CALL TO ORDER:

Mr. DeYoung called the St. John Economic Development Committee Meeting to order on January 27, 2021, at 5:00 p.m., with its members attending on-site and remotely, and led all in the Pledge of Allegiance.

ROLL CALL:

Members present: Joseph Barry, Robert Godoy, Erica Hill, Karl Madsen, Kelly Stoming, and John DeYoung. A quorum was attained.

Also present: Bryan Blazak, Town Council Liaison.

Absent: None.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS:

President: Mr. Godoy nominated John DeYoung; Mr. Barry seconded the nomination. Hearing no further nominations, Mr. DeYoung called a roll-call vote:

Mr. Barry Aye
Mr. Godoy Aye
Ms. Hill Aye
Mr. Madsen Aye
Ms. Stoming Aye
Mr. DeYoung Aye

The nomination vote carried unanimously and John DeYoung was elected President.

Vice-President: Mr. Barry nominated Rob Godoy; Mr. Madsen seconded the nomination. Hearing no further nominations, Mr. DeYoung called a roll-call vote:

Mr. Barry Aye
Mr. Godoy Aye
Ms. Hill Aye
Mr. Madsen Aye
Ms. Stoming Aye
Mr. DeYoung Aye

The nomination vote carried unanimously and Rob Godoy was elected Vice-President.

Recording Secretary: Ms. Hill nominated herself; Ms. Stoming seconded the motion. Hearing no further nominations, Mr. DeYoung called a roll-call vote.

Mr. Barry Aye
Mr. Godoy Aye
Ms. Hill Aye
Mr. Madsen Aye
Ms. Stoming Aye
Mr. DeYoung Aye

The nomination vote carried unanimously and Erica Hill was elected Recording Secretary.

Mr. DeYoung advised that the Town Council will be appointing another member to the EDC at their meeting later that evening.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Mr. DeYoung advised that they have no minutes to approve.

NEW BUSINESS:

A. Façade Beautification

Mr. DeYoung stated that he has provided the Members with a packet of what other communities are doing and requested that they review the same for discussion at their next meeting.

Mr. Blazak advised that the Town Council will be naming a new Building and Planning Director at their meeting later that night, and with his experience, he may be able to help with this endeavor.

Mr. DeYoung advised that they are keeping that in the TIF District starting at Wall Street and U.S. 41 to the southern end of the TIF District and added that two more licenses should be available after the U.S. Census data is completed.

REPORTS and CORRESPONDENCE:

Mr. Godoy asked if there were any updates on obtaining the waterfront liquor licenses. Mr. DeYoung responded that all progress is stalled for the time being. Mr. Dravet advised that he was working with Mr. Phillips on the waterfront liquor licensing and stated that it didn’t look promising due to the majority of the land where the water is located is privately owned.

Discussion ensued.

Mr. Blazak stated that he would make some telephone calls and see if he can make some progress.

Mr. DeYoung stated that he would like to delve into the façade grant beautification project at the next meeting in a study session manner and work on something that they could take to the Town Council for consideration.

Mr. Madsen inquired about having a monthly study session. Mr. DeYoung responded that they would discuss it at the next meeting and formulate the direction for the year.

The Members discussed the impact that COVID-19 has taken on the Committee and the community and the logistics of being able to have all members present at the meeting in person.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

None was had.

ADJOURNMENT:

Mr. Madsen made a motion to adjourn; Mr. Godoy seconded the motion. Mr. DeYoung adjourned the meeting at 5:22 p.m.

Respectfully submitted;

Margaret R. Abernathy, Recording Secretary
St. John Economic Development Committee

CALL TO ORDER:

Mr. DeYoung called the St. John Economic Development Committee Meeting to order on February 24, 2021, at 5:00 p.m., with its Members attending on-site and remotely, and led all in the Pledge of Allegiance.

ROLL CALL:

Members present: Joseph Barry: Robert Godoy, Vice President; Karl Madsen; Kelly Stoming; and John DeYoung. A quorum was attained.

Also present: Sergio Mendoza, Building and Planning Director; Jennifer Matyas, Administrative Assistant; Joey Lax-Salinas, prior EDC Member; and Bryan Blazak, Town Council Liaison.

Absent: Erica Hill, Recording Secretary.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Mr. DeYoung advised that there were no minutes to be approved.

NEW BUSINESS:

A. Façade Beautification

Mr. DeYoung stated that he would like to focus on the programs from other municipalities that the Members have before them in their packets and ultimately fine tune a program for St. John.

Mr. DeYoung asked for input. The consensus was to use the form almost verbatim but change “project cost” to “estimated project cost”.

