HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-25-08 Special Called Regular Meeting of the La Porte Development Corporation Board of Directors
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MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL CALLED REGULAR MEETING OF THE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
February 25, 2008
1. Call to order
President Pat Muston called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Members Present: Love, Muston, Clausen, Engelken and Matuszak.
Members/Officers Absent: Trent Wise and Tommy Moser.
Staff Present: City Manager Ron Bottoms, Assistant City Manager John Joerns, City Secretary Martha Gillett,
Assistant City Attorney Clark Askins, Economic Development Coordinator Gretchen Larson, Parks Director
Stephen Barr and Main Street Coordinator Debra Dye. Council Member Georgia Malone, Finance Director
Michael Dolby.
Others Present: Leonard Zlomke, David Janda, Phillip Hoot, Dottie Kaminski, Bob Capen, Marion Capen,
Barbara Norwine, Garson Silvers, Rebecca Collins, Tere Powell, Cody Marlatt, Mr. Maltsberger, Raymond
Tacy, Chris Belvin, Tyler Hecker, Corey Dunkin and Vicky Beveridge.
2. A motion was made by Board Member Love to approve the Minutes of February 4, 2008 of the Special called
Regular Meeting of La Porte Development Corporation Board. The motion was seconded by Board Member
Matuszak and upon vote the motion carried unanimously.
Ayes: Love, Muston, Clausen, Engelken, and Matuszak
Nays: None
Abstain: None
Absent: None
3. Norman Reed made a brief presentation on the status of the Lakes of Fairmont Greens Subdivision. Mr. Reed
noted Section One is ready for homes to be built and that the plat will be recorded next week. Imperial Homes
is the builder for Section One. In addition, Cody Marlatt of Imperial Homes provided information regarding the
project and advised the board to contact them if they had any future questions.
4. A Public Hearing was called at 5:11 p.m. to consider Sylvan Beach Shoreline Protection and Beach Re-
nourishment Project as a project of the 4B La Porte Development Corporation and the use of the 4B funds for
the same.
Director of Parks and Recreation Stephen Barr and Economic Development Coordinator Gretchen Larson made
the presentation and recommendation to City Council and answered questions. Mr. Barr informed the Board it
would take approximately 180 days for construction.
Proponents: Garson Silvers spoke in favor of the project.
Opponents: Leonard Zlomke of 209 South Lobit spoke in opposition of the project.
The Public Hearing was closed at 5:23 p.m.
5. Consider approval or other action authorizing the expenditure of 4B La Porte Development Corporation funds to
finance Sylvan Beach Shoreline Protection and Beach Renourishment Project as a new project of the 4B La
Porte Development Corporation and recommend approval by La Porte City Council of expenditure of 4B funds
for said purpose.
Economic Development Coordinator Gretchen Larson made the presentation and recommendation to City
Council and answered questions.
The board is only approving the project and not funds at this point. A motion was made by Board Member
Engelken to approve the recommendation as presented by Ms. Larson the motion was seconded by Board
Member Love and upon vote the motion carried unanimously.
Ayes: Love, Muston, Clausen and Engelken.
Nays: None
Abstain: Matuszak
Absent: None
6. Consider approval or other action regarding a budget adjustment of $8,333.00 to the 4B La Porte Development
Corporation Budget for Fiscal Year 2008 in connection with the lease of property located at 908 Main Street.
Economic Development Coordinator Gretchen Larson made the presentation and recommendation to City
Council and answered questions.
A motion was made by Board Member Engelken to approve the recommendation as presented by Ms.
Larson. The motion was seconded by Board Member Love and upon vote the motion carried unanimously.
Ayes: Love, Muston, Clausen, Engelken and Matuszak.
Nays: None
Abstain: None
Absent: None
7. Consider approval or other action requesting the La Porte Economic Coordinator to obtain an appraisal of the
Triangle Property located between San Jacinto, Broadway and East A Streets, also known as Five Point's in
the City of La Porte, and to select a firm to obtain Architectural Renderings of a Town Square Project and to
consider approval or other action regarding a budget adjustment of $30,000.00 to the 4B La Porte Development
Corporation Budget for Fiscal Year 2008, in connection with Town Square Project.
