Urban Renewal and Economic Development Committee — Charleston, WV
Date: 2019-12-05
Time: 17:30

CITY OF CHARLESTON
 West Virginia
 Council Member – 13th WARD

Brent Burton Urban Renewal and Economic Development, Chair
340 MacCorkle Ave SE Finance Committee
Charleston, WV 25314 Parking Committee
Telephone: 304.541‐0991
E‐mail: brent.burton@cityofcharleston.org




TO: Urban Renewal and Economic Development Committee
FROM: Brent Burton, Chair
RE: Committee Meeting

There will be a Committee meeting of Urban Renewal and Economic Development on December 5, 2019 at
5:30 PM, in the A/V Conference Room, City Hall, Room 308.

The agenda will be as follows:

Approve Previous Minutes

 1. 11‐7‐2019

DISCUSSION ‐ Itinerant vendors (fairs & festivals)

Administration Updates

THIS AGENDA WAS AMENDED 12‐2‐2019




 *Meetings may be recorded and broadcast via internet https://charlestonwv.civicclerk.com

BB/ns




 City Council | 501 Virginia Street, East | Post Office Box 2749 | Charleston, West Virginia 25330
 www.charlestonwv.gov | 304.348.8179 | 304.348.8038 fax

CITY OF CHARLESTON
 West Virginia
 Council Member – 13th WARD

Brent Burton Urban Renewal and Economic Development, Chair
340 MacCorkle Ave SE Finance Committee
Charleston, WV 25314 Parking Committee
Telephone: 304.541‐0991
E‐mail: brent.burton@cityofcharleston.org




TO: Urban Renewal and Economic Development Committee
FROM: Brent Burton, Chair
RE: Committee Meeting

There will be a Committee meeting of Urban Renewal and Economic Development on December 5, 2019 at
5:30 PM, in the A/V Conference Room, City Hall, Room 308.

The agenda will be as follows:

Approve Previous Minutes

 1. 11‐7‐2019

DISCUSSION ‐ Itinerant vendors (fairs & festivals)

Administration Updates

THIS AGENDA WAS AMENDED 12‐2‐2019




 *Meetings may be recorded and broadcast via internet https://charlestonwv.civicclerk.com

BB/ns




 City Council | 501 Virginia Street, East | Post Office Box 2749 | Charleston, West Virginia 25330
 www.charlestonwv.gov | 304.348.8179 | 304.348.8038 fax

 Page | 1 of
 MINUTES
 URBAN RENEWAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING

 5:30 P. M., NOVEMBER 7, 2019

 A/V CONFERENCE ROOM

Tiffany Wesley-Plear, Vice Chair, called the meeting of the Charleston City Council
Committee on Urban Renewal and Economic Development to order at 5:30p.m.,
NOVEMBER 7, 2019, in the Audio/Visual Room in City Hall.

Committee Members Present:
Tiffany Wesley-Plear, Vice Chair Naomi Bays
Ben Adams
Naomi Bays
Caitlin Cook
Jennifer Pharr




 1. Approval of Previous Minutes – Councilmember Bays moved to approve the
minutes of the previous meeting on 9-5-2019. Councilmember Adams seconded. There
was no objection and the minutes were approved.




 Page | 2 of
 2. Bill No. 7836
Councilmember Wesley-Plear introduced Director of Planning, Dan Vriendt. He
explained that the process of creating the plan had been progressing for around 1 ½
years. The process had slowed in order to get input from the public. He reminded the
Committee that it is a living document that can be amended even after approval and
passage through council.

Councilmember Wesley-Plear introduced James Yost and David Gilmore (GAI
Consultants, Inc.) and Adam Krason (ZMM Architects & Engineers). Krason stated that
they conducted 10 different stakeholder meetings as well as a tour of the Housing
Improvement Zone to meet with individual homeowners. The plan represents a visual
representation of various goal and strategies. Yost described the plan’s contents,
previously presented to the Committee.

Reverend Matthew Watts commented that the presented plan is more user-friendly than
the previous one. He and several other community organizations have conveyed to
developers of the plan that they believe it violates the 1952 Urban Renewal Law. He
further stated they believe a budget of estimated costs is required to be submitted with
the plan along with redevelopment demolition plans and housing redevelopment plans.
City Attorney, Kevin Baker, responded that he has reviewed the law, and believes the
plan does comply. He stated he would be willing to review the law again before the bill
went to Council.

