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1000 ‎Rochester Hills Dr‎. ‎

Rochester Hills, MI ‎

48309‎

(‎248‎) ‎656‎-‎4600‎

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www‎.‎rochesterhills‎.‎org‎

Rochester Hills

Minutes

Local Development Finance Authority

Brandy Boyd, Clarence Brantley, Michael Damone, Michael Ellis, Lois Golden, Darlene ‎

Janulis, Tammy Muczynski, William Mull, Cassie Patterson, Stephan Slavik, Owen Winnie‎

7:30 AM

1000 Rochester Hills Drive

Thursday, October 6, 2011

CALL TO ORDER

Chairperson Stephan Slavik called the Regular Meeting to order at ‎7‎:‎32 ‎

a‎.‎m‎. ‎in Conference Room ‎221‎.‎

ROLL CALL

Clarence Brantley, Michael Damone, Michael Ellis, Lois Golden, Stephan ‎

Slavik, Owen Winnie and Brandy Boyd‎

Present

7 -

Tammy Muczynski, William Mull, Cassie Patterson and Darlene Janulis

Absent

4 -

Quorum Present‎

Also present‎: ‎Ed Anzek, Director of Planning and Economic Development‎

James Breuckman, Manager of Planning‎

Pamela Valentik, Manager of Economic Development‎

Paul Davis, City Engineer‎

Kurt Dawson, Director of Assessing‎/‎Treasury‎

Cheryl Gregory, Vice President, Spalding DeDecker‎

Maureen Gentry, Recording Secretary‎

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Correction to Minutes‎: ‎Page ‎13‎, change Mr‎. ‎Owen to Mr‎. ‎Winnie‎.‎

2011-0426

April ‎7‎, ‎2011 ‎Regular Meeting‎

A motion was made by Golden, seconded by Winnie, that this matter be ‎

Approved as Amended‎. ‎The motion carried by the following vote‎:‎

Aye

Brantley, Damone, Ellis, Golden, Slavik, Winnie and Boyd

7 -

Absent

Muczynski, Mull, Patterson and Janulis

4 -

COMMUNICATIONS

A‎) ‎Estimated Revenues and Expenditures in Fund Balance through ‎

2026‎

B‎) ‎Rochester Hills Companies Attracted‎/‎Retained in ‎2011‎

Mr‎. ‎Anzek passed out some documents, including a projection provided ‎

by the Fiscal Team, based on the revenue streams the LDFA was ‎

experiencing and what type of anticipated, conservative revenues to ‎

expect to the end of the LDFA lifespan‎. ‎There was also a year‎-‎to‎-‎date ‎

summary of businesses that had come to town‎. ‎He introduced Pamela ‎

Valentik, the City‎’‎s new Manager of Economic Development‎. ‎He offered ‎

the revenue chart in advance of the M‎-‎59 ‎Corridor Study presentation, so ‎

as they began to discuss projects in the updated Infrastructure Plan ‎- ‎a ‎

component of the Study ‎- ‎they would have an idea of the type of revenues ‎

they would be looking at over the next ten to ‎15 ‎years‎. ‎

Mr‎. ‎Damone asked for clarification of ‎“‎fund balance‎.‎” ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek advised ‎

that it was basically a savings account‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Damone referenced the year ‎

2020 ‎and asked if there would be $‎3‎,‎258‎,‎000‎.‎00 ‎in the account‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎

Anzek agreed, and said that would be true if nothing was spent‎. ‎The ‎

LDFA wanted to identify the top priority projects to have money for the ‎

LDFA area and see where they would get the best bang for the buck‎. ‎The ‎

only thing LDFA funds were used for were $‎200‎,‎000‎.‎00 ‎annually for the ‎

Major Road Funds for repair work in the LDFA area and for half the salary ‎

of the Economic Development Manager‎. ‎Those were the only two ‎

expenses‎. ‎Revenue had been declining, but they were still earning ‎

money‎. ‎They had been on a $‎900‎,‎000‎.‎00 ‎per year pace, but that had ‎

dropped to about $‎400‎,‎000‎.‎00 ‎because of declining property values‎. ‎

They were expected to decline further over the next couple of years, but ‎

not as much as shown‎. ‎The numbers were conservative, and it should ‎

flatten in ‎2015 ‎and start to climb again gradually‎. ‎

Ms‎. ‎Golden asked about the SmartZone‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek said it was under ‎

water‎. ‎Last year there was a positive flow, but Mr‎. ‎Dawson had to retain ‎

money for potential tax tribunal settlements‎. ‎Ms‎. ‎Golden clarified that it ‎

affected the Business INCubator at Oakland University significantly‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎

Anzek agreed, but noted that the City had a good working relationship with ‎

the INCubator‎. ‎The LDFA Board had discussed the possibility of a grant ‎

or loan for the INCubator‎. ‎Oakland University‎’‎s law team looked into it, ‎

and it did not appear it would be viable, so it had not been pushed‎.‎

Mr‎. ‎Dawson mentioned another pending issue ‎- ‎eliminating personal ‎

property tax at the State level, which was being pushed heavily by the ‎

Legislature‎. ‎That would have a significant impact for all taxing authorities ‎

throughout the State, but very much so for TIFs and LDFAs‎. ‎The concern ‎

was replacement revenue, which they had not determined, but it would ‎

cause a loss of $‎130‎-‎150‎,‎000‎.‎00 ‎per year in personal property tax ‎

revenue if not replaced‎. ‎He noted that the Michigan Township ‎

Association felt that it was very likely that it would start to go away in the ‎

next ‎12‎-‎18 ‎months‎. ‎He added that some communities relied up to ‎50‎% ‎

on that revenue, so it would have a significant impact on many of them‎.‎

DISCUSSION

2010-0462

M‎-‎59 ‎Corridor Study Update; James Breuckman, Manager of Planning‎

Mr‎. ‎Anzek advised that Mr‎. ‎Breuckman had joined the City as Manager of ‎

Planning‎. ‎He was formerly with McKenna Associates, the consultant for ‎

the Study‎.‎

‎

Mr‎. ‎Breuckman stated that they would be reviewing chapters six and ‎

seven in the M‎-‎59 ‎Corridor Plan, which were the Infrastructure ‎

Improvement Plan and the Implementation Plan‎. ‎Those chapters looked ‎

at the infrastructure needs to support the proposed Development Plan‎. ‎

Some of the improvements identified would not be necessary until some ‎

time down the road, as development occurred‎. ‎Several of the ‎

implementation actions identified could be proactive, to try to attract ‎

development‎. ‎They did not identify commitments that bound the LDFA to ‎

any kind of action, but rather, they were a set of options and actions they ‎

could take to quickly capitalize‎. ‎They had done the planning work to ‎

support the implementation actions so that in the future, should they have ‎

a situation arise where they wanted to do a project, they would have ‎

already planned for it‎. ‎They identified utilities, underground capacity ‎

issues, and image or livability issues, to improve the attractiveness of the ‎

district for new businesses‎. ‎He introduced Cheryl Gregory of Spalding ‎

DeDecker, the firm that did the infrastructure analysis‎. ‎He and Ms‎. ‎

Gregory then developed chapter seven together‎.‎

Ms‎. ‎Gregory pointed out three areas they focused on‎: ‎Roadways, the ‎

sanitary system and the water main system‎. ‎She worked with Mr‎. ‎Paul ‎

Davis, City Engineer, to get the City‎’‎s GIS data evaluated‎. ‎They looked at ‎

the capacity of the existing system and what would be needed at full build ‎

out for what the Master Plan recommended‎. ‎There were ‎21 ‎

implementation recommendations, but there were many variables in the ‎

demands that could occur‎. ‎

Ms‎. ‎Gregory said that they had identified three types of roads, based on ‎

their utility‎. ‎If there was high volume or heavy commercial, it would be a ‎

Type A road‎. ‎A Type B road would have some commercial, and be more ‎

interconnective for the corporate office centers‎. ‎A Type C road was for ‎

access in and around a corporate center‎. ‎The City had Ordinances in ‎

place for what type of road they wished to construct, and even though ‎

there was a lot of variability in development, they could allow a variety of ‎

different kinds of road sections‎. ‎It was important that it remained uniform ‎

for the long term maintenance and management of pavement asset‎. ‎

They could not have ‎20 ‎or ‎30 ‎different road sections; it would be ‎

impossible for DPS to try to maintain it‎. ‎They showed what the pavement ‎

section should look like, width‎-‎wise, depth‎-‎wise, and what the cross ‎

section should look like, which was based on the City‎’‎s Ordinance‎. ‎They ‎

recommended filling in a couple of connectors, and there were small and ‎

large sections to be done‎. ‎She pointed out the connector roads ‎(‎map on ‎

file‎). ‎Ms‎. ‎Gregory explained that there were different utilities for each ‎

connector, depending on the density of the proposed surrounding ‎

development‎. ‎She asked if there were any questions about why the ‎

particular road segments were selected‎. ‎

Mr‎. ‎Damone said that he was familiar with one of the connectors, and he ‎

stated that it was a physical impossibility to connect Waterview and ‎

Research Drive‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek asked if he meant because there was a ‎

