HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-12-04 TranscriptionPage 1
ITEM 2. OUTSTANDING STUDENT CITIZENSHIP AWARDS — Horace Mann
Elementary
Hayek: Would the students from Horace Mann please come forward. Hello, young
ladies. I'm Matt Hayek, I'm the Mayor, and this ... this is your City Council
behind you. How you doing? Are you guys the Mustangs? All right, you're
from Horace Mann. That's great! Wonderful school. Now, usually I take a little
bit longer to tell you why we're ... we're having you up here and to give you some
congratulations, but I understand that you're in a big rush to get to something else
this evening, so I think I'll just jump right into it and uh, and invite you to tell us a
little bit about yourself. I see you've each prepared something to read. I'll hand
you the microphone.
Stejskal: Hi, my name is Rocio Stejskal. First I would like to thank my classmates for
nominating me for this award. This means so much to me. I'm involved in
several activities outside of school. I play clarinet in band, sing in a choir, and
also play piano. Two other activities have taught me about good citizenship. One
is being a Girl Scout in Troop 8938. The other is being part of a Lego robotics
team. Troop 8938 has done several things to help others, like making and sending
gift packages to needy children and collecting food for the Crisis Center. As part
of this year's Lego robotics theme, Senior Solutions, our team gave technology
classes to seniors at the Public Library. I'm grateful to all those good citizens
who volunteer their time so we can do these things. Thank you very much.
(applause)
Ross: Hello, my name is Oriana Ross and first I would like to thank my classmates for
nominating me for this award. I would also like to thank Iowa City for the
opportunities it has provided me. For instance, I attend a good grammar school. I
study violin and piano at the Preucil School of Music, and play soccer and
basketball through the City's Parks and Recreational Center. I'm fortunate to
have enjoyed these establishments: Home Ec, the Haunted Book Shop, the Public
Library, Centaur Stables, the Farmers Market, the Co -op, and robotics at the
Senior Center. I would just like to thank my parents, teachers, and friends for all
that they have done for me. I hope that I will make them proud. (applause)
Irvine: Hi...
Hayek: Want to just look down at your paper and I'll hold it? Don't even worry about the
mic. (laughter) ... get you started?
Irvine: Okay.
Hayek: I want to thank my class for voting for me. I was surprised when my name was
called...
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Irvine: (mumbled) ...I think I'm a good citizen because I try to be nice to everyone,
except there are always those people who (mumbled) on your nerves. (laughter)
Um... (mumbled)
Hayek: You're doing great!
Irvine: I admit it's hard to get along with them but I manage. I also try to stand up for
my schoolmates when I think they need me. Finally I have adopted a shelter dog.
No, my mom didn't buy her — I did! I saved up money for a year and finally got
enough money for a dog. Her name was Rose, but we changed it to Rocket. I
gave her a nice home and a family who loves her. I think this shows that even
when you can't do something big, it's ... to be a good citizen, all the little things
that you do can really add up to make a difference. Thank you. I wish my dad...
I wish my dad was here to see me tonight. He would have been so proud.
(applause)
Hayek: Perfect! Thank you. Well those are great, and you three are clearly leaders in
your school, and that's why we bring you down to these City Council meetings.
We bring leaders from each of the elementary schools in Iowa City down here
during the school year to recognize you, but we don't hear about you unless your
teachers and your... and your other peers at... at your school and... and your
parents are playing a role, and clearly they are, cause they've... they've nominated
you for this and ... and selected you as ... as great representatives, uh, from Horace
Mann. So, you set such a good example for your classmates, for ... for the
community, you're so involved it shows, and... and your parents and your
teachers and everybody else who's here to support you tonight, um, they deserve
a round of thanks as ... as well. So, with that let me cut to the award. We give out
what's called a citizenship award, and it says as follows: for her outstanding
qualities of leadership within Horace Mann Elementary, as well as the
community, and for her sense of responsibility and helpfulness to others, we
recognize you as an outstanding student citizen. Your community is proud of
you. Presented by the Iowa City City Council, December 2012. Congratulations
(mumbled) (applause) That was great!
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ITEM 3. PROCLAMATION.
ITEM 3a. Human Rights Day — December 10
Hayek: (reads proclamation)
Karr: Here to accept the proclamation is Harry Olmstead, Human Rights Commission
Member. (applause)
Olmstead: Thank you, Mayor Hayek. On behalf of the Iowa City Human Rights
Commission and the residents of Iowa City, I accept this pro ... Human Rights
Proclamation. It is a positive step. We appreciate all efforts to support and honor
the dignity of all people. We're proud to live in a community that values human
rights. Again, I thank you for recognizing December 10, 2012, as Human Rights
Day in Iowa City.
Hayek: Thank you.
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ITEM 5. COMMUNITY COMMENT (ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA).
Hayek: This is the opportunity at each City Council memb ... or meeting for members of
the audience to address the City Council on items that are not on the agenda. So
if there's something that's not on tonight's agenda that you'd like to bring to our
attention, um, we invite you to step forward. We'd ask that you sign in and also
verbally give us your name, and we'd ask, uh, also that you keep your comments
to five minutes or less.
Gravitt: My name is ... my name is Mary Gravitt. It's come to my attention that the City
has severed its relationship with Dolphin Pointe and 40 families have to move.
Most of those families that have to move are on Section 8, I think all of `em. So I
would like to know what the City is going to do to help these people find housing.
Most landlords don't wanna take Section 8. I've heard stories about how people
abuse the... the... the premises and so on and so forth, but if you had seen Dolphin
Pointe from the rear, I ride the bus and the Lakeside goes in back. That landlord
hadn't done anything except build those condos in the front. You could fall down
in one of those potholes in the back and break your leg. And, I'm talking about
that now, but I really came to talk about dogs, but dogs are #11, and I hope you
get to it before my bus comes tonight. I couldn't talk about it last week, but
mainly I want to know, is the City going to assist those people and find housing,
and will they have to leave Iowa City to find housing? Thank you.
Hayek: Thank you for your comments.
Ross: I'm Becky Ross and I'm just going to make this really brief. We talked about
plastic bags in your ... and you talked about it in your work session. I'm just going
to recommend that you watch a movie, it's a documentary called "Bag It." It will
make you take your cloth bags with you to the grocery store (laughs) if nothing
else. It's a really, uh, informative, but it's also ... it's entertaining, the way it's
done. It's just done really well, and I would, uh, recommend that anybody watch
it. We had a showing at the Library, oh it's been a couple weeks ago now, but
very few people came, but the ones who came were, uh, much more committed
after that. So ... that's my suggestion!
Hayek: Thank you for the, uh, information.
Heffernen: Hello, my name's Zach Heffernen. I'm a student at the University of Iowa, and
I'm also President of UI Students for Human Rights. First off I'd like to say
thank you for making this Human Rights Day proclamation. It means a lot to me
and it means a lot to a lot of us. However, I'd also like to point out how ironic it
is that the City is making this proclamation at the same time that the University of
Iowa is closing our UI Center for Human Rights. As you all may know, the
Center is intended to be closed by the University of Iowa come June 30, 2013,
unless we do something about it. As you also may know, the Center has provided
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a lot of public events for community members free of charge over the years, and
these will end, unless we do something. So what I'm here today is to request that
the City Council send a recommendation to President Mason and Provost Butler
that we keep the UI Center for Human Rights open. Thank you.
Hayek: Thank you for your comments. Would anyone else like to address the Council
during community comment? Okay. We will move on!
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ITEM 6c CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE CONDITIONALLY REZONING
APPROXIMATELY 1.02 ACRES OF LAND LOCATED ON 1ST AVENUE
NORTH OF ROCHESTER AVENUE FROM LOW DENSITY SINGLE
FAMILY RESIDENTIAL(RS -5) TO LOW- DENSITY MULTI - FAMILY
RESIDENTIAL (RM -12). (REZ12- 00025) (SECOND CONSIDERATION)
Hayek: The contractor has requested expedited action.
Mims: I move that the rule 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.
Champion: Second.
Hayek: Motion to collapse from Mims, seconded by Champion. Discussion?
Throgmorton: (mumbled) hear from Jeff ...are we going to wait on that?
Hayek: Uh...
Champion: (mumbled)
Hayek: Well, yeah, we can. I ... I do want to indicate, I ... I have some reservations about
collapsing this.
Throgmorton: I don't want to collapse myself.
Hayek: Only because, um, this is not without some controversy. We've certainly heard
from residents, uh, in person and, uh, by written communication. I'm not aware
of any pressing need to expedite.
Mims: Yeah, that was ... I mean, I made the motion because it was on here just to get it on
the table for discussion. I don't know, I mean, has staff... is staff aware of any...
specific deadlines that really require this to be expedited?
Markus: I'm not. Jeff? Do you have any comment?
Davidson: I'm not either, Susan.
Throgmorton: I ... I think a routine ought to be to follow the routine procedures, three readings
over three consecutive meetings, unless there's some exceptional reason to
deviate from that. I would oppose...
Dobyns: I had some concerns, so I would vote not to...
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Hayek: Okay.
Dobyns: (mumbled)
Hayek: Well, should we ... why don't we take a roll call and just vote it down and then
we'll go back and consider second consideration the regular way.
Mims: Okay.
Hayek: So the motion to collapse fails 0 -7.
Mims: Move second consideration.
Champion: Second.
Hayek: Okay, so second consideration is moved by Mims, seconded by Champion.
Discussion? Jeff, do you want to talk to...
Davidson: Do the ex parte thing?
Hayek: Oh, yeah! Ex parte, thanks! I'm so hung up on the, uh, the procedural part
(laughter). Are there any ex parte, uh, communications, uh, to disclose? Um, I
did briefly talk to Rick about why he voted against first consideration, uh, just
prior to our meeting, and he indicated it was due to concerns over drainage.
Dobyns: And I spoke with the, uh, City engineer and I'll allude to that later in my
comments.
Davidson: Um, thank you, Mr. Mayor, Members of the City Council. I'm Jeff Davidson, the
Planning Director for the City. Uh, at your work session earlier there were a
couple of issues raised, uh, by Councilor Throgmorton and I'm here to just, uh,
try and provide a little clarification for those. Uh, one of the things that Jim
requested was an aerial view of the site. You see it here outlined in turquoise, and
I believe one of the things, Jim, you asked about was the adjacency of the existing
building, locating... located right here to the proposed building that would be
located on this site. And I did want to show on this aerial, you can see that this
building is very, very close to the property line. I believe it's a ... it's 9 -feet which
is the ... it may even be slightly less than that. Nine feet is the required setback,
but because of some sensitive areas in this location, steep slopes and a drainage
way, uh, there ... it was worked out with the developer when this building was
built to scooch the building as far north as possible and you can see here... you
can ... there! That's ... the retaining wall's here, which were ... are obviously
intended to make the site as flat as possible, uh, on the ... on the property where
this building is built are approximately on the property line. So it's 9 -feet or
slightly less that this building is built from the property line ... excuse me. Right
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...get my arrow back ... right here. Um, and so that was one thing you asked
about. Now the ... the, Jim asked about the site plan earlier. We don't have a site
plan yet, and ... and this is typical. Uh, developer would get there ... the zoning
approved first before they went to the, uh, expense to actually engineer a site plan
cause that starts involving some real expense. So what we have is a concept plan
that you see here, and although the CZA conditions are that the site would, the
actual site plan would approximate what you see here, I do want to emphasize that
we don't have a site plan, uh, yet. Now, what the developer's indicated is, as you
see here, from ... from the closest point of the parking lot to Hickory Hill Park,
which is located here, uh, a ... approximately 20 -feet, um ... and similarly from the
edge of this building, uh, to the property line, also 20 -feet, uh, setback. That is
larger than the required setback. The required setback would be approximately 7-
feet for this building — 5 -feet for the first two floors, 2 -feet for the additional third
floor, which is what this is scheduled to be. Um, as you might imagine if you
look at this picture the developer would desire to have the ... the new building be
as far away as possible from this building just because of the views from the new
building, uh, wanting to make those as, um ... uh, you know, as open as possible,
uh, to um ... and not any closer than need be to this building. So that was one
thing Jim asked about. Um ... the ... CZA, the Conditional Zoning, uh, condition
then is for there to be a minimum 20 -feet, uh, from the closest point of the parking
lot, uh, to Hickory Hill Park. Uh, another issue that Jim raised were the trees that
you see here in the foreground. These are on the, uh, applicant's property here.
There were trees on the ... the property of this building, but they were taken out,
uh, when this building was built in order to get it as close as possible, uh, to the
property line, and obviously to build these retaining walls. So, these trees, uh...
the... the... the developer of this property has the right to take these trees down,
uh, and has indicated he will try and save as many as possible, but without the site
plan being completed yet, does not know exactly, uh, how many will be taken out.
There is a tree requirement, which you see here. Um, it's advantageous and in
fact you get a little bit of a bonus if you save an existing tree, but I do want to
emphasize that the developer has the right to take the trees out and replace them at
these ratios that you see here. Uh, did that cover, Jim, approximately what you
were looking for?
