HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-04-23 Transcription Page 1
1. Call to Order
Throgmorton: Good evening! Welcome to your City Hall! And, uh,welcome to all of you
actually,uh,what is it, what's the limit of people in here? (laughter and several
talking) You gotta stand on top of one another. I mean it seems (several talking)
There's like 80 or more people here. I assume there are quite a few people out
front as well. We have two major public hearings tonight. One of'em has to do
with Forest View, the rezoning of Forest View. The other has to do with deer
management. Forest View is coming first. Deer management is like three or four
items later. So....if you're here for deer management and you're standing right
back there against the wall, and there are other people out front who want to speak
about Forest View,maybe you could trade places. I'm not sayin' ya have to do it
or anything,but if it's convenient, that would be a good thing.
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special formal meeting of April 23,2019.
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2. Student Leadership Awards—Lincoln Elementary
Throgmorton: All right, so we'll move on from that point to Item 2,which is Student Leadership
Awards for kids from Lincoln Elementary, and I know Emily Collins is in the
room,but I don't know if Stella Vondra is here yet. Oop! There she is! Stella,
how ya doin'? So....Emily and Stella,please come on up here. Very good,
thanks. I'm gonna stand between ya! Thank you. So I just....(laughs) I just
drove by Lincoln Elementary a couple days ago. It's lookin'different! Whatdaya
think? Is it gonna be really great when that,uh, change is made? Yeah!
Fabulous! It's,uh, lookin'really good right now! Just like Horace Mann
Elementary is....I have the wrong thing here. Can you get the other two? (talking
in background) All right! I almost read a proclamation for Housing and
Community Development Day! (laughter) Okay, so we're gonna begin with
Emily. All right, so here's how we're gonna do it. I'm gonna ask you to read your
speech, and then I'll ask Stella to read your speech, Stella, and then I will read the
Student Leadership Award, which is identical, except for the names. Okay? So,
why don't you start?
Collins: I would like to thank the City Council and Mrs. Langenfeld for this award. I think
I show leadership in my school because I participate in student council as
secretary. I am also always being a role model in my classroom. Outside of
school I am a leader at my dance studio. I volunteer in a younger dance class and
am always supporting my friends. At home I try to always be a good role model
for my younger siblings. Thank you once again.
Throgmorton: All right! (applause) Very good. Nicely done, Emily! Okay, Stella, your turn.
Vondra: (clears throat) Sorry! I would like to thank my Principal Miss Langenfeld and
the City Council for this award. In my opinion,being a good leader means setting
a good example for the people around you. I believe I demonstrate leadership in
my community because I have volunteered at a food pantry and lunch program.
In school I participate in student council as vice president for the entire school
year. I also work hard on assignments and try my best to be a good role motto...
role model for younger students, especially my little sister. Thank you again for
the award.
Throgmorton: (applause) Wow, you're vice president! So you know we have somethin' like that
on the City Council, and that's a Mayor Pro tem, Pauline Taylor's our Mayor Pro
tem. So, who knows! You might be sittin'there in another,what, 20 years or so!
(laughter) All right! Okay, so I'm gonna lead these...read these awards now, and
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special formal meeting of April 23,2019.
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it goes like this! (reads Student Leadership Award) So, Emily, here is yours.
Stella, that would be yours. You better check it, it might be that proclamation I
have to read (laughter) So I know there are proud parents. There was a mother
sittin'right there. Where'd she go? (several talking and laughing) All right, and
the other mom? Very good! Are there any dads here? You know, dads are kinda
unnecessary a lot of times (laughter) Okay, so you're doin' a great job in Lincoln
Elementary. Keep it up. I'm sure your parents are really proud of ya and they
have every reason to be. So,bravo! (applause). (talking in background)
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3. Proclamations
3.a. Community Development Week
Throgmorton: (reads proclamation) Paula, are you going to accept this proclamation? Please,
come on up. (applause) And please feel free to say something if you want, Paula.
Vaughan: My name is Paula Vaughan. I'm the Chair of the Housing and Community
Development Commission. Um, I would like to thank the Council, the City staff,
the local businesses, and the non-profit agencies who support the CDBG and
Home funding, and use those funds in a responsible way to make our community
a livable community. Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Paula. (applause)
3.b.Workers Memorial Day
Throgmorton: Okay, our second proclamation is a bit shorter, though important in its own right.
(reads proclamation) So, is there anyone here to accept this proclamation? How
bout you? So....(mumbled, away from mic)
Taylor: I can sit! Okay! Uh, thank you, Mayor, and on behalf of the University of Iowa
Labor Center, Iowa City Federation of Labor, of which I'm a delegate, uh, and the
Center for Worker Justice, uh, I'm....I'm honored to accept this proclamation. Uh,
every year,um, I've gone to this for a number of years now, and every year I hope
that there are...are no names on there. Even one name would be too many, but
unfortunately every year there are dozens of names, and this is statewide, of
workers that have been injured or killed on the job, and uh....organized labor is
working very hard, together with OSHA,uh, to help make workplace safety, um,
an issue. So I thank you for this and would encourage everybody that can, this
Friday...it's always a very moving ceremony. Uh, we list each of the names of
folks and have some, uh, bios of the folks that have been killed throughout the
past year, uh, so it's ver....it's a very lovely ceremony and, uh, that's this Friday at
12:30 at the Iowa City Public Library. Thank you.
Throgmorton: Great! Thank you. (applause)
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Beginning of Consent Calendar(Items 4-8)—Consider adoption of the
Consent Calendar as presented or amended
8.c. Ron Solsrud: Where Petland Gets their Puppies From
Throgmorton: Uh, let's see now, is there a discussion about this? I think there was one person
who wanted to, uh, make a presentation to us about part of the Consent Calendar,
namely Item 8.c. So, is Ron Solsrud in the audience? Ron, could you come up
please? And I think you're prepared to do this, right? You already have it set up?
Yeah, great. Good evening, Ron. Please remember to sign in. I'm getting notices
from the Clerk that I....I need to do (laughs) remind people to do that.
Solsrud: I should do this right now, right?
Throgmorton: Yep!
