Belleville DDA looks at plans for spending future tax money

The Aug. 26 special meeting of the Belleville Downtown Development Authority, which had been moved from the regular Aug. 19 meeting date, had no quorum.
Absent were Denise Baker, Brian Copsey, and Sabrina Richardson-Williams. Present were DDA Chairwoman Rosemary Loria, Vice-Chairman Gary Snarski, Secretary James Higgerson, and Mayor Kerreen Conley.
Chairwoman Loria announced that they would go on with the meeting anyway, getting information and discussing items, but they could make no decisions. They couldn’t approve the official minutes of the July 15 meeting or pay the bills.
Rob Eggers of the Spicer Group was on hand with a PowerPoint presentation. He reminded the DDA that they are required to have a Development Plan in place and a Tax Increment Financing plan in place. Their present chart ends in 2015, so they have work to do.
He said, by law, 14 things have to be included in the plan and he can handle most of the details, but the DDA has to decide what it wants to do with the tax money coming in.
He said the DDA is in effect up to 2029 or when it is done with the bonded indebtedness or it could be later.
Eggers went over what the DDA has done in the past and some of the items that it hadn’t done yet. Those not done included Victory Park upgrades with arborist, City Center, Gateway Projects, Municipal Marina, Municipal Project, fishing pier, Village Park Pavilion, park amenities and irrigation for the parks.
He said he will write the proposed projects in a generalized nature. If something isn’t on the list, it can’t be done, so being generalized is best.
He said they needed brainstorming on the Belleville community.
He suggested improving pedestrian connections to all the surrounding townships and community so people can get to Belleville without driving.
“You start in the core and work your way out and they will work on it,” he said.
DDA Coordinator Carol Thompson said, speaking of better access, the Huron River Watershed Council has met with Van Buren Township many times on the French Landing portage for the river route from Proud Lake to Lake Erie.
She suggested people could come to Belleville for lunch on the river and then go back upstream for a day’s outing.
Eggers said he went to the boardwalk on Belleville Lake and talked to five fisherman who told him they are catching walleye and catfish. He suggested the DDA might want to stock the lake.
Thompson said the DNR stocks walleye.
She said they have done phase I walking paths in Village Park and maybe for phase II they would have to get with the homeowners in Victoria Commons because it’s right along their backyards.
Eggers suggested shade sails for Village Park because Savage Road coming into the city needs beautification. He suggested the CET Pharmacy sign at the other end of town needed work and asked about the facade program. And, then there is the Citgo Station, he said.
He suggested the Denton Road Bridge needed work. He said they could improve the shrubs, take down the chain-link fence and add a pedestrian walkway.
Higgerson suggested bike rental stations like they are putting in in Detroit. People could bike around town and to the lake. Thompson added rentals for kayaks and canoes are needed.
Eggers said and there is the thought of attracting businesses to the community. He suggested developing an app that would have the population, nearness to the airport, traffic count, and if they are interested in developing, could click get more information.
It would cost $5,000-$10,000, Eggers said.
“We need to market ourselves,” Loria agreed.
Thompson said as part of the Spicer service they are supplying a digital map of the DDA district.
Snarski suggested ways to market the app. He said once Belleville gets an anchor store, others will come. He said there is nothing for people to go to now.
Thompson suggested marketing to group pubs.
Eggers said you have to figure out if a brewery would fit in the city’s zoning.
Thompson also said the city wants more residential and would like to see more mixed use downtown.
Mayor Conley asked where utility development fit on the list and Eggers said he would add it.
Thompson pointed out some items on the “done” list are actually ongoing projects, like website improvements, public art, and improved parking.
Eggers stressed the DDA should work to keep the view of the lake and asked about the parcel owned by Scott Jones on North Liberty Street that at one time had been slated for the BYC clubhouse. He asked if the city owned it and Thompson said, “Not yet.”
Eggers said he will come up with two lists in five-year increments, one a generalized list and another with particular items so the DDA doesn’t forget what it wanted to do.
Thompson said this list should be shared with the public and with the Van Buren Township DDA. The city and township DDAs plan to meet in the future and talk about partnerships, she said.
Although DDA funds can only be spent within their districts, an intergovernmental agreement could be signed for cooperative projects, Thompson said.
Snarski said he was interested in the app and Eggers said he would give more information on it to Thompson.
In other business at the hour-long non-meeting, the DDA:
• Heard a report by Joan Bodnar of the Strawberry Festival on how the festival spent the $6,000 grant from the DDA; and
• Discussed plywood-based construction for the two signs to mark the Courtesy Docks and Canoe/Kayak Launch done by Graph-X in the same style the company did the DDA’s way-finding signs. A vote will be taken at an upcoming meeting.