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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018 01-22 CCM Study SessionMINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER IN THE COUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA STUDY/WORK SESSION JANUARY 22, 2018 CITY HALL — COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER The Brooklyn Center City Council met in Study Session called to order by Mayor Tim Willson at 6:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Mayor Tim Willson and Councilmembers Marquita Butler (arrived at 6:25 p.m.), April Graves, Kris Lawrence -Anderson, and Dan Ryan. Also present were City Manager Curt Boganey, Deputy City Manager Reggie Edwards, Director of Public Works Doran Cote, City Clerk Sharon Knutson, Interim Community Development Director Michael Ericson, Planner and Zoning Administrator Ginny McIntosh, Police Chief Tim Gannon, City Attorney Troy Gilchrist, and Carla Wirth, TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSION OF AGENDA ITEMS AND QUESTIONS Councilmember Lawrence -Anderson requested discussion on Item 8b, Consideration of Liquor License Enforcement Action at Jammin Wings, 2590 Freeway Boulevard, particularly on Page 1, last sentence of the report reading: `The City Code does provide for the mandatory revocation of liquor license for certain intentional violations but this violation does rise to that level.' City Attorney Troy Gilchrist clarified it should indicate `this violation does not rise to that level." Councilmember Lawrence -Anderson stated she was not able to attend the last meeting but thoroughly read the minutes and is disappointed she missed the discussion on conducting City Council business electronically. She stated obviously, if this goes through, the i -Pad Pros would be City property and asked about the plan for replacing. City Manager Curt Boganey explained all devices have a replacement schedule, usually three to five years, when the device reaches the end of its useful life. Mayor Willson noted in State service, the devices had three years and that was then changed to seven years. None. MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSION OF WORK SESSION AGENDA ITEMS AS TIME PERMITS 01/22/18 -1- SATURDAY MARKETPLACE (LENNIE CHISM) City Manager Curt Boganey introduced the item and reviewed the City Council's past consideration. He explained that Mr. Lennie Chism met with staff several times over the last few years regarding a concept for creating opportunities to help local entrepreneurs grow and develop. In the late summer of 2017, Mr. Chism requested an application for a one -day administrative permit, which allows an open air market that would operate on the Brookdale Health facility site. The permit was never submitted for final approval and it may be that finding adequate parking was an impediment to completing the application. Subsequent to that, Mr. Chism had conversations with Councilmember Butler and others about his desire to come before the City Council to share his interest in having a Saturday market in Brooklyn Center and to seek financial support from the City to accomplish that. Lennie Chism described his background, noting he came to Minnesota through his database administration position with Cargill. He reviewed conversations with Mr. Boganey about his interest in establishing an open air market on property that had good traffic patterns and adequate parking, which led him to more questions and receiving a comment from a Facebook friend who works at Brookdale Health about their site. Mr. Chism reviewed the high traffic levels that travel by this corner site on Brooklyn Boulevard and County Road 10 and stated he thinks an open air market is a great opportunity to showcase Brookdale Health as a community supporter. He noted that in 2000, 70% of the City's population was white and now it was 47%, which is a tremendous drop. Mr. Chism addressed ownership of commercial property, which he believed is where resident economic stability is raised because when you get new residents, they need jobs and new opportunities so they can provide for themselves. He stated in Brooklyn Center, the largest employer is Medtronics, then Target and Cub Foods. Mr. Chism stated one of the City's objectives is to increase the economic stability of its residents. He described the prosperity of Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, who had come from a modest background. Mr. Chism stated his grandfather was a farmer so he also understands land use. Mr. Chism explained he is looking for a space to create an incubator for small business within Brooklyn Center and is making the same pitch to the City of Minneapolis for a former Jerry's Food site. In Brooklyn Center, he would like to use the Brookdale Health site on Saturday, when it is closed, to generate income and stability and teach entrepreneurship. Mr. Chism talked about the success of AG Gaston, noting many entrepreneurs are not college graduates yet are very successful. Mr. Chism stated he is interested in the Brookdale Health site because it has good traffic patterns, amenities, power, water, adequate parking, and visibility. Mayor Willson stated in 2014, he was invited