HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-05-19 URA MINUTES - SPECIAL TOURCALDWELL URBAN RENEWAL AGENCY
Special Meeting Tour Session
MINUTES
6:00 P.M.
Thursday, May 19,2022
(ROLL CALL)
The Special Meeting Tour Session of the Caldwell Urban Renewal Agency convened at 6:00 p.m. on the bus outside of
the Caldwell Police Department with Chairman Porter presiding. A 72-passenger bus was provided by Elevate Charter
School to transport the URA Commissioners and members of the public to various sites associated with the history of
Urban Renewal Development throughout Caldwell. Commissioner Steve Fultz and Caldwell Economic Development
Director Steve Jenkins narrated the tour sites. The map used to identify tour sites visited will be attached as an exhibit
to the minutes (see Exhibit A - Tour Site Map).
The URA Secretary called the roll. Present: Commissioner Porter, Commissioner Warwick, Commissioner Allgood,
Commissioner Doty, Commissioner Fultz, Commissioner Moore, and Commissioner Ramirez.
Site #1: Biscuit and Hogs. 516 Main Street. Steven Jenkins: Formerly Bennett Machine Shop, this will be a two-story
Biscuits and Hogs restaurant. Construction is projected to begin fall 2022. Mr. Fultz also commented that, as is usual
with URA property purchases, this site and the Creekside Project site were cleaned up, existing structures were
demolished, and properties were improved as needed to make them ready for development.
Site #2: Creekside Project. 616 Main. Steven Jenkins: RFP awarded to deChase Mixis and includes retail on first floor
with apartments on upper levels; it will be five stories tall, and have 142 units. This is a 1.4 acre site and was at one
time the home of the former Saratoga Hotel; it is currently under construction.
Site #3: Indian Creek Plaza. 120 S. Kimball Ave. Steve Fultz: This centralized downtown gathering place is the result
of a team effort between the Downtown Caldwell group, the City of Caldwell, and the URA. The site was previously
the home of Kings Department Store. The Business Improvement District was formed with community support to
provide a portion of the funding needed to fund operations of the Plaza when complete.
Steven Jenkins: Impact to the downtown core: the Ice Ribbon at the Indian Creek Plaza alone draws tens of thousands
of people each season, and the weekly/annual events draw even more. In addition, more than 35 new businesses have
opened their doors in downtown Caldwell since the Plaza opened in 2018.
Site #4: Aztec Development. 119 S. Kimball. Steven Jenkins: This is a 5,000 sqft lot, projected to become a two- or
three-story structure; they are currently finalizing plans, and are hoping to begin construction later this year.
Site #5: Indian Creek Park/Davlighting: Steve Fultz: Restoration and daylighting of Indian Creek began in the early
2000's. When the recession hit, the URA and the local community committed to finishing the project (for example, the
pedestrian footbridges were brought over from the old Youth Ranch property), and it became a great activity generator
for the area. This public investment early on is now paying dividends, and private investment is following through that
process.
Mr. Jenkins agreed, and stated that in talking with out of state developers, they often comment on the creek being a great
natural asset for development. As an illustration, the foot traffic across the 7'^ Avenue pedestrian bridge in 2019 was
more than 373,000 following the Indian Creek Plaza opening in 2018. In 2020, it had risen to roughly 485,000 in that
one-year period.
Site #6: Norman Jewelers block. 213/215/217 S. Kimball. Steven Jenkins: This is a newly acquired property, planned
as a redevelopment of the full block south of the alley into a new project. This property is right at the entryway into the
downtown core, with a pocket park located in the back and frontage along the creek.
Site #7: TVCC. 205 S. 6"* Ave. Steve Fultz: TVCC located here more than ten years ago from a smaller campus location
on Cleveland Blvd. Through the development process, great importance was given to bringing an educational element
to the area, and URA made the move to build next to the creek for TVCC's use. This project helped generate the energy
for URA to continue development along the creek.
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