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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRDA MINUTES 2001-09-20 MINUTES OF THE 128*REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLYMOUTH ROAD DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA The 128th Regular Meeting of the Plymouth Road Development Authority of the City of Livonia, Michigan was called to order at 3:05 PM, Thursday, September 20, 2001 in the 4th Floor Conference Room at City Hall. Members Present: Mayor Kirksey Mr. Jerry Wordhouse Mr. Bill Pike Mr. Adelard(Butch)Raby Mr. Lowell Peterson Mr. Scott Grace Mr. Stan Anderson Mr. Dennis Kujawa Mrs. Toni Mette Members Absent: Mr. Mike Polsinelli, excused Mr. Duane Wolfgang, excused Mr. Marvin Walkon,excused Mr. Rod Crider, excused Others Present: Mr. John Nagy, Director Mr. Michael Slater, Finance Director (lw Mr.Rich O'Brien,Beckett&Raeder Dr. Robert Auth, Rosedale Gardens Homeowners Association Mr. John Walsh Mr.Ralph Williams Mrs. Robby Williams, Secretary 1. Roll was called. 2. Adoption of amended 127*Regular Meeting Minutes:On a motion duly made by Bill Pike,seconded by Adelard Raby and unanimously adopted, it was #2001-23 RESOLVED,that the Minutes of the 127th Regular Meeting held by the Plymouth Road Development Authority on July 19, 2001, are approved. Mr. Jerry Wordhouse,Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. 3. Comments from Chairman: Mr. Wordhouse, speaking on behalf of the entire PRDA Board,extended a warm and heartfelt thanks to Butch Raby, in his retirement, for his years he spent on the PRDA Board. This is his last meeting and he has made a great contribution and will be sorely missed. Mr. Raby thanked the Board for their thoughts and warm wishes. 4. Budget Report-Mike Slater. Mr. Slater submitted the budget for the year 2002. A review of the previous two years was given. The approved budget has been approved by 1 the Finance Director and Mayor Kirksey as of September 17, 2001. The amount of $350,000 has been included which will be received from the Michigan Equity Grant. An approval is needed from the State on our proposal to reduce the scope of Phase V. There is a revenue total of$2,158,415 for the 2002 budget. Mr. Slater reviewed the expense side of the budget report, such as contract services -maintenance, for mowing, shrub and bush trimming, snow removal, etc., and the promotional program. Special banners were purchased to promote the 50th anniversary of the City of Livonia and also annual contributions for the EXPO booth. Board members discussed the next year's budget and how it would affect Phase V. There was a general consensus that spending will have to be closely watched and to keep an eye on the bottom line for 2002. The sprinkler system is also something that needs continuous watching. Mayor Kirksey asked if the subcontractor is still walking Plymouth Road daily and monitoring the sprinkler system. Mr.Nagy answered affirmatively. Mr. O'Brien reported that the subcontractor, besides walking the corridor also has many repairs to make, which sometimes interferes with his walking the corridor. Mr. Wordhouse felt that the work was not being done satisfactorily. Mr. Wordhouse asked for a motion to approve the budget, if there were no further questions. On a motion by Mr. Raby, seconded by Mr. Pike and unanimously approved, it was #2001-24 RESOLVED that,the Plymouth Road Development Authority does hereby approve the budget for the Fiscal Year 2001-2002 as prepared. Mr. Wordhouse, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. Mr. Slater reviewed the financial statements of the P.R.D.A. Special Revenue Fund for the months of July and August, 2001. Copies were distributed to Board members for their review. For the month of August total assets were$1,414,845.30. The largest disbursement made was to Peter A. Basile Sons, Inc., on Phase 4 in the amount of$110,719.80. A check was also written to Detroit Edison in the amount of$4,793.63. Mr.Nagy reported that some of the poles have been removed. The total liabilities for August total$116,227.62. Mayor Kirksey took this time to introduce John Walsh to the PRDA Board members. Mr. Walsh is going to replace Mr. Raby who is retiring from the PRDA effective the end of September. Mr. Walsh will become part of the PRDA Board in January 2002, at the end of his term as a council member. He will be representing Schoolcraft College. 