Economic Development Coordinator Gretchen Larson made the presentation and recommendation to Board.
A motion was made by Board Member Love to approve the recommendation as presented by Ms. Larson. The
motion was seconded by Board Member Clausen and upon vote the motion carried unanimously.
Ayes: Love, Muston, Clausen, Engelken, and Matuszak
Nays: None
Abstain: None
Absent: None
8. Announcements/Administrative Reports
Assistant City Manager John Joerns and Economic Development Coordinator Gretchen Larson presented
reports on State Highway 146 Overpasses Funding and a Sales Tax Analysis Report.
The board requested staff to bring back more detail on the future of sales tax analysis to include all projects and
the necessary funding.
It was the consensus of the board to authorize the chairperson to sign a letter of support for the overpass
funding to be sent to Congressman Nick Lampson.
9. Discussion of the March meeting schedule
It was the consensus of the board to skip the March meeting and resume the first Monday schedule on April 7th,
2008. This meeting will need to begin at 5:00 p.m. due to a Special called Council meeting that evening.
10. Board Comments
Board Members had no comments.
11. Adjournment
The meeting was duly adjourned at 5:56 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
'-frwd; ~ 01tLtt
Martha Gillett,
City Secretary TRMC, CMC
La Porte Development Corporation Secretary
,2008.
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City of La Porte
Interoffice Memorandum
To: All LPEDC Board Members
From: Gretchen Larson, EDC
Through: Ron Bottoms, CM
Date: March 28, 2008
Subject: Strategic Planning RFP
Attached you will find the draft RFP for a city-wide economic development plan which
was recently emailed to you for review and comments. The attached RFP has been
changed to incorporate a few additional comments since then as follows: Section II -
Scope of Work, #1, we have added a reference to the BAHCVB and BAHEP as
stakeholders; in #4 of this same section we added another item for the study to consider
our location on Galveston Bay and the possibility of maximizing the economic usage
along the bay; and in (b) as a subset of #4 we reworded to include a reference to the
Parks Master Plan as it relates to pedestrians. Any changes that you may have at the
meeting will also be incorporated before release.
As we have discussed, funding for the plan will come from the LPEDC and the City, with
the LPEDC paying the largest share of the funding. At the meeting on February 4 the
Board reaffirmed their commitment to the funding allocation. The initial research
indicates that the plan would take a year to fully develop and cost approximately
$100,000 to $150,000 with the city having set aside $20,000 for the plan.
It is anticipated that the RFP will be out for approximately 30 days which makes the time
frame for submittals from vendors due around the third week in May. The cover letter
which will be sent with the RFP will inform the vendors that a community branding
campaign will be on-going simultaneously and that they will need to coordinate their
activities. A request for a budget adjustment will be made at the time a firm is
recommended to you for approval. Also please let us know if you would like to serve on
the selection committee.
We are excited to be moving forward with the RFP and look forward to discussing it with
you at the meeting however, if you have any questions before then please let us know.
CITY OF LA PORTE
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION
604 W. Fairmont Parkway, La Porte, TX 77571
www.laportetx.Qov
www.larsonQlw.laportetx.Qov
Phone: (281) 471-5013 / Fax (281) 842-1259
April 8, 2008
Dear Prospective Vendor
The City of La Porte is excited to be moving forward with the attached Request for
Proposals for a firm to join with us in completing an Economic Development Strategic
Plan for the City. We will be asking that the firm selected work with our Community
ED Partner, the Economic Alliance Houston Port Region, who will assist with
facilitating initial meetings of the stakeholders and the preliminary S.W.O.T. analysis.
The City currently has a number of significant plans/projects underway which will
need to be considered in the planning process. One that specifically requires your
consideration will be the concurrent "Community Branding Campaign" which will be
directed by North Star Destinations Strategies. Because both plans will require
meetings with the same stakeholders it is important that the two firms involved
communicate closely with each other as to a plan of action.
