HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-02-07 Transcription Page 1
Council Present: Alter,Bergus,Dunn,Harmsen, Taylor, Teague, Thomas
Staff Present: From,Jones,Kilburg, Goers, Fruehling,Platz, Havel, Sovers, Clow,
Welter, Sitzman,Ralston,USG: Zeimet,LeFevre
USG: Zeimet,USG Liasion,LeFevre,Alternate Liaison
1. Call to Order
Teague: This is Tuesday,January, I'm sorry,February 7 of 2023 and this is the City of Iowa City
Council Meeting and I'm going to say roll call,please. [Roll Call]. All right. I want to
welcome everyone to your City Hall and to anyone online welcome as well.
2. Proclomations
2.a. Black History Month
Teague: We're going to start out with proclamations,which is,uh,two, um, agenda Item number
2, 2A. (Reads proclamation). And we're excited to have quite a few community members
here to accept this proclamation. And we will have Commissioner Roger Lusala from the
Human Rights Commission, Ismail from the Sudanese Commission. I believe the last
name is pronounced Alnoun,Anne Kiche,uh,who is the Chair of the African
Community Network, Jean-Marie Otiom, Chairperson of the Congolese Community,
and Monique Washington who was-who is a community member, and our dear Mrs.
Marian Coleman of Black Voices. In that order. And I'm going to come and give you all a
proclamation at this time. [APPLAUSE] Thank you.
Lusala: Thank you,Mayor Bruce and thank you Council. Uh,my name is Roger Lusala. I'm the
Chair of the Human Rights Commission. I'm here with my fellow commissioner,uh,
Jahnavi. She's back there, and Bijou Maliabo as well. Uh,we are the Human Rights
Commissioner and we have the whole Black and African American community here to
accept this award. So I'm going to make a few remarks then they all can come and say
that. The Black and African American in Iowa City is made up of many groups. Uh,we
have the native,the people that were born here, and we have some of the community
people that are here,Mr. Townsend, and we have Marian Coleman. We have many
people here. But we also have our immigrant community that not only they come over
here for a chance of a better life like myself,but also contribute to this community that
we call home. So I'm going to make my remarks as the representative of the Human,um,
Rights Committee and Commission,then they can also make their remarks as well. Black
and African-American history is American history. Uh,there is no disputing that. Black
and African American have made immeasurable contribution which have enriched this
country,this county, and the city. Indeed the life of every American. Every American
should acknowledge and be thankful for the contribution Black and African American
have made and continue to make. Every young Black and African American should be
proud because we are standing on the shoulders of the giants in history makers. We have
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many of them in the room here today. Through our history to the present,Black and
African American have experienced and endured inhumanity and injustices. Inequity not
just from societal and institutional biases,but also from other Americans we call friends,
co-worker, and neighbors. And even including the many death in the hands of police,the
people who vow to serve and protect us. It is more imperative that each of us,you and I,
should learn and continue to learn about history of Black and African-American.Not just
the past history,but the present history. We have Black and African American history
makers among us today,the present one. Our very own two term mayor Bruce Teague,
who is a black, openly gay man. We have our very own Royceann Porter,who made
history last year as the fust Black Chair of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. We
must shed light and condemn the inhumanity and justice- injustice with Black American
that continue experience today. I want to take this moment to applaud the City of Iowa
City and its commitment to extend and celebrate the important roles Black and African
American have played in our community with education,with social justice, and racial
equity. Example of that is naming some of our school here. We have Alexander,we have
Helen Lemme, and we have Elizabeth Tate. I also want to applaud the City for
recognizing social justice and racial equity in our strategic planning. And the
commitment that the Council have by allocating $100,000 for a grant that the Human
Rights Commission does process to advance racial equity and social justice. Today, I call
upon each of us, everybody here,the community,to listen to our Black and African-
American friends, co-worker and neighbors. And to learn about our experiences. And to
continue to fight on teaching our kids about the history of Black and African American in
the classroom. Until that becomes the reality, it is our responsibility to teach our children
about our history on our dinner tables,to talk about the history of Black and African
American on- in our churches, in fa- family gathering, and to read about it in our book
clubs. We all need to confront and end biases and take action to realize true reforms in
our self fust, our community, our culture, our institution. And with humanity and love for
one another,we can make our community a better place to live,work, and play. I thank
those that came before us that have worked so hard so some of us,African,Black
African,we can come to this country and also live the American dream. Thank you.
Teague: Welcome.
Alnoiun: My name is Ismail Alnoun. I'm from Sudanese community. I'm here to accept the
proclamation and we thank Iowa City and thank the Mayor for invitation. Also we
recognize this month for Black History. And also we thank Iowa City for recognizing us
as communities here and supporting all the communities in the city. Also,we are very
thankful for this moment to present our Sudanese community, [INAUDIBLE] part of this
community and help and make this community move forward. Thanks
Teague: Thank you.
Kiche: Hi,my name is Anne Kiche. Um, I'm the President, or the Chair, of the African
Community Network. Um,thank you so much City Council for having me here. Um,
unfortunately, I wasn't really prepared to come and give a speech because I was told last
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minute that this was going on so-But I'm really grateful that you have a place where we
can come and talk and talk about issues that affect us in our everyday life within Iowa
City. So thank you very much and I accept the proclamation.
Teague: Thank you.
Otiom: Hi, my name is Jean-Marie. I'm the Chairperson of the Congolese Community of Iowa.
Teague: Welcome.
Otiom: I'm here with two of er,my committee members, Miss Enez and the secretary Patrick.
Teague: Great
Otiom: Um, fust of all, we thank you for inviting the Congolese community. It look for us as a
recognition of the community. Well most of Congolese community are immigrants, are
really so we have a lot of problem of integration. So that's why due to the bad experience
we have or we encounter in this country, so we are helping out the community to live or
to reach the dream that they have in leaving the country for coming to the America really.
So ah,mostly we have trouble about our youth. So we registered many-many losses due
to reckless driving,the police when something. So now we are planning to-we are
conducting a census. As you can see,we have the census for all Congolese community to
know. Really the numbers of Congolese to where they are in the city. They live here so
that we can-the community can extend its services to those who need it, and help all
Congolese to overcome the issues that they have here. That's really ah, important role that
we want to do. So we want to give everybody, every, I mean, from Congolese community
to live or to have a better life here. That's how we go. Thank you very much.
Teague: Thank you. Welcome.
Washington: My name is Monique Washington. It is a pleasure to stand here before you guys
and recognize Black History Month. As you can see from the people that are here,we are
di- diverse community. Ah, our history didn't start here. We have a rich history, ah, it's
painful,but it's rich and it's beautiful. And we need to have black history taught in our
schools and in our community. I think that's very important. And I feel that if you have
somebody who has an act called the "Stop Woke" act, that to stop teaching Black
History. I hope that that this community never gets to that place. And so I just want to
thank you.
Teague: Thank you.
Coleman: Good evening.
Teague: Good evening. Welcome.
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Coleman: My name is Marian Coleman, and I'd like to say thank you so much for recognizing
black history as you see it, and you do see it. Also, it is a pleasure to know that our City
Council is aware of the discrepancies in what happens in our schools. I was in the school
district for 40 years, in the Iowa City Community School District. I was the equity
director. I was a federal compliance officer. I am also the fust African American to ever
retire from Iowa City Community School District in 100 years. So we have a lot of work
to do. We have things that we need to address. We have to step up. We have to take
action. I don't mean to sound like the Civil Rights worker I was growing up in the South,
but it is a pleasure for me to live in Iowa City. I grew up in South Carolina where onl-the
only thing we saw were black and white people. But look around us tonight.We see
people from everywhere. My kids and my grandchildren will be able to experience
different cultures, and will know that they aren't the lone stranger when it comes to
working on ways that we can always get along,that we can all look at each other. Lend a
hand of support. I thank you very much for noticing that this is necessary. It speaks
volumes. I am so happy to be here and I am so happy to have lived in Iowa City for over
50 years. I went to school a lot of different places before coming here. But my real
education started when I came here. Part of it was painful. Growing up in South Carolina.
I grew up when we were demonstrating,when we had the pairing plan so children could
decide which school,kinda what they're trying to do in Iowa now. We did it in Carolina.
But I grew up in Iowa. I learned to recognize all kinds of different people who needed
things. I came here off of the civil rights movement. And- so I had the impression that oh
who am I because I'm black or what was going to happen to me. And then I got the equity
job in the school district. And I found out,no,there are a lot of people who need support,
Special-Eds children,people from different cultures, children who don't speak English,
English as a second language. I learned that I had to respect the genders of all people. I
learned that I had to support them, defend them, encourage them, embrace them, and help
them to feel welcome in this community. I had a hard time doing that. But because I am
old as dirt and because I have been here for a very long time, I guess what Connie
Champion told me once was that I had assimilated. I don't think I have assimilated. I
think what I have done is grown up in Iowa City recognizing all the wonderful people in
our world. Thank you for this recognition.
Teague: Thank you. We're going to have Supervisor Porter give remarks.
Porter: Yes. Supervisor- County Supervisor Royceann Porter just wanted to say thank you for
this proclamation. Um,really look um,very proud to stand here [NOISE] to see our
elderly who have stood before me,whose shoulders I have stood on and I'm going to
acknowledge them as well as Marian Coleman, Orville and Billie Townsend. Could y'all
stand please? Orville has been here since 1962 and they have put in the work in the
community as well as Marian. But I stand here just to state that,um,you all as City
Council know what we went through. And today it is black history and we were hurt
from what we heard and what had happened. We have put that behind us,but we'll never
forget it, and I want you to know that. We will never forget what you did to us,because it
is simple fact,we have stood up in this community with all of you on issues of any type
of hate crime, any. Whether it'd be in a Sudanese- Sudanese community, Congolese,the
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um,uh,Jew,whatever it is we have stood there. But when it happened to us,we didn't
have that same support. And so um,just for us to recognize Black History Month this
month, I do want to invite you all to come out,Black,um,Black Voices is partnering
with the City of Coralville to do uh, community,uh, soul food dinner in which Henry
Harper started over uh,probably 15 years ago. And so to um, continue that,what we do
each year. We haven't done it. This would be the fust year coming back after COVID.
We will be at the Coralville Library, February,um,February,the 17th at 5:30, it will
begin at 5:30, and there-there's going to be a movie that's going to be shown,which is
called the Soul Food Junkies. It's a documentary. So we invite the community,we invite
Johnson County uh, Iowa City, Coralville,North Liberty. We want people to come out.
