City of Rockford Planning & Development Committee met June 20.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
I. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Alderperson Wilkins at 5:35PM.
| Attendee Name | Organization | Title | Status | Arrived |
| Tim Durkee | City of Rockford | Alderman | Absent | |
| Karen Hoffman | City of Rockford | Alderman | Present | |
| Bill Rose | City of Rockford | Alderman | Present | |
| Gabrielle Torina | City of Rockford | Alderman | Present | |
| Janessa Wilkins | City of Rockford | Alderman | Present |
II. INVOCATION
The invocation was given by Alderman Beach and Alderperson Wilkins led the Pledge of Allegiance.
III. PUBLIC SPEAKERS
1) Rev. Earl Dotson, Sr. quoted scripture and spoke on the West Side Development and his support for the appointment of LaVonne Williams for the 13th Ward Alderman.
2) Dave Hansen did not appear.
3) John Tac Brantley, Sr. discussed Juneteenth events and thanked the sponsors who donated to send Rockford youth to see the live-action Little Mermaid movie.
4) Hassan Muhammad spoke in support of LaVonne Williams for the 13th Ward Alderman.
5) Rudy Valdez spoke in support of the Colman Yards project and thanked staff and all those involved with the project.
6) Prophet Yusef quoted scripture and spoke on the acronym for Juneteenth.
IV. COMMITTEE REPORTS
1. Proposed Redevelopment Agreement with J. Jeffers & Company LLC for the Barber Colman Campus.
City Administrator, Todd Cagnoni introduced J. Jeffers Chief Development Officer, Brian Loftin and handed the meeting over to Mr. Loftin for his presentations on the proposed redeveloped project of the Barber Colman Campus.
Mr. Loftin started his presentation with background on J. Jeffers and how they specialize in redeveloping historical buildings before explaining what the spaces would be at the campus. The spaces would range from Lofts, new town homes, apartments and flats, small commercial businesses and retail storefronts. Mr. Loftin displayed a map of the Master Plan that highlighted and named all the buildings in the campus to show what the project would look like in it's entirety. He anticipated the entire project would take eight (8) to ten (10) years to complete.
Mr. Loftin went on to display renderings of the buildings that would be completed during the first phase of construction. The first phase of construction would focus on the Historic District and be broken down into two (2) phases; Phase 1A and Phase 1B, both of which have National Park Service approval. Mr. Loftin displayed a map of Phase 1A and 1B and went on to explain Phase 1A and 1B in further detail.
Phase 1A has a start date of July/August 2023 with an anticipated completion date of March 2024. Phase 1A construction would center around three (3) buildings; the Founders Building, Central Commons and the parking garage, the only propose new construction apart of this phase. The Founders Building would be an all residential building, while Central Commons would be a mixed use space of apartments and retail. The parking garage would also have retail space available.
Phase 1B has an anticipated start date of July/August 2024 with an anticipated completion date of January 2025. Phase 1B construction would focus on six (6) buildings; the Co-Op, The Quarters, Station House, Power House, Armory and The Market, making up the rest of the Historic District. The Quarters and Station house would be mixed-use of commercial and residential. Co-Op, Power House, Armory and The Market would be commercial use.
Mr. Loftin concluded his presentation stating the businesses within the campus would focus on local or regional businesses, not big box stores and not relocating businesses from other parts of the city before turning the meeting over to City Administrator Cagnoni.
City Administrator Cagnoni held a presentation on the financial aspects of the Barber Colman complex, comparing the cost of redevelopment of the site versus the cost of demolishing the site. Along with a comparison finding of the redevelopment agreement of the Hilton Embassy Suites and the proposed redevelopment agreement of the Barber Colman Campus.
City Administrator Cagnoni and Mr. Loftin answered questions from the council members.
After the presentation was concluded, Alderman Hoffman made a motion to approve and Alderman Torina seconded the motion.
| RESULT: APPROVED BY COMMITTEE [UNANIMOUS]
AYES: Karen Hoffman, Bill Rose, Gabrielle Torina, Janessa Wilkins ABSENT: Tim Durkee |
2. An ordinance terminating the South Main - Rock Street Redevelopment Plan and Project Area and the dissolution of the Special Tax Allocation Fund for the South Main - Rock Street Tax Increment Financing District.
Alderman Hoffman made a motion to approve and Alderman Torina seconded the motion.
| RESULT: APPROVED BY COMMITTEE [UNANIMOUS]
AYES: Karen Hoffman, Bill Rose, Gabrielle Torina, Janessa Wilkins ABSENT: Tim Durkee |
3. An ordinance approving the Barber Colman Redevelopment Plan and Project Area.
Alderman Hoffman made a motion to approve and Alderman Torina seconded the motion.
| RESULT: APPROVED BY COMMITTEE [UNANIMOUS]
AYES: Karen Hoffman, Bill Rose, Gabrielle Torina, Janessa Wilkins ABSENT: Tim Durkee |
4. An ordinance designating the Barber Colman Redevelopment Plan and Project Area.
Alderman Hoffman made a motion to approve and Alderman Torina seconded the motion.
| RESULT: APPROVED BY COMMITTEE [UNANIMOUS]
AYES: Karen Hoffman, Bill Rose, Gabrielle Torina, Janessa Wilkins ABSENT: Tim Durkee |
5. An ordinance adopting the Tax Increment Allocation Financing for the Barber Colman Redevelopment Plan and Project Area.
Alderman Hoffman made a motion to approve and Alderman Torina seconded the motion.
| RESULT: APPROVED BY COMMITTEE [UNANIMOUS]
AYES: Karen Hoffman, Bill Rose, Gabrielle Torina, Janessa Wilkins ABSENT: Tim Durkee |
V. ADJOURNMENT
Alderperson Torina made a motion to adjourn. It was seconded by Alderman Rose. MOTION PREVAILED.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:48PM.
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