Downtown Development Authority Minutes

Present: DDA Members: Christopher Johnson, Margene Buckhave, Lou LaChance, Lynda Heaton, Jim Long, Greg Presley, Rick Shaffner.

Absent: Jim DeHaan, Dave Larsen (both excused).

Also Present: City Manager Gary Word, Assistant City Manager/ Finance Director Nickie Bateson, DDA Director Lori Ward, DPW Director Jim Gallogly, Reporters from Northville Record and Northville Journal, Council Member Jerry Mittman, Historic District Commissioner Mark Cryderman, and three citizens.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Motion Shaffner, seconded by Long to approve the minutes of the October 13, 2003 Public Information Meeting and the October 14, 2003 regular meeting. Motion carried unanimously.

At a special meeting on September 30, 2003, the DDA formally received two responses to a RFP for the sale and development of Lots 528 and 545 at the northern end of the Wing Street parking lot. The Mayor appointed a subcommittee comprised of DDA members Heaton, Larsen, and LaChance to review the responses and make a recommendation to the full DDA Board of Directors. The subcommittee had met on October 6^th to review the proposals and subsequently invited the two development teams to an interview on October 24, 2003. The two development teams were K2 Properties, LLC, (Todd Knickerbocker and Greg Kloiber), and Paciocco Companies Limited Partnership (Adriano Paciocco). The subcommittee deferred a recommendation until the results of the ballot proposal regarding financing a parking deck on Wing Street were known. The November 4^th ballot proposal failed by a vote of 520 to 853.

The RFP Subcommittee recommended that Lots 528 and 545 not be sold for development at this time but rather remain in the ownership of the City for use as municipal parking. The Subcommittee further recommended that the lots remain in ownership by the City until an alternative parking proposal is approved, at which time the issue to sell the lots may be revisited.

A discussion took place regarding the possible reasons for the defeat of the ballot proposal regarding the parking deck financing. It appears the objections most pronounced focused on the location and size of the deck. An extensive discussion took place regarding the next steps to be taken in addressing the parking shortage. It was conceded that a public hearing would be needed to allow the citizens to enumerate their objections to the present plan and offer possible solutions to the parking problem. The public hearing would also provide an opportunity for the DDA members to review, with the public, the history of the formation and accomplishments of the DDA. Additionally, the hearing would offer the forum to lay out in greater detail the thought process by which the DDA reached the decision to build a three-story parking deck on Wing and Main Street. DDA members Buckhave and Presley volunteered to coordinate, with DDA Director Ward, the information and material to be presented at the hearing. Discussion took place regarding the timing of the public hearing. A consensus was reached for a December 8, 2003 date and at a time of 7:00 PM.

Motion Shaffner, seconded by Long to call a public information meeting on December 8, 2003 at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers for the purpose of receiving public input on the question of additional downtown parking. Voice vote: Yes: Johnson, Buckhave, Heaton, Long, Presley, Shaffner. No: LaChance. Motion carried.

Respectfully submitted,

Carol T. Kasprowicz
Recording Secretary