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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMay 19, 2022 - 257th Regular Minutes signedMINUTES OF THE 257th REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLYMOUTH ROAD DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA The 257th Regular Meeting of the Plymouth Road Development Authority of the City of Livonia, Michigan, was called to order at 3:05 p.m., Thursday, May 19, 2022, in the 5th floor Gallery of City Hall. Members Present: Maureen Miller Brosnan, Mayor Jeremy Curtis, Vice Chair Dan Laible Betsy McCue Patrick Mies Members Absent: Omar Faris, Chair Stephanie Roehl Blatt Susan Harvey John Hiltz Others Present: Mark Taormina, Economic Development &Planning Director Mike Slater, Director of Finance Stephanie Reece, Program Supervisor, Planning Jacob Uhazie, Planning & Economic Development Coordinator Doug Moore, City of Livonia DPW, Assistant Director Christopher Ozog, OHM 1. Roll was called. A quorum was present. 2. Audience Communication. None 3. Adoption of the Minutes On a motion made by Mayor Miller Brosnan, seconded by McCue, and unanimously adopted, it was #2022-01 RESOLVED, that the Plymouth Road Development Authority does hereby approve the Minutes of the 256th Regular Meeting held on July 22, 2021. Mr. Curtis, Acting Chairman, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. 4. Financial Reports —July 2021 through March 2022. Mr. Slater went through all months of financials. He specifically explained the disbursements for each month. He stated that there are several items that are paid on a regular basis, such as DTE for the street lighting, and the irrigation system. There were also OHM invoices for their assistance in the streetscape repair program. In August there were bills for Plante Moran for the audit. He also May 19, 2022 2 stated that there were some very large irrigation repair bills. A lot of work was needed along the six miles of heads and lines. The biggest bill in September was for the streetscape repairs. The line item for City of Livonia was related to RAM Construction and their work in the repair program. In October, the biggest bill was to Tech Seven, again for the irrigation system. At the end of the fiscal year, total assets were $1,156,172 and liabilities were just under $198,000. The fund balance was $958,398. These figures will be shown in the audit because the PRDA is considered a component unit of the city. The biggest item in November was the streetscape repair. In December, the beginning of the new fiscal year, the bills totaled a little over $79,000, and of that $62,000 was for the streetscape program to RAM construction. In January 2022, the disbursements included the annual water bill for the previous year, and it was a little over $68,000, The meters for this bill are temporary and at the end of the season they are removed and read. In February, the biggest expense again was for RAM Construction and the streetscape repair program. March was a normal month for expenses. The Mayor inquired as to whether the expenses were within the budget. Mr. Slater went on to explain how the Budget Performance Report is laid out with a bit of an explanation of the line items, such as encumbrances and how they are handled. The budget for the year was $719,000 and the year- to-date figure was $741,000. This was actually a bit better than expected. The irrigation system costs were far more than what the budget was. We spent $230,000 and the budget was $110,000. The year prior, the irrigation costs were only $48,000. The costs for the irrigation vary year to year. Doug Moore explained that last year the repairs were very bad. There were a few areas that main lines were cut. He went on to explain that we aren't able to find out who is cutting the lines. The way the right-of-way easement is setup, through the State, some of the permits are through the State and we don't know who is out there doing the work. It was stated by the Mayor that this has happened in the past and she was wondering how to make them liable for the damage. The conversation went to recapping an incident with Cadillac from years past about this same type of issue and how after all the efforts were made, nothing could be done. The Mayor wanted to know if there was anyway to improve our option for these circumstances. Mr. Slater was unable to give any because of the past incidents and results. He said Mis Dig is unable to help because they are not aware of the lines being there before starting a job. It is not a part of the State contract that they are responsible for any damage. Mr. Taormina mentioned that there used to be a contractor that would flag as many of the lines as they could identify. He said it was extremely costly and in the end, it wasn't making any difference. Many of the lines are not traced and so they cannot be identified. It has been a problem since the beginning when the irrigation system was installed. Mr. Laible inquired whether there is a permitting process. It was stated that there is through MDOT since it is there right-of-way. Mr. Curtis said that he feels that every permit they pull, a copy of it should be given to us so we are aware of any work being done. Mr. Moore said he could check with Engineering to verify whether we are receiving them or not. A discussion