Solsrud: And then I have a presentation. Does the(coughing,unable to hear speaker)
down then or....will I have a light up here?
Fruehling: You should be able to see.
Solsrud: Okay. All right. Urn, the presentation, I just have pictures that are gonna go up
there. You can pay attention all to that and I'll just talk while they're....while
they're goin'.
Throgmorton: Okay.
Solsrud: Whoops, sorry, I think I did the wrong one. (laughter) (pause)
Throgmorton: Looks perfect!
Solsrud: There we go! Welcome, uh, thank you for,uh, letting Wendy and I in on this
meeting and being in front of you. It's an honor to be here. Uh, with Wendy and I
owning Petland, you have boots on the ground,uh, for animal welfare, for pets'
welfare, all the way from the breeder, all the way through our customers that go
home. That's education for them, through,uh, you know, working with breeders
out in the field, uh,while they're at our store, and then also when they go home
with our customer. What you're going to see up here are breed tours, uh, that
we've gone to, that our counselors have gone to, our employees,uh, and others.
Uh, a little bit about our background. Wendy and I, uh, she has a degree in
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Industrial Psychology, uh, and I have a degree, a master's degree, in Engineering.
We did that for 20 years and enjoyed that time. Raised kids. We have two of'em
here at the University of Iowa. Urn, I got the itch, I said I wanted to own my own
business, I wanted to try what that was all about, and after five years of searching,
we found the perfect match, and that was Petland here in Iowa City. That's 13
years ago, in 2006. The day that we got into that store was the day I wanted to
address what everybody is asking about today and that is breeders. Within the
first week I was already out working with breeders. When I was working in the
field as an engineer, I was working as an inspector for a lot of that, and I have that
background, and I said,hey, I wanna do that out there. Wherever our breeders
are, I wanna bring it up and I wanna bring it up quick, and so over these 13 years
that's exactly what I've been doin'. Uh, we work with USDA, uh,breeders. Uh,
we work with hobby breeders, and we also do adoptions. We do over 500
adoptions out of our store, and that's all pets, it's not just puppies or dogs,uh, a
year. So we do a lot of things. Those USDA breeders, uh, a little bit of
background on them. There are 8,000 breeders in the United States right now.
That's per the HSUS. 1,500 of them are inspected by the USDA. Those are the
only ones inspected with regulations and laws, and the state of Iowa has laws as
well over those breeders. Those are the ones we work with, and we work with the
best of the best. When I'm out there working with these breeders, if I see stuff
that I don't like, I tell 'em,this is what's....you know,needs to get changed, and
then I move on to a different breeder and say,hey, I wanna work with the best of
the best out there. Uh, when I'm out there, I'm lookin' at vaccination schedules,
are they actually really doing them, and I can even see it cause I work with that
breeder over time to say, yes, it actually....they are doing the vaccinations. What
are the conditions that are out there? Do they love their pets, and that's an
important question,but you can't ask it—it's only something that you can see, and
that's something I assess when I'm out there. And then are the moms and dads out
there gettin' the proper socialization? Are they gettin' out there and runnin' around
and everything. So these are some of the things that I inspect when I'm out there
looking at our breeders. (clears throat) We're an open book. Uh,not only are we
constantly educating our customers where our puppies come from,but we also do
these breeder tows. Right there's a swing set, that's a decking area,but these
breeders have invented swing sets for dogs out there now, and it's just, it's
amazing what they're doing over time. Um, we do these breeder tours with our
customers, and those people that are very critical of us, we've even taken them out
there, and said, 'What can we do to improve those breeders out there so that we
can bring'em even higher,' and to be truthful,they've been very happy of what
they've seen out there and what you're seeing right now. Uh, I also do TV, I do
radio, and this is all to get that message out. This is what we do. This is how we
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do it. Uh, do radio every week, TV every other week. Uh, we do customer
education in the store. Actually have partnered with trainers here, dog trainers, in
the....in the city, and we work with our customers. See this is beyond the breeder,
so that that pet, that was is in the home, gets the proper care and everything. So
we continue that all the way through. I also work with the Iowa Pet Breeders
Association here in Iowa. Just, oh, about three or four weeks ago,Petland was
giving a presentation on the voice of the customer. This is what we're hearing,
breeders, and this is what we need to keep on driving forward, and that's a
passionate group that's out there and they want to do better and they are doing
better because this is what I'm seeing out there. There are bad players out there
and the USDA is finding 'em, is working with 'em and all that kind of stuff as
well. So know that you got boots on the ground with Wendy and I here in our
community. So thank you very much!
Throgmorton: Thank you, Ron. Is Wendy in the audience?
Solsrud: Yes.
Throgmorton: Hi, Wendy! (response from audience) All right, so,um, I guess we could ask
questions if anybody wants to. Does anybody have any questions for Ron?
Thanks so much for what you sent us in writing and for the presentation you just
made, Ron. Thanks for comin' down.
Solsrud: Thank you very much.
Throgmorton: Okay, so we have a motion on the floor. Is there any discussion about the motion?
I think, uh, there were a couple things I wanted to draw attention to, let's see.
Um....uh, yeah,well we're approving, urn.....collective bargaining agreements
for, uh, for the, uh,police rela...labor relations organization and with the Iowa
City Association of Professional Firefighters. Those are Items 7d and 7e. Yeah,
and I'm very pleased to be able to do that tonight. I guess that's all I wanted to
draw attention to. Okay, so no further discussion? Roll call please. Motion
carries 7-0.
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9. Community Comment (items not on the agenda)
Throgmorton: So anyone who wants to address any topic that's not on the formal meeting
agenda should feel free to come up now. We have a lot of people wanting to
speak about other topics, so I'd like to ask ya to keep your ti...uh, comments to not
more than three minutes.
Ross: Keep 'em to ourselves.
Throgmorton: (laughs)
Ross: Urn (clears throat)
Throgmorton: Excuse me, Brandon, please, uh, write your name down so that we know who it is
who's speaking.
Ross: Hi, I'm Brandon Ross. I, uh, actually all those nice pictures of dogs are not
unrelated and neither....neither is, uh, the comments, uh, about labor and OSHA
to what I have to say. Uh, it's really beautiful outside and everyone wants to go
back out into it. It's, uh, it's spring and it's a dreadful time for some, uh, people.