And this is a way of fellowship along with good eating. I also would like to talk to you in
regards to,uh, TeamCAN,who has on their Facebook page,we are fundraising to
continue to take our uh, students of color,white students,Asians, it don't matter,but
these kids will continue to go on the civil rights tour and the HBCU tour in which we
start out in Memphis, Tennessee. We take them to Slave Haven, going over to the Stax
Museum, and then we go down to Selma,Alabama. They get off the bus and they go
across the bridge-they walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. When they leave the
Edmund Pettus Bridge,we go into a museum in that park. When we leave there,we hit
down from,uh,Montgomery,Alabama to Birmingham,Alabama. We do the 16th Street
Church. We do everything,um, from the,um,the lynching museums all the way, it's a
learning history and it's not just for the children. A couple ye-uh of years ago,we had
Mayor Jim Throgmorton go along with Rocke Cole, so members of City Council, and I
would urge you to please consider going on this trip because it's a very learning,
educational piece. So we are now,uh, fundraising for this. It is social and racial justice
for us to continue to,uh, our kids to get the education that they need. So that in order for
them to know where they're going,they need to know where they come from. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you. I- I want to thank everybody for coming out for the proclamation and
Council, if you all can just hold on one second we have our fust Sudanese-American that
was elected in the entire United States. Uh, Mazahir Salih, super happy that you're here.
If you would like to have any words,you're welcome.
Salih: Yeah,thank you so much. I really have nothing to say,but I just like that you guys
including every black community,uh, like every black in this community together and
you brought them together. And I'm sure today will be together all the time on this fight.
And thank you so much. I appreciate it,thank you.
Teague: Great. Thanks to everyone that came for this proclamation.
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9. Community Comment
Teague: We are on to item Number 9,which is our community comment. This is an opportunity
for,uh, individuals to speak on any item that is not on our agenda. Um, and we will ask
that you keep your,um, comments to three minutes or less. And there is a sticker in the
back for people to place in the basket up here on the- on the sheet where you can write
your name. Welcome. Hello.
Kohl: Hello. Okay. I'm Judy Kohl,President of the Ty'n Cae Neighborhood,have been for over
30 years. First, I want to thank the City for the planned replacement of the old wooden
structures at Kiwanis Park. Second, I want to thank the staff for the posting the transcripts
last week of November 30th,hybrid meeting about the Southwest Rohret plan. Third, I
want to thank the Council members who reached out to me this week and provided
information about the Abbey Lane sewer replacement project that had not been approved-
that it had not been approved yet to go out for bid. Forth I want- I was out-of-state this
weekend when an Abbey Lane neighbor created a petition against narrowing the street
after the larger sewer line is installed down the middle. I'd like to hand in the petition
with the 20 addresses and names attached for the record. I don't know who to hand it to.
Thank you. Uh,the city's Council members will be getting an e-mail um, with the same
petition information on it, so you don't have to-to look at that. So thank you.
Teague: Thank you. Council, could I get a motion to accept correspondence?
Dunn: So moved.
Taylor: Second Taylor.
Moved by Dunn, second by Taylor. All in favor say aye.
Council: Aye.
Teague: Any opposed motion passes seven to zero. Welcome. Welcome.
Townsend: Thank you. My name is Billie Townsend and,um, I have a concern,um,that I
thought I would- since this is Black History Month, I wanted to- and of course,my crazy
phone is not doing what I want it to do. Um,but I-my concern is the-uh,things going on
in Florida right now with diversity, with Ron DeSantis banning diversity and inclusion
initiatives in the- in the Florida Universities. And I'm hoping that we can be woke and
know what's going on in the country so that nothing happens like this in Iowa City
community. Um, I think it's- from what he's saying I'm gonna readjust a little bit of what
DeSantis said Tuesday. Ah,that he intends to ban state universities from spending money
on diversity equity, and inclusion initiatives in hopes that they will be-that they will
wither on the vine without funding. Um,the reason I'm concerned is that here in Iowa
City at the University of Iowa, I understand they're looking at all the diversity programs
and I'm hoping that they aren't planning to take any initiatives to cut these programs. But
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I'd wanted bring it to your attention so that we could understand what's going on in our
country, especially during Black History Month. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you. Welcome.
Benz: Good evening. My name is Lori Benz. I'm a resident of Iowa City. I want to address the
City Council tonight about,uh,the Senior Center's facility plans. Um, as you know the
Senior Center is assessing building restoration options. I want to provide some historical
context for the original decision-making to locate the Senior Center at its current site that
you might not otherwise receive. In 1981,Betty Maisel and I helped to open the Senior
Center. After considerable input and planning by the City of Iowa City, Johnson County
Board of Supervisors, and older community members. The location had been carefully
studied and met two important goals of the city and the Council of elders of
representative advisory group at that time. First, the center would serve as another key
anchor venue in the downtown area along with the Public Library,Robert A. Lee
Recreation Center, and the Ped Mall. These sites were envisioned as destinations for
residents that would promote greater interaction of diverse citizens, facilitate an increase
use of the city supported services and local businesses, and spur the overall vitality of the
downtown area. The transportation services including the central municipal bus
exchange,the Seats agency, and planned parking ramps all were seen as supporting the
Senior Center and downtown revitalization. Importantly,housing for older adults such as
Ecumenical Towers and Capitol House was being built in the downtown area and still
exists today. To further support the involvement,well-being, and continued contributions
of older folks to their community. The second goal of locating the Senior Center
downtown like the fust continues to be very relevant today. The location was intended to
help keep older adults engaged in the larger community. Too often they are segregated,
isolated, and otherwise limited as full community participants. The visibility of active
older adults in the downtown area challenges social stereotypes and most importantly
contributes to the cities desired goals of inclusivity, citizen engagement, and a thriving
community. Yes,the so-called Greatest Generation that Betty and I served is dwindling
fast, and baby boomers are taking their place.
Teague: Thank you-thank you. You had three minutes sorry. Thank you.
Benz: I would like to submit my statements so-
Teague: Yep. You can submit it there. Thank you.Thank you. Yep. Thank you. Could I get a
motion to accept correspondence?
Taylor: So moved, Taylor.
Alter: Second,Alter.
Teague: All in favor say aye.
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Council: Aye.
Teague: Any opposed?Motion passes 7-0. Would anyone else like to address any item that is not
on the Council agenda? Seeing no one in public- seeing no one in person or online, I'm
gonna close the public,uh, comment,period.
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10. Planning& Zoning Matters
10.a.Rezoning—W. Benton St. and Orchard St.
1.Public Hearing—continued from 1/24
Teague: Item number 10 is planning and zoning matters. 10.a is,West Benton Street and Orchard
Street. Ordinance conditionally rezone and approximately 3.52 acres of land located
North of West Benton Street and West of Orchard Street from low-density, single-family
residential with the plan development overlay.Now Riverfront Crossing or through
Orchard to Riverfront Crossing Orchard. I'm gonna open the public hearing. All right. So
we're gonna start with comments from our-um, I don't know if staff wanna come up at
all. Okay.
Fruin: If you need to revisit anything from our presentation last meeting we can do that but
otherwise,we're gonna let you just continue the public hearing.
Teague: Great. Um, I don't know if the applicant or the developer wants to say any comments at
this time. Welcome.
Boelk: Good evening, Council and thank you for your time. Brian Boelk,Axiom Consultants,
here representing the applicant,Aptitude is here as well. A couple of individuals who
[INAUDIBLE] in answering your questions as well. Thank you for the time of the
Planning &Zoning Commission, Council, I know you've put in additional time in the
work session this evening,uh, as well as the City Staff and the neighborhood who have
been involved in our neighborhood meetings. Uh,though, I understand some of the
questions and concerns. Uh, I think it is getting a little bit lost with everybody on what
the issue is though in terms of rezoning which as you look at items pretty straightforward
and clear cut in reality. Um, this area is already approved as Riverfront Crossings in the
comp plan that the City Council at one time approved. Uh, also the southern two
buildings that are part of the three buildings in the concept are already rezoned as
Riverfront Crossings. This is just a re-rezoning of it because of the CZA previously
approved. These items are being handled in fact on that southern few buildings,uh,
originally approved for 125 units. [inaudible 00:33:49] In concept as part of the rezoning.
Uh, again,they were too similar sized buildings there. We have a pedestrian trail.
Anything else that meets that CZA of 2019. Uh,there- are several items of concern that
have continued to approach. And again, I believe they've all been addressed,uh, either by
city code or by city policy and by City Staff. Uh,the affordable housing that we're well
aware of, again,will be, ah, met whether it be fee-in-lieu-of or units within the building,
uh,by city code and they intend to do that and will have to do that. Um, traffic,we've
already- I know if you're part of the work session we heard from,uh,Kent Ralston traffic
engineering. We have,uh, accepted all the additional,uh,requirements for the traffic
signal and the turn lanes and the costs that go with that. It has been shown and proven
through the study and by City Staff and engineer,uh,you know,that-that will improve
that we can,uh, coordinate those communications and timings between those signals to
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make this,uh, flow well in Benton Street. Um,previously,not even tonight but before
there were some concerns with parking all that which will be met by city code, and needs
to be met by city code with the site plan process. And then I know there has been some
concern with transition,uh, in terms of,uh,building heights and density. Uh, again,
everything that is set forth in the Riverfront Crossings which is under this comp plan will
be addressed. There is a,uh,three-story height requirement that they will be meeting, and
as we,um, decrease in height from the East to the West to the single-family residential I
would like to note though too,that if you go just another 400 feet to the West of our
project there's multi-story,multi-family buildings located there, also adjacent to the
single-family residential and will continue to be. So,um,we just struggled with the fact
that we've met all these concerns. We've gone through a number of different,um,
evolutions of this project from one large mass building, originally with a different,uh,
additional neighbors and parcels to,uh,three smaller buildings and a much smaller site to
try to get a product to here that still works,uh, and brings a great product to the City of
Iowa City. So I appreciate your time. Certainly,happy to answer any questions, I know
Aptitude, and others are here to speak as well. So thank you.
Teague: 'thank you.Welcome.
Feldman: Hi. Thank you for having us my name is Zach Feldman. I work at uh,the applicant
Aptitude Development. Um,Mayor Teague, City Council members, and the people of
Iowa City,we thank you for the opportunity to discuss our proposed rezoning and for the
opportunity to potentially become a member of the community for many years to come.
We presented in front of you a member of- a- a number of times previously,but I'd like to
formally introduce our group. Aptitude Development is a nine-year-old company
focusing on residential housing around the country. We take a unique approach to
development,by working with City Staff, neighborhood groups, and undertaking
extensive market research to create products that deliver a catered user experience to all
of our residents. We never want to drop a box in the same place. Every location is
different. We never go in thinking we know best. We approach each project from the
point of what is the highest and best use and how can we build something from nothing
that is needed here? The project in front of you today underwent six plus months of
varying design and progression with 20-plus iterations based on feedback from City
Staff. As you know, City Staff fully supports the proposed rezoning. The original
building design has been cut in half, as Brian had mentioned. Um, and the building has
been separated into three detached structures that provide ample buffer from our
neighbors to the West, integration of the public pedestrian path, solar elements,EV, car
sharing programs and public upgrades that benefit the neighborhood and all the buildings
surrounding it. A few years ago,the city rezoned more than half of this site, setting a
thoughtful framework for how future development in this neighborhood would progress.
