Meeting Minutes of the Joint Workshop with Richmond City Council,

Planning Commission and EDA

February 16, 2017

Item #1: Call to Order/Pledge of Allegiance

Mayor Hemmesch called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. at Richmond City Hall.

Council Members noted as being present: Jim Hemmesch, Mike Mathiasen, Katy Kirchner, Michael Ricke

Council Member noted as being absent: Tim Paczkowski

Planning Commission Members Present: Jon Person; Ken Gertken

Eda Members Present: Jim Bruner, Dale Maus

Members Absent: Chad Vogt, PC; Sheldon Lang, EDA

Also present were: Tesa Tomaschett, City Administrator; Cynthia Smith-Strack, City Planner; Gordon Dingmann, Public Works Director; Heidi Stalboerger

Item #2: Approval of Agenda

Mayor Hemmesch asked if there were any additions or changes to the Agenda.

Motion made by Councilor Kirchner to approve the Agenda, seconded by Councilor Mathiasen. Motion passed unanimously.

Item #3: Consent Agenda

a. Resolution 112-17 Satisfaction of repayment agreement for D.C. Properties, LP.

Motion made by Councilor Mathiasen to Approve the Consent Agenda, seconded by Mayor Hemmesch. Motion passed.

Item #4: MCFOA Clerk’s Conference: March 14-17

Administrator Tomaschett announced that she would be attending the conference.

(Temporary recess to the Council Workshop)

Item #5: WORKSESSION – Cynthia Smith-Strack, City Planner

Cynthia stated the purpose of this meeting is to begin to chart a course for the City of Richmond

a. Survey Results – Cynthia reviewed the results of the survey.

She defined 3 Principles from the survey results:

1. Stewardship

2. Sustainability

3. Livability

b. Roles/Purposes of the Council, and Commissions – reviewed the fact sheets provided.

Council- decision making body; fiscally responsible;

EDA – responsible for expansion of wealth (inside and outside)

Planning Commission – recommending body - responsible for comprehensive planning, legislation – setting zoning, regulatory – reviewing code, etc.

c. Break-out sessions – (each commission broke into their small groups to discuss the following questions:

Question Number 1:

What Richmond Looks Like in 2040 If Nothing Changes
Vision (From Meeting Participants)	Potential Action Steps* (Suggested by Cynthia Smith Strack)
Small increases or steady population, business	Talk to realtors, builders, etc. find out what housing types are missing and why things aren't moving; contact & meet with Stearns Co HRA re: most recent housing study and needs, find out how this relates to Richmond; contact MHFA Nira Lin re: SF owner occupied grant program.
Potential decrease in population	See statement above
Main Street will dry up	Focus redevelopment, rehabilitation, and incentive programs in Downtown - not Highway. Find creative people and partner with them.
Growth will occur on Hwy 23 toward Cold Spring	Allow this to happen; work with Stearns County re: Comprehensive Plan "urban reserve" area to ensure limited growth in township
Richmond and Cold Spring will come together	Talk to Cold Spring about working together to grow closer - identify common interests
Some growth will occur if the Council helps things keep moving	Continue to encourage
Businesses owned by older people, older people retiring without replacement	Find out who may be retiring within the next 10-15 years & meeting with them; find out if they have succession plan in mind; strategize
Lose businesses, possibly get more housing	If business loss occurring Downtown are their different uses that could work (e.g. light manufacturing) instead of pure commercial
No incentive for people to move to Richmond	Market quality of life, be open to young families and millennials who look for outdoor amenities and environmentally friendly places
Utilities will become unaffordable	Prioritize maintaining what you have; building up not out; filling up vacant lots
Continue to keep streets up and fixed; we are saving money for this	Track LMNC effort re: legislation to assist cities with street reconstruction (pending legislation in both houses right now)
Low to minimal growth	See statement #1 above
A graying (aging, older) population	Become an age-friendly community; invest in senior housing
Downtown businesses will reduce/decline	Ask yourself what other uses may fit and still keep the appearance of storefronts on Main Street? E.g. industrial
Richmond will be a bedroom community	This is probably a good thing at this point, increased retail and service business follow increased population
Taxes will stay high	To a certain point, this is what it is at this time
Footprint of City will be similar to what it is now	See statement #1 above
More vacant storefronts in Downtown as businesses move to Hwy 23	Again, ask yourself what other uses may fit in the Downtown but still keep the appearance of storefronts (offices/retail areas)
Empty Downtown	See statement above
Less population diversity	If you want more diversity, be very public about being open and welcoming to diversity (e.g. Seattle "Bring Your Weird" campaign)
Expansion on Highway 23	This is likely a good thing
Tax base doesn't grow so taxes would have to go up	See all statements above
Schools holding steady	This is a strength