Throgmorton: Yeah, let me follow up a little bit, Jeff. If I understand... if I understand you
correctly, if you could go back to the aerial photograph. The new building will be
no closer than 29 feet from the existing building?
Davidson: No, 20 ... the 9 -feet is included in that 20.
Throgmorton: Ah, so 11 (both talking)
Davidson: No, I'm sorry, no, you're correct. It would be the 20 -feet on the applicant's
property, plus the 9 -feet on the other property adjacent. Right.
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Throgmorton: Yeah, okay. Um, well, you know, I went out to the site, walked all around it and
uh, hope the owner doesn't mind that I was looking at it carefully, and I noticed
all the trees, which you can't really see on this particular aerial photograph, but
there are a pretty substantial number of em (clears throat) some of `em are
clustered close to the property line.
Davidson: Kind of see `em there.
Throgmorton: Yeah, and others are ... are farther back in, uh, but what I wasn't clear about is
how close the building would pro ... could be to the existing building.
Davidson: It could be as close as 7 -feet. The applicant has indicated his desire is to make it
no closer than (both talking) 20 feet.
Throgmorton:... the applicant's own property line you mean, right?
Davidson: Right, but it could be as close as 7 -feet according to City ordinance.
Throgmorton: Okay. The other question I had concerned the buffer from Hickory Hill Park
because out there there's a substantial amount of...well, I don't how to ... wood
...wooded area that begins at what appears to be the property line. (both talking)
All right so is it... so that wooded area is inside the buffer or outside the buffer?
Davidson: Is outside the buffer. This ... the wooded area that you see here is all on the
parkland. I was (both talking)
Throgmorton: So it would be another 20 -feet in
Davidson: Right.
Throgmorton: All right.
Davidson: It'll be from this property line in to the closest point of that parking lot, 20 -feet.
Throgmorton: Okay, good. That's helpful. I ... I had a question about runoff also, but maybe
Rick or somebody else wanted to ask about that.
Davidson: (both talking) ...engineer is here and if you have specific runoff questions, I'd ask
Rick to come forward.
Dobyns: I'm sorry, what?
Davidson: I said if you have specific questions about runoff from the property I would ask
Rick to come forward.
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Dobyns: Okay, all right. I was just going to mention I voted no on this last time because of
concerns about drainage expressed by, um, a citizen lives across the street
and ... in the adjacent building that you showed, um, and I did discuss this with
Rick Fosse earlier, so Rick, if you wanted to...
Davidson: And while Rick's coming forward, it is very typical and especially on a site which
is on the side of a hill, to have to work out drainage issues. Um, and ... and there
are issues, which as you pointed out, Rick, were raised by the neighbors at the
Planning and Zoning Commission. Those will have to be engineered by the
developer when they develop the site plan and the specific location of the
building.
Dobyns: Okay. Thank you. (several talking and laughing)
Fosse: Well in response to our conversation earlier about ... about the drainage is that
there are drainage considerations that need to be factored into the ultimate design
of this lot, and to a varying degree that's true for any lot, uh, when you develop.
You need to look at the drainage considerations. Uh, in this case, as is the case
for most lots in Iowa City, those considerations fall below the threshold of which
we regulate, and that is you know, we don't regulate everything, and ... and this is
one of those cases. It... it's something that, uh, the develop factors into their
design of the lot. So I think the question that you ... you ask yourself is, is it
reasonable that they can deal with the drainage considerations on this lot, and I
think the answer to that is probably yes, that I've seen more difficult, uh,
situations dealt with. So ... any additional questions, under (mumbled)
Throgmorton: Maybe I missed, uh, just didn't hear you, uh, fully, but, uh, could you explain
what they intend to do in terms of drainage?
Fosse: Well we don't know yet. Because we don't have a specific site plan for this.
Throgmorton: Uh, have, um, is it a good site for rain gardens? Or a rain garden?
Fosse: I don't know the answer to that. Part of the answer has to do with the underlying
soils and how permeable they are.
Throgmorton: Uh -huh.
Fosse: So there ... there may be some good opportunities there.
Throgmorton: Yeah, of course you know that stuff way better than I do, and I don't the soils
either, but it would seem to me that'd be a great place to really investigate and
... and encourage the use of a rain garden.
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Hayek: So, let's back up to the regulation. Um, so if this falls below a threshold at which
the City would regulate, what.... analysis is given, if any, by staff at the design
review stage?
Fosse: Very little, when we look at...at drainage consideration because we don't have
anything to, uh, measure that against to regulate it. Uh, you know, we ... we look
at some obvious things and it's certainly to the developer's, uh, interest, or in their
interest, to deal with it properly so that they have a good marketable, uh, product
when they're done and something that doesn't give them headaches after the sale.
Payne: Is it regulated that you cannot allow your property to drain through another
property to get to the storm sewer?
Fosse: No. All water goes downhill and when it follows its natural route, it goes from
property to property along the way.
Dobyns: The reason I voted no for this last time is I didn't have enough information to give
me a sense that there was even a reasonable chance that they could control the
expressed drainage problems on this property, and I don't think we should zone
something if we don't .... I don't have that information, and was talking with, uh,
Rick before, um, my sense is that there is reasonable chance that the developer
and... it's their decision. Um, that they can, you know, control the, uh, drainage.
And I thought since there's a reasonable chance that they can do it, not that they
will do it, um, I decided to change my vote to yes for this zoning change.
Davidson: yeah, I would just, uh, add that I would remind you that the ... at the Planning and
Zoning Commission, both the drainage issues and the traffic issues received a
great deal of discussion, and perhaps you've had a chance to look at those
meeting minutes, but the conclusion of the Planning and Zoning Commission and
part of their recommendation of approval to you is that they felt both of those
things, drainage and traffic, could be managed at the site plan.
Throgmorton: How ... how much control do we have over the, uh, location of the building in the
design review process?
Davidson: Uh, there are setbacks, both front and rear. Front is 40 -feet, rear is, uh, 20 -feet.
Throgmorton: Just standard zoning kind of setbacks.
Davidson: And then 7 -feet on either side, right.
Payne: Other than the CZA, which says that they have to significantly adhere to that...
the other plan. They can't put the building on the other side of the property or
they can't move the driveway.
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Davidson: Right. The ... the driveway's the key thing about adhering roughly to what that
site plan, concept plan, shows. Any other questions? Thank you.
Hayek: Is there anyone from the audience who wishes to address us on this item? Okay,
Council discussion? Okay, roll call, please. Second consideration passes 7 -0.
Karr: Motion to accept correspondence.
Throgmorton: So moved.
Payne: Second.
Hayek: Moved by Throgmorton, seconded by Payne. Discussion? All those in favor say
aye. Opposed say nay. Motion carries 7 -0.
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ITEM 6e CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 14, ZONING CODE,
ARTICLE 4C, ACCESSORY USES AND BUILDINGS, TO ALLOW FOR
THE KEEPING OF CHICKENS AS AN ACCESSORY USE TO SINGLE
FAMILY DETACHED USES AND TO REFERENCE STANDARDS FOR
STRUCTURES FOR THE KEEPING OF CHICKENS. (PASS AND
ADOPT)
Hayek: Now we're getting to 6e which is the first of the three chicken, uh, urban chicken
items. We'll need a motion...
Champion: Can I move that we move 9 and 10 up to be discussed with 6e, which also has to
do with chickens?
Dobyns: Second.
Hayek: Motion by, uh, Champion, seconded by Dobyns. Discussion? Those in favor say
aye. Opposed say nay. Motion carries 6 -0. So what this means (noise on mic) is
we're going to take up Item 6e, and then Item 9 and then Item 10, all relating to
the, uh, backyard chickens, uh ... uh, issue. Um, but what I think we'll do is just
we'll get 6e on the floor and then open it up for input from the audience to the
extent there is input to be given, um, and ... and your comments can apply to one,
two, or all three of the items on the agenda. So now we need a motion.
Mims: Move adoption.
Payne: Second.
Hayek: Moved by, uh, Mims, seconded by Payne. Discussion? Okay, so if you're here
to, uh, discuss the chicken items, uh, with the City Council, I invite you to step
forward and... and uh, same routine here — please sign in and give us your name
verbally. Well, maybe there is no one!
Champion: (mumbled)
Hayek: Okay! We will, uh, close down the public input portion and close it, uh, bring it
back for Council deliberation.
Dobyns: The reason I... supported this in the beginning was based on my campaign as I
walked in my district getting signatures and ... um, for myself I had to get over 200
signatures and this wasn't even an issue I was aware of, and I was taken by the
amount of people who freely and actively, um, informed me about this issue, um,
as I walked around my neighborhood. For me it's not so much about the
chickens. Um, it's not so much about how many people are interested in doing
this in Iowa City. To me this is about the people (mumbled) the people who are
interested, either wanting to keep urban chickens or wanting to have people who
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can do that, and these I think are people that our City is excited to have in our
midst. Um, it's part of our creative culture, and so for me it's not about the
poultry. It's about the people. I will be voting yes for these amendments.
(laughter)
Throgmorton: Well!
Champion: Well that's just great, Rick! (laughter)
Throgmorton: Terry got a slogan a couple weeks ago; now you've got one. It's not about the
poultry — it's the people! (several talking and laughing)
Dickens: Dickens for no chickens! (several talking and laughing)
Dobyns: I worked on that for ten minutes, guys! (laughter)
Hayek: Did you focus group that? (laughter)
Throgmorton: I guess I'd like to ask a procedural question, Matt, urn ... so the first item is the
rezoning, or the changing of the zone (both talking), uh, and then the second is
the...
Hayek: Permit process.
Throgmorton: But the third is the policy. So we don't know how the vote's going to go on the
policy, really. Maybe you all know but I don't (laughs) so it ... just in the
hypothetical. If the policy gets defeated, we'd have to revisit, um, the zoning
code amendment and the other thing or not. So I just want to know.
Hayek: I don't (several talking) that, I mean, if we pass 6e and 10, which is the zoning
and the permit process, but not the policy, you'd have the zoning change and the
permit policy on the books, but they'd be of no effect without a policy.
Throgmorton: So what's... what's no effect mean? Does that mean a person could have chickens
in the backyard or not?
Champion: Right.
Hayek: Could not. Cause I don't think you get to that until you have a policy that's been
approved by the Council.
Dilkes: The ordinance, and I was trying to get up in front of me, um, refers to, uh, permits
being issued in compliance with the policy adopted by the City Council. So, uh,
if there's no policy adopted by the City Council, I don't think a permit can be
issued.
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Throgmorton: Is it the absence of a policy a policy?
Champion: No!
Mims: not if that's what the ordinance says, you have to have a policy!
Dobyns: It's a vacuum!
Dilkes: That would not be my read.
Hayek: Any further discussion on the zoning portion? 6e. Okay. Roll call, please. Uh,
6e passes, uh, 5 -2, Payne and Dickens in the negative. So now we will take up
Item 9.
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ITEM 9. CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 8, ENTITLED
"POLICE REGULATIONS," CHAPTER 4, ENTITLED "ANIMAL
CONTROL," TO ESTABLISH A PERMIT PROCESS FOR URBAN
CHICKENS. (SECOND CONSIDERATION)
Hayek: Uh, staff does request expedited action.
Mims: I move that the rule 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, and that the second consideration and vote be waived, and
that the ordinance be voted on for final passage at this time.
Throgmorton: Second.
Hayek: Motion to collapse, uh, from, uh, Mims, seconded by Throgmorton. Discussion?
Throgmorton: Might explain why ... why we would need to do that... tonight.
Champion: Right.
Hayek: Right, right. So this second of three items is in its second of third readings, and so
that we can leave this evening with what I presume will be a policy, we have to
collapse Item 9, the ... the second and third readings for, uh, Item 9 into one
reading, and that's what the motion on the floor, uh, is ... is for. Uh, so we speed it
up and then we take on Item 10 and if all goes as we anticipate, uh, we'll walk out
of here with the entire issue resolved.
Payne: And that's because last week we changed something in this permit process
(several talking)
Karr: The one ... the one -year to three -year, the time duration.
Hayek: (mumbled) Further discussion on the motion to collapse? Roll call, please.
Motion, uh, the motion to collapse, uh, passes 5 -2.
Karr: No.
Dilkes: No, motion to collapse fails; takes six votes.
Hayek: Oh, you're right! You're right!
Karr: It takes six to collapse.
Hayek: You're right! So let's just take up second consideration.
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Mims: Move second consideration.
Champion: Second.
Hayek: Moved by Mims, seconded by Champion. Uh, discussion?
Throgmorton: The subtleties of Roberts Rules of Order!
Dilkes: It was in the comment.
Hayek: Yep! I was too busy thinking about Dobyns' pithy quote!
Dobyns: Thank you for that, Mayor! (laughter)
Hayek: Further discussion? Roll call, please. Okay, second consideration passes 5 -2.
