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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Economic and Community Development Committee - 01/14/2019 Page 1 of 5 Approved Economic and Community Development Committee CC ECDC Regular Meeting Minutes January 14, 2019 Date: January 14, 2019 Time: 5:00 p.m. Place: Chambers East Attending: Bill Boyce, Committee Chair Satwinder Kaur, Councilmember Marli Larimer, Councilmember Agenda: 1. Call to Order 5:03 p.m. 2. Roll Call Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Bill Boyce Committee Chair Present Satwinder Kaur Councilmember Present Marli Larimer Councilmember Present 3. Changes to the Agenda 4. Approval of the Minutes Approval of Minutes dated December 10, 2018 MOTION: Move to approve the Minutes dated December 10, 2018 RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS] MOVER: Satwinder Kaur, Councilmember SECONDER: Marli Larimer, Councilmember AYES: Boyce, Kaur, Larimer 5. Food Truck Pilot Program Debrief Michelle Wilmot, along with guest speaker Jonathan Amato owner of Curbside Provisions and SeattleFoodTrucks.com, discussed the results of the Food Truck Pilot Program launched in June of 2018 in Town Square Plaza Park in downtown Kent. The program had a soft open June 2 and the pilot concluded September 29th. Food trucks were scheduled on Wednesdays and Saturdays between those dates. The purpose of the program was to bring more foot traffic to Town Square Plaza and downtown in general, complement other summertime activities like the Parks Department's Summer Concert Series and the Saturday Farmers Economic and Community Development Committee CC ECDC Regular Meeting Minutes January 14, 2019 Kent, Washington Page 2 of 5 Market, assess the viability of food trucks in the downtown core, and deter negative activity in the park space. Preparations prior to starting the pilot included outreach to stake holders, coordination with Finance, Parks, Public Works, Police and Fire, partnering with Curbside Provisions to bring the subject matter expertise and handle much of the regulatory activities necessary to work with Vendors, The city's role was to clear issues related to use of public space and share in the marketing and promotion for the vendors and event days. Initial stakeholder feedback was mixed, with some feeling that food trucks would compete with existing restaurants and others welcoming the possibility of additional foot traffic and economic activity. With the program limited to two days a week and for a limited term pilot, the downtown business community proved mostly welcoming to the idea and to the vendors. The public response was largely positive, resulting in the highest likes and shares on social media ever, prior to the opening of Dick's Drive In, and the food vendors were a welcome addition to the family oriented Summer Concert Series held over the lunch hour at Town Square Plaza. The vendors provided additional options for picnic style dining for concert goers and also brought out many of the employees who work downtown (city employees not the least of them) to enjoy the unique food options and the music. However the program was not without its challenges, which included worries over reduced parking capacity, and - most concerning - no show vendors, which happened on three separate occasions. A few of the vendors also felt that the traffic was not quite heavy enough to make it worth their while, though Jonathan offered that most food truck programs build from a slow start. They also reported that Saturday foot traffic was even more disappointing, which City staff found surprising given the popularity of Farmers' Markets around the region. While public space regulations were relaxed for the period of the pilot, some regulations would need to be changed in order for food trucks to become a regular feature within the downtown core. Changes in how Curbside Provisions handles their vendor relationships are being made to ensure that food trucks show up for their promised engagements. The Committee's consensus was that city staff should develop the necessary policy and regulatory changes to welcome food trucks to the community for consideration of the full Council. 6. Meet Barbara Napier, Permit Center Manager Economic and Community Development Committee CC ECDC Regular Meeting Minutes January 14, 2019 Kent, Washington Page 3 of 5 New Permit Center Manager Barbara Napier was introduced to the Committee members by Matt Gilbert, ECD's Deputy Director. Matt took a few moments to explain that Barbara's hiring came about due to a restructuring of the Permit Center after the departure of its former manager/city Building Official. Current ECD leadership determined that the scope of the job might be better split between two people. One to supervise the Building Services staffers, and be the Building Official, and a Permit Center Manager, to supervise those staff who work with the public on permit applications, issuance, and all the steps in between. Barbara then took the floor with a summary of her employment history with the city previously and