This project will fully comply with the parameters set by the city. As it stands today, a
developer,whether it's also somewhat else, could go build what is already zoned on
approximately two-thirds of the site that is currently there. That zoning does not have
density limits, and that is something that our project looks to account for in terms of
proper planning. What we're proposing helps elevate and expand on the previous
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rezoning by providing proper parking counts,proper safety and ADA compliance, and
creating a new addition to the community. This is something that we can all be proud of
if it does go through. Thank you for your time.
Teague: Thank you. You're welcome Sorry. Welcome.
Huffer: How are you?My name is Jered Flutter. I'm a founder- co-founder of Aptitude
Development. And as Zach mentioned we're a development firm based in New Jersey.
Um,we've been doing this around the country now for 9,10 years. And as we get really
involved in projects,we spend a lot of time in the local community. So over the last,you
know six months, I've spent a lot of time getting to know this area and I really understand
the affinity that everybody has for it, either hearing in the work-work session earlier,
talking to people around the city,hearing the comments from people. I get it why you
guys loved this area,right?Like you know this is-this is a very unique place. Um, and
we really appreciate the opportunity to hopefully become part of that community for
many years to come. When we build projects,we really pour our heart and soul into it.
It's not the same project everywhere. You know Zach mentioned we really design
projects that fit the local area. And we try to take all the local concerns and think about
them and incorporate them into our design and into our game planning. And the two
biggest things that we've really heard from pushback perspective over the last,you know
today, earlier in the work session, in the previous meetings have really been about traffic
and affordable housing. So you know just briefly speaking about those,you know from a
traffic, as was mentioned earlier by the city engineer, a traffic study was done for a
smaller project and a signal would already be put in place. I think the important thing to
note here though, is you know while adding housing stock here certainly will add cars,
let- let's think about the who the end-users of these units ultimately are. We are a student
housing development company. So primarily,these will be students who are living-who
are living here. They are not your nine to five type workers,you know causing traffic
during rush hour. It is much more off the beaten path from a time- from a trip perspective
in terms of when they go. And I think that gets lost a lot of times when people just think
about adding housing stock. Um, so I just want to point that piece of it out. From an
affordable housing standpoint,there's a couple of pieces.Number 1 is the houses today-
the-the-today that we're proposing to demolish and replace,they're all rented to students,
it's not that we're displacing or proposing to displace anybody from an affordable unit. In
fact, I would argue it's- it's completely the opposite. By adding potentially 189 units this
area,you're almost doubling the housing stock in the area. Adding supply makes housing
more affordable. There's no question about that. More supply if demand is somewhat the
same,will ultimately result in more affordable housing in the overall area. Uh,the
demand for this and the ultimate market for- for these units. Again, it's students pulling
them out of some of the other rental properties that are there and making them much
more,those properties can then be sold and more affordable prices to everyone in the
area. Again,you know I think it's been misconstrued a couple of times from a- a zoning
perspective, exactly what,you know is being proposed here. Its not three-and-a-half
acres,that's being rezoned. Um,that-that seems to have been lost at some point. It's only
about 1.5 acres. But-but-but large majority of this property has already been rezoned,
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and then we can go build or any- somebody can go build a project about two-thirds the
size,100 plus units on that piece. So I think incorporating the rest of this year by rezoning
this,makes a lot of sense. Ultimately, it takes more cars off the street because the-the
back portion that we're asking to rezone is where we're putting a lot of the parking. So it
makes the project that much better. And I really hope that you guys can take the holistic
view and think about what the ultimate end goal here is from- from the proposal as
opposed to just thinking about rezoning and being shortsighted from a housing
perspective;the evolution of this project has really been great. We've been working on
this now for- for many,many months and understanding the height limits that you guys
have,we're not proposing to go against any of that. It really does take into consideration
the transition of the over- overall area. Going from four stories down a Benton all the
way down- on Riverside I should say, all the way down to two stories on the other side.
So the setbacks really um, account for the transition, and I think that's incorporated in
here. Lastly, I would just you know, let you guys know we-we're looking to make a
significant investment here. When we invest in communities,we're there for a long time.
I can't tell you what will never sell the project,but we intend to be in these projects for a
very,very long time. We've only sold two of the ten buildings that we have-that we've
built. So I really hope you guys will allow us the opportunity to make the investment
here. It creates significant amounts of jobs,both construction jobs for the next couple of
years, and then also the permanent jobs that'll be created both on-site and off-site as a
result. So thank you very much.
Teague: I have a question for you.
Huffer: Sure.
Teague: Thank you for coming and sharing with Council. So you mentioned that,um, as far as
the affordable,um, I think I heard you say that what you're gonna be creating might be
more affordable. Did I hear that correctly?
Hutter: Yes. So,um, to clarify that, so what I-what I said was by adding housing stock to the
area, our numbers,we think we're about doubling the housing stock in that small section
over there will ultimately should- should make other- other houses more affordable for-
for others. As Brent- as the kids-kids stop renting in some of those houses,they can then
be sold and people can then move into them.
Teague: When you talked about not displacing the current residents,which I'm just you
presented this, so I'm just gonna go with it. Do you know what the current market rate
rents are there?
Huffer: Uh, I believe they're in the $600 a month range.
Teague: And is that per person?
Huffer: Yes.
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Teague: And are you proposing that you'll be around there or greater?
Huffer: Our pro forma right now has about $700 per person,but figured we're three years out, so.
Teague: Yeah, okay. Thank you.
Huffer: We're not trying to compete. From a student housing perspective. We understand that
there's-there's two different market. There's multiple different markets here, right?You
have the high-rise developments that are going on further to da- in the downtown area.
We're not-we're not trying to compete with those,right? This is a totally different area.
We're trying to deliver a different living experience for everybody. Um, definitely on the
more affordable side compared to some of those projects. We're not-we're not competing
with them.
Teague: Thank you. Okay. All right I'm going to open it up for anyone from the public that
would like to come and speak on this topic. Um, and we ask that you either place a
sticker in the basket that might or might not be there, or write your name on the- on the
sign in list and you'll be given up to three minutes for comments. Welcome at this time,
anyone that want to speak. Welcome.
Rew: Hi. My name is Ginny Rew and I live at 302 West Benton Street. And as you can imagine,
this development impacts me greatly. And,um,the fust thing I want to say is that
transitioning into the neighborhood,he-he said it's going down to two levels. It's not- It's
going down to three levels for transitioning from the four-level building that's already
there by Riverside Drive down to three buildings-three levels in the building, and then to
homes,that doesn't seem like much of a transition to me. I feel like, it's going to destroy
our neighborhood. When you talk about 189 units that are going in, I don't think it really
matters whether there are three buildings or one building, it's still 189 units. It's still going
to impact us dramatically. I think the traffic is just going to be a nightmare. I really do. I
think especially if you do put a stoplight in there, it's just going to be terrible. There's less
than a block between the Orchard-Benton Street intersection and the Riverside Drive,
Benton street intersection. And even if they coordinate the lights so that they're green at
the same time,you always going to have people coming southbound on Riverside Drive
who turn right on red,they're gonna back up against the red light there. And then you've
got the traffic from the south coming around on the arrow to a red light. And then when it
turns green,there's going to be all this traffic already backed up. And I think the traffic
back to cross Riverside Drive is gonna be phenomenal during rush hour. I think there's
just a nightmare. It's going to increase traffic on Benton, Orchard,Miller, and Hudson. I
talked to the fire chief, Scott Lyon yesterday and he said that there hasn't been any
decision made about whether it's going to be safe for the firetrucks. He said it's still in the
rezoning segment of it. But he said anything that tha-that goes against fire code or
impedes anything with a fire trucks, of course he wouldn't approve it. And he said he
can't say that until they go beyond the level that it's at now,beyond the conceptualizing
level. I think it's gonna strongly negatively impact our modest neighborhood. We have
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medium to low income houses that are dear to us and we don't want to see the
development project.
Teague: Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else like to address this topic?And if you're wanting to
address, feel free to just line up in the middle. Can I see a show of hands of who wants to
address this topic? Okay. Yeah. And you can feel free to line up whenever you are- are
ready. Welcome.
Dietz: Hi, I'm Cynthia Dietz. I live at 171 Prairie Hill Lane right off of Miller. I'm here to
express my disapproval of the presented plan to build three-three-story units,north of
Benton street and west of- and- and that would be east of Miller Avenue, south of the
railroad tracks. I'm here to present a pictometry image of the site that also includes Prairie
hill. And so this is from Johnson County plans. The,Benton Street is a critical role used
by emergency vehicles to reach the University Hospital. Two Saturdays ago from
Riverside Drive, I- I saw 13 westbound cars proceed up the hill, leaving little access for
additional traffic. The proposed development on three-and-a-half acres is designed to
have 189 units and 183 parking spaces. The nearby Prairie Hill homeowners association
with a built out area of about three-and-a-half acres, supports about 37 units. So from
observations I have made of traffic on Benton Street and Miller, the road will not be able
to accommodate well the car traffic associated with a proposed development. Currently
Miller Street allows parking and often cars traveling in opposing directions need to slow
way down to proceed without an accident. I think it's a- a bad-bad plan. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you. Welcome.
Wallick: My name is Elisa Wallick. I live at 534 Olive Street. This development probably won't
impact me personally all that much. I'm not sure about whatever you have planned for the
corner of Myrtle and Riverside Drive because that's been torn down and just sitting
empty. But it seems to me there's a- a glut of housing in this community. Seems there's a
lot of empty homes and apartments. And all these apartment buildings that have gone up
with retail space that sits empty for years. I don't see how that's good for our community.
If no one can afford to rent out the space, it's not doing anybody any good. Thank you.
Teague: Thankyou.Welcome.
Fell: Thank you. My name is Cathy Fell and I reside in- on Douglas Street- 434 Douglas Street
in the Douglas Street and Douglas Court area. And I'm here to express my deep concerns
over this proposed construction. When I fust started putting my concerns and writing, I
came up with five questions that I think are significant for the Council,not only to have
answers but to have their own answers. One is,has the Council done a supply and
demand evaluation to determine the need for additional 189 units? Second,has the
Council taken into consideration the fact that the University has adopted a virtual
learning society, allowing students to take portions or entire classes remotely and
therefore,that will impact the need for additional student housing in Iowa City?Has the
Council done a traffic impact study to include the potential increase of not only vehicle
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but foot traffic in the area? This study should also include the impact of placing the signal
at Orchard and Benton,which in my humble opinion is insane.Not only will it impede
the traffic,but in- in my opinion, is going to promote a hazardous situation. Has the-has
the Council done an impact on the restriction- I'm sorry,has a Council looked at the
restrictions on the variances to the construction "concept"? Is there any limit to the
change of the developer can make to decide once the construction begins?Again as I
began this process of putting my thoughts to paper,what I really want to impress upon
Council is disruption- disrupti- disruption and destabilization of the-that this proposal is
going to have on our hamlets. We have these little tiny hamlets that are around this area.