The Members discussed the percentage formulations in the packet and the areas in which to allocate funds. Mr. Blazak advised that the budget is already set with funds earmarked for this year, so the fund parameters for this year would be minimal.

Discussion ensued regarding who would decide if funds are awarded. Mr. Blazak advised that the EDC would likely make a recommendation to the Town Council, who would then make the final decision.

Mr. Mendoza advised that most façade grants usually have a checklist of what needs to be provided that is checked by Building and Planning, then it would go to the appropriate board or commission for a decision.

Mr. Mendoza explained how the façade grant process in Hobart was a rebate program where the applicant does all the work upfront and gets reimbursed.

The Committee discussed the funding and the use of TIF Funds for the grant program. Mr. Mendoza advised that TIF Funds can only be used inside the TIF Districts.

Mr. Dravet, IT Director, displayed the TIF map on the media screen. Discussion ensued.

Mr. Mendoza stated that criteria would be set to determine which projects would be eligible to receive grant fund consideration. He advised that the Board of Appeals does not need to participate unless the petitioner would need a variance of some sort.

It was suggested that perhaps the Code Enforcement Officer could chime in about properties needing a façade improvement.

When asked if a redevelopment agreement would be needed, Mr. Mendoza responded that there should be a façade grant agreement in place that would also carry over to any new owner(s) to maintain those façade improvement for a specified length of time to protect the investment made by the grant funds.

Mr. DeYoung requested to have a subcommittee meet with him to go over the ins and outs of a façade grant program. Mr. Mendoza agreed to do so but asked for time to get familiarized with the Town’s TIF guidelines.

Mr. Godoy recommended thinking about the additional funding source for “one-offs”. Mr. Blazak noted that the funding would be impacted by the Town Council’s input.

Mr. Mendoza advised that it would be a good idea to add language where if an application is submitted by a contractor who will do the work, that the contractor must submit two quotes or estimates from other contractors to validate the costs.

Discussion ensued regarding when they can meet with Mr. Mendoza again.

Mr. DeYoung laid out a projected timeline for preparing the application and façade grant program packet for final review. He stated that Mr. Fred Terpstra is going to be attending the next meeting as a guest speaker to discuss the processes he followed to bring Culver’s to St. John.

Discussion ensued about money and the timeframe it would take to get this program started, and Mr. Blazak responded that he will look into the funding available.

Mr. Lax-Salinas recommended keeping photographic documentation of the work done for marketing purposes.

REPORTS and CORRESPONDENCE:

None was had.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

None was had.

ADJOURNMENT:

Mr. Barry made a motion to adjourn; Mr. Godoy seconded the motion. Mr. DeYoung adjourned the meeting at 5:42 p.m.

Respectfully submitted;

Margaret R. Abernathy, Recording Secretary
St. John Economic Development Committee

CALL TO ORDER:

Mr. DeYoung called the St. John Economic Development Committee Meeting to order on April 28, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. and led all in the Pledge of Allegiance.

ROLL CALL:

Members present: Joseph Barry; Dave Beezhold; Robert Godoy, Vice-President; Kelly Stoming; and John DeYoung, president. A quorum was attained.

Also present: Michael Aurelio, Town Council Liaison, and Beth Hernandez, Clerk-Treasurer.

Absent: Erica Hill, Recording Secretary, and Karl Madsen.

COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY AWARD:

Mr. DeYoung announced that the first recipient of the Making a Difference Commitment to Community Award is Ed Welch, Welch’s Stop and Shop. Mr. DeYoung thanked them for everything they’ve done for the community.

Ms. Hernandez gave a summary of the inception of this award and thanked the EDC for taking on this project. The nomination form was read:

“Welch’s does so much for the community. They give back to first responders, veterans. They take care of the elderly. They are involved with behind-the-scenes improvements. They have been a community fixture for nearly 70 years.”

Ms. Hernandez presented Ed Welch with the award.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Mr. DeYoung advised that there were no minutes to approve.

NEW BUSINESS:

A. Façade Rebate Program

Mr. DeYoung advised that everyone has a packet and that they will go through it on a line-by-line basis. He read the opening and remarked that there is limited funding and that they hope to have future funding once some of the current obligations are retired.

The Members reviewed the program guideline bullet points. Mr. DeYoung stopped reading and entertained any remarks or suggested changes. It was recommended that signage be added to bullet point 4 along with the ordinance for signage.

The members discussed the verbiage concerning the reimbursement amount and it was recommended that “up to” be added to the maximum percentage in bullet point 11.

A discussion was had about the application wherein it was decided to add language that applicants may be asked to make a presentation to the EDC. Where it says “attend all EDC meetings” should be changed to “attend initial EDC meeting”.

Mr. DeYoung advised that they will do this award once a year to start. If other funds become available, the Committee possibly could add additional calls for applications.