5. Beckett&Raeder/Construction Report: Rich O'Brien reported on Phase IV and stated that it is approximately 95%complete. There are four more light poles to be removed by Detroit Edison and an electrical drop to two meter boxes. Dan Buzzard at Detroit Edison is the contact person except for the light pole removal operation. Mr. Wordhouse felt that more attention needed to be given to the open holes left from the removal of light poles. They need to be filled in or barricaded so nobody steps in an open hole, gets hurt and files a lawsuit. Mr.Pike reported that this was an issue that was discussed during the construction meeting. There is concern about the liability issue. It would be appropriate to put it in writing that Detroit Edison is responsible in case anyone does get hurt. There was discussion regarding the George Bums property and that the brick wall will be put on hold until Phoenix, the developer of the property,removes the sign. Mr. O'Brien was under the impression that the developer, Phoenix, would be building the wall as well as the construction at the extreme corner, instead of PRDA. Phoenix Land Development is restricted to removing the sign before any Development Assistance monies are paid. Mr.Nagy reported that the developer 2 will do the landscaping of the plaza area. Resolution#2001-22, which was passed at the July 19, 2001, PRDA meeting stated: "The Plymouth Road Development authority does tor hereby approve a grant in the amount of S10,000 for hazardous waste removal; and $40,000 for demolition of the building for a total amount of$50,000, subject to the removal of the free standing sign located at the intersection of Farmington and Plymouth Roads. Grant to be awarded only after the sign has been removed." Amended to read: "Grant to be awarded only after the sign has been removed." Mayor Kirksey asked about the status of replacement of the dead trees. Mr. O'Brien reported that most of the trees that are in bad shape were planted during Phase III and was advised that they weren't receiving enough deep watering. Deep watering of the roots has taken place during the past two to three weeks. Mr.Nagy advised the Board that the trees were under warranty. Mr. Anderson questioned why there is a stretch of corridor where there are no trees, starting by the Family Buggy restaurant all the way up to Archies'restaurant. Mr. Wordhouse requested that Mr. O'Brien give a report at the next meeting regarding what is happening at the Middlebelt intersection. Mr. O'Brien stated that there has been a brick supplier issue. Corby has repaired all of the lines and re-sodded except for two areas. They will be finished by the end of next week. Reporting on Phase V, about half of the project will be done next year, Farmington Road to Sears Drive and Naimola's will be done next year. That includes the Merriman intersection and traffic signals. Some projects could be worked into this year's budget, such as the Fiat dealer and Bill Brown Ford. The cost would be between$9,000 and$10,000. Mr. Grace noted that there probably would be no Development Assistance loans made this coming year. Mr.Auth reported on the condition at the entrance of Old Rosedale Gardens. The sprinkler system has never worked in two years. Residents have been watering the plantings and would like to have an answer of what to expect in the future. Mr. Wordhouse requested Mr. O'Brien to get with the sprinkler person and get this situation straighten out and report back to the Board at the next meeting. 6. Committee Reports: Public Relations-Stan Anderson-Reported that he had met with Susan Lang of Fisher Creative Services regarding the next PRDA newsletter. A deadline of November 3, 2001, is what they are shooting for, two weeks before the holiday parade, which is November 17, 2001. The web site is one of the items mentioned that he would like to add to the newsletter. Scott Grace mentioned that he had a lot of old black and white photos in his restaurant and suggested that photos be taken of them to add to the publication showing the changes that have taken place over the years. It was suggested that there are a lot of residents in the 48150 zip code area that would be interested in receiving the publication besides the property owners located on Plymouth Road. Mrs.Melte reported that there was an article in the Detroit newspaper about how other communities are taking a look at what Livonia is doing along Plymouth Road and adopting the improvement program for their own community. Mayor Kirksey suggested that there might be more sprinkler monitoring by the property owners along Plymouth Road. There are 12 miles of irrigation and it would be helpful if reports were made when sprinklers that are not function,to call the hot line number,which is(248)420-4987, and report the location and time of day. Vacant Buildings- Scott Grace-Taking a positive look at some of the previously vacant buildings, submitted a list of improvements and new tenants who have moved into once vacant buildings along Plymouth Road. Some of the improvements came from direct support of the 3 PRDA and some came from indirect benefits from the improvements made to the corridor. At Scott's requested, listed below are a number of new and current tenants along Plymouth Road: 1) Cingular Wireless has filled the former eyeglasses store at Wayne Road. 2) A County Sheriffs Union Hall moved into the former Michigan National Bank at the same intersection. 