Question #2

PREFERRED FUTURE
What Richmond Looks Like in 2040 with Good Planning and Strong City/Citizen Efforts - But No Miracles
Vision (From Meeting Participants)	Potential Action Steps* (Suggested by Cynthia Smith Strack)
Downtown has restaurant and entertainment (bars) businesses	If this is what the Downtown can support, then perhaps work on joint marketing to bring more people into town as a fun option for night life
Residents grow and businesses grow on Hwy 23; utilities extended into towns	Talk to realtors, builders, etc. find out what housing types are missing and why things aren't moving; contact & meet with Stearns Co HRA re: most recent housing study and needs, find out how this relates to Richmond; contact MHFA Nira Lin re: SF owner occupied grant program.
Senior housing options have increased and more seniors are present	Work with area health facilities to determine what options are needed; partner with them to build a financial model that helps needs be met
Kids and young parents gather at a splash pad; people using nature park	Nature parks will be used more if more programming or events occur there (e.g. watch what people do there and build events around that) ; splash pad - be sure to think of re-use or complimentary uses as well
Taxes are reduced because more people and businesses are present	Keep trying
More tourists are in town	Talk to resort owners, find out what tourists are looking for; hold more festivals/events
Heavy use of trail with connections made to other regional trails	Join regional groups or advocate/support regional groups that are trying to make regional trail connections; market trail with surrounding communities and groups (regional cycling organizations or walking clubs)
Better proportion of housing types	Find out what's missing and why; what needs to happen to build what is missing - talk to anyone and everyone
New or revitalized Main Street	Focus your EDA efforts and target incentives here; meet with DEED Representatives specializing in redevelopment programs - invite them out or visit them in the metro - bring aerial maps and a good story - ask for help
Strong core destination businesses in Downtown	If you can find a creative person who is willing to invest - do everything you can to support - cultivate a deep and lasting friendship
Aho property filled up	Meet with property owners, find out what is happening, what they need to move ahead
Build out of businesses along Hwy 23	Find out what impediments to development are and attempt to remove
Homes being built north of town but within City	Determine if this is feasible/realistic - if so go for it; if not leave it alone
Some sort of orderly annexation	Ask yourself what has changed? Is it worth time, effort, talking? Ask for help from Stearns County in form of urban reserve
Further improvements of parks	Observe what people are doing at parks; plan more activities which complement what people are doing at parks. Think activities and programming year round versus spending money on infrastructure. Learn about placemaking - look it up & talk about it.
City sewer/water adjacent to Hwy 23	Make sure any extension of sewer/water is in City - not Twp.
Existing residential lots fill up and growth will feature a variety of options	See statement #2 above
Businesses will grow along Hwy 23; vacant storefronts Downtown fill up	Again, ask yourself what other uses may fit in the Downtown but still keep the appearance of storefronts (offices/retail areas). Reach out to SCSU - ask for demographic analysis and economic analysis. If King Banaian is still there take a member of City Council, set up a face to face meeting, and plead for help with trying to grow Richmond in any way, shape, or form.
Lakes and resorts bring people into town for recreation and overnight stays	Create the recreation that draws people in - maybe it's off-beat, but interesting - motorcycle roll-ins; antique car nights; etc.
Investment in livability	When you think of livability think about what it takes to get you to leave your house and do stuff outside - build on that! Think also about environmentally friendly higher profile projects: Mayor's Monarch Pledge, Tree City USA, MPCA GreenSteps Program; build the fabric of your community: introduce people to others (i.e. make connections that make sense), get people together, and network.
Partner with Cold Spring and Rockville to keep ROCORI healthy	Meet with all three cities and school board just talk about what you did in the last year and what your priorities are for the next year - cultivate collaboration; eliminate any sense of competition
Continue to have viable elementary schools and faith community in Richmond	Support your schools and their activities - go to events at school

