December 14 2023 Economic Development Advisory Board Minutes
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Page 1 MINUTES OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY BOARD OF THE CITY OF CHANDLER, ARIZONA, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2022, HELD IN-PERSON AT CHANDLER CITY HALL, 175 S. ARIZONA AVE., CHANDLER, ARIZONA. Board Present: Karla Moran, Chairwoman Julie Trujillo, Vice-Chairwoman Micah Miranda, Secretary Aric Bopp, Boardmember Chase Farnsworth, Boardmember Jacob Knudsen, Boardmember Brent Menzel, Boardmember Ryan Nouis, Boardmember Dan Serrano, Boardmember Ryan Smith, Boardmember Mike Spangenberg, Boardmember Larissa Spraker, Boardmember Nick Woodruff, Boardmember Kari Zurn, Boardmember Terri Kimble, Ex-Officio Joshua Wright, Ex-Officio Board Absent: Cecilia Ashe, Boardmember Others Present Kevin Hartke, Mayor Andy Bass, Deputy City Manager Kimberly Janes, Tourism Program Manager Edyie McCall Economic Development Manager Chelsey Faggiano, Economic Development Specialist Ryan Kaup, Economic Development Specialist Odette Moore, Economic Development Research Analyst Michael Winer, Economic Development Specialist Haley Demircan, Tourism Marketing Coordinator Lisa Ciolli, First Things First Trinity Donovan, First Things First 1. Call to Order/Roll Call Ms. Karla Moran called the meeting to order at 8:34 a.m. 2. Approval of Minutes Mr. Chase Farnsworth made a motion to approve the minutes from Wednesday, September 14, 2022. The motion was seconded by Mr. Nick Woodruff. Minutes approved unanimously. 3. Action Items None 4. Briefing Items Page 2 A. First Things First Update/Overview Lisa Ciolli, Community Outreach Coordinator for First Things First, provided the board with an overview of the First Things First (FTF) organization. She said FTF is an agency created by Arizonans and is committed to the healthy development and learning of young children from birth to the age of five. She added that 93% of FTF’s funds go toward programs for young children and families. Ms. Ciolli continued by describing the state of childcare in Arizona and the impacts it has on parents and employers. A major takeaway from the research findings shared was that children who have access to quality early learning are: • More prepared for kindergarten • Do better in school • More likely to graduate • More likely to continue education beyond high school She concluded her presentation by providing the board with a summary of federal assistance and ways board members and other stakeholders can help make childcare a priority within their respective organizations. B. Overview of the Chandler Innovation Fair Odette Moore provided an update on the City’s 12th Annual Chandler Innovation Fair. She said the event is organized by the City of Chandler and Chandler Unified School District, and that it focuses on engaging youth (of all ages) through hands-on activities and experiences centered around STEAM education. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, February 25, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., in Downtown Chandler. Ms. Moore continued by outlining opportunities for both attendees and businesses/organizations. She concluded the presentation by encouraging those not yet involved to get involved and thanked the event sponsors. C. Redevelopment Legislation Update Micah Miranda provided an update on an Economic Development Division idea for potential state legislation to create new housing opportunities by supporting redevelopment of underutilized commercial properties. Mr. Miranda’s presentation included information on Arizona’s housing challenge and how redevelopment could help bring balance back to areas that are currently oversaturated with commercial retail uses. Key takeaways included: • Residential construction has not kept pace with increasing demand and lack of supply has caused housing prices to escalate making homeownership out of reach for many Arizona residents. • In Q2 2022, only 22% of homes sold were considered affordable. Page 3 • Occupancy in the region has maintained record highs at 97.3% in Q1 2022 with rent growth nearly two times higher than the national average, which increased 13.7%. • Cities in the region closest to Phoenix, our core city, are running out of greenfield sites available for residential development. • Within the Phoenix metro area, there is 156 million square feet of retail space within shopping centers. Even when vacancy across the region is low, there is 10+ million square feet of vacant shopping center space. • Developing new housing units would help bring balance back to areas that are currently oversaturated with retail uses. • The remaining shops and restaurants would benefit from having more residents and disposable income in their trade area. He concluded by walking the board through two case study examples and informing the board that the proposed legislation is still in draft format and needs to be more thoroughly vetted. 5. Advisory Boardmember Comments Ms. Trujillo thanked SRP for allowing the EDAB board members to participate in the Watershed Tours. 6. Next Meeting Ms. Moran announced that the next Economic Development Advisory Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. A calendar invite will be sent to all board members in advance. 7. Adjournment Ms. Moran adjourned the meeting at 10:02 a.m. Respectfully Submitted, ________________________________ Karla Moran, Chairwoman ________________________________ Micah Miranda, Board Secretary