The wording for the reimbursement was clarified to show that reimbursement requests will be reviewed by the Committee and approve the reimbursement after all the rebate documents are approved.

Adding verbiage that a petitioner may reapply for another grant or additional funding after maintaining the property that has received the grant prior for the required three years.

The addition of a clause that the program is subject to change in the preamble was recommended.

The Chamber of Commerce was mentioned as a possible contributor to assist with the program.

The Members decided to use a yes or no check box to ask if there is a tenant.

Discussion ensued regarding liens and mortgages and decided to remove “date of mortgage, original amount, and current balance” and leave the rest.

For leases, the Committee felt that there needs to be a provision for lessees to apply for the program.

After the members agreed they were comfortable with the revisions, Mr. DeYoung stated that he will make those additions and corrections and have the same printed for the next meeting as well as send it via email beforehand. If the EDC approves the documentation, it will be sent to the Town Council for their approval.

REPORTS and CORRESPONDENCE:

Mr. Beezhold asked why St. John and Dyer share a Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Stoming said that Dyer had a very small Chamber, so it merged.

Mr. Godoy stated that it might be advantageous to discuss changing the ordinance prohibiting the use of alcohol in parks to allow it for special events, it could mean more events and bringing more exposure and business into town.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

None was had.

ADJOURNMENT:

Mr. Barry made a motion to adjourn; Mr. Godoy seconded the motion. Mr. DeYoung adjourned the meeting at 6:08 p.m.

Respectfully submitted;

Margaret R. Abernathy, Recording Secretary
St. John Economic Development Committee

CALL TO ORDER:

Mr. DeYoung called the St. John Economic Development Committee Meeting to order on May 26, 2021, at 5:03 p.m. and led all in the Pledge of Allegiance.

ROLL CALL:

Members present: Joseph Barry, Member; Dave Beezhold, Member; Robert Godoy, Vice President; Karl Madsen, Member; Kelly Stoming, Member; and John DeYoung, President. A quorum was attained with no members attending remotely. Also present: Michael Aurelio, Town Council Liaison, and Jason Dravet, IT Director. Absent: Erica Hill, Recording Secretary.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Mr. DeYoung advised that they have minutes to approve for the following meetings: January 27, 2021; February 24, 2021; and April 28, 2021, noting that they did not have a quorum for the March meeting.

Mr. Godoy made a motion to approve the meeting minutes of January 27, 2021; Ms. Stoming seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.

Mr. Barry made a motion to approve the meeting minutes of February 24, 2021; Mr. Beezhold seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.

Mr. Beezhold made a motion to approve the meeting minutes of April 28, 2021; Mr. Godoy seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.

NEW BUSINESS:

A. Façade Beautification – Final Draft Approval

Mr. DeYoung passed out the final draft of the Façade Beautification program. The Committee reviewed the document on a page-by-page basis, correcting typos and finessing language where needed.

It was noted that a notary would be required to be at the meetings to witness the agreement when signed.

Mr. Godoy made a motion to accept and approve the Façade Beautification Program document as amended during this meeting; Mr. Barry seconded the motion.

Ms. Stoming stated that she has spoken with a member of the Chamber of Commerce and asked if it would be all right if she were to share the draft document with that member. Mr. DeYoung requested that she wait until it is approved by the Town Council and the final draft is ready.

B. Commitment to Community Award – Discussion

Mr. DeYoung asked the Members how they would feel about going through all the applications as they come in to determine the recipients or if that should be left to department heads of the Town to determine. Discussion ensued. It ultimately was decided to wait until the new Town Manager started to make that decision.

REPORTS and CORRESPONDENCE:

Mr. Godoy reported that he has been writing letters to businesses to make them aware of the expansion in St. John and attempting to get them to consider expanding to St. John. He has sent correspondence to Ruth’s Chris, South Bend Chocolate Factory, an ice cream shop located in Michigan, and Wahlburgers. He added that he spoke with a gentleman earlier in the week who is opening an ice cream and coffee shop in the old Centier Bank building.

Mr. Beezhold asked if Franciscan is going into Shops 96. Others said they have heard that as well. Mr. Beezhold stated that it is a non-tax-paying entity. Discussion ensued regarding Shops 96 and the change from the inception till now. He also asked if Wendy’s is going to be in the front lot in that development, other members affirmed the same.

Mr. DeYoung thanked the Town for the lighted signs on U.S. 41 noting that the upgrades may bring more businesses into St. John.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

None was had.