Many people have, urn, chemical sensitivities and asthma and things like that, and
um, and there's a lot of spraying that goes on. I'd like to just address that for a few
minutes. Um.....you know recently we received on our....on our door an
advertisement that says "Have a mosquito-free summer,"and I thought that
sounds kinda cynical. A mosqwe...mosquito-free summer, than I thought, well,
what else free. Well, maybe butterflies or lady bugs or dragon flies. Maybe
robins,blue birds, chipmunks, squirrels, ground hogs, and moles, armadillos—I
don't know! Uh, maybe....maybe everything, we're free of all that stuff, uh, but I
know that these mosquitoes are not free, and neither are we. And it starts a lot
with, uh, with lawn chemicals, uh, which are used, despite that science knows that
they are dangerous. The use of chemicals 24D, glysophates, dicamba, and others
are actually, uh, cancer-causing agents. Uh, they also cause neuromuscular
disease and endocrine disruption. Most vulnerable are children, babies,pets, and
the fetuses that are in....in the womb. They're most susceptible. Uh, studies
show, um....that they cause....they have caused increases in breast cancer,
testicular cancer, soft tissue sarcoma, and brain cancer. One study showed that
applicators—guys, women who apply chemicals to lawns—if they work in that
job for three years, they have an eight times higher risk of soft tissue sarcoma
cancer, which is connective tissue cancer and is miserable. Chemicals stay on the
lawn not for 24 hours. Let's get this straight. Everybody, anybody not seen a sign
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that says 24 hours stay off lawn? I'm sorry(laughs) It's 30 days anyway. Those
things are on there for 30 days. And then they don't just stay on your lawn. They
go in your house. And they go in your furniture, and they go in your carpets, and
your kids and your pets, they drop food, they eat food, it gets in the counters, it
gets in the foods. It goes to your neighbors. If you cut the lawn any time within
that period of time, that stuff is all over the place. And this season it's very windy,
and the wind blows around those chemicals. Uh....in my family we have
someone with an autoimmune disease. We have someone who's had breast
cancer. We have somebody, uh, well there are two people with autoimmune
diseases. My companion who's had breast cancer, uh, has five co-workers who
have had breast cancer at her work place. That's a high number. Uh, they do
spray around there. By the way,they've been working there for over 10 years.
Uh, that may be(mumbled)but science does know, uh, these things and we
should pay attention. Um....we have, also I would say that things like violets and
dandelions and clovers and blue bells and earth worms and soil mite grubs, those
are all good for the soil. They're all good for the wildlife. Deer,birds, everything.
There's nothin'wrong with those things, those things won't hurt us. Uh, so one
might ask why....why are we using these things? First thing is the reason why
they're even allowed is because the chemical lobby is greater....than the science,
when it regards our government. Okay, that explains one thing. Two is, why
would people even use these anyway, and that...reason for that a large is that
marketing has basically put that in our face every single day of the season, in the
newspapers,radio, television, interne. But how many times do you hear the
actual facts about these chemicals? Tonight. Once in a while somebody writes a
letter. Once in a while there's an article. And I think that we in Iowa City should
have the freedom and the right and the liberty to be able to have a chemical-free,
not totally chemical-free. That's asking maybe too much, but these basic things.
They shouldn't be allowed around schools, churches, city buildings, uh, and you
know, if I....if I had them I'd put up the pictures of the dogs too. Where's our dog,
uh,businessman over there, uh,but we could put up pictures of babies, of
pregnant women, people with cancer, and people who are sufferings, and you
know, uh, I think that Iowa City should do something about this. It's a matter
of....of community security. It's just like, you know, nati....national security.
You know,we spent trillions of dollars, dropping bombs on perfect strangers out
there. Because we don't wanna be killed, I guess we're afraid of being killed by
foreign people I guess.
Throgmorton: Brandon, you've used up your three minutes. There are a lot of people behind ya.
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Ross: Okay. All right. Well thank you very much for your time, and uh, I hope that you
will consider this, that the City will take maybe some action and that people will
just be informed and act accordingly. Thanks so much, everybody.
Throgmorton: Good evening, Paula.
Vaughan: Hello! Paula Vaughan, Chair of Housing Community Development Commission.
Uh, we heard that you all were considering a work session to discuss the mobile
home park changes that are going on in our area, and the Commission would just
like to support and encourage you to hold that session, and to think of it in...as
mobile homes in the broader context of affordable....of the affordable housing
action plan. And that's it. Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Paula. Good evening.
Weiss: Hi! Um, thanks for the opportunity to speak to you. Urn, my name is Liz Weiss
and for the last nine months or so I've been helping members of the Center for
Worker Justice on a project that I'm really excited to tell you about. Um, so Iowa
City's immigrant community is fill of people with culinary skills, and the desire
to gain economic independence through their cooking, and several members of
the Center who are immigrants from Sudan and Latin America have a vision for a
cafe, a social enterprise where in addition to preparing and selling food, they can
share their culinary knowledge with the next generation and educate our
community through food. Um, it's an exciting project, one that promises not only
to help these immigrant entrepreneurs earn income,but one that can also help
build bridges between immigrants and native-born populations in Iowa City,
creating a context for powerful and very delicious cultural exchange. Urn, in the
past nine months, these folks have made great progress. They catered CWJ's'
fundraising gala last fall. Some of you might have been there. Um, through
partnerships with local churches, they're gaining food service experience and
learning how to collaborate and the management of a culinary enterprise. Urn,
they're pursuing the necessary training and certification in food handling, and they
formed a fruitful partnership with some students from the University's legal clinic,
who are helping the group determine how to properly structure and set up their
business. But what they need most of all is a licensed commercial kitchen, in
which they can continue to develop their skills and build their customer base, not
only to prepare them to get their social enterprise off the ground,but also to help
them secure the grant funding that they need to do so. My understanding is that
there is a great commercial kitchen in the Senior Center that's just awaiting some
updates and repairs, urn, and my understanding is you guys have talked about this
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previously,uh, and having seen just how much this group has accomplished in a
short time, I'm here tonight to urge the Council to commit to making the Senior
Center kitchen operational by the end of the year. Urn, with access to reliable,
affordable commercial kitchen space, the CWJ chefs will be able to take the next
significant step toward realizing their dream. And in addition to supporting a
project that offers significant economic opportunity for immigrant workers in our
community, among many others, by getting the Senior Center kitchen up and
running,the Council would be bringing the people of Iowa City one step closer to
the heavenly experience of Kamil's chicken wings and smokey eggplant salad, of
Fatima's delicious delicate baklava, of Marcella's belly-warming pasola, and
Maria's rich, creamy tres leches cake, and I promise you for that your constituents
won't be able to thank you enough. And now you'll hear from some of the cooks
as well, so thank you so much for your time.