about who's responsible for the damage continued and it was again related back to the Cadillac situation and how nothing could be done. May 19, 2022 3 Mr. Laible was commenting that he feels there should be recourse, especially if it is a sizable material cost. Mr. Mies was wondering if any other communities have this same issue and if they have found a work around for it. He also wanted to know if, when the system was put in, were we told to go ahead and install it, but be aware that there will be projects that come along and if they dig up the lines, the responsibility in on us. Mr. Slater said that it was never mentioned. Mr. Curtis said that we need to contact MDOT and let them know if any permits are pulled on this corridor, to give a copy to us to make any notes or comments before they send it out to the permit holder. The Mayor does understand that the contractors are only doing their job and they claim they weren't the ones that did it and blame the next guy. She wanted to know if we had any authority to be able to issue permits. There would be a cost, so we would be able to recoup some of the costs. Mr. Curtis said he doesn't think that it would be possible because the city doesn't own the property. She said we need to do something because the cost is more than double to maintain it. Mr. Slater said it isn't every year, but it does happen, and it is quite expensive. Ms. McCue agreed with Mr. Mies, that this must have affected other communities. Mr. Slater said that it probably isn't that common since it is the rights -of -way. The Mayor asked if Ford Road's business district deals with this. Also, she wants to look at any work arounds that may be available. Mr. Slater said we can try to find out and would have to speak with Law and Engineering regarding any permitting process. He said that this item was the only thing over budget. We did go into the this year's budget for the streetscape program, but overall, we were under budget last year. On a motion made by Laible, seconded by Mies, and unanimously adopted, it was #2022-02 RESOLVED, that the Plymouth Road Development Authority does hereby accept and approve the Financial Statements of the Authority's Special Revenue Fund for the months ending July 2021 through March 2022, Mr. Curtis, Acting Chairperson, declared the motion is carried and the foregoing resolution adopted. 5. Irrigation System Update Doug Moore stated that Tech Seven, the PRDA's irrigation contractor, is still very responsive to any concerns or problems. The system has been started and is energized. The bills coming in have not been excessive to this point. He said that the Court's Probation Department has been out addressing Merriman, Middle Belt, and Farmington along the Plymouth Road corridor with mulch and pre -emergent weed control to get ready for the spring. He asked about the Tech Seven contract and when it might be coming to an end. Mr. Taormina stated that the contract has been rolling over year to year and the pricing has been steady. Mr. Moore said that the pricing has not changed. He said that Mike Molinar does inform him if there are any issues coming up. Mr. Slater said the bills usually have head replacements as an item. He explained why that happens so often and that, May 19, 2022 4 again, this has been a yearly line item on the bills. During the snow removal season, if a head is sticking up, the heads may be taken off. Vandalism was also another reason for that. Mr. Moore did explain that there are also valves that may go bad and have to be replaced. 6. Update on Streetscape Asset Maintenance Program. Mr. Taormina introduced Chris Ozog from OHM, Project Manager for the streetscape repair program. Mr. Ozog explained the status of the program and provided a close-out report. He said that as of May 11, they had reached a substantial completion with RAM Construction. All work has been completed that they were contractually required to do. He said that since we last met, there were two additional change orders done. One was for snow damage of a pier, and the other was for some additional quantities of items needed. The original contract was for $473,600 and the total ended up at $548,112. The budget was increased at the last meeting up to $575,000, He explained in detail about the different change orders over the process. The only thing left to do is final out the paperwork, get final signatures, and any warranty information. He is hoping to get the monies that were held, approximately $5,100, back in June. After that, the project will be done. Mr. Taormina asked that he give some details as to what transpired over the last year. Mr. Ozog said that RAM Construction was a good contractor to work with. He said it wasn't an easy project. Every time they went out, there was always something additional found. Trying to keep up with what was in the contract and what was found was sometimes trying. They kept an open dialogue between RAM and OHM. He said RAM was good to work with when it came to the masonry work. RAM had two subs come in for the painting and that was a challenge. OHM did ask RAM what they could do to make it easier since it was a large project with a lot to cover. A representative from RAM said that it should be tackled each year or have a maintenance program. Mr. Ozog said a challenge was when they