ADJOURNMENT:

Mr. Barry made a motion to adjourn; Mr. Godoy seconded the motion. Mr. DeYoung adjourned the meeting at 5:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted;

Margaret R. Abernathy, Recording Secretary
St. John Economic Development Committee

CALL TO ORDER:

Mr. Godoy called the St. John Economic Development Committee Meeting to order on June 23, 2021, at 5:12 p.m. and led all in the Pledge of Allegiance.

ROLL CALL:

Members present: Joseph Barry, Member; Robert Godoy, Vice President (attended remotely); Karl Madsen, Member; Kelly Stoming, Member. A quorum was attained. Also present: Michael Aurelio, Town Council Liaison, and Jason Dravet, IT Director. Absent: Dave Beezhold, Member; Erica Hill, Recording Secretary; and John DeYoung, President.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Mr. Godoy advised that they have minutes to approve for the following meetings: February 26, 2020; June 24, 2020; July 22, 2020; August 26, 2020; and May 26, 2021.

Mr. Madsen made a motion to approve the meeting minutes of February 26, 2020; June 24, 2020; July 22, 2020; August 26, 2020; and May 26, 2021; Mr. Barry seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously by roll-call vote:

Mr. Barry Aye
Mr. Godoy Aye
Mr. Madsen Aye
Ms. Stoming Aye

NEW BUSINESS:

A. Façade Beautification – Final Draft Approval

Mr. Godoy stated that they have gone through the final draft a couple of times. If there are not corrections seen at this meeting, he would like to approve the façade program and send it to the Town Council for consideration. The Members reviewed the document.

Number 9 on the first page was changed in this copy. The copy that was proofed last month said, “Before submitting an application, applicants must meet with the Town Manager and a Member of the EDC” was amended to read “with the Town Manager and/or the Town Council” in the event that the Town Manager was not available. That is not in this copy. Discussion ensued, and the members changed it to read, “…one Member of the EDC and the Town Manager or one Member of the EDC and the Building and Planning Director.” Item 13, replace “agent” with “Building and Planning Director.”

Change 3, 7, and 8 under “How to apply” to read for submissions to be made “to the Town Manager’s Office”. Signature and date lines should be added to the application.

Mr. Godoy entertained a motion to approve this document as the final draft contingent upon the revisions being accurate through to and including this evening’s revisions.

Mr. Barry made the motion; Mr. Madsen seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously by roll-call vote:

Mr. Barry Aye
Mr. Godoy Aye
Mr. Madsen Aye
Ms. Stoming Aye

REPORTS and CORRESPONDENCE:

Mr. Godoy stated that he had sent a letter to Wahlburgers. Ms. Stoming asked if he had heard any responses back from the communications he had sent out. Mr. Godoy responded in the negative and will be doing follow-ups on those letters.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

None was had.

ADJOURNMENT:

Ms. Stoming made a motion to adjourn; Mr. Madsen seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously by roll-call vote:

Mr. Barry Aye
Mr. Godoy Aye
Mr. Madsen Aye
Ms. Stoming Aye

Mr. Godoy adjourned the meeting at 5:32 p.m.

Respectfully submitted;

Margaret R. Abernathy, Recording Secretary
St. John Economic Development Committee

CALL TO ORDER:

The meeting was called to order by Mr. DeYoung, and he led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance

ROLL CALL:

Members present:
Dave Beezhold, Karl Madsen, Robert Godoy, Joe Barry, John DeYoung
Members absent:
Kelly Stoming, Erica Hill
Also present:
Chris Salatas, Town Manager; Mike Aurelio, Town Council Liaison

Approval of Minutes

• June 23, 2021

Board Action
Mr. Godoy made a motion to approve the Minutes for June 23, 2021. Mr. Madsen seconded the motion.
Discussion/Questions/Comments
None
Ayes - Dave Beezhold, Karl Madsen, Robert Godoy, Joe Barry, John DeYoung
Nays – None
Motion carried