Throgmorton: Thanks, Liz.
Hurtado: (speaking through interpreter) Uh, good evening, my name is Marcella Hurtado
and I am the Vice President of Center for Justice. (both talking) Our mission for
(mumbled) is to empower and educate people. And we're creating this project
with our, um, community with different backgrounds and specialties. Uh, we're
developing this project to, uh....uh (both talking)preserve the background of each
people and educate other....others in our culture and we're working as chefs and
everything. (both talking) Uh, we want to share our abilities and talents with
others and educate them (mumbled) culture is and how we can be together and
especially the(mumbled) community to bring them together. And we want to
bring the community together and with this (mumbled) so we're livin' together, we
have the same community, we share the same schools, the same camps. We
wanna bring all of us (mumbled) Uh, we know that the Senior Center has a
kitchen and currently it's not working. And we want to ask for resources and the
proper workers so we can move forward with this project. Uh, we believe in this
project that our mission is to empower and educate people. That's everything.
Sorry for the (mumbled) don't speak very fast! (laughs) (several talking)
Throgmorton: It's all clear! Thanks so much. Good to see you, Marcella. So,perhaps
conversations with LaTasha at the Senior Center would be appropriate. Yeah.
Good evening.
Galicia: Good evening. My name is Fanai Galicia and I'm, uh, President of the, um, CWJ
Board of Directors, and also as a member of the community. Um, we are under
the creation of the social enterprise, as both of my, uh, friends will talk about it.
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Urn, as I understand, the Senior Center has a kitchen that is currently not working.
So what...the reason that I'm here is because I want to make a recommendation for
all of you, to invest in, uh, the repairs of this kitchen. Uh.....I believe that it's
gonna be beneficial for a lot of people, not just for....for the Latino American or
for the Sudanese people that we are working on....on the social enterprise right
now. But I guess,urn, a lot more of the community members, they're gonna be
beneficial. Thank you.
Throgmorton: Great, thank you so much. Good evening!
Stoll: Good evening. Hi there! Uh, I'm here to make a(both talking)
Throgmorton: Excuse me, would you state your name please?
Stoll: Oh, sorry! My name's Andrew Stoll. Um, and I apologize, I don't know if I'm at
the right spot,but I'm here to make a request. Um, after making several calls over
the last three years, this is the place I was sent,to see if I could, uh, get my
request, or someone to actually hear it, to see if something could be done. Urn,
and my request is, uh, it's kinda simple, uh, not on the level with a lot of these, but
uh, it is to, uh, delay the mowing schedule of many of the grasslands and prairie
lands around the, uh, Iowa City area. Uh, the reason I request that is not just to
save on the man hours and fuel costs for the City of Iowa City, uh, but it is also to
help preserve, uh, much of the habitat for the wildlife around the city of Iowa
City. Um, a little background on this. Uh, the State of Iowa has around 26, uh, 26
million acres of cropland, devoted to cropland. One million of those acres if
devoted to CRP ground, and this has been going on...uh, going down over the past
20 years. Uh, CRP ground is conservation, uh, resource program for the State.
Um, which is a 10-year rental that farmers, um, or tenants will,uh, allow the State
to pay them, minimal costs, but to put it into, uh, basically prairie land, to....to
help renew the soil, but also protect the habitat living there. Um, and every acre
counts. Now, um, over the past two decades, frel....field edges around the state
have been removed to create cropland, and there was...uh, these were vital living
areas for much of the grassland birds, including pheasants in particular. Um, this
provided a good food source, cover, and bedding areas for these pheasants and
other animals. Uh,half of the Iowa counties are considered Iowa Pheasant
Recovery Areas and Johnson County happens to be one of these counties. Um,
now a little background on the breeding schedule for pheasants. They lay their
eggs in early May, uh, which is comin'up here and after 23 days of incubation,
their eggs usually hatch in early June. Um, for that very reason, uh, the State and
the CRP ground, the million acres, um, or so, give or take depending on the year,
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they require fanners to hold off on mowing until August 1'. Urn, and what I've
seen over the past three years of living in Iowa City, urn, most of the mowing
begins in early May and after that first mowing, it's very common to see turkey
buzzards, crows, and other things flyin' around, after the mowing,which only
represents dead animals. um, dead babies that are able to....to get at dead
pheasants that are able to get out of the way. So, urn, it is just a request to sa...to
see if you could delay,urn, to August Pt, even July would be a good, uh, help for
many of these areas. Urn,but anything would be better than May 1".
Throgmorton: Okay, thanks so much.
Stoll: Thank you.
Throgmorton: Could you state your first name again?
Stoll: Andrew.
Throgmorton: Andrew.
Stoll: Yep!
Throgmorton: Thank you. Good evening,Adil.
Adams: Uh, good evening,my name is Adil Adams. I live here in Iowa City for 22 years.
Uh,today....I'm writing to you, the City Council,because I feel that I have been
discriminated and treated unfairly as a person with disability,uh, from the
Housing Authority. Uh, this regarding request for large, subsidized subsidy
standard, which my wife(unable to understand) applied for. She requested
separate bedroom for the, uh, her disabled husband, which is me, to store his
medical equipment and to house his machine and other medication,because we
tend to do dialysis at home instead of do it at the hospital, so we can do dialysis at
night and find job in the morning. We get extra money. Uh, as soon as we
received the voucher on November 15, 2018, with three bedrooms, we contact
authority. We told them we need one extra room for this equipment in the future.
