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Page 3 - January 22, 2002, New Brighton Council Minutes I. redevelopment activities this past year. While overall building activity has stabilized, in cOl~unction with the slow economy, I am vcry proud to indicate that our long tctm development objectives remain intact and we are taking the steps necessary to move projects forward. The NW quadrant is the largest overall redevelopment effort ever undertaken by the City. We have already acquired numerous sites and will continue to assemble properties in order to accommodate a very comprehensive redevelopment project, headed up by Ryan Development. When all is said and done, the community will benefit from over $170,000,000 of new taxable market value, made up of housing, retail, and office opportunities. Activity around the old McGiHis &Gibbs pole yard area continues to proceed according to schedule. The great buildings already constructed during the past year will be complimented by an upper market rate apartment facility and additional retail/restaurant facilities this spring. The Brighton Village Shopping Center is a vitally important corner in New Brighton. A task Force of New Brighton residents has worked extensively in evaluating what type of development should be located here in order to support the needs of the neighborhood, community, and region for the next 25 years. .. Later this evening, the Council will reCeive the Task Force's recommendations and provide staffwith direction as to how to proceed with this important redevelopment effort. . . I City Resources . One of the reasons New Brighton is special is because of the talented and dedicated staff that serves the community and us. We pride ourselves 011 the delivery of the essential services delivered to you throughout the year. We know we have done a good job, because you have told us so. Weare certainly not petfect and wiH continue to always try and improve ourselves and the ways we deliver the services you expect. . This strategic theme relates to how wc operate ourselves as an organization, focusing on our staff as an important municipal resource. Our compensation program is tied to appropriate marketplaces to ensure that we are able to retain professional and well""'}ualified staff. We place a strong focus on good training and safety practices. Because personnel costs are such a significant portion of our operating budget, we pay special attention to ensuring that we aren't overstaffed. hl fact, the City Manager has implemented a hiring freeze regarding three positions currently open until we are able to detennine what impact the current legislative budget discussions may have on our community. This will require an of our departments to work together and work smarter, which we will do. Quality Lifecvcle Housing . Our housing stock is strong and diverse. 1 laving a good level oflife-cycle housing is one of New Brighton's greatest assets. Our housing goals are to encourage additional homeownership and higher markct rate multi- family facilities. PrQjects currently either approved or being proposed move our commlUlity toward these goals. In fad, the housing component of the Northwest Quadrant redevelopment provides for approximately 650 residential units, with the m'!iorityto be for home ownership. . It is great to see so many residents reinvesting in their homes. To encourage this, New Brighton joined and organization called the Housing Resource Center. This organization provides free consultation and advice for any resident,> interested in improving their homes. It is a service I would strongly suggest you take advantage of, if you are thinking about any type of remodeling or addition. · We have also paid attention to your input during the past year regarding property maintenance issues and concems. Tn 2001, we added a staff person to assist in proactively addressing property maintenance issues around the city. W c hope you have noticed these efforts and will continue to work in this area so that your neighborhood quality oflife is retained and improved upon. I Safe and Secure Community . We have a very safe community. The efforts of our excellent public safety department are paying off in premiums tllfOUgh lower aggressive crimes and higher involvement and engagement in our eitizens on public safety matters. . Our department responds to over 11,000 calls each year. While these numbers reflect an increase of 1.5% over 2000, 1 am proud to report that part 1 crimes, which include significant crimes such as assault, rape, murder, etc. decreased 100/0 in the past year, and reflects a continuing decrease in serious crimes. . OUf attention to monitoring and dealing with speeding in our neighborlloods has increased significantly. This is in direct response to your requests in our atmual neighborhood meetings. We made over 920 stops for speeding this year. We also stopped over 107 vehicles involving DWT's. We also have more than 25 2002 State of the City Address