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Brays Oaks Management District Business & Economic Development Committee met Jan. 8.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
The Brays Oaks Management District Business and Economic Development Committee held a meeting via Zoom video conference on January 08, 2025, at 10:00 am.
District Board and Committee members present: Sheri Cortez, Ralph Rieger, Sylvia Rivas, Marsha Fisk
Staff members present: Josh Hawes, Cosme Garcia
Public present: Carolina Gambrel – SNR Creative, Gwen Smith-Johnson, Marcy Williams, Brenda Jackson, Amma Cobbinah - METRO, Wilfredo Santamaria - METRO
Committee Chair Sheri Cortez called the meeting to order at 10:00 AM, and the committee meeting adjourned at 11:01 AM.
THE COMMITTEE CONSIDERED THE FOLLOWING:
1. Call to Order
2. Public Comment
a. No public comments were received.
3. Minutes of 11/06/24 B&ED Committee Meeting
a. Committee meeting minutes submitted for reference.
4. District Updates & Recommendations
a. Development Properties
i. Director of Services Garcia gave an update on the Starbucks site and on a property on W. Airport being used by Deedy Auto Services.
ii. Cmte. Chair Cortez advised that Starbucks is completing work inside the location and an opening location should be decided soon. A Tesla charging station and retail center will also be on the property.
iii. Cmte. Chair Cortez advised of Ruffino landfill traffic issues and of the possible installation of a no-turn sign.
iv. Chairman Rieger requested the District monitor properties with capped values.
v. Cmte. Chair Cortez advised to add an item called valuations request as a sub-item to business incentives program.
b. Branding – SNR Creative
i. Ms. Gambrel reviewed task order number 5 with the cmte. which will cover work completed on the District’s next service and assessment plan.
ii. Cmte. Chair Cortez advised that HCDAO will be working on PSA’s / engagement opportunities with local business owners and will seek support from management districts. Executive Director Duhon advised that once a plan is finalized it can be presented to the board for consideration.
c. Permits & Platting
1. Permits
a. Director of Services Garcia reviewed the permits. A detailed report is included in the committee packet.
b. Chairman Rieger advised he would like the district to know more about the process of removing caps on property values.
c. Cmte. Chair Cortez advised she would like staff to explore highlighting properties that may potentially increase in value.
2. Platting
a. Director of Services Garcia advised that the district has no new platting activity.
d. Business PIP
i. Cmte. Chair Cortez advised staff to remove this item from the agenda.
e. Business Incentives Program
i. Director of Services Garcia advised that the district plans to recognize D-Bat. Cmte. Chair Cortez will provide contact details.
f. METRO
i. Ms. Cobbinah gave an update on the W. Bellfort PnR.
ii. Cmte. Chair Cortez expressed the District’s concern regarding the changes to the original project, she would like to see a timeline of the project and ridership statistics. 1. Ms. Cobbinah will share timeline details within the next two months.
iii. Chairman Rieger inquired into how frequent ridership data is collected.
1. Ms. Cobbinah advised that license plate surveys are completed every quarter and ridership is calculated monthly.
iv. Ms. Smith-Johnson noted her disappointment that the project is no longer moving forward as it was originally presented to the community.
g. Discuss Economic Development Initiatives
i. Executive Director Duhon advised that staff is working on BIG grant applications.
ii. Cmte. Chair Cortez advised she would like the district to explore business mixers.
1. Cmte. Chair Cortez advised that communication by email would be sufficient. Staff will work out the details and consult the Cmte. Chair before presenting to the cmte. and board.
5. Adjourn
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS:
• The committee recommends SNR Creative task order no. 5 to the board for consideration.
https://www.braysoaksmd.org/meeting-schedule/