New/Old Business

A. Riverfront Development Project

Mr. DeYoung stated that the biggest request he has heard from residents is for restaurants with fine dining.
Mr. Salatas led a discussion regarding a possible Riverfront District in St. John. He stated a district could be attached up to 1500-feet. He outlined a path to designate off a river up to 1500-feet. The State does also allow for a 3000-foot parcel, as well.
Barnes and Thornburg states that in the State guidelines there is no definition for a river.
Noblesville built on a river. Aurora built on a river. Chesterton is NOT built on a river; they are using Coffee Creek. St. John is proposing to use Bull Run Ditch.
Chesterton built theirs in 2009 and used 3000-feet off Coffee Creek.
The addition of a riverfront district would allow for additional liquor licenses. One document from the state says, “up to unlimited.”
This is just a collection of information from the internet to help us look at the concept.
Indiana Code states it must be in an Economic Development District – basically a TIF. Bull Run Ditch does run through the TIF District.
It could possibly attract additional restaurants; the licenses cannot move from the property where they are placed. It cannot just be a bar. This could be considered prime development.
Mr. Godoy questioned whether they would align with our ordinances to prevent owners from selling to other businesses in the area.
Mr. Salatas stated that US 41 and 231 Overlay Districts have built-in restrictions so there are ways to control development. The RDC would need to act on the proposal. The district does need to be designated in a resolution – it does have to border on a “river” on one side. Anywhere that the river goes underground it is not used.
Mr. Salatas added that currently there are two parcels in the Shops 96 that could be used within the 1500-foot boundary alone. The Ravenwood Area targets are 1500-feet. The commercial area development would extend to the Shrine parcels west of US 41 and the Franciscan parcels east of US 41.
The State Law is written loosely. We are not planning to stretch the State definition, but if able to, we’d like to plan Economic Development opportunities. The unlimited liquor licenses are a flat $1000, and they remain within that area.
Mr. Salatas stated that this fills a need from the community for parking and landowner objectives.
A question was raised as to what were the northern and southern borders? It encompasses the whole TIF district overlay. The Town can prove that they have spent substantial funds in that area, and consequently it is a developable area.
We need to get the ball rolling on this as there are currently openings at Shops 96.
The RDC and the Town Council would need to make it a resolution so we can offer it to landowners and developers in the area.
Another question was raised regarding parking. Mr. Salatas stated there is area for public and private parking structures if the need warrants it from possible development.
Mr. Salatas stated it is exciting to see Bull Run Ditch being used as an economic tool.
Mr. Aurelio stated that there is no real reason to delay, as the Town Council is ready and looks forward to it. Also, our current ordinances would need to be amended to allow beer and wine sales at Town events to increase foot traffic and revenue.

Reports and Correspondence

None

Public Comment

None

Adjournment

Mr. Barry motioned to adjourn, seconded by Mr. Madsen.

Respectfully submitted

Jan Barry, Recording Secretary
Economic Development Committee

CALL TO ORDER:

Mr. DeYoung called the meeting to order and led those in attendance in Pledge of Allegiance.

ROLL CALL:

Members present:
Dave Beezhold, Robert Godoy, Joe Barry, John DeYoung, Kelly Stoming
Members absent:
Erica Hill, Karl Madsen
Also present:
Chris Salatas, Town Manager; Mike Aurelio, Town Council Liaison; Jason Dravet, IT

New/Old Business

• Consider Facade Rebate with Attorney revisions

Mr. DeYoung stated these were revisions made by Mr. Westland, Town Attorney.
Mr. Salatas stated the revisions were very minimal from what was passed here. The RDC requested that the program be more specific as to the amount of buy-in from the business owners. They would like to see an 80/20 minimum grant. It can always be scaled back in the future.
We also added in since this is Redevelopment Commission dollars being spent, there will be approval from both the EDC and RDC, as well.
Mr. Salatas stated, otherwise everything is the same.

Board Action
Mr. Godoy made a motion to approve the Facade Rebate agreement with attorney revisions and move it back to the Town Council for approval.
Mr. Barry seconded the motion.
Ayes - Dave Beezhold, Robert Godoy, Joe Barry, John DeYoung, Kelly Stoming
Nays – None
Motion carried unanimously
Mr. Salatas added it will be on the Town Council agenda now that it has been approved here.

Reports and Correspondence

Updates were given on the following:

