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Home My WebLink About2015-04-30 Info Packett�� CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET -•�.as._ CITY OF IOWA CITY www.icgov.org April 30, 2015 IPI Council Tentative Meeting Schedule MAY 5 WORK SESSION IP2 Work Session Agenda I133 Excerpt from Final Report of Charter Review Commission: Other Matters Discussed IP4 Memo from City Clerk: KXIC Radio Show I135 Pending City Council Work Session Topics MISCELLANEOUS I136 Article from City Manager: Oriented to community services from an early age, Matt Hayek currently leads Iowa City as its mayor I137 Memo from Asst. City Manager: City Contribution to KoNec IP8 Email from City Manager: Moody's assigns Aaa to Iowa City's (IA) $7.7M GO Bonds, Ser. 2015 I139 Memo from Housing Adm. and Human Rights Coordinator: Including Housing Choice Voucher in the Public Assistance Source of Income Definition in the Human Rights Ordinance IP10 Joint meeting minutes, April 20, 2015 IP11 Memo from Housing Adm.: Grant Notification; The Iowa City Housing Authority received 10 new vouchers and $48,784 for the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Assistance (VASH) program IP12 Move Naturally to the Market IP13 Understanding the Struggle: The Journey Continues IP14 Construction + Labor trades Job Fair IP15 City Council Listening Posts DRAFT MINUTES IP16 Housing and Community Development Commission: April 16 IP17 Planning and Zoning Commission: April 16 r City Council Tentative Meeting Schedule t�"^r Subject to change April 30, 2015 _ 15 CIF IowA CiTv IN Date Time Meetina Location Tuesday, May 5, 2015 5:00 PM Work Session Meeting Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00 PM Formal Meeting Tuesday, May 19, 2015 5:00 PM Work Session Meeting Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00 PM Formal Meeting Tuesday, June 2, 2015 5:00 PM - Work Session Meeting Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00 PM Formal Meeting Tuesday, June 16, 2015 5:00 PM Work Session Meeting Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00 PM Formal Meeting Monday, July 20, 2015 4:00 PM Reception prior to meeting TBA (Johnson County) 4:30 PM Joint Meeting / Work Session Monday, July 27, 2015 5:00 PM Work Session Meeting Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00 PM Special Formal Meeting Tuesday, August 18, 2015 5:00 PM Work Session Meeting Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00 PM Formal Meeting Tuesday, September 1, 2015 5:00 PM Work Session Meeting Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00 PM Formal Meeting Tuesday, September 15, 2015 5:00 PM Work Session Meeting Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00 PM Formal Meeting Tuesday, October 6, 2015 5:00 PM Work Session Meeting Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00 PM Formal Meeting # w»conve Discuss any other changes to the City Charter r» ©« © ?t\c� m?! �^-y ° Charter az: Commis - Council Appointments ; - Information Packet Discussion [April 23, S ® Council Time [I4|nfo Packete 43] -e�ln Schedule ® Pending Work Session Topics [IP # 5|nfo Packetof 43] -Upcoming Community | «!,m%ns IP3 Excerpt from final report Charter Review Commission 2014-2015 is in Section 7.02 and in the right to vote itself. A majority of Commission members supported the idea that the initial petitioners, those who begin the formal process of initiative or referendum, still should be qualified electors. Additionally, of course, only qualified electors would be able to vote if an initiative or referendum petition led to an actual election. 9. The recommended change to Section 7.07 is meant to clarify and ensure that the only way in which City Council can make changes to the initiative and referendum process is through amending the Charter itself. Other Matters Considered. In addition to those matters discussed that led to the above recommendations, the Commission also gave serious consideration to several issues that did not lead to recommended amendments. Some of those issues are discussed below. Numerous other issues also were discussed by the Commission and these discussions, though not described here, are reflected in the Commission's meeting minutes. I. Selection of the Mayor. The Commission spent considerable time discussing the method used to select the mayor, both in its regular meetings and at the interactive public meeting. Some concerns were raised with the current process, including generally the secrecy of or lack of transparency in how the Council Members choose the Mayor and the inability of members of the general public to vote for a Mayor or otherwise participate in the process. Concerns also were raised that the process is somewhat anachronistic and undemocratic, that there might be better participation and more focus on particular issues in a city election if there was an actual campaign for the Mayor, and that such a campaign would result in better leadership from the Mayor. In response to these concerns the Commission considered an amendment to the Charter that would have required that the Mayor be elected directly by the citizens. Public comment and the Commission's minutes will demonstrate that there are strong opinions on both sides of this issue. In the end, the majority of the Commission decided not to recommend an amendment to the Charter on this issue, believing the current system, despite concerns, has served its purpose and worked well for the City. XThe Commission does recommend strongly, however, that the City Council spend time studying this issue on its own and attempt to come up with some change to the current process of selecting the Mayor in order to make it more open, inclusive and transparent. Absent such a change in practice, the City Council should expect this issue to arise again when the Charter is reviewed in ten years, if not sooner. 2. Number of Districts. The Commission discussed whether to amend the Charter to change the number of council districts from three to four, or even from three to seven. The concern presented was that the city's geographic and population growth had made the existing districts too large to be manageable or representative. No recommendation was made to increase the number of districts, however, because the associated decrease in geographic area and population represented by district council members would have been relatively small. Also, overall there was a strong preference to maintain the current majority of council members being at -large. 3. Election of District Council Members. The Commission spent a great deal of time discussing the current system for electing district council members and the fact that only residents of the district may vote in a district primary but all voters may vote on the district in the general election. An amendment was considered that would have allowed only residents of a particular district to vote in that general election district race. In support of this amendment was the idea that it would alleviate voter confusion over the current system and it may also engender stronger connections between the district electorate and the district -only council members. Support for such a change was also found in the fact that district candidates would then be able to run smaller, more economical campaigns focusing only on their respective districts. The majority of the Commission did not recommend such an amendment, though, because of a concern that it might promote parochialism among districts and from a positive recognition that the current system allows each citizen to claim a stake in all seven council races. 4. Council Member Compensation. The Commission received several public comments indicating that the current compensation for members of the City Council is too low, does not reflect the amount of time required to serve on the City Council, and may discourage some low wage earners from running for City Council. Indeed, the consensus of the Commission also was that the current salary is too low. No change was proposed to the Charter, however, because the overall view was that this is an issue better left to the legislative actions of the City Council, as opposed to a change to the Charter as recommended by the Commission. At the very least, the Commission encourages the City Council to further study this issue and to consider reinstating the ordinance requiring for periodic increases in City Council compensation based on increases in the cost of living. 5. Alternatives to Primary Elections. The Commission discussed alternatives to the system of primary elections described in Section 3.02, including instant run-off elections. Given the current state of Iowa election law, however, possible changes are limited and no changes were recommended. Conclusion. The Commission has appreciated and thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to review the Iowa City City Charter and it is pleased to present its recommendations to the City Council for consideration and action. While there was not unanimity on every issue, the recommendations as a whole come to the City Council upon the unanimous vote of the Commission. Pursuant to Section 8.02 of the Charter, the City Council may either adopt the Commission's recommended amendments by ordinance or may put them on the ballot for consideration by the voters of Iowa City. The Commission recommends the City Council adopt the proposed Charter Amendments by ordinance. If, however, the City Council believes there is a recommendation, or recommendations, that should be presented to the voters in an election, then the Commission recommends the City Council 5 send only that recommendation to the voters and all other proposed amendments be adopted by ordinance. Respectfully submitted this day of March, 2015. IOWA CITY CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION LE Andrew Chappell, Chairperson On behalf of Commission Members: Chair Pro tem Melvin O. Shaw Steve Atkins Karrie Craig Karen Kubby Mark Schantz Anna Moyers Stone Adam B Sullivan Dee Vanderhoef IP4 -at IT ` W%dMh. CITY OF IOWA CITY MEMORANDUM Date: April 30, 2015 To: Mayor and City Council J From: Marian K. Karr, City Clerk Re: KXIC Radio Show KXIC offers a City show at 8:00 AM every Wednesday morning. In the past Council has volunteered for dates, and staff filled in as necessary. Please take a look at your calendars and come prepared to help fill in the schedule at your work session on May 5. At your request a complete summer schedule is provided below. Wednesday May 6 Botchway May 13 — May 20 — May 27 — Throgmorton June 3 - Throgmorton June 10 — June 17 — June 24 — July 1 — July 8— July 15 — July 22 — July 29 — August 5 — August 12 — August 19 — August 26 — In addition we are adding a 7:15 — 7:45 AM the first and third Friday of each month: Friday May 15 — Dobyns June 5 — Throgmorton June 19 — Throgmorton (preference for 5t') July 3 (pre-recorded 10 am 7/2) — July 17 — August 7 — Dobyns August 21 — Future pending requests / commitments: Wednesday September 2 — September 9 — September 16 — September 23 — September 30 — October 7 — April 30, 2015 Page 2 October 14 — October 21 — October 28 — November 4 — November 11 (pre-recorded 10am 11/10) — November 18 — November 25 — December 2 — December 9 — December 16 — December 23 — December 30 - Friday September 4 — September 18 — Dobyns October 2 — October 16 — Dobyns November 6 — November 20 — December 4 — Dobyns December 18 — ** Please remember that KXIC is very flexible with taping the Wednesday sessions ahead of the show. It is the intent of the Friday interviews to be live. U: radioshowasking.doc LLIP5J � r ®oar„t CITY OF IOWA CITY UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE PENDING CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION TOPICS April 30, 2015 May 19, 2014 1. Conference Board (tentatively scheduled for May 19) Pending Topics to be Scheduled 1. Discuss city related marijuana policies and potential legislative advocacy positions 2. Review of the Sensitive Areas ordinance 3. Discuss formation of staff /citizen climate adaptation advisory group (spring 2015) 4. Discuss transit route planning framework 5. Review University of Iowa enrollment and housing projections 6. Discuss nuisance and property management standards in neighborhoods 7. Review sale of alcohol to minors regulations 8. Review sidewalk repair program 9. Discuss Board and Commission expectations and appointment / reappointment process 10. Review potential affordable housing initiatives (Payne, Botchway and Throgmorton memo) From the City Manager Community leader feature — Oriented to community service from an early age, Matt Hayek currently leads Iowa City as its mayor Matt Hayek isn't counting the months until his term as mayor of Iowa City, Iowa, ends early next year. However, he doesn't plan to seek reelection. "Eight years in local office and five years of city commission work before that is plenty," he says. "I have young children and my wife (attorney Mary Kate Pilcher Hayek) has been very patient. And my father's passing last year (John Hayek — a long-time Iowa City attorney and my senior partner) makes me want to focus more on my family and my law firm." Despite his decision to step back from community service for awhile, the partner in the seven -person general practice firm of Hayek, Brown, Moreland & Smith, L.L.P., is a dyed-in-the-wool supporter of community engagement and a believer that all attorneys need to be active in their communities. He learned that from watch- ing others, mainly his parents and other local attorneys. In 2003, the ISBA recognized him for his pro bono service. These days his may- oral work "largely represents my pro bono service," though he still provides low-cost or free services to certain clients. That work isn't done through volunteer lawyer organizations, however. Hayek's community service started early when he joined the Peace Corps in 1992 after receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. He says he was reminded of the Peace Corps each time he walked up the steps of the student union where, in 1960, SenatorJohn F. Kennedy first announced his idea of a national service organization for young Americans. The idea evolved into the Peace Corps once Kennedy took office as president. He joined the Peace Corps because he felt a need to serve. He also wanted an adventure before committing to graduate school and hoped to become fluent in Spanish. His Peace Corps assignment was in Bolivia, where he traveled by motorcycle to a dozen indigenous villages high up in the 38 Tm IOWA LAWYER Special Edition 1 Andes. He worked for a U.S.A.I.D: funded project called Child and Community Health, which brought potable water and sanitation to isolated communities. "We constructed drinking water systems using springs and gravity -fed pipelines and we dug latrines," he recalls. "My pri- maryjob was to help each village operate and maintain its system and to resolve dis- putes. I worked with local leaders to form a water committee — not unlike a city council — to take over the system once the project moved on to another village" As might be expected, the conditions were primitive. He says he slept on dirt floors, fought dysentery and "dealt with all the classic Peace Corps challenges." On the upside, he received a stipend of $200 per month — "half of which I wasted on beer" — and "was on top of the world" After completing Michigan Law School in 1997 and stints at two large law firms, he moved from Chicago back to Iowa City in 2001, the year he was admitted to the Iowa Bar. He became involved in community ser- vice, chairing two housing -related com- missions for the City of Iowa City. He also served as president of the board of direc- tors of the Englert Civic Theatre, where he helped lead the building renovation, the establishment of the non-profit and the effort to secure historic preservation tax credits. Hayek ran for and was elected to the city council in 2007. In 2010 he was elected mayor by his peers and has been re- elected twice. Hayek believes that attorneys are naturals for com- munity service. Most attorneys are well equipped — thanks to their training, problem solving ability, verbal skills, etc. — to play an important community role beyond the practice of law, he says. He thinks a broader understanding of and connection to one's community can help an attor- ney counsel clients. One of the primary reasons he ran for the city council was because he wanted to have a say in the decisions that affect his community. "A well-trained attorney can provide considerable value, whether through local government or a non-profit," he adds. "There is invariably a legal or public policy consideration on a given subject — state legislation affecting a city, contracts a non- profit is negotiating, employment matters, and so forth. Attorneys are uniquely situ- ated to contribute in these settings" There's also the scheduling flexibility that most private practice attorneys enjoy. That flexibility pays off in his role as mayor, where many of his obligations occur during business hours. He figures he spends about 20 hours a week on those obligations. The downside is that he works nights and weekends to compensate for the time away from his law practice while tending to mayoral duties. That "has certainly been a challenge," he says, but adds that he "has no regrets." 04-30-15 IP6 � r 1 iP7 CITY OF IOWA CITY �=m4 om� -T4 MEMORANDUM Date: April 24, 2015 To: Tom Markus, City Manager From: Geoff Fruin, Assistant City Manager Re: City Contribution to KoNec At the April 21, 2015 City Council meeting, Councilman Throgmorton requested that the City contribute $3,000 toward the KoNec program. KoNec (formerly FasTrac) is currently raising funds to provide youth and their parents / guardians an opportunity to participate in a civil rights tour that includes various historical sites and black colleges and universities. The event is targeted to take place in June of this year. KoNec had previously approached the City about a contribution to this year's program. Prior to the April 21, 2015 City Council meeting the City pledged a total of $750. This includes $250 from the Human Rights Commission and $500 from discretionary staff budgets that allow for small event sponsorships. The City is frequently asked to make contributions to various social service programs, community events and other community initiatives. To the extent possible, we encourage requesting organizations to apply for standard city programs that are established through the annual budgeting process. Examples of these programs include Aid to Agencies, Neighborhood PIN grants, and Community Event funding. The established programs provide a framework for reviewing multiple requests at the same time and help ensure that community goals are being met within the established budget. From time to time, requests are made outside of these program cycles. In most cases, staff directs the organization to wait for the next program cycle. In rare instances, larger requests are forwarded to the City Council for consideration (e.g. temporary winter shelter, 1105 project, Diversity Focus/FasTrac partnership, etc.). On occasion, staff or the Human Rights Commission, will consider use of small discretionary sponsorship budgets that are typically aimed at organizations that would not qualify for any of the established funding programs. These smaller sponsorships are typically under $1,000. For example, the Human Rights Commission and Human Rights Office have recently contributed to the Juneteenth Celebration, One Community One Book program, and the Pride Fest. The City Manager's Office has a $5,000 discretionary budget for small scale special event funding that focuses on unanticipated events, such as the recent NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships and the upcoming RAGBRAI stop in our community. To the extent possible, staff would like to continue to see the City push requests through our established programs. However, we recognize that those programs don't necessarily match well with every need. In those cases, our discretionary budgets are available to meet smaller requests. In this particular instance, staff has the discretionary budget capacity to increase our contribution to KoNec from $500 to $1000. This increase will boost the total City contribution to $1,250. 1 have asked the Human Rights Office to make contact with KoNec and process the additional contribution. Marian Karr From: Sent: To: Subject: Attachments: Please add to info packet. -----Original Message ----- From: Dennis Bockenstedt Tom Markus Wednesday, April 29, 2015 8:34 AM Marian Karr FW: IOWA CITY (CITY OF) IA ATT00001.txt Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2015 4:54 PM To: Tom Markus Subject: FW: IOWA CITY (CITY OF) IA FYI -----Original Message ----- From: MOODY'S EPI [mailto:epi@moodys.