would go out to do the work and there was always a little something more that could be done. There had to be a line drawn and focus on the large items. The hardest part was the fence companies and trying to coordinate their quality control and get a response back from them. Ultimately, RAM is a great contractor to work with. Mayor Brosnan stated she feels the PRDA needs to start looking into a regular, ongoing maintenance program. She said she would hate to stop here, and if we don't get a maintenance program in place, we would just end up in the same place in five (5) or six (6) years. She said the city recognizes that one of its strengths is the PRDA, and it should enlist an asset management plan. That would allow the city to create an understanding that there will be major investments like the irrigation system, which at some point may not be feasible to continue to maintain unless there is a regular maintenance. She used the example of the water infrastructure. She asked Mr. Ozog if there are other communities that have done that with streetscapes. He said he is not aware of it and realizes that over a five (5) or ten (10) year plan there will be sections that will need to be addressed again. He went on to explain that the GIS portion of this has already been established, but he is not aware of any applications other than that. He does know there has been discussion in other municipalities about this, but he is May 19, 2022 5 not aware of anyone successfully implementing something that works. He said he could talk with Mike Cousins who is familiar with other municipalities and see if he has any references. Rhett, a principal at OHM, is on the City of Troy's DDA. They may have some ideas. Mr. Laible asked about a grading scale and if there are any standards or some version of a grading to know if we are doing a good job of maintaining this to a certain degree. He asked if there are any satisfaction surveys and are the property owners involved. He wants to know how we determine whether the effort is worth it. Mr. Taormina stated that we haven't developed anything like that. He feels an asset management program is going to be critical going forward. With the project that has just been completed, every single asset along the corridor was surveyed and graded. That is a very good base. Now that the initial maintenance program is complete, the database will need to be updated. He said that OHM put together very detailed system of identifying the assets and their condition. He said they were ranked in priority for improvement also. He thinks this list needs to be kept updated to move forward and use it as a possible asset management program. Mr. Curtis wondered if we were to have a contractor, for example RAM, and were doing a maintenance program for three (3) or five (5) years, would there be more bidders than we had for this project? He wondered if a long-term plan would be better. Mr. Ozog said that it is going to be hard to find anyone with the way the construction world is right now. He feels it would have to be someone invested in the city. He said that maybe going with a mason and then you find a local fence guy. Split the job by trade. He said trying to find one contractor for the whole corridor is going to be very difficult. Mr. Slater made a statement about how with this project it is not like the roads or water mains. These items are things that you must literally walk up on and know what you are looking for behind bushes and on both sides of a fence on both sides of the street. He said identifying the needs is a job in itself. He feels it is the hardest part of it and then finding a contractor without giving them direction is not going to be worthwhile. Mr. Ozog agreed that the items are more difficult to find, and to be able to know the item's needing repair is difficult. Mr. Ozog asked if there was a place for the property owners to call or email and let someone know when there is an issue. If there was an as -needed contractor, then the repairs could be made immediately, and the 20-25-year cycle is cut down to maybe every three (3) years. The Mayor stated that if we had commitment for a certain amount of dollars each year, then maybe someone with an entrepreneurial spirit would be able to build a business around the commitment. She asked Mr. Ozog where we could start looking for the entrepreneurs. Would we start with someone with a landscape business and then they could possibly build on to their business, or would it be mostly irrigation management? She also said that we may have to have that entrepreneurial spirit ourselves and try to fill that contractor position. Mr. Ozog feels that the mason is the more difficult position to find and that is where he would start. When it comes to the fencing, he thinks that a mason may know where to take the fencing for painting or sandblasting. He said that fencing contractors wouldn't know what to do with masonry. Mr. Laible thought that maybe vocation schools may have students trying to earn credits. He said maybe we could donate to the school. Mr. Ozog said that May 19, 2022 6 maybe the shop in Warren that does a lot of training may be a first place to start. Mr. Taormina remembered when the PRDA turned to the local garden clubs when they were maintaining the landscaping. He said it did not work. No one was interested. Maybe get it to be part of a curriculum. She said there is never going to be a lack of opportunity to test your skills. 