And those of us who live in these small hamlets are used to having impacts of the football
traffic in the area,were' used to having our streets being the last ones that are plowed.
Not very well. We're used to the fact that our leaves don't necessarily get picked up
because we have strange cars parked on the street in the city won't-won't pick them up if
those cars are there. But I think what is most concerning to me is that these are little
hamlets,these are little neighborhoods, and we know each other and we're stable. If we
import,this is going to destabilize these communities. And it's going to,not only will it
not compliment what these current little hamlets are meant to be,but it's not going to
enhance them either. And although while I can appreciate what has been said, I can also
say, it's really not good for those little hamlets and that's what we need to protect.
Teague: Thank you.
Fell: Thank you.
Teague: Anyone else like to address this topic?Welcome.
Whitmore: My name is JoAnne Whitmore. I live on Douglas Street as well with my partner.
Previously to living on Douglas Street a number of years ago,we lived at the end of
Hollywood Boulevard. And as you all know,there is a huge student housing complex
there that was a renovation of a previous apartment complex. At the time this was being
done,we looked at the plans and we,we were led to believe that there would be plenty of
parking at this new location and one of the stipulations was that the building that was
going to be added right next door to our property,would have a parking garage in it. And
somehow that mysteriously disappeared from the plan while the building was being
constructed. So resulting in a three-story building with balconies on the back looking
right into our backyard and our bedrooms, and no parking, and they charge for parking.
So the fust thing that the young people do is look for parking that's free all up and down
the entire length of Hollywood Boulevard,resulting in frequent calls to get cars towed
from blocking our driveway. There's no visitor parking there at all. Sounds like the same
situation for this proposal. So this is my main concern. Please don't make our sweet little
neighborhood into a parking lot. As other people have mentioned,there will be not just
parking but storage of vehicles because people maybe don't want to drive their cars back-
and-forth to class,but maybe they want to go home on the weekend. All kinds of things
like that. I think the other thing to really-that really concerns us is the density. I don't
think that 189 units with one to three bedrooms per unit results in at least two students
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per room and that's 728 cars for 283 parking spaces. Just doesn't make sense. The other
comment about students not being eight to five is another thing that we actually are
objecting to because it's 24/7 coming and going with this level of traffic and parking
congestion and extra vehicles. So I just urge you to take a big step back and look, look
hard at this kind of development in these sweet little neighborhoods that so many people
in Iowa City move here for and love to live in. Thanks for hearing me.
Teague: Thank you. Would anyone else like to address this topic?Welcome.
Zeimet: Hi Council. My name is Keaton Zeimet from Iowa City. And to speak on student
housing,we have been experiencing unaffordable housing costs for years. To speak on
the idea outlined earlier that increased housing costs can be lowered or maintained by
increasing housing has been proven over and over to be inaccurate. The City Council has
always increased housing for the idea to curve rising rents with prices. We have seen that
the prices keep increasing. If we are to address rental prices,more action needs to be
taken than just adding more housing. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you. Anyone else like to address this topic?And if I can see any hands of those
that still want to address this topic. Okay. Thank you. So after those, after the two that
raised their hand,we'll close public comment. Welcome.
Knudson: Hi. Thank you. I don't have a lot more to add than the other speakers have. I do object
to this. I live on Benton Street. I live on the top of the hill across from Roosevelt and just
saw another mater,Roosevelt School is a site for poor eyes right now. But I think the
other thing I want to add, I had to come in late because I had to teach till now,was
talking about this is a transition area and making such a big apartment building in a
transition area just doesn't make any sense. So I would like to add that on for my
objection. So thank you.
Teague: Thank you.
Goers: I'm sorry. We didn't catch your name.
Knudson: Oh, I didn't say it. Mary Knudson.
Goers: Thank you.
Teague: And did you write your name on the list there? Thank you.
Rew: I'm Ken Rew and I know I've spoken a lot already and...
Teague: Welcome.
Rew: You know my feelings about the entire project. I just wanted to say a couple of things. The
idea that this would draw students out of their homes on Benton Street and around the
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area so that they would open up affordable housing for others to me, it doesn't make
sense because there's plenty of student housing all over. But the people that live in our
neighborhood chose not to live in those places. They don't want to be in those kinds of
dorms and those kinds of living situations. They want to be in a neighborhood and be in a
home. So this is not a home to move into. They want to get in with hundreds of other
students. They could do that somewhere else. But they want to be in our neighborhoods,
in our homes and be friends of ours. Okay. That,that one-I also-it's also kind of bothered
me that,that originally this not that many years ago,the comprehensive plan didn't
include anything like that in our neighborhood. The density or the scope or whatever,but
nothing,nothing in our neighborhood,nothing has changed. I've been there 45 years.
There have been a few more places built for people to live in some condos and stuff. But
nothing about the neighborhood has deteriorated or changed. But to get this in here,then
you just,just changed what the comprehensive plan is.Now what fits the new
comprehensive plan. That seems like, anyway,just didn't make sense to me that it didn't
fit the plan before and nothing's changed. It's been fine for decades. But now,to make it
different and get some more tax money or whatever the problem is. It's just,just go ahead
and change the comprehensive plan and I'm not accusing anybody of doing that, I'm just,
that's the feeling I get that maybe things don't need to change. If it ain't broke, don't fix it
and that type of thing anyway. Thank you very much. I appreciate
Teague: Thank you. And the last speaker. We have one last,we have one last speaker. Yes. And
you're part of the development team?
Tucker: I'm just speaking on,just in response to everyone.
Teague: I didn't see your hand raised. Did you raise your hand?
Dunn: Yes mayor,he did. He did.
Teague: Oh, okay. All right. I'm sorry about that.
Tucker: Thanks. My name is David Tucker. I live at, excuse me, 91 Prairie Hill Lane. And I am
not speaking in favor or against this development,uh, in- in part because it's largely
opaque to me. It's- it's-,um, I- I haven't been able to understand what the plan is.
However, I would like to say something about the loss of affordable housing in this area.
At the January planning and zoning meeting,three of the commissioners,uh,predicted
that there would be a loss of an affordable housing and asked, ah,how it would be
replaced. And a fourth Commissioner who was in favor of this development said,that's
up to the city. So the point I would like to make to the Council is that I think it's likely
there's going to be a loss. And I hope you seriously consider doing something about it.
Now,why do I think there's going to be a loss? If you look at the,uh,the site of this
development, I count four- four plexus,three buildings which are probably four plexus, I
believe,three-three bedroom houses and one large house,which is counted as a two-
bedroom house, and another building. Um, some of those buildings are currently
advertised for rent. The three bedroom houses are in the neighborhood of 14-1,500
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dollars a month. So I think that,uh, though you can add up those units,just the four- four
plexus will,um,be a substantial loss of affordable housing. And of course,this
neighborhood,uh, is within walking distance to the hospital, is either within walking
distance or a short bus ride to large employers like Walmart and all these and other
employers. Um, so I- I think this is a neighborhood that,um,will suffer when this goes.
And as I think it is likely to go. One other point I would like to make is, according to the
city assessor,the same LLC, M&W LLC owns the adjoining,uh, 623 Orchard,which is
currently advertised as studio apartments,uh, about five or 600 square feet, for,um,uh,
12 to 1,300 dollars a month. And I think it's likely that that's what we'll see. Thank you.
Teague: Thank you. Welcome.
Welch: Hello Council, Mayor. Mike Welsh, Welch Design and Development. Um, I wasn't
really planning on speaking tonight. Um, and after listening during the work session.
Teague: I have a question. Are you representing yourself or are you still representing Welch?
Welch: Um, I would be representing myself as a- as a member of the development community at
large in Iowa City, if that makes sense. I'm not speaking,you know, directly on behalf of
the applicant,just speaking on behalf of development in general in Iowa City and I was
sitting, in what I've heard tonight and kinda heard overall,just some points I would like
to make in that regard if that's okay.
Teague: I think it treads, treads some concerning waters?But if you want, if you're claiming that
thus you're not speaking as the developer,because I've already allowed that opportunity.
Welch: Sure.
Teague: Then you must stay within that realm.
Welch: Yeah, I understand that. Thank you. Um,the-the things I- I'd- I'd like to-to ask Council
to consider with this and- and other projects, and we've just kinda seen it on-on projects
I've been involved in and just in general, as I do think during rezoning,um, is very easy
to kind of lose sight of- of the question before us. And we'll start talking about,um,
maybe impacts or- or things that need to be done. Um,will-will the project change from
what you're seeing tonight or will-will it actually increase rents or decrease rents. And
some of those are questions that-that I know that I personally can't answer,um,because I
think we don't know. I think when it comes to the argument of increased housing stock
versus rents, I think in general,you-we do see that, and there's-there's information out
there that shows that. If we're not seeing it specifically here in Iowa City, I think it's
because demand is keeping pace with that supply. We haven't gotten to the point where
we're building more than we actually have demand for. Um, I think when we-when we
hear staff make a recommendation for a rezoning,um, I- I think it gets lost that that's, er,
that's a staff of professionals who know-who are experts in their area,particularly when
it comes to traffic. We hear-we hear with the public or other people question if that will
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actually happen or if we can actually do those things,um, and lose sight of the fact that-
that the professionals on City Staff who deal with traffic are telling us that yes we can do
that and- and we can accommodate those things. And oftentimes we-we don't,you know,
in general,we as public,we may not-may not believe that'll happen or be something we
can do. Um, I think as I look at- at this development,too, it's- it's a code. It'll be required
to-to comply with the zoning code,right? So,um, as we talked about previously,those
setbacks,those step backs,those buffers that are in the ribbon front crossings, Orchard
district code,no matter what happens,that will be developer and any other developer will
have to comply with those items. Um, and kinda lastly, again,with this project and this
rezoning request,those two South properties directly on Orchard and Benton are already
rezoned to Riverfront Crossings Orchard district. So as of today, any developer can come
in with a plan that puts a three-story building with the appropriate step backs on those
properties. Um, so I am sympathetic to the neighbors concerns about the-the change in
the neighborhood,but I would like to point out that in 2019 when that rezoning was
approved and previously when a comp plan was adjusted,that kinda set the path that
we're on tonight of- of what can be built there and that can already be built there today.
So I think there's just important to keep kinda that holistic picture in mind. So thank you
for your time.
Teague: Thank you. Alright. So I've closed public comment. I'm going to close the public
hearing. And can I get a motion to give fust consideration?
Goers: Mr. Mayor, do you want to have a motion to accept the correspondence that was offered
at-
Teague: Yes,please. All right. Can I get a motion to accept correspondence?
Taylor: So moved.
Alter: Second.
Teague: Moved by Taylor seconded by Alter. All in favor say aye.
Council: Aye.
Teague: Any oppose?Motion passes seven to zero.
2. Consider a Resolution
Teague: Um, and then can I get a motion to give fust consideration. I don't think I was able to
get through it.
Goers: I don't think you got it yet.
Teague: Yeah.
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Bergus: So moved,Bergus.
Harmsen: Second,Harmsen.
