CC Minutes 03/29/2012 Workshop - Laserfiche WebLink

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CASSELBLRRY CITY COMMISSION Minutes of March 29 — Workshop Page 2 of 5 portion, the commercial that was going to be resultant and the tax base that was going to be derived from it. Mr. Newlon advised that after another review of the concept, the development team did feel that the vision for the property needed to be revised. He stated that the team also felt that in order to set some guiding principles for what the expectations would be for the site some feedback from the Commission was needed, and that was the reason for scheduling an additional workshop. He added that they had developed and distributed some questions to be discussed which would elicit from the Commissioners their thoughts about the type of concept they envisioned for the site. He stated that based on the Commissioners' responses, the team would prepare and present new vision options for the Commission's consideration at a future meeting. He noted that when a new vision was approved that met the Commission's standards and expectations, it would then be taken to developers in the private sector to test their interest in working with the City to achieve its vision. Mr. Newlon took the Commission through the following series of questions: Shall economic development be limited in scope? Discussion: Discussion ensued during which each Commissioner expressed their thoughts and concerns regarding the question of whether the City's vision for development of the 15 -acre site should be broadened to include either one or all of the following: the Lake Concord site, the Police Station, the Public Works and Fire Administration Building and/or City Hall. The Commissioners generally expressed approval for broadening the scope of the development and were open to reviewing all possible options that could be brought forward and would be economically feasible. There were some concerns expressed about inclusion of either the Fire Administration building, due to the Sculpture Center, or City Hall. However, after further discussion, the City Manager was directed to proceed with investigation of possibilities for all to be included in part of a master development plan. Shall economic development emphasize maximum utilization of the site(s) and add significant taxable value? Discussion: Discussion ensued regarding whether the Commission would be willing to wait on development of the property if a developer could not be found whose concept met the standards set out in the City's vision as finally agreed upon. The Commission generally preferred not to delay for an extended time, especially in light of the flyover being built, but did not believe the standards should be lowered. They expressed an understanding that some concessions may need to be made as far as design and place -making elements, but also felt that expansion of the development to include additional property would possibly make the project more attractive to developers and lead to more creativity. They all expressed a belief in the potential for this project to have a major impact on the area. Are there modes of utilization that are desired or not desired for the site(s)? Mr. Newlon explained that he would like input from the Commissioners as to their enthusiasm or lack thereof about certain modes of development for the site. He presented examples and asked for the Commission's opinions as to whether these should be considered for development of the site. Discussion: Discussion ensued regarding each of the examples of business types presented for consideration by Mr. Newlon.