3) Next door, Kinko's filled an abandoned building. 4) Aaron's Lease to Own took over the empty building next to Kinko's. 5) New Car Alternatives replaced a long time empty auto repair building. 6) Livonia Autoplex at Stark enlarged on site, versus looking for another site. 7) Zerbos Health Store demolished old apartments. 8) Legacy Restaurant replaced the abandoned Hardees Restaurant. 9) The abandoned gas station next to Legacy has been demolished and the land cleared. 10)USA Call Center Operations filled the large building just west of Olson Olds. 11) Cellular& More filled the former Wall Street Travel. 12) Purpose Rose filled the abandoned building near Buddy's Pizzeria. 13) Phoenix Development will replace the abandoned George Burn's Theater. 14) Commercial Lawnmower moved into the former House of Maple. 15) Edward's Glass improved the appearance of their building, greatly increasing it's size, as opposed to moving to a new site. 16) Custom Stone Works replaced a former tire store that was vacant for nearly ten years and are now enlarging their facility. 17) Old Town Coney Island has filled the former Chinese restaurant(Nugget). 18) The Disabled American Veterans Chapter 114 filled the former Comerica Bank. 19) American Steel Motorcycles has filled a former appliance store. 20) Leone not yet filled but is being reconstructed for future use. 21) Harmony House filled an abandoned auto parts store. 22) Bill Brown Ford is rebuilding the former Terrace Theater. 23)Auto Zone filled an empty building. 24)Livonia Tire filled an empty building. 25) Lutheran Home of Livonia replaced the former University Nursing Home. 26) Make It Sew replaced an abandoned building. 27) Livonia Family Medical&Dental Center replaced a long time closed Wendy's. Construction Committee-Mr. Pike reported that a meeting was held on Tuesday and advised the Board that PRDA was getting a credit of$2,500.00 for the substitution of sand slag for bituminous controversy. He has also talked to Detroit Edison regarding the poles and trying to set up a meeting with Bob Weeks,the brick person. We are in a catch 22 situation but we will get it resolved. We will have more information regarding the Detroit Edison poles for Phase V at the next meeting. Inspection - Butch Raby- No report. Development Assistance Committee - Scott Grace: (1) The Board approved assisting Leone if he takes his sign down. (2) Regarding the Carpet World,the Committee is recommending that a check be issued for$1,332 for the work that they did removing the sign and for improvements to the building. Mr. Taormina commented that they went to Council for approval. They are entitled to a smaller sign. On a motion by Mayor Kirksey and seconded by Mr. Raby and unanimously approved it was 4 #2001-25 RESOLVED that,the Plymouth Road Development Authority does hereby recommend payment in the amount of$50,000 to Joe Leone of Leone Enterprises Inc. for reimbursement of demolition costs and costs for sign removal of$40,000 and $10,000 for the removal of hazardous materials on property located at 30660 Plymouth Road, site of the former Salem Lumber Company and Leone Foods as it has been determined that the applicant has complied with all conditions relating to the grant award. Mr. Wordhouse, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. On a motion by Mr. Raby and seconded by Mayor Kirksey and unanimously approved it was #2001-26 RESOLVED that,the Plymouth Road Development Authority does hereby recommend payment in the amount of$1,332 to Carpet World and Floor for reimbursement of expenses incurred for work they did removing the sign and improvements made to the building. Mr. Wordhouse, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. There was discussion regarding the lowering of financial limits available to businesses. It was mentioned that smaller businesses need the help more than the larger corporations. It was suggested that the reimbursement for demolition cost be lowered from$40,000 to$25,000,and hazardous material removal be lowered from$15,000 to$10,000. The previous maximum dollar amount was$50,000. The new maximum would be capped at$30,000 to any applicant for any tio combination of grant awards. The current guidelines are published for reimbursement of 50%of cost incurred, not to exceed$40,000. On a motion by Mr. Pike, seconded by Ms. Melte and unanimously approved it was #2001-27 RESOLVED that,the Plymouth Road Development authority does hereby approve lowering the maximum assistance for building demolition from$40,000 to$25,000 and from$15,000 to$10,000 for hazardous material removal. Mr. Wordhouse, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. 