• Looking to September 20 for Joliet Road to be open. Paving will be done in the next couple of days.
• Shops on 96 has had some problem with ground. 96th and Joliet will be open but only to through traffic on Joliet. You won’t be able to go on 96th barring any other unforeseen conflicts or issues.
• Timetable to finish US41 - Mr. Aurelio stated he spoke with Mr. Swets and they believe it will not be until spring of 2022.
  • We are at the mercy of INDOT.
  • Construction at times appears to be stalled and their own timetable being followed.
• Astoria Project – Mr. Salatas stated they are currently in Plan Commission phase of reviewing/defining the plans. They haven’t yet gotten final approval from the Plan Commission.
  • They are revising the covenants. The Plan Commission is currently reviewing as well as legal. Hopefully they exceed our Building Ordinances and Standards.
  • Not a part of the Gates of St. John
  • Road Impact fees are in place for 90 some lots.
• Olthof is currently doing a 60+ lot home site at 109th and White Oak. That area is currently unincorporated, so they are going to be starting the annexation process shortly.
  • The Town Council will approve/deny/defer after they’ve gone through all the documents and then they will proceed, if approved, to the Plan Commission to get the process started.
  • Then they will go to Zoning, as they come in as an R1, getting a Site Plan approval.
• The question was raised if Parks were required for both developments. Mr. Salatas stated that Parks are not required because there is a Park Impact fee required throughout the Town.
  • When each development comes in there is a review from staff, including the Park Superintendent. They can make comments as to what is required.
  • There is at least 25+ parks, the Parks Department is bringing on a 3rd staff member this month. There are only 3 staff members to maintain 25+ parks. Parks outnumber staff significantly.
  • “Pocket Parks” – which service only the subdivision– there may be a need to push this onto the HOA for maintenance, as ours is overwhelmed.
  • What we’d look for going forward is a Regional Park approach which makes connectivity with bike paths more important.
• Questions regarding Heartland Park, specifically for Girls Softball.
  • There is a lot of pushbacks, who is in charge, who is doing the maintenance? There is a very noticeable difference. Maybe there is a need for EDC and Park Boards to hold a joint meeting. Businesses are asking a lot of questions, businesses offer sponsorships.
  • Mr. Salatas stated the Park Board is a state statutory board, as you collect impact fees; so, the Park Board is a good place to start or even start with the Parks Superintendent.
• Discussion was held regarding Parks and Community connections
• Discussion and Question surrounding the Riverfront District
  • Can members speak to prospective businesses regarding plans?
  • Mr. Salatas stated they will be putting a PDF together to make it relevant
  • Mr. Aurelio stated he knew of a business owner busy drawing up plans. Telling people who we think are good targets, I believe is where we are.
    • If you know of a good target for the Town, let them know.
    • This is a good joint venture between the Town, business owners and property owners.
  • Mr. DeYoung knows of a couple of prospective businesses.
  • Mr. Aurelio stated we don’t want to make false promises about anything, but we’d like to bring great businesses together for our town.
  • Mr. DeYoung stated that one business will bring another good business. This Riverfront District is big for the Town.
• Riverfront District
  • Mr. Salatas referenced the TIF map all members had in front of them. It is the 231 TIF. Bull Run Ditch is outlined, but only so far. It can be expanded, depending on what we want to target.
  • Where the 1500-foot and 3000-foot sections intersect Bull Run Ditch is where we can implement the program, if the EDC, the RDC and the Town Council so desire.
  • Those areas not intersecting the TIF and Bull Run Ditch, it is possible to expand the TIF District.
  • Where Bull Run Ditch weaves through Town, would require a new TIF District, if so desired.
  • It could be possible to get it over to 101st and Calumet – there are several commercially zoned parcels which are within 3000-feet of Bull Run Ditch. It appears to stop where Greystone starts.
• 109th/231 TIF
  • Mr. Beezhold questioned the TIF on 109th, stating it is buildable, and desirable. The main problem would be access from 109th. We need to get some county support. Mr. Beezhold described a recent walk through the area with a civil engineer. He stated it probably needs a traffic study. The Town Council may need to get going with state conversations. Rep. Aylesworth is probably the guy to start with due to his INDOT experience and his connections when it comes to talking with the right people.
  • Mr. Godoy suggested looking at starting with Joliet and plan moving south. We will be able to do something there before we can do anything with the state.
  • Mr. Beezhold stated the only drawback to Joliet and moving south for development is the lack of visual exposure.
• Portillo’s
  • Mr. Godoy stated he has done some knocking on doors, but did not yet want to escalate any conversations with anyone
• Exploratory visit
  • Mr. DeYoung stated that in about a week he will be meeting with a potential business

Adjournment

Unanimous approval for adjournment.

Respectfully submitted

Jan Barry, Recording Secretary
Economic Development Committee

CALL TO ORDER:

Mr. DeYoung called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m., and led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance

ROLL CALL:

Members present:
Dave Beezhold, John DeYoung, Rob Godoy, Joe Barry, Kelly Stoming
Members absent:
Erica Hill, Karl Madsen
Also present:
Chris Salatas, Town Manager; Mike Aurelio, Town Council Liaison, Jason Dravet, IT