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2015 4:50 PM To: Dennis Bockenstedt Subject: IOWA CITY (CITY OF) IA Moody's assigns Aaa to Iowa City's (IA) $7.7M GO Bonds, Ser. 2015 Maintains Aaa on $59.3M of GOULT debt post -sale IOWA CITY (CITY OF) IA Cities (including Towns, Villages and Townships) Iowa Moody's Rating Issue Rating General Obligation Bonds, Series 2015 Aaa Sale Amount $7,785,000 Expected Sale Date 05/07/15 Rating Description General Obligation Moody's Outlook - N00 NEW YORK, April 28, 2015 -- Moody's Investors Service has assigned a Aaa rating to the City of Iowa City's (IA) $7.7 million General Obligation Bonds, Series 2015. Concurrently, Moody's maintains the Aaa rating on the city's outstanding general obligation unlimited tax (GOULT) debt, of which $59.3 million will be outstanding after the current issuance. SUMMARY RATING RATIONALE The Aaa rating reflects the city's growing tax base that benefits from the institutional presence of the State University of Iowa (Aa1 stable); healthy financial profile characterized by ample reserves and prudent management; moderate debt burden with rapid principal amortization; and moderate exposure to unfunded pension liabilities. OUTLOOK Outlooks are usually not assigned to local government credits with this amount of debt outstanding. WHAT COULD MAKE THE RATING GO DOWN - Deterioration of the tax base or weakening of socioeconomic indicators - Material reductions in the city's financial reserves - Material growth in the city's debt burden STRENGTHS - Stable economy bolstered by the presence of the University of Iowa - Healthy financial profile characterized by ample reserves and prudent management - Significant revenue raising flexibility CHALLENGES - Smaller tax base and lower socioeconomic indicators relative to similarly rated entities RECENT DEVELOPMENTS Recent developments are incorporated in the Detailed Rating Rationale. DETAILED RATING RATIONALE ECONOMY AND TAX BASE: STABLE TAX BASE IN EASTERN IOWA ANCHORED BY UNIVERSITY The city's tax base is expected to exhibit ongoing stability given continued population growth, improvement of local economic conditions, and strong institutional presence provided by the University of Iowa. Over the past five years, the city's full valuation has grown at a steady rate of 2.2% annually to the current $4.9 billion. The city has also realized steady growth in population, growing by 9.1% from 2000 to 2010 according to US Census reports. The University of Iowa is by far the city's largest employer with over 18,000 employees, and the university's hospital system employs an additional 8,700 people. Several of the city's other major employers are also in the education sector, including Pearson Educational Measurement (1,200 employees) and ACT, Inc. (1,100 employees). The city is currently undergoing substantial redevelopment following the 2008 flooding of the Iowa River. The University of Iowa is in the process of constructing new children's hospital ($357 million), auditorium ($176 million), school of music ($153 million), and art museum ($77 million), in addition to several other multi-million dollar projects. Commercial and residential development also continues. The total valuation of building permits in 2014 was $152 million, compared to a record $184 million in the prior year. The city's unemployment rate in January 2015 was a low 2.9% compared to the state rate of 4.9% and national rate of 6.1% for the same time period. Median family income is estimated at 114% of the national figure. FINANCIAL OPERATIONS AND RESERVES: HEALTHY RESERVE LEVELS AND PRUDENT MANAGEMENT UNDERPIN FINANCIAL STABILITY The city's financial operations are expected to remain healthy going forward given ample reserve levels, significant revenue raising flexibility, and management's commitment to controlling expenditure growth. The city has closed each of the last six years with a General Fund operating surplus. Very large surpluses in fiscal years 2010 through 2013 have been inflated by the collection of sales tax revenue that is committed to flood remediation efforts (Gateway Project). In May 2009, voters approved a 1% local option sales tax that expired at the end of fiscal 2013. The city accumulated the tax revenue in the General Fund, and plans to transfer the reserved amount of over $20 million to the Capital Projects Fund in fiscal 2015 and fiscal 2016. At the close of fiscal 2014, the city's available General Fund balance, which better reflects the General Fund's true position given the accumulated sales tax reserves, was $21.3 million, or a very healthy 40% of General Fund revenues. The balance includes $3.0 million in assigned fund balance that the city has designated for potential revenue shortfalls, natural disaster contingency, pension and healthcare rate spikes, or other unforeseen financial emergencies. Iowa City also maintains significant additional liquidity in its Internal Service and Debt Service funds. At the end of fiscal 2014, the Internal Service Funds had a total of $24.4 million in unrestricted net assets, while the Debt Service Fund had an available fund balance of $6.2 million. The combined available balance of the city's General, Internal Service, and Debt Service funds was $52.0 million, or a substantial 83% of operating fund (combined General and Debt Service funds) revenues. In fiscal 2015, management had originally budgeted for a General Fund surplus of $598,000, but now project a $4.6 million draw. The reduction of General Fund reserves is due to the transfer of sales tax funds for the funding of the city's Gateway Project. The draw will not impact the city's available reserves as the sales tax revenues have been categorized as restricted since sales tax revenue collection began in fiscal 2010. On an operating basis, operations were essentially balanced in fiscal 2015. The city's recently adopted fiscal 2016 budget indicates a $19.6 million draw on General Fund reserves due to the transfer of the remaining Gateway Project sales tax reserves; however, available fund balance is budgeted to increase by $1.5 million. Property taxes comprised a substantial 70% of fiscal 2014 operating revenues. While the city levies the statutory maximum of $8.10 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, it retains the flexibility to implement a $0.27 emergency levy that would generate an estimated $846,000 of additional revenue. Additionally, the city does not fully utilize its trust and agency levy, and has the ability to generate an additional $1.7 million in revenue if fully utilized. The city could also increase its franchise fee on electric and gas utilities. The city has had a 1% franchise fee in place since 2010, but could increase this fee as high as 5%, which would generate an estimated $4.1 million in additional revenue. Liquidity The city maintains healthy liquidity within its General Fund and has access to additional liquidity within its Debt Service and Internal Service funds. At the close of fiscal 2014, available General Fund cash totaled $19.4 million and 37% of General Fund revenues. When combined with additional liquidity found in the city's Internal Service and Debt Service funds, the city's available operating liquidity totaled $53 million and a healthy 85% of operating fund revenues. The city anticipates maintaining similar levels of available liquidity over the near to medium-term. DEBT AND PENSIONS: MODERATE DEBT BURDEN WITH RAPID PRINCIPAL AMORTIZATION The city's net direct debt burden of 1.2% of full value is slightly above average compared to state and national medians. Amortization of existing debt is rapid as 98% of principal is scheduled to be retired over the next ten years. Additionally, the city frequently uses its surplus revenues to repay debt early. Debt service comprised an above average 25% of operating expenditures in fiscal 2014. Additional near-term debt plans include $24.5 million in general obligation (GO) and $15.3 million in parking lease revenue debt to be issued over the next three years. The city also intends to call $3.0 million of outstanding principal for its Series 2008A GO bonds with cash 4 held in its Debt Service Fund on July 1, 2015. Debt Structure All of the city's debt is fixed rate and 98% of principal is set to be retired by 2025. Debt -Related Derivatives The city is not a party to any interest rate swap or derivative agreements. Pensions and OPEB Iowa City's three year average Moody's adjusted net pension liability (ANPL), net of self-supporting enterprises, through fiscal 2013 is $112 million, equivalent to 2.3% of full valuation and 1.8 times operating revenue. The ANPL is based upon our allocation of the reported unfunded liabilities of two multi-employer cost-sharing pension plans, the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) and the Municipal Fire and Police Retirement System of Iowa (MFPRSI). Moody's ANPL reflects certain adjustments we make to improve comparability of reported pension liabilities. The adjustments are not intended to replace the city's reported liability information, but to improve comparability with other rated entities. The actuarial valuation dates for the cost sharing plans are June 30, 2013. The city's fiscal 2014 contribution to the plans, was $5.4 million, or 8.7% of operating revenues. MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE: VERY STRONG INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK Iowa cities have an institutional framework score of'Aaa' or very strong. Cities have strong revenue raising capability, despite a property tax cap on general and emergency levies, due to an unlimited trust and agency levy and tort levy as well as several other limited, special purpose levies or fees. The majority of cities' revenues come from property taxes which are predictable. Expenditures are also largely predictable, and cities have the ability to reduce expenditures as needed. Management has implemented numerous policies to help maintain the city's fiscal health. The city's General Fund balance policy is to maintain 30% of expenditures in unassigned reserve, and any excess above the 30% will be transferred to the city's emergency reserve, used to retire outstanding debt, or provide property tax relief. The city's debt policy states that annual debt service costs will not exceed 30% of its annual levy. Management has a strong history of outperforming budgeted expectations due to conservative budgetary assumptions. KEY STATISTICS - 2014 Full valuation: $4.9 billion - Estimated full value per capita: $72,900 - 2008-2012 Median Family Income as a % of the US: 114% - 2014 Operating Fund Balance as a % of Revenues: 83.3% - Five -Year Dollar Change in Fund Balance as % of Revenues: 16.0% - 2014 Cash Balance as a % of Revenues: 85.0% - Five -Year Dollar Change in Cash Balance as % of Revenues: 14.0% - Institutional Framework: Aaa - Operating History (Five -Year Average of Operating Revenues/Operating Expenditures): 1.09x - Net Direct Debt/Full Value: 1.2% - Net Direct Debt/Operating Revenues: 0.9x - Three -Year Average of Moody's ANPL/Full Value: 2.3% - Three -Year Average of Moody's ANPL/Operating Revenues: 1.8x OBLIGOR PROFILE Iowa City is growing municipality located in eastern Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 68,000. Census Bureau estimates population has grown to 71,500 as of 2013. LEGAL SECURITY Debt service on the bonds is secured by the city's GOULT pledge, which benefits from a dedicated property tax levy unlimited by rate or amount. USE OF PROCEEDS Proceeds from the Series 2015 bonds will finance projects in its five year capital plan, including various street and park improvements. PRINCIPAL METHODOLOGY The principal methodology used in this rating was US Local Government General Obligation Debt published in January 2014. Please see the Credit Policy page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology. REGULATORY DISCLOSURES For ratings issued on a program, series or category/class of debt, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series or category/class of debt or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com. Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review. Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating. Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating. ANALYSTS: Coley Anderson, Lead Analyst, Public Finance Group, Moody's Investors Service Hetty Chang, Additional Contact, Public Finance Group, Moody's Investors Service CONTACTS: Journalists: (212) 553-0376 Research Clients: (212) 553-1653 Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 USA © 2015 Moody's Corporation, Moody's Investors Service, Inc., Moody's Analytics, Inc. and/or their licensors and affiliates (collectively, "MOODY'S"). All rights reserved. CREDIT RATINGS ISSUED BY MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC. 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Introduction: On February 17, 2015 the Human Rights Commission (HRC) made a recommendation to the City Council to include Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) in the definition of Public Assistance Source of income so that It would be unlawful to refuse to sell, rent, lease, assign, sublease, refuse to negotiate or to otherwise make unavailable, or deny any real property or housing accommodation to a person based on the use of a Housing Choice Voucher. It would also be unlawful to directly or Indirectly advertise, or in any other manner indicate or publicize in any real estate transaction that a person is not welcome or not solicited because of their use of a Housing Choice Voucher.' History/Background., The Iowa City Housing Authority provides rental assistance through the Housing Choice Voucher program to more than 1,200 low-income families. Participation in the Housing Choice Voucher program requires the family's income be within federally established guidelines. The top five participant Head -of - Household Characteristics of families participating in the Housing Choke Voucher program are: disabled and/or elderly (6096); White (5996), households without minors (58%), one-person households (53%) and working families (4696). The Housing Authority works with approximately 450 landlords. There are 1215 Housing Choice Vouchers and 57 Veterans' Supportive Housing Vouchers with a total Housing Assistance Payments contract in excess of $6 million to landlords within the Housing Authority jurisdiction (includes all of Johnson County and portions of Iowa and Washington Counties)? The Iowa City Human Rights Ordinance (City Code Title 2) currently provides coverage in the area of housing on the following bases: age, color, creed, disability, gender identity, marital status, familial i see Approved HRC Meeting Minutes February 17 2035. See http://Iwiww.kgovArg%Ad=1186September 1, 2013 -December 31, 2014. See httpVAvww.kpv org/Pkk1186 September 1, 2013 -December 31, 2014. April 28, 2015 Page 2 status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, presence or absence of dependents and public assistance source of income of that person. Public Assistance Source of Income is defined as: income and support derived from any tax supported federal, state or local funds, including, but not limited to, social security, supplemental security Income, temporary assistance for needy families, family Investment program, general relief, food stamps, and unemployment compensation, but not including rent subsidies! The current definition of Public Assistance Source of Income excludes rent subsidies and therefore would not protect a participant in the Housing Choice Voucher program from being rejected for consideration for rental housing. Recommendation: At this time staff does not have sufficient information to provide a recommendation on including Housing Choice Voucher in the definition of Public Assistance Source of Income. Over the next several months staff will evaluate whether the inclusion of Housing Choice Voucher would affect Individuals who have lower incomes but are not participating in the Housing Choice Voucher program, determine any unforeseen consequences to affordable housing in the area if Housing Choice Voucher is included, and get feedback from area landlords on the proposal. Once completed staff will prepare a memo with further detail and information. 4 See City Code 2-5-18 2-I-1. Minutes of the Joint Meeting of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, City of Iowa City, City of Coralville, City of North Liberty, City of Tiffin, City of Hills, City of Swisher, City of University Heights, Iowa City Community School District Board, and Clear Creek Amana School District on Monday, April 20, 2015 at City Hall in Coralville; Council Chambers at 4:30 PM. Mayor John A. Lundell welcomed everyone and he asked all the elected officials to introduce themselves. Lundell asked anyone who was in the audience to introduce themselves when they participate in the meeting. Johnson County Board of Supervisors present: Sullivan, Carberry, Neuzil, Harney, County Attorney Lyness Iowa City Council present: Mayor Hayek, Mims, Throgmorton, Dobyns, Payne Coralville Council present: Mayor Lundell, Dodds, Goodrich North Liberty Council present: Mayor Nielsen, Chipman, Donahue, Tiffin Council present: Mayor Phillips University Heights Council present: Mayor From Hills Council present: Mayor Kemp Swisher Council present: Mayor Taylor Iowa City Community School District Board: President Lynch, Baruah, McGinness, Kirschling Staff members from the school districts and local governments were in attendance along with members of the public. Mayor John A. Lundell mentioned Coralville Councilperson Tom Gill was attending the Annual Meeting of Hills Bank & Trust Company because he is a Board Member, Councilperson Bill Hoeft was not able to make the meeting and Councilperson Mitch Gross might not be able to attend because of his duties as West High's Tennis Coach. Lundell also noted several Coralville staff members had to attend a RAGBRAI Meeting with Des Moines Register staff. Update on diversity policies and school boundaries. (Iowa City Community School District) School Board President Chris Lynch reported the Iowa City Community School District rescinded their diversity policy in January at the direction of the Iowa Department of Education and United States Department of Education. They directed the Policy & Engagement Committee to work on a new diversity policy. Chairman of the Committee and Board Member Brian Kirschling was asked to report on the committee's progress. Joint Meeting April 20, 2015 Page 2 Kirschling reported they are discussing having the equity policy being a strong board statement and they are looking at how it can work with the Equity Department report coming out in a few weeks. It is being crafted right now and nothing has come out of the committee yet. Lynch added they expect it to have a strong link with student achievement, researched based and they will take their time with it to get it right. Board Member Jeff McGinness reported the Board adopted aspiration goals for class sizes using socioeconomic status, ELL and special ed. They are considering a weighted resource allocation model, which realizes all schools are not equal or have student populations with the same needs, so this model will take into a lot of different factors when allocating resources. Lynch introduced the topic of school boundaries and attendance zones at the same time since they are essentially the same thing. Lynch reported last year they focused on elementary boundaries and the opening of Alexander. This year they are working on secondary attendance zones or boundaries. They will begin the 9rocess with bringing it to the Board table. They will review the scenarios at the April 24 Board Meeting, April 28th they will have the next round of scenarios, between April 29th and May 11th they will have more community engagement looking towards a May decision making process. The policy has 25 different planning parameters that need to be considered when it comes to boundaries, which include student achievement, traffic balance, socioeconomics, special education, operational costs, support neighborhood schools, and managing capacity. They would like to start Liberty at 800 and keep City and West at a similar size. Multi jurisdictional sustainability group. (Johnson County) Supervisor Mike Carberry reported the Sierra Club and other environmental groups formed a Cool Cities program with Iowa City, North Liberty and Coralville which worked well for working on climate change activities for a while. They never came up with a comprehensive plan on how to move forward, because some entities were way ahead of others and the meeting turned into an update of what communities were doing. It may be time to relook at forming a Multi jurisdictional sustainability group because climate change and sustainability are becoming more important in what counties, cities and schools are doing. Recently some County sustainability people and Iowa City Sustainability Coordinator Brenda Nations from Iowa City attended a regional workshop that helped identify some of the things we could work on together. Carberry suggested having staff from the county, cities and schools get together now without involving the MPOJC yet to create a plan and sharing information. Carberry suggested the County could convene some meetings with the help of Iowa City sustainability staff to get started. Lundell suggested the county extend an invitation to everyone to participate. It was noted Iowa City has done a couple of things including a 2013 sustainability assessment by Nations and she will produce a 2015 update soon. Iowa City will also have a work session on sustainability and climate change. School Board Member Tuyet Baruah state if the County is willing to spearhead the effort the School District would be interested in participating. Nations reported the County and Iowa City have been working on a climate adaptation grant and they are working with some climatologists with climate Joint Meeting April 20, 2015 Page 3 projections for this area. They would like to work with people in other communities on things that will affect everyone like if the climate is going to be warmer and different asphalt will need to be used in the future. There is interest in a citizens group but they feel there is some internal work to be done first. Nations noted they will be working on a Star Community Rating Index, which is more comprehensive than the 2013 report, and one whole area is climate change and it focusses more projects and policies. Nations stated Iowa City would be interested in having every community complete their Greenhouse Gas Inventory so they could put them all together and Iowa City did work with North Liberty and their provider Alliant Energy to complete North Liberty's inventory and Iowa City is willing to work with other communities. Community ID Program. (Johnson County) County Attorney Janet Lyness reported the Johnson County Supervisors passed a resolution last week in support of a Community ID and committing staff and resources to implement it. The purpose of the ID is to provide proof of who they are and where they live who does not have a State ID. They hope this could be used at local businesses and to get community services. This will be a basic card where they hope to get businesses to offer discounts, and the main purpose is to interact with law enforcement and open bank accounts. In other communities people with the ID feel they can contact the police. The process will have people coming to the County where staff will collect and verify information and send the Community ID to the person's address. The Center for Worker's Justice has signed up 700 people who are interested. The County is interested in hearing what other communities are interested in. School Board Member Tuyet Barauh noted this might be used as a School ID program for adults. Barauh noted the school has facilities available on weekend and their family resources could help identify people who might need an ID. Lyness thought is a great idea to use school facilities for people to sign up for an ID. Mayor John A. Lundell asked what support the County will need from municipalities other than facilities to sign people up. Lyness responded they will be looking for funding to help pay for the equipment, stating what services that require an ID that the City would accept a Community ID for, and the help of law enforcement to accept the IDs as valid identification. The County will be using the same documents other communities use and figuring out how to verify them. These IDs cannot be used to purchase alcohol, cigarettes and getting into clubs that have an age limit. Lyness noted people who do not have a permanent address or can't prove who they are or where they live will not be able to get an ID. Barauh asked if they has looked for grants to fund the equipment and Lyness responded they were mainly looking to the County and communities to fund it, but they might look for grants as well. Supervisor Mike Carberry added they have looked into churches and other organizations paying for IDs but they were asked if people would value something they did not have to pay for. Lyness stated they will also be trying to get banks and pharmacies to accept the IDs. Banks are important because a person need IDs to open bank accounts and if they can't it makes them vulnerable to theft. Joint Meeting April 20, 2015 Page 4 Affordable Housing. (Johnson County) Executive Assistant Andy Johnson reported a group got together in early April where representatives from various entities and the Affordable Housing Coalition and they shared information on their affordable housing efforts. Johnson provided a summary of the meeting. Johnson noted the group has agreed to continue meeting and he will be the one organizing those meetings. They will not spend a lot of time on a regional plan but they will get together to share information and find ways they can collaborate. The group will try to engage the University, because they are the area's largest employer and drive the housing needs in the area. The group will reach an agreement on some definitions, so everyone is using a common language. They hope to come up with some ideas for successful uses of resources and opportunities for other resources. They will revisit the idea of forming a consortium of local entities to distribute HOME funds, which the 2010 JCCOG Task Force chose not to pursue. The group hopes to identify some goals to work toward and identify some "low hanging fruit" as first steps. Johnson noted a formal schedule has not been set yet. Supervisor Rodd Sullivan suggested this item become a standing topic for the Joint Meeting. Winter Homeless Shelter. (Johnson County) Supervisor Terrence Neuzil reported last winter Johnson County with the leadership of Iowa City and the Emergency Housing