Thank you for your interest in the City of La Porte, we look forward to hearing from
you.
Introduction
The City of La Porte is strategically located south of the Houston Ship Channel with
its eastern border on Galveston Bay. The city is at the end of a corridor defined by the
Houston Ship Channel, Battleground Industrial District, and the Bayport Industrial
District. It is bounded on the west side by the Cities of Deer Park and Pasadena. The
City of La Porte has prepared this request for proposal for a city-wide economic
development plan to assist the city in determining the best economic mix for the long-
term and outlining a strategy for attracting that mix. The. City understands that because
of our location between two Port of Houston terminals we could fill all remaining land
areas with port related business and be done. However, because we desire to diversify
our tax base and to provide our citizens with shopping and leisure activities, in the
summer of 2006 we commissioned the Buxton Community ID@ Study. It was determined
that from this study we could work to develop a "Retail Attraction Strategy". Additionally
in 2005 the City was officially accepted into the Texas Main Street Program and any
proposed plan developed must review and incorporate the tenants of this Program.
I. Objectives
The overall objective will be to define an economic development strategy for the City
of La Porte. Specific objectives within this context that must be achieved are as
follows:
1. Determine the best economic mix for the City of La Porte in the future; attracting,
creating & retaining jobs; improving workforce & education; and capturing
emerging opportunities.
2. Develop a strategy to achieve the desired economic mix.
3. Determine the adequacy of the current development policies and regulations of
the city.
4. Define the budget and organizational responsibilities for implementation of the
strategy.
II. Scope of Work
While the study approach should be defined by the consultant, there are
several factors that must be covered in the scope of the project. These are:
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1. Identify Stakeholders/Community Input - Input from both the public and
private sectors of the City of La Porte is required as part of the building
blocks of the economic development plan. It is anticipated that such input
will be required from the public sector at the city, county, and school
district levels. Input will come from the City Council, Economic
Development Corporation, Planning and Zoning Commission, the
Redevelopment AuthorityfTax Increment Refinance Zone, Zoning Board of
Adjustment and the Main Street Advisory Boards. Input must also include
our Citizens, the Chamber of Commerce, the LPISD, the Bay Area
Houston Convention and Visitor's Bureau, and Bay Area Houston
Economic Partnership and the private sector business leaders from
industry, manufacturing, services and the retail sectors. During this phase,
the consultant will work closely with the Economic Alliance Houston Port
Region (a regional economic development non-profit entity) to ensure this
input phase is streamlined and effective.
2. Review of Master/Comprehensive Plan - the City of La Porte has a
detailed Master/Comprehensive Plan for the city that was based upon the
growth potential for the area when the Plan was developed. In view of the
recent changes in the economic situation in the Houston Metropolitan
area, this data should be reviewed carefully to determine if the -direction of
the future growth has changed significantly. If there has been a change,
then an analysis of the impact on the Master/Comprehensive Plan should
be conducted.
3. Review of the Development Policies - A thorough review of all
development policies and regulations of the City of La Porte should be
undertaken. The review should contrast La Porte's policies with that of
other cities that have been successful in attracting development. Also,
input from the Planning and Zoning Commission, developers, and
businesses within La Porte should be used to evaluate these policies and
regulations.
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4. Develop a strategy to enhance the City's Main Street Business District and
examine the potential for redevelopment of Main Street District to include
possibly South Broadway from Main Street along to its intersection with
Fairmont Parkway.
The consultant shall .revlew external forces, existing strengths and
weaknesses and develop objectives and implementation strategies with
clearly defined budgetary and organizational responsibilities needed to
accomplish the objective.
The consultant should also review the current Main Street Program and
provide recommendations to strengthen and enhance current program
and evaluate effectiveness and community support.