Question #3

SMART ACTION STEPS
Action Step	Group	Consultant Comment (if any)
The City Council will offer tax abatement/TIF for businesses for the next five years	City Council	Agree on terms: what level of investment needed or jobs retained/created; who is paying for cost of 'getting into' abatement or TIF; if abatement will you abate just new tax revenue generated or that that is existing; realistically you need about $500K value before abatement makes sense; over $1M for TIF; are you going to promote this?
The City Council will pursue annexation for commercial growth by making properties shovel ready at the rate of one property every year for the next five years	City Council
The City Council will encourage development of empty lots on the west side of town by revisiting building code and negotiating timelines for building fees for the next five years	City Council
The City Council will direct the Planning Commission to revisit zoning of empty downtown buildings to possibly change the zoning type in the next three months	City Council	Storefronts adjacent to the sidewalk (think big windows, glass doors people can look/see into) are what define a Downtown. If you can retain these and allow other uses to the rear or upper story that works. Maybe look at possibility of limited manufacturing (no outdoor storage, office on front street retained, company vehicles parked off-street) or residential. rental in the rear of store front commercial. Maybe downtown fringes should be residential and not commercial.
The City Council will resurrect the Parks and Recreation Board by the end of 2017, to convene all partners for collaborative community involvement.	City Council	Learn about placemaking (look it up) - focus on programming and engendering emotional ties to public places over and above spending additional money on infrastructure
Enter into dialogue with Township re: annexation	City Council & citizens	Make a conscious decision whether or not you can meaningfully move the needle here
Consolidate fire departments - rationale: everybody can save on taxes	City Council & citizens	Make a conscious decision whether or not you can meaningfully move the needle here
Assemble a group of investors to assist in development of housing and commercial lots (St. Cloud Opportunities)	EDA	If Stearns Electric services Richmond and Dave Gruenes is still there - talk with him - invite him to a brainstorming session - share all your business challenges with him
Find out if there is a way to buy commercial property and market for $1/sf	EDA	Identify where and how
Review/revise the Comprehensive Plan; tweak to make more appropriate for future; split update duties between City staff, Planning Commission, and others.	Planning Commission	See if SCSU can provide demographic profile and economic profile. Sometimes DEED can help with economic profile too.
Review future land use and zoning	Planning Commission
Meet with developers	?	Meet with as many people as possible - talk about development and what your needs/challenges are. If you want to fill up Downtown talk in public about the need to fill up Downtown; if you want to appeal to tourists - talk about appealing to tourists in public
Bring in C & C for first step before Spring season	?	This goes hand in hand with what's above
Revitalization plan for Main Street	Planning Commission	See if SCSU can help here - graduate school - community development & public administration
Build a splash pad	City Council	Be sure to think of re-use or complimentary uses as well
Look at zoning of Aho Property - if more is needed for commercial or industrial pursue	EDA & PC	This falls under the heading of removing impediments. Commercial and industrial end-users want/need shovel ready lots
Find out specifically what City needs to do to get existing, potential business leads to move forward	All	Leave no stone unturned
Meet with DEED Reps re: available programs that could help Richmond	EDA

(Reconvene Council Meeting)

Item #6: Other Matters of Concern and Related Matters

a. Next meeting March 1, 2017 at 6:30 pm

Item #7: Adjournment

Mayor Hemmesch asked for any additional items.

Hearing none Mayor Hemmesch declared the meeting adjourned at 8:43 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Tesa Tomaschett

City Administrator/Clerk/Treasurer