Shelter partnered along with other communities to provide a Winter Homeless Shelter at the former Aldi's location in Iowa City to address winter homelessness. Neuzil noted Johnson County has budgeted $20,000.00 towards winter homelessness and he asked other entities to start planning for next winter with setting aside money and start thinking of a possible location for a winter shelter, because this is a multijurisdictional issue and not just an issue for one community. Neuzil reported law enforcement saw a dramatic decrease in nuisance complaints and other issues because of the Winter Homeless Shelter not to mention saving lives. Supervisor Mike Carberry thanked Iowa City for taking a leadership role and he noted even though local businesses had reservations to begin with they received few complaints when the shelter was in operation. Major Project Update. (Johnson County) Supervisor Pat Harney reported the Secondary Roads Facility is mostly done and they are moved in. Some items need to be completed and the solar array will no longer be on the roof of the building, but will be between the new building and the IWV Road. Harney reported the Ambulance and Medical Examiner's Facility has had RFPs sent out for design and eight RFPs were received and the Board of Supervisors will review three of them Wednesday. They hope to begin construction this year and the cost will be around $3,500,000.00. Harney reported the secure access to the Court House design is complete. They will begin remodeling the control center of the jail and some cells later this month. Mahaffey Bridge Road has half of its deck torn up and the one lane traffic is being regulated by traffic light. They have until the end of June to reopen the bridge lanes to two-way traffic. In 2016 the trail will be completed, between North Liberty and the Corps of Engineers boat ramp along Mahaffey Bridge Road. Supervisor Mike Joint Meeting April 20, 2015 Page 5 Carberry added The County will make improvements to 4.5 miles of Sutliff Road from the Linn County line to where Sutliff road turns south at 140th Street. This includes eleven foot lanes with two foot paved shoulders and it is part of the RAGBRAI route. Coralville Mayor John A. Lundell asked about the ownership of the Secondary Roads Department solar array. Carberry explained the Iowa State Supreme Court made this incentive legal a year and a half ago. Since incentives are limited to taxable entities the only way for a city, county or school to afford solar power is to give tax credits away to a taxable entity who owns the facility and in turn the city, county or school buys the power from that entity. RAGBRAI. (Coralville) Coralville City Engineer Dan Holderness reported City Administrator Kelly Hayworth and Asst. City Administrator Ellen Habel and Supervisor Janelle Rettig are attending a meeting with RAGBRAI representatives. Holderness stated the camp grounds will be north of City Hall in S.T. Morrison Park and Northwest Jr. High and the entertainment and beverage garden will be in the Iowa River Landing. Vending will be available at both locations. Holderness noted if people want to volunteer for the various committees they can go to Coralville RAGBRAI 2015, because more are needed and they are looking for more host families for the riders coming to town. Holderness stated 5th Street is under construction now and will not be done until after RAGBRAI in August. There will be a shuttle service between the Iowa River Landing and the campgrounds. Coralville Councilperson Laurie Goodrich and member of the Hospitality Committee reported the theme is "Ride the Red Carpet" and she invited people to cheer on the riders as they arrive in the Iowa River Landing welcome area. There will be 200 feet of red carpet for the riders. Holderness reported the route into town will come from Solon, to Mahaffey Bridge Road, to Sugar Bottom, to Newport Road, to Prairie Du Chien, down to the reservoir, and across the dam, to West Overlook Road, to Dubuque Street, to Oakdale Boulevard, to 1St Avenue and into the Iowa River Landing. The route out of town will be down Highway 6, to Mormon Trek Boulevard, to Melrose, to Hawkins, to Elliott to Newton, to Iowa Avenue and downtown Iowa City where they will have a lot of breakfast venues available. Mayor John A. Lundell asked City Engineer Holderness to give an update of Coral Ridge Avenue. Holderness responded the northbound lanes are paved; the second lane of the southbound lane is being poured this week and they are working on the underpass and retaining walls to the east side; they will pave the trail on the west side of the project in the next few weeks and the project will be completed by early summer. Holderness reported they received a grant from the Water Board to do stormwater improvements with this project where they will collect all the stormwater from the project area and run it through bioswales with the goal to improve the quality of the water going to Clear Creek. The University of Iowa will do testing on the water to see how the water quality improves over the next three years and they will produce a video of how to install the stormwater improvements to be shown across the state. Joint Meeting April 20, 2015 Page 6 Facilities Master Plan Update. (Iowa City Community School District) School Board President Chris Lynch reported the Iowa City Community School District is going through a historic year. Alexander Elementary is the first Iowa City elementary school built in 20 years and is on schedule to be completed on schedule and budget. They approved the $48 million construction contact for Liberty High School at the last board meeting with a completion anticipated in 2017. Twain Elementary is going through renovation and they have a temporary facility in place while construction is completed. Penn Elementary is receiving renovations and an addition this year. Van Allen Elementary is getting an addition this year. Central Elementary and Hills Elementary will be renovated next year. City High will have a third floor and classrooms added next year. Lynch reported the administration has a Master Plan update and they are working on a Ten Year Athletic Master Plan. School Board Member Tuyet Barauh added the budget for the updated plan went up $17 million and the Iowa City Community School District will need everyone's support to pass a $120 million G. O. Bond passed in 2017. School Board Member Jeff McGinness noted Liberty High School will have the Auditorium and indoor athletic facilities built in the first phase, but the outdoor athletic facilities will be included in phase two of the project. Discussion occurred about existing local schools in Iowa City receiving updates in the Master Plan and it was acknowledged there will continue to be concerns until the actual work on those schools begin. There was a discussion of what would happen to students in the new riverfront development in Iowa City. Iowa City Councilperson Jim Throgmorton and Barauh discussed the current model to determined enrollment projections and the possibility of using a better model that takes more into account than current trends in development. Mayor Matt Hayek asked if the school district has figured property tax reform into their budget. Barauh responded the Johnson County's analysis determined the change of apartments to condominiums is relatively small for the school district. The district's levy amount will increase 13 cents per thousand and they will continue to see if the State continues to backfill the loss of corporate taxes. Discretionary Busing. (Iowa City Community School District) School Board President Chris Lynch reported the school district received a recommendation from the Superintendent to eliminate discretionary bussing, which is busing elementary and junior high students within 2 miles and high school students in 3 miles. The board has decided not to do anything this year, but they will be looking at the issue more in the future. Attendance Zones Review. ((Iowa City Community School District) This was discussed earlier in the meeting when school districts were discussed. Other Business. Coralville Mayor John A. Lundell reported Coralville Police Chief Barry Bedford's father passed away Friday and he asked everyone to pass it on to their law enforcement officials. Joint Meeting April 20, 2015 Page 7 Bob Welsh thanked the county, school boards and cities for working together. Welsh encouraged them to expand working together because the more they do the better it is for everyone in the county. Welsh asked everyone not to forget seniors in their planning because there is an advantage to having people his age living here. Seniors care about schools and housing and there is a need for more housing designed for seniors rather than the assumption people never grow old. Welsh asked for more affordable housing, socialization opportunities for seniors and more senior services. Mayor John A. Lundell thanked Welsh for his comments. It was agreed the next meeting will be hosted by Johnson County on Monday, July 20th at 4:30 PM. Adjourn _I i . -a - iuM, P; �� CITY OF IOWA CITY MEMORANDUM Date: April 28, 2015 To: Tom Markus, City Manager From: Steven J. Rackis, Housing Administrator Re: Grant Notification: The Iowa City Housing Authority received 10 new vouchers and $48,784 for the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Assistance (VASH) program. Introduction: Since 2008, the Iowa City Housing Authority and the Iowa City VA Medical Center have partnered in the HUD-VASH program to pair housing for at -risk veterans and veteran families with supportive services. Our previous funding allocations support 57 rental assistance vouchers. On March 6, 2015, HUD contacted the Housing Authority to determine our interest in administering an additional 10 vouchers. History/Background: The Iowa City Housing Authority administers the housing assistance portion of the HUD-VASH program. Ongoing VA case management, health and other supportive services is made available to homeless veterans in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids Corridor through the Iowa City VA Medical Center. In order to participate in the program, the Veteran must commit to the VA's 5 - year case management program, be income eligible, and not subject to any lifetime sex offender registry. Grant Award: On April 23, 2015, HUD announced the Iowa City Housing Authority was granted $48,784 to support an additional 10 HUD-VASH vouchers (total = 67) to provide rental assistance for homeless veterans. The Iowa City Housing Authority will immediately accept referrals from the Iowa City VA Medical Center. IP11 ,ON& 614 ge- &07� ,Oil� Invite you to Move Naturally to the iaD Saturdays in May @ Iowa City Farmer's Market O Walk/bike to the market and recieve $2 Market Free commuting & route UNDERSTANDING THE STRUGGLE: THE JOURNEY CONTINUES To commemorate the 150th Anniversary of Juneteenth which is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States in 1865. Often referred to as the African American Emancipation Day. Youth residing in Johnson County including Iowa City are invited to reflect upon the progress that has been made and the continued struggle for equal rights in Iowa and the United States. FOR ESSAY. The essay contest is open to youth ages 14- 18. Essay Format must meet the following requirements: Maps, drawings, pictures, and graphics should not be included. 1. Typed in 12 pt. or 14 pt. Times New Roman or Arial font. 2. Double spaced with a bibliography listing all references used. 3. Essays must have a title and stay on the topic. They will be judged on the correct use of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and originality. 4. Word count a minimum of 500 and not to exceed 700. AWARD. First Prize for the essay contest is $150. FOR VISUAL ART. The visual art contest is open to youth ages 5-18.The following visual art formats will be accepted: 1.2D art media including only photography, paintings, collages, or sketches. AWARDS. First Prize for the visual art contest for ages 5-11 is $50, for ages 12-13 is $50 and ages 14-18 is $50. Human Rights Commission City Hall 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City. IA 52240-1826 *Full name, address, email address and phone number must be included with each entry. All entries become the property of the Juneteenth Planning Committee. I Tl Submissions must be delivered on or before May 27. 2015. Winners will be notified in writing and via phone. Entries received after May 27. 2015 will not be eligible and will not be returned. "TrITWITMO Winners will receive a plaque. The plaques and checks are scheduled to be presented at the Juneteenth Festival on June 27, 2015 at the Robert A. Lee Recreational Center. The contest is a joint effort between the Juneteenth Planning Committee and the City of Iowa City Human Rights Commission. Visual art submissions will be displayed at the festival and the winning essay will be read aloud by a representative of the Juneteenth Planning Committee. Please contact Stefanie at human rig hts@iowa-city.org or call 319-356-5022. rry TUESDAY MAY 26TH 2PM - SPM MERCER PARK AQUATIC CENTER 2701 BRADFORD DRIVE, IOWA CITY SPONSORED BY: • Goodwill Hea'r'tland FOR MORE INFORMATION CAFE: JAMES OR JEREMY AT 319-351-0326 Contact: Marian Kan Contact Phone: (319) 356-5041 City Council Listening Posts mitred by: City Clerk P1111111ing Ust(s): General City News ginally Posted 4/1/2015 6:51:04 PM The City Council of Iowa City approved the 2013 Equity Report Action Plan and five areas of focus for relationship Infiliding at the February 23 Council meeting. The plan outlined top priorities and new initiatives developed by City staff d Council to promote racial equity and diversity. One of the new initiatives is to host listening posts in various locations throughout the year. The first listening post will be held in Room A of the Iowa City Public Library on Thursday. May 7, from 4:00-5:30 PM.. Two Council Members will rotate at each listening post and those two Council Members will report back to the entire Council. Members of the community are encouraged to stop by and meet with Council representatives to discuss any community issue. No formal agenda or presentation is planned. Other listening posts are planned in outlying areas later in the year. For additional information, questions, or suggestions on future locations for listening posts please event contact City Clerk Marian Karr at Marian-Karr(a)iowa-citi.org, 319-356-5041; or Equity Director Stefanie Bowers at Stefanie-Bowerso-iowa- cit .or , 319-356-5022. View this article on the ICGov Web Site: htto'//www iCQov oro/aoos/news/?newslD=10392 This media release was sent to: marian-karrOiowa-citv.orc Do not reply directly to this a -mails It is produced from an automated system, and is not monitored for replies. If you have a question or comment about this information, please contact the individual(s) listed in the release. • Unsub c,ribe or edit your subscription details. • Visit our lobs bane for employment opgortunlfies. • View more news from th j2jt9 1t IP16 MINUTES PRELIMINARY HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION APRIL 16, 2015 — 6:30 PM HELLING CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Peter Byler, Jim Jacobson, Bob Lamkins, Dorothy Persson, Rachel Zimmermann Smith, Angel Taylor MEMBERS ABSENT: Michelle Bacon Curry, Christine Ralston, Andrew Chappell STAFF PRESENT: Kristopher Ackerson, Tracy Hightshoe OTHERS PRESENT: Matt Peterson, Kevin Garrone, Sally Scott By a vote of 6-0 the Commission recommends approval to amend the FY16 annual action plan to move the Habitat property purchases and Housing Fellowship Rehab projects from the action plan. By a vote of 6-0 the Commission recommends approval to amend the FY15 annual action plan to move the Habitat property purchases and Housing Fellowship Rehab projects into the action plan. By a vote of 6-0 the Commission recommends approval to approve the amendment to the FY2016-2020 CITY STEPS (Consolidated Plan) to allow funds to be used for curb ramps in the downtown area. Zimmermann Smith called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM. APPROVAL OF MARCH 12.2015 MINUTTES: Byler moved to approve the minutes of March 12, 2015. Jacobson seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion carried 6-0. PUBLIC COMMENT OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. STAFF/COMMISSION COMMENT: Byler asked about an email the Commission received earlier in the week stating there is a $450,000 payment coming to the City for a development agreement reached on an apartment complex and he questioned who will determine how those funds will be used? It is earmarked for affordable housing so will the HCDC be involved? Hightshoe said the City Manager's office is working with the Riverfront Crossings Committee that is dealing with policy and looking into Housing and Community Development Commission April 16, 2015 Page 2 of 5 inclusionary zoning. Byler asked if that was a committee of staff and Hightshoe said it was not. The members are community members including Maryann Dennis of The Housing Fellowship, Tracey Achenbach of Housing Trust Fund, Scott McDonald, Brad Langworth of Hills Bank, Glen Siders formally of Southgate, Chad Kuhn. City staff on the committee includes John Yapp, Doug Boothroy, and Sarah Moeller. Hightshoe said this committee will review the options and then will make recommendations. At that time the HCDC will get involved. REVIEW AND CONSIDER RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL ON APPROVAL OF FY16 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN: Ackerson noted that the two agenda times (5 & 6) are related. The Housing Fellowship was awarded $200,000 for a project in FY15 and they were unable to get that project off the ground so the money was returned and those funds were added to the larger pot of money that the HCDC allocated in March. However, because that was FY15 money, it needs to be committed by July and so staff is proposing to amend the FY16 action plan to move up two projects that could be done immediately. Those two projects are the Housing Fellowship's Rehab project and Habitat's two properties on Prairie Du Chien Road. Therefore the Commission will need to approve the FY16 Annual Action Plan without those two projects. Those two projects will be moved to a FY15 Plan amendment. Jacobson asked if Staff has spoken with the two groups regarding the projects timelines. Both projects can be "committed" by the end of July. Hightshoe confirmed they have spoken and confirmed these projects can start immediately and are able to meet HOME'S definition of project commitment. Jacobson moved to amend the FYI Annual Action Plan to remove the Habitat property purchases and Housing Fellowship Rehab projects. Taylor seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion carried 6-0. Byler moved to amend the FYI Annual Action Plan to move the Habitat for Humanity property purchases and Housing Fellowship Rehab projects into the action plan. Persson seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion carried 6-0. Ackerson said this request comes from the City Manager to amend the Consolidated Plan to allow for use of the funds for curb ramps in the downtown area. Taylor moved to approve the amendment to the FY2016-2020 CITY STEPS (Consolidated Plan) to allow funds to be used for curb ramps in the downtown area. Housing and Community Development Commission April 16, 2015 Page 3 of 5 Byler seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion carried 6-0. Ackerson said that the one project that has not reached the 50% threshold is part of ARC of Southeast Iowa's project. Staff has received an update and the project is moving ahead they just haven't sent the City invoices. Hightshoe said one invoice has been received, but it does not reach the 51 % threshold. Ackerson noted that Staff is comfortable where this project stands. Zimmermann Smith agreed that HCDC didn't need to be concerned then. It was noted that a recent newspaper article reported over 100 volunteers showed up to work on the project. Zimmermann Smith said there are different allocation processes for HOME and CDBG allocations as well as the Aid to Agencies Funding. Jacobson noted that the process is better than it used to be. He sat on the subcommittee and they had good intentions but did not identify any significant changes. He feels this is a longer term project to review. Zimmermann Smith agreed and said she was less concerned about the CDBG and HOME processes, the questions are in place for those decisions as well as the scoring. She feels the Aid to Agencies Funding has been an issue since it was made part of this Commission's purview and feels it would be great to have some clarity on goals. Hightshoe said previously it was decisions made by a Human Services positon and Council members, but that was changed when the Human Services position was eliminated and Council decided it would be better to have the HCDC review these requests. Aid to Agencies will apply again in August and September and Zimmermann Smith feels it is a process that needs to be reviewed. Jacobson suggested the Commission have an informal meeting to just focus on this issue, review all the ideas, and then have a subcommittee firm up the ideas and make a policy recommendation. Zimmermann Smith asked if HCDC could ask the Council to give them direction of five or so priorities for funding agencies. Persson prefers to ask the agencies what they feel is reasonable and get their input. Lamkins asked if this Aid to Agencies Funding was a similar process to the process of awarding funds that was done last month. Zimmermann Smith said it isn't as concrete and it is a very small pool of money that is used as operating funds for these agencies. It is about $378,000, with Housing and Community Development Commission April 16,2015 Page 4 of 5 $100,000 coming from the CDBG pot of money and the rest from the general fund. Hightshoe noted the allocating of these funds is harder because when allocating CDBG or HOME funds it is for a specific project whereas Aid to Agencies is operational funds. Zimmermann Smith said that is part of her question to Council — are their priorities with existing agencies or do they want to fund new agencies. Persson said that more research on the agencies should be done, what fundraising they are doing, what are their costs of operations, which is included in the application, but perhaps more detail. She also said that visiting the agencies to see how they are using the money is necessary in making future decisions. Zimmermann Smith requested Staff ask Council for guidance on priorities as well as if they prefer lots of smaller awards or just a few major ones. She wants to have policies in place so all the agencies will feel they are being treated fairly. Zimmermann Smith asked if they should form a subcommittee. Persson said she wanted to get the feedback from the Council and then to invite whoever wants to come and address the HCDC on the issue. Hightshoe said perhaps they could do a survey to the agencies. Hightshoe will address the questions to Council and report back to the Commission. MONITORING REPORTS • FY15 Shelter House —Tenant Based Rental Assistance (Ralston) • FY15 The Housing Fellowship— Rental Housing (Ralston) • Discussion of monitoring process Ralston is not present. Ackerson noted he met with Brian Loring from Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County and Kristie from Domestic Violence Intervention Program and pitched the idea of having them come to a HCDC meeting to talk about their program rather than having HCDC members going out and reporting back. Everyone would have an opportunity to ask questions and learn about the program. Zimmermann Smith agreed that would be a good idea. Persson said all agencies would need to be given the same opportunity, and all agreed. Persson also wanted to keep the option to go visit the agencies though however, seeing the spaces and the needs can be instrumental in making decisions. ADJOURNMENT: Lamkins moved to adjourn. Jacobson seconded the motion. A vote was taken and motion carried 6-0. z O N N O V H z W CL0 Ov J W W a. W W G U 7 z F 0Q 0 v zD z Z N O x U) 0 o x o X x x o X X v N x x x x x x x O x r M N r o� x x x x x x x x x r N N n X X X X X I 0 X N w O X LUa O X ; X X X X r v w I X X X X X X X O! r rn X X O x O O IL X co 1�1 U) r, co co cn n LO o N 0 N 0 N 0 N 0 N 0 N 0 N 0 N 0 N w F m rn rn rn rn rn rn rn rn W J J W V W LU_ z F �_ W fn w a o o z Q Z V d J w 00 M vi z z O z O �J w 0 W a c0� w 0 z m m U > J a F N� Y�X00 MINUTES PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION APRIL 16, 2015 — 7:00 PM — FORMAL MEETING EMMA J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL PRELIMINARY MEMBERS PRESENT: Carolyn Dyer, Charlie Eastham, Ann Freerks, Phoebe Martin, Jodie Theobald, John Thomas MEMBERS ABSENT: Paula Swygard STAFF PRESENT: Karen Howard, John Yapp, Sara Hektoen OTHERS PRESENT: John Moreland, Steve Rohrbach, Maria Conzemius, Rockne Cole, Nancy Bird, Dan Cilek, Amy Ruth McGraw, Joyce Summerwell, Jim Knapp, Phil Beck, George Phillips, Nora Boerner, Pam Michaud, Mark Plum, Lauren Lyon, Ann Christensen, Amanda Ward, Jon Fogarty, Ann Holton, Joe Tiefenthaler, Tim Conroy, Joseph Pittit, Diane Dylan-Ridgley, Nancy Carlson CALL TO ORDER Freerks called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL The Commission moved by a vote of 6-0 to recommend approval of CPA15-00002 to amend the Southeast District Map from Mixed Use to a combined Medium/High-Density Single Family, Townhouse and low density Multi- Family and to amend the narrative of the Southeast District to contain a mix of low and medium density housing with units oriented to the park and toward Court Street, Taft and Huntington with parking behind and to delete CN -1 reference from the narrative. The Commission moved by a vote of 6-0 to recommend approval of REZ15-00005, rezoning of approximately 3.34 acres of land located at the southwest corner of Taft Avenue and Court Street from Neighborhood Commercial (CN -1) to Low Density Multi -Family (RM -12), subject to a conditional zoning agreement that specifies: • Substantial compliance with the submitted site plan, building types, and building elevations, and • Design Review approval of the retaining wall design and a landscaping plan to soften views of the retaining wall and screen parking areas from public view. The Commission, on an affirmative motion by a vote of 3-3 (Eastham, Thomas and Dyer voting in the negative), failed to approve REZ15-00006, a rezoning of approximately 27,200 square feet of property from P-1 (Public Institutional) and C13-5 (Central Business Support) Zones to CB -10 (Central Business District) Zone for property located at the Northeast corner of College St and Gilbert St subject to a Conditional Zoning Agreement requiring: 1. Construction of a mixed-use building no more than 15 stories in height 2. A minimum of two floors of Class A office space 3. Step -backs in building height at the third and fifth floors, consistent with the graphics in Exhibit B 4. All required parking for residential units being provided on-site 5. Approval of the exterior building design by the City's Design Review Committee Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 2 of 32 PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA None. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ITEM (CPA15- 00002) A public hearing on amendments to the Comprehensive Plan to change the land use designation from Mixed Use to Medium/High-Density Single Family, Townhouse and Multi - Family Residential for property located south of Court Street, west of Taft Avenue. Howard noted that Staff received some correspondence regarding this item prior to the meeting and that was distributed to the Commissioners. Howard summarized the staff report. This property is located at the corner of Court Street and Taft Avenue towards the far northeast side of Iowa City. The applicant has requested a change to the Southeast District Plan map from neighborhood commercial, or as the map shows it, mixed-use, as it is supposed to be a neighborhood commercial area that surrounds the park. Back in 1995 this area was rezoned to have a mixed-use area around a new town square type park. At the time that was planned, there was a plan to have in the northeast district, just to the north of this property across Court Street, there was a planned school site. At that time it was anticipated it would all develop much quicker than it has. Additionally the school district never took advantage of that school site and the property has returned to the ownership of the developer and it has been developed into multi -family buildings across Court Street. Howard showed the Southeast District Plan map showing the area still as mixed-use. The mixed-use talked about in the plan also includes residential and commercial. In 2011 the applicant requested to develop the east part of property into a series of six-plexes that appear as townhouses. That was approved at that time, but the applicant did not yet know what they wanted to do with the northern part of the property. Howard explained that in the Southeast District Plan they discuss commercial properties and to be careful not to dilute the area with retail shopping on the east side of Iowa City. The plan states "if the efforts to revitalize Towncrest and to maintain the viability of the Sycamore Mail and First Avenue commercial corridor are to be successful the City will need to be cautious about zoning additional land along the edge of the city for retail and office development'. Howard noted that the land here was already zoned for neighborhood commercial at the time the plan was adopted so a mixed-use designation was left there. However she feels the cautionary statement from the Plan still applies, the City is still trying to revitalize Towncrest, there is also a small neighborhood commercial area at the corner of Scott Boulevard and Court Street, and therefore Staff feels the conditions have changed regarding the pace of development in this area and that Taft Avenue itself has not been improved to urban standards there is really not enough traffic to support a commercial zone. Howard stated that the Comprehensive Plan also encourages a mix of housing types within each neighborhood to provide housing options for residents of all incomes and stages of life, and the applicant has requested changing the Comprehensive Plan designation to allow for a mix of duplex townhouses and a multi -family building on this property that is compatible in scale and design to the other homes that surround this town square type park. Staff feels that is pretty consistent and complimentary to the existing neighborhood and consistent with the Comprehensive Plan policies of providing a mix of housing in the neighborhood. Therefore Staff finds that the amendment is warranted and is recommending creating a new combination of the two designations that are in the Southeast District Plan for the medium and high density housing that would be a good mix for the area but keep the density at 8-12 units per acre. Staff also recommends deleting the portion of the Southeast District Plan that states this area as commercial zoned. Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 3 of 32 Freerks opened public hearing John Moreland, developer of the site, stated he has owned the property for 20+ years and has built almost all the properties surrounding this area and has been honest with the people buying his properties stating that the property is commercial but that they are not having any luck with putting commercial in that area and therefore would like to rezone it to residential, but can't promise buyers anything. Moreland stated that everyone that lives around the area does prefer the property to be residential, they don't want the noise or the lights of commercial and they don't need the commercial out there, it's a short walk to a convenience store, Midtown Restaurant, etc. He stated that the townhouse concept has been well received, and feels the neighbors are in full support and only three people showed up to the neighborhood meeting and they were all in favor of the plan change. Moreland stated he hopes the Commission will close the public hearing on this item tonight and vote on it, so he can move this item onto Council, the spring season is here and they are pretty much sold out of all their other townhomes and need to build more units. Knowing he will have to go through two or three Council meetings he needs to proceed along. Freerks closed public hearing. Theobald moved to approve CPA15-00002 to amend the Southeast District Map from Mixed Use to a combined Medium/High-Density Single Family, Townhouse and low density Multi- Family and to amend the narrative of the Southeast District to contain a mix of low and medium density housing with units oriented to the park and toward Court Street, Taft and Huntington with parking behind and to delete CN -1 reference from the narrative. Martin seconded the motion. Martin noted this change makes perfect sense Eastham also agreed that this was a sensible request, but noted he did receive one communication about the rezoning request which will follow after this item and is unsure how to respond or consider that communication. He did say the person that sent the communication always has the opportunity to approach the developer to see if the developer wants to sell any part of the parcel. Eastham also said the Commission has discussed that the east end of Taft Avenue may eventually open up to commercial development. Freerks agreed, stating that the conditional of Taft Avenue has no change in sight at this time as well as the proximity to commercial and the willingness to support and reinvest in the commercial that already exists on the east side of Iowa City, makes her also support this Comprehensive Plan amendment. Thomas stated while he likes neighborhood commercial he doesn't see the need for it in this location. A vote was taken and motion passed 6-0. REZONING ITEM (CPA15-00002/REZ15-00005) Discussion of an application submitted by Arlington, LC for a rezoning from Neighborhood Commercial (CN -1) to Low Density Multi -family (RM -12) for approximately 3.34 -acres of Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 4 of 32 property located south of Court Street, west of Taft Avenue. Howard explained that this rezoning request is on the same property that was just discussed and now that the Commission has amended the Comprehensive Plan, the application is now to rezone the property to low density multi -family residential (RM -12). Howard showed an aerial photograph of the property, showing the area is surrounded by single family homes and other six-plex townhomes. Howard stated the applicant has requested a conditional zoning, knowing exactly what they wish to build on this property, a 16-plex that faces Taft Avenue and Court Street, duplexes and townhouses that face Court Street and the new park, and then duplexes that face across Huntington Drive on the corner of Court Street and Huntington Drive. She noted that the duplexes that are at the corner of Huntington Drive and Court Street are on a sloped property so there will be a need for a retaining wall there which at its highest point would be approximately 8 feet tall. The applicant is proposing to face the wall with a stone material that would be similar to what would be on the homes and would include a sign with the name of the development. The duplexes are designed as corner lot duplexes, in the low and single family zones the City allows duplexes on the corners, and this is quite a nice design. She noted that all the unit frontages are oriented towards the park, Court Street, Taft Avenue or Huntington Drive. The multifamily building is oriented so all parking is located behind the building and screened from the view of the street and park. Therefore Staff feels this is a well thought out site plan, neighborhood oriented and scaled appropriate. Staff recommends approval of REZ15-00005, rezoning of approximately 3.34 acres of land located at the southwest corner of Taft Avenue and Court Street from Neighborhood Commercial (CN -1) to Low Density Multi -Family (RM -12), subject to a conditional zoning agreement that specifies: • Substantial compliance with the submitted site plan, building types, and building elevations; and • Design Review approval of the retaining wall design and a landscaping plan to soften views of the retaining wall and screen parking areas from public view. Eastham asked if the retaining wall could be terraced in steps due to the height needed, rather than one solid wall. Howard said that because the way the units will be oriented it would be difficult to fit in a terrace and there is a requirement of a 40 foot setback on Court Street for the buildings. She noted it is a substantial wall but does taper as it moves from the corner and with the landscaping around the wall Staff does not feel it will be obtrusive. Freerks opened the public hearing John Moreland asked Howard to pull up the aerial that shows the houses on Huntington Drive, and stated that when he has been working with Staff on this plat they have worked hard to soften the transition from the single family homes on Huntington Drive to this new development with the duplexes. He noted that they are below the amount of density they could have done, showing they want this to be a compatible neighborhood, with more green space and landscaping. He also noted it was Howard's idea to switch the doorways on the duplexes along Huntington Drive and once again asked that the Commission vote on this application this evening. Moreland addressed to Eastham his belief that the person that wrote the letter of protest has never been to the unit, they live on one of the coasts and have never driven through this neighborhood. Freerks closed the public hearing Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 5 of 32 Dyer moved approval of REZ15-00005, rezoning of approximately 3.34 acres of land located at the southwest corner of Taft Avenue and Court Street from Neighborhood Commercial (CN -1) to Low Density Multi -Family (RM -12), subject to a conditional zoning agreement that specifies: • Substantial compliance with the submitted site plan, building types, and building elevations; and • Design Review approval of the retaining wall design and a landscaping plan to soften views of the retaining wall and screen parking areas from public view. Eastham seconded the motion. Freeks noted this would be a nice addition to round out that neighborhood. Thomas also said he supports the project, but shares the concern about the retaining wall. There is a walkway along the west side of the duplexes where the wall will be at a fairly tall height and just requests as they go through the more detailed plan design review that wall is looked at more closely, perhaps adding in two terraces. He said there are not many retaining walls out in that area, and this would be a fairly prominent corner. Theobald supports the application and hopes to see diverse landscaping. Eastham commends the developer and Staff for working together on this project, it is a very good plan and does incorporate multiple building types and somewhat higher density which is helpful in meeting more affordable housing goals. A vote was taken and the motion carried 6-0. Sara Hektoen joined the meeting. REZONING ITEM (REZ15-00006) Discussion of an application submitted by City of Iowa City for a rezoning from Public Institutional (P-1) and Central Business Support (CB -5) to Central Business District (CB -10) for approximately 27,200 square feet of land located at NE corner of College Street & Gilbert Street. Yapp presented the staff report, stating that the majority of the property at the northeast corner of College Street and Gilbert Street is owned by the City of Iowa City and therefore the City is the applicant for this rezoning application. Mid -American Energy owns a small substation property which is the CB -5 property. Yapp said the City owned properties in this area were originally purchased to allow for growth for the municipal campus. In 2012 as part of a facilities study the City determined the properties were not needed for government use and should be redeveloped with mixed-use development. Yapp showed an aerial view of the property and surrounding areas. The property is the former location of the Grey Hound Bus Depot, which was previously a gas station. Wilson's Sporting Goods used to occupy the brick building on the property and part of the property is currently used for a surface parking lot. The property is part of the Downtown Planning District in the IC2030 Comprehensive Plan. In the IC2030 Comprehensive Plan land use map the property is identified as general commercial use consistent with the rest of downtown. The remainder of the three blocks east of Gilbert Street are identified for public uses. In the IC2030 Comprehensive Plan Introduction section it notes that this area has not been Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 - Formal Meeting Page 6 of 32 added to any particular Comprehensive Plan sub district area and recommends a process be initiated to address how this area redevelops. A process was conducted in 2012-2013 which included a request for proposals, public input, public City Council interviews, five finalists' proposals and then ultimately the selection of a preferred developer of the property, the developers of the Chauncey Project. Yapp said that as part of this process and selection of project finalists the City Council supported mixed-use development at a downtown density. Staff initiated a process for the larger area east of Gilbert Street last fall, and recommended the three blocks immediately east of Gilbert Street be added to Downtown District section of the Downtown/Riverfront Crossings Master Plan. It was felt these properties were better suited for development at the urban densities contemplated in the Downtown/Riverfront Crossings Master Plan rather than the more residential densities contemplated in the Central District Plan. Yapp said that because this property has not been adopted as any part of any sub district area, Staff reviewed the IC2030 Comprehensive Plan which does have some general goals, including on page 12 of the plan, a statement that says "continued construction of downtown high-rise condominiums suggest there is increasing demand for higher density urban housing for people other than college students". Page 13 of the plan states ""One of the principal goals of the Comprehensive Plan is to foster an environment in the Downtown area that is attractive to new employers, especially professional, knowledge- based and entrepreneurial firms and small businesses, cottage industries, artists and artisans that thrive on and expect urban amenities. One means of accomplishing this goal is to encourage the construction of Class A Office space in new mixed-use buildings... " Page 20 of the plan states "Quality Infill development plays an important role in neighborhood reinvestment and may include rehabilitating existing structures or encouraging new development of vacant, blighted, or deteriorated property" Yapp said there are additional goals stated in the Staff report. Page 27 of IC2030 Comprehensive Plan states "Encourage projects that attract long-term residents to Downtown.." and page 40 of the plan "Encourage compact, efficient development that reduces the cost of extending and maintaining infrastructure and services". Yapp continued stating the Staff reviewed the many land -use factors for this property which are rather unique for a near downtown location including adjacency to the Chauncey Swan parking facility, a 475 space parking structure. The property is already a part of the Downtown/Riverfront Parking District. There is frontage on a four lane arterial street, Gilbert Street, with access to public transit including the 7'" Avenue route, the Towncrest route and the Court Hill route. It is adjacent to Chauncey Swan Park and within walking distance of several public facilities, including City Hall, the recreation center, the library and the Pedestrian Mall. It is within easy walking distance of downtown, grocery stores and convenience stores, a movie theater, parks, trails and campus. The property is across the street from existing CB -10 zoning. Yapp showed the proposed project associated with the rezoning, the Chauncey Project, and showed a picture of the proposed building. He pointed out that Staff is recommending as a condition of the rezoning a step -back in height starting at the third story and then again at the fifth story, and noted the architect for the project will speak later at this meeting to better describe the step backs in the building and the architecture as well as the shadow study which was distributed to the Commission. Yapp showed more images of the proposed project, including the lower level parking that will be connected to the Chauncey Swan Parking facility. He noted that one of Staffs recommendations as a condition will be that all required parking for the residential units be located onsite. He showed images showing the properties abutting the subject property to the north, south and east include public facilities and uses and are zoned Public. The land to the west of this property is zoned CB -10 and used for mixed-use purposes. The nearest Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 7 of 32 residential zone is the RNS-20 Zone approximately 340 feet to the east. The west side of the College Green Historic District is approximately 480 feet to the east. Yapp presented more details on the proposed project. Commercial Recreational land uses will be on the first two floors, including two small movie theaters, two approximate 6 -lane boutique bowling centers, a cafe, and open art and sculpture galleries, and outdoor patio/seating facing Chauncey Swan Park. Two floors of Class A office space will be provided, which help meet some of the Comprehensive Plan goals for Class A office space. There will be lower level parking for the residents of the building, an approximate 35 unit hotel, and eight floors of residential units, up to 66 units including studios, 1- and 2 -bedroom units. Yapp noted with regard to offsite parking demand, Staff conducted an analysis of parking demand, using the Traffic Engineers Parking Generation Manual and estimated the development would generate a need for approximately 161 off-site parking spaces during the day and 146 off- site parking spaces during the evening. The highest parking generator during the day is associated with the office use; the highest parking generator during the evening is the bowling alley and movie theater use. Off-site parking will be accommodated in the Swan Parking Facility and by on -street metered parking on College St. In addition, the Tower Place Parking Facility is one block to the north. Given its location directly to the east of the proposed development, the Swan Parking Facility is likely to attract a majority of the off-site parking demand. The Transportation Services Director has indicated the Swan Parking Facility will be able to accommodate this parking demand, through redistribution of permit parking to other facilities. The construction of the new Harrison St Parking Facility, a 600 space parking facility to open in 2016, will assist with this accommodation. Yapp said they also looked at traffic generation and Staff has estimated that the proposed mix of uses will generate approximately 143 vehicle trips during the PM peak hour, and it is likely these trips will be distributed on College St, Gilbert St, Washington St and Burlington St. The vehicles associated with the residential units will access the site using Washington St or Burlington St because those are the streets used to access the lower level parking facility. Excluding residential trips, staff estimates 105 vehicles during the PM Peak hour, or less than 2 vehicles per minute added to the street network. Staff does not anticipate the need for any infrastructure improvements associated with this project. The relatively low vehicle trip generation for a building of this size is due to a combination of location (a high percentage of pedestrian and transit trips) and the mix of uses (the commercial recreation uses primarily generate traffic during 'off-peak' times). Staff recommends that REZ15-00006, a rezoning of approximately 27,200 square feet of property from P-1 (Public Institutional) and CB -5 (Central Business Support) Zones to CB -10 (Central Business District) Zone for property located at the Northeast corner of College St and Gilbert St be approved subject to a Conditional Zoning Agreement requiring: 1. Construction of a mixed-use building no more than 15 stories in height 2. A minimum of two floors of Class A office space 3. Step -backs in building height at the third and fifth floors, consistent with the graphics in Exhibit B 4. All required parking for residential units being provided on-site 5. Approval of the exterior building design by the City's Design Review Committee Yapp also noted that although the Chauncey is the project associated with this rezoning, Staff recommends these conditions regardless of the Chauncey Project. If for some reason the Chauncey Project fell through, Staff still feels these conditions are appropriate for this property. Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 8 of 32 Eastham noted that there is a historically significant building to the west of this property, across Gilbert Street, the Trinity Church property. Eastham asked if the Staff conducted a good neighbor meeting. Yapp replied not specifically for this application however several meetings were held during the project selection process several years ago, additional public meetings during the recent Comprehensive Plan process, which included this property, as well as a web -based survey for those that could not attend meetings. Martin clarified that this rezoning application is not specific to this project, and that the Staff would recommend this rezoning regardless of what would happen with this project. Yapp confirmed that is correct, stating that often with rezoning there are projects associated with the rezoning application, but they are not married to each other. Eastham acknowledged that this rezoning would allow this project to go forward however. Yapp said yes from a zoning perspective it would permit that project to go forward. Hektoen reminded the Commission that members of the Commission need to disclose any ex - parte communications have had, the nature of those conversations, before public hearing is open. No member of the Commission has had any conversations about this particular application. Eastham asked Staff if the original proposal for a building for this site was a 20 story building, and if so why the height has been reduced now. Yapp said that the original proposal that the City Council selected for this site was a 20 story building, however through negotiations with the applicant and the FAA requirements from the airport, it was reduced to 15 stories. Thomas asked about the conditional zoning agreement requiring all residential parking for the units to be onsite. In the Staff report it states there will be up to 66 units but there will only be 52 parking spots, which is less than one parking space per unit. Yapp noted that is correct, in the CB -10 zone efficiency and 1 bedroom units are only required one half of a space per unit. Freerks opened the public hearing Steve Rohrbach, Rohrbach Associates Architects, began by addressing two items Yapp asked him to discuss, the design elements on the building and the shading study they had conducted. He also wants to discuss sustainable design with the Commission. Rohrbach showed a close up image of the proposed building showing how they have made the corner of the building on Gilbert Street and College Street the focal point and that when they reduced the scale of the building that part of the building became four stories instead of five stories. This is good in relationship to the scale of the building with the pedestrian traffic on that street. There are a number of step backs at the third floor and fifth floor and facing Gilbert Street will be a four story massing and the majority of the College Street facing would be four story massing with the majority of the tower pushed back. He showed the setbacks and explained that they are doing a lot to break down the scale of the building. He said they also tried to make the design as open and inviting as possible so that is why the first two floors of this building are glass with a sculpture and art gallery in the area. The next step back is at the fifth floor, giving some green space for use for the hotel as well as the residents on the fifth floor. They are trying to use warm materials to break up all the glass that is also used in the building. Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 9 of 32 Rohrbach next discussed the shading study. They used a sketch -up software tool which they find to be very accurate. The only thing the software does not do is recognize vertical contours on the grade, but in this area there is not a whole lot of vertical change except for a step up a bit to the Trinity Church. He showed two diagrams, one showed a comparison to what could potentially be on a CB -5 zone or a 75 foot tall building, the other diagram showed the proposed site of the 15 story building. The study showed primary shadow effect to the properties on the west side of Gilbert St in the summer months is during the early -morning hours - by 9 AM the properties on the west side of Gilbert St are not significantly impacted by shadow. The step - back in building height from Gilbert St helps to mitigate the shadow effect to the west. Chauncey Swan Park is not affected by shadow during the summer months, as the sun is higher in the sky. In the fall and spring, with the sun lower in the sky and to the south, the shadow cast is northerly, affected the Chamber of Commerce building in the morning hours and Chauncey Swan Park during the lunch hour. In the winter months, the shadow cast is more northerly and the park is in shadow more of the day, regardless of a 75 -foot tall building or 15 -story building as proposed. The complete shade study diagrams are included in the staff report. Rohrbach next discussed sustainability, and noted they see sustainability in this project from two factors. One is from the living side, they have talked with many people who want to live in this project that currently live 5, 10, 15 miles away and want to live here because they don't want to drive their cars anymore, if they live here they are close to restaurants, grocery stores, etc. Rohrbach himself plans to live in project, and doing so will allow him to sell one of his two cars. That makes the project very sustainable from the standpoint of the environment with the number of cars that will no longer be on the roads for all the people that will live in this project. The other factor is in terms of energy, the project will be a minimum of 30% more energy efficient than code dictates, it will be built to the silver leed standards, and there are many sustainable factors. They have priced a geothermal well system which will provide geothermal heating and cooling heat pumps for the building, as well as solar energy from all the glass on the facades of the building. To reiterate, Rohrbach noted they have been very cautious of pedestrians with the scale of the building, the step backs, and the use of materials. They know they will shade the church at some points of the year very early in the morning, but they will be a very sustainable project for the community. Martin asked for clarification on the difference between silver and platinum Teed certification and why silver was chosen. Rohrbach answered that silver certification was something they could achieve at this site with the materials and the budget and development of the project. Silver is a recognized level in the industry right now, pushing it to gold or platinum would have caused a budgetary issue. Dyer asked if there were less glass on the north side of the building, would that create more sustainability, and increase energy savings. Rohrbach said that because of the U value in the glass they will be using, it is such a high U value, the north glass doesn't factor into energy savings. The glass on the south side is where there will be more UV light and heat rays into the building and that is where they would probably want to mitigate some of the glass there. Dyer also asked about the small bicycle storage area and questioned that if part of the rationale is people will not be using so many cars, shouldn't there be more bicycle storage. Additionally the location of the bicycle storage is far from the parking area and in the back far corner, which means people would have to ride their bikes through the parking lot, which could be dangerous. Rohrbach noted that they are not done with the final design, and those comments are well Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015—Formal Meeting Page 10 of 32 received and the bicycle storage area could be moved closer to the front entrance and they will take that into consideration. Eastham asked about green space between the sidewalk and the building on College and Gilbert Streets, the images shown don't show any green space. It appears to also have no green space east on College Street by the parking ramp and wondered why there is not setback to allow for green space. Rohrbach said that choice was made primarily on the Gilbert Street and College Street corner due to the architecture of the building and the way they want pedestrians and motorists to see the building and the elements of what is going on inside the building. They wanted pedestrians to be able to come right up to the glass and be able to see right inside the building. They also wanted a nice clean environment along the base of the building so there was that visual access to the building. People will be able to stand outside and see the sculptures and artwork inside the building. Eastham asked about the shadow study and if they determined the number of shadow days that the building will cast a shadow on the Trinity Church. Rohrbach said they had not done that, they had just picked the major event days of the year to show the overall shadow study. The worst day would be January 2151 but have not calculated how many days on either side of that would also cast a shadow on Trinity Church. And it would all be early in the day, in the 7 and 8 a.m. time frame. Eastham asked if they analyzed any other impacts this building might have on the church property. Rohrbach noted that shadow does not mean pitch black, there is still light on the church property, and they have mitigated the height of their building so therefore he does not see any other impacts their building would have on the church property. The church should be able to maintain sustainability in their own regard, with no affect from the new building. Theobald questioned how the building/project would affect the park. Rohrbach said that they would use a majority of the park for their construction zone, so as part of their project they have allocated funds with the City to refurbish the park, so when this project is done the park will be completely rebuilt and re -landscaped as part of this project. Theobald asked if that meant removing the mature trees in the park during the construction process. Rohrbach said they may be able to work around some of them, but may have to remove some. Additionally there are some trees in the park that have been donated that they need to figure out what to do with, but they have made a commitment to the parks and rec department to work directly with them in terms of the design of the park during this process. Maria Conzemius (2833 Sterling Drive) commented that in the presentation that Mr. Yapp gave she noticed that there was no mention of the transitional areas in the Comprehensive City Plan, only residential and urban areas mentioned. She stated she knows for a fact there are transitional areas in the Comprehensive City Plan, in fact the Chauncey would be in one of those transitional areas. She questioned why he omitted the mention of transitional areas which are supposed to be intermediate height throughout the transition between residential and urban areas. Freerks asked if Yapp could respond. Yapp showed the overhead of the Comprehensive Land Use Map showing the property as commercial land use and the surrounding area as public use. The east side of Van Buren St is identified as mixed-use which then transitions to residential further to the east. He noted that the Comprehensive Plan text does note transition areas and the City has been going through a Comprehensive Plan amendment process over the past several months, part of which is on its way to City Council for consideration on the east side of Van Buren Street. The three blocks between Van Buren Street and Gilbert Street was Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 11 of 32 recommended for denial by the Planning and Zoning Commission and did not pass a super majority of Council and therefore the City is following the adopted Comprehensive Plan for the City, the IC2030 Plan. Conzemius stated that when the Chauncey Project was first proposed it was only 35% energy efficient, while some of the rejected proposals were up to 75% or 85% efficient and wondered if that was still the case, is the Chauncey only 35% energy efficient. Hektoen stated that if the public has questions or comments about this application it must be directed towards the Commission and not for Staff to answer. Freerks noted that questions could not be made back into the gallery as well, the Commission will be able to answer questions, or direct questions to the Staff or applicant, after all public have had a chance to comment. Conzemius stated one more question, noting there once was a gas station in this particular lot, and wanted to know if there was any investigation into whether there was gas storage tanks rotting underground. Yapp stated he believed there were gas storage tanks under the lot at one time, but he would have to check the files to answer the details on that question. Freerks noted that this discussion will likely go onto another meeting, so if there are unanswered questions they will research them and bring answers to the next meeting. Rockne Cole (1607 East Court Street) stated that one of the things he learned growing up in Decorah Iowa is that before you tell your neighbors why they are wrong, listen and try to understand what your neighbor's concerns are to see if you can resolve your neighbor's concerns. Cole believes they are here tonight, not because of differences of opinions that is welcomed, we are here because the City has failed to address the neighbors concern and to truly understand what their issues are with this development. Not only that, but they are here tonight because the City has failed to address your concerns, they were here a little over a month ago when the City initiated a process to change the Comprehensive Plan. This Commission offered a number of substantive changes to try to come to a proposal that they would like to work with, they submitted it to Staff, and he feels the expectation was that Staff would try to come back and address those concerns and that has not been done so far. Cole said that Mr. Yapp has indicated that process failed to carry a super majority of the Council and therefore we are left with one document, the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. Cole believes that one of the things that is key here, nothing he says tonight will persuade the proponents, just as nothing the proponents say will persuade him, but that is not why they are here, they are here to resolve the development complex and that is precisely the purpose of the Comprehensive Plan. It represents countless community vision sessions, where neighbors, diverse community members, share their vision for the City. It represents the City's method of helping neighbors find common ground with one another. When one looks at what that Comprehensive Plan states, at page 2 it states (specifically refereeing to the College/Gilbert Street site) "While both areas have the potential to redevelop at higher densities due to their proximity to the Downtown and University, both should comply with policies and goals of the Central District Plan in order to assure quality design and appropriate transitions to the lower density neighborhoods that border them." Cole stated that first clause reads like a conditional clause acknowledging the possibility that it could have this sort of intensity of use, but they say they reject it and want to provide Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 12 of 32 transitions. And one of the things Mr. Thomas had indicated during the Comprehensive Plan discussions was does that mean the intensity increases as you approach the neighborhood or does it decrease. And that is what this Commission is here to do tonight, they are not here to decide if this is a good project or not, they are here to decide whether the appropriate transition exists. Finally the most troubling part of this case is the City's failure to address the impact on neighbors. As it has been identified, the City has not utilized the good neighbor policy, and the public calls upon them to do that. They call upon the City to listen to Trinity's concerns as well as the adjoining neighbors' concerns. Cole stated one final comment, Mr. Yapp had indicated that this is compatible, he failed to note that there is near unanimity in Trinity Church against this project, those concerns have not been put into the record as well as the adjacent land owners. Both sides of the project are in opposition of this project, so he believes the time now is not to delay, but to reject the CB -10 to allow us to find a common ground, to protect the Comprehensive Plan, and to restore the shared vision for the City of Iowa City. Cole urges the Commission to vote no to this application. Hektoen stated that before they proceed further, in 2012 the City did a phase 1 and phase 2 environmental study of the property and the findings were that no further research or action needed to be taken regard to contaminations. Nancy Bird, Executive Director Iowa City Downtown District, began by thanking the Commission for listening to public comment. Bird stated that on behalf of the Iowa City Downtown District they support the City's proposed rezone of this property to allow for dense amenity driven residences downtown. The Iowa City Downtown District Board of Directors met in October to discuss this matter and are unanimous in their support of infill residential development that helps support the business climate that will help support the Iowa City shopper. More apparel, shoes, jeans, socks that everyday people can get every day is their goal to help provide. They are appreciated and thankful for a strong student market, but pizza, beer and coffee are covered. The retail strategy her board completed in the fall noted that students tend to shop closer to home and there are significant gaps in apparel and dry goods that the Iowa City shopper would like to see downtown. Her fear with the CB -5 zoning is while it's also dense, which is a good thing, is that they could end up with additional student apartments, and there is a number of community members that understand the financing that makes it challenging sometimes to call in those residents to make them want to live downtown in a much busier area. The potential for this site, if the zoning isn't flexible enough to build those amenities that draws residents downtown it also makes it more challenging to convince the landlords to trust the City that community oriented retail will work and it's much harder for them to pass up another property with an attached bar. Bird reiterated her appreciation for the Commission to listen to the community and the time they have taken to hear the multiple visions for the area. Dan Cilek, works downtown at Meta Communications and stated that Meta Communications made a commitment to downtown Iowa City and moved downtown last August. At that time they had 33 employees and are now up to 50 and continuing to grow rapidly. His concern is they want to stay in Iowa City, but what is the City doing to provide Class A office space. They have looked at other office space downtown, but the type of employee they hire are engineers and young professionals and they want to work in a high tech building such as the Chauncey. With regards to energy efficiency, they used to be on South Gilbert Street in a more traditional building with half as much space, and in the new space they have twice as much space and use half as much energy. If they build Chauncey with geothermal, the savings will be even more substantial. His son lives in a geothermal 53 unit building in Cedar Rapids, in 1000 square feet, and his utility bill is around $35 a month. Cilek feels anyone that questions the sustainability is probably not Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 13 of 32 correct. With regards to the comments about neighbors, all neighbors need to be considered and what is a neighbor. He says when you look at the downtown district, a lot of the neighbors don't necessarily live downtown, and they are only coming down here to work. If you go downtown to the Java House, you will see 20 or 30 of his employees are in the Java House every day, same as the pizza places and Jimmy Johns, and so forth. They are neighbors also and to say the neighbors have not been considered is probably not correct. Cilek personally feels that on the Trinity Church when you bring in the population of a couple hundred people that is probably going to benefit the church. Yes there may be a shadow at 7 a.m. in the morning. He feels the arguments being stated here are one-sided and just like any argument, you can argue both ways. Cilek encourages the passage of this application because from a business standpoint they need a place to put their employees. Amy Ruth McGraw, an elected lay leader of Trinity Episcopal Church, a city institution whose building has stood at the corner of College and Gilbert Streets since 1871. The purpose of zoning regulation is to develop and promote a common vision among diverse constituencies of how land is used to serve the common good. It is intended to mediate relationships between neighbors with diverse interests in a manner that looks beyond what is immediate and narrowly focused toward overarching values and purposes that serve the community as a whole. The previous discussion of rezoning and changes to the Comprehensive Plan involving the corner of College and Gilbert Streets has consistently emphasized the concept of mixed-use. What does that term mean in downtown Iowa City? In her opinion it should incorporate openness, usefulness, to a range and scope of persons, institutions, that crosses boundaries of economic status age and purpose. It should balance public and private resources and benefits in a matter that represents an understanding and commitment to the common good. The proposal under consideration tonight to rezone the corner of College and Gilbert Streets to CB -10 will make way for the construction of the 15 story Chauncey Building. Its purpose is stated as mixed-use in the commercial sense, incorporating office, residential, and retail space but she believes its impact on the surrounding area will inhibit mixed-use in the larger sense of the term. The Chauncey as it's currently envisioned will put additional pressure on available parking in the nearby area and increase the difficulty for persons that attend events at Trinity Church. Those events include Sunday morning worship, they also include weekend and weekday concert events, frequently hosted at no charge for University students. There are 12 -step meetings that are scheduled every day of the week at various times of the day, and community gatherings in support of causes as verse as youth empowerment and environmental sustainability. Growing membership is essential to the mission of any church, membership begins with an initial visit and the quality of that experience is significantly impacted by convenience of parking and subsequent access to the building. The impact on available parking for the visitors resulting from construction of the Chauncey will make it more difficult for them to get to services at Trinity on Sunday mornings and other times. The impact will potentially impact future membership and threaten the viability of our congregation. Welcoming and incorporating persons of a broad range ages and abilities is central to the mission of any church. Trinity's elderly parishioners and those with physical challenges depend on access to parking close to the church in order to take part in its activities. The demand for parking imposed by the Chauncey Building will further limit the availability of spaces with easy access to the church. Trinity Church has provided classroom and practice space for the UI Jazz Department since the 2008 flood. The parish originated and continues to support shelter house book sale, it hosted the CRC Shelter House overflow program, and it sponsors the Agape Cafe, the free weekly hot breakfast program. Their members participate in the free lunch program and the community outer wear school drives. These activities are not commercial ventures, nor do they generate tax revenue, but institutions that support the arts and charitable work have a legitimate part in the mixed-use and in the life of the downtown Iowa City. Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 14 of 32 Downtown is already poor for the loss of First Christian Church, Agudas Achim Temple, and St. Patrick's Church. Faith communities that have chosen to relocate away from the center city in order to safe guard their ability to pursue their respective missions. It appears the Unitarian Church will soon follow them. If the zoning is changed to CB -10 to allow the Chauncey to be built, she sees a day in her lifetime where Trinity and other faith communities, many of which have been in downtown Iowa City since the 19'" century, may be forced to follow their lead. At that time, the extent to which they contribute to the City's quality of life will become readily apparent. She urges the Commission to vote noon the proposed zoning change to CB -10. Joyce Summerwell, resident of downtown Iowa City, began by thanking the City for their careful consideration of the upcoming project fulfilling the needs of all types of people, all types of neighbors, all types of housing, and the future of Iowa City. She feels that is what they can all agree on, change is difficult for everyone and yet what we are trying to do in Iowa City, she feels, is create a vibrant community that will attract people here in the future, it will encourage schools, churches to stay here, be here, and build upon it. She thinks this project is probably one of the most successful that she sees on the horizon that will meet the needs of urban density, of putting vertical alignment and having a smaller footprint, which means more people can live without constantly destroying some of the historic around in neighborhoods and having inexpensive apartment houses put up just for students. So this is a positive step forward to try to get all different ages, all different economic situations downtown and she feels it is a very worthy one. She encourages the Commission to vote yes for this project. Additionally she noted this is not an unknown developer they are working with, they have seen incredible, probably the biggest change that has happened in the 50+ years she has been in Iowa City, has been due to the Moen Group. They have taken properties in various times of this 50 years places in different processes of deterioration and have given their financial risk and speculation and to build into a better Iowa City and we are now seeing the manifestations of that and the City has been very cooperative in seeing the changes that can be made, the University has worked very diligently in trying to make these changes come to be and she thanks the Commission for serving and having to make this decision, but cannot say enough about the positive changes that have come about in downtown Iowa City thanks to the Moen Group. Jim Knapp stated that one thing that really shocked him was when he picked up a newspaper three or four months ago it said "behind closed doors we finally reached our decisions with Mr. Moen". That is wrong, that should not have been done behind closed doors that is something that should impact everybody in Iowa City and should have been open meetings. He called the City and asked for the records of those meetings and the City Attorney told him it would be $720 he would need to spend to see the records from that meeting. He feels that is ridiculous. There should not be secret meetings and deal with one developer. One developer found out about this and he's been doing work around Iowa City for many years, he found out about it in the newspaper after it had already been announced, after Mr. Moen had already been announced as the developer chosen, who also said he could not afford to do it unless the City gave him a TIF. Knapp stated he found out from a former City Accountant that the ramps are losing money already that they are not being full, but yet we have space within the Central Business District which is not supposed to be allowed parking, it's in the ordinances, but Moen has a special permit to have a parking lot here. Why not build his building in an already existing CB -10 zone. Knapp also questioned where the million dollars comes from that is going to be used to buy the apartments, when he looked at the valuation of the condominiums, they are a million dollars apiece. Is that what this will be, more million dollar condominiums. He also feels there should not be any building higher in the city than a congregational church steeple. Especially in times like these where Christians are facing difficult situations all over the world. He worked on that Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 15 of 32 congregational steeple, it was 138 feet in the air. Knapp questioned why weren't all the developers known, it was like back when Plaza Towers and Karen Franklin came to a meeting and said she had two developers interested in building on the library parking lot, the two developers were Marc and Monica Moen. Knapp also questioned what other plans other than the Chauncey could be done in the CB -10 and still create office space, business space and living space downtown and relocated the Pioneer which will have to be located eventually because it's in a flood zone. He wonders why we allow the City to do these things without going to the public on something that is this major in change in a property and changing the shape of the Central Business District. He feels that is something that needs to be put up to a vote, and if not then the City Council should be unseated. It's affecting the taxes and the lives of everybody in Iowa City. Iowa City dropped the ball once when they didn't develop north Dubuque Street and could have put a mall up there but Karen Franklin wanted a water treatment plant. He asked the Commission if they would vote tonight. Freerks replied that some vote would be taken tonight, but could not say what type of vote that would be. Knapp wanted to know who was new on this Commission, who the City put on this Commission so they could get a positive vote. Freerks stated that this evenings meeting was the last meeting for Thomas, and Swygard was not present. Knapp said the Mayor and the Council want to create a Commission that will vote in their favor and put this thing on their shoulders and nobody will be allowed to be on the Commission that is not in favor of the Chauncey. And he doesn't feel that is proper. The City ought to have a choice, the people of Iowa City ought to have a choice. He questioned if they really need two bowling alleys. Questioned if everything will be held to what is proposed exactly and not changed, or will along the way changes be make like putting less glass in. It is just like the time every person who was working on the Plaza Towers was required to submit an audited financial statement, Mr. Moen didn't submit one and he sued the City to suppress his financials. Knapp would like to see an audited financial statement from everyone and like to see the IRS looking at some of these tax benefits. Phil Beck (109 South Johnson Street) feels that everyone here tonight is in agreement that economic development of this lot is a very good idea. No one would argue against that. But the question is what kind of development, what kind of building is going to go on there. How tall does a building have to be to bring a vibrancy and vitality to downtown that a lot of people have talked about? Does it have to be something as tall as 15 stories? Does this lot have to be rezoned to CB -10? Beck stated that about a month ago this Commission took a vote on to rezone on the entire Civic District to CB -10 and it was voted down. He feels that was the right decision. He does not understand how the issue about this particular lot differs from that more general vote. It is not about the entire district, but about a very important lot in that district and if you saw a good reason not to allow the Comprehensive Plan to be amended a month ago, then he sees no reason why the decision should be any different tonight because it would be a change in the Comprehensive Plan. In the Comprehensive Plan, on page 1 that Mr. Cole referred to earlier this evening, it states "while both areas have the potential to redevelop at higher densities due to their proximities to the downtown and University, both should comply with policies and goals of the Central District Plan in order to assure quality design and appropriate transitions to the lower density residential neighborhoods that border them. Staff recommends a process be initiated to appropriately address how these areas redevelop over time. Once a redevelopment plan is completed, both areas should be added to the Central District Plan map". And one of these areas is the area being discussed tonight. If you refer to the Central District Plan and read through it, you will see many statements stressing how it should be a transitional zone between downtown and residential areas. Beck read one statements on page 21 of the Central District Plan "One of the goals should be to provide for an attractive and functional transition between residential areas and adjacent commercial areas through management of Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 16 of 32 traffic, landscape buffering and screening, outdoor lighting that provides for safety but avoids over lighting and glare, effective management of outdoor service work and storage areas, etc." That is from the Central District Plan which is endorsed by the Comprehensive Plan. Beck concluded his remarks by urging this Commission to vote the same way they did a month ago, is the same issue, and the same thing is at stake. He hopes the Commission votes no to rezoning this site CB -10. Hektoen clarified that the vote recently wasn't a rezoning, it was a Comprehensive Plan amendment. The Commission has not considered whether to rezone this area CB -10 previously. George Phillips (14 Durango Place) has been a resident of Iowa City proper since 2009 but has been a participant of this downtown area as member of Trinity Episcopal Church since 2002. Since this process has begun, the parish has been a visible and vocal presence in these community discussions, hopefully this has reflected their trust in the process of public comment on rezoning decisions as well as their commitment to a vibrant downtown neighborhood. He said his fellow parishioners have excellently articulated a number of key concepts in prior public comments, they have clearly delineated the concerns the church has of the potential direct affects the Chauncey Tower will have on their congregation. Significantly the decreased access to local parking and the impact of the size of the tower on their natural lighting on the sanctuary. His fellow church members have also enumerated what they feel are critical aspects of downtown development including environmentally sustainable construction, and approved access to affordable housing. He would like to focus on the first two points. Trust in the decision making process and commitment to a vibrant downtown neighborhood. No one could argue that the discussion surrounding the Chauncey and this lot in particular have not been thorough. There have been multiple opportunities for public comment. The process led to a Commission vote against the broader rezoning as well as failure for the Council to approve that same plan with the necessary super majority. Now we are seeing the process rejoined by a parcel by parcel approach starting with the property across the street from the church. And while he can acknowledge that the original zoning constructs for this project allow this piecemeal process he fears the process is now obscuring the message that has been consistently delivered by the process. Which is the community has not yet clearly demonstrated support for this project as it currently stands. The process is becoming more politicized and positions of division are becoming further entrenched by social media accounts and at times less than productive conversations. And as a result there is a perceived need to defend on either side which has taken over the ability of some in the community as well as some of the decision makers to reach effective compromise. This conflict now threatens the shared goal of a vibrant downtown Iowa City especially in this neighborhood that Trinity has been pleased to call home. So to be clear, he believes Trinity remains fully committed to being a downtown parish, a decade ago they undertook their own strategic planning envisioning process, their congregation thoughtfully and prayfully confirmed their commitment and calling to be an active participant in service to the downtown community. They have specifically tailored elements of their worship, outreach, and physical building to meet a variety of needs of their downtown neighbors. That stewardship for their community, and hopefully partnership with their neighbors is what is at risk of being lost as this process continues to be drawn out and the decision becomes more focused on what can legally be done and the dollars involved rather than the impact on the people and the entities that actually comprise the neighborhood. Phillips stated he wants to continue to trust in this process and maintains hope that the ultimate decision will reflect values that he feels are important to the community. There are so many positives that can come from downtown development, but also hope as a community we can correct course and refocus on the true spirit of building up neighborhoods and not just building up buildings. He urges the Commission to vote against this Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 17 of 32 CB -10 zoning. Nora Boerner, resident of Iowa City and works as Parish Life Coordinator at Trinity Episcopal Church, and shares many of the concerns already raised this evening. The issues she would like to speak specifically about revolve around community. Her family and her chose Iowa City, they were here this evening but had to go home for bedtime. The lived here, moved away, and then decided to come back as her husband moved his business here, she found a job here, and chose Iowa City on purpose. They love the mixture of neighborhood and business and appreciate the human scale that already exists. They walk and bike anytime they can. They appreciate the bike lanes, the green spaces, and the parks intermixed with homes, developments, commercial, and places of development. As others have said, Trinity Church is more than just a place of worship used only on Sunday mornings and she knows this even more now that she is there every day. They are deeply connected with the community at large, their kitchen is used to prepare food for the free lunch program, they serve water at Run for the Schools, they house between 10 and 15 12 -step programs weekly, they offer free community yoga classes, have a vibrant healing ministry program that serves the community at large in various health concerns, they house The University of Iowa Jazz Department, and serve as recital and performance venue for many local musicians, not just college students but they use the facility as well. Many community youth groups use their space throughout the year, they house summer programs and youth action groups that meet throughout the year, all free of charge. RAGBRAI teams will stay with them this summer, and their parishioners support businesses and restaurants downtown most vigorously. They are a downtown church, they give back and support the Iowa City community at large, the same community that Trinity is part of and that her family and she chose to live in. This great community helped create and supports the Comprehensive Plan and in her opinion the current proposal to rezone the northeast corner of Gilbert and College Streets from P-1 to CB -10 is not fully in line with the Comprehensive Plan. She believes we need to honor the community and the Comprehensive Plan, the character of downtown, and really consider the concept of mixed-use. Boerner stated her dad is an architect so she has spent many a day with him in front of a computer or in a building working on design and have learned from him that good design isn't just for the elite and that is true for Iowa City as well. It is for everyone, for our entire community, for all our neighbors. She urges the Commission to take action tonight and vote to deny the CB -10 tonight. Let's grow, develop and expand Iowa City but let's make sure we have responsible development that will benefit the entire community and that takes into account all of our neighbors. That was her prepared comments, but she has two comments based on statements made earlier tonight. With the parking concerns, she didn't hear any concerns about the hotel visitor parking but she wonders about that. She noted there is trouble parking during the day as it is now and wonders if having a number of hotel guests will add to that. She respectively requests at they move forward in this process a neutral shadow study phase, she knows with her own work with CAD software there is a number of ways that can be done and would appreciate that. Boerner thanked the Commission for their service, it is not an easy task and she appreciates their time. Freerks asked for a three minute break. Pam Michaud (109 South Johnson Street) said her initial impression when she walked into the room was the usual, the lefties, looking out for neighbors, and the righties for the elites. And she is thinking that does this mean that Meta Communications will be starting all their employees at $100,000 per year so they can buy a $300,000 one -bedroom apartment. That would be great. And FilmScene, those employees are going to make a lot of money too, that is where we will get our diversity. These people will move right into those condos, it's going to be so affordable. The Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 18 of 32 people that say that are the investors, the investors are here, they need a place to put their money, and this is it. She said they could live south of Burlington and build a nice building there, it is not needed in the transitional zone. It's not affordable, it's not diverse, it's going to be upscale and that is not where the strongest need is by population. Mark Plum, a resident of Iowa City and also a lay leader of Trinity Church. He began by thanking the Commission for the opportunity to speak this evening. He stated his fellow parish members have made it very clear how their church depends on the parking on Gilbert Street for their mission, there was a gentleman here in support of this rezoning who spoke of how many people it would bring downtown and Plum agrees with him, it will bring a lot of people downtown and ironically because of the CB -10 zoning the Chauncey will not have to provide parking for those people so it will be taken up on the street. And ironically if the rezoning were at a lower level than CB -10 they would have to provide for their parking. This rezoning would likely move the Trinity Church into the outer parts of Iowa City like many other churches and would alter their mission drastically. He also wished to raise a couple of concerns, not as a parish member but as a citizen. He feels the people of Iowa City have spoken strongly about the use of TIF funding for this project and he doesn't think the people of Iowa City are in agreement with TIF funding being used to provide housing for people who don't need help with housing. There is going to be five affordable houses out of more than 50 living spaces and that affordable housing is $200,000. That is not affordable on his salary. Plum also stated that many have mentioned the need for office space downtown and he fully agrees but does not see why that office space cannot be provide where it is already zoned CB -10 or in a smaller building in this area. Lauren Lyon, the Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, thanked the Commission for this opportunity. She stated that Trinity is an Iowa City institution whose building has stood at the corner of College and Gilbert Streets, across the street from the site of the proposed rezoning, since 1871. The proposed zoning change of land at that corner will allow for construction of the 15 story Chauncey building. Zoning is used to prevent new development from interfering with existing uses and to preserve the character of a community. Ideally zoning allows for thoughtful consideration and regulations of differing needs and desires between diverse constituencies within a community. A city gains its character from the interactive relationships between its businesses, cultural institutions, government agencies and its individual citizens and visitors. Churches fall into the category of cultural institutions, among their unique contributions to a city's character is their ability to draw people together across boundaries of race, age, economic status, and personal interest. They are instrumental also in sheltering and providing for those for whatever reason cannot compete in the marketplace. They break down barriers that the marketplace tends to establish and uphold to the detriment of true community. She believes that the impact on the neighborhood that will follow from this proposed zoning change will harm churches, particularly Trinity Church due to its proximity to the proposed Chauncey building. Trinity and other downtown churches operate seven days a week, hosting community group meetings, educational and social activity meetings, and arts performances in addition to offering worship and spiritual care for their members. A 15 story building that towers over existing nearby buildings will bring an inappropriate