building in the way, which Mr‎. ‎Damone confirmed, and he added that ‎

there was a terrific grade change‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Damone asked how critical the ‎

Plan could be if they had not looked at physical limitations‎. ‎

Mr‎. ‎Anzek responded that those things could be accomplished and ‎

overcome through engineering‎. ‎It was not perhaps a top priority, but the ‎

one thing they heard, through the interview process with stakeholders, was ‎

that they really wanted connectivity between the industrial parks‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎

Damone said that he did not mean to disagree, and they could do ‎

anything with enough money, but he did not feel that those things were ‎

feasible from an economic standpoint‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek asked if an opportunity ‎

presented itself in the future, and he reminded that it was considered a ‎

20‎-‎year horizon plan, why they could not have something planned that ‎

could possibly happen‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Damone said that he did not disagree with ‎

that‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek said that the point was well taken, and they knew about it ‎

when they went through the study‎. ‎The cost for that segment would be ‎

very high‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Damone stated that they would have to buy two buildings‎. ‎

Mr‎. ‎Anzek said they looked into that when the connection for Technology ‎

to Adams was being done, because they were not getting Federal ‎

Highway Administration approval for the curb cut‎. ‎They started looking ‎

for a way to cut through from Technology to Leach Rd‎. ‎to complete the ‎

link, and the possibility of buying a building was in front of them then‎.‎

Mr‎. ‎Breuckman indicated that some of the connectors would absolutely ‎

not happen until redevelopment happened on the private sector side first‎. ‎

They understood that it was not high on the list of things they would ‎

proactively pursue, but if someone came in with a plan and wanted to work ‎

somewhere along the Leach‎-‎Technology corridor, at least they had a plan ‎

to back it up, and they could start to think about a road connection‎.‎

Ms‎. ‎Golden said that another reason to include something in a plan, even ‎

though it might seem unrealistic, was because of outside funding‎. ‎If it was ‎

not in the plan and they had to add it later, unlikely as it might be, it would ‎

be difficult because it was not considered initially‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Breuckman added ‎

that they were not exact locations, and they could move as opportunities ‎

arose‎. ‎

Ms‎. ‎Gregory said that the plan talked about access management ‎

improvement opportunities and the need, especially, on the western ‎

segment of Auburn‎. ‎Since it was a State trunk line, any improvements ‎

would have to go through MDOT‎’‎s permit process‎. ‎MDOT was extremely ‎

friendly when it came to access management‎. ‎They would do whatever ‎

they could to implement it, and any improvements for even a small ‎

amount of growth to the east of Adams would help the traffic‎. ‎A lot of it ‎

was just delineating driveways and part of that problem was that parking ‎

would be impacted‎. ‎A number of the businesses relied on the right‎-‎of‎-‎way ‎

for parking spaces, so the recommendations could not happen without ‎

the business or property owners‎’ ‎cooperation‎. ‎The best time to look for ‎

opportunities for access management improvement would be during the ‎

sale of a property‎. ‎She felt that it was important that the philosophy of ‎

asset management be a part of the plan‎.‎

Ms‎. ‎Gregory next discussed non‎-‎motorized pathway system ‎

improvements‎. ‎The typical road sections recommended during road ‎

reconstruction included a sidewalk or non‎-‎motorized trail, depending on ‎

the right‎-‎of‎-‎way available‎. ‎Should there be limitations on the right‎-‎of‎-‎way, ‎

