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Home My WebLink About2008-05-21 Approved Minutesfile:///F IlApps/W EBDATA/Internet/EconomicDevelopmentCommitteeAgendas/mn05-22-08.htm MINUTES 5-21-08 , r , j-1 j -1 I ti Minutes of the Economic Development Committee held at the City Council Chambers, City of Newport Beach, on Wednesday, May 21, 2008. Members Present: X Steve Rosansky, Chairman X Debra Legan e Keith Curry, Council Member X Richard Luehrs X Mike Henn, Council Member - excused e Mark Murrel X Robert Hawkins, Planning Commissioner X Scott Palmer e Mike McNamara, Vice Chairman e John Robinson A Fred Ameri A John Saunders A Craig Batley A Gregg Schwenk X Seymour Beek X Gary Sherwin X Gary DiSano X Charles Unsworth e Jim Donnell X Gay Wassall-Kelly X Kenneth Drellishak A Kevin Weeda X Sheri Drewry X Danielle Sim e Jennifer Gonzalez X John Hyatt X Lloyd Ikerd X Brion Jeannette Staff Representatives: X Sharon Wood, Assistant City Manager e Leigh DeSantis, Economic Development Administrator x Katie Bowden, Economic Development Coordinator Guests Present: 'eggy Fort Roll Call and Introductions: file:///FI/Apps/WEBDATA/Internet/EconomicDevelopmentCommitteeAgendas/mn05-22-08.htm (1 of4) [12/15/2008 1:56:29 PM] file:///F IlApps/W EBDATA/Internet/EconomicDevelopmentCommitteeAgendas/mn05-22-08.htm Chairman Rosansky called the meeting to order at 8:05 AM, and requested introductions of the assembled members, staff and guests. UPDATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS . The Corona del Mar Scenic 5K Run will be held on June 7, 2008. . The Balboa Island parade will be held on June 1, 2008. The bridge will be closed at 10:45 am. . Orange County Week will be featured on Huell Howser's show on KCET/KOCE, with special sections on Newport Beach, the Back Bay, the Newport Beach Nautical Museum, and the Balboa Island Ferry. . Huell Howser will also be the guest speaker at the Newport Beach Conference and Visitor's Bureau's annual dinner on June 4, 2008. . The Newport Beach Restaurant Association will be holding a luau fundraiser for Relay for Life on the Balboa Island Ferry on June 5, 2008. So far, Relay for Life has raised over $225,000. . An athletic awards dinner will be held at the Radisson hotel tomorrow night. Former UCLA athlete Terry Donahue will be the guest speaker. DISCUSSION ITEMS 1. Minutes of April 16, 2008 Motion: Mr. DiSano Second: Mr. Beek Vote: Unanimous 2. Presentation by the Sub -committee of a revised and updated Economic Development Policy and a proposed Resolution adjusting EDC Committee Membership for discussion and submission to City Council for adoption. Richard Luehrs reviewed the proposed resolution for adjusting the EDC membership, stating that the sub -committee hoped to make the membership categories easier to fill when vacancies occur. Sharon Wood stated that the number of committee members is reduced from 28 to 25 because there have been attendance issues with some existing committee members. She encouraged members to notify staff in advance if they are unable to attend a meeting. Sharon Wood stated that the City Council Policy on Economic Development has been in place since 1993, and revised most recently in 2001. Ms. Wood stated that the updated policy will allow the EDC and staff to implement the recently adopted Economic Development Strategic Plan. Bob Hawkins suggested changing section A2 to read "When needed, update and consider necessary revisions." The EDC voted to approve the policy and resolution as amended. Motion: Mr. DiSano Second: Mr. Hawkins Vote: Unanimous file:///FI/Apps/WEBDATA/Internet/EconomicDevelopmentCommitteeAgendas/mn05-22-08.htm (2 of4) [12/15/2008 1:56:29 PM] file:///FI/Apps/WEBDATA/Internet/EconomicDevelopmentCommitteeAgendas/mn05-22-08.htm 3. Presentation on Restaurant Week 2008 by Restaurant Association President Sheri Drewry. Sheri Drewry introduced Peggy Fort, President of California Marketing Concepts, Inc. and Marketing Consultant for the Newport Beach Restaurant Association (NBRA). Ms. Fort reported that the FY 2007-2008 budget for the NBRA was under $100,000. However, the members through partnership marketing opportunities, leveraging and solicitation of in-kind media and ad placements generated approximately $500,000 in impact. Ms. Fort reported that in FY2007- 2008, the NBRA saw a 30% increase in use of the NBRA website and dining reservation system. Ms. Fort reported the results of NBRA's Second Annual Newport Beach Restaurant Week as follows: O The event's purpose is