7. Web Page-John Nagy: The web page is nearly developed. We are trying to categorize some of the businesses and better define the nature of the businesses. We are hoping to have a launch date in about two weeks. 8. Director's Report: John Nagy introduced Mark Taormina, Planning Director,to give a presentation of Tennyson Chevrolet's remodeling plans. Mr. Taormina advised the PRDA members that the subject property contains an existing 8,000 sq. ft. commercial building, which was formerly occupied by Great Lakes Casters. The adjacent parcel to the east of the subject property contains a barbershop and a single-family residence. The Planning Lie Commission reviewed the plans and recommended approval and forwarded it on to the City Council. Tennyson proposes to remove about 2/3flis of the building and use mainly the front portion of the property for display of vehicles. Incorporated in his 5 new design is a cleaner look to the building, brick and dryvit to match the existing dealership at the top and the same type of signage. All pole mounted light fixtures shall be shielded from adjacent properties and will be about 20 feet tall. Landscaping proposed for this site will be developed and incorporated into the plans of the PRDA which is scheduled for Phase V, which includes brick piers and wrought iron fence and landscaping trees, black-eyed Susan's and day lilies. The owner is being asked to put in the shrubs and we are asking for an easement. The easement will be his property as the easement is needed to install the piers and fencing. We are asking him to install the shrubs and we will provide irrigation. The condition of the approval for this property is that the petitioner is going to resubmit plans for the existing dealership. When he removes that building he is going to display his vehicles. A new seven foot white vinyl fence won't be visible as you are west bound separating the dealership property from the barber's property. He will be coming back for signage approval at a later date. Mr. Wordhouse asked if there was a motion to give PRDA support and approval for the Tennyson Chevrolet project. On a motion by Mr. Peterson, seconded by Mr. Pike and unanimously approved, it was #2001-28 RESOLVED that,the Plymouth Road Development Authority does hereby support the proposed building and landscaping improvements as proposed by Tennyson Chevrolet. Mr. Wordhouse, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. tor Mayor Kirksey announced the upcoming Point of View program shown on Channel 8,which highlights the Plymouth Road development along the corridor, can be seen on Wednesdays at 7:30 during the month of September. 9. Polling of Members: Mr. Peterson-passed. Mr. Grace- passed. Mayor Kirksey advised the members of the outcome of the lawsuit regarding the Hooters restaurant. The case was dismissed and Hooter's may appeal. We do want businesses to come to Plymouth Road and welcome any business that would have a positive effect on the life of the hotel. We do continue to use our resources to find a restaurant for the hotel. Hooters may find a different location in Livonia. Mr. Raby-expressed his goodbyes and said it had been a pleasure to serve on the PRDA Board. Ms. Mette- John's Cleaners- had difficulty getting their shrubs trimmed by the contractor handling the lawn maintenance and shrub and bush trimming. He finally had the shrubs trimmed by someone else. It seems as though the same buildings are always taken care of and some are neglected. If we are paying them to do this work, why aren't they taking care of all of the businesses? The streetlights were out in the evening from Middlebelt to Merriman last week. 6 flibe Mr. Anderson- Wondered if it would be appropriate to have the Economic Development Director talk to the Board about new businesses he is trying to recruit into Livonia. (He was advised that, in fact, Mr. Bryant had attended an earlier meeting in which he did give a presentation of businesses with whom he had made contract.) Mr. Walsh-said he is looking forward to working with the members of the PRDA Board, even though he is sure Butch will be missed. 10. Adjournment: On a motion duly made, seconded and unanimously adopted, the 128th Regular Meeting held by the Plymouth Road Development Authority of Livonia on September 20, 2001 was adjourned at 5:10 PM. The next meeting of the Plymouth Road Development Authority will be held on October 18, 2001, in the 4th Floor Conference Room at City Hall. dir R s•by < hams, Secretary /rw C C 7