Teague: Uh,moved by Bergus, second by Harmsen, and I understand that we have,um,uh,um,
some petitions that I'm gonna ask our City Attorney to-to discuss.
Goers: Thank you. Mr. Mayor, I've received word from staff that a valid and sufficient petition
has been offered and- and- and verified. As a result, er,the, er,the city code, er, a vote to
approve this rezoning would now require six votes in the affirmative. That's all.
Teague: Thank you. Alright. Any questions for the city attorney?And because I know we have a
very skilled and new Councilor,but,um,we would have to- in order for this to pass,um,
it will have to be a super majority. And that will mean six yes votes in order for it to pass.
And if there are,um, five yes votes and two no votes, it will not pass. Alright, Council
discussion.
Alter: I have one clarifying question because we've had discussion of this,the yes vote is to go
along with P&Z or two?No. Done to rezone is a yes?
Goers: Yes.
Alter: Thank you.
Goers: Yes.
Alter: I just needed that because we were in a different state when it was P&Z.
Goers: It is confusing with a negative recommendation.
Alter: Yes.
Taylor: I'll start then I guess. Um, this proposal for rezoning and potential development,uh,
raises many concerns for me. The most disturbing of which is the question of,uh, safety
at that intersection. West Benton Street is a major thoroughfare for myself and many
other community members. If any of my fellow Council members or members of the
public are not familiar with driving on this,uh, street, I would encourage you to do so
before you make any sort of decisive vote on this. Uh, for this to be approved, staff is
recommending signalization at the Orchard Street, Orchard court,West Benton
intersection. And with all due respect to staff, this is not a wise decision. Uh,this
intersection is barely one block from the major signalized intersection of Benton and
Riverside Drive. Crossing Riverside Drive from East Benton to West Benton,there are
two lanes that head West on Benton,uh, one of which ends abruptly at the intersection
with Orchard Street and is meant as a turning lane for drivers to head south on Orchard
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Street rather than continue on Benton. But every day- every day I- I seriously, every day I
see drivers who all of a sudden realize that they are in the turn lane and they quickly want
to change lanes in order to go west on Benton-West Benton. And this situation can and
probably has lead to accidents. I haven't asked for any sort of an accident report,but I
probably should have because I'm sure there have been because it's very dangerous. Uh,
and nobody signals that they're gonna change lanes. They just all of a sudden do. And to
put signalization at that intersection would only lead to more confusion to drivers who
have just seconds before gone through a major intersection with signals. This will be
perpetuated if the increased density is permitted,which would lead to even more traffic at
this intersection. Allowing a development with increased density in this area
compromises the character of this well-established Miller-Orchard neighborhood with its
mix of smaller,multifamily units, si- single-family homes, and some fairly new,
attractive duplex four plexus and- and close proximity to many amenities. It reminds me
of what we've been talking about for a long time as a missing middle type neighborhood.
My understanding of a transition zone is one that moves smoothly from the larger scale
mixed use corridor,two adjacent family, single-family homes, and should be scaled
appropriately. I do not see that smooth transition in this plan and therefore do not support
this rezoning.
Thomas: I too, I'm going to support P &Z's recommendation of denying the application. Um,
the-there are a lot of issues we've talked about on this project,having to do with
affordable housing, traffic, a whole range of-range of things that are all very important.
Um,my focus has been on the question of the comprehensive plan. And, ah,in- in- in the,
ah,master plan for the Orchard district, it talks about creating a transition between larger
scale mixed use and commercial buildings along Riverside Drive to single family. And
the means by doing that is one of the other goals; encourage development that is
complimentary in mass and scale to the adjacent single family neighborhood. So the idea
was really,you know,to use Councilor Taylor's term, create a smooth transition to try to
go from the development along Riverside Drive through this transition zone,which
would be a transition in mass and scale between that higher density and- and larger scale
development to the West,to the East, sorry, and the single-family neighborhood to the
West. So when we're talking about mass,mass is a volume,mass is not simply a matter
of height, it's a question of volume. And so if we look at- look at this proposal in terms of
mass, it's- it's-we- we're looking at three buildings which have very large footprints.
They may be three stories in height,but they're-they're quite large relative to the-to the
single-family neighborhood. And in fact, in some ways,they replicate the-the mass of
the buildings to the East,which is that higher intensity that we're trying to transition
down from. So the-you know,the proposal in terms of mass and in terms of scale,which
is the other reference. And scale- scale refers to a building size relative to another
building size or the size of one building's elements relative to another building's elements.
And again, if I-when I look at the proposal,the buildings arguably are more
complimentary to the higher density development to the east. So the whole notion of this-
this transition zone really favoring or promoting the idea that it needs to be
complimentary with the Miller-Orchard neighborhood, ah, isn't- isn't taking place. What
we're seeing is development that's more consistent with the character of the development
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along Riverside Drive. So as I said, I will be not supporting this proposal. I support
development, ah, for this area,but it- it just seems to me that we're not accomplishing the
goals of this comp- of the Orchard comprehensive plan.
Alter: So,um, given a host of incredibly thoughtful,um,narratives, comments,um, observations
and concerns,um, chief among them,um, safety, density, affordable housing,um, I
believe wholeheartedly that all of these things must be addressed in a larger realm. But
especially as far as affordable housing goes,they have met what the requirements are.
And so I- I struggle with this very much and this is a conversation that we need to have
and it may well be that we need to get this on a working agenda and we really need to
hash this out about what do we do with fee in lieu versus affordable housing and making
developers actually create some affordable housing. But at present,that's not what is
required. They have met the requirements. They also went from a large building, one
large building that I think absolutely the neighborhood was absolutely right to say this
will not do, P&Z was right to say this will not do. They took feedback and they came
back. Is it larger than what is anticipated or what was hoped for?Absolutely. And I also
don't want to downgrade or dismiss the very real concerns about your neighborhood. But
I would like to offer a little bit of a spin that's different that I have not heard and that has
increasingly troubled me a little bit in the way that collectively student housing has been
characterized. On the west side of campus,this former graduate student lived over there.
Most of the student housing that is on the west side is Seville apartments, Carriage Hill,
uh, and I'm forgetting the last one. All on Benton. How old are they? These are not
apartments in which young underpaid professionals, some of whom have families, and
many of whom are choosing to be on the west side because of the medical facilities and
because of the law office or the proximity to EPB where I taught,there,this is also
student housing. So I think that there is a definite fear,perhaps of the stereotypical
student,but I think that in fact, the fact this is a quieter area,would actually attract a
number of students who you'd be proud to call neighbors or not. Um,but what's before us
is have they met the zoning requirements. And that's the really hard part because there is
so much at stake for the neighborhood,um, and honestly for what we want to do with
moving forward as a city. We've been told time and again and agreed to it time and again,
if you really want to move the needle on certain things,you have to stay focused on
what's in the strategic plan. We had a commitment to infill that was had density. This is
that, and in fact, I drove around there this morning several times, in fact, and the height of
the buildings can't go any higher than three. It is further down in looking at the way that
the actual requirements of having setbacks, of trees, of pedestrian. These are things that I
actually do believe are transitional. Obviously, I have colleagues who believe otherwise,
as well as many public-many other public. I keep going back to what is the decision that
we are supposed to make and what is before us, and they have fulfilled the requirements.
And this has already been rezoned in two-thirds of this area. So I will be supporting this,
not out of a sense of a lack of compassion for understanding that change is hard and that
this is not the way that you're envisioning this,but I will say in having listened to a lot of
meetings by developers, it sounds like, in fact, over six months there's been a lot of
intense work to take the feedback from the neighbors. And so,um, I hope if this passes
along with other Councilors,that that continues. I would also strongly- strongly urge
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hope, encourage that rather than fee in lieu of that,you would actually make some units
affordable.
Dunn: So I- I want to talk about a few,um, aspects of discussion. Um, first, the affordable
housing aspect of this whole situation,um, I agree with the city attorney, I agree with, I
believe the rest of this body,that affordable housing is a huge priority for us and needs to
be, ah, addressed. But also that this application does comply with our- our zoning code
based on our affordable housing requirements. I don't believe that anyone should be
making a judgment,um, for this proposal based off of that, solely because of that,that is
just a procedural question that has been answered. Um, doesn't mean it's not a concern,
but not something that I'm going to be or urging others to vote off of When-when I look
to my decision on what is before us, I- I think I- I really do agree with a lot of,uh,what
Councilor Thomas has said. Um, I have major concerns with the mass of the project,the
scale of the project, and the complimentary nature of the project, all parts that are- all
things that we must consider as part of our Riverfront Crossing- a Riverfront Crossings
master or pardon me, comprehensive plan. I would also like to comment to the point of
transition,uh, in- in relation to that complimentary nature. As stated prior, I do not
believe that we have a legal definition for transition. The specific text within our
comprehensive plan is that development should be restricted to building typology such as
cottage clusters,town homes, live work town homes, and multi-dwelling buildings like
what were presumed to,what we're looking at today,that are designed and scale in a
manner that is complimentary to the rhythm and scale of a single-family neighborhood
located at the south and west. We have, as a body,the authority and prerogative, if we so
choose,to determine what transition means in this context within that-those confines. It
has to be one of those things very clearly in our plan,but it is my judgment that the multi-
dwelling building that is proposed here and the subsequent rezoning that is being
requested to create that does not, ah, align in mass, in scale or is complimentary to the
surrounding single-family homes. Um, I think another question that is,um, important to
consider when we're-we're looking at this is the question of whether this aligns with our
comprehensive plan is not one of the affordable housing thing is not an issue, it is- it is
one of what are we looking at for the proposals comprehensive impact for the
neighborhood,both the Orchard District and the surrounding neighborhoods. And I have
been very much persuaded,um,by concerns about traffic,by concerns about
signalization, first responders,the fact that our- our Fire Department, and our Fire Chief
has said that there has not been,uh, any sort of decision which is not necessarily required,
but I'd like to see more collaboration there. Um,the fact that there is one inlet and outlet,
one legal inlet and outlet to this, ah, development here is something that seriously
concerns me. As- as, let's be real, ah, a lot of student buildings can sometimes have false
alarm, fire alarms, cooking incidences,um, first responders are going to need to be able
to easily get here during all hours of the day. It does not matter if it is a- a high traffic
time or peak time, I don't- I don't care,we need to be able to ensure that the residents of
this area,the residents of, ah,the development, are able to be safe and I have not yet been
satisfied with that regard. And that is a major concern.Yeah in addition to that,uh
concerns with parking overflow,this is uh,you know, in- in- again in congruence with
the-the state's requirement that uh we can make decisions based on this uh to-relating to
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the substantial relations, comfort,welfare, and maintenance of property values of the
surrounding neighborhoods, so within our authority to say,this is a likely thing to
happen. The-the overflow of students parking in these adjacent neighborhoods because it
happens everywhere in Iowa City. I used to live on Summit street where there was a lot
of uh these multi uh residential or multi-unit residential buildings,multi-dwelling
buildings, Pardon me,um and it was a constant issue.Nobody could ever find parking
because people wanted to charge for parking uh in the apartment buildings. And again,
the charging for parking is not something that I encourage anyone to vote off of,that is
not something that we can procedurally say,um but we know what behavior is occurring
in other parts of our cities, and I think it is a fair thing to assume that similar situation
would occur if this were to be approved. Um, in addition, I- I don't find it particularly
persuasive to say, oh,we're already going to have you know potential development for uh
100 units in the area that is already uh-uh designated Riverfront Crossings.Well 100 is
very different from nearly double that,um and there are already existing agreements with
the plan uh to pardon me,with-with the agreement to rezone that area that can address
concerns and rather than wait for them to occur, as uh we observed uh was explained to
us by um Chairman Hench. Um, so I will not be supporting this,um I think in addition,
we should also mention the broad members of the community that have supported uh us
going against this,we have a lot of people from a lot of the West side in this room, and if
you look at the petitions,which I have,we have landlords that have signed uh these-
these petitions to prevent this, and to get us to this point where we have a six-person, a
majority threshold. I think the support for this is support for failing this is broad, I think
that we need to listen to the members of the community, I think we need to listen to the
concerns um that we've had placed before us, and so I will- I will be voting this er down.
