Renaissance Zone Authority - October 23, 2019 Minutes
The Regular Meeting of the Renaissance Zone Authority of the City of Fargo, North Dakota, was held in the Commission Chambers at City Hall at 8:00 a.m., Wednesday, October 23, 2019.
The Renaissance Zone Authority members present or absent were as follows:
Present: Dr. Dean Bresciani, Commissioner Dave Piepkorn, Bruce Furness,
Cari Luchau, Deb Mathern, Chad Peterson
Absent: Commissioner Tony Grindberg, Steve Swiontek
Chair Mathern called the meeting to order.
Item 1: Approve Order of Agenda
Member Furness moved the Order of Agenda be approved as presented. Second by Member Peterson. All Members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Member Luchau present.
Item 2: Minutes: Regular Meeting of September 25, 2019
Member Bresciani moved the minutes of the September 25, 2019 Renaissance Zone Authority meeting be approved. Second by Member Peterson. All Members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.
Item 3: 2019 Renaissance Zone Development Plan Update
Director of Planning and Development Nicole Crutchfield presented the proposed update and noted a more formal copy was submitted today to replace the copy in the packet. She provided an overview on the updates, focusing on the Renaissance Zone Boundary Map and the breakdown of the 49 blocks that are included in the plan. Ms. Crutchfield shared staff’s strategies when developing this plan. She stated staff is requesting approval today to forward the update on to the City Commission.
Discussion was held regarding the future plan options for the two blocks kept in reserve, contact from property owners adjacent to the blocks in the plan, and researching state regulations for replacing a block once a project is completed.
Ms. Crutchfield continued with a review of the Renaissance Zone tax benefits for the City and the downtown area. She referred to the last four pages of the update displaying charts detailing a block-by-block data breakdown of the existing 49 blocks. She also talked about the updated goals, the development objectives identified by staff, and the anticipated timeline for plan completion. Ms. Crutchfield reviewed the 2020 work items identified at the Boards workshop in September, and staffs plan to continue with updating the current communication materials, scoring criteria, and staff reports.
Member Furness moved to approve the 2019 Renaissance Zone Development Plan and to forward it on to the City Commission. Second by Member Luchau. On call of the roll Members Piepkorn, Luchau, Furness, Peterson, Bresciani, and Mathern voted aye. Absent and not voting: Members Swiontek and Grindberg. The motion was declared carried.
Item 4: Other Business and Public Comments
No other business or public comments were presented.
Item 5: Next Meeting – November 27, 2019
The time at adjournment was 8:28 a.m.