Guest Speaker

• Fred Terpstra, Culvers

Mr. DeYoung introduced Mr. Terpstra and thanked him for coming to speak before the EDC.
Mr. Terpstra stated this is one of six Culvers that he owns. His newest Culvers is in Hammond, near Cabela’s.
Mr. Terpstra provide the EDC with a history of the building process and how his efforts to work with the Town Council worked.
He had been looking since 2014 for properties in St. John. He stated there was not a lot of action. He started the process with Steve Kil, spent a lot of time with him looking for properties.
It posed some problems as his restaurants are generally in the center of town. We want to give money away to sports, arts, bands, churches, and other groups.
Craig Culver came in to help look for spots, we needed a minimum of 1 acre. Strack & Van Til and Target came in. In 2020 we finally got the property.
Working with Town Board and the Plan Commission was easy. We had 17 variances we wanted that took about 3 hours to work through with the Plan Commission.
One of the variances we took on was the need not to put a sidewalk on US41. It was really a sidewalk going nowhere.
Another of the variances requested was the facing of the front of the building. We convinced the Plan Commission that facing it towards US41 was the best possible way. They agreed. There are 68,000 cars that go past Culvers on any given day. The back of our restaurant is nice, but we didn’t want it on US41.
One other notable variance was the 5 lanes we have for pick-up of food. The Plan Commission visited one of our other locations and they got a better picture. We have on average 115 cars an hour that go through the drive-through. The 5 lanes make customers feel they are the next and it doesn’t slow business down. The Plan Commission agreed.
Our combined Culvers revenues are in the top 15% in the country. Our drive-through numbers are 2 minutes and 42 seconds, putting us in the top 20% of the nation.
Working with the Town Council was relatively easy, as well. They were very welcoming. We couldn’t get any TIF money to help build Culvers. We’ve gotten money from Hammond and Highland, not necessarily from TIF, they have found other ways.
Mr. Terpstra was asked if TIF money would help? He stated it would, but all of it was given to Mr. Boyer. He stated he understood the process.
Mr. Terpstra believes the more money he gives away, the more business he will do.
Mr. Terpstra gave a brief history of how he started his career.
Mr. DeYoung and the EDC Members thanked Mr. Terpstra for taking the time to speak to the Committee.

New/Old Business

None

Reports and Correspondence

Mr. Godoy gave an update on a visitation meeting with a prospective business for the Riverfront District.

• In Illinois, currently owns 2 restaurants, but would be interested in adding another location in Indiana.
• The owner realizes there are a lot of positives about opening another restaurant in Indiana
• It is not a chain restaurant, rather a close family business.
• High-end Italian restaurant
• Very motivated to bring it to Indiana if the financing and property works out.

Mr. Salatas gave an update on the Riverfront District. He stated that he met with the Attorney, Director of Building and Planning and had a conversation with Barnes & Thornburg, a law firm out of Indianapolis that the Town has had a long-term contract with over the years.
We are currently checking with them to see if we can do the 1500-foot or 3000-foot from the “river” itself. Barnes & Thornburg will check with the ATF to make sure we can do the 3000-foot.
If we can’t, there will likely not be a need to amend the TIF district because there wouldn’t be any properties that we’d seek to include in the TIF district with just the 1500-feet.
If the 3000-feet is approved, we would want to amend the TIF, most notably the K-Mart property.
Amending the TIF district would delay the timeline, by a couple more months.
If we do not or cannot include the 3000-foot radius in the TIF, we will not amend the district, the process becomes the Town Council identifying and adopting an Ordinance for the Riverfront Development District and forwarding that on to the ATF.
By the 1st Quarter of next year, we should have the ball rolling and getting close to completion.
Mr. DeYoung asked and Mr. Salatas confirmed anyone coming would most likely have to wait until 2nd Quarter to start anything with all that needs to be done, yet.
Mr. Salatas has spoken to one developer, but he cannot speak for the Town Council. He stated there was slight interest, currently they were more interested in getting a road constructed. He also knew 2 (two) developers are still drafting their plans as to what they’d like to see with their property.

Mr. DeYoung stated he was approached by another restaurant. They would like to meet in 30 – 60 days.

Mr. DeYoung mentioned loan rates for SBA – 504 loans

No Facade Rebate applications have been presented yet; it is on the website. It will be approved by the RDC, so it is offered as an active improvement plan for the Town.

Public Comment

None

Adjournment

Unanimously approved

Respectfully submitted

Jan Barry, Recording Secretary
Economic Development Committee

CALL TO ORDER:

Mr. DeYoung called the meeting to order at 5:00 pm and led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance.

ROLL CALL:

Members present:
Dave Beezhold, Rob Godoy, John DeYoung, Joe Barry, Karl Madsen, Kelly Stoming
Members absent:
Erica Hill
Also present:
Chris Salatas, Town Manager; Jason Dravet, IT

New/Old Business

A. Approve Façade Rebate Agreement

Mr. Salatas reviewed the Facade Rebate Program. He stated that part of the Facade Rebate Program made mention of an EDC agreement. What you have in front of you is the final documents, it’s a plan approval from the EDC. The applicant will sign this piece, and have it notarized; it will outline their project. There is a contingency section, as well.
Mr. DeYoung asked for any additions or questions.
It was stated that it has been tweaked, as we’ve moved along the process.

