Economic Development Packet 2-9-21

Economic Development Committee Agenda February 9, 2021 – 4:00 PM This meeting will be held remotely via Zoom. Public participation information is as follows: Phone: +1646558 8656 US Link: https://zoom.us/j/95557066795?pwd=R3VveVZYSGxaMTlpVUx6RDlodE5odz09 Event number: 955 5706 6795 Event password: DOVER Public comments are welcomed on any item and will be permitted at appropriate time. When possible, please notify the Mayor's Office (302-760-4920 or email mayorsoffice@dover.de.us) should you wish to be recognized. 1. Welcome 2. Adoption of Agenda 3. Adoption of Minutes 4. Kent Economic Partnership A. Linda Parkowski demo of the KEP/Choosing Central Delaware website (Zoom Prospector) describe collectively respond to inquiries 5. City of Dover Planning- A. Update given by Dave Hugg 6. Mayor's Announcements 7. Next Meeting Date 8. Adjournment

Economic Development Committee Minutes December 15, 2020- 4:00 p.m. The Economic Development Committee Meeting was held by video conference on December 15, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. with Mayor Robin R. Christiansen presiding. Committee Members present via video or telephone were Councilman David Anderson, Kim Adams, Clayton E Hammond II, Dave Hugg, and Diane Laird. Matt Harline Acting City Manager sat in Donna Mitchell’s vacant position. Councilman Roy Sudler was not present Guests in attendance are Tina Bradbury, Monica Leblanc, Donny Legans, Judy Diogo, and Rachel Rigolino. WELCOME At 4:00 p.m. Mayor Robin R. Christiansen called the Economic Development meeting to order. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Mayor Christiansen called for adoption of the Agenda with the amendment of adding item 2a Adoption of Minutes. Councilman David Anderson moved for adoption of Agenda, seconded by Diane Laird, unanimously carried. (Councilman Roy Sudler absent) ADOPTION OF MINUTES Mayor Christiansen called for adoption of the November 10, 2020 Minutes. Diane Laird moved for adoption of Minutes, seconded by Kim Adams, unanimously carried. (Councilman Roy Sudler absent) UPDATE FROM TINA BRADBURY, DOWNTOWN DOVER PARTNERSHIP-SMALL BUSINESSES AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE. Small Business Saturday was a record sales day for all the businesses downtown. Stores were happy to see liveliness on the street, stores reported sales were up, and some reported it was their highest sales ever for Small Business Saturday. Merchants have reported weekdays are slow, but weekends have been very busy. The Market was not present this year due to Covid, which did not bring in more crowds. Incentives for shopping gift cards, 6, 100-dollar gift cards (4 from Downtown Dover Partnership and 2 donated from Mayor Christiansen) were raffled off. Included sales from black Friday to Cyber Monday, receipts could be emailed or texted. Downtown Dover Partnership (DDP) did a Facebook live throughout the stores, customers saw the live videos and purchased online or called the store to make a purchase. Gift card incentive went so well DDP did it for Capital Tree Holiday Celebration, auction was last Tuesday with 3 additional winners. Current gift card incentive is going on now until Christmas Eve to text or email receipts for entry. Market dollars were given for Restoring Central Dover, Resident window decorating contest,150 dollars a week going back into downtown.

