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CITY OF MUSKEGON
CITY COMMISSION WORKSESSION
Monday, December 13, 2021
5:30 p.m.
City Commission Chambers
933 Terrace Street, Muskegon, MI 49440
MINUTES
Will Snyder from Representative Terry Sabo’s office was in attendance and
presented resolutions to Mayor Stephen J. Gawron and Commissioner Dan
Rinsema-Sybenga in appreciation of their years of dedicated service.
2021-107
CSXT Purchase Agreement
For the past 5+ years, staff has been working to complete the purchase
and removal of the CSXT railroad line that runs from the former YMCA
through Lakeside to the Jaycees Launch Ramp. The agreement would
allow for a portion of the line to be converted into a trail via a trail use
agreement, and the remainder of the line to be used for redevelopment.
The purchase price is $1,648,000. We anticipate $40,000 in filing fees as
well. As part of the due diligence period, we will have the entire line
surveyed. We do not have a cost for the survey, and instead will use a
billable hourly rate model. Staff has a tight timeline to complete due
diligence and prepare for Federal Approval. As such, we will be requesting
authorization to both sign the agreement and formally complete $2 Million.
We are proposing to utilize ARPA dollars to complete the purchase, but we
foresee opportunities to recoup most/all of this investment via a
combination of Brownfield TIF and allowing the buy-out of the various
crossing agreements that we will inherit.
This item will appear on the regular meeting agenda on December 14,
2021 for consideration.
Social District Report and Plan
After a year-plus into the Downtown Muskegon Social District and starting a
second in Lakeside at the end of summer, city staff is pleased as to
operations and finances. There is no doubt from a business, image and
downtown activity standpoint, the Downtown Social District has been a
huge success since launching in September 2020. It has been a learning
process, especially in how to handle sticker/cup prices and the city costs of
producing downtown events that drove social district sales.
City staff met with the Social District establishment and stakeholders in late
November to report on the first-year operations, provide thoughts on plans
for 2022 and receive feedback and suggestions from the group.
Staff is recommending a flat fee of 75 cents for social district stickers for
year-round use. We will not be purchasing cups and we will not have
different stickers for special events. The proposed fee for 2022 will be on
the regular agenda December 14, 2021.
Inclusive Zoning Proposal REMOVED PER STAFF REQUEST
Public Comment – No public comments were received.
Adjournment: The Worksession meeting adjourned at 6:17 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Ann Marie Meisch, MMC – City Clerk