level of intensity to the built in environment to the transitional neighborhood between residential areas to the east and the Central Business District. A densely populated building whose users monopolize the nearest parking garage, because the building itself does not supply sufficient parking, will place a particular burden on Trinity. It will create a barrier to participation to activities, it will inhibit the hospitality to those whose age or different ability would prevent them from using a more distant garage. The restrictions on growth and mission imposed by limited parking will potentially impact Trinity's viability in its present location. She urges the Commission members as they consider moving forward with this plan to reflect on Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 19 of 32 the less tangible but no less important elements of the quality of life downtown those in which faith communities have a particular role. In more familiar terms she asks the Commission to consider what may seem trivial, unworthy, or frustratingly intangible, like the quality of light in a neighborhood, worries about traffic on Sunday morning, or sufficient parking spaces for volunteers on a weeknight are elements in which Trinity's market share and bottom line depend. She urges the Commission to vote no on the proposed zoning change. Ann Christensen, member of Trinity and a member of 100 Grannies for a Future, member of the Sierra Club, member of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, and a climate change activist. Began by saying she left The University of Iowa 57 years ago and immediately moved to New York City and never expected to be back. Because of family concerns and connections she is back. In that intermediate time she has traveled the whole world, spent extended time in Europe, Africa, Australia, and Panama. Now that she has returned here, it is not the city that she left in 1958, she sees what is happening to our entire earth because of choices that are made that are not compatible with how we should be living. She stated it is important that we begin to look further ahead of what's happening in this state, we know our water is dirty, we know we have a problem with animal confinements, with this country and this earth. If our cities don't start to take this into account, things are rapidly deteriorating. She said we can build better buildings, build more sustainable buildings, get off fossil fuel now if we had the political will, we must give up fossil fuels. She stated she believes that corner does need to be developed, but this building is the wrong building in the wrong place. This building could very well be down in the Riverfront Crossing area and with modifications be a very viable building, a very sustainable building, a very worthy building, but it doesn't fit this corner. Christensen stated she is tired of seeing new buildings in Iowa City being built right up to the sidewalk, they make the streets fortresses, and they do not make visual attractiveness. If you look at the great cities of Europe like Paris or Barcelona they are tree lined, with lower buildings with big trees for shade. They are beautiful cities, we admire them, and we travel to them. Here we are cutting down our trees and when we build new we aren't allowing for new trees. We are allowing buildings like on the Ped Mall that stick out sore thumbs. Christensen feels this is inexcusable and stated we can do better. Iowa City likes to pride itself on being a progressive city, it isn't. Seattle is a progressive city, Oberlin Ohio is a progressive city, Iowa City is not a progressive city but it could be and it should be. She stated it's time to take a longer approach to what is put on the corners, on our streets, and where we put them and make it appropriate instead of convenient for the powers that be. She stated Iowa City is just doing the same old same old and using the tax payer's money and the tax payers don't want their money used that way. She feels Iowa City needs to get away from the same old same old. Christensen brought an example of the most sustainable building in the world, it's in Seattle, it was built in 2013, the Bullet Building for the Commission to review. She would like the Commission to say no tonight and to say to the Council that we can do better. Amanda Ward, lives in the Park at 201 building in the Ped Mall, and she is the director of VIP services for the Sheraton and Hotel Vetro located in the Ped Mall. She wanted to talk about numbers, because not much about the numbers side of the argument has been shared tonight. She began by sharing an example of a full occupancy weekend for both Sheraton and Hotel Vetro where Sheraton would have 234 booked rooms and Hotel Vetro 56 booked rooms for a total of 290 rooms. Of that 290 rooms, perhaps on a Friday night of full occupancy, if you were to take the parking revenue and extrapolate out those numbers 60% of the people that stay at their hotels are coming in via shuttle from Cedar Rapids and are what they call a walking participant of the city. So on a weekend where 60% of the occupancy is walking participants, that is 174 rooms, times two people, so 390 people per night you would see our on the Ped Mall walking around enjoying our downtown district. Therefore, Ward says yes we do need a bowling Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 - Formal Meeting Page 20 of 32 alley, two bowling alleys, we definitely need another movie theater, we need places for people to go when we have 300, 400, 500 people in our Ped Mall walking around downtown. Ward said she fully supports the rezoning and would hope there would be opportunity for people to take part of that when they are coming to our city to visit. Ward noted that the revenue that the people bring to the downtown through both of these hotels is incredible. The revenue that also comes from what you would call high income earners who are going to own into the new Chauncey building, if it goes through as it is proposed, are also going to likely be contributing to the church we are having so much discussion about. What she finds interesting is the argument seems to be Chauncey vs. Church and she doesn't understand, they are not demolishing a church, knocking it down, or putting it out of business in any kind of way. It really is a reciprocity for both, there is revenue coming in and revenue going out, and it's likely going to be going out into that church which is a great thing. That church has been there for a 100 years, she imagines 100 years ago when people had horses and buggies parking might have been an issue then as well, just like it is today. It might change, but 100 years of proof shows that adaptation rules out. Ward is in favor of the bowling alleys and hopes the Commission goes forward with this rezoning. Jon Fogarty, co-chair of the Iowa Coalition Against The Shadow, began by stating that a friend of his, Sue Futrell, had to leave but submitted a letter and asked the Commission if they would prefer to have that letter in paper, or to be emailed, or to read it now. Freerks stated that Fogarty could do whatever he felt comfortable doing. Fogarty said he would read it later if times allows, but would submit it to the Commission. Fogarty stated there has been a lot of discussion on the Comprehensive Plan, and he was just here a little over a month ago, had a long night discussing that and it ended up that democracy said, what the Commission decided, was that what the City submitted was not acceptable, the amendment to the Comprehensive Plan. Prior to that, the original plan, the 2030 Plan, there was about 2 years of community engagement and somewhere between literally and figuratively 15 minutes later we start talking about this plot with only passing mention, as Rockne Cole mentioned, stating that it deserves its own sub district. Fogarty stated that the supporters of this particular development have consistently emphasized over the past couple of years that this is going to stop urban sprawl in a city that has gained 3000 residents every year from 2010 to 2014, that it's going to draw retirees downtown, young professionals downtown, businesses are going to love it and that the Iowa City arts scene's very existence hinges on its being built. Fogarty stated that there are no options that he has heard from the supporters of this building, absolutely no options, it must go there, it is the Romeo and that plot is Juliet. Regardless of whether this building gets built, Fogarty stated his group is against CB -10. Rockne, himself, and Mark McCallum came before the Commission about 18 months ago with a proposal to zone this CB -5 and they still support that. He believes there are lots of options, all the arguments in favor of this building in this spot strike him as limited in vision, they underestimate the resourcefulness of the City, they are frankly ignorant of the options for this building and they are incongruent with the Comprehensive Plan because the Commission voted down what the City presented just over a month ago. Fogarty would like to offer a hypothetical for the Commission to consider. If they were talking about the Corridor State Bank on Market Street, or any number of those lots on Market Street, just a block or so from the Northside neighborhood, Corridor State Bank, parking lot, the old Gilpin Paint, Bluebird now, prime teardowns for redevelopment of this scale. He asks would we be having this discussion about a building of this size with virtually no transition to the block that has Pagliai's and all those Victorians to the north. He sees the parallel as the same for the College Green neighborhood. Both neighborhoods, 100+ year old houses, but petticoats, bowler hats, and brick pavers are nonexistent to very rare, those neighborhoods have changed, he accepts that, but those houses and those neighborhoods as they are today they are all that we have left of the heritage and the Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 21 of 32 history they represent and they are irreplaceable. When looking at the Comprehensive Plan amendment over a month ago he asked the Commission to look at the proposed change in the context of the whole neighborhood. The plan for those three blocks that the City proposed it threatened those neighborhoods to the east. It frankly was a mess. He states that we have the opportunity to learn from what happened on Washington Street where we lost several older homes, historic or not they were in line with the fabric of that neighborhood and now it is a radically different feel when you walk down that block today than a couple of years ago. Fogarty stressed again there are options and those options are the Riverfront Crossings. When the City passed the 2030 Plan in late 2012 or early 2013, they said "young men and women go south, find your fortunes in the frontier of what will soon be downtown Iowa City. We will give you money from the school district, the City coffers, the County coffers. You do not need empty bellies you just need an outstretched hand. If there is something historic there, we will shed tears over the loss and it's inevitability of going away'. So fine, we are losing those cottages and south of Burlington is open for business, let's fulfill the promise of that district and site buildings like this, the Chauncey, over there. Because all these arguments for a walkable downtown, amenities vs. students, and all that, there is no logic, the amenities here are valid but the amenities south of Burlington are invalid as that is not walkable and that is not part of downtown. That is clearly meant to be a part of downtown that is the new frontier with plenty of space and not encroaching on a historic neighborhood. Fogarty also stated they have heard there was a lack of good neighbor engagement with this particular parcel which he feels is really the damming piece of the 2030 Plan and the church, which he does not attend, but whose members are members of our community so taking all that into consideration he urges the Commission to consider the options that are the Riverfront Crossing, putting a building of this scale so close to historic neighborhoods is a 100 year mistake, there is no going back. He reiterated he fully supports some type of CB -5 or some other sort of development as options for this parcel, and there are options for this building, just not together. Ann Holton, a member of Trinity Church, stated she feels this evening's discussion is between Trinity and any other development and that is not really the truth. Trinity wants to be good neighbors but when this project is described it is always talking about being consistent with the downtown but the reality is there are neighbors to the east of this project just as much as there are neighbors to the downtown area. She thinks as she is hearing all the people come forward, the concerns from the people of the neighborhood have not been heard. Trinity's concerns are very important to all of us but it is not an either or kind of consideration. Trinity, one place or another, will be surviving. One hears the phrase location, location, location. Trinity has chosen to remain at its location at 320 College Street since 1871 which you've heard at least 17 times tonight. Trinity's plan was to grow a downtown ministry and mission for their members and the community at large. They do have some members that chose to walk or bike to church, but the greater portion of Trinity's membership must rely on vehicles to reach Trinity. And for many, close proximity is essential, especially for members with limited mobility. With no on street parking on Gilbert Street, Burlington, or parts of Washington, street parking within a blocks walk of Trinity is limited to 65 spaces. This includes spaces used by the Senior Center and City Hall offices. Competition for all of these spaces is already very brisk. The City suggests that parking for the Chauncey will come from the Chauncey Swan ramp, on street metered parking, and the Clock Tower ramp. With the zoning designation of CB -10 the parking requirements for the developer are less stringent than for CB -2 or CB -5. The City information indicates that all required parking for the residential units are provided on the lower level of the ramp and while there may be some residents of the Chauncey that chose to forgo owning a car one cannot assume that number will be very high. While the opportunity to walk to downtown locations may be a draw for Chauncey residents, most will still need a place to park. These plans meet the City Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015—Formal Meeting Page 22 of 32 requirements for what they have to provide for parking. For CB -10 units one bedroom and efficiency units are required to provide 0.5 parking spaces per unit. Holton stated she has yet to see a 0.5 car driving anywhere in Iowa City or anywhere in the state of Iowa. This means that other half of that car is competing for either ramp or street parking. And there are no guarantees other than Mr. Rohrbach is going to give up a car and have only one car if they are in two bedroom unit. There are no guarantees for that. And this does not address the roughly 150 parking spaces needed for businesses and hotel guests. Trinity certainly welcomes growth and development of the downtown. As a century long neighbor they would like to be courted the same respect from the City as they are electing to give to the developers of the Chauncey. It won't matter how wonderful Trinity's opportunities for ministry and mission are if the people who are intended to receive the benefits, or worship in our wonderful space, are unable to access them. She urges that the Planning and Zoning Commission rejects the City's request for rezoning the corner of College and Gilbert to CB -10. Joe Tiefenthaler (227 East Washington) is the Executive Director at FilmScene which is right downtown in the Ped Mall so he has much empathy to places that don't have any parking right nearby, it is an issue they deal with consistently but get over. Also he has empathy for the homes and B&B's in the neighborhood, he used to work for the International Writing Program and would rent from a lot of those and is very aware of the housing costs in the neighborhood as well. This isn't about those who have money and then are going to be neighbors because those places are not exactly affordable either. He has lived in Iowa City for 15 years and it appears to him there is a concentrated effort to make downtown more friendly to families. One of the biggest components is a shift seen over the past few years has been the development group, the Moen Group and what they have actively built and have actively centered families downtown. They've made a better mix, but it's not done yet. At FilmScene they continue to deal with customers, donors, and members who want to come to the theater on a Friday or Saturday night but might not because of the high intense population of undergraduates downtown. It feels as if the City has made the case that building the Chauncey Project is sustainable and a development towards families and having and contributing to the downtown core. Other projects that would be in congruency with CB -5 wouldn't necessarily, if you look to the south of Burlington, the buildings are for more undergraduates. So ask the neighbors, the people that own those beautiful homes and at the church, do you want more undergraduates parking and living and walking and going out and being your neighbor downtown on the weekends. Tiefenthaler strongly urges the Commission when they look at this proposal, when you look at the Moen history, he strongly urges them to vote yes. Tim Conroy said he is here tonight to support the passing of CB -10 zoning. He mentioned that like many others, he has been at all the meetings at the starting point of this project, when there were presentations of what development would go onto this spot, the various off shoots of that in what the zonings would change to, and he feels like a narrative is starting to be created here that conspiracies and neurosis are happening around us, this is not the case. Everyone has been informed about how this project as progressed from day one. Individuals in this room that have said the opposite of that were at those meetings. Conroy urges that this go forward because we're on a tremendous amount of change right now as Iowa City. He understands that is scary to some people but it is exciting and that excites some fear amongst everyone. Conroy noted that he does not live directly downtown, but works downtown right on College Street across Ralston Creek. He is familiar with how that street operates on a day to day basis, he is also familiar with the demographic of who is moving to Iowa City to buy homes, he is a real estate agent, and there is a market for this type of housing and the people coming in, whether you are a retiree or a young professional, they want mixed-use. They don't want to drive around, they want Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015—Formal Meeting Page 23 of 32 to walk to work, and you can't park at UIHC, hardly ever, so the doctors want to walk to work. It's a model that is working, it's a progressive model, which is what Iowa City has always been about. There is a lot of conversation about throwing it down in Riverfront Crossings, but the majority of those projects thus far have been for undergraduate markets. We are also talking about a vacant concrete lot, next to an under-utilized public park. Conroy said let's move forward as a City together on this rather than trying to create a conspiracy narrative about decisions. This is a progressive town, this is a progressive developer that cares about this community, who gives back to this community, and has also provided space for places like FilmScene to come in and add to the fabric of our daily lives. Conroy once again urges the Commission to go forward with this zoning and to also not be afraid to go forward on this zoning because we are starting to go down the path of Groundhogs Day with waking up to the alarm clock, the same old message on the radio, we are all informed, people want this to happen. Joseph Pittit (4009 Laredo Drive) he noted a common theme he has heard and also himself has, is there are worries about this project, there have been plenty of worries from the Trinity Church folks. He also has some worries of his own. The architect mentioned that Chauncey Swan Park would be revamped and re -landscaped and he feels that could spark some sort of backlash from people who go to the farmers market. That park is not exactly under-utilized during spring to early fall months. He feels this project might also affect what goes on at the farmers market, would the people in the occupancies complain about the live music being played at the market or would they be aright with it. He also stated he would not be in favor of TIF money being used for this project. There is an article in the Little Village Magazine, last year or a few months ago, talking about how TIF money has been used and what is supposed to be used for. It is supposed to be used for affordable housing or to encourage opportunities where there are none. But what TIF money has been used for is projects like the Chauncey, a subsidy for someone to help them create their own dream. A dream for a niche rather than for all of the city. Pittit also has a few questions about the architecture of the Chauncey, with the extensive use of glass makes him think there will be some issues with glare at certain times of the day and doesn't know if that would impact people driving to or from work at certain times. He also wonders if there would be any sort of heat affect from that glass, he is not an architect or structural engineer of any sort but wonders if there would be any sort of heat reflected from the glass to any other parts. It wouldn't be much affect for the Robert E. Lee Center but it might be noticeable for people walking by. The architects also mention he didn't calculate how many shadow days there would be that Trinity would have a morning of shadow for some amount of time. Pittit feels that might be an oversight on the architect's part, but it would be necessary for Trinity Church to know what will happen. In closing, he commented that this City is changing in ways he does not want it to happen, he has lived here since he was born and these days when he goes downtown he looks at the development already there and it feels like a mix rural Iowa and urban Iowa that's a pleasant mix. But the plans for the Chauncey just look like a big splinter sticking up out of the city that is just suddenly there. It's out of place, it doesn't look like it's for normal city folk, and it's for high powered elite who might now care for things that the rest of us care for. Additionally to counter Tim Conroy's point about narrative of conspiracies or neurosis, it's not about the Chauncey itself, the rumblings of conspiracies are due to recent moves City Council has made and also as other people have mentioned, the increased tensions and increased politicizations of this matter. With all he has heard tonight, and with what he has to offer, he strongly advises that the City vote against rezoning. Diane Dylan-Ridalev stated she has lived in Iowa City since 1991. She wanted to say she is not scared, she is not afraid and is focused on the forward and the future. Her children were very excited to move to Iowa City from Burlington, Iowa, they lived in Burlington for 10 years and Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015—Formal Meeting Page 24 of 32 before that Boston Massachusetts. She noted she has lived all around the world, grew up the daughter of an engineer and her uncle was an architect. She grew up all her life around design. She had not planned to speak this evening, she has been concerned about