7 Update on Plymouth Road Development Projects: Brief description of each project was given by Mr. Taormina. Explore Academy - 31100 Plymouth Road. This is the old AT&T building just east of Merriman. It was acquired by a new owner recently. The interior will be retrofitted for use as a charter public school. Half of the floor space will be used initially with plans to expand in the future. They will use part of the parking lot as their playground area and the drop off will be in front. This project is completely handled by the state. Wonderland Fats - 29707 — 30273 Plymouth Road. This multifamily project was given first read on the rezoning and will be going before the Planning Commission in the next couple weeks for site plan review. It consists of two (2) buildings and 201 apartments. The buildings will be three (3) stories in height. The project is located between the Wal-Mart and LA Fitness. The design is very similar to the LIV apartments on Haggerty Road. Shoppes of Livonia — 29250-29350 Plymouth Road. This project is located at Middle Belt and Plymouth Roads. A Chick Fil A is being constructed currently. The large space is going to be an approximate 45,000 sq.ft. grocery store. There will also be one outlot building located between the Firestone and the physical therapist office in the old Walgreen's building. Shelden Park Village — 33327 Plymouth Road. This project consists of two buildings that are currently under construction. They will be a Dairy Queen and Lee's Chicken. Livonia Centers — This project is located just east of Tech Center Drive. It was originally a Builders Square and then was converted into a retail store. The westerly half will be occupied by Urban Air. There is also an outlot. The occupants are unknown. Hines Place Condominiums — 37711 Plymouth Road. This project is at Plymouth Road and Jughandle. There will be 19 units in this site condominium cluster. This was land held by the Newman Family Trust. It is currently under construction. Airgas — 30441 Plymouth Road. This location was the old Viscount Pool store located next to the Quality Inn and Suites. They are open and they are using the back part of the lot for storage of a variety of gas tanks. This went through the Planning Commission and City Council a few months ago. Livonia Gas Mart — 31301 Plymouth Road. This is one of the oldest gas stations in Livonia. The owners are moving their service operations into a new addition and then converting the old section into a convenience store. This also went through the Planning Commission and City Council and received approval. They already have PRDA streetscape improvements along the front. Plymouth Shoppes — 29215 Plymouth Road. This is a fagade renovation. It is located next to the Biggby Coffee at Middle Belt and Plymouth Roads. May 19, 2022 7 LaFontaine Auto Group — 34801 Plymouth Road. This site used to be the Ralph Thayer dealerships. LaFontaine now owns the Mazda, Hyundai, and Volkswagen dealerships. They also purchased the old donut shop to the west, with the intention of filling that site and using it for car displays. The Planning Commission did work with them regarding the piers and fencing along their two entrances. They do intend on removing one of the entrances. The Mazda and Hyundai dealerships will be undergoing substantial renovations in the next year or so. With those renovations, they will then change some of the configurations of the driveways. Plymouth Auto Sales — 36534 Plymouth Road. This project is located on the north side of Plymouth at the west end near Newburgh Road. They are going to expand the parking lot and do certain renovations to the building. The back lot will be used for storage. There will be substantial landscaping on site. No streetscape details have been worked out yet. Mr. Taormina said that there will be a new traffic signal going in on Middle Belt Road at the north driveway to the shopping center for Chick Fil A. The new signal will be synchronized between the one at Middle Belt and Plymouth and the one at the Ford plant. 8. Discussion on Future PRDA Projects/Initiatives Mr. Taormina stated that it was a couple of years ago that the Board determined that an investment needed to be made in order to maintain streetscape assets along Plymouth Road. That investment has been made and the project completed, and the Board is now able to look at future projects. He mentioned Rosedale Commons, the name given to the area that includes Sheldon Park and the Alfred Noble Library and extends to Farmington Road where the Housing Commission building is located. Many steps have been taken already regarding the property. The title has been cleared and the Library and Park properties are now all part a part of the PRDA District. A detailed survey of all the property has also been done. The Library has been shut down since November 2018 due to water damage and mold problems. The structure has been evaluated by OHM as well as the City's Inspection Department. The Mayor went on to say that it will take an immense amountof money to bring that Library back. She will be meeting with the Library Commission to discuss what the future of the libraries in Livonia will look like. She