CHURCH STREET MARKETPLACE DISTRICT COMMISSION Established in 1981 Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 8:00 AM

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1 The Mission of the Church Street Marketplace District Commission is to Provide Responsible Management Leading to an Economically Successful Downtown Which Is Vibrant, Clean and Safe, for the Benefit of the Fee Payers Community Members and Visitors. CHURCH STREET MARKETPLACE DISTRICT COMMISSION Established in 1981 Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 8:00 AM DIRECTIONS TO OUR OFFICE: The Church Street Marketplace office is located at 2 Church Street, Richardson Place Building, on Church Street's top block (intersection of Church and Pearl Streets.) From Church Street's east side, look for sign on 2 Church Street building: "Richardson Place Office Entrance. Sign located between Top of the Block Sandwich Shop and Downtown Danform Shoes. Walk through double doors. Take stairway or elevator up to second floor. Turn left to reach our offices, located in Suite 2A, right next to elevator. I. Come to Order II. Agenda III. Minutes A. Approval of January & February, 2011 minutes IV. Public Forum V. Chair s Report A. DISCUSSION: Security Cameras B. UPDATE ON PEARL STREET IMPROVEMENTS/STREET LIGHTS IV. Executive Director s Report A. REVIEW OF PROPOSED FY 12 FY 14 Sidewalk Café Fees. B. UPDATE ON SAFETY AND SECURITY FOR 2011 C. UPDATE: 2010 COMMUNITY CHALLENGE PLANNING GRANT FOR DOWNTOWN/WATERFRONT PLAN i. Retail Feasibility Analysis RFP - DONE ii. Real Estate Market Analysis RFP iii. Transportation, Parking & Demand Analysis RFP - DONE V. Committees A. FINANCE Singh i. FY 12 Preliminary Budget Overview B. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS/MAINTENANCE All C. MERCHANT & MARKETING Allen, Tucker, Latcheran i. Update re: Gift Certificate Program D. MUNICIPAL RELATIONS/FUTURES Nick, Smith, Ranjit, Daly i. Update on Municipal versus Intrinsicly unique Services E. ORGANIZED CHAOS Fuller, Goldsmith i. Crosswalk/Intersection Signage / Champlain College Graphic Design Class ii. Drinking fountains Agenda available in alternative media forms for people with disabilities. For disability access information call (TTY: ). Page 1 of 11

2 Church Street Marketplace Commission Meeting DRAFT MINUTES Wednesday, January 19, 2011 Church Street Marketplace Office ATTENDING COMMISSIONERS: Lara Allen, Celia Daly, Robert Fuller, Dan Latcheran, Eli Lesser-Goldsmith, Buddy Singh, Dan Smith, and Lorre Tucker Absent: Jeff Nick VISITORS: Kelly Device (BBA), Steve Goodkind (Director, DPW), Perry Sporn (Perrywinkles), Zandy Miller (Ski Rack) STAFF: Becky Cassidy, Mimi Gutchell, Adna Karabegovic, Ron Redmond and Pat Rideout I. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER 8:10 a.m. II. AGENDA Agenda was distributed. III. MINUTES Meeting minutes were approved for: December Motion to accept: Celia Daly Second: Lara Allen. Mimi will give copies of approved minutes to Lori Olberg for distribution at the next City Council Meeting IV. PUBLIC FORUM No one present V. STRATEGIC PLANNING DISCUSSION A. Capital Improvements & Upcoming Projects Steve Goodkind, Director of Public Works a. Pearl Street Improvements Project: Steve Goodkind, DPW, presented proposed designs for reworking Pearl St between St Paul and South Winooski. Three options parking to the south side (A), add parking to the north side (B), or reduce parking and add two bike lanes (C). A = angle parking on south side of street, none on North side. Gain 4 parking spaces. B= angle parking on north side of street, none on south side. Gain 4 parking spaces. C= bike lanes on both sides, parallel parking. Lose 7 parking spaces. Add two bike lanes. All alternatives have ped crossing bumpouts. One crosswalk in the corridor is being eliminated - the one from the post office corner on at Elmwood across pearl. The other one at Elmwood is still in place. Crosswalks go from 5 to 4. Hope to decide by late spring and begin construction in June. b. Cherry Street Intersection: Construction planned for April/May, Conduit will be laid in the intersection for Street Light System c. Street Lights: New LED street light system will be installed beginning Pearl Street Improvements will help cover the cost of 20% match so must occur first. new lights will have accent lighting and holders for banners and MUSAC will be able to be incorporated in the poles as well. Church Street will have half the number of Street Lights and brighter light from LED fixtures. Construction can be done block by block; don t have to do the entire street all at the same time. Page 2 of 11

