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EDA MEETING PACKET 06-09-2014CITY OF SCANDIA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY Monday, June 9, 2014 6:30 P.M. Scandia Community Center Board Room 1. Call to Order 2. Approval of Minutes (May 12, 2014) 3. Approval of Agenda 4. Public Forum 5. New Business a) Internet Cafe, Sue Rodjso b) Affordable Housing c) Zoning Issues 6. Old Business a) 2015 Budget (Resolution 06-09-14-01) b) Broadband 7. Commissioner Reports a) Status update on BREs 8. Executive Director's Report 9. Date and Agenda Items for Next Meeting 10. Adjournment The Scandia Economic Development Authority met in the Board Room at the Scandia Community Center on Monday, May 12, 2014 beginning at 6:30pm. Commissioners Present: Tom Triplett, Sally Swanson, Greg Isaacson and Dan Lee. Absent: Bruce Swenson. Staff Present: Kristina Handt. The meeting was called to order at 6:30pm by Swanson. Motion by Triplett, seconded by Lee to approve the April 14, 2014 minutes. Motion carried. Triplett asked to add "Co -Working Space" to the agenda 5.b). Motion by Lee, seconded by Isaacson to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried. Handt provided a summary of the survey results. There were 128 respondents. Triplett asked how many of those who responded they had problems also said they would use a subscription based location. Handt will look at the surveys and get that info. Erik Mohr, 13987 236th St N, Scandia, addressed the EDA. He has an IT background and is willing to help in any way he can. Lee asked him if he thought people would use a subscription based location. Mohr wasn't sure if it would be worth the investment although maybe one-two office spaces for printing would be a good idea. Jeff Singer, 10561 202°d Street N, Scandia shared his 18 month struggle to get Internet service adequate to allow him to work from home. Before purchasing the home he contacted Midcontinent and was told it was available on his street. After moving in he learned he was 1,000 feet from the drop. Even after offering to pay $7,000 to connect he couldn't get MidCo service. He and his wife currently have three Internet providers at a cost of $3,600/year and still have uncertain service. They would not have moved to Scandia had they known this. After the City approved a new franchise agreement, Singer called Mid Co on 12/30/13 about extending service and he still has not gotten a response. Frontier has told him they will be improving service in his area this year. Kirk Lehman and Kevin Wallick from Frontier provided information on their efforts to improve backhaul services first as the demand for data increases 4% a month and their focus now on bringing it out to the residences. Frontier is share holder funded so there is not an unlimited supply of funds. Everyone in Scandia proper (Village Center) has access to 6mbs. There are six remote offices in Scandia. Three of them (Bone Lake, 220th St. and 185th St) will see upgrades in the near future. The other three (Quality Trail, Parade, and Oakhill) are in less populated areas. Copper has some limitation but can provide the level of service needed for more residences so fiber is only planned near 185th. They also commented that sometimes slow speed is due to an old computer or the site someone is visiting. Frontier is willing to work with the City/EDA in a public private partnership to improve services. Lastly, as improvements are made to increase to 6-12 mb, customers will not see an incremental increase. John Adams and Jason Sachs from Midcontinent addressed the EDA next. They are looking into expanding into the Wyldewood Acres development. They mentioned MidCo was voted 2"d fastest provider in the country two years in a row. They apologized for sales staff in offices not familiar with Scandia but pointed out the unique characteristics of Scandia being much less densely populated. Roads are broken up into sections so their staff in the office doesn't always realize service may not be available on all segments when checking addresses. MidCo is working on updating their maps and will provide them to the City Engineer. Also MidCo speeds are often 8% higher than advertised. Mayor Simonson confirmed this; at his house he gets 65 mb upload and 6.5mb download. Jackie Singer asked if some of the cabling work could be subcontracted out. They were willing to pay the fee to connect but found that MidCo didn't have the resources to put in the cable extension. MidCo reps explained they had just recently acquired the system from US Cable at the time but now have the resources to lay cable if the funds are there. Mayor Simonson pointed out there is a new franchise agreement in place now that offers some things that weren't included in the previous agreement such as only needing 6 houses in a quarter mile of the drop to connect and some cost share language beyond 200 feet. The providers will be in touch with the City moving forward on expanding services. Triplett mentioned Sue Rodjso is considering creating a co -working space at her property on Olinda Trail. She couldn't make the meeting tonight but will share more info at the June meeting. The board reviewed the draft budget Handt prepared. Motion by lee to approve the budget as presented. Motion died for lack of a second. Commissioners