Urban Renewal and Economic Development Committee — Charleston, WV
Date: 2019-09-05
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 September 5, 2019
at 5:30 PM, in the A/V Conference Room, City Hall, Room 308.

The agenda will be as follows:

APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES

 1. June 13, 2019

RON BUTLIN ‐ PRESENTATION OF THE CURA WEST SIDE COMMUNITY RENEWAL AMENDMENT DRAFT

DISCUSSION CONCERNING REVISIONS TO CURRENT STREET VENDING ORDINANCES AND REGULATIONS

ADMINISTRATION UPDATES

(The previously scheduled meeting for August 15, 2019 was cancelled)




 *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 September 5, 2019
at 5:30 PM, in the A/V Conference Room, City Hall, Room 308.

The agenda will be as follows:

APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES

 1. June 13, 2019

RON BUTLIN ‐ PRESENTATION OF THE CURA WEST SIDE COMMUNITY RENEWAL AMENDMENT DRAFT

DISCUSSION CONCERNING REVISIONS TO CURRENT STREET VENDING ORDINANCES AND REGULATIONS

ADMINISTRATION UPDATES

(The previously scheduled meeting for August 15, 2019 was cancelled)




 *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., JUNE 13, 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., JUNE
13, 2019, in the Audio/Visual Room in City Hall.

Committee Members Present:
Naomi Bays
Ben Adams
Caitlin Cook
Jennifer Pharr
Bobby Reishman (left 6:29)



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


 2. Ron Butlin, CURA – Councilmember Bays introduced Ron Butlin, Executive
Director of Charleston Urban Renewal Authority (CURA), who addressed the
Committee. Highlights of the presentation included:
  3 Renewal Districts – East End, Downtown and West Side
  CURA’s goal is the elimination of blight. Their current focus is a more holistic
 approach compared to the past.
  2 rehabilitation programs/loans: to promote stability in the West Side, currently
 available to homes in a small, select area. Their hope is that the program will be
 successful, attracting investors that will allow the program to expand.
  Landlord to First Watch, Black Sheep and Subway. Their goal is to liquidate
 some of their other assets.
  In the past, their focus has been primarily commercial, however the past few
 years have seen a slight shift toward residential as well.

Councilmember Pharr asked Butlin to explain the makeup of the ownership of the mall.
Butlin replied that the main building and retail spaces (except for the anchor stores)
were developed by a Forest City entity. In the mid-1990s, it was refinanced which
bifurcated the ownership of the mall and the parking garage. CURA owns the land
under the parking garages, which is owned separately from the mall. From a previous
agreement, they receive a small percentage of revenue from the mall’s tenants. The




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owners of the parking garage also owns the former Macy’s building. The mall is
currently owned by a bank, which is a trustee for several other banks.

Councilmember Adams asked what other sources of revenue they receive. Butlin
answered that they have issued a few small loans to aid in the purchases of historic
buildings. The bulk of CURA funding comes from the mall parking buildings.

Councilmembers Bays confirmed with Butlin that the new West Side Plan is an
amendment as opposed to a new document. Councilmember Pharr confirmed that the
plan will come to the Committee before final approval from Council. Councilmember
Pharr asked how many people have taken advantage of the home ownership/rehab
program. Butlin answered that they have received about 10 applications for rehab and
around 11 for home ownership.

Councilmember Adams asked if there were grants available to CURA. Butlin answered
that there were hopefully grants available for project-specific activities, but not for
general funding.

Councilmember Pharr asked if they have encountered in issues in regard to rehab loan
applications. Butlin answered yes, specifically, there are issues of how much money is
required to get a home to a livable status and at what amount is it not worth doing so.
Butlin explained that a Housing Inspector will visit the home for an inspection. If the
homeowner meets the requirements, CURA will put the work our for bid, the contractors
do the work and CURA processes the payment. Councilmember Bays asked how many
houses were considered un-livable but had people living in them. Butlin said he didn’t
know a specific number, but he would guess that it is a lot. They are working on a
holistic approach with other agencies to try to address this issue.


 3. Tonya Cotton, City Collector’s Office – The Department Head for the City
Collector’s Office, Tonya Cotton, addressed the Committee with an overview of her
department and its responsibilities. Highlights of the presentation were:
  The office’s primary function is to collect all the funds that go through the City.
  They process payments for and/or monitor: parking tickets, building permits, City
 Service fees, sign permits, building and planning violations, Business and
 Occupational taxes, business licenses, solicitation permits, street closures,
 hotel/motel occupancy taxes, utility taxes and amusement taxes.
  They have a staff of 15 – 7 ½ auditors, 3 cashiers and 4 front of the house staff.
  In 2018, they collected $63,278,268; $44 million of that was B&O taxes.
  Half of the hotel/motel tax revenue is given to the CVB.
  Cotton discussed the steps of getting a business license with the Committee.