to New York City to talk about entrepreneurialism and startup companies. He noted that 60% of new jobs in New York City were start up and new businesses. Since then, Brooklyn Center has looked at how to start moving that forward as well. 01/22/18 -2- Mr. Chism stated they will have to talk to Cub Foods again about overflow parking and also address security, trash collection, creating uniform tents, and food vendors or food trucks. He noted all are designed to generate income and repeat customers. In addition, they will train entrepreneurs in how to meet people and promote their business. He proposed the open air market be open May to October on the first Saturday, rain or shine, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mr. Chism described other events he has been involved with and stated if funding can be received, they will have things like a `jump house' to attract families with kids. He stated if this works out, it will become a landmark and entice people to come to Brooklyn Center to enjoy the community. He explained he does not want to charge vendors for the first six months so instead they can put their income back into their businesses and be in a better position to be successful. Mr. Chism recapped his plans to transform the Brookdale Health parking lot into an open air market with public restrooms, emergency response, garbage and recycling, eating area, food preparation and clean up areas, tents, chairs and tables, storage, electricity and water for freezers, and extra space, if possible, to hold workshops/product demonstrations, and children's play area. Mr. Chism asked the City to provide $25,000 to be a Title Sponsor in this community investment. Mayor Willson asked who will be on site during the events and who will provide security. Mr. Chism stated he will be on site for each event and the security will be provided by Derek Fischer who is licensed and bonded. If approved, the Minneapolis street market would be on the second Saturday of the month. Mayor Willson asked who would do the setup for this event. Mr. Chism stated they would like to purchase the pop-up tents instead of renting them and the tents would be staked for wind. Mayor Willson stated if people are there on a Saturday, once a month during the summer, that's only five or six times. He asked what is the path then for entrepreneurialism. Mr. Chism stated they will have to look at whether they want to build on the market platform or consider brick and mortar, which is a bigger risk. He explained they hope to help them build a customer base by asking questions of their customers so they start to build a relationship. Councilmember Butler arrived at 6:25 p.m. Mayor Willson stated the City has been working on an entrepreneurial strategy with the developer of The Crossings, for a semi-permanent building structure for more than just a Saturday. It would be an incubator the City would help support, along with the developer. Mayor Willson stated he favors that opportunity because it is more permanent than a one Saturday a month open air market. He stated eventually the City will need someone to manage that type of system through a new hire, which may come up this spring. He stated he does not want to duplicate that effort or spend City dollars on something the City will not support long term. 01/22/18 -3- Councilmember Ryan stated he can appreciate how the traffic counts at the Brookdale Health site attract Mr. Chism for this use but his concern with this busy corner is that there is only one point of access off Bass Lake Road. He asked if that is adequate and stated it is his perception the existing businesses generate low traffic flow so he would like that addressed. Mayor Willson noted Mr. Chism indicated he has an agreement with Cub Foods to use their parking lot, which would provide a lot of other access points. Mr. Chism stated they would barricade the Bass Lake Road access during the event. Councilmember Ryan asked how potential legal liability would be addressed if the City became a Principal Sponsor. Mr. Chism stated they would have event insurance for every event. Mayor Willson stated the City will be held harmless as it is only providing a sponsorship for the tents. Mr. Chism stated the tents and working capital (security, garbage service). He explained the biggest thing he wants is to provide encouragement to take the risk so these new residents become part of the community even though they don't own commercial property. Mayor Willson noted Brooklyn Center does have some farmer market sites that operate through the summer, including one at Sun Foods. Councilmember Graves asked how many vendors were interested last year. Mr. Chism stated 15 vendors were interested and will be used as a springboard this year. Councilmember Graves asked how many were interested but the cost was an issue. Mr. Chism stated he did not track those types of calls but $125 may be too much for some. Councilmember Graves asked whether starting an open air market could be a natural connection to the City's initiatives. Mr. Chism answered in the affirmative and stated if the City hires staff for business development, he would hope to work closely with those individuals. Councilmember