were encouraged to research and come back with any changes at the next meeting. Commissioner Reports: Swanson mentioned only 50 people signed up for natural gas. They needed 80 so perhaps they'll try again next year. She hasn't started her BRE surveys but will soon. Isaacson has gotten a couple surveys back so far. Triplett has gotten all but one of his surveys out. Commissioners mentioned some businesses were hesitant to complete the survey - they didn't want to take the time or didn't' want to disclose information. Triplett suggested a gathering with the businesses. Executive Director Report: Handt mentioned the County adopted the final version of their Economic Development Strategic Action Plan. Copies to be emailed to members. The next meeting will be Monday, June 9, 2014 at 6:30pm. Agenda items will include the 2015 budget, Sue Rodjso, Broadband, Affordable Housing, and Zoning Issues. Motion by Triplett, seconded by Lee to adjourn. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:05pm. Respectfully Submitted, Kristina Handt, Secretary C' SCANDIA Sta ff Renort Date of Meeting: June 9, 2014 To: Economic Development Authority From: Kristine Handt, Executive Director Re: Zoning Issues Background: The EDA requested to have a review of zoning issues on the June agenda. The public has made comments about the difficulty faced by potential developers and business owners in the community. The EDA may want to look into those concerns more closely and work with the Planning Commission to address them. Issue: How does current zoning impact housing and economic development? Are any changes needed? Proposal Details: There are three areas of zoning that have mentioned recently. 1. Sign Ordinance Nearly all of the respondents thus far to the BRE have responded with some reference to "signage" as the most notable thing Scandia could do to improve their business activity. The EDA should consider hosting a roundtable discussion with the business community in the future to learn more specifically what their concerns with signage are. In the meantime, I've attached a copy of the sign ordinance so you may familiarize yourself with it. 2. Multi -Family Housing As we've discussed before, extra regulations and uncertainty may turn away potential developers. One specifically is that multi -family housing anywhere in the City requires the applicant to go through the conditional use process. It is only allowed as a CUP in the Village Neighborhood, Village Mixed Use (A&B), and Rural Commercial districts. Furthermore, the following performance standards apply. 4.19 Multifamily Residential Developments. All multifamily residential developments shall meet the following standards. (1) The number of dwelling units shall not exceed the maximum density for the zoning district in which the development is located. (2) If the area is not served by public sewer and public water, the development shall be able to meet all on -site septic requirements and all standards for the provision of safe drinking water to the residents of the development. (3) Setbacks. (A) All structures shall meet the minimum setback requirements for the zone in which it is located. (B) The distance between principal structures shall be a minimum of 30 feet. (4) A buffer of 50 feet shall be provided between the lot line of a single-family residential lot and the multi -family structure. This buffer shall be landscaped with a combination of berms, deciduous and/or coniferous trees to screen the multifamily residential development from the single-family residential uses. Density is the big concern here as most of the City only allows 4 dwellings per 40 acres. The one exception is in the Village Neighborhood District which would allow the City to grant a density bonus up to a density of one dwelling unit per 1.0 acre for the development of life -cycle housing. Life -cycle housing is housing designated for residents age 55 and above, or housing that is affordable, as defined by U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to households earning 120% of Area Median Income or less. 3. Industrial Park District restrictions While the purpose of the Industrial Park District is to allow for light industrial businesses the only permitted uses are essential services (utilities) and printing businesses. All others must go through the CUP process. The City was recently contacted by a current business that wanted to add on to their storage building. They were told they would need to go through the process to amend their CUP. 4. Others? Are there any other areas commissioners have heard concerns about? Options: 1) Invite businesses/developers to a meeting to hear their specific concerns and proposed solutions to some of these issues 2) Research other communities' ordinances in these areas 3) Wait until the next Comp Plan process to begin discussions (Next Comp Plan due 12/31/18) 4) Do not take any actions 3.13 Signs (1) Applicability. The regulations contained herein do not apply to signs painted, attached by adhesive or otherwise attached directly to or visible through windows and glass portions of doors. (2) Permit Required. Except as otherwise provided in this Development Code, no sign shall be erected, constructed, altered, rebuilt or relocated until an Administrative Permit or Conditional use permit