Ricardo Martin asked what specific projects were planned that he would be able to tell
the people in his community about. Baker responded that the budgetary requirements
are for specific projects, of which the proposed plan does not include. Ron Butlin
(CURA) added that that it is a strategic plan to come up with ideas that could be
implemented throughout the entire West Side. The catalytic idea is to focus on the
home improvement zone.

Bob Hardy asked what will happen to the original 2008 plan, specifically the plan’s
mention of advocacy groups. Krason responded that the basis of the original document
has been incorporated into the amended plan, and referenced Article 7.7.

Councilmember Cook asked what had been accomplished from the 2008 plan. Yost
answered that Chapter 1 shows what was done and the associated costs.

A representative from the Kanawha Valley Foundation stated that the plan is a
conceptualized road map of what the area could be. The next phase should involve
detailed plans and costs.




 Page | 3 of
Councilmember Adams motioned to postpone Bill No. 7836 until the next scheduled
meeting. Bays seconded. With the ayes being in the majority, Bill No. 7836 was
postponed.


Councilmember Adams motioned to adjourn the meeting. Councilmember Pharr
seconded.

Meeting adjourned.




 Page | 4 of

MINUTES
 URBAN RENEWAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING

 5:30 P. M., DECEMBER 5, 2019

 A/V CONFERENCE ROOM

Naomi Bays, Committee Member, called the meeting of the Charleston City Council
Committee on Urban Renewal and Economic Development to order at 5:30p.m.,
DECEMBER 5, 2019, in the Audio/Visual Room in City Hall.

Committee Members Present:
Brent Burton, Chair (arrived 5:37)
Ben Adams
Naomi Bays
Caitlin Cook (arrived 5:34)
Jennifer Pharr
Bobby Reishman




 1. Approval of Previous Minutes – Councilmember Adams moved to approve the
minutes of the previous meeting on 11-7-2019. Councilmember Pharr seconded. There
was no objection and the minutes were approved.
 2. Itinerant Vendors (fairs and festivals) - (5:34)
Councilmember Bays introduced Mallory Richards and Maria Belcher from FestivAll.
Councilmember Bays stated that in past years, FestivAll artists were not required to
register as businesses and report their earnings. They were required to do so this year,
and FestivAll was not expecting this last-minute expense. Those licenses were able to
be pro-rated. She added that there needs to be a fair and equitable system in place for
artists that sell goods during events such as FestivAll.

Chief of Staff, Matt Sutton, added that when the year started the new Administration
determined that the process of registering businesses was not standardized. As a
result, they directed the Collector’s Office that absolutely every business should be
registered and filing B&O taxes per City Code for a fair and even system. The current
City Collector is now working on setting a threshold that would apply for the types of
business to which Councilmember Bays was referring. While this is still a work in
progress, the thought process is to credit these businesses for next year so that they do
not have to obtain another business license. Mayor Goodwin added that the City is
willing to help any business that is found to owe past B&O taxes, and have been by in
part, but offering payment plan. They are currently working on a two-page info sheet to
clarify the process of setting up and paying B&O taxes. From the audience,
Councilmember Bailey suggested having a box on the 2nd quarter tax form to include
the $20 fee to streamline the process.

Councilmember Bays suggested having a license for the physical year (instead of the
fiscal year of July-June) to prevent vendors from potentially having to obtain two
licenses to attend various events.

Councilmember Pharr asked if the vendors needed to carry insurance. Sutton answered
that it depended on the event (Live on the Levee, for example, requires it). Mallory
Richards from FestivAll stated that smaller groups would not be able to afford that.


 3. Administration Updates –
Councilmember Pharr confirmed that the proposed food vendor bill was being reworked
by the City Attorney with the Committee’s recommendations. They will most likely be
presented to the updated draft early 2020.

The next scheduled meeting will be January 23, 2019 at 5:30, at which time the
Committee will again take up Bill No. 7836.




Councilmember Reishman motioned to adjourn the meeting. Councilmember Bays
seconded.

Meeting adjourned.