3 B.Retail Marketing and Promotion: RON gave an overview of retail trends, women s role in shopping, Chittenden being the youngest county in an old state, diversity within the state, balance of business and social services, less room for growth, marketing objective, strategies and guiding principles. Presentation by Perry Sporn (Perrywinkles) Zandy Wheeler (Ski Rack), January, 2011 Retail is not hard. It s still about the product, its value and the experience you offer. It s about having an appropriate balance sheet. It doesn t matter that times are changing; retail is still the same business. Know what you are, who you are. Know your business. Value how your customer perceives their experience parking availability, associates working in your store. Retail has not changed. What changes with the times is how you communicate about your product; how you define your product; your awareness of your environment DOWNTOWN HAS SPECIAL PROBLEMS We are not managed singularly. Individual property owners have different lease rates. There is no single strategy for locating a particular type of business, no single strategy for lease rates. We don t have the overall experience of retail goods and services. There is a bias towards nationals, and that is a folly. Nationals are extremely important. Who wouldn t want to shop at an Apple Store, Forever 21, BCBG, Urban Outfitters, Banana Republic. If you don t have it, customers will go somewhere else. Nationals are critical for a good retail mix and experience. National stores complement locally. A great experience will drive great stores to want to come downtown. There is a bias from City Government against Business. Retail is a huge sector; largest in the city. There should be a partnership with retail. We take for granted what we have. This is not a static environment. We need to reinvent, reinvest. We risk going stale if we do not. We can never assume we have some place that s cooler than others. Trends change and we can easily become less relevant. MORE THOUGHTS: Commission can affect how the retail experience is communicated. Predictable events add value. 20% of business comes from events. 80% comes from customer groups and organizations, working with key vendors. Questions to ask vendors: what investment are they willing to make with us. Events are very important. Events are not designed to drive sales. Idea is there are times when you re spending $ s to raise awareness. Mardi Gras kills our business on that day but we want the event. Your website is the phone book. It s a way to check if something s in stock. Are you competitive? The internet is having a huge impact on shoppers no sales tax. Consistent store hours are a problem in our downtown, as is parking. Consider having some events in the early evening which might encourage businesses to stay open later. Start small one night a week, have an event and the businesses will stay open. Include restaurants: they offer specials on a certain night of the week that retailers are open. Safety/security needs to be done as a community. Marketing/media task force is needed to analyze what s being done and what s needed. Look at Burlington Town Center research and media plans (about 2-3% per Dan-L; CSM is about 4%). Set up kiosks with information on business specials, store hours, parking availability. Look into having private financing/sponsoring of the kiosks. Regarding the Church Street Marketplace not one go to person, rental rate, etc. Page 3 of 11

4 What is the brand (appropriate mix of businesses). What is offered, why would people want to come to the Marketplace? C. Review of Strategic Plan: Goals and Strategies: 1. FINANCE: a. Develop a strategy for surplus revenues in future years. b. Secure credit for FY 12 c. 2% increase in CAF for FY CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS: a. Pearl Street Improvements b. Street Lights ( ) c. Capital Improvement Strategy for Top Block and Beyond d. Build and install public drinking fountain e. Build and install mural in Marketplace Alleyway 3. PARKING: a. Test the Valet parking program b. Support preparation of RFP for downtown plan parking consultant c. Explore alternatives to current parking management system. 4. SAFETY AND SECURITY: a. Hold Safety Rendezvous focus on training & education b. Build and support and Downtown Safety Coalition c. Launch Donation Boxes program d. Develop and Launch an Ambassador Program 5. MARKETING: a. Create a Marketing Task force to analyze current marketing program and make recommendations b. Don t do any marketing program unless they reinforce our brand 6. ENHANCE VISUAL APPEAL AND PEDESTRIAN FLOW: a. Power wash the street during high season; invite CSM Commissioners out to help and report results monthly. b. Work with DPW to encourage more garage cleanliness c. Capital Improvement Strategy for the Garages 7. RELATIONSHIPS/COMMUNITY RELATIONS: a. City Council, b. Local Motion, Burlington Walk/Bicycle Council c. Work with DPW on removing snow banks along parking meters Meeting adjourned: 1:15pm Page 4 of 11