as may be required for the sign has been issued. Application for a permit shall be accompanied by the established fee. No permit will be required under this Development Code for the following signs: (A) Real estate sale signs under 9 square feet in area. (B) Political signs. (C) Warning signs that do not exceed 9 square feet in area. If the work authorized under a sign permit has not been completed within 6 months after the date of issuance, the permit shall become null and void. (3) General Standards. (A) All signs shall be reviewed for conformance with the Scandia Architectural Design Guidelines, as applicable. The following types of signs are generally prohibited by the guidelines: backlit signs, neon signs, internally lit signs, LED digital signs and individually lit sign letters. (B) No sign may be erected that, by reason of position, shape, movement, color or any other characteristic, interferes with the proper functioning of a traffic sign or signal or otherwise constitutes a traffic hazard; nor shall signs be permitted which would otherwise interfere with traffic control. (C) All signs, other than public utility warning signs, are prohibited within a public right of way. (D) Political signs of any size and number are allowed in any district, on private property, with the consent of the owner of the property. Such signs may be posted from 46 days prior to the election and shall be removed 10 days after the election. In a state general election year, such signs may be posted from 46 days prior to the state primary until 10 days following the state general election. (E) Illuminated signs shall be diffused or indirect so as not to direct rays of lighting onto any public right-of-way. No illuminated signs or their support structures shall be located closer than 25 feet to any roadway surface or closer than 10 feet to a road right of way line, notwithstanding less restrictive portions of this section. (F) Flashing signs shall be prohibited. Signs giving off intermittent, rotating, or direct light, which may be confused with traffic, aviation, or emergency signaling, are also prohibited. (G) Real estate sales signs may be placed in any yard providing such signs are not closer than 10 feet to any property line. (H) Real estate development project sales signs may be erected for the purpose of selling or promoting a single family or multiple family residential project. The plat of the development shall be recorded with the Washington County Recorder prior to the erection of a sign. Signs are subject to the following standards. Such signs shall not exceed 100 square feet in area. Only 1 such sign shall be erected on each road frontage with a maximum of 3 such signs per project. Such signs shall be removed when the project is 80% completed, sold or leased. Such sign shall be located on the property which is for sale. Off -site development project signs are prohibited. (I) One development identification sign shall be allowed for each street entrance to a development. The sign shall not exceed 32 square feet per surface and no sign shall have more than two surfaces. The sign shall not exceed 8 feet in height. (J) Signs shall not be painted directly on the outside wall of a building unless unless they reflect historic design and are approved by the City Council after review for compatibility with the Architectural Design Guidelines. (K) Signs shall not be painted on a fence, tree, stone or other similar object in any district. (L) Roof signs are prohibited in all districts. (M) All signs and displays using electric power shall have a cutoff switch on the outside of the sign and on the outside of the building or structure to which the sign is attached. No electrically illuminated signs shall be permitted in the Agriculture District- Core (AG-C), Agriculture Preserves (AP), General Rural (GR) and Village Neighborhood (VN) districts. (N) Advertising signs are prohibited in all districts except for the following signs: Signs advertising the sale of agricultural produce grown on the advertiser's property shall be permitted after issuance of an Administrative Permit. No more than three signs advertising the same location are permitted. No more than 135 sign days (each day that one sign is utilized) shall be allowed in one year. All signs shall be installed on posts placed in the ground. No portable signs shall be permitted. No sign shall exceed 10 square feet in area. Signs advertising a community event shall be permitted after issuance of an Administrative Permit for a period of no more than 10 days preceding the event and ending on the day after the event. No more than 3 signs advertising the same event are permitted. 3. Signs advertising a garage, lawn or similar sale occurring on a property in agricultural or residential use shall be permitted after issuance of an Administrative Permit. Such signs shall not exceed 4 square feet and shall be removed not later than 4 days after it is erected. 