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City Council Minutes Page 3 <br />September 8, 2020 <br />----------------------------- <br /> <br />Mr. Hartung stated he met with Karen Wingard who manages the Farmers Market <br />and felt they came up with some great ideas on keeping the market downtown, and <br />where to hold it in the new development as well as provide a space for a winter <br />market. <br /> <br />Chair Toth asked about the proposal for a one-way Main Street and where would the <br />traffic exit. <br /> <br />Mr. Hartung explained a traffic study would reveal more details about the best traffic <br />routing design. <br /> <br />Chair Toth asked about the future of the Elk River Meats building. <br /> <br />Mr. Hartung stated he has had ongoing discussions with the owners of Elk River <br />Meats and discussed mutual goals of enhancing their building and increase their <br />business if they chose to remain in that location. He stated when the owners are <br />ready to retire, he has designed a plan to offer them a premium for their land and <br />building and incorporate the space into the project. He stated the owners are not <br />ready to make any decisions at this time. <br /> <br />Commissioner Swenson asked for clarification on the residential parking spaces for <br />the 127 mixed units, and Mr. Hartung clarified one parking unit is proposed for each <br />studio, 1- and 2- bedroom units, and two parking units for the townhouses and 3 <br />bedrooms. He stated they could sell additional spots as they will have additional <br />spots available. <br /> <br />Several members of the audience spoke. <br /> <br />The owner of Olde Main Eatery expressed concerns with the lack of parking for his <br />restaurant as well as other area businesses during the first six months of construction <br />and how that would negatively affect his business, stating his business needs at least <br />30-40 parking spots for operation. <br /> <br />Mr. Hartung stated the parking ramp would be open in a matter of months. He <br />stated if the Council and HRA could come to an agreement tonight, and when he <br />comes back for official vote, he could present some options to the affected <br />businesses and seek ways to stage the project to minimize parking impacts. He stated <br />he would like the local business’ feedback. He discussed a creative marketing budget <br />to include some incentives and assist in parking off-site. <br /> <br />Frank Galli felt a six-month project of this size in a small community can be <br />devasting and asked what could be done. <br /> <br />Mr. Hartung provided a suggestion to mitigate the effect of decreased parking by <br />making Jackson Avenue a one-way and doubling the parking along both sides of the <br />street. He stated he hopes and will push for a shorter timeline and will guarantee that <br /> <br />