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REGULAR MEETING
<br />NOVEMBER 14, 2016
<br />Rob Bartels stated, That's an excellent question. Much like David doesn't have a four (4)-
<br />bedroom, we haven't done a downtown store, yet. We are putting this together. We're modeling
<br />it after the store we did south of Goshen. We are thinking in the forty (40) or fifty (50) person
<br />range, but it may be less or a little more. It is hard to say.
<br />Council President Scott asked Mr. Matthews if there were any details he could give regarding
<br />employment in the building.
<br />Mr. Matthews responded, We have an additional one (1) or two (2) property managers for the
<br />building. Those are higher paid management positions. Then, there are probably three (3) or four
<br />(4) full -time equivalent for ground maintenance staff.
<br />Council President Scott thanked Mr. Matthews for his answer and for presenting tax numbers in
<br />his presentation. He further stated, I'm trying to balance the $1,600,000 brought in yearly, with
<br />this at this height, to the Master Plan that projected $2,900,000 if the Master Plan were
<br />followed. Having no further questions, Council President Scott stated, I have pushed my issue.
<br />Councilmember John Voorde asked Mr. Matthews what the timeframe would be for the project's
<br />construction if given the greenlight.
<br />Mr. Matthews responded, We have to get the greenlight here, then firm up the tax abatement, and
<br />then, once the tax abatement is passed, we can sign a contract with the Regional Development
<br />Authority, and —I think, since I haven't seen the contract, yet, but the talk is four (4) years. So,
<br />it's roughly a year of planning, a year for the parking garage construction, and two years for the
<br />mixed -use building.
<br />Councilmember Voorde asked Mr. Matthews whether or not he had discussed the idea of parking
<br />to serve the public or other types of uses with the City or other developers.
<br />Mr. Matthews responded, Yes, absolutely. We currently let the Pointe Apartments park in our
<br />parking lot overnight. We have a two- hundred and eighty (280) spot parking lot now at the
<br />Commerce Center. The parking lot is probably sixty percent (60 %) full during the day and has
<br />three (3) or four (4) cars at night that are ours. The cars on the north side are typically tenants
<br />from the Pointe Apartments. We have not let the tenants of the Stevenson Mills apartment
<br />complex park in it, yet. We don't charge the Pointe people, yet. We have said no to the
<br />Stevenson Mills folks because they have said that business is going well, and I've asked them
<br />what they are doing to give back to the neighborhood, they replied that they are not doing
<br />anything. I said to them, Look, sponsor something, whether it's Seitz and Sounds, a music
<br />festival, art in the neighborhood, DTSB —give back. I let your tenants park at the Commerce
<br />Center. Five bucks ($5) a month at the door would be fine, but they've yet to do it. So, I'm trying
<br />to be a good neighbor and get them engaged. I think you'll reach out to Frank Perri, who will
<br />probably speak against it —we've talked to him. This parking garage is oversized for a residential
<br />demand because it's sized for the grocery store and office demand that we currently have on the
<br />site. And so, when this project is all said and done, we will have excess night -time residential
<br />parking that's available that, if we can rent it and somebody else can use it, great, because it's
<br />just going to sit there.
<br />Councilmember Oliver Davis, as preamble to his question, stated that the project was set for
<br />seven (7) stories instead of twelve (12) stories when the concept was put forth to Regional Cities,
<br />and that Martin's had signed on to the project at that time despite the concept being lower than
<br />the eventual twelve (12) stories.
<br />Mr. Matthews responded, When we first did the application, to Regional Cities, it was when
<br />Elkhart County, Marshall County, and St. Joseph County were applying for a Regional Cities
<br />grant. I thought the chances were pretty slim. We put our hat in the ring. I spent hours on the
<br />application. Then, we won. So, then I had to do the real math and find out what does it take to
<br />make this project work. And that's what we presented to the local RDA, and that's what they
<br />approved and awarded the $5,000;000 grant for, and that's what the State awarded the local RDA
<br />grant, so it's actually funded now, and that's why we are applying today for the rezoning.
<br />Councilmember Davis asked Mr. Matthews and Angela Smith what the rationale was for arriving
<br />at a compromise of nine (9) stories and two - hundred and forty (240) units with the ABZA.
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