this project for some time, and has attended a few meetings, but was moved to speak after a couple of points were made during the showing of the building renderings and she would like to made points or ask questions for the Commission to consider in relation to that. She made it clear she is not a leed AP professional but has been trained in the leed process and the U.S. Green Building Council which created the process, one of her mentees is the current chairman of that board. She said that in the listing where it was said this building would be silver leed consistent, that is very different than saying it would in fact be certified leed. So she asks that in the process, to be told that this is equivalent is not the same thing as going through the process of seeking and guaranteeing the certification as a leed building. She also pointed out that the Trinity Church made the commitment to be a leed certified building when they made the decision to remain and be a downtown building. One other point, when the reference was made to having geothermal, Trinity considered having a geothermal system and were told they did not have the land mass in order to achieve that. Looking at the design of this proposed building, there is no possible way on this property to have the adequate excavation to put in a geothermal facility, plus these renderings have given no information as to the lower level excavations that will take place in terms of this building and any good design in 2015 should also show you what is going on in terms of the excavation given the nature of Iowa City as a flood potential property. These are questions that she feels could be answered in time, but are not currently correctly addressed. Dylan-Ridgley stated that in the 1990's she had a Presidential appointment to the President's Council to Sustainable Development in Washington, and one of the things she was particularly proud to be able to do was to be able to take a little pamphlet that had been generated in Iowa City in the early 1990s talking about Iowa City's green space planning and black space planning. In that document we made as a City a commitment to every single development to having green space, and this would be honest green space not on the third or fourth floor with trees that are in boxes, and it could be discussed what type of green roof will really be on this building. She noted design is not truly sustainable, truly progressive and truly embraces the future. Therefore if the commitment to green space is by virtue of including the park, that is the public park, that is not really a commitment to green space. Additionally the parking was discussed, stating there was available parking on Gilbert and College Streets but nowhere on the drawings does it show any on -street parking on Gilbert or College Street. It appeared from the renderings there was only availability in the overhang for a single car at a time to be able to pull off in front of this building. She asks the Commission to think about a building that would have that level of occupancy, particularly in winter and inclement weather, people would need to be able to have the ability to pull up to the building to off-load packages and other things. There will still be people using cars, particularly as Iowa continues to age and the number of people that would be able to afford to live in this building will be older people who like the idea of living closer to downtown. She reiterated that the Commission consider all of these practical matters that seem to not have been addressed. Lastly she stated, not on behalf of the Church, but on behalf of herself, as someone who lives here, both children went to school here, loves Iowa City and believes there is a richness to the future and the history of Iowa City. Iowa City intends to be progressive and hopes that we don't find ourselves seduced by a bit of TIF money here or someone that has done something there. This particular project is a time for the Commission to have the courage and convictions and to listen to the community and the people who as patrons and as residents live near this area say they don't want this. It's not that they don't want anything on this property, just not this design. There are better designs, there are ways to be truly sustainable. She thanked the Commission for their time and asked that they reject this project. Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 25 of 32 Nancy Carlson, a resident of Iowa City for 50 years and has lived in the College Green Neighborhood for 35 years. When she moved into her house in the 80s, interest rates were 18% and banks did not give loans to women. She managed to buy her house on her own with no help from anybody else. And because she and other women did that now a woman can walk into a bank and get a loan without being looked at like some crazy person. When she moved into that neighborhood, she realized if she were to live in that neighborhood she would have neighbors. She had to learn how to get along with them and how to respect them. Over the years Carlson has been before the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council numerous times because of the neighborhood she lives in, there are various projects, various developers that come in with these grand wonderful things and ways they are going to change the neighborhood. After a while you get a feel for the ones that are going to work for you and the ones that are not going to work for you. She said there are examples of both in her neighborhood that they have lived with, do live with, and will continue to live with forever more. So when people say they are excited about these new ideas, well she was excited about her house when she moved in. She is still excited. She is excited about the fact that there are people in her neighborhood who were probably excited as she was when they bought their house. There are people living here that have lived here for long periods of time who have attempted to be good neighbors, who have attempted to work to make the neighborhood better and who want neighbors who understand and enjoy the neighborhood. She does not feel that this particular project at this particular site works for her neighborhood. She is not saying it is a good or bad project, it just doesn't work here. She would appreciate it if people would take into consideration that when they have needs there are already people here that have needs too, who would like to be heard and appreciated and understood. Sometimes Carlson feels when she listens to all the people coming in with all these great ideas, she knows what it feels like to be an Indian living on the plains when the white man came in and said they have a great idea and are just going to push you out because our idea is better than your idea. This is supposed to be a community of neighborhoods where people learn to get along with one another. She said she has nothing against FilmScene, nothing against the bowling alleys, she just doesn't believe that the scope of this project belongs on this corner. Fogarty came forward again to read a letter written by Sue Futrell (311 Fairchild Street) dated April 16, 2015 to the P & Z Commission regarding rezoning of land at the north east corner of Gilbert and College REZ15-0006. The letter reads "I urge you to honor the wisdom of the Comprehensive Plan and maintain a more gradual buffer between this part of Gilbert Street. The blocks surrounding, including City Hall, border on three different historic districts. The City, property owners and neighbors have worked hard together over nearly 20 years to stabilize and ensure that the oldest residential area in Iowa City. It is wrong to disregard all that planning, considerations, and the decisions that have been that determine how to blend these neighborhoods with the new high density and very positive development that is taking place downtown. The Comprehensive Plan does a very good job of providing just that kind of vision that should guide your decision regarding this parcel and I urge you to vote against the rezoning application". Freerks closed the public hearing. Eastham moved to recommend approval of REZ15-00006, a rezoning of approximately 27,200 square feet of property from P-1 (Public Institutional) and CB -5 (Central Business Support) Zones to CB -10 (Central Business District) Zone for property located at the Northeast corner of College St and Gilbert St be approved subject to a Conditional Zoning Agreement requiring: Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 - Formal Meeting Page 26 of 32 6. Construction of a mixed-use building no more than 15 stories in height 7. A minimum of two floors of Class A office space 8. Step -backs in building height at the third and fifth floors, consistent with the graphics in Exhibit B 9. All required parking for residential units being provided on-site 10. Approval of the exterior building design by the City's Design Review Committee Martin seconded the motion. Freerks noted that generally with something of this magnitude they would want to take more than one meeting, but the Commission has discussed this time many times. Thomas agreed this discussion has been with the Commission for a long time in various forms with the CB -5 application, the Comprehensive Plan amendment, so he is ready to make a decision this evening. Eastham stated there are a number of considerations that have been broached this evening and in his mind the central consideration is the Comprehensive Plan. As he understands it the Comprehensive Plan for this area is essentially at this stage silent. The plan as it exists right now as it applies to this area was passed in 1997 and there has been no update to that plan to this point and time. There was an amendment before the Commission earlier this year but it was not agreed upon. Eastham noted that the provisions of the 2030 Comprehensive Plan that are listed in the staff memo do not give enough guidance other than a land use map that permits commercial uses, but there are no direct policies or goals for this particular parcel or area that he feels are necessary to guide his decision for this specific application. Eastham stated he is not comfortable proceeding on this application at this time given the state of the Comprehensive Plan. As the 2030 Plan states, the City should engage in a process for planning for not just this parcel, but the whole three block parcel, and he agrees. Many of these issues could be resolved if they engage in that process. That has not been done successfully yet but he looks forward to doing that. He feels that many of the issues that were brought up this evening, the uses, the needs, the effect of zoning this parcel CB -10 with the historic building to the west, the Trinity Church building, and the neighborhoods to the east, all those issues can be considered well and thoughtfully if we engage in a full planning process for this three block area. Hektoen noted that the 1997 Comprehensive Plan has been replaced by the IC2030 Comprehensive Plan, so that is the plan that applies to this property. Eastham stated that as he understands it the 2030 Plan doesn't do anything for this neighborhood. Hektoen just wanted to clarify that the 1997 Comprehensive Plan is no longer in effect. Theobald feels that the IC2030 Comprehensive Plan does provide general vision for overall any development within the City and deals with issues such as land use. Thomas noted there were a couple of references during the public comment on the Comprehensive Plan introduction and he would say that the last paragraph, while they bounced around talking about other aspects of the Civic District, does refer specifically to this question because it identified the two areas the Commission has been discussing over the last couple of Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 27 of 32 months. And it does state that "while both areas have potential to redevelop at higher densities due to their proximity to the downtown and the University both should comply with policies and goals of the Central District Plan in order to assure quality design and appropriate transitions to the lower density residential neighborhoods that border them". Thomas read the plan goes on to say "The staff recommends a process be initiated to appropriately address how these areas redevelop over time" which Thomas agrees with Eastham should have happened and it didn't happen. Thomas feels everyone in this room is a booster of the downtown and the central neighborhoods, which is what he sees to be one of the great tragedies of the situation we are in. But nevertheless, the Commission didn't have that redevelopment plan, once a redevelopment plan is completed, this area should be added to the Central District Plan map. The Central District Plan map does not contain CB -10 zoning, it contains CB -5 and CB -2. It is part of the Central Downtown Planning District and so does have virtually all the commercial central business zones within it except for CB -10. CB -10 has always been limited to the downtown itself and as the Commission went through the Comprehensive Plan amendment in February our decision was not to incorporate this area within the downtown. Therefore the way he is interpreting the 2030 Plan is very clear that when all is said and done this Civic District area is to be incorporated into the Central District rather than the Downtown District. Thomas noted that aside from that, given that the Comprehensive Plan is the funnel in which everything flows, economics, urban design, everything. Thomas asked Yapp to show the shadow settings information as this was new information to the Commission and pointed out the 11:00 a.m. and the 1:00 p.m. during the equinox show that through the midday there is a considerable difference from what a CB -5 building would cast and the proposed Chauncey in terms of the effect on Chauncey Swan Park. In fact a better designed CB -5 building could improve on the shadow effect by reducing it. With the Chauncey building the park will be in the shade during the midday from the fall equinox to the spring equinox. Even for some time after March 21 and before September 21 you will see shadow effects as well. In some cities this type of analysis would stop a project, they use the equinox at midday as a reference point to determine the impacts on a public open space because those shadows affect the activities that occur in the public space. Thomas believes this is specific to this project, if this were a 7 or 8 story building possibly if well - articulated there wouldn't be those issues. This particular building does pose issues. Freerks noted that this is complicated, and knows people on both sides of this issue, not that she talks to anyone about it, and she walks by the area five times a week on her way back and forth to work and is familiar with this space and the spaces around it. She said she has thought about this area a lot, she says the Commission talks a lot about CB -5 and CB -10 but she thinks about what could be done in the area and what should be done, what would do damage, what would benefit, and what could be done to mitigate damages that may be done so that whatever is placed in this spot is best for the community as a whole. She mentioned she is a little puzzled why a church that has been in the spot for so long feels this one development will alter their mission. There is a way to get beyond that. There have been many changes since 1871 and the church has prevailed, there is no reason it cannot continue to. Freerks stated that what is in the lot now, while the Wilson building is cute, the area is underutilized now and something better needs to happen there. Changes have occurred in the community and the State in the way taxes are distributed so that has increased pressure on City Council. She reiterated they need to make the best of this situation and to try to come back together as a community with whatever happens here. Freerks questions what can happen in CB -5, there have been some really dreadful things in CB -5 as well, noting that she used to work in the old Public Library building before that big building was built behind it and doesn't feel that new building is any real treasure for the community as well even though is many fewer stories. It is a home for some people, but is mostly student oriented. Jumping across the street on Gilbert does give her pause, she does Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 28 of 32 like to see development go south, but when thinking realistically there is a reason why this lot has been an enticement for the City to sell off to someone and to utilize in a better fashion. It's near City amenities and is certainly underutilized. She also noted concern about the tallest building in Iowa City going in that area and concern for the buffer situation. However in the end it must be decided if harm will be done and what is really beneficial for the community. She also thinks there is a need for higher end housing in downtown Iowa City in order to maintain and diversify the type of population there is downtown. She restated that they are all here to see something beneficial happen in this space, the question is what is it. She feels that City Council has already outlined what they wish for this space. Overall it could be a really nice project in this space and could perhaps bring a benefit to the community. Freerks did agree that parking does seem to be an issue and perhaps that does need to be addressed so it does not improach on other functions in the area. She knows she might make some unhappy this evening, but she is inclined to vote for this application. Thomas had one more addition to the shadow aspects and how it speaks to Eastham's concern about doing a redevelopment plan is that if you remember the RFP one of the proposals came back and flipped their project to avoid the shadow effects on the open space so they wanted to move the building to the north and the open space to the south. He stated that the problem they have been facing with this project is it took that particular site and concentrated the development there rather than looking at the three municipal blocks to work with. We need to look at how to distribute the development so that it works for all concerned rather than favoring one particular interest group over another. He feels there was a misstep there, to not see this as an urban design problem with the interface and the transition. How can it be addressed so that the downtown feels there issues are being addressed as well as the neighborhood's issues being addressed. Thomas stated that one great example of this notion of transition is what happens north of Iowa Avenue. North of Iowa Avenue follows the transition concept, it extends the character of the downtown to the north through the University properties and creates rather than a division a seam between the downtown and the neighborhoods to the north. There is a very nice flow in that area, and is the opportunity for these three city blocks. Freerks agreed but stated she has different feelings about the three block area and is just focusing her comments this evening on this one particular area noted in this application. Thomas said everyone is in agreement that they want urban development, there are just various ways to satisfy the needs. There is a need to place the development so there isn't this type of division. Freerks noted that the parking ramp plays a big part in this development and where it will located. There is also the issue of the creek. Theobald stated that she has struggled with many of the issues Freerks talked through and she pulls out phrases from the Comprehensive Plan, "a vision that includes more open space'; "looking at land uses being compatible and complimentary to the surrounding area". Theobald says they try to look at things that are typical Iowan traits when we plan for the City and she doesn't see that in this plan. She worries about the history of Iowa City being preserved in only very small areas. She agreed there is still a struggle with what can happen in CB -5 zones which is typically student housing. She likes that the Chauncey is down to 15 stories, loves bowling alleys, but it hurts that the trees would be taken down in the park and that there is not more open space. Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 29 of 32 Martin stated she feels it is very important for Iowa City to stay relevant to our growth, to our progression, especially with what has happened in the communities around Iowa City. She noted that the work the City has done on this application in comparison with what has been seen prior, they have put in the conditional zoning requirements that states this isn't just one particular project but that CB -10 is appropriate in context of what the alternative is. Freerks noted that she would like to think that City Council and the Staff have seen how this has put a divide into the community and hopes this can be done better in the future. Martin agreed and said that whatever development goes into this property has a great opportunity to partner with the surrounding neighbors to better the community and there does not have to be that divide. Dyer stated that in regards to the parking, on farmer's market days there are often no spaces available in the parking ramp. This proposed building will add to the lack of parking spaces, so parking is an issue. Additionally the parking on College Street where this building will go will be lost. Dyer also noted that she is concerned that they have spent a lot of time on the 2030 Plan and the Riverfront Crossing Plan. There are acres and acres of space in the Riverfront Crossings District which is no farther downtown than this location and there are opportunities to lots of different things there. She said she cannot consider a CB -10 as a transition to CB -5. The transition should start at this place to CB -5, there is no guarantee that CB -5 development would be for students. She stated she cannot see any reason why this building needs to be there. Eastham stated that the thing the City has going for itself with regards to this parcel and the entire three block area is they own the land, so they can control the housing developed there if it is to be for short-term occupancy or long-term occupancy. Eastham does feel for the cautious concern the people of Trinity Church have voiced about this project. He feels the Trinity caution is well taken, a building lasts an awful long time so after a decision is made it cannot be changed. Thomas noted this evening was his last meeting on the Commission and wanted to say that something he feels that was raised that he feels is the core issue it not building height, it's long- term residency in the central neighborhoods and in the downtown. This is the issue that both sides want, they all want more long-term residents in the downtown. That should be bonding the sides together, but this project has created a wedge. A vote was taken and the motion failed 3-3 (Dyer, Eastham, Thomas voting no). Yapp noted that it takes 4 positive votes for a motion to pass. Hektoen said the application will still go to City Council. CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: March 16, March 19, and April 22015 Theobald moved to approve the minutes of the March 16, March 18 and April 2 meetings as amended. Martin seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion carried 6-0. Planning and Zoning Commission April 16, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 30 of 32 PLANNING & ZONING INFORMATION Freerks presented a certificate of appreciation to Thomas for his service to the Commission. She had one for Swygard as well, and would make sure it got delivered to her. ADJOURNMENT Martin moved to adjourn. Eastham seconded. Motion carried 6-0. 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