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ITEM 10. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION ADOPTING AN URBAN CHICKEN
POLICY.
Throgmorton: So we can't take up the other one, huh?
Karr: We can't take up Item 10. We'd have to defer it.
Hayek: Yep, so...
Throgmorton: (mumbled)
Mims: Move deferral of Item 10 to December 181H
Payne: Second.
Hayek: A motion from, uh, Mims, seconded by Payne. Discussion? So that the public
understands, we, uh, only made it through the second of three readings for the
permit process, and we can't adopt the policy until the permit process is in place.
So this shifts things out to the next meeting. Further discussion? The motion is to
the next meeting?
Mims: Defer to the next meeting.
Hayek: Okay.
Mims: December 181H
Hayek: All those in favor say aye. Opposed say nay. Motion carries 7 -0. So we will not
take up Item 10 this evening.
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ITEM 7. PLANS, SPECIFICATIONS, AND ESTIMATE OF COST FOR THE
CONSTRUCTION OF THE ROCHESTER AVENUE BRIDGE OVER
RALSTON CREEK PROJECT [BRM- 3715(650)-- 8N -52], ESTABLISHING
AMOUNT OF BID SECURITY TO ACCOMPANY EACH BID,
DIRECTING CITY CLERK TO PUBLISH NOTICE TO BIDDERS, AND
FIXING TIME AND PLACE FOR RECEIPT OF BIDS.
a. PUBLIC HEARING
Hayek: This is a public hearing. The public hearing is open. (bangs gavel) Public
hearing is closed. (bangs gavel)
b. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION
Mims: Move adoption of the resolution.
Payne: Second.
Hayek: Moved by Mims, seconded by Payne. Discussion?
Champion: I'm glad that bridge is going to be fixed. It looks like it's going to fall down.
Dickens: It's one of the oldest bridges that we have and it's...
Champion: I try to avoid driving over it (laughter)
Dickens: Sad shape! (several talking)
Hayek: And it'll resolve some of the embargo issues we've got to keep it from collapsing.
Roll call, please. Item passes 7 -0.
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ITEM 11. CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 8, ENTITLED
"POLICE REGULATIONS," CHAPTER 4, ENTITLED "ANIMAL
CONTROL" AND TITLE 10, ENTITLED "PUBLIC WAYS AND
PROPERTY," CHAPTER 5, ENTITLED "CITY PLAZA," AND
CHAPTER 9, ENTITLED "PARKS AND RECREATION
REGULATIONS," TO ALLOW DOGS IN CITY PLAZA, TO PROHIBIT
DOGS IN SIDEWALK CAFES, AND TO ALLOW DOGS TO BE OFF
LEASH IN ALL DOG PARKS. (PASS AND ADOPT)
Karr: Mr. Mayor, I'm sorry, could we accept correspondence on 9 and 10 (mumbled)
Dobyns: So moved.
Payne: Second.
Hayek: Moved by Dobyns, seconded by Payne. Discussion? All those in favor say aye.
Opposed say nay. Motion carries 7 -0. (reads Item 11)
Champion: Move adoption.
Dobyns: Second.
Hayek: Moved by Champion, seconded by Dobyns. Discussion?
Dickens: I think we have someone wanted to speak.
Hayek: Yeah, Miss Gravitt.
Gravitt: I know that we all enjoy the ped mall, but the ped mall is only four blocks, two
and two, and it's getting narrow and narrow. To tell the truth, the whole
downtown is getting narrow because of those outside cafes. And when you bring
the dogs in there to walk, the people hardly have any place to walk and you know
the dogs are going to deposit in ... on the bricks and up against the trees. Now
unless somebody's going to pick, you know, clean the dog waste up, and hose
those bricks down every day, you gonna have a problem! And I feel that, you
know, four blocks devoted to people, when you got all what 150 blocks in the
city, it shouldn't be that way. The people still have to have a place to walk, and a
place to sit, because you can hardly do anything lawfully in the ped mall — no
boom boxes, no smoking, no noise — next you're going to charge people to sit on
the benches (laughter) and I don't think that's fair! Service dogs belong in there,
seeing eye dogs and regular service dogs. I had a friend, this person brings a dog
into the ped mall and the ped mall... and the dog attacks her service dog, and she
complains about it. She says up there by the Vetro Hotel, you can hardly walk for
the poop, and then when you complain, you call the City and complain and they
say, well, there's nothing we can do about it. I guess money buys silence and
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everything else around here, but it's probably a done deal for the dogs, but I want
to know are there going to be cameras out there to catch those serial offenders
(laughter) decide that they're going to bring their dog and poop in there anyway!
What about the flowerbeds? And... and are the fines gonna be double? Now,
if... if they're gonna take up human space they should pay taxes like the human
beings. Because it...it gets to be problematic and ... and I like restaurants, but I
hate squeezing by restaurants. You got all the fenced off space. We don't live in
Paris. We live in Iowa City, and it just gets to be a problem for me. I don't know
about anybody else. Thank you.
Hayek: Thank you for your comments.
Young: My name is Louise Young and I have been for a number of years a member of the
Coalition, Johnson County Coalition for Persons With Disabilities, and uh, we
have a concern regarding that service dog rule, and that is that rule about dogs in
the ped mall and that is what about the people who need to use service dogs, and
they're not just people who need seeing eye dogs. There're also people who are
epileptic whose dogs sense when they're about to have a seizure, and can prevent
them from getting one. Uh, very important for those people to be able to have
their service dogs with them at all times, and if you restrict ... dogs in the ped mall,
you are also restricting people that need to use the service dogs from the ped mall
too.
Hayek: Thank you for your comments.
Throgmorton: Should we clarify the ordinance (both talking)
Hayek: You want to clarify that?
Dilkes: Yeah, um, what the ordinance does, service dogs are already allowed in the ped
mall, um ... what the ordinance does is allow non - service dogs in the ped mall.
Throgmorton: Right, so it's not going to be prohibiting service dogs or anything like that.
Dilkes: No, no.
Hayek: It opens it up. (unable to hear person away from mic)
Throgmorton: Yeah.
Hayek: Would anyone else like to provide commentary to the Coun ... to the Council?
Dieterle: I'm Caroline Dieterle. And we hear an awful lot of complaints about students
barfing in the, uh, ped mall, and uh, always associate that with drinking. And I
think that, uh, judging from my experience over the years, I'd rather be avoiding
somebody's barf than somebody's dog shit! (laughter) And I really hope that you
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do not let any old dogs into the ped mall. There's plenty of room for dogs
elsewhere. I think the first speaker that talked about this is absolutely correct.
You know, we have the sidewalk cafes which I heartily support. I think it's very
nice to be able to eat outside, and I like a lot of the other things that we have down
there. I like to bring my grandchildren down to play in the fountain in the
summer when it's hot. I don't think it's going to be as clean for children to play I
the fountain if you have dogs down there unless you really have somebody out
there doing a lot of cleaning every day. And um, my ... I don't know, as a
biologist I just don't like the microbiological effects of having dog shit all over
the place! Um, so I'd like you to really, uh, think about this pretty carefully
before you let animals be in there, because unless there's somebody down there
arresting people all the time who don't pick up their, after their pets, you know,
it's....it's going to be down there and it's going to be very unpleasant and it's
going to drive people away from that area of the town.
Hayek: Thank you. Anyone else? Okay, Council discussion?
Throgmorton: I ... I said I was ... I opposed it last time and I'm going to oppose it this time, as
well, but what Caroline's reminding me of is, you know, that city I mentioned
before in southern France and ...that I lived in for a while. Uh, it wasn't just dog
droppings that were a problem. It was dog urine, as well, and so there were street
sweepers with water, you know, that came by three or four times a day to clean
every small street in that city be ... because of the challenges created by dog
droppings and dog urine. So, um, I think Caroline and Miss Gravitt are right
(mumbled) will vote against it.
Hayek: We ... we've talked about this before. I ... I'm supportive... this... this emanates
from the Downtown District and I ... and a number of downtown merchants who
have, uh, as much at stake as anybody else when it comes to maintaining a clean,
safe, inviting environment down there, um ... they want to try this. City staff has
looked into it carefully. We're... the... the City in ... in cooperation with ... with the
Downtown District are ... are stepping up, uh, cleaning and enforcement in the
area. Um ... and ... and as Geoff Fruin indicated, if this, you know, if this doesn't
pan out we can always revisit, uh, the ... the change, but I think it's worth trying.
Champion: I'm going to reluctantly support it, because I keep thinking about ... all that stuff
on the brick, which is already slippery enough when it's wet. That would not be a
lot of fun to kind of slide into, whatever's down there! (laughing) I hope we're
going to watch it very closely! And um ... and if I see problems of course I will let
everybody know!
Dickens: Well, at our work session they did discuss that they are going to be cleaning the
bricks instead of just once a year, up to four times a year, so it should be a little
better, and it really is up to the dog owner to take care of the problem, and they
have discussed having the stations there, as well, so ... it has been looked at.
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Mims: yeah, I think as Matt said, I mean, this is coming from the Downtown District,
um, I think we see more and more places across the country where people are
taking their dogs with them everywhere and are responsible and, you know,
making sure they take them other places to relieve themselves and cleaning up if
they to in these locations, um, I mean, I mentioned earlier my daughter just came
back from L.A. and they take `em everywhere with them, including the cafes and
it's clean and people are responsible, and I think with this coming from the
Downtown District, it is certainly worth a try. We need to watch it very carefully
and again, if we have to come back and revisit it, we certainly can but ... I'll be
supporting it.
Hayek: Roll call, please. Pass and adopt, uh, passes 6 -1, Throgmorton in the negative.
Karr: motion to accept correspondence.
Mims: So moved.
Payne: Second.
Hayek: Moved by Mims, seconded by Payne. Discussion? All those in favor say aye.
Opposed say nay. Motion carries 7 -0.
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ITEM 15. CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 5, ENTITLED
"BUSINESS AND LICENSE REGULATIONS," CHAPTER 1, ENTITLED
"GENERAL LICENSING PROVISIONS" AND CHAPTER 2, ENTITLED
"TAXICABS" TO REQUIRE A DISTINCTIVE COLOR SCHEME FOR
ALL VEHICLES DRIVEN BY A COMPANY; REQUIRE LOCATION OF
A DISPATCH OFFICE TO BE IN IOWA CITY OR CORALVILLE CITY
LIMITS AND ALLOW FLEXIBILITY FOR DISPATCHING FROM THE
OFFICE; RESTRICT NEW COMPANIES TO STARTING JUNE 1 OF
EACH YEAR; CLARIFY LANGUAGE RE VEHICLE LETTERING, AND
REQUIRE DRIVER IDENTIFICATION TO BE POSTED IN THE
VEHICLE FACING THE PASSENGERS. (SECOND CONSIDERATION)
Mims: Move second consideration.
Throgmorton: Second.
Hayek: Moved by, uh, Mims, seconded by Throgmorton. Discussion?
Throgmorton: Yeah, I have some ... some things to say about this. I don't know if anybody else
(both talking)
Hayek: Is there anyone from the audience, uh, who wants to speak to us? Please come
forward.
Cutkomp: Thank you, my name's Chris Cutkomp, uh, owner /operator with Big Ten Taxi in
Iowa City. Uh, I have some concerns about the proposed ordinances and, you
know, how they tie in with the industry. Urn ... know... I'd just like a few minutes
to talk about my concerns, uh, regarding this stuff. I feel, um, that we need to
make some changes that actually address safety and professionalism and the price
gouging and not just, you know, make these solutions that make things more
expensive, without actually beautifying and making things more safe. We gotta
ask ourselves ... do the proposed regulations actually serve to make the taxi
industry more safe, more professional, and customers less susceptible to price
gouging. You know, the answer to those....it's no. Um, the color scheme
requirement, does it make it more ... a taxi more safe? No. Old taxis with outdate
safety features and deteriorating bodies are still going to be just as unsafe and
perhaps even more ugly with a fresh coat of Walmart spray paint on them. That is
what the cabs will do. I know this. I've seen `em do it. Um, unless all cabs are
required to be cream colored because that's scientifically determined to be the
most safe color for cars, it doesn't make any logical sense to, you know, require a
color scheme from any kind of a safety standpoint. Um, does, uh, the color
scheme make a driver or company more professional? No. Bad drivers are bad
drivers no matter what the color of the outside of the taxi is painted.
Unprofessional companies remain unprofessional no matter what color the taxi is
painted. Several existing companies with the color schemes are already on the
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brink of failure because of unprofessional drivers and poorly maintained vehicles.
I do believe, however, that if a new company chooses to have a color scheme, or
existing one has a color scheme that that should be protected and that, uh, you
know, another company can't use that same exact color scheme. Uh, does a color
scheme make color... customers less likely to be overcharged? Of course not.
