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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-05-2018 Economic Development Committee minutesr -• City Hall Members: Staff: Councilmember White Ana Cortez, Assistant City Manager Councilmember Cousens Scott Schafer, Public Works Director Councilmember Gutierrez John Carney, Information Systems Manager Brett Sheffield, Chief Engineer Tom Sellsted, Senior Analyst Cally Price, Assistant to the City Manager Executive is White called the meeting to order. Others: Maria Rodriguez Jonathan Smith Luz Gutierrez 1. Review draft minutes from May 24, 2018 meeting: The May 24, 2018 meeting minutes were reviewed. Gutierrez motioned to accept the minutes as presented and Cousens seconded the motion. The minutes were approved unanimously. a. Strategic Plan Update Cortez reviewed the strategic plan with the Committee members. Committee members agreed that changing the format, to be consistent with Partnership, would be appropriate. Committee members will meet and discuss strategic priorities and report back at the next meeting. b. Conduit and fiber assets White reported that at the AWC conference there was a session on fiber and he suggested that staff follow up with Port Angeles and Anacortes to see how they implemented fiber using existing water pipes. c. Creative District designation update White reported that he is interested in spearheading this project and asked that staff add this discussion to a future Council agenda. White distributed a copy of a "Green Way" project for Yakima. Staff will see if there are any codes regulating or prohibiting painting on the street and what the paint would cost. Gutierrez suggested that if this moves forward, that the project be started on North 1St Street as part of the TBD project. Committee members would like to see a timeline how this could be accomplished. d. Economic Development Council conference Cousens shared information she received about an Economic Development Conference being held in Ellensburg and she would like at least one committee member to attend. This item will be brought up at a future Council meeting for discussion. e. 1 st Street Development Brett Sheffield spoke about the North 1St project, specifically, funding, schedule and phases. Phase 1 (N. Street to SR 12) will begin in the spring and is funded. Phases 2 and 3 could begin in 2020. Gutierrez would like to see jaywalking addressed in the plans for N. 1 st Street. Since some items still need to be addressed, Gutierrez suggested that a Council study session be scheduled. Committee members will bring this up at a future Council meeting. Presentation should include budget, vision, and traffic model (similar to what was produced for the mill site). Gutierrez would like to see the structure/framework of what the next 18 months would look like and be able to monitor progress/benchmarks. 3. Future agenda items Strategic Plan update Conduit and fiber assets Creative District update Sidewalk and crosswalk paint Discussion on vacant buildings 4. Other business Cousens distributed information on how to fill downtown gaps she received at the AWC Conference. Committee members would like to have a list of vacant buildings in downtown Yakima and along North 1St Street. 5. Audience Participation Luz Gutierrez inquired about the status of the Economic Development Plan that was created a few years ago. Jon Smith reported that CERB recently announced they will offer funding to assist rural counties and cities with broadband provided it ties to job creation. meeting is scheduled for July 26 at 1:30 in the 2nd Floor Conference Room.