Uh, unfortunately the Housing Authority(unable to understand) request from
three bedroom to four bedrooms, from November, and as you know the voucher
has period of time, duration of time, like four months. If you didn't find the house
in this four months, you lose your voucher and you can have extension like one
month, and....from November until end of March, we keep corning to the
Housing Authority, ask them (unable to understand) what is going on because we
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apply for extra room and if....if you gonna approve it, tell us, so we can go look
for the house. So they keep holding the...the application between the City
Attorney and the Housing Authority, for four months. I don't know how someone
on the head of the department, if he can't make a decision for tiny thing, I don't
know how he be at the top of the, head of the department, and not to decide for
something very easy. You can do it within five days. But this is....when he did
that, because he took it as personal, because I challenge this person at the court
when I have my company,American taxi company, and revoke....they revoke my
license and went to the court because he accuse me. I let one of the taxi driver
drive his own taxi....with suspended driver license. (unable to understand) my
company name,but he's...the car, his car and the key, we can't do anything with
him.
Throgmorton: Adil, I hate to interrupt, but you've gone over the limit and we have a lot of people
who wanna speak tonight.
Adams: Thank you. Uh,just a...I wanna conclude with....the Fair Housing Act
amendment in 1998, prohibit housing discrimination on the base of race, color,
religion, sex, disability. Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thank you. Geoff, maybe you and I should talk about this tomorrow, uh, when
we have our meeting. Good evening, Rafael.
Morataya: Good evening(difficult to hear, away from mic) Good evening, uh, City Council
Member, Mayor, and everyone. Uh, my name Rafael Morataya, Director of the
Center for Worker Justice, and here I want to start to say thank you to the
resolution to....to celebrate the, you know, the working memorial day. Thank
you. I....I hope that we can continue the legacy and support the safety in our
community. And I wanna....(unable to understand) briefly about the...and
summarize the....the.....Marcella, the Vice President, the President of CWJ
together with (unable to understand) and I wanna say that I have a, we have a
meeting with the, uh, LaTasha and she shared with us about the Senior Center has
a kitchen that is not, uh,ready, is not commercial, and apparently has some
problem there that have to be fix and....and you have the power to doin' the
(unable to understand) for the Center, for the whole community. And the second
one is the, uh, I....1 been hear for so many people and everyone appoint to me to
go to the Senior Center(laughs) including Nancy Bird, the President of the Iowa
City, uh, the District, the Downtown District. So she told me to go to the Senior
Center, and I say(unable to understand) working,but she just wanna tell you what
she recommend to me. So that's why we're here today. Thank you. (mumbled)
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Throgmorton: Thank you, Rafael! Would anybody else like to address us on any topic that's not
on the formal meeting agenda? (several talking in background)
Teague: We had correspondence from the gentleman that was just up before Rafael.
(several talking in background)
Throgmorton: So we need a motion to accept, uh, could....well we can do that now. So can I
have a motion to accept correspondence please?
Salih: Move.
Teague: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Salih, seconded by Teague. All in favor say aye. Opposed. Motion
carries. Thank you, Bruce. Okay, so looks to me like we could move ahead to
Item 10, Planning and Zoning Matters.
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10. Planning and Zoning Matters.
10.a. Rezoning South of Interstate 80,West of N. Dubuque Street, and East of
Mackinaw Drive, commonly referred to as Forest View—Ordinance
conditionally rezoning approximately 73.15 acres of property located south of
Interstate 80,west of N. Dubuque Street, and north of Foster Road,from
Interim Development Single-Family Residential (ID-RS),Low Density
Single-Family Residential(RS-5),Low Density Multi-Family Residential
(RM-12) and High Density Single-Family Residential with a Planned
Development Overlay (OPD/RS-12) to OPD/RS-12 for 45.58 acres and
Highway Commercial with a Planned Development Overlay(OPD/CH-1) for
23.83 acres (REZ18-00013)
1. Public hearing(continued from 4/2 meeting)
Throgmorton: I left a few....acronyms out, I hope that's okay. Yeah. All right. Good! Okay, so
I'm gonna open the public hearing, and then I wanna say something first,Anne.
(bangs gavel) All right, so....I....I wanna signal to the folks in the audience how
this is likely to proceed. Sue, if I make any mistakes, please correct, okay? So,
we're gonna, as I just did, uh, we're opening the pu....reopening the public
hearing, and I want you to understand a few points. First, a petition has been filed
by opponents of the rezoning. If signers of the petition own 20 or more percent of
the property located within 200 feet of the property being rezoned, then a super
majority of Council Members, that is six out of seven,must vote in favor for the
rezoning to be approved. As of the present moment, and I think Anne will
elaborate on this, petitioners have not reached that 20%threshold. Additional
petitions can still be filed until I close the public hearing. All right, so that's the
first point. Second, I will invite you to express your views about this proposed,
and recommendations, about this proposed rezoning,uh, during the hearing
tonight, but I will not close the public hearing. So....third point, I will instead ask
for a motion to continue the public hearing and defer first consideration to our
next meeting, which is May what? I don't know what the date is.
Taylor: Seventh.
Throgmorton: May the 7th. Thank you. I will do that because the staff, and at least a couple
Council Members,have proposed additional conditions for the rezoning,uh, and
we need more time to have conversations with the owner and to sort things out in
particular. Uh, when you finish speaking, we will discuss some of those proposed
conditions in order to provide staff with specific direction on any new conditions
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that we as a Council, a majority at least of the Council, want, uh, to be included in
the rezoning. Okay, so....if, and the last point is, if a majority of the Council
supports additional conditions, then the...the owner would have to, the applicant,
would have to agree to those conditions before we could close the public hearing.
So it's a complicated process,but it's the process we have to follow. Did I get that
pretty much right? Great, thank you. Okay,Anne. Good evening.]
