recommend a plan of action for restoration of the historic community. f. Meet with representatives of Urban Retail Properties, JMB Limited Properties Number Ten, North Hills Mall's consultants and possible new owners to examine redevelopment and renewal options to facilitate reinvestment in the Mall. 4 g. Conduct all Departmental objectives with time left to respond to technical assistance requests and produce traditional activities such as the Annual Business Appreciation Luncheon, NRH Outlook Breakfast, Allies Day, etc. h. Work to ensure that the City's occupancy taxes continue to grow, in spite of new properties being built all around and within North Richland Hills. Mr. Wieder introduced Steve Norwood and invited members to read the newspaper article about his hiring and new role included in their packet. Mr. Norwood explained the reasons behind the reorganization: Because of large amount of development in all of Northeast Tarrant County, NRH wants to be sure to coordinate and manage all associated functions under one umbrella. He said the City's main concern is customer service. He wants to see businesses treated fairly, quickly and efficiently. The vision is for NRH to be a model City, a benchmark for other communities. Randy Moresi expressed his admiration for the City of NRH. When faced with a difficult decision several years ago about the consolidation of the Hospital's Northeast Tarrant acute care services, Mr. Moresi recommended that North Hills Hospital remain open-due to the City's assistance and business-friendly atmosphere. 5. Mr. Wieder discussed the NRH Town Center project, referring Committee members to a memo summarizing development activities in and around the site. He pointed out that unlike the 130-acre Southlake Town Square-which doesn't include plans for residential units-the NRH Town Center will encompass 280 acres, including 1,400 residences with excellent household income. He reported that Kohl's' Department store will be moving into an 86,000 SF building in October near the new high school. Trademark Realty is developing Kohl's and the entire 31 acres in front of MEGA Life & Health Insurance Center-with retail and restaurants planned for the hard corner of Mid-Cities and Precinct Line Road. North Richland Hills' City Council is contemplating development of a new recreation center and library building in the "urban core" of the Town Center. Mr. Wieder also encouraged the Committee to review the targeted industries identified in the Town Center's Marketing Plan Analysis (MPA), noting that the categories are consisted at sites throughout the City. He shared City staffs desire to get Committee members' input on this list at a future meeting. Along those lines, Mayor Scoma pointed out the need for more hotel accommodations-especially with the construction of Blue Line Ice Complex and the possibility of a junior league hockey team and ice dancers. 5 6. Marty Wieder handed out the draft Land Use Ad Hoc Committee recommendations-and opened the floor to any questions or comments regarding the idea of targeted focus groups and the direction of the City's economic development efforts. Terry Willey said he thought the City was doing a good job. Alan Young asked staff to address the highway situation at IH 26 and 820. Mr. Wieder explained that he and Mayor Pro Tem Don Phifer will be attending the Partners in Mobility meeting with the Texas Transportation Commission in March. They will continue working to expedite the backlog of key transportation projects-while also discussing the upcoming widening of Loop 820 and outstanding grant for the Rufe Snow bridge. Currently, the Texas Department of Transportation has scheduled the project for the 2004. It's possible that they may let the project as early as 2002, although it may slip to as late as 2003-depending on State contingency funds. Mayor Scoma pointed out that area Cities are forming a "Western Metroplex Regional Mobility Coalition" with the help of the North Central Texas Council of Governments to draw more attention to backlogged projects and realize faster schedules. Larry Cunningham suggested that Assistant Director of Public Works Mike Curtis attend the next meeting and discuss upcoming street projects. Mayor Scoma agreed, adding that he thinks transportation as a whole should be discussed to include commuter rail possibilities and other forms of alternative transportation, such as hike and bike trails. Paula Grohman asked whether both sides of Rute Snow would be widened, and staff responded affirmatively. Staff members noted that the intersection of Rute Snow and NE Loop 820 handles over 50,000 vehicles each day. It is estimated that the intersection of Mid-CitiesNVatauga and Rufe Snow handles 35 to 40,000 vehicles per day. Larry Cunningham noted that intersection realizes a total daily count of close to 67,000 vehicles. Jim Makens suggested the committee form a group to visit corporations contemplating a new site. He believes this proactive group would target businesses that could otherwise move to another city. Mr. Wieder mentioned that some companies wish their status to be kept private-and therefore such a group might jeopardize relocation possibilities in the case of a press leak. Mayor Scoma noted that initial contact might be a good approach for such a group. Mr. Cunningham pointed out how the Land Use Ad Hoc Committee's draft landscape and sign ordinance suggestions 'N9re simply recommendations. 6 He asked that members look them over and put any concerns in writing so staff may review them. Mr. Wieder handed out a tentative schedule for the Economic Development Advisory Committee to meet quarterly. Mr. Cunningham, however, suggested that the Committee meet again in March (specifically March 10) due to the issues which need to be discussed immediately. Having no further business, Committee members drew lots to determine the length of their terms-and adjourned at approximately 1 :20 p.m.