HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRDA MINUTES 1997-04-17 MINUTES OF THE 53rd REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLYMOUTH
(be ROAD DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA
The 53rd Regular Meeting of the Plymouth Road Development Authority of the City of
Livonia, Michigan was called to order at 3:07 p.m., Thursday, April 17, 1997 in the
Gallery on the 5th Floor of City Hall.
Members Present: Mayor Jack E. Kirksey
Mr. Mike Polsinelli
Mr. Stan Anderson
Mr. Scott Grace
Mr. Dennis Kujawa
Mrs. Toni Mette
Mr. Lowell Peterson
Mr. Bill Pike
Mr. Adelard Raby
Mr. Marvin Walkon
Mr. Jerry Wordhouse
Members Absent: Mr. Donald Gelinas
Others Present: Mrs. Jean Garvey, Secretary
(re Mr. John Nagy,Director
Mr. Michael McGee, City Council
Mr. Dan Piercecchi,Planning Commission
Mr. Dave Woodcox, Inspection Department
Ms. Kim Danowski, Inspection Department
Mr. Mike Fisher, Law Department
Mr. Howard Mitchell, Peregrine
Ms. Ginny Jacobs, Jacobs Realty
1. Roll was called.
2. Adoption of April 3, 1997 Minutes: On a motion duly made, seconded and
unanimously approved, it was
#97-27 RESOLVED that, the minutes of the 52nd Regular Meeting held by the
Plymouth Road Development Authority on April 3, 1997 are approved.
Mr. Polsinelli, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
Chairman Polsinelli reported on the following:
(ire (1) A letter of regret was received from JJR Incorporated regarding the
marketing proposal.
(2) A letter was sent on behalf of the PRDA to the President of the Kingston
Terrace Condominiums declining their request for assistance with their parking
lot improvements.
(3) Letters received regarding the relocation of the bus stop located at the
southeast corner of Wonderland Shopping Center.
(4) A letter was sent on behalf of the PRDA to the Michigan Department of
Transportation regarding the Plymouth Road potholes and road repair
conditions.
(5) A letter was sent to the City Council asking to meet with them to discuss
plans for Phase I as well as other issues.
(6) A letter was sent on behalf of the PRDA to Beckett and Raeder setting
forth a resolution approving the Plans and Preliminary Cost Estimate and
authorizing them to undertake Area One and Area Two for commencement of
work.
(re (7) Letters were sent on behalf of the PRDA to the City Council, Zoning
Board of Appeals and Planning Commission supporting the redevelopment
plans for Wonderland Mall.
(8) A resolution was passed by the City Council to put the property at 34601
Plymouth Road up for sale for a 60-day period with no minimum bid to see if
there is any activity prior to the building being demolished by the PRDA.
3. Mike Fisher-Addressing PRDA Policy for Right-of-Way Acquisition:
Mr. Fisher reported that they had been in discussions with the Volkswagen
dealership about acquiring the right-of-way from them. That transaction did not go
through and they were left with the situation where they would still like to acquire the
right-of-way. Mr. Nagy felt they should have a policy implementation worked out
because Beckett &Raeder will be wanting to acquire other right-of-ways, and possibly
could encounter this in Phase I. A general discussion of this issue followed. The
Chairman ended the discussion by saying this was an issue they could let rest at the
present but in the near future they should have further discussions about how they were
going to acquire these right-of-ways.
4. Reports from Committees:
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George Burns Theater Committee: Mr. Walkon reported that this committee had
held interviews with each of the two firms that had submitted proposals on the viability of
operating the George Burns Theater. The committee would have a report at their next
meeting. He felt it had been an education for the group. He felt both groups were good
but different.
The Chairman reported that the company that had the"For Sale" sign on the
property had fallen out of favor with the family and he has planted a seed to try to find out
what the family is interested in doing with the property.
Public Relations Committee: Mr. Anderson stated at the last meeting he had
walked them through two proposals and the feeling was that the PRDA would look at
alternatives rather than hiring one of these public relation firms. Mr. Anderson reported
that Dennis Kujawa is now a member of this sub-committee. The last meeting that was
held was also attended by Mike Buescher of Schostak Bros., Don Tanner and Tom Nixon
of Mark Layne, and John Iacoangeli of Beckett&Raeder. They were now discussing
doing in-house public relations and farming out certain types of functions that would
require the hiring of outside firms such as: (1) Draft a plan for district newsletter with a
minimum of two and a maximum of four per year. (2) Design a logo to be used for flags,
etc. (3) Suggest a color combination. (4) Write copy for newsletter. (5) Write
occasional article for Livonia newsletter, which would enlarge the area the information
goes to as the City newsletter goes to the entire City. John Iacoangeli is to draft an RFP
for mailing to firms. Beckett&Raeder had also suggested they would provide displays
for use at public buildings. They would also provide smaller copies of displays as needed.