Russett: Good evening, Mayor, Council. Anne Russett with Neighborhood and
Development Services. Uh,tonight I just wanted to provide a....a brief summary
of the memo that, uh, the City Manager and I prepared, urn,just to provide a little
bit of background since the April 2nd meeting. First I'd like to start with an
overview of the woodlands. Uh, the project site contains a total of 36.48 acres of
woodlands. The vast majority of these woodlands,just over 30 acres, are located
on the proposed residential lots. The remainder,just under six acres, exist on the
proposed commercial lots, so that's what you're seeing on the slide here is a
summary of the impacted woodlands, existing woodlands, and preserved
woodlands. What you're not seeing, uh, is the remaining woodlands, which are
not reflected in the tables, which is...it's about,just under five acres, that are
neither proposed as....that are proposed as a woodland buffer or are remnant
woodland, and they are neither impacted or preserved. So they will remain on
site, um,but cannot be considered as preserved per our code because of the
location of the....of the construction area is....is too close to those areas, so we
can't count them as preserved woodlands. Um,the sensitive areas development
plan meets the retention requirement for the commercial area, so our code
requires 10% of woodlands on the commercial site to be preserved. The proposal
shows, um, 15 acres...or 15%being pre....preserved, um, so....but not...but the
project does not meet their retention requirement for the residential area. The
retention requirement for the residential area is 50%, and they're preserving about
38% of the woodlands in the residential area. So per code the applicant is
required to plant trees to mitigate those impacts to the woodlands, um, and the
sensitive areas development plan includes a tree replacement plan. All of the
proposed trees are proposed on-site. Um, here is a table that shows the
general,um, areas that these trees will be planted in. Um, the replacement, they'll
need to, um, plant 828 frees throughout the site. I wanted to, uh, also...provide a
little bit more context to the....between the proposed manufactured housing and
the existing Forest View Mobile Home Park. There seems to be some confusion
regarding, um, what currently exists and what's being proposed. So the proposed
development, um, staff has been referring it to manuf....the manufactured housing
or the single-family area. Um, the....the manufactured housing is on fee simple
lots. So each home is on its own separate lot, same as any other single-family
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development in the city. Um, in the current Forest View Mobile Home Park, um,
there are several mobile home units on one lot, and residents pay rent for the land,
and they own or lease their homes separately. The proposed manufactured
housing community, um, if....if those units are rented, rental permits would be
required and subject to regular inspections. Uh, currently, um, in the Forest View
Mobile Home Park, the land owner is responsible for the maintenance of the land,
including the private streets and the homeowner is responsible for the
maintenance of the home. In the proposed development, the manufactured
housing would be on public streets. Currently the mobile home park is on private
streets. And then lastly in the proposed, uh, development, the....the units would
be taxed as real estate, whereas the....the units in the mobile home park are taxed
as vehicles. Um, the applicant provided these, uh, pictures of the....the proposed
units. On the left is the...is the home, and then on the right is an example of the
type of skirting that they are planning on. Um, due to the concerns that were
raised by the Council at the April 2nd hearing, staff has discussed,uh, several
changes to the project with the owner, so I wanna go through some of the
additional conditions that we've discussed with the applicant. Um....staff has
reached an agreement with the applicant on three things. First the applicant has
agreed to full cut-off light fixtures for all exterior lighting. Um, also they've
agreed to energy efficiency light bulbs, LED or similar, um, for all exterior
lighting throughout the project. They've also agreed to providing,um, skirting on
the manufactured housing, similar....something similar to appear...appearance to
the stick-built homes. And lastly they agreed to striping along Forest View Drive
to dis...to distinguish parking areas from the travel lanes. There were several
other, um, proposed changes that staff discussed with the applicant,but has not
yet been able to reach an agreement. Urn, we discussed adding EV charging
stations throughout the development; uh, the installation of bus shelters along
Forest View Drive; as well as two mid-block crossings and pedestrian refuge
islands along Forest View Drive. The applicant, um, is....agreeable to discuss
these items. We just haven't reached a specific agreement on these three items.
Um, and as,uh, I think was mentioned in the work session, the owner is
requesting tax increment financing. So some,um, for the development of
Algonquin, Forest View Drive, and North Dubuque Street. Um, so additional
improvements along Forest View Drive—bus shelters, um, pedestrian crossings,
street trees, even street furniture—could be discussed during those TIF
negotiations. And then lastly, due to the concerns raised, the applicant has
developed an alternative solution which may address some of the...the City
Council's concerns, and those will be presented tonight. So as...as, um,was
mentioned as well,uh, staff is recommending deferral and continuance of this
public hearing to work through some of these details, and uh...um, work toward
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a....an amendment...amended conditional zoning agreement that can get signed
by the applicant. Urn, so with that I'll turn it back to the Mayor.
Throgmorton: Great. Thanks,Anne. I'm...if anybody wants to ask a question we could do that,
but my guess is that we could proceed directly to...I think the applicant, uh, to
help us understand what they are imagining now. Hi, so just restate your name
and sign in and....then go ahead!
Becker: Good evening, Mayor Thorton. My name is Jimmy Becker. I work with
Blackbird Investments and serve as the developer and representative for the
applicant,both co-owners. Good evening, Council Members, as well as City staff
and all citizens of Iowa City that are gathered here tonight. We are here to help
the residents of Forest View experience the American dream, and to collaborate
with the greater community of Iowa City, to enhance connectivity in all senses of
the word. Our company is founded on the premise that every human being is
entitled to live where his or her maximum potential can be met. As a company,
we develop sustainable and energy-efficient plants that foster community, beyond
the structures, and abbreviate the carbon impact. A question that has been asked
before is why hasn't this site been previously developed. One of the reasons that
it hasn't been developed is because no owner has stepped forward to subordinate
their interest for the betterment of the existing community, and propose a
sustainable plan that adequately satisfies the interests of the greater community.