The issue of price gouging starts and ends.inside of the taxi. Price gouging is a
driver and meter issue and that's it. Some company owners and drivers after the
spring inspection go back to somebody who can, on their computer, rig a hot
meter that runs on rates much higher than those posted in the cab. Unfortunately
I've seen many times where the City police or University police have been called
to such a situation and have made the customer pay to the driver the illegally high
rate. That's because the cops and people are not trained to recognize what these
hot meters are. There's certain things you can look for, and very easily spot it,
and... unfortunately there's some, you know, bad drivers out there who will rip off
drunk people. They just do it. Um, you know, the only way to really affectively
fight the price gouging is to increase inspection of the meters and uh, to educate
police on how to spot the problems. What a required color scheme for taxi
companies does do is increase costs and eliminate individuality and brand for
already existing owner- operators within small companies who work very hard to
save up to get their own taxi and would soon be forced to bare a significant
expense, while also devaluing their equipment with an after - market paint job that
was not wanted or needed. If a company wants to have a protected color scheme,
fine, but it does not make sense as a legal requirement. Uh, I would also like to
talk about how our regulations do not take into account developments in
technology, uh, when dealing with safety and dispatching. Uh, it makes sense to
have, you know, that a company has an office within a city limit — that's fine.
Um, but the requirements for things to happen over a landline, and you know, the
ban on mobile dispatching, it doesn't make sense from a technology or a safety
standpoint. Um, customers can go right onto their smart phones, type in taxi, and
call my phone directly because I am signed up for programs where, you know,
they can tell that I'm three blocks away. I can be to them within minutes, I mean,
and to kind of, uh, the language and the law seems to kind of...if I'm busy, I call
my friend. I dispatch that call to my friend, you know, and there's nothing ... it's a
simple phone call. It's not unsafe. It's not illegal, you know, and ... it just kind of
bugs me that we're being attacked on these, uh, issues. Sorry, shaking a little bit.
Um...
Hayek: You're doing fine but you ... you are coming up on your five minutes. So...
Cutkomp: Okay. I gotcha. Um, well, I have a ... a few proposals, you know. Instead of what
we're already doing, you know, the color scheme stuff doesn't make sense. What
does make sense from safety and beauty and professionalism aspect is a ... to
increase the inspections, increase the safety inspections, cause people do cheat on
the inspections and to increase, uh, you know, to have that done two or three
times a year, you're ensuring that the vehicles are more safe and also the, uh, like
a maximum age limit on taxis. Most, uh, you know evolved cities now are doing
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away with past regulations and making it so taxis can be no older than 10 or 12
years, and that stuff actually makes sense from a safety standpoint and that's, you
know, everybody agrees that there's problems with safety and price gouging, and
that's what we need to address, so ... I'd, you know, please vote down what's on
the table now and send us back to come up with something more sensible. Thank
you.
Hayek: Thank you. Would anyone else like to address the City Council on this item?
Gravitt: Although I ... I don't ride in taxis, like I said my thing is the bus, but I think...
Hayek: Miss Gravitt, could you just give us your name again for the record.
Gravitt: Oh, my name is Mary Gravitt. I think that the taxis should have their distinctive
colors just like Yellow Cab is yellow cab. You wanna know what's in your
neighborhood and who's in your neighborhood, and if the taxi ... if...if anything
happens, you can report that this particular company was there. You can't have
gypsy cabs running around the city. I'm from Philadelphia and I know we had to
have ... you had to have a uniform cab color. No gypsy cabs. And I agree with
him about those safety po ... uh, policies and about that meter and about the
inspections, because people that ... they're driving in traffic and people can get
hurt, and when we have these game weekends, those taxis are going back and
forth. But I agree with most .... about the safety features, but I ... I agree with the
City. Each cab company should have its own uniform design and color.
Hayek: Thank you. Would anyone else like to address the Council? Okay. Council
discussion?
Throgmorton: Yeah, I ... I do have ... want to say a couple things. I ... I think we Council
Members don't really know what we're doing here with this ... with regard to this
policy, uh, and ... to put it more precisely, I don't know what specifically we're
doing. I don't full ... I don't understand it well enough to be fully comfortable
with it, um, and I ... to adopt the ordinance without really understanding it is a
mistake, I think. So, but one thing does seem clear, even if you disagree with
what I just said. The policy does not respond to the independent owner- operators'
concerns. And ... and I, that ... Marian's memo actually says that at the one
meeting, an independent owner- operator was present and one of the statements
that comes out of it is that the independent owner- operators' concerns are
basically not being fully addressed in ... in the proposed revision. So, I ... and I've
checked with a friend who's a professor of transportation policy, all right, cause
this is the kind of thing I do, and ... and that conversation leads me to think that the
proposed changes are much less likely to protect customers, consumers, than they
are to protect larger operators in a market that is inherently competitive, and that
technological change wants to make even more competitive. So, I ... I grow
increasingly troubled by this, uh ... uh, by our proposed action and I'll ... I'd prefer
to vote to defer, but if we can't do that I'd rather vote against.
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Hayek: I ... I ... let me re ... respond to that. First of all, it's my understanding we regulate
cab companies, not... independent (both talking)
Throgmorton: But some independent owner- operators such as Chris work for companies, even
though they own their own cabs, etc.
Hayek: Right, but I ... but I think it's an important distinction what we're talking about are
licenses for ... for cab companies, but um ... I mean, here ... here's where I come
down on this. First of all this ... these changes stem from a meeting that we invited
all the cab companies to. And, roughly half of `em showed up, uh, and I think we
got letters from some other ones ... with input that ... that they provided. The
changes that came to us were all, as I understand it, unanimously supported by
those who attended this meeting with ... with City staff. Um, and if you ... what's
interesting and I think ... I'm glad staff did this, in our ... where you see this item
they... the... the actual changes are shown in red ... red-line format, and I mean I
don't know about you but they strike me as minimal changes to the existing law
that ... that we have. And we vetted them through, you know, our ... our, this body
and it seems to me that we accepted the ones that we believed were designed to
improve the safety of ..of those who use cabs, um, or ... and also if...if a change,
um, made administrative sense, made things easier for the City or for the cab
companies or whatever. Um .... and that we declined the ... there was a suggestion
or two in there that we, I think, as a council interpreted to be, uh, overtly designed
to squeeze out the newcomer, and we ... we thought that that was anti- competitive
and we said we're not interested in following that. So what ... what is in here in
redline format is ... is what, uh, we thought was safety related or ... or
administrative related and it's really not ... it's just not that significant! Um, and I
...I was struck by the outcry and all the communication we've received thus far
and, you know, one thing I learned is that we ... we have stepped up enforcement
as a city over the last few months. There have been some stings and ... and ... and
the enforcement is ... is more now than it was before. That may account for some
of the communication we're getting, and some of that outcry may relate to laws
already on the books, not ones we're taking up this evening. So ... I ... I think this
is less of an issue ... now we've heard some good suggestions, there's no doubt
about it, and ... and you know perhaps we should take those up at a future time, as
well. There're a lot of good suggestions, but they don't necessarily relate to
what's actually before us. That's... that's my perspective.
Dickens: I was interested in the ... the gentleman that spoke on some of the things that
maybe our Police department can look into about training with the, uh, the meters
and things like that, and that ... I'm still for this because I think it's very clear that
this is needed, but we can continue looking into it and ... and Marian does a great
job of...I've been in her office quite regularly and there's always somebody form
one of the cab companies in her office discussing some kind of problem or
something. So there's a lot of communication going on with this on a regular
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basis, so I think it's an on -going issue and uh, I think we can just keep look
...bringing it back and looking at it and adding things that we need to.
Hayek: Any further discussion? Roll call, please. Second consideration passes 6 -1,
Throgmorton in the negative.
Karr: Motion to accept correspondence.
Champion: So moved.
Dobyns: Second.
Hayek: Moved by Champion, seconded by Dobyns. Discussion? All those in favor say
aye. Opposed say nay. Motion carries 7 -0.
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ITEM 16. PUBLIC COMMENT ON DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS FOR THE
REDEVELOPMENT OF THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE
COLLEGE STREET AND GILBERT STREET INTERSECTION.
Hayek: This is not an item that the Council is taking any action on this evening. We've
simply got it as an item so that we can bookmark it here and uh, and invite input
from the public. Um, there appears to be a lot of interest in weighing in on this,
so what I'm going to do is first I'm going to turn it over to Jeff Davidson, our
Planning Director, to sort of tee it up, but I am going to ask that people keep their
comments to four minutes, uh, or less and I'm also going to ask ... invite you to
provide new input to the ... to the City Council. So if you've already heard
somebody go over a point this evening, uh, you may be, uh, better off giving us
new information that helps us make our decision. So, with that ... (several talking)
Oh yeah! And Michelle's going to recuse herself because of the MidAmerican
property, um, and uh, she's going home, which means she's not going to be
around to help adjourn the meeting (laughter) in five and a half hours but um...
(laughter) but uh ... Council Member Payne will not be, uh, part of this discussion
and we ... wish you a wonderful evening! (several talking and laughing)
Davidson: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, uh, I think everybody's aware we have five finalist
proposals for the property that the City owns at the corner of College and Gilbert.
We heard presentations last week at the City Council meeting. Uh, since that time
we have had the, uh, public comment period open. As of this morning at 8:00 we
had received 71 pieces of correspondence on the five proposals. Um ... at, through
various means. Uh, we're obviously here tonight to hear public comments. What
we will do then is, uh, try and summarize some financial information. We...
we're in the process right now of, from the five finalists, trying to collect a matrix
of financial information so that at your meeting on the 18th we'll have some
apples to apples comparison of the five proposals. Just some basic things that we
can get to at this stage of the analysis, in terms of taxable value generated, uh, the
specific financial request, uh, of the City of the five proposals. We'll try and
summarize that for you, uh, in addition to all the comment material that you will
have received. We will, uh, on the 18th basically give you the ability to start the
decision - making process on the preferred developer. If...if a majority of you
want to make that decision on the 18th we will enable that, uh, but ... but we'll at
least start the discussion on ... at your meeting on the 18th. Any questions? Thank
you!
Hayek: Let's get started!
Neucollins: Hi! Uh, my name is Mark Neucollins and I'm speaking (clears throat) on behalf
of the Iowa City Climate Advocates, a number of whom are here today in this
room. Um ... we're a group of loc ... a group of concerned local citizen... citizens
with a strong commitment to promoting stewardship of the Earth. We're asking
the Council to place a high degree of importance on the issue of sustainable
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Page 30
design in considering the proposals for the College and Gilbert Street
development. (clears throat) We can no longer deny that facing climate
disruption of unprecedented scale due to global warming. In our own backyard,
floods and droughts and other extreme weather are happening with record - setting
frequency and severity. Additionally there is near- consensus within the climate
science community that the largest contributor to global warming is our release of
atmospheric carbon from the burning of fossil fuels. Architecture 2030, a non-
profit organization dedicated to reducing the carbon footprint of our building
sector points out that our buildings contribute nearly half of the total U.S. carbon
emissions in 2010. It's by far the single biggest source of carbon. (clears throat)
So those... sustainable urban planning is one of the most promising strategies for
preventing and mitigating the effects of climate change. In fact sustainable
development with carbon - neutral buildings provides a proven and achievable path
to helping us reduce carbon emissions, and thereby stay close to the degrees of
warming limit that future climate scenarios warn us not to exceed. So, against
this backdrop, the question arises, why has this council not placed sustainable
design as one of the fundamental parameters for proposed development at College
and Gilbert Streets? Why is this not even a stated criterion for judging these
proposals? Only one of these proposals takes a visionary approach to sustainable
design, and with an energy- efficient, carbon - neutral, net zero building, and we ask
you considering our environmental crisis, why don't we have five net zero
proposals on the table tonight? Iowa City has always been a leader in many ways
and has never shied away from doing the right thing. One of the reasons that
Iowa City is such a pleasant place to live is the farsightedness of its city
governance. With the College and Gilbert Street development we have a chance
to reassert our leadership to hold the beacon of sustainable design high, and... so
others can follow. So I'd just like to close with one final thought here: enshrined
in the Constitution of the Iroquois Nation is the concept of the seventh generation.
This idea holds that all council deliberations should consider the effect that those
decisions will have on seven generations ahead. It is the Iowa City Climate
advocates fervent hope that the decisions we make today may be viewed kindly
by that seventh generation. Thank you.
Hayek: Thank you.
Arensdorf: Hello. I'm Maureen Arensdorf and I'm one of the 100 Grannies for a Livable
Future. And as an organization we are not endorsing any specific plan for these,
but we would like to encourage you to consider factors... these factors when
decided on which ... when you decide which proposal to endorse. The first thing is
that we would encourage you to have a LEED certification which deals mostly
with energy efficiency and recycled materials and reducing water usage, at least
that's my understanding. And then we want to encourage that, um, you to, um,
have a building that has solar energy and other additions that make the building
more self - sustaining and energy- efficient. This could add greatly to the
affordability of the worker housing and doing business in that building. The
building should provide a pleasant way of life for residents and businesses and not
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impinge on its neighborhood ... neighbors. And then we would also ... we also
think that amenities that encourage local traffic, like the New Pioneer Coop and
the Bike Library are good additions to an ... to using less fossil fuel and that sort of
thing. We're proud of our city and the surrounding area, and we know that
you've received many awards and national recognition for many things, and we
hope that this new project would ... is more likely to be occupied if the Iowa City's
character is preserved in energy - efficient lifestyles should make the building a
source of pride for our community, and serve us well long into the future, and
possibly add to the long list of attributes.