to showcase the local restaurant community and to generate business during a relatively slow time of the year. O 75 restaurants participated with fixed priced menus, averaging a 25 to 60 percent discount from the regular menu price. O The event was marketed to both local area residents and out -of -market visitors with a high propensity to dine out, with the hope of generating repeat business and new customers. O The campaign generated approximately $5,230,000 in sales, with $53,200 of sales tax revenue for the City's general fund. O The restaurant industry is the second largest sales tax revenue generator for the City of Newport Beach. O The event partnered with the Newport Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau and American Express, giving increased value and reach to the advertising campaign. O NBRA has fielded questions from Manhattan Beach and DineLA, who are both looking to model events after the Newport Beach event. Ms. Fort and Ms. Drewry thanked the Committee for their support of the Restaurant Association. Ms. Drewry stated that Newport Beach and San Francisco are the only California cities that have their own restaurant associations. Ms. Drewry also informed the Committee that the NBRA is a Business Improvement District that receives an annual grant from the City but the grant has not increased any in the last eleven years. Ms. Fort informed the Commission that the NBRA would be seeking both an increase to its grant and a supplementary budget for Restaurant Week 2009 from the City. Scott Palmer provided the Committee with an overview of the NBRA BID billing structure. Ms. Fort informed the Committee that the NBRA is also working with the City on DUI awareness and other "good neighbor" initiatives. When asked what methods the NBRA was using to track the number of locals and out-of-town Restaurant Week visitors, Ms. Fort responded that American Express has the ability to track that information, and will include it in their report. Ms. Fort informed the Committee that NBRA hopes to target more out-of-town visitors in the future. Lastly, the NBRA is discussing the possibility of hosting two Restaurant Weeks a year. However, considerably more resources would be needed to host another event in the fall. 4. EQAC Representative's Report file:///FI/Apps/WEBDATA/Internet/EconomicDevelopmentCommitteeAgendas/mn05-22-08.htm (3 of4) [12/15/2008 1:56:29 PM] file:///F IlApps/W EBDATA/Internet/EconomicDevelopmentCommitteeAgendas/mn05-22-08.htm Ken Drellishak reported that some changes were made to EQAC's role at the May 13, 2008 City Council meeting. In the past, EQAC had missed several mitigated negative declaration documents. In the future, EQAC will be able to request those documents for their review. In addition, EQAC may now perform its own independent studies through the utilization of expertise from within its own ranks. Mr. Drellishak informed the Committee that the Green Building Committee was originally comprised of EQAC members. Mr. Drellishak informed the Committee that EQAC has written a position statement requiring the ban of Styrofoam packaging in the City, as it is a permanent contaminant to the ocean, landfills, and the general environment. The ban would apply to retail restaurant take-out packages, but does not apply to items which have been packaged outside of the City limits. Mr. Drellishak stated that the ban does allow for a waiver or temporary relief if the applicant can demonstrate economic hardship, and that Laguna Beach has a similar ban in place. The NBRA requested a copy of EQAC's position statement. ITEMS FOR A FUTURE AGENDA O Representatives from Banning Ranch and Save Banning Ranch organizations should be invited to present to the Committee. PUBLIC COMMENTS The new restaurant, A la Carte, will be holding its grand opening at 7:00 PM tonight. The restaurant is located across from Balboa Theater, and has already been a popular destination for its wine dinners. Irrelevant Week begins on June 26, 2008. The arrival party will be held on June 23, 2008 at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort. Chairman Rosansky informed the Committee that there is no assigned seating at the Committee meetings. Mr. Rosansky invited members to sit at the conference table if seats are available. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Rosansky called for the meeting to be adjourned at 9:00 AM. file:///FI/Apps/WEBDATA/Internet/EconomicDevelopmentCommitteeAgendas/mn05-22-08.htm (4 of4) [12/15/2008 1:56:29 PM]