there were options in creating an on‎-‎street bike path, if necessary‎. ‎She ‎

was not sure it was a high priority for business areas‎. ‎Ms‎. ‎Gregory talked ‎

about road maintenance estimates and cost per land mile‎. ‎It included ‎

2011 ‎dollars that had to be adjusted for inflation based on the forecast for ‎

the plan‎. ‎

Ms‎. ‎Gregory had listed the private utilities, knowing who already had ‎

facilities within the boundaries‎. ‎Some owners were not completely open ‎

with all of the information, and it was done on a site‎-‎by‎-‎site basis if a ‎

facility owner offered to provide input‎. ‎The City and the County had ‎

Ordinances for storm water requirements that would apply to any ‎

development‎. ‎The sanitary sewer system was a gravity system, and they ‎

looked at the current capacity of the system and what would be needed for ‎

full build out‎. ‎There were a series of improvements recommended‎. ‎They ‎

could vary depending on the order of a development, but for ‎100‎% ‎build ‎

out, ultimately, what they believed had to happen was a large diversion ‎

route that would need to be constructed‎. ‎In discussing it with Mr‎. ‎Davis, ‎

and looking at the available capacities, it appeared there was about a ‎5‎.‎6 ‎

cubic feet per second additional peak daily flow capacity, which meant ‎

about ‎40‎-‎50 ‎acres of development at full capacity, or a ‎2‎-‎3 ‎story ‎

development‎. ‎There was room to absorb some demand‎. ‎Ultimately, the ‎

recommendation for full build out was to construct a diversion from the ‎

Grant Pump Station over to the east to create more capacity‎. ‎There were ‎

individual internal network improvements noted to upsize the pipes‎.‎

The water main was based on the assumption that the Detroit Water and ‎

Sewer Department would sustain the current level of service to the City‎. ‎

The water main supply was a little finicky when they were trying to ‎

estimate it as a pressurized system‎. ‎They had to look at what was going ‎

on downstream and upstream‎. ‎The sanitary was a gravity system that was ‎

a little easier to manipulate, but the pressurized water main system was a ‎

little trickier‎. ‎That was why the recommendation suggested that the City ‎

regularly monitor the capacity and the service within the network, which ‎

Ms‎. ‎Gregory believed was being done‎.‎

Mr‎. ‎Damone said that when they monitored the pressure of some of the ‎

daily use, they had to consider the fire protection element‎. ‎Ms‎. ‎Gregory ‎

agreed it was based on that, because it legally had to be maintained‎.‎

Ms‎. ‎Gregory summarized that there were ‎21 ‎recommended sanitary, ‎

water main and road improvements in the Implementation Chapter, and a ‎

number of streetscape recommendations to improve the visual quality‎. ‎

The most expensive was the diversion of the sanitary system from the ‎

Clinton‎-‎Oakland Tributary over to the Gibson‎-‎Avon Tributary‎. ‎

Mr‎. ‎Ellis asked the total cost for the implementation projects‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎

Breuckman said that was not calculated because they were not expecting ‎

all the projects to be done‎. ‎They did not want to mislead or create the ‎

expectation that all the projects were expected to be completed‎.‎

Mr‎. ‎Anzek said it was important that, as they moved forward and ‎

understood more of how the area would change, they would continue to ‎

work with the LDFA to prioritize projects and determine what the LDFA ‎

and Staff would like to see done‎. ‎They should determine what might be ‎

done in response to development or what might be done to incentivize ‎

development‎. ‎The ‎30‎-‎some projects shown were to clearly enhance, ‎

serve and expand the area‎. ‎In the ‎1996 ‎Master Plan, there were a total of ‎

seven projects identified, including work on Hamlin, the M‎-‎59‎/‎Adams ‎

interchange, relocated Adams, Technology Dr‎. ‎extension, Leach Rd‎. ‎

paving, Waterview Dr‎. ‎and the Industrial Dr‎. ‎extension‎. ‎A lot had been ‎

done, and some had been put on hold‎. ‎They needed to identify the next ‎

generation of projects to serve the area, and that was what the whole ‎

planning effort was about‎. ‎He said that they were just starting to discuss ‎

things, and they would continue with that‎. ‎Ms‎. ‎Valentik would be briefing ‎

on companies coming to town and companies planning to expand‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎

Anzek commented that they were forecasting for ‎20 ‎years out, and they ‎

really did not know what would happen, but they wanted to be ready and to ‎

create a basis to allow them to do flexible buildings‎. ‎A lot of the identified ‎

projects were image, support and incentive strategies they might need‎. ‎

When they identified projects, they were put in the Capital Improvement ‎

Plan ‎(‎CIP‎) ‎and the budget was prioritized‎. ‎The LDFA would run until ‎

2026‎, and it could be extended, but they did not know if LDFAs would ‎

even be in existence in ‎2026‎. ‎

Mr‎. ‎Winnie said that in essence, the plan was a guideline, and the ‎

recommendations were fluid‎. ‎As they got closer to a project, certain ‎

priorities would change, and the Plan could be amended‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek said ‎

that at a point in time, based on information gathered from stakeholders, ‎

there could be issues with image and disconnect between the industrial ‎

parks, and that drove the Plan‎. ‎They wanted to be flexible and able to ‎

adapt‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Winnie said that the items in the CIP were fluid also, and ‎

priorities changed on an annual basis‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek agreed, and said that ‎

they went through it every year with certain projects‎. ‎They were submitting ‎

new projects, but also eliminating ones that were no longer necessary‎. ‎

Ms‎. ‎Gregory mentioned that it was good to have a Plan and to ‎

demonstrate that they had done a planning exercise and identified a ‎

variety of economic development funding resources available‎. ‎They ‎

would have a lot of opportunity for Federal resources‎.‎

Ms‎. ‎Valentik asked if there were certain projects that would be done ‎

before another because of where they were on the map‎. ‎

Mr‎. ‎Anzek said that once the Plan was adopted, the projects would get put ‎

in the CIP with a best estimate as to when they might get built‎. ‎The CIP ‎

also organized what would happen concurrently with the economies of ‎

scale‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Winnie said they were looking ‎20 ‎years in the future, and he ‎

had always said that was almost impossible, because things could ‎

change dramatically in five years‎. ‎The recession they were currently in ‎

was a good example in terms of revenues, taxes and evaluations of ‎

properties‎. ‎

Ms‎. ‎Golden noted that the LDFA Plan ended in ‎2026‎, but she did not ‎

recall ever seeing a copy of it‎. ‎With the new Study and changes in the ‎

CIP, she asked if there were any proposals for an amendment on the ‎

horizon‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek said it was kind of what they were doing with the ‎

second phase of the M‎-‎59 ‎Corridor Study‎. ‎That was becoming the ‎

update to the LDFA Plan because it refreshed the list of projects‎. ‎He ‎

agreed with Mr‎. ‎Winnie about how things could change in the future‎. ‎To ‎

Ms‎. ‎Golden‎’‎s question of whether the LDFA Plan was available in ‎.‎pdf ‎

format, he thought it might not be necessary to view, because it was so ‎

concentrated on Adams Road, and that was already done‎. ‎Ms‎. ‎Golden ‎

reminded that they had a legal obligation as a Board to adhere to the ‎

LDFA Plan, and if there was a proposed amendment after the new Study ‎

was considered, it would be helpful for the Board to have‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek ‎

advised that if a new project arose, Staff had to come to the LDFA for ‎

approval of an amendment to the Plan‎. ‎

Mr‎. ‎Davis agreed that it was good to plan for things, but he indicated that ‎

the M‎-‎59 ‎Corridor Plan had a lot of assumptions and variables‎. ‎He ‎

mentioned the Suburban Softball site and said that if it were to come ‎

alive, then for him, all of a sudden the sanitary sewer would become a ‎

primary component‎. ‎When it was purchased by REI, there was not much ‎

sanitary sewer left‎. ‎A project like diverting the Grant Street Pump station ‎

all of a sudden would become more viable‎. ‎It would be expensive, but ‎

unless something dramatic like medical mainstreet came along, it ‎

probably would not go‎. ‎They were looking at things from a worst case ‎

scenario for a very dense development, but a lot of places in the City did ‎

not get the dense development‎. ‎Sometimes the variables were within the ‎

City‎’‎s control, and they could drive it by zoning or installing infrastructure ‎

to make it more economically viable‎. ‎He never would have thought that ‎

the REI site would move from a landfill and become an economical plan, ‎

but it was serious for a time‎. ‎He would not assume that based on how a ‎

funding situation was today that something could not change, and ‎

projects that seemed unlikely all of a sudden could become reasonable‎. ‎

Mr‎. ‎Breuckman had summarized the next steps, and he stated that the ‎

Plan was substantially drafted‎. ‎He was not sure what action the LDFA ‎

needed to take, but in the future, the Planning Commission would adopt it ‎

into the Master Land Use Plan‎. ‎The Master Plan was looked at every five ‎

years, and in ‎2012‎, they would look at it again and adopt the land use ‎

elements of the M‎-‎59 ‎Corridor Study‎. ‎Staff would also develop a Zoning ‎

Ordinance amendment for the district‎.‎

Mr‎. ‎Ellis asked what else the LDFA would have to do with the Plan before ‎

that happened, and if they would they have to vote to approve it‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎

Anzek said they would definitely want the LDFA to approve it‎. ‎The work to ‎

complete the Study was funded by the LDFA, and it was a guide for future ‎

expenses‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Ellis asked at what meeting it would be addressed, noting ‎

that they would not meet again until January‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek said that he ‎

would like a meeting in December, because in January there was a call ‎

for projects for the CIP‎. ‎If the LDFA adopted the Plan, it would be a ‎

framework for moving forward‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Ellis asked if they would receive more ‎

documentation prior to December as to what was going on‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎

Breuckman advised that the Plan, unless edits were requested, at this ‎

point was complete‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Ellis clarified that Staff was looking for input ‎

before the December meeting‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek agreed‎. ‎The Board could send ‎

an email or call Staff if they had something‎. ‎They would like to have a ‎

Resolution passed in December or early January for the M‎-‎59 ‎Corridor ‎

Study and the update to the Infrastructure Plan‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Damone clarified that ‎

there would still be flexibility to adjust it along the way, and they would not ‎

be committed to anything in terms of funding‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek said that was ‎

correct; Staff could not spend money without the Board‎’‎s approval‎. ‎They ‎

would only add projects that were supported by the LDFA, and they would ‎

have to look at the revenues and timing over the next years‎. ‎

Mr‎. ‎Winnie stated that any plan in the process could be amended at any ‎

time‎. ‎New demands could crop up, or the political environment could ‎

change, so even if the Plan were adopted, it could be amended‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Ellis ‎

said that as he looked at the Plan, it appeared that most of what was in it ‎

was contingent upon outside sources of funding beyond the LDFA‎. ‎He ‎

asked if that was right‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Breuckman agreed, and said it was contingent ‎

upon some kind of partnership, whether it was government funding or ‎

private development‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek said it was not too dissimilar to the CIP‎. ‎

There were $‎300 ‎million worth of projects in the CIP and annually they ‎

actually did $‎4‎-‎8 ‎million‎. ‎They were put in the CIP to get them on the ‎

radar screen‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Ellis commented that it was fluid for flashpoints where ‎

development might occur‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek said that if someone came to the ‎

City and wanted to buy a ‎30‎-‎acre parcel, Staff would probably come to the ‎

LDFA and ask to advance water and sewer as an incentive because of the ‎

payback of building the tax base and creating jobs, which was the charge ‎

of the LDFA‎.‎

Ms‎. ‎Golden asked if the Board had any Public Hearing requirements for ‎

adopting or if that was done at the Planning Commission level‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎

Anzek did not think that the LDFA was required to hold a Public Hearing‎. ‎

Ms‎. ‎Golden suggested that perhaps there could be mention of that in their ‎

Resolution‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Winnie said that in essence, the LDFA was an advisory ‎

Board, and the Planning Commission took action based on their advice‎. ‎

Ms‎. ‎Golden said that further to being an advisory Board, they were ‎

responsible for the budget, and Council waited for their approval‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎

Anzek explained that the LDFA was an independent authority, comprised ‎

of a lot of different representatives from the taxing jurisdictions‎. ‎Ms‎. ‎

Golden thought it made sense that the Planning Commission held the ‎

Public Hearing, but the LDFA Board wanted to be able to say that they ‎

sought public input‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Breuckman advised that with the Master Land ‎

Use Plan, which set the stage for the M‎-‎59 ‎Corridor Study, there was ‎

extensive public input‎. ‎They were now diving into the framework ‎

established through public input‎. ‎There would be Public Hearings when ‎

the Master Plan was updated next year‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek added that the REC ‎

area was a lot larger than the LDFA capture area, but the LDFA had a ‎

great amount of influence over the area‎. ‎The capture monies came from ‎

three distinct districts, and the money could be spent outside the district if ‎

it supported activities within the district; for example, a nearby bridge or ‎

something that would enhance the capture zone‎. ‎

Ms‎. ‎Golden said that she was very pleased that the Study and the work ‎

were done, and she thanked Staff and the consultants‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek said ‎