Economic Development Meeting of December 15, 2020 PAGE 2 Diane Laird clarified that the Market was held during the summer. Tina Bradbury stated it was smaller, during the summer but was not able to put in place for Small Business Saturday. Delaware State University (DSU) grant program for website pilot, 8-12 recipients will be accepted and provided with assistance making an ecommerce site, training and assistance for up to one-year, small minimum fee after that. Dover Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta offering 150 dollars to new or existing businesses not a grant. Councilman Anderson is looking for letters of support his movement on electric deferment. Delaware Small Business Development Center (SBDC) on December 17 at 4pm will hold a free webinar to help businesses with challenges, anything from pandemic to racial equality. Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness program detail are currently out from the Small Business Association (SBA), more info coming in changes and what is forgiven. Current restaurant signage is coming out and is available on the Division of Small Business website. Signage is to put on doors and tables as requested by Governor Carney. The Delaware Relief Grant is closed. Looking to help people who applied the first time around that did not receive funds as well as applications that were submitted by the deadline of December 4, 2020. Will assess a need to reopen but as of now is closed. Kent County still has money left for $500 grants that are available. Window decorating contest for people’s choice, Parking Meeting coming up in January, marketplace option at Bayard plaza spot, and occupancy of Mr. Lee building. Tina Bradbury asked Councilman Anderson if the letters of support were due tonight December 15, 2020. Councilman Anderson said that is correct and if people will find it valuable, he would like the other Councilman to see that. Tina Bradbury, states if their businesses are closed Merchants are still charged that flat rate. Is this something that will be waived or just deferred? Councilman Anderson state that businesses that are totally impacted, lost revenue, or closed, if that is the case and they qualify the entire bill will be deferred until they can get on their feet. Tina Bradbury says one of the arguments is they wish it was a true reading and not a flat rate. Matt Harline, Acting City Manager states, most people have some electricity use, there is also a meter charge that is charged to everyone. The deferment is for all bills, that will include water, sewer, and trash so it will be the whole bill. The business will have up to two years to pay it back, the whole thing will be forgiven, and no bill will be charged during that time if they sign up and qualify. The City has set aside 50,000 dollars for this and the amount to be allotted will be the projection of use through October. Diane Laird add to Small Business Saturday update that Tina Bradbury works with Merchants to come in for help, new businesses, potential new business, SOD grant, artisan market, Mr. Lee building, New Tax business is in the downtown. 33 West closed the food truck was very active at the first Friday in December from 11:30 to 7:30.

Economic Development Meeting of December 15, 2020 PAGE 3 Tina asks Matt Harline and Councilman Anderson to take a look at food trucks in the Downtown, to look at the code to make it easier for the food trucks to come in spiritic shifts. Diane a business owner who had an issue is now closed for lunch. Tina Bradbury has approached Dave Hugg who is looking into code. Matt Harline asks, were the objections health issues or not allowed the way ordinance is written. Tina Bradbury stated it’s the way the ordinance is written. Tina said the second factor is getting restaurants on board. Councilman Anderson said the original proposal allowed 10 trucks. Tina Bradbury said she would like to bring it forward after the New Year. Tina Bradbury believes this will help the businesses downtown if someone is serving lunch. UPDATE FROM MONICA LEBLANC KENT COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS ON REAL ESTATE THROUGHT THE PANDEMIC. Kent County market is holding steady. Commercial market at this time with restaurants and businesses having to close the Commercial Market has held its own. The rental market in Dover most properties are 1,000.00 and up. The lower market for workforce people in Dover is full right now. The average day on the market for area code 19904 is 35 days and area code 19901 is 44 days. The average price of 19904 is 230,000 and for 19901 is 225,000. The market in Kent County have a year and eight-month supply. In the Dover area is a little shorter. Homes are moving quickly. Offers are coming in within a day to a week. Market is holding good for this time of year the Governor allowed them to continue to operate. Agents are not doing open houses or brokers openings. Mayor Christiansen asked if Dover is getting any people from out of state moving in? Monica Leblanc states that tons of people from out of state are purchasing and leasing. There is a lot of movement in healthcare divisions example, remote nursing a lot are renting in Dover and down in Lewis to be near the hospitals. People are transferring down to Dover from Walmart and Amazon coming from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. Diane Laird asks, if you do Commercial Real Estate or do people consult about small business relocation? Monica stated we have a lot of construction from the southern region Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. Diane Laird responded, if you would like tours of downtown buildings, we would be happy to help particularly service or retailors. Dave Hugg, average price 220-230-dollar range what housing short falls are you seeing? Monica Leblanc, first time home buyers, do not have enough homes under 250 average. Selling homeowner has razor tax. if selling must pay it and when buying have to pay it again. In the county alone average is 252,000 and most new construction is over the price range for first time home buyers. Dave Hugg asks what about older houses 25-50 years old is there any interest? Monica Leblanc, yes, some in old Dover area, down State Street and. Lotus Street. A lot are from out of state and paying cash for these homes. Dave Hugg a lot of investment has been made in Old Dover, New Street, Queen Street, old central part near NCALL, Habitat, Milford Housing and others. Hoping there is a tipping point that as new properties get built those neighborhoods become more and more marketable are you finding that’s the case? Monica, no there is just a