Goers: If I- I can offer just one point of clarification. There have been a number of uh legally
permissible reasons uh mentioned uh for voting no and so forth,but I hadn't heard and I
wasn't privy to the conversation about the fire chief and so forth,but I want to be
absolutely clear. The approval by the Fire Department for turnarounds and all that kinda
stuff is not at the rezoning phase and you should not consider the fact that the fire chief
was not willing to sign off on anything at the rezoning stage as any kind of disapproval of
this project. I just wanted to make sure that if anyone is to it to vote no, it not be on that
basis,that's all.
Fruin: If I could further elaborate on that. The staff would never put something in front of you
that we felt there was public safety risks even at this stage, if we felt that we would never
have this proposal come forward. The details of how the fire access will be handled,
where fire hydrants will be placed, all of that takes place much further down the road.
Bergus: I want to thank everyone who's provided their comments this evening and many who
also wrote to us um and reached out in a variety of ways. Um I- I am focused on the
strategic plan and on the comprehensive plan, and I think what uh Mr. Rew what you said
about living in this neighborhood for 45 years and that it stayed the same is- is actually a
reason that I'd be inclined to support this project. There has been significant
redevelopment along Riverside Drive,very-very close by redevelopment of that whole
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commercial area immediately south of Douglas,um thank you for the comments from the
person who lived on the end of Hollywood Boulevard. I live on the end of California,um
but my experience is quite different in fact, and I- I believe that those hamlets that were
spoken of,the neighborhood character that is spoken of will not be destroyed if a few
extra cars park on the street. I know that from my own experience and living in the same
place for 20 years when a- a development happened, about probably three-three to 400 It
from my house,that went from 152 units to 352, 152 occupied units to 352 units, and 900
bedrooms with no buffer. So I- I really don't um I understand the fear, I understand the
concern of change in the neighborhood. But we have committed to density,we believe
that's a good thing. We have committed to walkability,we believe that that's a good
thing. We have committed to areas being accessible for all different kinds of people, and
if we have concerns about the traffic and the parking,then we need to move faster and
harder on our transportation systems and our transit system, and alternative means for
people to get around this community because there will be growth,there will continue to
be growth. And while it may stink to have these cars here,there will absolutely be an
increase in traffic if- if this were to pass. Those cars are gonna be somewhere and it- it
doesn't make it worse that they're closer in. The fact that there's density closer into the
city center increases the likelihood that people will be walking, increases the likelihood
that people will be taking Cambus or Iowa City Transit. So I'm just a little honestly kind
of dumbfounded,when we talk about these principles of density and infill. The city
infrastructure is here,this is not a- a place where we need to-to install new water, sewer,
or wastewater, and all of the road reconstruction in the signalization,those costs are
borne by the developer and- and the project as it's constructed. So I just feel like it
doesn't- it's not consistent with what we've committed to for the community as a whole if
we don't allow a project like this to go forward. I do see the transition, I've seen the
concept drawing, I don't know if that's how it would turn out or not, and honestly, I'm not
you know too concerned about that because this is the rezoning stage. But we have the
pedestrian access which will ensure that it's not one giant building. We have a conditional
zoning agreement,which includes uh what the sidewalks are gonna be like. The-the
signalization will happen,that the pedestrian access will be there,we have safeguards for
those things. And it's built into the recommendation from staff that's before us today. So I
again, I understand and appreciate so much your concerns,but I do,the-the folks over in
Prairie Hill, I don't- I don't think you'll ever notice this, I really don't. Besides the fact that
it's gonna be new development replacing some structures that are honestly kind of run
down, and to Mayor Pro Tem's point,would be good to have some student housing that
isn't 40 years old over there. So I would urge my colleagues,uh those who've indicated
that they won't support this to reconsider because I- I really believe that our
comprehensive plan calls for this, our strategic plan calls for this and our community
needs more housing.
Harmsen: Would you like to go fust,Mr. Mayor.
Teague: It doesn't matter.
Harmsen: It doesn't matter either.
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Teague: All right. I- I'll go. Okay, if that's all right. This is- I mean this is a, um, a hard decision
to make because we have heard from staff,the public,um,my fellow Councilors,um,
you know,who have spoken so far. Um,there has been some for, some against it. Um, as
I- and I don't want to go into everything because I think a lot of- a lot of the points have-
some of the points are probably reflected. Um, or the points have shared the concerns that
have been shared,um,by the-by those that don't support it when it comes down to
transportation or the issues are. I hear the concerns and then I hear,you know,the light-
the traffic light there's going to be placed and how that will help with that situation. Some
of the safety concerns there. Um, I think all of my colleagues up here knowing my
comments earlier today about affordable housing. Um, I don't know how people that I
know can afford to live here. Um,but that is not what were. You know,the problem is- is
this isn't what we're talking about. And- and I think,you know,when we look at our
strategic plan,housing is- I mean, I think everything that you talked about is exactly
right. What we talked about Councilor Bergus as far as some of the things that we want to
do within our strategic plan, some of the things that we're not- one of the things that I
know about our strategic plan is that there is still more to be done. When it comes down
to even the work session that we just talked about,we put it in there where we're gonna
talk about zoning and we're gonna talk about the comprehensive plan-we're gonna,you
know,um,because we have to talk about them. We're gonna have to talk about
affordable housing and the fee in lieu of,um. And so while-those are very concerning to
me that,that's why I wanted to know what the current market rate was,what,um,you
know,what the rents would be. That's important. Um, and all of this is- I mean, it- it
seems like it's a big thing,right? There's a lot of things going on. There's a lot of
concerns. There's a lot of things that,um, I think the values of this- of- of this
community,um, is some of it is in here, some of it is missing when- for example the
affordable housing,um,which is- I-we heard from the students,you know,or the USG. I
think they represented the USG voices,the student,um, government. But at the end of the
day, I have to look at what we are actually talking about. And as rezoning, I do ask
myself some of the other questions. Um, and rezoning. I think they've met the,you know,
the our- our affordable housing criteria. Which again, I think we need to definitely have
that discussion. I've been on this Council since 2018. We keep,you know,we have made
strides. I don't wanna discount some of the strides that we've made. We've been doing the
form-based code and,um, I- I've we've made some strides. But- and I know Councilor
Thomas,who just talked about the work session agenda,um,you know,really talking
about how do we deal with the infills. Um, some of those form big form-based code is
done with the infills and,kinda just, fast pacing. What does-what do this community
want?Um,when it comes down to affordable housing,walkable-walkability,parks, all
that good stuff. But for this one today, I- I'm gonna be in support of it only because it- I
can't hold this developer to what the work of this City Council,which I love every one of
you and I know that we are working hard to live up,you know,to the expectations of this
community. But when it comes down to transitional housing, I think I can- I can debate
for and against,you know,the mass on the scale or how it's interpreted. The
transportation,you know, at the stoplight, I can- I- I hear that concern the-the park and I
hear that. But at the end of the day, I think that when I really look at what we're being
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asked to today at this rezoning, I really do believe that these developers have, are meeting
that criteria. And so I'm gonna vote in favor of it.
Harmsen: Like my fellow Councilors, I'd like to thank everybody that contributed their voice to
this. Uh, one of the benefits,uh, from that for me was it really required a much,much
deeper look into a lot of the different facets that were raised. Um, some of the things
about this project,um,to echo some earlier comments that I did actually do appreciate.
And- and we have made a commitment to density,um, and location and walkability and
access to public transportation lines. A lot of those boxes get checked for me. Um,the
affordable housing fee in lieu. I mean,that's the fee in lieu has actually made some- some
changes in our communities,have done some positive work. So that checks that box. My
big concern probably and- and,uh,was really looking at that traffic issue. Um, and so
that was one of the things that I-that I wanted to learn more about because I think that
would have had probably the biggest ripple effect. Um, and seeing as what could already
be developed there and the differences,um, I find that I'm probably a little bit more,uh,
confident that moving forward won't have the extreme negative impact I think that's
feared. And part of the reason I say that and actually,um,uh, count- Councilor Taylor is
absolutely right. I've driven through that intersection many times. If we change that
intersection,we're not losing some treasure of a well,uh,well sp- spot of good traffic
flow. And so then it really becomes a question of with the opportunity to rearrange and
adjust that intersection,um, and have that signalized and have the lane change,whatever,
really a chance for the people who are engineers,uh,to work with the developer and
hopefully maybe even improve that area, as opposed to making it-making it worse with a
chance that it might just end up being a wash. Um,but that doesn't rise. My- my
concerns,they're no longer rise to the point where I would oppose this project. Uh, again,
I'm not going to rehash all the different things,my fellow Councilors have made a lot of
great points, so- so I will be,um, supporting this,um,tonight for that reason.
Bergus: Mayor, could I make just a couple of clarifying,uh,points as well based on our
discussion here?
Teague: Sure.
Bergus: Um, I- I think it's important to know that this-this is implementing our form-based code,
right?We have a Riverfront Crossings form-based code, and this is one of the few
opportunities to actually apply that,right? To apply form-based code to infill. Because
we don't have form-based code,we have in the south district and we have it in this area.
And so I think it's important to remember that when it comes to the actual design of the
buildings and how everything will be implemented,that they have to meet very stringent
standards of that code that is different than what you see in- in a lot of other parts of- of
town. And I'm not- I'm not so sure. I don't know if anyone is voting based on the
affordable housing piece or not,but I- I think it's really important to remember something
as far as the bigger picture about housing affordability. And that is we know from experts
that with new construction, it will not be affordable. Affordable housing is subsidized.