Graves stated she would be interested in getting more information on the strategy in how these events would directly connect into the City's initiative as well as a budget in how the sponsorship money would be used. Mayor Willson stated the City Council will need to discuss whether and how a sponsorship could be considered. He asked what entrepreneurs would be on site beyond the food trucks. Mr. Chism stated they will want a mix of vendors without oversaturating any, noting some are buyers and resellers and others are creators and sellers. Mayor Willson stated the City Council will need to see a business plan if any City monies are involved. In addition, the City Council will need to determine how to promote this effort with The Crossings so it results in starting new businesses. Mr. Boganey stated ideally, if the City supported this effort, it would be a feeder for The Crossings but one may not necessarily be tied to the other. ADJOURN STUDY SESSION TO Ih1FORMAL O EN FORUM WITH CITY COUNCIL 01/22/18 -4- Councilmember Graves moved and Councilmember Butler seconded to close the Study Session at 6:45 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. .i 014111011 201 xyl to l]•L.y Ii.Xy [I)►! Councilmember Lawrence -Anderson moved and Councilmember Graves seconded to reconvene the Study Session at 6:46 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. SATURDAY MARKETPLACE (LENNIE CHISM) - continued Mr. Chism stated there is no failure in trying and he hopes people will learn and that the City will be participatory in giving its entrepreneurs this opportunity. Mayor Willson stated for a few years he has been considering how to get an incubator going to promote new businesses, and especially with the diversity the City now has. He agreed it is difficult for a new business to purchase a building, which then has a high rate of failure. He stated the City Council is not ready to move forward at this point but he believes the City Council is willing to explore it further. Councilmember Lawrence -Anderson described her employment with an entrepreneur who built a successful business and stated she supports further consideration of this effort. Councilmember Butler stated she also supports further consideration and thinks it would be great if the two ideas can collaborate. Mr. Boganey stated the City Council has voiced consensus that this proposal is consistent with the goals it has established, noting this and The Crossings effort do not need to be connected at this point. He stated if the City Council is inclined to consider Mr. Chism's proposal, he would suggest staff work with Mr. Chism to review the proforma and conduct a detailed analysis for presentation of specific options and response at a future Work Session. Councilmember Ryan stated he has definite interest in this exciting concept and would like to see a business plan, vendor fee structure, and detailed analysis. He asked if the Chamber of Commerce or larger businesses, such as Medtronic, have been approached for sponsorship as they may find this an advantageous public service gesture. Mr. Chism stated in the past, he has talked with large corporations so he is familiar with that process but this concept is to find a Title Sponsor before looking for additional sponsors. Councilmember Ryan stated he knows someone who has an event operation, Victory Tent, that provides different sizes of tents and he would be willing to share the name of that contact. 01/22/18 -5- Mayor Willson encouraged Mr. Chism to contact Mr. Boganey to discuss the next steps as well as the City Attorney's office to address the financial request. Councilmember Graves thanked Mr. Chism for his patience in scheduling tonight's presentation. She suggested that Brooklyn Center residents be considered when selecting vendors and asked if he has contacted a similar group in North Minneapolis. Mr. Chism stated he is familiar with that group and explained that each plays a unique role with their unique clientele so each can be an asset since the vendors need to understand the dynamics of what it means to `skill up.' It was the majority consensus of the City Council to support the suggestion of Mr. Boganey that staff work with Mr. Chism, review the proforma, and conduct a detailed analysis for presentation of specific options and response at a future Work Session. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Councilmember Ryan moved and Councilmember Graves seconded to close the Study Session at 6:59 p.m. Motion passed unanimously 01/22/18 -6- STATE OF MINNESOTA) COUNTY OF HENNEPIN) ss. Certification of Minutes CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER) The undersigned, being the duly qualified and appointed City Clerk of the City of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, certifies: 1. That attached hereto is a full, hue, and complete transcript of the minutes of a Study Session of the City Council of the City of Brooklyn Center held on January 22, 2018. 2. That said meeting was held pursuant to due call and notice thereof and was duly held at Brooklyn Center City Hall. 3. That the City Council adopted said minutes at its February 12, 2018, Regular Session. City Clerk 01/22/18 -7- �-y r (" Mayor