Economic Development Meeting of December 15, 2020 PAGE 4 stigmatism in that area. Locals shy away from it and maybe some out of state that will come in but not a lot of activity in that area. UPDATE FROM DAVE HUGG THE DIRECTOR OF PLANNING FOR THE CITY OF DOVER There is a lot going on in Dover right now despite pandemic and overwhelming economic conditions. Commercial seems to be doing reasonably well and residential is doing better than I expected it to at this point in time. New business investment particularly in manufacturing and health care. The box plant will not be called U.S. Corrugated they will be coming up with a new name. Except for Closure DNREC Sewer Public Notice in about eight or nine days all the permits required to allow them to do work have all been issued and approved. They will be moving dirt soon, they have not settled on the property yet hope to happen this week. Other projects going on, we had a meeting with Kent County Family Court moving forward with land acquisition, property assembly, and early site plan work. Staff met today with Proctor and Gamble for warehouse expansion. I understand that a furniture stores has signed a lease and submitted plans for the old Toys R Us store out on the highway, this has yet to be confirmed. Furniture is an area we are under represented in the retail market. A lot of office activity, State Police Head Quarters is almost to completion out on Bay Road. Post office the steel is up and moving well. Somewhere in the planning and permitting stage is the Delaware Solid Waste Authority office building near Chesapeake. A new office building that has planning and permitting approval at Scarborough Road. Talking with people on a spec office building on Bay Road near American Legion. On Friday last week we had a company in town to do a site visit with Kent Economic Partnership (KEP) and some of us for potential manufacturing site in Kent County very impressed with Garrison Oak. We market as hard as we can as a shovel ready site one of the few in Kent County. Sometimes it is interesting to find out what you don’t know about you know. KEP, Dover, and Smyrna met with a Site Selector about a month or so ago to figure out what they do, how do they look at an area, what do they look for. KEP provided funding and we hired a gentleman who is in the food and beverage site location business. He ran us through a mock exercise pretending he had a large food and beverage manufacturer looking at Central Delaware. This last week we had a lot of assistance from a lot of people. Thank you, Rachel Engle by the way. We put together an RFI response we will know by Thursday what our grade is. Really brought home how sophisticated these site selectors are and what they are looking for. How critical it is for Dover to be on the leading edge to being able to provide information to people making decisions now not in a year, but weeks and months. Otherwise, the Economy of Dover is doing well. Councilman Anderson, Mr. Hugg do you know the unemployment rate is in Dover Metro right now? Dave Hugg, states that the last data he looked at it was in the teens and does not believe that to be accurate right now. ANNOUNCEMENTS Councilman Anderson wants to encourage people to tune in tonight at 6:00 p.m. to the Council Committee of the Whole. Mayor Christiansen states we also have Parks and Recreation workshops that will be available virtually. Diane Laird states if you have any last-minute Christmas shopping to do please do it downtown, they would appreciate your business.

Economic Development Meeting of December 15, 2020 PAGE 5 NEXT MEETING DATE January 12, 2021 ADJOURNMANT Mayor Robin R. Christiansen called for a motion to adjourn. Councilman Anderson moved for adjournment, seconded by Diane Laird, unanimously carried Meeting adjourned 4:38 p.m.