Hayek: Thank you... for your comments.
Webb: Mayor Hayek, City Council and fellow citizens, my name is Reverend Benjamin
Webb and I am the interim priest of Trinity Episcopal Church which is located at
the corner of College and Gilbert, and has been since 1871. We first want to
thank the City Planning staff for discussing these building proposals with our
church members and leaders on three previous occasions. Members of our
governing board also attended the work session on November 26. Tonight's
response (mumbled) questions and concerns, which we're also submitting in a
signed petition with 99 signatures, which is as close as we ever get to consensus.
(laughter) And, uh, some of our members are here tonight dressed in red. So we
do thank the City Council for hearing us out this evening, and I hope I'll save you
a lot of time by speaking on their behalf. Uh, common themes have arisen around
how these proposals might affect the needs of church members, and many other
building users, on how they do or don't speak to our values and desires for our
downtown neighborhood. Very briefly I'd like to speak to two needs — parking
and light, and two values — affordable housing and environmental sustainability.
As I do so I also want to emphasize that Trinity welcomes downtown
development that brings more people into the neighborhood to live and work.
When Trinity was built in 1871 on its current site, automobile parking was
obviously not an issue. Over time as Trinity parishioners com ... have committed
repeatedly to stay in our downtown location, we have enjoyed access to the City's
parking facilities. We are grateful for the use of those facilities and we
understand the need to share them. That said, we're concerned that parking,
especially for our less - mobile parishioners remain as near to the church as
possible. In the Chauncey Swan parking structure, this means that spaces on the
College Street level are what are most needed. As for off - street parking, it may
be the case that we need to speak to City staff about increasing the number of
disability parking spaces, um, on College, near the church, at least of course on
Sundays. In addition to parking, we have a need for light. The church was
originally designed to enhance the presence of natural light as an integral part of
our worship. Trinity sanctuary has stained glass windows on all four sides, and
the morning light in particular in the sanctuary is stunning. In 2011 as some of
you may know we completed a Gold -level LEED certified, $1.8 million
renovation designed to protect the historical integrity of our worship space. We
value having neighbors across the street, and we understand that any building
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there may shade Trinity at some times. Nonetheless, we would appreciate seeing
the results of a careful shade study of all proposed buildings in the mornings, year
round. Such information might well affect our response to particular proposals.
Above all we hope the City Council and staff will seriously consider moving the
building site to the north and the City's property, where the current park is
situated. This would not only keep Trinity in the light, but also assure the new
park and its many visitors enjoy more sunshine. We know there are flood plain
issues to resolve, but we expect they would be manageable through good design.
So in addition to Trinity's two needs, that of assuring, uh, access to parking and
access to light, we also have two values by which we measure each of these
proposals. The value most at the core of our mission is affordable housing.
While Trinity has had several opportunities to move to an outlying area of town,
each time we felt a deep connection to the downtown people and community.
The poor, the homeless, the hungry, as well as the University students, faculty,
and staff, and other workers and residents. Every day Trinity people work to
make downtown residents and workers' lives better, but we are unable to house
them, and that's why we hope your definition of `workforce housing' will take all
the workforce into consideration, including our members and those that we serve.
Although the City's expressed goals address housing for people of diverse ages
and incomes, so far we've only heard passing reference to age diversity,
especially as it relates to limited fixed incomes. In fact, we've heard a definition
of workforce housing that would not ensure units are affordable, or some of our
own employees and many of our parishioners. As currently planned, we are not
persuaded that these proposals go nearly far enough to address the housing needs
of those with less than median income in the county. We hope the winning
proposal will with the City's help. Lastly, as witnessed by our own major
investment in LEED certified renovation, Trinity is committed to environmental
stewardship which is no longer a luxury but a necessity. We applaud the
aspiration of LEED certification in some of these proposals, but even more, we
support those innovations that will greatly decrease fossil fuel energy
consumption and otherwise be sustainable well into the future. We would
welcome a neighbor that took environmental stewardship seriously. We urge City
Council to make environmental stewardship a significant part of their decision
making process by setting a new standard for many with this exemplary building
and decision. In conclusion, we'd like to add our wholehearted admiration of the
Co -op as a neighbor and our attraction to the idea of an independent movie theater
and bowling alleys downtown. We hear that from a lot of our young people. We
would especially welcome the opportunity to continue working with the City and
the named developer to meet our parking and light needs. And we look forward
to final designs that accommodate environmental sustainability, and truly
affordable housing as values that a healthy city and a just society cannot do
without. So on behalf of Trinity's many members, we thank you for hearing us
out tonight. Thank you.
Hayek: Thank you, Pastor.
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Hartz: Hello, I have a few overheads.
Hayek: Could you give us your name please?
Hartz: I am Matt Hartz, New Pioneer Co -op's General Manager. So ... we have been
working to move our home in downtown Iowa City for going on five years now.
Uh, we're trying to find a site that's large enough to allow us to grow, and also
gets us out of the flood plain. Uh, this site that you're considering is the one we
found that meets all of our criteria that we need to invest and stay in downtown
Iowa City. I'm not here tonight to speak to the proposals themselves or the site,
but just to provide some context and some background on New Pioneer that you
may not be aware of, but I hope can inform your decision process. We do $24
million per year in revenue. That's $24 million across both stores. We're not a
small business anymore. We have a payroll of $5.7 million annually. Uh, we are
not just in a sound financial position but very strong. We have a $9 million
balance sheet. Zero debt. We have a very diligent board that has left us in that
position. Uh, we bring a tremendous amount of equity into any developer's
project, which improves their possibility for success. We also have 26,000
members, the majority of them active. New Pioneer employs 190 people, um, and
we actually hold a high standard for the service sector. Uh, we're quite atypical
for, um, most other businesses in our industry. We are 75 to 85, or 80% full -time
employment status. That's almost unheard of in retail. Uh, we have a strong
benefits package with health care, paid time off, vacation, 401K. Uh, the last
couple years our Board of Directors has been able to give a 5% match to our
employees 401 K, in addition to a bonus. Um, we purchase $1.7 million annually
at this point from local farmers and producers. We also donate this past year, and
it's like this year after year, $71,000 to the community, um, primarily going to
local, non - profits because of New Pioneer, through our various programs. Um,
our members donated $20,000 this past year to Local Foods Connection, helping
those in food need. We ourselves had 43,000 in direct donations and
sponsorships. Also through our bag, um, fee at the registers, $8,000 per year for
the last few years has gone to the Crisis Center. Um, we also engage in
community outreach, um, assist with school gardens, and we have our own
community garden. We see New Pioneer as an economic engine for downtown
Iowa City. Um, a new store means to us under the most conservative, um,
scenarios that we've looked at, an additional $6 million in revenue that we
primarily are pulling in from outside of downtown Iowa City. It'll add 40 new
jobs, and again, three - quarters of those will be full -time with benefits. Uh, we
expect to add about 500,000 per year in direct purchases from local producers and
farmers. Right now at our Iowa City location we see 10,000 customer
transactions per week. Half a million transactions per year. We expect with this
site that we're looking at, from our market studies, that we would add another
quarter million that we pull into Iowa City. Um, so we see that we are a center of
gravity, um, pulling people in, pulling energy into downtown. Um, without ... um,
you know, speaking favorites on the proposals because we don't have any, um
(mumbled) position favoring one or the over, I'd say that Tim Dwight did a
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fantastic job the other week. Um, just talked about how New Pi would activate
that corner and we really do see that. Uh, we run 7:00 in the morning to 11:00 at
night, seven days a week, week after week, and we'll be pulling in 250,000 more
people into downtown Iowa City than currently would be coming in. There were
some concerns I heard, uh, raised by one of the Council Members about our
impact on the Bread Garden. Um, we are sensitive to, um, the business
community, our neighbors here. We know from our market study that we've
done that we would have negligible impact upon them and as you can see here,
uh, this is our trade area. The cluster up north, that's Cedar Rapids. We have
3,000 active members in Cedar Rapids. We're pulling in from North Liberty.
We're pulling in from all the surround counties — 30, 40, 50 miles out. Um, a
larger facility will have the capacity in size and parking to pull that in to
downtown Iowa City. We've looked at this site for ... we're on three years now
looking at the site. We've done a retail site assessment. We know it works as a
store. We've done two independent market studies using different models. They
both check and show it viable. We've developed our own financial models. We
stress - tested them under a range of conditions. They work. Um, we're financially
sound. One point that you should be aware of that you may not is that we own
our Iowa City property across the street. It's free and clear. So that could
potentially be a part of something in a packaged arrangement. And, um, and I'll
leave you on this, uh, just one point if I can make it is that ... New Pi, we're as
local as it gets, we're here, we're now ... we're open across the street, right now
we're a local business. We want to grow. We want to invest in downtown Iowa
City, and we're trying to invest millions of dollars into physical plant and to jobs
in the downtown. So...
Hayek: Thank you.
Hartz: Thank you.
Madden: I'm Hank Madden. I'm the Treasurer of New Pi Co -op. Uh, I have a couple of
points I'd like to stress that are perhaps not widely known. Uh, Matt mentioned
that we own our property on Van Buren Street, and we own a ... a house on Iowa
Avenue. Uh, these are both available for negotiations with the City, uh, if we're
selected as a participant in the College, uh, Gilbert location. Uh, this to our place,
that location is to our knowledge is the last place in downtown Iowa City for New
Pi to expand, and expand we must or our competition is going to eat our lunch.
And you won't get the opportunity for these additional purchases and additional
employees in Iowa City. Organic, natural foods are expanding nationwide,
around 12 to 15% a year. Either New Pi, a locally owned, 27,000 Iowans, a
successful enterprise will expand or ... will ... will we fill this demand by
expanding or some outside company will come in here and take the money to
corporate. Uh, Whole Foods CEO, Walter Rob, specifically called out Iowa City
as an expansion target for, uh, in the press, and it's not just a statement he made
but he, in the press. Fresh Market has announced its plans to expand from 100 to
500 locations nationally. They are now publicly traded and expanding in our
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direction. They're in Chicago now. And they started down in North Carolina and
they're... they're up to 100 stores. Natural Grocer has announced plans to expand
from 60 to 1,000 locations nationally. They're now publicly traded and
expanding in our direction. We are as local as it gets. The chains will suck
profits from our community while New Pi keeps everything here and invests back
in our stores, our employees, and our community. We pay a national (mumbled)
uh, sponsored living wage with 80% full -time. Find another retail enterprise in
our area that does that. Thank you.
Hayek: Thank you, sir.
Sherburne: Hi, uh, my name is Andrew Sherburne, uh, I'm here tonight to first thank ... thank
you for everyone to open up this forum to speak about these proposals. I'm here
to endorse... endorse The Chauncey for the City's RS ... RFP. I believe it is the
right project for the right place. The Chauncey excites me not just as a founder
and board member of FilmScene, but also as a filmmaker. Perhaps the most
exhilarating part of my job is screening my own work, uh, around the country, in
front of an audience. I've done that from Minneapolis to Manhattan. And each
time it's different, because the audience is part of the art. Indeed truly a film is
only complete once it has reached an audience. And the audience is more
complete because of film. We go to the movies to laugh, to cry, and to see our
world in new and sublime ways. And we do it together. Children and families,
20- year -old students, 70- year -old retirees within the four walls of the movie
theater, the movies are a shared experience. But while we may see the same
images on the screen in front of us, we each interpret the story differently within.
So we dissect, we discuss, we find new meaning in our own lives by examining
the stories that we see on screen. And it is in this way that we build community
around film. Our lives intersect with each other and with new ideas in the
cinema. And it is why the theater itself is an important character in this story. All
movie theaters are not created equal. If we are truly to engage with film and with
each other, in a meaningful way, we must create a space worthy of those efforts.
The Chauncey is such a place. It will be visually stunning yet comfortable and
inviting. It will be iconic yet accessible and open to the public. FilmScene will
program two theaters which together will have a filmgoers lounge and public
gallery space, will encourage lively discussion, and community building centered
on film and art. The Chauncey will be an arts and entertainment destination,
worthy of any city in this country. But it also will be uniquely suited to meet a
specific need here in downtown Iowa City. Film deserves a permanent home
here. As an art form, it has been neglected. And Iowa City has felt its absence.
It's time for us to patch this hole in our cultural fabric. We must believe in big
ideas. We must seize this opportunity to enrich our community. Thank you.
Hayek: Thank you for your comments.
