Downtown Development Steering Committee Minutes - 10/13/2017
M
INUTES OF THE
DDSC(DDSC)
OWNTOWN EVELOPMENT TEERING OMMITTEE
October 13, 2017
P:
RESENT
Mayor Stephen Santellana, Chair §
Danny Ahern §
Cody Magana §
Dave Clark §
Bobby Whitely §
Ripley Tate §
Dusty Potter §
A:
BSENT
Councilor DeAndra Chenault § Absent
Councilor Jesse Brown, Vice Chair § Absent
Rick Hatcher § Absent
Scott Poenitzsch § Absent
Darron Leiker, City Manager §
Jim Dockery, Deputy City Manager §
Tracy Norr, City Clerk §
Members of the city staff, Chamber of Commerce, and various subcommittees were also in
attendance.
______________________________________________________________________
1. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 10:00 a.m. Mayor Santellana welcomed those in
attendance.
2. Introductions and Overall Committee Presentation Freese and Nichols
Wendy Shabay from Freese and Nichols reviewed the previous efforts and the process for
the downtown plan. She noted the recommendations of that plan pertaining to residential
housing, transportation, and economic development. She highlighted outcomes such as the
Wayfinding Sign project, intersection improvements, the transit-oriented development study, and
code amendments including outdoor dining, outdoor displays, and food courts. She noted
outstanding items to be addressed by the streetscape subcommittee include defining the core
area, construction of streetscapes and intersection improvements, downtown park expansion, and
pedestrian-friendly signalization. She said the regulatory subcommittee will look at zoning
districts, building code review, property maintenance codes, and maintenance of aesthetics. The
DDSC Minutes 09.11.2017
DDSC Minutes of October 13, 2017 2
finance subcommittee will consider public improvement districts (PID) and other ways of
funding improvements.
Ms. Shabay introduced Daniel Harrison and Kim Dresdner from her team. She said there
are also other experts from Freese and Nichols who will be involved with the project.
Ms. Shabay said the scope of services for this project will include assisting the finance
subcommittee with a PID; assisting the regulatory subcommittee with creating revitalization
objectives on zoning overlays, and building and development codes; and assisting the streetscape
subcommittee to define the core area and development conceptual designs with sufficient details
for engineering.
The timeline was questioned. Ms. Shabay said she anticipates being part of monthly
meetings over the next year. Discussion was held about the frequency of the DDSC meetings vs.
subcommittee meetings and how to best utilize the time of the consultants. The consensus was
to hold two meetings monthly as needed.
Updates were given from the various subcommittees as follows:
Streetscapes:
Ripley Tate said the boundaries for the core area have been determined in two
phases.
Regulatory:
Danny Ahern said the ordinances in effect have been reviewed and the committee
is ready to start moving to the next step.
Arts/Entertainment/Lifestyles:
Cody Magana said the committee has identified areas to
better serve families, MSU students, and airmen. The committee is finding some funding
sources.
Marketing:
Dusty Potter said some aspects of marketing must wait until later but the
committee has established a branding campaign which will be released within the next six
weeks. The committee is also working on public buy-in.
Historic Preservation:
Dave Clark said the boundaries of the current downtown historic
preservation are being considered to see if there is a need to enlarge the district.
3. Adjourn
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 10: 56 a.m.
Following the meeting, Freese and Nichols representatives met with the regulatory,
streetscape, and finance subcommittees.
______________________________
MayorStephen L. Santellana, Chair
Downtown Development Steering Committee