MINUTES OF THE

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

September 3, 2003
Common Council Chambers
8:00 a.m.

Marge Kanar called the meeting to order. The following members were present. Marge Kanar, Dimity Grabowski, Jim Ruetz, Jim Iwinski, Marie Myszkowsk, Dennis Stefanik.  Also present were Doug Seymour, Director of Community Development and Bob Kufrin, City Administrator.   Alderman Koehler was absent.

Jim Iwinski motioned to approve the minutes of August 6, 2003. Dimity Grabowski second.  Minutes approved.

Discussion on meeting time.  Starting with the October meeting, the Community Development Authority will meet at 8:30 a.m.

Item 3 - Update on Wispark activities in Oak Creek.

Dan McCarthy, director of urban development for Wispark, discussed the progress of Wispark.  He stated that they have hired a consultant to do market research and that report should be concluded in approximately in 30 to 45 days.   We will then meet with City staff and leadership.  We expect the work to be finished at about the same time that the public service commission renders their decision. 

Dimity  asked what kind of development they would be looking at.

Mr. McCarthy stated that the agreement with the City of Oak Creek calls for them to mutually choose redevelopment sites.  Given what the City’s zoning and master plan and what the market place determines, it could have a broad range of development. 

Bob asked if there was something the CDA or the City could help you with either today or a month from now, is there something you need from us to make your job easier. Mr. McCarthy stated that he needed our continued patience so they could complete their market research and then share it with the leadership and staff of the community.  He stated that they will need our time and talent to work with them through this process. 

Alderman Grabowski stated that she would encourage the CDA to work along with Wispark and to have as much involvement as they can.

Bob explained that one of the concerns that the CDA has had through the years has been direction provided by the Mayor as to what is the difference between the CDA and the Plan Commission.  If we end up talking about Lakeview Village, if that is where this ends up then to try and differentiate a CDA role versus a Plan Commission role would really be the direction from the Mayor, who should be providing more or less direction on what kind of development will happen.  He stated that he anticipates that there will be a significant internal conflict on our side between a CDA looking for commercial or residential development. 

Alderman Grabowski stated the CDA wants to bring in very good business into the City.   

Item No. 4 - 2004 Budget – Goals and Objectives

Doug explained the goals and objections for the 2004 budget.

He suggested hiring an intern to work on an electronic database of available commercial and industrial sites for the City website.

Bob questioned number 12, the 27th Street corridor in particular the NML area, he questioned if that was a function for the CDA as compared to Plan Commission. 

Doug stated that he felt the CDA has a role in determining or recommending to the Common Council the extent to which the City is willing to become involved to ensure that high quality development and not to let market forces dictate what is out there.  I think the role of the CDA is to go to the Council and whether the City should acquiring properties and providing infrastructure and using creative financing mechanisms to enable certain things to happen there which would make it possible other developments to fall into place. 

Marie stated that she felt that the committee needed to discuss No. 5 Strategic discussion on the role of the CDA before discussing the 2004 Budget – Goals and Objectives. 

The Mayor stated he was going to stay with Item No. 4. He stated that he has had meetings to scrap the City’s website and to start over.  The Mayor asked Doug if the City had any marketing information.  Doug stated that we did not.  The Mayor stated that Doug would have to create something that would sell the City. Doug stated that he does not have the resources necessary to make the CDA operate the best it can.  Moving this to a higher level will take more time than the Planning Department has with one professional staff. If we choose to allocate resources the way we have than the Common Council will have to make some decisions on what the priorities are and there are going to be certain things which are not going to get done.  I do not what CDA and economic development to be one of those. 

SECUB – The Mayor stated that we need to have SECUB involved with the CDA.

27th Street Corridor – the Mayor asked what have we done with it.  Doug stated that we have not done anything with it.  The Mayor stated he has had three meetings with Franklin already.  Marge stated that they have requested meetings.  The Mayor said the CDA from Oak Creek and Franklin should be working together to develop 27th Street.  Marie stated it would have been beneficial to participate in those meetings.  She stated that they need the leadership and direction as where does the CDA take this, because in the past it has not worked as well as it should. 

Dimity stated that she feels the same way as Marie.  She stated the first thing they need to do is get from the Mayor a clear direction as to how this group is going to operate.  She suggested that the committee look at passing a resolution taking it to the Council stating what the goals and parameters are within the group.  In order for this group to be a strong group, we need to get direction as to where the boundaries lie.  Because Doug is the community director he also needs some direction.  To have one person in that department, is really ridiculous, you just cannot do everything.  She stated the developers she has spoken to get quite disgusted.  They are tried of waiting for weeks on end for development agreements, if Doug is not here, where do they go.  You only have one person in that department.   

The Mayor stated that your job as I have said from the day I got on this board is to basically hunt for businesses to come to this community.  You have no power to say, “this is what we are going to do”.  That is the Plan Commission and the Common Council.