4. A temporary off -site real estate open house directional sign advertising the sale of residential real property is allowed with the consent of the property owner on whose property the sign is placed. Such sign shall be promptly removed at the completion of the open house and no later than 6:00 p.m. on the same day. 5. Temporary off -site real estate directional signs are allowed, but shall be limited to two square feet and shall include the name and telephone number of the person or company responsible for the signs. Such signs shall be promptly removed upon the sale of the property. Temporary "Parade of Homes" signs shall be allowed only during those periods in each year when the "Parade of Homes" event is being conducted. Such signs shall be erected not earlier than the first day of such event and shall be removed on the final day of such event. (0) Multi -faced signs shall not exceed 2 times the allowed square footage of single faced signs. (P) Except for more restrictive parts of this Chapter, no sign that exceeds 100 square feet in area shall be erected or maintained: 1. Which would prevent any traveler on any road from obtaining a clear view of approaching vehicles on the same road for a distance of 500 feet. 2. Which would be closer than 1,350 feet to a national, state or local park, or historic site. Which would partly or totally obstruct the view of a lake, river, rocks, wooded, area, stream or other point of natural and scenic beauty. (Q) Any sign which becomes structurally unsafe or endangers the safety of a building or premises or endangers the public safety, shall be taken down and removed or structurally improved by the owner, agent or person having the beneficial use of the building, structure or land upon which the sign is located within 10 days after written notification from the Zoning Administrator. (R) If the work authorized under a sign permit has not been completed within 6 months after the date of issuance, the permit shall become null and void. (4) Signs in Agriculture — Core (AG-C), Agriculture Preserves (AP), General Rural (GR) and Village Neighborhood (VN) Districts. Identification, real estate sales, development identification, advertising signs as permitted in Section 3.13(4)(N) and political signs are the only signs permitted in agricultural and residential districts. (A) No sign shall be so constructed as to have more than 2 surfaces. (B) 1 of each of the permitted type signs and 1 political sign for each candidate will be permitted. (C) No sign shall exceed 32 square feet in size. (D) The top of the display shall not exceed 10 feet above grade. (E) Any sign over 2 square feet shall be setback at least 10 feet from any property line. In no case shall any part of the sign be closer than 2 feet to a vertical line drawn at the property line. (5) Signs in Village Mixed Use - A (VMU-A), Village Mixed Use — B (VMU-B), Rural Commercial (R-COMM) and Industrial Park (1P) districts. (A) Business, political, advertising signs as permitted in Section 3.13(4)(N), development identification and real estate sales signs are permitted. (B) Number of each type of sign allowed per lot frontage: 1 real estate sales sign; 2. 1 freestanding monument business sign and 1 business sign attached to the building. (C) Except as provided herein, the total square footage of sign area for each lot shall not exceed 1 square feet of sign area for each lineal foot of building front. No sign shall exceed 200 square feet in area. Each real estate sales sign or political sign shall not exceed 35 square feet in area. (D) The top of a monument sign shall not exceed 15 feet above the average grade. (E) Any sign over 6 square feet shall be setback at least 10 feet from any property line. In no case shall any part of a sign be closer than 2 feet to a vertical line drawn at the property line. (6) Shopping Center Signs. (A) Shopping Centers or buildings containing more than 1 tenant are allowed 1 monument sign which may contain the names of all businesses in the project. Individual businesses may be identified by way of signs attached to the building. The total square footage of sign area may not exceed the limits set forth in Section 5(C) above. (B) Signs shall in no case project from a building or structure to any point within 2 feet to a vertical line drawn at the property line. No projecting sign shall be less than 9 feet above the sidewalk or the ground level. All projecting signs for which a permit is required shall be constructed entirely of fire resistant material. Home Occupations. Any home occupation permitted under Section 4.9 of this Chapter shall be allowed a sign no greater than 9 square feet in size. 6 L A� SCANDIA .Stuf Report Date of Meeting: June 9, 2014 To: Economic Development Authority From: Kristina Handt, Executive Director Re: 2015 Budget Background: The City Council will be starting the budget process soon. The EDA should begin thinking about their 2015 budget request so it can be presented to the Council with the other departments. No revenue budget has been included in your packet because the only source of funds for EDA at this point in time is planned to be tax levy dollars. The EDA first saw the draft budget at their May meeting and wanted more time for review and research. Issue: What should the EDA's 2015 budget include? Proposal Details: A draft 2015 expense budget is included in your packet. I'm proposing $400 in the operating supplies budget as we've talked about wanting to invite the businesses in for some discussion and feedback and having food increases participation. I've also included funding for some of the U of in Extension programs we heard about earlier