City of Lawrence

Retail Task Force

May 4, 2010 minutes      DRAFT  

MEMBERS PRESENT:	Robert Chestnut, Earl Reineman, Leslie Alhert, Allison Vance Moore, Tom Kern, Susan Cook, John Ellena, Diane Oakes
MEMBERS ABSENT:	Mike Gaughan
STAFF PRESENT:	David L. Corliss, City Manager Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager Roger Zalneraitis, Economic Development Coordinator/Planner Scott McCullough, Director of Planning and Development Services Amy Brown, Long-Range Planner Michelle Stevens, Intern
PUBLIC PRESENT:	None

1. Call meeting to order

Commissioner Rob Chestnut called the meeting to order at 4:30 pm. On Tuesday, May 4, 2010.

2. Introductions

The members of the Retail Task Force were introduced. Gaughan was not present for the meeting.

3. Review of Materials

First, Commissioner Chestnut reviewed his introduction letter. He reviewed the pull factor. He said Lawrence’s pull factor is barely over 1 and he said that there is opportunity to improve this number. He said the group was pulled together to represent a variety of interests within the community, retail, real estate, the citizens at large, the chamber of commerce, car dealerships, etc. The group was pulled together to discuss what can be done to attract more retail business within the Lawrence community. Chestnut then referred to Corliss to review the Resolution No. 6881.

Corliss reviewed Section 3 of Resolution No. 6881, which is the general outline of the task force. He said task forces are generally not ongoing and the retail task force is set to expire on December 1.  Section 3, subsection a, b and c are meant to serve as guidelines or a starting point for discussions.

• Section 3A proposes examining the status of Lawrence’s retail economy and the current policies that laws that govern the retail economy.
• Section 3B proposes examining a partial City sponsorship of a retail incubator. This inquiry would include best practices of other communities and a review of possible tools to enhance the retail economy.
• Section 3C proposes developing recommendations for changes in law, policies, practices and spending priorities to enhance the retail economy in Lawrence.  

Corliss also said he wants to keep the budget in mind during the retail task force meetings. Thirty million is the amount of sales tax money needed on an annual basis. The City’s general fund and the ability to grow recreational facilities are heavily dependent upon sales tax.  Also, Transit operates solely on sales tax.  Therefore, he said that small deviations matter a lot. The recession has impacted growth in sales tax revenue currently. It is an important number to keep in mind.

Stoddard walked through the staff report, which summarized various initiatives that other cities have undertaken regarding promoting retail. Stoddard first spoke to infrastructure and planning. The remainder of the items are tools Cities have to encourage retail. Some have developed small business programs and examples were provided. The other items are mainly legislative items that enable Lawrence to implement various types of programs, many of which rely on the income from sales tax and property tax from the development itself. She spoke to the Neighborhood Revitalization Act. It is something the City established at 8^th and Pennsylvania. She also spoke to Transportation Development Districts and Community Improvement Districts, which are special sales tax in an area to fund improvement related to that district.

Zalneraitis then reviewed the Retail Report Outline, which will be an analytical data report with a memo similar to the length of Diane’s memo. He said reporting retail will be separated out in two components; Retail and food/lodging. There will also be more specific information on sales tax as well as information regarding Lawrence’s pull factor.

The Retail Task Force then outlined their goals:

• Define vision – something that benefits everyone (regional destination, etc) Match the vision of the community (if community is not on the same boat then it can make it difficult to advance) and retailers
• What other communities are doing
• What retailers want
• What current documents say
• Why important to have
• Roles and Responsibilities (what works and what doesn’t work for each entity, ex: public sector marketing?)
• Desired demographics by retailers and why (both national, regional and local)
• Define Recommendations

City staff will continue to work on the Retail Report and Planning will gather information in regards to a commerce plan.

4. Dates of future meetings

Commissioner Chestnut suggested meeting once a month. The next meeting is scheduled for the 8^th of June at 4:30

5. Adjourn