5 Church Street Marketplace Commission Meeting DRAFT MINUTES Wednesday, February 16, 2011 Church Street Marketplace Office ATTENDING COMMISSIONERS: Celia Daly, Eli Lesser-Goldsmith, Jeff Nick, Dan Smith and Lorre Tucker Lara Allen, Robert Fuller, Dan Latcheran and Buddy Singh VISITORS: Pat Bateau (DPW), Steve Good kind (DPW) and Rose Getch, CCTA STAFF: Ron Redmond, Pat Rideout, Mimi Gutchell Absent: I. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER 8:05 a.m. II. AGENDA Agenda distributed. III. MINUTES No quorum. Meeting minutes for January 19, 2011, to be approved at March meeting. IV. PUBLIC FORUM No one present V. CHAIR S REPORT B. Two Hours Free Parking Program and Downtown Improvement District Parking Assessment: a. Pat Buteau, Assistant Director, Burlington Public Works Deparment, provided an overview of the Two Hours Free Parking analysis for the City s three municipal garages. Overall, anticipate covering the projected deficit for FY 12 with the fund balance. (see attached) b. Vendor who agreed to sell advertising in municipal garages did not come through. Marketplace to present proposal to Public Works; funds raised would go for additional garage maintenance. c. LORRE asked about the possibility of using credit cards in the parking stations. PAT said that they are able to do it (system is in place) but the cost (bank charges, fees, etc.) are too much are this point. Possibly able to do down the road. d. RON requested desire to track occupancy in the three main garages with retail sales. Pat to provide data from previous fiscal years. e. STEVE discussed condition of garages. CSM garages cannot take additional decks can only go wider (ex. over Handy s). It was asked if there is any thought of cameras being placed in the garages. Concern that cameras may give a false sense of security, could be a problem. f. RON discussed possibilities of a valet parking service in downtown, using several metered parking spaces for loading/unloading. STEVE suggested having something similar to a taxi stand for the valet drivers. g. Pearl Street Improvement discussed. Commission reviewed resolution supporting Scheme D. No quorum; resolution to be sent out to Commissioners via for approval in advance of PWC meeting. STEVE said project construction projected to begin FY11 (May) and finish in FY12 (October). Looking for approval in March 11. Celia and Ron plan to attend upcoming Public Works Commission meeting to support Scheme D. Page 5 of 11

6 h. JEFF brought up need for dual use parking spaces, i.e. loading zones in morning, parking in afternoon. i. DAN-S recommended looking into seasonal pricing for leased spaces. j. C. UPDATE: 2010 Community Challenge Planning Grant for Downtown/Waterfront Plan (RFP s to be drafted by end of month) a. Transportation, Parking & Demand Analysis RFP: Ron meeting with City group designing RFP. VII. COMMITTEES A. Finance: Question was raised on the status of reimbursement from the City. Ron to confer with CAO. B. Capital Improvements: no report C. Merchant & Marketing: no report D. Municipal Relations / Futures: no report E. Organized Chaos: a. Social Event held January 20 th at Red Square: Recognition went to Eli for going above and beyond expectations on the social event a great success. MISCELLANEOUS RON introduced Michael LaLiberte (CSM intern) to Commissioners. The next Commission meeting will be Wednesday, March 16 th, at 8:00am in the Church Street Marketplace Office. Meeting adjourned: 9:50am Page 6 of 11

7 Approved via communication, afternoon of 2/16/11 by Commissioners Nick, Daly, Smith, Latcheran, Tucker, Allen, Singh, Fuller, Lesser-Goldsmith. CHURCH STREET MARKETPLACE COMMISSION SUPPORT OF PEARL STREET IMPROVEMENTS, February 16, 2011 WHEREAS, the Pearl Street Improvements planned by the Department of Public Works for 2011 will provide the 20% match required for federal and state funding of the proposed street light improvements project on Church Street, to occur following the Pearl Street Improvements through 2013, and without this match, this critical street lighting project may not proceed. WHEREAS in 2010, the Church Street Marketplace Commission requested that Department of Public Works staff prioritize on-street parking at the Pearl and Church Street intersection to increase foot traffic and enhance economic vitality of the area. WHEREAS, additional on-street parking on Pearl Street will also support planned streetscape improvements to the top block, per designs provided by LandWorks of Middlebury, Vermont. WHEREAS, Department of Public Works staff has proposed four alternatives for improvements to Pearl Street between St. Paul Street and South Winooski Avenue. WHEREAS, the Church Street Marketplace Commission and Staff desires to promote all forms of transportation in the downtown district, but not to the detriment of business owners, particularly in and around the top block of Church Street. The majority of shoppers and diners come downtown by private automobile and on-street parking is an essential part of downtown s parking mix. Option D provides the maximum amount of on-street parking to support the top block, and provides bicycle lanes. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Church Street Marketplace Commission: 1. requests that the Public Works Commission adopt Option D proposed by Public Works staff for the Pearl Street improvements. 2. requests that, given the Church Street Marketplace s critical need of the 20% match, the Public Works Commission facilitate commencement of the Pearl Street improvements during the spring of requests that the Department of Public Works and Public Works Commission accept our thanks and gratitude for your support in bringing improvements to Pearl Street and for your support of street light improvements on Church Street. 4. that the Department of Public Works and Public Works Commission continue to search for appropriate opportunities for safe bicycle travel in the Downtown District without sacrificing much needed parking, and even consider the use of back-in angled parking in future projects Page 7 of 11

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