said that despite COVID, the libraries were able to continue their services even though they may look different than what has been in the past. Memberships and circulation have increased throughout the pandemic. The new changes are still running. She said there has not been a huge outcry from people regarding the closing of the Alfred Noble library. People are concerned, however, about the status of the building. She would like to take all that has been learned about Livonia Vision 21, including its methodology and use it on this parcel. She mentioned that on this parcel along with the library is the Shelden pool that hasn't been able to open for a couple years because we don't have the staff and there are major maintenance issues. It would cost a lot to fix it. She said there are the tennis courts and fields behind the library that are underutilized. She mentioned that the Housing Commission could be May 19, 2022 8 relocated in several spots in the community. She feels this property could be redeveloped in a way to drive economic development for the corridor. When she meets with the Library Commission, she wants to have a conversation about a vision such as that. City Council approved the engagement of Plante Moran Cresa to look at the city assets. They will be going through all the buildings to assess them. They were asked to begin with the libraries, with the understanding that this may be an opportunity for redevelopment. The library has gone out for an RFP for a strategic management firm to help make a reasonable and responsible decision about that community. The Mayor would like to see the PRDA begin the conversation with the community and try to help that idea. She would like the PRDA to take an active role in this location, and to bear this in mind when setting the goals for the coming year. She wants to make sure that the assets for the PRDA are being taken care of. This is what the PRDA was set up for, to develop the streetscape along Plymouth Road. She said that there are many constituency groups that will need to be a part of the conversations going forward, such as Old Rosedale Gardens and the people that use the Shelden Park pool. Mr. Taormina asked the Mayor if she would make some comments regarding the financial resources for the future while planning. Mr. Slater mentioned the fact that in the year 2022 they have put a place marker in for $500,000. He said that back in 1998 a bond was set up to put all the improvements along the corridor in, such as the plazas, fences, and walls. The monies were captured from property taxes until there was a financial crisis. The rules changed on personal property taxes and the values of the properties fell. The capture then went away. The city then opted to put two (2) mills onto the property owners within the district, which is allowed per the DDA Act. That is the sole source of income. That amount is approximately $700,000 per year. He said there will be about $300,000 to do something with in the upcoming years. Mr. Taormina feels that earmarking monies for an asset management program is critical. He also thinks the PRDA needs to figure out how they should be involved in the process and that planning services will be just as important. The Mayor felt it was important that the PRDA put a resolution together that would support the future development of that site without any numbers or real strict parameters. She stated it is a development project and the leadership should reside with this board. She said maybe there is a component of it that eventually serves a library need. The entire development of that parcel is not a library issue. She feels it needs to stay with the PRDA. When the need comes for a decision, the board will stand ready to help. Ms. McCue was commenting on how the Board did a community education for the irrigation and the mills that would be needed to have the businesses take care of the corridor. There were education pieces done for that, and she feels it may help to get a discussion going and to see what people's thoughts are and to get a feel of where they are at. She said that maybe the Board could commit to training and education, and it wouldn't cost anything. Mr. Laible feels that the training and education is critical, because when talking about a pool and library, these are hot button issues. He said this is in line with the walkable, livable neighborhoods that we are trying to present. The Mayor said that when you can show residents the potential, and not just May 19, 2022 9 a blank canvas, they can begin to formulate some concepts around that. She mentioned the Senior Center and that even before talking about tearing it down, we showed the people what the new one will look like. She said that maybe a rendering could be shown and then involve the community in a discussion around the fine tuning of it. She mentioned that maybe this could be a public private partnership, where we build out some of the residential housing that we need, to make this a more walkable community with better services than the underutilized ones that are currently there. Ms. McCue said that it would need to be presented as the property is not helping anything in its current state. She stated that it is better if the residents have a say rather than us just giving them what we decide. Mr. Laible said