The study should also:
a. Consider the historical preservation element setting out plans and
programs for those structures in the City having historical, architectural,
scenic or similar significance. Examine potential for participating in
regional heritage tourism programs in the area as well as public art
venues.
b. Examine the potential for retail shopping, specialty shopping, restaurant
and entertainment opportunities. Examine the potential for festival
shopping and promotion of pedestrian traffic in the City. Review of the
Park Master Plan is required.
c. Examine existing zoning district regulations and policies affecting
development/redevelopment of the City. Prepare recommendations for
revisions where necessary to provide regulations that are most suited to a
targeted area such as Main Street.
d. Examine the potential of development of the properties along Galveston
Bay as a way to reconnect our community with the Bay.
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e. Examine the potential of the general aviation airport.
f. Examine potential for attracting professional support services for
operations at Barbour's Cut and Bayport facilities as well as the New
Cruise Terminal.
g. Examine potential funding sources, grant opportunities, in kind services,
etc. How can & should the city compete to attract & retain firms in the
target areas? Examine the potential for promoting assistance through Tax
Policies and the preliminary economic development incentives policy
which can include:
Property and Sales Tax Incentives
Tax Abatements and Tax Increment Financing
Public Improvement Districts
Freeport Exemptions
Foreign Trade Zones
380 Agreements
Enterprise/Empowerment Zones
5. Assessment of the regional Houston MSA economy - movement in regional
Houston economy in the last 5 years, the current situation and future direction of
the Houston economy should be included as part of the overall effort. Also, an
assessment as to how the changes in the Houston economy are likely to affect
the southeast portion of the Gulf Coast and the City of La Porte and its plans
should also be undertaken.
6. Identification of Alternative Strategies - The consultant should develop several
alternative strategies for achieving the type of economic development that is
desired by the City of La Porte. The positives and negatives of each strategy
should be outlined carefully and a recommended strategy provided by the
consultant to the city.
Contents of the Proposal
The proposal should contain the following major sections.
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1. Statement as to the objectives of the study that will demonstrate that the
consultant understands the needs of the City of La Porte in regards to this
particular project.
2. Study Approach - This section should outline in detail the proposed
approach to preparing the ec~nomic development plan. Specific steps
should be called out in detail along with a schedule for each of the tasks
and a proposed set of checkpoint meetings during the course of the study.
3. Project Management - The senior people involved in the development of
the plan should be identified and their role spelled out by task. The
qualifications of each of the senior consultants should also be spelled out
in this section and resumes for those people included in an Appendix.
Also, the consultant should define a proposed method for working with the
city management and reporting progress.
4. Qualifications - This section should contain a historical overview of the
consulting firm described and describe other similar projects that have
been undertaken. It should also identify any additional resources within
the firm that are availableshouJd they be needed during the course of the
project.
a. Proposed Budgets - The proposed budget should be broken out by
each major task within the study approach. The cost should be
further broken into professional fees and expenses associated with
each task.
b. References - The consultant should include at a minimum three (3)
references for similar type of work that has been undertaken within
the last five (5) years. The name and telephone number of each
reference should be provided in proposal.
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City of La Porte
Interoffice Memorandum
To: All LPEDC Board Members
From: Gretchen Larson, EDC
Through: Ron Bottoms, CM
Date: March 28, 2008
Subject: Community Branding Campaign
Attached you will find information from North Star Destination the firm which is being
recommended to complete our Community Branding Plan. As you were aware we had
been speaking with a variety of firms who offered services for strategic planning,
website development and community branding. We recommended that the website
development and the strategic plan should both be awarded through the RFQ/P
process.
Throughout the review of firms that did some or all of the planning needed, we found
that very few firms specialize in "city" community branding campaigns. In discussing
various options with the City Manager it was determined that we would not go through a
RFQ/P process for the selection of a firm for the community branding component. The
research indicated that North Star Destinations was the company used most often by
other cities and when we met with there Vice President recently we were convinced that
they were the firm that we would like to recommend. As you can see by the information
they provided to us, they have completed some unique campaigns.
The cost for their services is $82,000 and I have added an additional $3,000 to cover
the approximate costs for a copy right process if we desire to proceed with this after
selection of the branding logo/tag lines developed. If you approve of staff proceeding
with the hiring of North Star Destinations then a budget adjustment in the amount of
$85,000 is required to proceed.