Hopefully,beyond words, this has been evidenced by our actions to date and will
be further demonstrated in our proposal this evening. This is a complex
development, as it's been stated before, with a number of stakeholders, some with
competing interests. We are very appreciative of all the feedback provided to date
and thank all parties here this evening, most especially our elected officials, for
your vested interest in this community. As I have previously stated, Forest View
cannot happen without the commercial development. More specifically,without
the gas station. It is not necessarily the end use, a gas station that impacts the
outcome,but rather the revenue generated from the proceeds of the sale, which
allow us to develop Forest View neighborhood as soon as possible, while
honoring the initial monthly rate...rent of$300 per month. Yesterday we
connected with City staff and proposed a plan that we believe addresses, Mayor
Thornton, your concerns regarding traffic, woodlands, Dubeq...the Dubuque
Street entryway, and the City's goal to reduce carbon emissions, without
compromising the terms of what we've committed to in the relocation plan. We
propose to replace the gas station with a green-friendly public trailhead that
preserves the Dubuque Street entryway and includes electric charging stations as
well as a bus shelter. We believe that the best way for us to address preserving the
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Page 20
entryway is by increasing the buffer to the south and east by five feet on lot one.
We have not had time to illustrate this; however, we anticipate accommodating
approximately 50 to 60 transmodal,multi-functioning stalls with an entry and
exit access for public use. The remainder of my presentation is to address some
of the specific conditions, uh, or requests or questions, uh, that the respective
Council Members or Mayor,that....that you have asked, and um, I welcome
questions at any point, as I....as I present. I have some of the responses. The first
one I want to hit on is traffic. Considering the proposed, the traffic count for lots
one through four would reduce by 64% from 7,743 trips to 2,779 trips. At full
build-out, the adjusted average daily traffic on North Dubuque would be 10,618,
as opposed to 15,582. If we were to account for the internal capture, the adjusted
average daily traffic on North Dubuque would be further reduced to 9,868. Based
on the proposed development, and the background traffic growth,the I-
80/Dubuque Street interchange would need to be improved by 2039. That said,
according to Foth and the City, the interchange would need to be improved
anyways by 2046, regardless of this development. The proposed development
provides a solution, namely increased tax base, to contribute towards the potential
future improvements of the I-80/Dubuque Street interchange. The next topic I
wanted to hit on was lighting. We are fully supportive of the request to provide
energy-efficient lighting in all parking areas, with the lighting being directed
toward the ground. Next is transportation goals to reduce carbon emissions. A lot
of that is included within the proposed, uh, but just to kind of highlight some of
the specifics, uh, not just for that area but all encompassing of the development.
We are supportive of installing up to four bus shelters within the development.
We are supportive of working with the City to construct a green-friendly trailhead
on lot one. We are supportive of providing two level two charging stations on the
hotel, office, and multi-family residential lots, which would include 24 electronic
level two charging stations. We are supportive of providing additional charging
stations on lot one. Our plan is considerate of the City's goal to provide minimum
parking needs, which is currently reflected in our design. We are supportive of
working with the City to encourage carpooling,ride-sharing, and/or alternative
means of transportation, and this is reflected in our pedestrian-friendly plan,
which includes sidewalks connected throughout the development,with access to
existing trails beyond this development. The next, uh, topic of conversation is
commerc...uh, the commercial development. Council Member Thomas, there was
some, uh, items that you had, or questions that you had or certain conditions....
wanted to reflect on. In some we need to reserve our ability to sell the
commercial lots, which will contribute towards the development of Forest View,
not only the neighborhood, but also making the commitments of what we've
proposed this evening. For point#11, and I believe....all Council Members have,
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okay, perfect! So for point#11, we are amenable to providing additional
screening, which is the row of evergreens behind the 40-foot buffer on lot one.
On lots two through four, we're amenable to what has been proposed and
approved by Planning and Zoning, and are happy to work with the City through
the permit process, but cannot agree to adding additional tree plantings or an
OPEC wall on the west side of the 40-foot buffer. Concerning points 12 and 13,
similarly we're amenable to what has been approved by Planning and Zoning, and
are happy to work with the City through the permit process,but are not amenable
to adding more....more trees and/or changing the species of the trees. We have
Impact 7G here this evening, uh, that will hit on this, uh, a little bit further and be
available for any, uh,more technical questions related to the species of trees.
Point#14, with the newly proposed, we anticipate that comment's been resolved,
but are happy to address it if there's further conversation may need to be had.
Jumping next then to the residential development. Council Member Thomas,
point#15, we cannot afford to reduce the height of the building. Reducing the
height of the building on lot 15 would reduce the number of market units within
that lot. Those units off-set the lost revenue to accommodate the affordable units.
As per the relocation plan, residents have the option to condo a unit within lot 15,
if they're unable to secure a home and still want to live within the development.
Point#17, we're happy to and will meet the code compliance and work with the
City through the permit process. Point#18,uh, this is a private amenity space
that will be determined by the residents of Forest View. So we're happy to have
further conversation on that, but that is something we want to preserve, uh, for the
HOA and working in conjunction with the residents of Forest View. Point#19,
we will follow City code and work through the permit process with the City. We
cannot agree to make every lot contingent on the review and approval of Planning
and Zoning. The conditional zoning agreement, which the Planning and Zoning
both reviewed and approved,was created to establish a standard design beyond
code requirements. And we're happy to address further conditional zoning, uh,
and discuss that with....with all of you. With respect to, uh, the right-of-way for
points 20 and 25,just in conversation with the City, uh, I think that's probably
best addressed, uh, working in conjunction with the City, uh, so I'll defer any
further comment to that and,uh, if the City has any...any, um, further points to be
made on that....that topic, I think, uh, they'd be happy to address. The next thing
I want to hit on, and this is piggybacking onto some of what Anne has, uh,
previously shared. There has been some, it's been brought to our attention that
there's been some confusion with whether this is a trailer, a manufactured home,
or a modular home. Uh, so I wanted to address that. What we're proposing is a
manufactured home. The homes that we're proposing are not trailers,uh, which
are frequently referred to as a 'house on wheels.' The homes are also not modular
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Page 22
homes, which are assembled on site. These are manufactured homes that are built
in the quality-control plant and are transported in one or more sections on a
permanent chassis. The standard for manufactured homes are subject to HUD and
FHA compliance and quality assurance regulations, which are equivalent or more
stringent than City code requirements. The manufactured homes are engineered
for wind safety based on the geographic regions and are anchored on site. With
respect to the materials and amenities, the manufactured homes have vinyl siding
similar to existing neighborhoods within close proximity of the developments.