that the rendering should show a nice community without the pool but with pickleball courts and splashpads. Mr. Curtis would like to know how much it would cost to see the GIS database updated and maybe know how much it would cost to have them walk the corridor every two or three years so we can then dedicate funds to those repairs. Mr. Mies wondered if the PRDA is able in any way to help with weed and feed or other forms of fertilizer. He feels people's attention may not be drawn to the fencing and piers when the weeds are so drastic. He also mentioned the fact that some property owners may not want to stay there if their neighbors don't show any commitment. His comments come from being an owner of a lawn business. He thinks prospective business owners may be more apt to moving in if they can envision their business in a space without the distraction of knee-high weeds. Mr. Slater told of a bit of history regarding this topic. He said that the PRDA had contractors years ago that would fertilize and do the weed control and mow the right-of-way. That was when there was money to do these things. The cost became too much. He said that they have tried to get weed control services for some city properties and along Schoolcraft Road, and the companies can't find people to work for them. They are not interested in bidding for it. He said that if the board would like to get some pricing for weed control, he felt it could be done. Mr. Taormina said the fertilization and weed control is something that could be looked into. Mr. Laible agrees with Mr. Mies that optics are very important. Ms. McCue said she is hoping that the new businesses along the corridor will continue coming in and that they will care about what the front of their businesses look like. Mr. Slater did inform the board that when they are on the corridor and they see something that needs attention, our Inspection Department is there for these types of situations. Mr. Laible inquired whether we were able to incentivize property owners to make investments in their properties. Mr. Slater said that the PRDA had a program like that at one time, the Business Assistance Program. He told a bit of history about it. He also said that there wasn't a great deal of interest in it. It doesn't mean we couldn't try it again. Mr. Taormina said there really isn't money available to incentivize, but there are programs out there that are intended to serve much larger projects. Mr. Uhazie informed the board that there are funds available from COVID. It must be related to COVID, such as outdoor seating for a restaurant. If there is a way to relate it back to COVID, that would be something to consider. Mr. Curtis was asking about the shopping carts that are a problem at the Middle Belt and Plymouth area. He wondered if maybe there was a lack of May 19, 2022 10 Mr. Curtis was asking about the shopping carts that are a problem at the Middle Belt and Plymouth area. He wondered if maybe there was a lack of seating there because he sees people sitting on the carts. His point was that if the board members see an issue, maybe they can make a list and then the list can be addressed in a timelier manner. He also wanted to know if there was anything that spells out what the city or the residents want to see along the major corridors. Mr. Taormina explained that the Livonia Vision 21 Master Plan identified three special planning areas, including the east end of Plymouth Road as a model for the rest of the corridor. The Master Plan includes development schematics for future projects in terms of building placement, parking and landscaping which can be used as a guidepost for future planning purposes. He said the PRDA can be involved in that aspect. We don't have any projects yet. He said he will provide the board with the special planning area information. Mr. Uhazie stated that even though the east Plymouth Road was specifically picked out, it can be used as a model anywhere along the way. Mr. Curtis asked if there were any areas that are not recovering as well as other areas that the board could focus on to help entice more people to move in. Mr. Taormina said that the east end is where they have the oldest infrastructure, but there are areas all along the corridor that could use some assistance. He said that these ideas that the board has mentioned may appear as potential items at the next meeting as something to be voted on. If there is anything that the board wants to address, they should send an email or call him. Ms. McCue did ask about a couple light poles that are laying in the grass along the corridor. Mr. Slater said they are waiting on luminaires. On a motion by Laible, and seconded by Mies, and unanimously adopted, it was: #2022-03 RESOLVED, that the Plymouth Road Development Authority does hereby offer its financial support and assistance to the City and community in preparing a long-range redevelopment plan for Rosedale Commons with the goal of creating functional, walkable and livable neighborhood areas and other useable private and public spaces. 9. Comments and Motions from Board Members. None. 10. Adjournment: On a motion duly made, seconded and unanimously adoptedI the 257'h Regular Meeting held by the Plymouth Road Development Authority on May 19, 2022, was adjourned at 4:52 p.m. ^3 ee. ZL Patrick Mies, Secretary