currently, as well as her more than a decade working in permitting and development for private sector employers. Barb first worked for the city in the mid 80's, working for Public Works down at the shops. After a break she returned to the city as a project coordinator in Development Engineering, when they were part of the Public Works Department. She was laid off in 2002 and that is when her career in the private sector began. Here experience working with private developers and builders to navigate their projects through different jurisdictions across 3 counties gave her a unique perspective on what we might do to make the way smoother for those who want to build in our city. Barb returned to the city in 2018 as a Planning Technician, but we are delighted to utilize her unique experience and skill set to bring positive innovation to the crucial functions provided by Buildings Services and Permit Center staff. 7. Rally the Valley Update Danielle Butsick, Sr. Long Range Planner addressed the committee. The following summary of the ideas she shared are not to be construed as direct quotes. Highlights of Danielle's presentation included an explanation of how economic activity and growth in the Valley has an impact well beyond Kent's boundaries, impacting our neighboring cities of Renton, Tukwila, SeaTac, Des Moines, Federal Way, Auburn and even as far South as Algona, Pacific and Sumner. New findings from the Community Attributes report commissioned by Kent's Economic Development Team, reveal some interesting things about the nature of employment in the KIV. In the Kent Valley - as defined on this map (available as an attachment to these minutes) - Kent has almost half of the state’s jobs in Global Trade/Supply Chain Management (warehousing, freight-forwarding, logistics, and wholesale). HOWEVER - it’s a relatively small portion (16%) of the Kent Valley’s total employment, meaning that the majority of the Valley's jobs are in other Economic and Community Development Committee CC ECDC Regular Meeting Minutes January 14, 2019 Kent, Washington Page 4 of 5 sectors - e.g. aerospace, advanced manufacturing, etc. This data truly underscores the need to take a fresh look at the valley and critically evaluate our investment priorities. Multiple stake holder engagement efforts have also already begun. Our staff and leadership from Neighbor cities had a kick off meeting in late October, with all but two of the cities in attendance. A smaller Staff Working group comprised of Kent, Auburn, and Renton Economic development team members emerged from this and is working to identify potential panelists for an Advisory Panel. The panelists would be individuals working for private companies from the 5 interest categories representing the majority of jobs in the Valley. These are: · Aerospace/High Tech manufacturing · Commercial/Industrial Real Estate · Workforce Development · General Manufacturing/Food · Global Trade/Supply Chain Management We have a list of about 50 individuals/organizations and we’ve prioritized 8 stakeholders of which one has already committed to serving on the committee. The goal is for the panel to have 15 members representing as many organizations a possible. A handful of technical consultants engaged in this type of work have been approached, they have submitted proposals and interviews with each have been scheduled for January 29 - 30. They are: CAI, Berk, Transpo Group, and Mackenzie/EcoNW. Staff will provide monthly updates to the ECD Committee as these initiatives progress. 8. DCE Zoning Initiative for Advanced Manufacturing Long Range Planning Manager Hayley Bonsteel addressed the Committee. The following is a summary of the thoughts she shared and not to be construed as direct quotes. As previously discussed before the committee, changes in manufacturing technologies over the past many years have significantly reduced negative community impacts especially for certain types of advanced manufacturing. Staff has been considering if small surgical changes to the Kent zoning code to permit more manufacturing downtown may prove beneficial by bringing new industries with smaller footprints but a high number of jobs into our employment center. Economic and Community Development Committee CC ECDC Regular Meeting Minutes January 14, 2019 Kent, Washington Page 5 of 5 A draft of the proposed zoning code change is now available for review and feedback, but the main emphasis of the changes is that while certain advanced manufacturing uses would be permitted within the DCE zone, those approved will have to operate within a well defined set of parameters. These stipulations seek primarily to address concerns related to outdoor storage and the movement of goods to ensure these new uses do not compromise aesthetic goals for the district or bring more trucks to the downtown core. Note that existing use categories will not change with this amendment, as a larger project to redefine and update industrial use categories is a likely out come of the KIV Subarea Plan now underway. 9. Adjournment 5:59 p.m. Rhonda Bylin Committee Secretary