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City Council Minutes <br />September 21, 2020 <br />Page 11 <br />the public. He also had concerns about the proposed construction schedule of the <br />parking ramp as he doesn't believe it's feasible. <br />Mr. Hartung stated he did not think it was responsible to fill the room for a Council <br />meeting due to COVID but said he could have. He explained he believes the project <br />meets the spirit of the development agreement and he is only asking for support to <br />take the project to the next level before getting public comment. <br />Councilmember Westgaard indicated the businesses could provide letters of support <br />to the Council. He stated he is willing to continue discussion but wants more <br />community engagement from residents and businesses. He would like to know in <br />more detail how the businesses downtown will be accommodated during <br />construction as most small businesses could not survive an 18-month construction <br />disruption. <br />Mr. Hartung indicated his goal would be to have parking available while the ramp is <br />being constructed and would work with nearby businesses to designate parking spots <br />during construction. He indicated he would be willing to extend the development <br />agreement to answer his questions on incentives, parking, traffic and timeline and <br />possibly holding a public hearing prior to bringing the plan back in February for the <br />Council to act on. <br />Councilmember Westgaard stated Mr. Hartung asked for an exclusive agreement last <br />October for four months and it is now a year later. He noted the exclusive <br />agreement cannot go on forever. Mr. Hartung indicated he is simply hoping to <br />extend the exclusivity long enough to tackle the four issues discussed earlier. <br />Mayor Dietz explained typically developers present information to staff prior to <br />coming before Council as staff will review and make recommendations. He stated it <br />is difficult for the Council to make decisions without having all the information and <br />staff recommendations. He expressed concerns with making Jackson one-way. <br />Councilmember Wagner indicated she has received comments about Jackson <br />becoming one-way and about allowing Mr. Hartung exclusive rights. She believes <br />both should be discussed at some point. She explained she is not trying to stop Mr. <br />Hartung's project and questioned if the Council should take the first project <br />presented to them or if it is worth having a conversation about allowing others a <br />chance to submit proposals. <br />Mr. Hartung indicated he does not have a problem if the city wants to seek other <br />bids. He is asking the Council to decide on whether they wish to continue <br />discussions on his proposal adding he is open to suggestions. <br />Councilmember Ovall indicated a few things that stand out to him are the timeline, <br />support, and feasibility of both. What he's heard from the Council is they are open <br />to exploring incentives in concept but not sure what those numbers will look like, <br />