69th Economic Development Advisory Committee Meeting
January 11, 201010:00 a.m.City Hall
Members Present: Chairman Rick Buckner, Mark Phillips, Dean Infinger, David Warner, and Joseph Bagwell
Members Absent: Ron Anderson and Ron Henderson
Staff Present: Jeff Molinari, Assistant City Administrator and Dennis C. Harmon, City Administrator
I. Call to Order – Chairman Rick Buckner
Mr. Buckner called the meeting to order at 10:15 a.m.
II. Approval of Minutes:
Mr. Bagwell made a motion to approve the minutes from the October 26, 2009 meeting. Mr. Infinger seconded the motion. All in favor, none opposed. Motion carried.
III. Restaurant Outlook - 2010:
Mr. Molinari stated the economic health of the city is in relatively good shape based on various macro indicators. He stated the number of housing starts had decreased from 2008, but not as dramatically as other municipalities in the area. He stated the City of Goose Creek had 432 new housing starts in 2008 as opposed to 272 in 2009, which represents approximately a 37% decrease. Mr. Molinari stated the City’s business license revenue continued to increase; and local option sales tax had leveled off. He stated that although the Fiscal Year 2010 budget was a status quo budget, the city was able to fully fund the pay for performance program as well as implement a 2% cost of living adjustment, which is unique for municipalities in this economic climate. Mr. Molinari stated a new take-out pizza restaurant had opened in Gary Gorey’s shopping center. He stated Mr. Harmon had the opportunity to tour the restaurant and speak with the owner of the restaurant. Mr. Molinari stated the restaurant is a popular chain franchise along the west coast, and the first location opened in the Charleston area was in Goose Creek. He stated the franchisee had a fairly ambitious plan and is looking to open a dozen restaurants in the Charleston area, with the next location to be on James Island. Mr. Molinari stated Mr. Harmon inquired why they had chosen Goose Creek as the premier location; the owner stated the demographics in Goose Creek were what he was looking for. Mr. Molinari stated the restaurant had been doing well since it opened. Mr. Molinari stated there was no additional information available regarding when Gary Gorey was going to open his other restaurant in the same shopping center. He stated the owner was not sure when he was going to open the restaurant, and had changed the plans numerous times. He stated the owners of Captain D’s restaurant had started the process of rebuilding the restaurant almost immediately after the fire destroyed the restaurant. Mr. Molinari stated the owners had submitted plans to the planning department and stated the restaurant in Goose Creek was one of the higher performing restaurants overall. He stated the owners are very interested in rebuilding, and because the restaurant is located in the City’s downtown overlay district, the city was able to exert much stronger architectural controls. He stated the restaurant will have a much more muted exterior design which will fit in well with the other new construction. There was a brief discussion on potential new restaurants for the City and Mr. Molinari answered all questions posed by the committee.
IV. Downtown Redevelopment Update:
Central Avenue Rehabilitation: Mr. Molinari stated after much deliberation, Anson Construction was ready to begin working on Central Avenue. He stated there was a coordination meeting last week between the City of Goose Creek, the consultant, and the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT). He stated the first project was to relocate the waterline along Central Avenue before any of the drainage work could be initiated. Mr. Molinari stated the relocation would take two or three weeks to complete. He stated in the future he saw SCDOT as a potential challenge, but the City had a seasoned project management staff to handle situations as they came up. He stated the City had complied with all of the requirements DOT had set, but had a difficult time receiving clear, concise answers to inquires about this project. Mr. Molinari stated after all of the delays, the City was close to having tangible evidence of work the EDAC began several years earlier, and the enhancements to Central Avenue were going to be impressive. He stated he was anxious to see the investments potential businesses will make after the work was completed on Central Avenue. Mr. Harmon stated he anticipated the redevelopment of Brandywine and Thomason Boulevards would have been delayed less because there were fewer utilities to deal with and the City would have had experience with the Central Avenue redevelopment.