Creekmur: Hi, I'm Cory Creekmur and um, when I give you my brief credentials you'll...
you'll have an understanding of...of where I'm going to stand. I'm the Director
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of the Film Studies Program at the University of Iowa, one of the oldest film
studies programs in the country, in the world in fact. We're approaching our, uh,
in a couple more years we will ... will hit 100 years that people have studied
cinema in ... Iowa City. Uh, I'm also the Director of the Institute for Cinema and
Culture, which exists as a component of the University, um ... uh, whose mission
is to promote film events outside the University or beyond the University.
Outside of the ... the film studies curriculum. Um, and we've collaborated with
many, um, local groups in ... in that effort. I'm very pleased that we've, um,
discussed in great detail, uh, both the film studies program and the Institute for
Cinema and Culture collaboration with FilmScene. And so I want to advocate for
that. I don't want this to be taken in any way as a, um, a ... a stance against the
Co -op, of which I am a long -term member, um, but I do, uh, to my mind the five
...also in my view very attractive proposals, all five of `em. Uh, what ... what
seems distinctive to me about The Chauncey is that it adds something. Um, all of
them add, uh, more of existing things. The others add existing, uh, they add
office space, they ... they add, um, potentially apartments, they add business
spaces, but the addition particularly of the cinema, I'm not really going to speak
to the bowling alley, um, the addition of the cinemas, um, not ... not only add
something to Iowa City that is ... is sorely lacking, but in fact as many of you will
know it actually retrieves something. Uh, when I first arrived in Iowa City you
could go to a movie downtown, and you haven't been able to do that for a long
time. Um, that has also meant that for a num. ... uh, a large number of people,
especially the student population, uh, getting to a movie takes a certain amount of
effort. Um, movies are not close in, uh, they require some form of transportation,
uh, they require travel at some distance. It gets a little more difficult in the
winter, and so having, uh, something, um, in the downtown area would, uh, be
beneficial in that way. It would also put us, um, as a city devoted of course to art
and culture, it would add again, um, the most obviously, um, absent component of
culture at this moment, and put us on par with other locations such as Ann Arbor,
Michigan, or uh, Bloomington, Indiana, which I recently visited; has a brand new,
beautiful, um, centrally located cinema. We're one of the very few large college
towns that I'm aware of that doesn't have this. That is missing that at this mom
...this moment, and so this would be a retrieval, again, um, of that. Um, I did
want to speak just to one point, uh, there was a ... an editorial earlier this week in
the Press - Citizen that was, um, a very positive about this proposal but pointed out
that one of the concerns was that, uh, well ... while FilmScene promises to be very
vibrant on weekends and in evenings, this might be a quiet space during the day,
um, and ... and the other proposals might provide more activity during the day. In
my discussions and discussions with other, um, figures at the University about
FilmScene, all our discussion has been about the use of that space during the day.
Um, and so the collaboration that FilmScene has sought to, um, put in place with
components of the University has been specifically how to make full use of that
space, all day long, where their ... their primary, uh, screening would be in
evenings and on weekends. Uh, we would be delighted to take advantage of the
state -of -the -art location that they're planning for lectures, events, film screenings
throughout the day. So I wanted to make clear that, uh, this ... this collaboration
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understands a very rich, full -time use of this space, and it does strike me as, in my
experience, one of the, um, most carefully planned and thought -out collaborations
between the University and uh, the City that I've seen in many years. So, thank
you for your time.
Hayek: Thanks for your comments.
Ross: I'm Becky Ross and I'm one of the 100 Grannies. I'm just tired of wearing my
hat! (laughter) Um ... we, uh, our main goal is to become, well, first of all one of
our, uh, it's a tongue twister here: we are fossils for a fossil fuel future. Um, we
... one of our main goals is to get rid of, or to try to limit fossil fuel
and... eventually not use `em because they're doing so much harm to our
environment. Um, but I ... we feel that the decision about this building needs to be
thought out very carefully with the future firmly embedded in this decision. We
would propose a LEED building that eliminates the use of fossil fuels by
generating energy on —site with non - polluting methods such as solar or wind.
This new building would be more valuable than existing buildings in the area
from the day the doors opened. More valuable to the developer, the owner, and
the residents without negatively impacting the environment. We also want you to
think about the impact on neighboring buildings and how the shadow of a very
high building would affect them, such as, um, Trinity Episcopal. Um, and we
also would like to have affordable housing there for ... the workforce, uh, and the
parking issues need to be addressed so that they're not impinging on other
businesses around. Um, maybe ... I don't know if underground parking's even
plausible there but ... might be. Um, we just really want you to think about the
future and as Mark said, seven generations, um, that is our main goal is to
really ... we have to think about the future. Thank you.
Hayek: Thank you for your comments.
Ross: (mumbled)
Throgmorton: (laughs)
Gould: Good evening, my name is Dave Gould and I've been a member of this
community for over 20 years. Uh, I'm also a documentary filmmaker. I'm a
member of the board of FilmScene and I'm an Associate Director in the College
of Liberal Arts Sciences here at the University of Iowa. Um, these three rules
have involved me in countless conversations over the past year with students, uh,
interested in a downtown theater, like the one proposed in The Chauncey project.
Uh, unique from my colleague who, uh, spoke from a departmental perspective,
or from somebody who might come from a student organization, uh, the students I
deal with in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are a kind of cross -
disciplined across majors and so it's a real generalized voice that I hear. Uh, the
students' convincing enthusiasm for the idea is the reason I initially agreed to, uh,
to join the FilmScene board and the organization's commitment to we being the
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Iowa City and University communities together is in their mission is the reason
that I remained. Um, I know that you have a very difficult decision in front of
you, and my purpose for coming tonight is simply to share that I believe this is a
unique opportunity to enrich our community while productively engaging our
student body. Uh, The Chauncey proposal I believe achieves this and I sincerely
thank you for, uh, for the time to speak with you.
Hayek: Thank you, sir.
Damazo: Uh, hello, my name is Jessie Damazo. I'm a student at the University of Iowa and
I'm also the Executive Director of the Bijou Cinema, which is the, um, all -
volunteer, mostly student run cinema of the University of Iowa. Um, for our last
40 years, uh, I've been very proud of what we've accomplished as a cinema, and
of those 40 years, I've been Executive Director for three of those years, and I
have to impress upon you that even though the market for cinema is larger than
we can accommodate, I think there's a lot of room for expansion. Um, that we
need to partner with a larger organization, such as FilmScene, in order to achieve
that. Um, so I think that there is that room for growth. And we have as a board,
um, voted unanimously to put all of our resources and all of our equipment behind
the FilmScene project, which as you know is part of The Chauncey. Um, as a
student, I would just like to express that, um, I feel that there's just sort of a
deficit of options downtown, especially late at night, um, for people who want to
do something other than go to a bar. Um, we all enjoy that ... from time to time!
But, um, I also want to be able to go downtown, see a movie, go to the bowling
alley, and I think there's a lot of people out there that really feel the same. They
can come to the Bijou, of course, but it's just not the feeling of going downtown
and having that night out, and that I think is a major factor, limiting our growth
that FilmScene could easily accomplish. Um, I'm a filmmaker myself. I teach
(mumbled) I see two of my students here — hi guys — um, running the cameras, um
(laughs) so ... so, urn ... cinema is just a major cultural art form. It is...I believe the
cultural art form, um, of the previous century. Um, and I think to maintain the
literary and artistic legacy of Iowa City, as just a major cultural force, we need to
have a cinema downtown, and we need to have a space for students and
community to see and experience what has for me become my life's work. Thank
you.
Hayek: Thank you for your comments.
Gidal: Eric Gidal, Iowa City. Um, I'm humbled tonight because I've been hearing from
people who are in ... whose deliberative powers I have great respect for, including
everyone on this board, uh, and I sent a rather, uh, grumpy letter during the last
week (laughter) which I hope you read and I don't actually step back from that,
but I am reminded about all the efforts and thought that people are putting in, and
the developers included. Um, I just want to put in a small voice though for a
question of aesthetics and scale. Uh, when I look at the proposals that the Council
has come up with, I'm filled with feelings of depression, anxiety, and basically a
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kind of gloom. These seem to be, uh, proposals that are on a scale completely
inappropriate for the site, and as I was waiting out there I was looking at the icon
that we use for Iowa City, which is already a bit of a fantasy given recent
developments with the kind of church steeples and, uh, small scale houses, and I
think that those are the kinds of aesthetics that nonetheless we value and the kind
of aesthetics that tend to draw people into downtown, a sense of a human scale,
and when we promote Iowa City we don't tend to show images of the Sheraton or
some of the other large towers that have been built up, just as the University of
Iowa doesn't show Phillips Hall or Van Buren and for a good reason is that for the
most part they're quite hideous. Uh, the scale and uh, the kind of dehumanizing
aesthetic that they have seem redolent of the worst excesses of the mid - century,
um, both in our own country and in the eastern bloc and so as you consider these
proposals and consider the ... um, great efforts that people have put in, I would ask
that you think about what actually draws individuals to come to a downtown and
enjoy being there. Thank you.
Hayek: Thank you!
Thomas: Good evening, John Thomas, 509 Brown Street. I'd like to thank the City for
sponsoring the competition. Uh, all the proposals have merit and I hope the
direction forward will inco ... incorporate many of their ... many of their qualities.
In assessing the proposals, however, I ... I'd like to emphasize the importance of
the Comprehensive Plan and the draft downtown and Riverfront Crossings Master
Plan, which I'll refer to as the `downtown plan.' Uh, and use that as the starting
point in looking at the alternatives. Why are these two documents so important?
The Comprehensive Plan and the downtown plan were developed through an
extensive public planning process. They weigh a wide range of factors including
economic well- being; environmental impacts such as sun shadow patterns and
winds; land use; urban design; open space; and parking and traffic. They are in
essence the Iowa City community's vision statement, an expression of our
collective voice guar ... guiding the shape and the ... the shape and the skyline of
Iowa City. The Comprehensive Plan speaks in broad brushstrokes, and the
downtown plan gives detailed standards for new development. Together they
strike a balance between private interests and the more complex equation of the
public good. If one asks what is the future of the downtown, or more specifically
what should be the size and use of the proposed building at the corner of Gilbert
and College, these documents are a good place to start. Otherwise you will not
see the forest for the trees. What does the Comprehensive Plan say that is
relevant to the Gilbert- College site, located at the eastern edge of the central
downtown. The narrative states that because Iowa City is a relatively small and
compact city, uh, less dense residential development can be found adjacent to the
downtown. As the community grows and the downtown prospers, care should be
taken in providing proper transitions between the intensity of downtown
development and surrounding residential neighborhoods. Among the highlights
of the downtown district description is the fact ... is the note that high density
housing issues in and near the downtown need to be resolved and a clear policy
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formulated. Fortunately we have the downtown plan, which provides clear policy
and detailed development standards. What does it say about College and Gilbert?
Since the College and Gilbert site is not included in the study area, it is not
mentioned as a development site. However, the development standards including
building heights still apply. Along Gilbert Street, the maximum building height is
four to six stories. One can also infer from the other downtown, uh, development
sites, the general vision for building heights, and the land use patterns in the
downtown, keeping in mind the Comprehensive Plan's language, care should be
given in providing trop ... proper transitions between the intensity of downtown
and surrounding residential neighborhoods. Of the 14 development sites, the
proposed building heights are as follows. There are nine four to five -story
buildings. There are four eight to nine -story buildings. And, there is one, what
was referred to as a 12 -story building is actually a 14 -story building in
construction now. Of the 14 sites, one occurs on the Gilbert Street corridor at the
northwest corner of Gilbert and Burlington, one block south of the Gilbert-
College site that we're considering. The proposed building there is five stories
with ground floor mixed -use and residential above. The downtown plan notes
that corner building sites, such as this one, are an appropriate place for tall
buildings. Nevertheless, it recommends a five -story building, consistent with the
Gilbert Street building height limits mentioned earlier. Office space is proposed
at one downtown site on Clinton Street across from Capitol Mall. Uh, the
proposal there is an eight -story building, uh, with ground floor mixed -use and
80,000 square feet of office space. Another 165,000 square feet of office space is
...is proposed south of Burlington, mostly in the south, uh, downtown district. In
...in summation what does the Comprehensive Plan and downtown plan tell me is
the starting point for Gilbert and College. Given Gilbert Street building height
limits, the proposed building heights for downtown's development opportunities
and the site's location in the downtown neighborhood interface, the building
should be around five to six stories, with mixed ground floor use and residential
above. Based on comments made during proposal presentations, office space may
be a possibility if tenants can (mumbled) be identified. With that as a starting
point, the proposals suggest a number of other opportunities. The building should
have an engaging pedestrian oriented street frontage on both Gilbert and College.
The building should be energy conserving, and Chan ... Chauncey Swan Park
should be renovated together with the project, with a goal of promoting a more
town square character opposite City Hall, and improving its integration with both
the Farmers Market and the building site. Lastly, I ... I believe that the general
area around the building site has the potential to become a vibrant, mixed -use,
urban neighborhood commercial district at the interface of the downtown and
College Green neighborhood. The redevelopment of the Gilbert- College site
together with the renovation of Chauncey Swan Park is an important step in that
direction. But if we are to honor the terms of our shared community vision, it
must be done consistently with the Comprehensive Plan and the downtown plan.