Councilmember Bays suggested having a more official welcome packet when a new
business license is issued. Cotton and the Committee discussed their Revenue
Tracking System, which meets the Collector’s Office’s needs, but they will most likely
not be able to get technical support/repairs for much longer. They share the fire, refuse




 Page | 3 of
and sewer billing system with the Sanitary Board, which does not fit the needs of the
Collector’s Office.




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

Meeting adjourned.




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Page | 5 of

MINUTES
 URBAN RENEWAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING

 5:30 P. M., SEPTEMBER 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.,
SEPTEMBER 5, 2019, in the Audio/Visual Room in City Hall.

Committee Members Present:
Brent Burton, Chair (arrived 6:07)
Tiffany Wesley-Plear, Vice Chair (arrived 5:45)
Naomi Bays
Ben Adams
Caitlin Cook (via phone)
Jennifer Pharr
Bobby Reishman (left 6:30)



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

  2. Presentation of the CURA West Side Community Renewal Amendment Draft
Ron Butlin introduced James Yost, Senior Landscape Architect at GAI Consultants, Inc.,
who has been working on the draft. His presentation is briefly summarized:

  A new version of the draft will be available online starting September 6, 2019.
  The process to date includes: 1. a project kick off meeting, presentation and data
 review. 2. Defined priority areas (housing, commercial areas, open green spaces
 and infrastructure). 3. Redevelopment Plan Recommendation (developed
 catalytic strategies and public improvements). 4. Implementation strategies
  The current stage is Plan Adoption Process. The draft has been presented to the
 public and Municipal Planning Commission. They will present the final draft to
 CURA’s Commissioners. Once approved by CURA, the plan will be introduced to
 Council as a bill, where it will be referred to this Committee. Once approved by
 Committee, it will go to Council for final approval.

Councilmember Adams asked what changes have been made to this draft. Yost
answered there have been changes to the language concerning social health and more
clarification of the catalytic strategy recommendations.
 3. Discussion Concerning revisions to current street vending ordinances and
 regulations

The Committee discussed that the proposed bill changed “street vending” to “street
truck.” It was decided that the intention of the bill is to focus on food trucks and vendors
and to make the rules and regulations for them clear. Other types of street vendors
would need their own bill with specific rules to follow that would more accurately apply
to them.

Councilmember Reishman confirmed that the vendors have the responsibility to remove
their own trash. Councilmember Cook asked if the stakeholders from both sides had
been consulted. Chief of Staff, Matt Sutton, answered that the main concern the
Administration has received is the potential noise the trucks create and parking in front
of direct competitors. The food vendors are looking for clarification of rules. The public is
concerned about parking spaces being used.

From the audience, Councilmember Steele, asked what in the language has changed
other than allowing approval of public right of way as approved by the City Manager.
She didn’t think the language stating that a truck cannot operate in front of a restaurant
store front is strong enough. A representative from the Charleston Restaurant
Association asked the Committee to remember that the brick and mortar restaurants
stimulate the economy and employ a significant amount of people. The noise and smell
of the generators is a major concern for them.

Sutton raised the possibility of having a food truck day or specified food truck location.
Councilmember Wesley-Plear stressed the importance of having locations in every part
of the City. Councilmember Bays agreed.

Councilmember Bays added that when a food truck rents out a meter, the City needs to
make sure it covers the length of the truck so crosswalks, etc. are not being blocked.
She also added that bagged meters should be different colors based on events, etc.
Councilmember Bays also stated that the proposed bill references external signage not
being allowed, but that wasn’t clearly defined. Sutton answered that it references not
being able to block sidewalks/public spaces. Councilmember Bays also proposed the
City find a way to streamline the process of vendors getting a business license to
encourage growth by not inundating people with unnecessary paperwork.
Councilmember Adams stated that a separate classification could be given to a vendor
that only wanted to operate during a certain event.
 4. Administration updates
Concerning the previous discussion about business classifications, Sutton mentioned
that the Administration will need to fix the rules that currently aren’t being followed
before they look to what is next. An equal playing field is paramount to the success of
the City. Councilmember Pharr suggested inviting hotel staff to events/various tours to
give them knowledge of the City and events to impart to their customers.




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

Meeting adjourned.