Highway 52 Improvements: Mr. Molinari stated in previous meeting CSX had placed an arbitrary price tag on the encroachment permit to make improvements along Highway 52. He stated Mr. Harmon had been in contact with CSX, and the city was looking toward an arrangement similar to the water line encroachments, where the city would pay CSX a modest annual fee to utilize their right-of-way. Mr. Harmon stated he had been in contact with the CSX property manager out of Jacksonville, who had approved the project for a fee of $244,000.00. He stated CSX had appraised the right-of-way as if the city were going to purchase the land, rather than utilize the land for a beautification and drainage project. Mr. Harmon stated he was advised a representative from CSX was working through the details on the agreement and was going to follow up on a later date. Mr. Molinari stated he had received plans from the consultant for both Brandywine and Thomason Boulevards. He stated he and Mr. Harmon had spoken to all of the property owners along Central Avenue to secure easements for downtown redevelopment. He stated Brandywine and Thomason should be a smoother process because there are fewer property owners and the existing right-of-ways are wider, and the city only has to secure easements for the decorative brick columns. He stated with Central Avenue, the City had to secure fifteen (15) foot temporary easements to do the drainage work. Mr. Molinari stated there were two easements the city was still waiting for at the time construction was scheduled to begin, but because those particular properties were on the opposite side of Central Avenue, they would not cause a delay in the work. He stated by securing easements for Brandywine and Thomason Boulevards prior to work beginning, the city would prevent any delays in the next phases of the project. He stated the contract for Central Avenue contract is for 180 days, and he anticipated the work being done by the end of June 2010. He stated he was hopeful the work on Brandywine and Thomason would be contracted out by the end of the year. He stated the city is funding the project through the tax increment fund, which is due to expire on December 31st 2012 so all work had to be budgeted by that date.
V. Commercial District Buffer Zones:
Mr. Molinari stated there had been a situation with the new Stokes Kia dealership and the residents of the Camelot subdivision behind the property. He stated there was a misinterpretation of the buffering requirements in the zoning ordinance when the plans for the dealership were approved. He stated the zoning ordinance mandated a minimum fifteen (15) foot buffer between incompatible land uses. Mr. Molinari stated the buffer area was not present between the commercial and residential properties and as a result, there had been several complaints from the residents. He stated the primary complaints are noise and lighting from the commercial property being so close. As a result Mr. Harmon requested the Planning Commission consider reinstating a policy dealing with adjoining undeveloped general commercial properties and residential properties requiring a minimum buffer between properties. Mr. Molinari stated the buffer requirement varied depending on the area. Mr. Phillips inquired what the City had done in response to the complaints from the residents in Camelot. Mr. Molinari stated City Officials had facilitated a meeting with residents in late December to allow the residents an opportunity to voice their concerns and the Planning Director had been in contact with the residents as well as the business owner. There was a brief discussion regarding the buffer complaint and Mr. Molinari thoroughly answered all of the questions posed by the committee.
VI. 2010 Meeting Schedule Discussion:
Mr. Molinari stated he had spoken to the Chairman regarding the schedule for the EDAC meetings. He stated the committee had met quarterly for the last five to six years and inquired if there were particular dates or times that were more convenient for committee members. There was a brief discussion between the members about the schedule for future EDAC meetings.
VII. Chairman’s Time:
Mr. Molinari stated the only municipality in the Charleston area currently on the Alliance Board is the City of North Charleston. Mr. Harmon stated the members that make decisions are on the Executive Committee and had made a $50,000.00 contribution. He stated since Berkeley County was making a $400,000.00 contribution through the Alliance on a per capita basis, the City of Goose Creek residents are already paying. Mr. Harmon stated there were discussions regarding the traffic issues at the intersection of Highway 52 and 176. He stated he had met with engineers in Raleigh, NC who had suggestions for both short-term and long-term solutions. He stated both options were very expensive and not feasible at the time. Mr. Harmon stated the City had considered options for the intersection twenty-five (25) years ago, but did not have available funds at that time. He stated the widening of College Park road would have significant impacts on the City of Goose Creek and the way traffic patterns were re-routed to the interstate.
VIII. Comments from Staff:
There were no additional comments from staff.
IX. Adjournment:
Hearing nothing further, Mr. Buckner asked for a motion to adjourn. Mr. Phillips made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Warner seconded the motion. All in favor, none opposed. Meeting adjourned 11:43a.m.
Minutes approved and adopted: ____________________
Date: April 22, 2010
Rick Buckner, Chairman