Board Action
Mr. Godoy made a motion to approve the add-on document for the Facade Rebate Program. Mr. Beezhold seconded the motion.
Ayes - Dave Beezhold, Rob Godoy, John DeYoung, Joe Barry, Karl Madsen, Kelly Stoming
Nays - None
Motion approved unanimously.

Discussion/Comments/Concerns
Mr. Salatas stated it will be passed along with the Facade Rebate as an additional form.
He added it will be put on the next RDC Agenda, as they are ultimately the authority granting the program, for their approval or for additions.
Any additions and they will send it back to the EDC.
If accepted as is, we’ll have it put online for access to businesses in Town.

B. Discuss TIF District

Mr. Salatas stated that the RDC is the only one that has the authority to amend the TIF district. This is a recommendation and/or your thoughts for that Board.
The Riverfront Development District can only grant additional liquor licenses in areas that are already in the TIF district or overlap with a 3000-foot barrier from the “river”. Confirmation has been received from the ATF that we can use the 3000-feet, so that’s why ideas are needed to amend the TIF district. This approval really opened the area.
It is open for opinions on adding the West commercial side of US 41. We’d like to capture the Northside of 95th Avenue, the area everyone knows as Welch’s area. This would encompass going South to 97th and US 41 in between Keilman and US 41 (Wicker Ave.).
There is also 1 vacant lot on the Southeast Corner and obviously the K-Mart property.
The idea is to encourage redevelopment on the K-Mart property.
Mr. Salatas’s suggestion would be a recommendation from the EDC to the RDC.
Mr. DeYoung asked if Community Hospital owned all the surrounding property.
Mr. Salatas responded that all the property would be included, but we don’t expect those businesses within that area to change hands. It is just an opportunity for potential development in the future.
Mr. Beezhold added ideally, it’s the K-Mart property we are targeting, also the out lots can then be developed.

Board Action
Mr. Barry made a motion to accept the recommendation from Mr. Salatas to add the West commercial side of US 41, as described. Mr. Godoy seconded the motion.
Ayes - Dave Beezhold, Rob Godoy, John DeYoung, Joe Barry, Karl Madsen, Kelly Stoming
Nays - None
Motion carried unanimously.

Discussion/Comments/Questions
Mr. DeYoung asked about a potential timeline.
Mr. Salatas stated, ideally February/March 2022, if there is no adding or taking away of properties. It would be 1 – 2 months for the RDC to amend the TIF district. Then another 1 – 2 months for an official Ordinance for the Riverfront Development District. We must draw the maps, show the flood plains, and include the 3000-foot barrier, all of that has to be in the attachments. The Town must guarantee that it’s going to make improvements to a certain dollar, even if it’s a dollar, within the district. We will have some road projects within the next 5 (five) years so that will satisfy that easily. And it also satisfies the State’s requirements.
Mr. DeYoung asked how we market this.
Mr. Salatas mentioned the Town’s website, draw and print maps for Board members to talk with potential businesses about. Ordinances are already on the Town website.
Another question was asked regarding turning US 41 into a commercial area like other towns? Mr. Salatas stated that was not the intent. But he knows that there have been discussions about, and a request made for another stoplight on US 41, which is totally regulated by the State. So, we would be at their mercy as to whether the stoplight is installed. Conversation was held as to its placement. Mr. Salatas stated probably, from what he can figure, about 1200-feet from the one on 97th and US 41.

Reports and Correspondence

• Mr. Beezhold talked briefly about the redistricting of Congressional districts in the area. From what he understands that would mean an open Senate seat which would encompass almost all of St. John, he estimates it to be about 90% of St. John.
• Mr. DeYoung talked about the 2 (two) parcels (one that is 5.8 acres and the other 2.5 acres) behind Crew Carwash that are For Sale and the owners are willing to sell. He mentioned it does fit into the Riverfront District and would be a good spot for restaurants. He knows 2 (two) businesses are interested. A 3rd business has an interest in a vacant spot a little bit further down US 41.
• Mr. DeYoung also talked about canceling the November and December Meetings due to their proximity to the holidays.

Board Action

• Mr. DeYoung asked for a motion to cancel the November and December Meetings due to their proximity to the holidays.

Mr. Godoy made the motion to cancel the next two meetings. Mr. Barry seconded the motion.
Ayes - Dave Beezhold, Rob Godoy, John DeYoung, Joe Barry, Karl Madsen, Kelly Stoming
Nays - None
Motion approved unanimously.

Public Comment

Mr. Barry asked if the EDC would see the applications that came in for the Facade Rebate Program. Mr. Salatas stated yes, and then it would go to the RDC.

Adjournment

Mr. Godoy motioned, seconded by Mr. Barry.
Motion approved unanimously.

Respectfully submitted

Jan Barry, Recording Secretary
Economic Development Committee