Dimity stated that she disagreed.  We can have a resolution taken to the Council stating as to what the power is.  If Council chooses not to give more power and discretionary actions to the CDA, than that needs to be warranted by the Council.

The Mayor stated that you can’t have the CDA making one decision and the Plan Commission making another decision and the Council making a third.  You cannot have three ruling bodies.  What you need to do is create a CDA that is got the get up and go to start selling the City.  That is what your job is.  You cannot be a private entity.

Jim Ruetz stated that we have one opportunity and is very concerned how we move forward on 27th Street cause if it is done in parcels it could end up being a disaster that’s going to lose us on opportunities as a city to gain a lot of economic influx. We need to develop a lot more business in this city than we do residential.  We have a great residential base, we need the economics of business now.  One of the suggestions I had for Doug was SEWRPC.  What about contacting SEWRPC and asking them for a quote on what they would do for a resource development plan for 27th Street. 

Bob Kufrin stated the CDA has specific statutorily authorities and delegations and the Council has had specific and lengthy debates in the past as to what authorities under the statutes that are given to the CDA can be exercised by the CDA to make sure that the CDA is not overstepping its bounds.  When you are talking about a role for the CDA, it is already outlined in the statute book.  These are debates that have occurred over the years, how do you (CDA) do its job without creating a duplication of effort and in effect delaying a project or perception of a delay by a developer that, it goes to CDA for a while, Plan Commission and our process can be very lengthy.  The real debate that has occurred in the past is where does the CDA fit in terms of the Plan Commission in terms of encouraging new development.  In the past, if a project required a zoning change, it did not come to the CDA because there is no sense duplicating a Plan Commission process with a CDA process.  Going out and finding and encouraging that is something that takes a lot of time and energy, it takes some money to do that.  That is one thing we have not done much of because many of the projects have come to us regardless, even in spite of us.  Target has continued to pursue Oak Creek in spite of being turned down and tossed out.  The role of the CDA is the direction that the Mayor provides because as chairman of Plan Commission, as the Mayor of Council meetings, it is really up to the Mayor to say, here is the niche here is what I would like the CDA to accomplish and do.  That is where the CDA has butted heads is how much not necessarily by resolution, but more by direction, how much does the Mayor want the CDA to control future economic growth. 

The Mayor responded by saying he would like the CDA to work along with the Plan Commission to develop this community. 

Marge stated that he discussed the website, she asked do you want the CDA to be taking an active role in that website.

The Mayor stated that he would like a new website to be developed. The website should be our entry point to the City and we should be working with Doug.  The CDA should be working with Doug to broadcast our ability to be the greatest place in the world to come and start your business.  We should be working with the Plan Commission and the Plan Commission should listen to us.  He suggested that the entire City should start working together, it is all entities and they don’t talk and there is no communication.  He stated that all his years on the CDA they never met with anybody on the Plan Commission or Council.   

Dimity stated if you look at development as a whole in the City of Oak Creek, since I have been an elected official we have seen Opus North Corporation do a presentation, we have seen very few large developers come in front of the CDA. I feel that Doug being the community developer director, I would like to see more direction at his level whether the agenda is implemented from him. The only reason I look at taking a resolution to Council is because I would like to see that this board have some teeth so to what direction we are going. We can sit down with the Plan Commission; I don’t necessarily know if that is what our role is.  I think our role is to definitely encourage development and to make sure we get a very good web page.  I think we need direction as to where the boundaries are on this board from you as the Mayor.

The Mayor asked, what teeth would you like to have put into this board.  Dimity stated that needs to be discussed as a group as a whole.  I don’t want to put everybody on the spot.  We have had some very good on going discussions with the people on this board and maybe we can discuss it now or at another time.  Clearly everyone is frustrated on this board.

Dennis Stefanik stated that he shares every bodies concern with CDA.  He read the statute for the committee and stated that Bob was absolutely right. He stated that it has to come from the Council first, it is a separate body political body but the direction and authority comes from the Council. Let’s pick a project, say 27th Street, get some authority from the Council to say go out and study this, come back report to us, and then we will make a decision and you go and implement it.  That is how we were created. 

Jim Ruetz stated the problem has been that lack of direction coming from the Council.  For example, if the Council came to us and said, we have this great parcel of land, we would like you guys start interviewing development corporation, SEWPRC,  to come up with a plan to develop 27th Street. I think everyone on this committee would say go for it, but we don’t have that. It’s go out there and work on housing.  I am a little disheartened to hear how the community was developed because it sounds like this group was developed to take care of housing issues not economics.

Marie asked what would be the next step.  Marge stated she believed the Mayor is going to speak to the Council.  The Mayor stated that as soon as we have the meeting with Franklin, Doug and I will then set up something and get on the Council schedule.  I want the Council involved.

Ruetz motioned for adjournment.  Grabowski second.  Meeting adjourned at 9:30 a.m.