Affordable housing can be subsidized through federal money. It can be subsidized
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through local money. But we're never going to have,you know, sort of,the market just
create affordable housing. And the local money that we use to help create affordable
housing in our community is based in part on the revenue that we receive from
investment in the community. And if we forestall development and redevelopment
because it's change, it's addition, it's growth,we will not be able to meet those larger
affordable housing needs because we-we-we won't be the pot won't ever get bigger, and
we won't be able to provide those subsidies that we know we have to provide in order for
it to work out. So as much as I would love for capitalism to change and the-the forces to
be different, I think it's a fact that new construction is not gonna yield,you know, $400 a
month rent. It's just not-not something that's possible, and so I hope that we keep that in
mind, if we turn down something that would be a significant investment in-in new
housing units in our community.
Thomas: I just-just wanted to make- after listening to some of the comments from my fellow
Councilors, I wanted to reference again the,you know,the development program for the
Orchard District. I'm not opposed to development. In fact,when I saw the development
program, I thought that's-that's missing middle. That's-that's what I've been advocating
for for years. Cottage homes,row houses,townhouses, live work townhouses, and 2-3
story multi-dwelling buildings with the third floor step back. There are ways one can
employ those building types in a manner which would be complimentary in mass and
scale to the surrounding neighborhood. So development can move forward. We can have
that sense of continuity and flow. We do not have a concentrated area of very high
density and then the single-family homes. We have something which actually offers some
diversity in housing type. That's the whole idea behind missing middle is developing in a
way which is complimentary to what we all love about neighborhood scale,but
increasing density than what we typically-we associate with those neighborhoods,which
is primarily single-family homes. There is a strategy that we've been advocating for. And
actually you can see it in the Rohret and south district for achieving higher densities
while not losing that sense of neighborhood house scale. And that's what I envisioned
happening. And it didn't happen. And so that's why I'm not supportive of it.
Bergus: I think we just also have to remember none-no additional density in that northern part
can occur without rezoning regardless of the design. That's what we're-that's what we're
talking about tonight. So the-the like a cottage court and staff,please correct me if I'm
wrong,you know,that-that is- that kind of scale would still require rezoning. Is that
correct?
Fruin: Correct. I think without a rezoning,you can expect to see the same level of density
remain. And therefore redevelopment is highly unlikely because there's no financial
incentive to redevelop if there's no density increase.
Teague: I just can't,um,not respond to one thing that Councilor Bergus says said, only because
affordable housing is something that this community has-we need. I'm not fully
convinced that a developer cannot have 10% of their units with affordable rates,um, even
this project at this scale. I- I- I don't want developers to walk away thinking that,you
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know,this Council just believes that new construction just has to beat market rate. There
are ways for developers to build and to have some portion of their rents affordable.Now
that is a personal choice that they would have to make or they'd be losing money or not
making as much money absolutely. But I don't want to just let that come and go without
me responding.
Bergus: Thank you,Mayor.
Alter: I completely,you know,you and I have talked about that a lot. About, you know,how,
from our perspective, actually having those units at that 10%rate, actually having them
be affordable units is desirable. But as you had mentioned even,you know, earlier, and I
know that you are supporting this project,that's not even the issue before us right now,
right? So just to- to-to sort of reiterate that- the-that is something that is the-the
rezoning doesn't commit you to either fee in lieu of or to the 10%. Um, and so again, I
just wanted to point that out.
Teague: All right.
Taylor: I've heard my fellow Council members continually talking about what Council has
looked for in housing over the last few years,you know,the affordability,the walkability,
infill development,those kinds of things. But the other thing that is been pounded into us
is stabilization of the neighborhoods. And of which this neighborhood just a few blocks
away, our Council- our city had spent considerable amount of money in purchasing
homes for the UniverCity Program to stabilize those neighborhoods,which had currently
been kinda run down by,uh, absent landlords, students that didn't take care of the
property. Uh,where now these are-these are home-owned they're owned by persons,uh,
which help to stabilize that area. And I think it kind of defeats that purpose if- if we don't
continue to-to keep this as a stable hamlet, as it was described neighborhood.
Alter: Yeah. I just- I go from experience and I-there are so many people who are students who
live on the west side and they're graduate students,they're 25 and up. This is not like
looking for this-when I moved here in the 1990s,the worst place to live or the best place
depending on who you were,was on South Dodge Street as,you know, and South
Johnson,that was like party central. I don't think that we're looking at a student
population who wants to move to a place where there is a small hamlet environment that
is not larger that actually is on the west side of campus. It is a different student
population. These are law students,they are med students. They are older students. These
are people who may be working other jobs. I,you know, I cannot help but say that there
is a lot of diversity in student population as there is in the community as well. And they
are part of the community and frankly, grad students deserve to live in some decent
places too.
Teague: All right. Any further,um, discussion?
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Fruin: Mayor, if I could just offer, um, it appears that Council is going to-to vote this down, at
least,uh,with the super majority requirement. Uh, at some point, if not tonight sometime
I think staff would appreciate some direction so that we can guide future development in
this area. The comp plan does call for redevelopment. And we have an adopted Zoning
Code that guides that redevelopment. If it's clear that there's not a support for,um,that or
if you don't think the regulations are appropriately addressing what that redevelopment
looks like,then we need to get in and change the code because we have a set of rules
right now that someone is saying, I'm willing to-to-to play ball by those rules. Um, I'm
just afraid that we're gonna be left and a little bit of limbo here. And- and we can adopt
the code. We can change the code to address your concerns. But that needs to happen
pretty quick.
Teague: Roll call please. [Roll Call]. Motion passes. Um,no I'm sorry. Motion fails,uh,4-3.
Teague: All right. We are moving on to item Number 10b. This is rezoning Western Home GPD
of Iowa City.
Goers: Do we- do we have a motion to accept correspondence on that?
Bergus: So moved.
Alter: Second.
Teague: Okay. All in favor say aye.
Council: Aye.
Teague: Any oppose motion passes 7-0. What I've been trying to do is actually do the accept
correspondence in the moment. I'm sorry. I forgot that one.
Fruehling: It's stuff in the packets and late handouts.
Teague: Great. Got it. Got it. Got it. Thank you.
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10.b.Rezoning—Western Home GPD of Iowa City
Goers: Mayor, if I may, I'll continue to recuse on the next item.
Teague: Great. All right. All right we're gonna move on to item Number 10.b,which is rezoning
Western home GPD of Iowa City. Ordinance conditionally rezoning approximately 31.2
acres of property located East of Camp Cardinal Road and north of Gathering Place Lane
from Interim development, single-family residential and low density single-family
residential with a planned development overlay to medium density single-family
residential with a planned development overlay. And this is second consideration and the
applicant is requesting expedited action. And I also want to make note that city Attorney
Goers is removing himself because of conflict of interest. Can I get a...
Taylor: Mayor, I move that the rural requiring that ordinances must be considered and voted on
for passage at two Council meetings prior to the meeting at which it is to be finally
passed,be suspended,that the second consideration and vote be waived, and that the
ordinance be voted on for final passage at this time.
Teague: Moved by Taylor.
Harmsen: Second.
Teague: Seconded by Harmsen. Anyone from the public like to discuss this topic? Okay.
Welcome.
Long: My foot fell asleep. Steve Long,with Salida Partners representing Western Home
Independent Living Services. And I just want to let you know that when we talked last
week or two weeks ago, Chris Hansen was here and he's not able to be here this evening.
But I will be here representing Western Home, and we also have Sanjay with Eckhardt
Architecture, and like with Welch Development Design if you have any further questions.
Teague: Great.
Long: Thank you.
Teague: Any questions by Council?No. All right. Anyone from the public like to address this
topic? Seeing no one in person or online, Council discussion?Roll call please. [Roll Call]
Motion passes 7-0. Can I get a motion to pass and adopt?
Dunn: So moved,Dunn.
Taylor: Second, Taylor.
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Teague: Roll call,please. [Roll Call] Motion passes 7-0. Can I get a motion to accept
correspondence?
Alter: So moved.
Bergus: Second.
Teague: Moved by Alter seconded by Bergus. All in favor say aye.
Council: Aye.
Teague: Any oppose?Motion passes 7-0.
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11.Regular Formal Agenda
ll.a. J Street Sanitary Sewer Replacement
1. Public Hearing
Teague: All right. We are on to item Number 11,which is,um, l La. J Street Sanitary Sewer
Replacement. Resolution approving project manual and estimate of cost for the
construction of the J Street sanitary sewer rep-replacement project, and establishing
amount of bid security to accompany each bid, directing City Clerk to post notice to
bidders and fixing time and place for receipt of bids. I'm going to open the public
hearing. And welcome.
Welter: Joe Welter from Engineering presenting on this project. So this is located- is a little
touchy- located in-uh, close to Southeast Junior High,um, off of between First and Third
on J Street. So on the west side of First Avenue it's J Street, on the east side it's Bradford.
So you can kind of see where the neighborhood where we're located at. This is a utility
replacement project. It's,uh,not a street reconstruction. We're replacing,um, some
defective and faulty sanitary sewer,uh,between Second and Third Avenues. At the same
time,we are fixing some issues with some of the services in the right-of-way as well. So
we're restoring all those services,but we're fixing the orientation of some of those
services and where they go into the-the new sewer versus,um,the existing sewer at a
point that is basically completely flat, and so it wasn't really draining. And some of the
services we're going into that section, so we're eliminating that and fixing some of the
drainage issues with the sewer. We're taking the opportunity to infill sidewalk between
First and Third on the north side of J. Uh, we'll be redoing the curb ramps in this project.
We're also taking the opportunity to adjust some water valving,uh, in the area. And we'll
get better control about adjusting some of the locations and how the valving for the water
mains is done. So we're gonna do that as well. Obviously, once we're done with those
constructions,we'll be restoring the street,the driveway pavement. There will be the
restoration of the parkway. All the work is being done inside of the right-of-way. We're
not doing anything on private property and to accommodate,because there are some
denser housing areas,to accommodate getting people in and out of their places of
residence,we're breaking this up into six phases. So for a relatively small project,this is
going to have a lot of phasing and the reason we're doing that and forcing the contract to
go a little slower is to get everybody in and out of their properties on- on- on a daily
basis. Uh,we are supporting our strategic objective of mobility. So the strategic plan
talks about designing and maintaining complete streets that are comfortable and safe for
all users and to grow and prioritize bike and pedestrian accommodations. So this
sidewalk infill,which is shown in the green, is meeting those mobility requirements,the
connectivity to the school,the park,the recreation center, and many businesses all within
a half-mile of this project corridor. So this is a really key infill section connecting this
neighborhood to the First Avenue corridor and that greater part of the city. The estimated
costs are $550,000 for this project. Uh, it's being funded by the Wastewater Fund. We are
looking to proceed forward with bidding this month and award at March 7th. The start
date is scheduled to coincide close to the end of the school year,uh,because we are so
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close to the school,uh,with a substantial completion date. That means when the public
can reuse the corridor before the fall's schools semester starts. And then there's always
some things that need to be cleaned up, so we got that 30-day period in there to-between
the substantial and final completion. This is designed by Water Smith Engineering out of
Muscatine,who's done a lot of recent design for us. So I'd like to thank Brad Roeth and
his team for that. Any questions for me?
