Minutes_Long Range Planning Advisory Commission 3 20 13THE CITY OF
Dubuque
DUB F IIi
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
2012
MINUTES
CITY OF DUBUQUE LONG RANGE PLANNING ADVISORY COMMISSION
REGULAR SESSION
5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
City Council Chamber, Historic Federal Building
Commissioners Present: Chairperson Jim Prochaska; Commissioners Craig Beytien,
John Pregler, Richard Van Iten, Alan Vincent, and Charles Winterwood.
Commissioners Excused: Commissioner Chad Darter.
Staff Members Present: Laura Carstens and David Johnson.
CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Prochaska at 5:30
p.m.
CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE: Staff presented an Affidavit of Compliance verifying
that the meeting was being held in compliance with the Iowa Open Meetings Law.
MINUTES: Motion by Van Iten, seconded by Beytien, to approve the minutes of February
20, 2013, as submitted. Motion carried by the following vote: Aye — Vincent, Prochaska,
Beytien, Van Iten, Pregler and Winterwood; Nay - None.
ACTION ITEMS
Review 2008 Comprehensive Plan Goals and Objectives for Progress Report: Staff
Member Carstens reviewed the outline for the City's 2008 Comprehensive Plan
Progress Report. She explained the purpose of the report is to gather information and
determine the progress on existing goals and objectives in the Comprehensive Plan
from City departments. The Commission noted it will be important to understand which
goals and objectives have been accomplished or are in progress prior to initiating the
Comprehensive Plan update process.
Commissioners recommended adding an opportunity to indicate any issues or
recommended changes to the goals and objectives as well as projects that are
dependent on other projects.
Staff Member Carstens requested the Commission develop a vision for the Community
Engagement Process.
The Commission discussed their vision and expectation for the engagement process to
be an open and inclusive process. The Commission suggested greater utilization of
social media and engaging people at large venues that draw a range of people.
Minutes — Long Range Planning Advisory Commission
March 20, 2013
Page 2
Review 2013 Dubuque County Regional Smart Plan Goals: Staff Member Carstens
explained there is a need to determine the relevancy of the adopted goals and
objectives in the 2013 Dubuque County Smart Plan for the City of Dubuque. She
explained the Smart Plan includes chapters based on the Iowa Smart Planning
legislation which are not found in the City's 2008 Comprehensive Plan, but will be in the
next update.
Commissioners discussed adopted goals and objectives of the Dubuque County Smart
Plan and Iowa Smart Planning legislation for inclusion in the updated Comprehensive
Plan. They noted many City goals and objectives relate to the Smart Plan. The
Commission suggested Planning Services staff make recommendations for Smart Plan
goals that are pertinent to and should be considered for inclusion in the Comprehensive
Plan.
LIAISON /SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
Enterprise Zone Commission: Commissioner Van !ten reported on three projects. He
reported the property at 2811 Jackson Street has been purchased and is slated for
development of three sets of apartments which may eventually become condominiums.
He noted the property at 407 & 409 Loras Boulevard has been purchased and is in the
beginning stages of a rehabilitation project. He stated the property at 324 -326 West Locust
Street has also been purchased by the same property owners and is slated for
rehabilitation.
ITEMS FROM COMMISSION:
GDDC Presentation - Trends Impacting Economic Development: Dan McDonald, GDDC,
300 Main Street, Dubuque, reviewed trends impacting the economic development in the
community. He noted that there is no one thing that an existing or new business needs
or wants, but a common theme for all is needing people. He noted the #1 challenge
facing Dubuque as well as many other communities in the nation is the availability of
qualified people to meet employment demands and opportunities. Mr. McDonald
reviewed Info Action, a snapshot of Dubuque's business community. He noted many of
the positive attributes as well as workforce - related issues due to the aging of baby
boomers and the recognized need for a workforce strategy. He explained workforce
availability and solutions will define communities' abilities to grow their economies. He
noted workforce issues are not just about having people available; it's having people
educated in the right areas.
He explained Iowa's population gained only approximately 10,000 people in the last two
years, but Dubuque was one of only four metro areas which grew. He noted more rural
counties saw a decline in population. Mr. McDonald reviewed Iowa population trends,
noting a projected decline in population of persons younger than 45 in the state of Iowa
over the next 30 years. He reviewed Dubuque's population trends. He noted large
employers like IBM and John Deere are creating a sustainable trend of newcomers in
Dubuque.
Minutes — Long Range Planning Advisory Commission
March 20, 2013
Page 3
The Commission asked Mr. McDonald if GDDC knows where people are moving from
and what jobs they are taking. Mr. McDonald explained that data is not specifically
available for Dubuque. He clarified that GDDC knows where there are openings and
needs for local employers, and the work of local educational institutions to address
courses and training to meet those needs. He further clarified that GDDC has some
knowledge of where local graduates are finding work locally, such as recent graduates
for new advanced manufacturing at NICC.
Mr. McDonald reviewed migration population trends for Dubuque County. He reviewed
Dubuque County population trends, noting optimism in the positive projected growth
through the year 2040. He also compared Dubuque County population trends to
regional contiguous counties for 2010 through 2030.
Mr. McDonald explained the importance land policy has in impacting economic
development and population growth. He noted how land was used in the Tech Park
and Dubuque Industrial Center West for new and existing businesses. He explained a
wise, forward thinking policy towards land use is essential to growing a local economy.
Mr. McDonald reviewed the five -year economic trends for job growth in Dubuque
County, noting job growth exceeded the projections in 2012 with 58,300 jobs. He noted
the unemployment rate is projected to drop over the next five years, which can impact
workforce availability.
Mr. McDonald explained gross metro product and the five -year projection for Dubuque
County, noting in 2012, it was $4.8 billion. He then reviewed income growth percentage
projections for 2012 through 2016, noting the impact of the aging workforce.
The Commission discussed the growing prospects for skilled trades and technical
positions, and what schools and community colleges can and should be doing about
these needs.
Mr. McDonald reiterated the importance of having the right number of people with the
right skill set in your work force. The Commission discussed issues with primary and
secondary education in preparing students for college as well as the work force, and
providing options and alternatives to retain and grow the job base.
Mr. McDonald reviewed home values and building permits issued over the last five
years, noting Dubuque's real estate market has weathered the recession fairly well and
there are positive projections through 2016. The Commission thanked Mr. McDonald
for his presentation.
ITEMS FROM STAFF:
CPAT Final Report on Heritage Trail: Staff Member Carstens reviewed the CPAT
process and final report on the Heritage Trail as an informational item.
Minutes — Long Range Planning Advisory Commission
March 20, 2013
Page 4
Dubuque County Sustainability Public Meeting: Staff Member Carstens noted this is an
informational meeting, and invited Commissioners to attend.
ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager Adopted-