We look forward to discussing this with you at the meeting however if you have any
questions before then please let us know.
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City of La Porte
Interoffice Memorandum
To: All LPEDC Board Members
From: Gretchen Larson, EDC
Through: Ron Bottoms, CM
Date: March 28, 2008
Subject: Budget Adjustment
The marketing line item of the FY 2007-2008 Budget is recommended to be increased
$5,500 to pay for additional planned advertising expenses and also for promotional
items associated with attendance at events which advertise the city. We currently have
a small supply of marketing and promotional items but would like to work with a firm to
expand our supply.
We are also working with Center Point ED staff to complete retail site assessments of
the three key intersections identified in the Buxton Study. After the assessments are
complete marketing brochures and other promotional materials will be developed.
Advertising is very expensive and the current plans are not intended to be a full blown
marketing campaign. The full marketing Rlan/campaign for the city will be developed
after completion of the city-wide economic development strategic plan and community
branding campaign. The current amount budgeted is $3,500 of which $2,500 has been
committed for a % page color ad in the upcoming Keels and Wheels magazine due out
in May. A copy of which will be provided to everyone after receipt from the publisher
next week.
We look forward to discussing this with you at the meeting however, should you have
questions in advance of the meeting please feel free to let us know.
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City of La Porte
Interoffice Memorandum
To: All LPEDC Board Members
From: Gretchen Larson, EDC
Through: Ron Bottoms, CM
Date: March 28, 2008
Subject: Budget Adjustment
The travel/training/meetings line item of the FY 2007-2008 Budget is recommended to
be increased an additional $2,500. The funds will be used to cover the following costs:
meetings conducted along with the development of the strategic plan and the
community branding campaign; additional LPEDC meetings during the year; and
attendance at the upcoming IEDC conference in June.
The conference focuses on brokering public-private partnerships and we feel that it may
be very useful to us during upcoming negotiations for the proposed hotel at Sylvan
Beach and the Town Square developments, as well as other projects. The current
amount budgeted in this line item is $5,500.
We look forward to discussing this with you at the meeting however, should you have
questions in advance of the meeting please feel free to let us know.
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City of La Porte
Interoffice Memorandum
To: Mayor and City Council
LPEDC Board Members
LPRAffIRZ Board Members
From: Gretchen Larson, EDC
Through: Ron Bottoms, CM
Date: March 28, 2008
Subject: Project Status Report
Attached is a spreadsheet of projects and potential projects that have been or may be
considered by the City, the LPEDC and the LPRAffIRZ Boards. Below is a summary of
the status of each project and/or tasks as of 3/27/08.
Sylvan Beach Hotel RFQ - The RFO was disseminated on February 21 with questions
due in writing by March 30 and proposals due April 30. We continue to work on the
Ground Lease and Licensing Agreement while the RFO is out on the streets. We have
provided the RFO to the staff who oversee the Planning and Zoning and Main Street
Boards.
The zoning of the area must be addressed and is currently being worked on by the ACM
in conjunction with the Planning Department. The proper zoning is required to be in
place by project start date.
Website RFP/Q - Staff is meeting via web conferencing today with the top three firms
indentified by the Selection Committee. We will report to the City Manager early next
week our results.
Department Heads and Executive Staff have been instructed that they should be
working on their departmental section(s) content. City Manager to determine if all
departments will have their data transferred to city site or if they can continue to have an
independent "website" link.
It is estimated that the entire review and refurbishment will take between 90 to 120 days
before re-Iaunch.
City-Wide Economic Development Strategic RFP/Q - Release of RFP/O scheduled
for week of 4/14/08 if staff is authorized to proceed by the LPEDC Board at their April 7
meeting.
Project completion date estimated at 12 months. The City Council as well as all Board
and Commission Members were sent a draft for review and comment.
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Community Branding Campaign RFP/Q - Staff is recommending North Star
Destinations Strategies be used for the campaign and will be discussing this with the
LPEDC Board at their April 7 meeting.