Bergus: Just to comment,Joe, I really appreciate the integration of the strategic plan and to your
presentation. Really good. Thank you.
Harmsen: Just to echo in comment this since this is over in my district and my neighborhood.
Um, glad to see,you know, infrastructure improvements,but really appreciate the
attention to letting residents get in and out, even though that makes the project a little
more spread out or whatever. But especially the sidewalk infill that's-you know,both of
my kids went to the junior high and very familiar with the amount of foot traffic that
flows in and out of that school. And especially now with ICCSD, changing its junior,
high, or middle school model, it's going to have a 50 percent increase in students roughly.
Since now there'll be six, seventh, and eighth grade will soon be, if they're not already,
going into that building. And so- so good timing on that. And,uh, looking forward to
having students be safer as they move through that area going to school.
Teague: Thank you. Would anyone from the public like to address this topic? If so come forth.
Seeing no one in-person or online, I'm going to close the public hearing.
2. Consider a resolution
Teague: Could I get a motion to approve please?
Thomas: So moved, Thomas.
Taylor: Second, Taylor.
Teague: Council discussion.
Bergus: I just wanted to burn into our memories that were in favor of this sidewalk infill. So if
the neighbors come out and say,we don't want our front yards torn up for the sidewalk
infill, we just had a public hearing and we all say how great this is. Okay?And I'm going
to remind us of that if come later at some point.
Harmsen: I love sidewalks, so no reminder necessary.
Bergus: Okay. Well,you know,we- it was before your time, Shawn,but we've-we've had issues
before. That's my only comment. Thank you.
Teague: Roll call,please. [Roll Call]. Motion passes 7-0.
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ll.b. Gilbert Street Bridge Replacement
1. Public Hearing
Teague: Item l Lb. Gilbert Street Bridge Replacement. Resolution approving project manual and
an estimate of cost for the construction of the Gilbert Street Replacement Project,
establishing amount of bid security to accompany each bid, directing City Clerk to post
notice to bidders, and fixing time and place for receipt of bids. I'm going to open the
public hearing. And welcome.
Clow: Good evening. My name is Melissa Clow. I'm here with the Engineering Division to talk
about the Gilbert Street Bridge Replacement Project tonight. Um, quick background. The
existing bridge was constructed in 1972. During the 2021 bridge inspection,um, it was
noted that there was cracking and spalling in the deck and superstructure, and so
replacement was recommended. Um, it no longer meets the current safety requirements
as it lacks the safety barriers between vehicles and pedestrians, and bank slump and
erosion in the channel was also identified at that time. Um,we will be constructing a new
four-lane continuous concrete slab bridge in the place of the existing one. It will include
six-foot sidewalks on both sides of the bridge, and we'll be using a barrier rail similar to
what you see on Rochester Avenue and the Dodge Street Bridge,with aesthetic- aesthetic
handrail. The streambank stabilization on the north and south side of the bridge,um,
sorry, on the east and west side of the bridge,um,will be fabric formed concrete
revetment, as well as classy riprap. Other improvements that you will see are the upsizing
of the storm sewer between the creek and Court Street. During,um,heavy rainstorms,
ponding depths have topped the curb in this location. Water main north of the bridge will
also be improved to remove it from the bridge footprint to facilitate future improvements.
And then we will also be,um, accommodating parking and access for local businesses
during construction. This is a quick map of the traffic control. Um, we have this broken
up into a number of phases. Um,the fust phase will be preparation for the road closure.
We will need a complete closure for Gilbert Street and we will be constructing a
temporary driveway at the parking lot,um, on north side of the bridge to access Maiden
Lane. So traffic can still get down Gilbert, access businesses and then get out onto
Maiden Lane. Um,the second and third phases will be construction of the storm sewer as
well as of the bridge. The storm sewer will be a condensed phase and after that we'll
allow parking and,um, also truck parking for deliveries to the same businesses. And then
Phase 4 will be once the road is open,we'll complete the storm sewer at the Court Street
intersection. The estimated construction cost is $2.9 million, and the City has been
awarded funds from the Iowa DOT City Bridge program for reimbursement of 80 percent
of eligible project costs up to one million dollars. Project timeline,um, will include the
bid letting that will occur through the DOT on March 21st. We plan to award at the City
Council meeting on April 4th, and construction will start shortly after April 24th. Um,
final completion is planned for early October of this fall. Um,we are requiring a six-day
work week and we have incentive, disincentives set up to encourage the contractor to get
done as soon as possible. So with that, any questions?
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Bergus: So I have a question about the funding. The,um,DOT award, is that competitive? Is that
something that we had to apply for? Or is that,um.
Clow: It's- when we have bridges that are recommended for replacement,we apply to the DOT
for funding and they will determine where those funds go that are available.
Bergus: Thank you. And will the road be closing,that like at April, like as soon as construction
begins,the road is going to be closed?
Clow: So we have a week to two weeks of preparation to provide that driveway and the pull
through to Maiden Lane and then the road will be closing.
Bergus: Until October?
Clow: Yes.
Bergus: Okay.
Teague: Any other questions? Thank you. Anyone from the public like to address this topic?
Please come forth. I see no one in public or online. I'm going to close the public hearing.
2. Consider a Resolution
Teague: Can I get a motion to approve,please?
Harmsen: So moved.
Alter: Second.
Teague: Moved by Harmsen, second by Alter. Council discussion.
Harmsen: One actually,maybe I should have done so you're up the podium,I'm sorry. But,um,
in terms of,you know,the timeline and speed of this project is going to be really
important because of the-the nature of this thoroughfare. Um, is this project-this might
be a little crystal ball thing,but is there any sense that some of the supply chain issues
that have bedeviled us to on projects all last summer and the summer before that,um,that
are easing maybe or,um, is that- is that being built into what we're guaranteed,having the
contractors tell us about their ability to get it hold of supplies or?
Clow: Well,we have seen that improving recently. Um, one of my other projects,water main
wasn't supposed to be delivered for a year and it showed up at the contractor's yard nine
months before they said they'd get it. So,um,we're hoping that we see that. Um,this
timeline is built into the contract, so the contractor will know kind of what they're signing
up for.
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Harmsen: Okay. Thank you.
Teaguie: Any other comments by Councilors?
Bergus: Um,just a first off, I think we've learned some good lessons last year about how we
communicate about road closures and that kind of thing. So I would imagine that we're
going to be really aggressive in letting people know that one of our main thoroughfares
will be closed for a number of months. And if the schedule changes,we'll
let them know as soon as possible.
Fruin: And all will be happy.
Bergus: Great. Perfect. Thank you.
Goers: There were quite a bit of negotiations with some of those adjoining property owners from
whom we had to acquire property rights and it included signage as well.Not about that.
Well, that some of those businesses are still open.
Bergus: For business access.
Goers: Yeah,yeah.
Bergus: Yeah.
Unknown: Sure.
Teague: Roll call,please. [Roll Call] Motion passes at 7-0.
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12. Council Appointments
12.a.Aiport Zoning Board of Adjustment
Teague: Item Number 12, Council Appointments 12.a. Airport Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Airport Zoning Board of Adjustment, Iowa City representative, one vacancy to fill a five-
year term,January 1st, 2021,through December 31st, 2025. And there is one vacancy,no
gender requirement and one applicant.
Bergus: I think we should appoint him.
Teague: Alright. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, I- I did appreciate that,um,he is with, a paramedic. Um,he's a
paramedic field supervisor with Johnson County ambulance, so yeah. Um, all right. So
can I get a motion to appoint Andreas Wilz?
Harmsen: So moved,Harmsen.
Alter: Second,Alter.
Teague: All in favor say aye.
Council: Aye.
Teague: Any opposed?Motion passes 7-0.
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15. City Council Information:
Teague: Item number 15 is City Council information.
Alter: I just have one thing to share. I went to the Emma Goldman 50th celebration, 50th
anniversary celebration. And it was both incredibly affirming and motivating, and as a
bonus,there were two Lifetime Awards given to Joel Bolkom and Mary Mascher for
their long fight for reproductive rights and uh-uh abortion care for women. So it was a
really-really good event.
Bergus: Mayor, I have kind of a somber note. I think people are aware of the massive
earthquakes that occurred in Turkey and Syria. And our State Senator Janice Weiner, our
former colleague,wanted to share- a- asked if we'd be willing to share some- some
thoughts. And so I just attribute this to her because I can hear her voice in it,but I just
wanted to share this with the community. While our focus is here in Iowa City, I want to
ask you to raise your gaze and keep the people of Southern Turkey and Northern Syria in
your thoughts and prayers. On Monday night, a massive earthquake,magnitude 7.8 on
the Richter scale,true- struck near the Gaziantep in Southern Turkey. It was followed by
numerous strong aftershocks, and yesterday, a separate 7.4 magnitude earthquake in a
neighboring province. It is a natural and humanitarian disaster on a scale that is hard to
comprehend, encompassing an area of land, at least the size of the state of Iowa. And
cities impacting millions of people, including Aleppo and Liped, city in Syria,which
have already been ravaged by civil war for the last 10 years. And many other cities and
towns across Southern Turkey. There are millions and millions of people affected. The
initial quake struck just after 04:00 A.M. local time when most people were in their beds.
The death toll currently stands, as of 03:00 P.M. today, it was at 7,200. And I think
estimated to be much higher than that. And continues to mount. Millions are now without
a safe roof over their heads and it is winter and freezing at night. So please keep these
people in your thoughts and prayers, and if you are able consider giving to a charity of
your choice that is helping, as there are many. There is great need and will be for a very
long time to come. So I thank her for always thinking of our whole world community.
She served for a quarter of her career in the State Department in Turkey. So it's very close
to her heart. I had one other announcement. Councilor Harmsen and I will be having our
uh, listening post, couldn't come up with the term, on Monday,February 27th, from 6-
7:30, I believe. Yes. Okay. Thank you. At the Eastside Recycling Center. I think this
evening was a good reminder for me of how difficult and frustrating it can be to engage
with the City Council. And I hope that people will take advantage of the opportunity to
come speak with us in that informal environment and uh,bring any thoughts, concerns,
ideas, suggestions to us there.
Harmsen: Just wanted to mention that Councilor Dunn and I met with some resident,mobile
home park residents from here, in and around Iowa City this past weekend. Uh, and
continue to hear some very troubling things about the ways they're being treated by out-
of-state investment firm landlords,uh,things like rent going up dramatically while
services are being cut,which has the side effect of then increasing their cost because now
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they have to replace those services. And so uh an issue that we'll continue to keep an eye
on and relay that information,um and- and work with other partners. We had one of our
County Board of Supervisors with the meeting too. And so there may be so- some things
we can look at collaborative- collaboration with them and other entities to try and um
continue to look for ways we can work at the local level as we keep our fingers crossed,
but not hold our breath, for action on the state level to protect these um,valuable,uh,
neighbors of ours so.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular
formal meeting of February 7,2023.