Thank you.
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Hayek: Thank you. How you guys doing? Can we ... keep going? (several responding)
Okay, we'll keep going but we may take a break at some point but ... (several
talking) We're gonna keep on keepin' on!
McGuire: Well I want to start by dittoing John's and Eric's comments, um, I too am a
member of the Northside...
Hayek: Could you give us your...
McGuire: I'm sorry! My name is Linda McGuire and I live at 618 Ronald Street. And I
have lived in the Northside Neighborhood for ... more years than I care to say,
nearly 40. Um, which is the time that I've lived in Iowa City. Um, I ... I want to
ditto the, my neighbors, Eric and um, John's comments about the ... um, I guess
the progression from the Northside to the downtown area, um, and as I, um, age I
would like to ask the City Council to think about, um, the need for the downtown
to be an aging -in -place destination. Um, you know, we ... we know that we are
primarily a one - company town with the University, but increasingly we are
making the, um, news about a place to retire, and we have wonderful hospital.
We have, um, wonderful cultural, um, opportunities, and um, living in the
Northside, I have always enjoyed being able to walk downtown and yes, I used to
go to movies and I loved that, and so I ... I love the idea of having movies again
downtown, besides the Bijou. Um, and ... and one of the things that's really absent
in this community is, um, except for the Moen towers, uh, places where we can
age -in- place. I would love to stay in my house as long as I can, um, but at some
point I won't be able to because it's three stories, and so as you think about these
high rises that are increasingly going to, um, circle the downtown and by high -rise
I mean anything between four and 12 stories, that they should not just be for
students. They need to also be for affordable, um, retirees, you know, the
workforce development, think also about the retirement development. Um, it ... it
would be lovely for me to be able to not have to leave downtown Iowa City, in
...in order to live my life, and I ... I don't see the ... the development doing that,
and I really count on the City Council to have a vision. I understand about
the ... the competition. You have developers come forward, but you have to be the
one to, um, be the... the... the conscience of the community, conscience of the
community, to make sure that we, um, have those things. So whatever proposals
are coming forward, I would hope that you would think about those of us who at
some point may want to have a loft development that we can design and have a
... an elevator that we can, you know, take our wheelchair down and go down to,
um, downtown, and not just consider students. The second point I want to make
is about, uh, is about verticality. And, um, you know, I really do hope that you
scale down the, um, the number of stories. I understand the need to have high
stories in downtown, but once you cross Gilbert Street, you're getting into
residential, and people's um, outrage about what happened across from the Co -op,
I think is in part about that. Um, we need to have a transition, and so I hope that,
um, you know, I'd love to see movies downtown again, but really pay attention if
you can to the ... the verticality scale. Um, east of...of Gilbert Street should not be
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as tall as west of Gilbert Street. So thank you very much. I hope that, uh, I can
count on you for your vision and leadership.
Hayek: Thank you.
Young: Um, my name is Louise Young. I am a member of Trinity Episcopal Church and
have been a member for a very long time. I also live at Ecumenical Towers so I
live right downtown. And I have a concern about these skyscraper buildings. I
do not think it is good for our town to have that many skyscraper buildings. We
are not New York. We are not Chicago. We are not the California cities where
they apparently seem to need them because not enough space. But ... we do need
to consider the effect both safety -wise and ... how it affects the neighbors around,
and our concern at our church, of course, is the lighting and how it is affected by
the height of the building. But there's another thing we're concerned about too.
You know, we are no longer a tornado -free area (laughs) we've had some now!
Right in downtown Iowa City. Uh, what would happen to the buildings around
that 23 -story or that 18 -story building if those are the ones that went in there. Uh,
I think it has to be thought about very carefully. And uh ... that ... theater business
sounds wonderful, but I notice that its ... that the plans for it is in one of those
ultra -high story buildings, and uh, I think that there needs to be ... if you're
considering that theater as one of the people that use the building for business
purposes, you need to consider whether it can be used in one of the less ... lower
storied buildings. My personal favorite on those buildings, by the way, is the 404
because it uses... generates its own electricity through solar power. And, uh, you
can't be more green than that (laughs) in a building. But ... I pray that you make
the right decision that is beneficial to all of us, and that movie business sounds
like it's needed. So does the bowling alley. Definitely New Pi is needed to have
the expansion space. And we all need to be good neighbors to each other.
Hayek: Thank you.
Papineschi: Good evening, Council. I'm Hannah Papineschi. I work with CY's Design and
Consulting. I'm a bit nervous. This is my first Council meeting! Um...
Hayek: No sweat! Just tell us your thoughts on this.
Papineschi: (laughs) Well I'm really excited about this development proposal. Um, I've had
an opportunity to witness it unfold a little bit. My boss, Martha Norbeck, is the
owner and founder of CY's. Um, she has a part in the 404 development, which is
by far the most aggressively green project that's been proposed for the site. Um, I
have two degrees from the University and we talk about sustainability, and when
we talk about sustainability we talk about the ... it as a stool and the three legs of
sustainability in those are economics, environment, and equity. And I feel this
404 proposal touches on all of those, and ... we've heard about the University,
we've heard about the Co -op, and I ... I'm standing here as, you know, sort of the
...the, as an ... as a living example of economic development that has happened in
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Iowa City. I graduated in May and because of the green building industry, I've
been able to secure a full -time position in Iowa City with CY's, um, it's an
exciting opportunity for us as a small company. It's an exciting opportunity for
other companies involved. I know Modus Engineering who's also involved in the
404 development has also recently opened an office in downtown Iowa City. So
when we talk about economic development and the Co -op, yes they're a well -
established business, you know, it would be wonderful to have them there.
There's also, you know, us smaller buys who are ... who have a smaller part...
well, not a smaller part but a big part in this, and ... I think it would be really
exciting, not just as a business venture but also, you know, I really feel ... when we
go back to the three... pillars of sustainability that 404 really... exemplifies all of
those and as for the environmental aspect of it, and being aggressively green.
You know, LEED certification is one thing. I do it every day and you know you
can get LEED certified but ... you really have to have a champion on the project
who pushes for it, and I believe the 404 development group will push that
aggressively and is committed to not only being LEED certified, but ... really
living and promoting those values that LEED has been established on.
Hayek: Thank you.
Papineschi: Thank you.
Hayek: Thanks. Could ... before we move on could I get a show of hands ... who has not
spoken but intends to speak? If I see four or five ... (laughter) (person speaking
away from mic) On this subject, if you .... if you still intend to speak and you
haven't yet spoken, so we've got about a half dozen. Why don't we take a break
now for five minutes. We'll adjourn the meeting; come back a little ... in about
five minutes, and then we'll ... we'll resume the meeting. Thank you. (BREAK)
Okay, we're going to resume this meeting. We're still on Item 16. Uh, we're still
hearing from the public regarding the development proposals for the College
Street and Gilbert Street intersection.
Gravitt: My name is Mary Gravitt and I always got an opinion but I am very concerned
about the Co -op. I ... it's just like, this argument is just like we had about
Walmart. Walmart a big box store and taking over, you know, took over that end
of town, but we needed that at that time. Now the Co -op has been here for years.
It's a local business. It's ... it's, it'll be one time the City did something for a local
business. To have them down on Gilbert Street, and we don't need another
monstrosity building like that Vetro Hotel, now that's only my opinion! We don't
need that. Iowa City is a nice little town, with its own personality. It doesn't
need to be another Manhattan with the canyons, and the Co -op is a good business.
They pay a living wage, which is hard to find around here. Not many people
make a living wage in this town. I'm sorry! But, the Co -op deserves some
considerations. Perhaps whatever your plans can be, maybe the movie theater and
the bowling alley can be combined with the Co -op. But I'm on the side of the Co-
op. I was on the side of Walmart because I knew that side of town needed
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Walmart. But I'm on the side of...of the Co -op, cause they've been a good
neighbor. They've contributed to the city, and Iowa City, we like live in a bubble.
We don't have the frightening things that other cities have. You have a hard time
starving to death in Iowa City. If you starve to death it's because you want to
starve to death. You even have a hard time dying here! Because you got the Free
Medical Clinic (laughter) you got the two hospitals (laughter) you can't die! I
mean, unless you want to die! And you can't starve unless you want to starve
(laughter) And we gotta take into consideration you have to have places like the
Co -op if you really want Iowa City to function like Iowa City, and if they want to
be down there on Gilbert Street, they should have the first choice, not some
stranger coming from out of town. I like movies, and I like bowling, but I like the
Co -op better. Thank you.
Hayek: Thank you!
Clark: Uh, Sarah Clark, Brown Street, and I'm going to spare you. I was actually going
to start off with a really great quote from, uh, Vital Drebsinski and the fact that I
even ... almost said that right, I'm impressed! Um, who is a ... an architect, city
planner. I'm sure Jim Throgmorton knows who he is, but anyway I'll cut to the
chase on that one. The end of the quote was going to be something about
neighborhoods are the lifeblood of a city, but in... in respect to your request that
we talk about something different that someone hasn't said before. I'm actually
now going to show you I am a card - carrying member of the Pacific Film Archive
in Berkley, California. Have been for 20 years. And I do not want a movie
theater downtown if it can only be there in a 20 -story building. When I, um, first
came to Iowa City in the mid- 70s ... in the late 70s, early 80s, I was at the Bijou
probably four or five times a week. The fact that I graduated is amazing, even to
myself, because I was at the films constantly. I got a film education there. I
remember when there were movie theaters downtown, but if the only way we can
get a movie theater in downtown Iowa City is to put it in a... an inappropriately
placed high rise, then I'm sorry, um, and I respect all the people who are
supporting it but uh ... I'd love to see a theater but not in a building that's too big.
Thanks a lot.
Hayek: Thank you.
Burgus: City Councilors, Mr. Mayor, my name is Laura Burgus. I'm a life -long Iowa City
resident, which is more than 30 years, and I am a member of the FilmScene Board
of Directors. I've been a member of the FilmScene board for over a year and I
can tell you when I joined I was pretty skeptical about the idea of making the
dream of an independent downtown cinema a reality. But over the past year I
have seen the FilmScene founders, our board members, and the development team
for The Chauncey come up with fantastic, realistic, pragmatic plans for a project
that can truly improve the vitality of downtown Iowa City. So I'm just asking you
to please consider support of The Chauncey. It provides a mix of uses that I think
are in demand in downtown Iowa City — the movie theater, the bowling alley, art
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gallery, hotel, cafe — I think these are all things that we can agree would improve
downtown Iowa City. The movie theater is, um, planning to be open 365 days a
year and as the gentleman from the University, two gentlemen from the
University mentioned, there will be great opportunities for both entertainment and
education. So please, when you have the opportunity to vote, consider supporting
The Chauncey. Thank you.
Hayek: Thank you.
Michaud: I'm Pam Michaud and I live at 109 S. Johnson. It was hard to, uh, narrow down
what I want to talk about tonight, and fortunately half of my points have been
covered (laughter) and so I won't belabor them but um, my primary concern is
about green building, sustainability, self - sufficiency, and those kinds of things.
Um, also that this TIF is guaranteed to give back to the community and several of
the proposals do that with energy conservation. Uh, it should be sensitive to the
historic Trinity Episcopal Church which we just heard had $2 million worth of
improvements to sustain their light. Um, I think it should be coordinating with
the surrounding structures, including the four and five -story apartment buildings
on Gilbert Street. Uh, I think spot- zoning this lot would be a terrible precedent to
go east of Gilbert Street. Uh, the City has wisely altered their, um, their city plan
to develop River Cros ... uh, Riverfront Crossings. RFC is going to take the dense
housing we don't need, uh, high -rise east of Gilbert Street. Um, so we shouldn't
deviate from that direction of density by having an overly tall building on Gilbert
and College. Um, if another building burns down on the east of Gilbert Street,
down the block just a few, uh, few blocks, uh, or anything else happens to damage
a landmark building, every developer will want to put another high -rise there. It's
just really going to encroach on the Northside. There are lots north of that that
would beat risk. Um ... I also agree that, uh, with the Chauncey Gardens that it
would make sense and another person mentioned it to be on the north end of the
block. Um, it seems like now a really good improvement with the synagogue lot,
uh, that the Clarks are developing, the City has taken this opportunity to clean out
the creek and expose the, um, (can't hear) tiles and uh, stabilize the embankment.
They of course stripped all the trees off of it too, but um, it is, uh, the
embankment is stabilized now behind the synagogue, that's the 600 block of
Washington. It's just upstream of the City Hall. So that would protect you, and I
think it also might mitigate any flood risk, uh, to developing on the north end of,
um, this lot and then flipping, having the ... the, um ... the park on the south side,
having the full sun, which we ... we are, uh, we just lost a significant amount of
sun on the ped mall and I don't want to see that happen again with, uh, another
City park in a central location. So uh, the other thing I like about The Chauncey
is the use of gardens on all levels. Um ... I think it's fairly sensitive to the public.