that Chairperson Slavik and he had met quite a bit about how they should ‎

step up and do the next update‎. ‎Chairperson Slavik had expressed ‎

concerns that they were starting to get to a point where they needed some ‎

guidance‎. ‎There were some examples in the Plan of what they could do ‎

for aesthetics in the area and other things along those lines‎.‎

Mr‎. ‎Anzek asked the Board to carefully review the Plan‎. ‎They had met ‎

with various property and business owners in the area and sought input ‎

from people who worked in the region‎. ‎They had visual imaging ‎

exercises at the OU INCubator, where they defined what they thought ‎

would be an appropriate look for the area‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Breuckman added that the ‎

list of implementation projects showed more streetscape and sidewalk ‎

projects than anything else, because they heard that was why companies ‎

came to Rochester Hills versus elsewhere in the region‎. ‎It was kind of on ‎

the periphery of the economic makeup of the region‎. ‎People liked the ‎

quality of life, the trails, and getting people from those elements of ‎

Rochester Hills throughout the areas was one of the important things they ‎

heard from them‎. ‎Streetscapes and sidewalks made a big difference to ‎

people coming to a place for the first time‎. ‎As they moved away from ‎

manufacturing to more hybrid office‎-‎type uses, those would be important ‎

things going forward‎. ‎Chairperson Slavik commented that the Study was ‎

a great start and very informative‎. ‎

Discussed

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Mr‎. ‎Damone referred to the list of active projects, and said they had a lot ‎

of discussion about Magna during the past year‎. ‎They were not on the ‎

list, and he asked if they were gone‎.‎

Mr‎. ‎Anzek said that Magna had been an interesting story‎. ‎A year ago, the ‎

City was meeting with them daily, trying to do bond issues to support them ‎

in putting up a building on the City‎’‎s property on Hamlin‎. ‎The City did ‎

everything they could, from reactivating the Economic Development ‎

Corporation to talking with the LDFA about the possibility of water and ‎

sewer enhancements‎. ‎He thought that Magna was having a hard time ‎

making a decision, and they passed the deadline to do the bonds‎. ‎The ‎

project came and went, although they were still very interested in the site‎. ‎

In March, they sent the City a list of ‎10 ‎questions regarding the site, which ‎

he and the Mayor answered‎. ‎Magna came back finally and said they ‎

were ready to move, and that they were looking at four different sites‎. ‎

They asked the owners of those properties to give their best price‎. ‎The ‎

City put a package together and worked with City Council‎. ‎They were told ‎

four weeks later that they were one of two sites remaining on the list, but ‎

Magna was still having difficulty coming up with the numbers to make it ‎

work for them‎. ‎They used to have an internal development wing, called ‎

MID, and they owned close to ‎50 ‎million square feet of buildings around ‎

the world‎. ‎They spun MID off in ‎2003 ‎as a stand‎-‎alone, publicly traded ‎

company, and they were going to build the building‎. ‎A week ago, the City ‎

heard that Magna might put things on hold for a year‎.‎

Mr‎. ‎Damone questioned whether they should keep some funds available ‎

for Magna‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek said it might be one of those things where Staff ‎

would have to come back to the LDFA and ask‎. ‎He could not disclose the ‎

City‎’‎s price for the land, but it would involve some offsite improvements‎. ‎

Ms‎. ‎Boyd asked if Auburn Hills was being considered by Magna, but Mr‎. ‎

Anzek was not able to disclose that at this time‎.‎

NEXT MEETING DATE

The group discussed that there might be a Special Meeting in December‎. ‎

Chairperson Slavik announced that the next Regular Meeting was ‎

scheduled for January ‎12‎, ‎2012‎.‎

Mr‎. ‎Ellis noted that they always had an April meeting the same week the ‎

schools were on vacation, and he asked if it could be moved back a week, ‎

because he would always be out of town the first week‎. ‎Mr‎. ‎Anzek did not ‎

believe that would be a problem, and said that Staff would put together a ‎

list of proposed meetings for the LDFA to approve‎. ‎

ADJOURNMENT

Hearing no further business to come before the LDFA Board, and upon ‎

motion by Winnie, seconded by Golden, Chairperson Slavik adjourned ‎

the Regular Meeting at ‎8‎:‎34 ‎a‎.‎m‎.‎

Respectfully Submitted,‎

_____________________________‎

Stephan Slavik, Chairperson‎

Rochester Hills‎

Local Development Finance Authority‎

_____________________________‎

Maureen Gentry, Recording Secretary‎