this year. This includes $5,000 for the Tourism Assessment Program, $1,500 for a Market Area Profile and funds for workshops and webinars. The budget also includes $1,000 for conferences and seminars -similar to other budgets (i.e. Planning and Council) in case any events come up that members or staff want to attend. Fiscal Impact: A $10,000 levy request represents about 0.05% of the total City tax levy. Options: 1) Approve Resolution 06-09-14-01 2) Amend and then approve Resolution 06-09-14-01 3) Table until next meeting 4) Do not ask for a tax levy in 2015 2015 Draft Budget EDA EXPENSE FUNDS 2014 6/30/2014 2014 2015 Change Adopted YTD Estimated Proposed 14-15 Account Description Budget Expdts Expdtrs Budget Budget Notes Materials & Supplies 200 Office Supplies 50 203 Printed Forms & Papers 50 210 Operating Supplies & Equipment 400 Total Materials & Supplies 500 #DIV/0! Contractual Services 302 Surveying 303 Engineering Services 304 Legal Services 308 Other Professional Services 312 Planning Services 313 Committee & Commission Reimburs 316 Conference & Seminars 317 Employee Training 319 Other Services 322 Postage 331 Travel Expenses 433 Dues & Subscriptions 438 Misc Contractual 500 250 7,500 1,000 500 100 400 250 Total Contractual Services 1000 9,500 850.00% Total Dept. Fund 1000 10,000 900.00% Notes: 1. Business community meetings (food) 2. Tourism Assessment, Market Area Profile, U of M Ext Workshops and Webinar Series 2 EDA 12:55 PM5/6/2014 SCANDIA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY RESOLUTION NO. 06-09-14-01 RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE PRELIMINARY EDA LEVY FOR 2015 WHEREAS, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Section 469.090 to 469.108 (the "EDA Act'), the City Council of the City of Scandia created the Scandia Economic Development Authority (the "Authority"); and WHEREAS, pursuant to the EDA Act, the City Council granted to the Authority all of the powers and duties of a housing and redevelopment authority under the provisions of the Minnesota Statutes, sections 469.001 to 469.047 (the "HRA Act'); and WHEREAS, Section 469.107, authorizes the City, at the request of the Authority, to levy a tax upon all taxable property within the City to be expended for the purposes authorized by the EDA Act; and WHEREAS, such levy may be in an amount not to exceed 0.01813 percent of estimated market value of the City; and WHEREAS, the Authority has filed its budget for the special benefit levy in accordance with the budget procedures of the City in the amount of $10,000; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF SCANDIA, WASHINGTON COUNTY, MINNESOTA, that it should and hereby does request a 2015 levy of $10,000. Adopted by the Scandia Economic Development Authority this 9th day of June, 2014. Sally Swanson, President ATTEST: Kristina Handt, Secretary SCANDIA Staff Report Date of Meeting: June 9, 2014 To: Economic Development Authority From: Kristina Handt, Executive Director Re: Broadband Update Since Last Meeting: I contacted Frontier and asked them to keep us updated as improvements to their service are made. Kirk let me know that the upgrades to Bone Lake and 220"' St remotes were scheduled to be completed by the end of May. The upgrade to 185 b is scheduled for sometime this year and once he has a more definitive schedule he'll let us know. I contacted Midcontinent and put them in touch with the president of the Wyldewood Acres Association. Under the current franchise agreement, they have 12 months to connect areas that meet the service requirements (6 dwellings within a quarter mile of a cable drop). There is a broadband forum scheduled for later this month at the Humphrey Institute. Info below: The Blandin Foundation and the Telecommunications and Information Society Policy (TISP) Forum will present The Broadband Roundtable on June 17 at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs in Minneapolis. Leadership was the key factor in broadband progress this year at the Legislature. This inclusive roundtable event brings together main leaders in the broadband policy debate. You will hear about lessons learned from this past year as well as next steps in implementation of the recently enacted Border -to -Border Broadband Grant program. A lot remains to be done, and this roundtable discussion will help clarify where we are going. The idea behind this forum is simple and essential: purposeful exchange on key issues with engaged stakeholders to create a better information future. The following people will participate in the roundtable discussion: Brent Christensen, President/CEO, Minnesota Telecom Alliance Gary Evans, President, Greater Minnesota Partnership and Minnesota Broadband Task Force Member Tim Flaherty, Flaherty and Hood, P. A. Bernadine Joselyn, Director, Public Policy/Engagement, Blandin Foundation and Minnesota Broadband Task Force Member Rep. Sheldon Johnson, Minnesota House of Representatives Danna MacKenzie, Director, Minnesota Office of Broadband Development Sen. Matt Schmit, Minnesota Senate Rep. Eric Simonson, Minnesota House of Representatives The Broadband Roundtable will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs in Room 180, located at 310 19th Ave. S. in Minneapolis. For more information or to RSVP, contact TISP at tisp@umn.edu.