The PRDA function would be to work with the outside contractor and coordinate the
work done. Mr. Anderson reported they would further ask Lowell Peterson to contact the
Chamber of Commerce to set up a 5 O'Clock Connection meeting with the PRDA. They
would also explore the possibility of re-establishing the Plymouth Road Business Owners
Association as an adjunct to the PRDA. It was suggested that since the Chamber of
Commerce has a monthly newsletter, it would also be a good idea to add a letter from the
PRDA to their newsletter. It was determined the next step would be to send out RFPs.
On a motion duly made by Mr. Raby, seconded by Mr. Pike and unanimously approved, it
was
#97-28 RESOLVED that,the Plymouth Road Development Authority does hereby
authorize that RFPs be sent out for the purpose of hiring a firm to handle
specific public relation items.
Mr. Polsinelli, Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution
adopted.
Vacant Building Committee: Mr. Grace had nothing to report at this time.
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Mr. Pike reported that the Chamber of Commerce is looking for a new location,
and he is trying to steer them toward Plymouth Road. He stated at this time they are
looking at three existing buildings and three vacant parcels of land.
Mr. Nagy reported he had a phone discussion with the people concerning the old
Livonia Tire property. They were still trying to put together a financial package. Mr.
Nagy informed them the PRDA did not want to make a financial contribution of$50,000
but would be willing to work with them any other way short of a contribution. Mr. Nagy
further reported a meeting was scheduled for the next morning with Michael McGee and
John Walsh to put together a loan program for the PRDA.
Construction Committee: This committee had not met since the last meeting. It
was stated that Beckett&Raeder would be at the next meeting for further discussion.
5. Update on current Plymouth Road projects:
Mr. Nagy reported that Zerbo's Health Foods had submitted new plans to the
Planning Commission. Mr. Nagy presented the elevation plans to the board.
6. Polling of Board Members:
Mr. Pike thanked the Mayor for the work he had done on the area codes. He felt
(se it had definitely saved money for the corporation he worked for. Mr. Pike further stated
he had received a letter from Fisher Communications stating they were sorry for the delay
but they weren't able to come up with any price on the public relation bid but would like
an opportunity to meet with the PRDA. Mr. Pike further reported that they may have a
Wal Mart store within the district.
Mr. Grace inquired if there was a minimum size requirement for the Chamber of
Commerce. Mr. Nagy replied the building size should be between 3,500 - 4,000 sq. ft and
there should be parking for 30 cars or better. Mr. Pike said there was a question of
whether they wanted to stay within a certain distance of Farmington Road. Mr. Nagy
stated some of the members wanted to go to the I-275 corridor while some felt they
should stay close to City Hall.
Mr. Raby asked how the senior housing complex to be located on the north side of
Plymouth east of Middlebelt was progressing. Mr. Nagy responded that the land had been
cleared and the protective fencing was in.
Mayor Kirksey stated he appreciated Bill Pike's remarks. The City would now
have just the two area codes. The Mayor felt that one extra code would have contributed
to a great deal of confusion. The Mayor stated in his attempt to get the change he had
received unanimous support from the City Council and a broad base citizen support. He
Lie further reported that they would end up with two area codes but the codes will change the
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middle of next year. The Mayor felt they had done all that could be done and appreciated
(iro the remarks that at least something had been accomplished.
Chairman Polsinelli complimented the Building Department on their job at Lasky
Furniture in cleaning up the signs.
7. Public Comment: Howard Mitchell of Peregrine was in attendance. Peregrine is
the new owner of the old GM plant. Mr. Mitchell is the Plant Manager. He stated Mr.
Anderson had stopped by and informed him they were in the process of doing an upgrade
along Plymouth Road and were about to start Phase I. Mr. Mitchell informed the board
that Harley-Ellington was doing their design and he would like to have them contact
Beckett&Raeder to work with them as they wanted to make their appearance look better
along Plymouth Road.
Mr. McGee stated there had been some interest in the small business loan program.
The meeting Mr. Nagy had referred to earlier was an open meeting and anyone was
welcome to attend. As far as the matter of the area codes,Mr. McGee said the Mayor
was always gracious, and while it was a joint effort, the Mayor provided the leadership
and therefore the credit belongs to the Mayor.
S. Adjournment: On a motion duly made, seconded and unanimously
adopted, the 53rd Regular Meeting held by the Plymouth Road Development Authority on
thir April 17, 1997 was adjourned at 4:15 p.m.
The next meeting of the Plymouth Road Development Authority will be held on
May 1, 1997 in the 4th Floor Conference Room of City Hall.
Je:: Garvey, Secretary
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