Sylvan Beach Shoreline Protection and Beach Renourishment Project -
Considered at the 2/04/08 LPEDC meeting for discussion of funding. Board directed
staff to conduct Public Hearing on 2/25 at which the Board approved proceeding. As
noted at the meeting, if the County funds as requested then no action by LPEDC will be
required. The Parks Director is tracking funding from the County for us.
Town Square Project - Things are progressing nicely with the plans. We will select an
architectural firm next week to begin working on the proposed square for presentation to
you and the community in the very near future.
Staff is also working to secure tenants for the current building being renovated at Five
Point's and well as the proposed office building. We possibly have some very good
prospects.
Proposed Retail Project at SH 146, North of Port Crossing - Discussions with
Walter Johnson, who is assisting us with coordination with retail developers, will resume
in April.
Retail Development at area of Canada Road Park - The land development deal has
unfortunately fallen through however; we are continuing to work with the owners of the
14.5 acres which involves the detention pond and will update you soon on our progress
with them.
Other ProjectslTasks and Potential Projects - Lakes of Fairmont Greens, Retreat at
Bay Forest, Wesmor, Packwell, Preferred Freezer, Port Crossing, Economic
Development Incentives Policy, Retail on East Side of SH 146, Land Purchases, and
Project Apple. Each of these projects are either underway or need to be discussed and
refined as we move forward as some are intertwined with others noted above and/or still
others such as the Lakes, Retreat, Wesmor, PW, PF, and PC are under construction
and/or complete and require either maintenance and/or due diligence for incentives
tracking.
Summary - I hope that this summary will assist you as we move forward. I will continue
to work to refine the project(s) and task listing so that it can be used as a road map for
the EDC Division and for planning and budget purposes. Please note that the numbers
used for the possible proiects attached needs work and really are only included to
illustrate the $10,000,000 potential debt capacity per our financial advisor.
Cc: John Joerns, ACM
David Hawes, ED LPRNTIRZ
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Projects Listing
February 4, 2008
Current PrOlects Cost Potential Debt Proiects Estimated Cost 2008 Proiects Costs Issue Date
Librarv $ 3,000,000.00 Svlvan Beach Hotel 6 $ 3,000,000.00 3 Hotel RFQ $ 15,000.00 2/21/2008
Canada and Bav Area Blvd. $ 6,300,000.00 SB Renourishment $ 1,800,000.00 3 Website RFP $ 50,000.00 1/3112008
Joint Venture Searts Comelex $ 1,600,000.00 Retail at SH 146 $ 1,500,000.00 3 Community Brandina $ 85,000.00 none
Downtown Redeveloement $ 2,000,000.00 3 ED Strateaic Plan $ 125,000.00 4/14 to 20/2008
Land Purchases. $ 1,700,000.00 3 908 Main Utilities $ 8,333.00 comeleted
3 Wesmor $ 50,000.00 com Dieted
Total Costs $ 10,900,000.00 Total Estimated Costs $ 10,000,000.00 Total $ 333,333.00
Debt Pavment $ 982,101.00 Estimated Debt Payment 2/08 $ 824,000.00 Total Budaet Adi. Rea'd $ 333,333.00
Other ProiectslTasks Other Potential ProiectslTasks
Lakes of Fairmont Greens Proiect Apple
Retreat at Bav Forest (Removed) Golf Course 2
Wesmor. $ 50,000.00 Retail East Side of 146
Packwell East Bay Crossing (PO)
Preferred Freezer
Port Crossina
Proiect Stars Grant
ED Incentives POliCV5
Sales Tax Revenue 2007 $ 1,496,511.00 Undesignated Reserve 2007 $ 4,350,000.00 Est. Fund Balance 2008 $ 5,100,000.00
1 - to be discussed
2 - golf course funding removed, consider if necessary
3 - budget adj. req'd
4 - $60,000 also from General Fund
5 - Completed 8/07 ACM/Fin. Dir. to review
6 - Estimated