Their idea of adding a amphitheater to the park is excellent. That's the kind of
give -back we should have in our community. TIFs. Um, just trying to eliminate
what has already been covered here. And I also like, um, the Ryan Iceberg,
because they did homework, actually researching the community and they also
concluded that a five -story was optimum for cost benefit. This minimizes the
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amount of TIF that would have to be handed out. We can allocate TIF for a truly
necessary project, probably on Riverfront Crossings, for affordable housing
because our concept of workforce is ... is, uh, pretty affluent for some people. It's
certainly not affluent for Mitt Romney! But uh, $40,000 to $80,000 a year is not
everybody. Um... increased energy efficiency of 404 is a really appropriate use of
the TIF too. I'd like either 404 or The Chauncey Gardens, or Ryan Iceberg
because they could all be five stories, which is ... is not spot- zoning for that area.
Thank you very much.
Hayek: Thank you.
Carlson: My name is Nancy Carlson. I live at 1002 E. Jefferson. I am part of the College
Green Neighborhood Association. Um, tonight I'd like to, uh, talk about the
effects high -rise development can have on Iowa City. In the blogs Cities and
Towns, Michael McFe ... McAvey from New Urban Network lays out problems
both in the building itself and on the surrounding urban context. Among the int
... internal problems are because of its height a larger amount of the space must be
used for egress requirements, resulting in higher building costs per usable area.
Two, there is higher exposure to wind and sun, causing higher heat gain and loss,
thus affecting utility bills, and three, building maintenance and repair becomes
more challenging. That's the building itself. In relation to its surrounding
context, things need to ... to consider among others include ground wind ... ground
wind effects; the loss of sunlight, which has been discussed by a number of
people already; increasing socialization ba ... by becoming a ... in effect a vertical
suburb; and lastly, as often happens with many things, architectural design can
fall out of fashion. What was originally believed to be a positive addition
becomes a negative. People ask what were they thinking? With clothing you can
simply save it for costume parties. That is not an option for a building. Let's
look at the five proposed developments in relation to these concerns. Iceberg,
Ryan Iceberg's proposal brought up many of these factors as others. They
discussed fitting their building into the ... into the existing context and noted that
based on the Riverfront Crossing's plan, higher density (mumbled) south of
downtown, not east. I don't know if the City presented, or I don't know if the
City pressured them to submit a taller building, but if they did, Ryan Iceberg was
unwilling to revise their proposal. 404's developer, Tim Dwight, who grew up in
Iowa City, submitted a plan for an 8 -story building, not a high -rise. Sherman
Associates presented two proposals, one for a 6 -story building and the other 13
stories. For unknown reasons the 13 -story building was the only one presented.
And then there are the two high -rise proposals. Chauncey Gardens mention their
concern about the loss of sunlight on Chauncey Swan Park. The tallest proposal,
The Chauncey, made no mention of any of these concerns, which is interesting
considering their building will have the most negative impact on the surrounding
area, including the College Green Neighborhood. It would have been useful to
have... con... consistent graphic representations of the five proposals, such as
elevations drawn to the same scale or perspective renderings from the same
vantage points, which would have provided an opportunity to accurately compare
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them. The Sherman Associates 13 -story prop... proposal for example looks as tall
as the 18- and 20 -story building proposals. We have five proposals, going from a
thoughtful evaluation of the proposed building and its environment, to one that
says `I have a vision, follow me.'
Hayek: Thank you.
Kubby: Good evening, my name is Karen Kubby, and I don't have as much concern about
density as other people have spoken tonight. I'm not sure I know what I think the
exact density should be, but I do think it's an opportunity actually to have a little
higher density than we might expect there, actually as a way of preserving other
in -fill development as you go further north to the Northside and as you go further
east to the College Green neighborhood. It's a way of creating density where we
can, where it's a little more appropriate. We already have a lot of concrete there.
We already have some height there. I think what's most important, whether the
building is five stories or larger, is design. Design is what is going to make this
property sing for us for generations. So I think it's really important to think about
the design aspects. I don't know what flexibility you have, if you have to pick
one of the five the way the RFP was written. If you don't have flexibility, I think
you should throw them all out. Because there's so many great, innovative things
about something in each one of them that I think there's an opportunity to say,
`Let's look at the best of these properties, or of the proposals,' and create a new
RFP that will really provide the greatest community impact for us for a long time.
I have to say I do like New Pi being in there because of the huge amount of
activity, not just economic activity but that's there too, but because of the
momentum activity from 7:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. People coming in and out and
in and out. I think FilmScene is a perfect use for part of this property. So I hope
FilmScene and New Pi can both be in there. And the Bike Library, the Iowa City
Public Library and the Bike Library are the only two entities that I know in town
that have people waiting for a long time to get in upon opening, and I have to say
the Bike Library probably beats out the Iowa City Public Library for how long
people will wait to get in. It's obvious from comments that people really care
about issues of sustainability and there are probably at least 20 of them that were
mentioned, and that it's not part of your criteria. I think stepping back and
making this part of your criteria is ... is obviously and incredibly necessary and
responsible to do. So I hope that you can do that. So ... I ... if you can't morph
these proposals, I hope you'll throw them out and start over with the best ofs.
Thanks.
Hayek: Thank you.
Machatka: Diane Machatka, 406 Reno Street. I don't speak, um, for an organization. I do,
um, work in the Planning Department at the University. So I guess I ... I want to
thank you for giving everybody an opportunity to speak to these proposals, and
it's been very interesting looking at them. There's a lot of exciting opportunity
here. Um, I ... I guess I want to address first the idea of quickly of sustainability,
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just to ... to notice that sustainability and say workforce housing, a lot of your
goals don't have to be in conflict. As I look at the proposals I see that you've got
two proposals that .... give no attention to sustainability in any serious way; and in
those two, the housing offered is really very poor quality, I think. Very deep,
almost no natural lighting. Sustainability, one factor that typically goes into
design, is using a lot of daylight so that you don't have to use so much electricity
and the proposals that haven't been designed with that in mind end up having not
very well day lit apartments, and I looked at the plans and thought ... I wouldn't
buy one of these. I wouldn't want to live here. You have an interest in making
sure this building is successful, that people want to live here. That people are
attracted here. The other concern I had was that I really endorse your interest in
workforce housing. I think, um, if workforce housing is defined as something that
might cost $200,000 for a condo, there are at least two proposals here that define
workforce housing as a studio apartment of 500 square feet. And, this is
Manhattan, I mean, I know in New York, everybody knows in New York you
have to pay a fortune and you get a room. We have a little more space than that,
and we should aspire not to be as dense as that. I want to see density downtown.
I think it's good for downtown, but you're going to have to look people in the eye
and are you really willing to look your constituents in the eye and tell them for
$250,000 you can have a room, and that's our idea of family housing for you. I
think you want to look really carefully at these proposals and make sure that
workforce housing is something that you're going to be proud to be providing to
your constituents and can say that you've really served the city well in building
here. So thank you.
Hayek: Thank you.
Thompson: Hi, my name is Kari Thompson. I live in the Goosetown Neighborhood and uh,
the... section of the ... this section of the agenda this evening started with a
comment that you all would receive more information about the finances of all of
these proposals going forward. And while I think it's important that those be
considered and we certainly want to see whatever happens in this space be
financially sound, and I think we've also heard from the Co -op that if they're an
anchor property in that space, that goes a long ways toward that goal. I would
also encourage the Council to not base their decision fully on financial interests.
This is also about the community that we want to live in and making sure the
things that we appreciate as a community are valued. Those include the Co -op,
those include the Bike Library. I was thankful a sister recently brought that up,
but I feel too little attention has been paid to this great community service that I
know many friends and family members have benefitted from the bikes there.
From the classes they teach and from the camaraderie of meeting people doing a
sustainable event, and improving their community while they're at it. And I think
very few of the proposals, only one really actually takes into account that space,
and I think you need to take into account what's important to this community. I
have no doubt that The Chauncey could throw a really awesome Big Lebowski
party once a year, with both a bowling alley and the movie theaters right there
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(laughter) and I would totally go to that, but you know, that's a once —a -year sort
of thing and I share the concerns of many of my fellow Iowa Citians that the
cinema would only be used during evening and weekend times, uh, date times,
date nights, special occasions. I also have a concerns about the hotel in The
Chauncey. Uh, I don't think that this is an area where we need to have hotels in
Iowa City. We already have, uh, some hotel developments going on on the west
side of the river, and I would encourage the Council to see how that proceeds
before we add more. We don't need temporary people moving in and out of this
space. We want our community members to be there, and for that to happen, we
need, again, affordable housing, not just fancy lofts for people who might be
administrators at the University, but perhaps graduate students, like myself, who
make less than $20,000 a year. Uh, that is an important consideration as well, and
I fear that if you prioritize the business end of this decision, you will be making a
mistake in terms of what you want to invest in for our community. Thank you.
Hayek: Thank you.
Shields: Hi, my name's Ashley Shields. I live on Dewey Street. And I'll make this quick.
I just want to say that I am with John Thomas and the Northside Neighborhood
Association and keeping the building in the, you know, five, six, seven -story area.
Um, I really believe ... I'm a member of New Pioneer Co -op. I, um, believe that
they should be in the space. I am also a big film, um, lover and I hope that, you
know, there's a place for the film and the theaters somewhere in the downtown
area, or maybe in the same ... same building, but I believe in New Pioneer Co -op
and think that they should be included there, most of all. Thank you.
Hayek: Thank you.
Perry: Uh, my name's Andre Perry. Live on 210 N. Gilbert. Uh, there've been a lot of
good discussions tonight and a lot of great ideas from all sides, all perspectives.
Um, I'll be very brief. There's a lot of cultural opportunity here and a lot of
economic impact opportunity here. Um, I'd like to encourage the Council to do
its best job of seeing if we can rise all of these, all the really good ideas here to the
top. Um, you obviously have to make one decision about the space that's over
there, um, I don't know what all the parameters of making that decision are, but
if...if only some of these ideas can happen in that space over there, it'd be great.
If you can aggressively come back with a solution for the other ideas that aren't
...that can't be, you know, addressed in that space. Um, cause there's really too
much on the table here that would be, I think, just great for Iowa City. So, please
keep that in mind as you're making your decisions. Thanks.
Hayek: Thank you. Are we at the end of the line here? Is there anyone else who would
like to, uh, provide input to the City Council? Okay. Uh, I thank you for your
commentary. I know we all appreciate it, and we will absolutely take it into
account as we go forward.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
formal meeting of December 4, 2012.
Page 50
Karr: Motion to accept correspondence.
Mims: So moved.
Dobyns: Second.
Hayek: Moved by Mims, seconded by Dobyns. Discussion? All those in favor say aye.
Opposed say nay. Motion carries 6 -0.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
formal meeting of December 4, 2012.
Page 51
ITEM 20. CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION.
Hayek: We'll start down with you, Jim.
Throgmorton: I don't think so.
Karr: You want to readvertise the Council appointments?
Champion: I just want to go home!
Karr: 18, motion to readvertise, did he? (several talking)
Hayek: You want us to readvertise?
Karr: You don't want to readvertise, 18?
Hayek: Okay, uh, we can (both talking)
Karr: I mean...
Hayek: Yeah, sure.
Karr: We're just going to readvertise those. That's fine.
Hayek: Yet again we haven't filled positions, uh, on various Airport boards. We have a
vacancy on the Airport Zoning Board of Adjustment, actually two, and two
vacancies on the Airport Zoning Commission. We, uh, all but beg the public to
apply for those positions as they have sat empty for quite a long time (laughs)
Champion: years!
Hayek: Item 20 is City Council information. Jim?
Throgmorton: No.
Hayek: Don't have anything?
Mims: Nothing.
Dickens: I just want to thank all the volunteers that, uh, made Celebrate the Seasons
downtown a great time, uh, lot of people downtown. Thank Bill and Sheila Boyd
for bringing their horse ... horses down with their ... their buggy and took rides all
over, and I was walking in between the work session and this Council meeting
and Bruegger's has broken ground. They're actually digging the hole out so...
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
formal meeting of December 4, 2012.
Page 52
Hayek: Good!
Dickens: ...that's a great...
Throgmorton: Are they working as we speak?
Dickens: Yes!
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
formal meeting of December 4, 2012.
Page 53
ITEM 21. REPORT ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF.
b) City Attorney.
Hayek: City Attorney?
Dilkes: I ... I did have one thing. I forgot to mention on Items 6a and 6b, which is the
rezoning, uh, for HyVee up on North Dodge, is that my office, um, has a conflict
of interest and Andy Chappell from the County Attorney's office has, uh, and the
County Attorney have graciously agreed to represent the Council during that
matter, so you will see him on those items at the next meeting.
Hayek: Okay. Thanks!
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
formal meeting of December 4, 2012.