They have a concrete foundation, also similar to existing neighborhoods within
the development. The manufactured homes will include high insulation, a
Sheetrock interior with 2X4...2X6, excuse me, studs, all electron...electric
appliances will be included. Also included will be central air and heating, as well
as a porch and a storage shed. And beyond the home and within the development
area, the residents will have access to public utilities, public roads, public transit,
walkability to commercial amenities, and back alleys. Additionally, for parking,
additionally the neighborhood will included dedicated open space and the owners
have committed $100,000, which will go towards the recreation and amenity
space. And those specifically are lots 49 and outlot D. During the lease years,
that's another question that had come up previously, Blackbird Management will
manage, maintain, and operate the neighborhood. There will be an HOA
established that will define good neighbor policies. During the leasing period, the
governing HOA board will be comprised of representatives of the owners of
North Dubuque LLC. Once the individual purchases the home, he or she will be
granted ownership into the HOA, and once all the homes are purchased, the HO
(mumbled) HOA, excuse me, will be comprised of the homeowners. Uh,there
were two other items that were questions that came up in the conversation we had
with the City with respect to,uh, permeable roads and the private drives, as well
as, uh, steel roofs, so I just wanna briefly touch on those. Um.....with respect to
both of these, our concerns on behalf of the residents is the ongoing maintenance
costs that would be born to the members of the HOA. Um, that....that would be
for both the permeable road and the steel roofs, and specifically with respect to
the permeable road, there are more failure points and the rate of deterioration is
significantly higher than a paved road. And considering the steel roofs,just
looking ahead when the residents,uh, will own the home, it's a lot easier and
more cost-effective for them to go to Lowe's or Home Improvement or,uh, name
the store, to make repa...replacements on shingles than it is for a steel roof. Um,
I....I had mentioned that Impact 7G is available to address any questions related
to woodlands, sensitive areas, and also to respond to, uh, some of the questions or
concerns that were raised by Project GREEN, and uh, we also have, uh, Mark
with HBK, who's available to address any, urn, questions related to storm water or
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Page 23
storm...the storm water management plan. So, uh, both representatives are happy
to address either of those topics and answer any questions that you have. At the
heart of this development lies the fair and res....responsible treatment of the
Forest View residents. Nowhere else in Iowa City, or the state of Iowa, is rent
5310 a month, with all of what has been offered to the residents of Forest View,
most especially in a major metropolitan area. Nowhere else within close
proximity of the downtown core is comparable housing available, such as what's
been proposed for the Forest View neighborhood. Nowhere else have developers
worked as close-handedly for such a duration of time. The unfortunate reality in
most cases of what occurs is rather than to receive an eviction notice, at best, and
are given three to six months notice. Beyond Forest View neighborhood, this
development appeals to a wide-range of demographics and socioeconomic
backgrounds, unlike any other development. It also provides more jobs and it
increases the tax base substantially. Our hope, with your support, is to set a
precedent for how development can and should be done. Development that is
forward thinking, considerate of all the major stakeholders, and financially
responsible. I appreciate your time tonight, and God bless!
Throgmorton: Thank you, Jimmy. So it could be some Members of Council want to ask you
some questions, but I'd like to ask us to really minimize that,because a lot of
people wanna speak, and it's very clear that addi....detail is gonna have to be
developed much more precisely than what you were able to actually describe to us
just now. So there's a lot more work that has to be done, right?
Becker: Is it at all helpful to provide electronic copy of this?
Throgmorton: Of your speech?
Becker: Yes!
Throgmorton: Um, yeah,probably would be, uh(mumbled) yeah.
Becker: I'd be happy to (mumbled)
Throgmorton: Uh, I guess at some point we'll have to have a motion to accept correspondence,
but if it's electronic I don't know how to do that. Okay, so....yeah, it....it, does
anybody have questions that they feel they really need to ask right now be...but be
conscious of the fact that there are other people out here that wanna speak.
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Page 24
Cole: I think he would be available after people speak, so my preference would be we
let people speak and then maybe ask questions (several responding)
Throgmorton: Yeah, okay. Sound okay? All right, good deal! Okay, so, uh, please do. If you
have a view or recommendations with regard to Forest View, taking into account
what you've just heard and things I've said, please do come up and speak.
I...could people who wanna speak about Forest View please raise your hands....
raise your hand. I see....I see (several talking) like eight people or somethin' like
that. Okay, so, uh....not more than five minutes.
Barron: Hi, everyone, Sara Barron with the Johnson County Affordable Housing
Coalition. Um, I might surprise you a little bit tonight because I wanna share with
you some concerns I have about a development off of North Dubuque Street.
Um, and that is going to disturb 75 acres of, urn,beautiful natural land. Um, the
developers are requesting a lot of conditions, urn, that are sacrifices for the City,
including threat to wetlands, urn, lot size waivers, um....all different types of
things that should be a real concern to us, um, and if it sounds like I'm talking
about this current development, I'm not. I'm talking about the development of
Mackinaw Village in 2006 and 2007. Um,basically what I want to convey to you
all is that,urn, the development, um, where many of the folks who object to the
current development live, urn, was....went through a similar process of, um,
determining the impact on sensitive areas, um, a worry about noise, worries about
traffic, all of these types of things. Worries about trees, urn, and those are
mitigated through the work with your City staff and your....your Neighborhood
and Development Services folks. Urn, and so I....I just wanna remind everyone
that as we develop in Iowa City, these are concerns that need to be addressed,urn,
and that I trust that you all will be very careful about doing that,but it's also not a
reason to not move forward with a development,urn, especially for all the folks
who are here who enjoy living in that neighborhood. They have benefited from
this very same sort of process. Urn, so, urn, I wanna remind you that I'm very
much in favor. The Coalition is very much in favor of this project, urn, in no
small part because it does, as Jimmy said, urn, provide a model for future
development that can create more affordable housing opportunities in our
community. Thanks!
Throgmorton: Thank you, Sara. Good evening.
Joyce: (mumbled)
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Page 25
Throgmorton: It can be hard. I remember doin' that many times, gettin' all flustered and
everything.
Joyce: Hi, my name is Judy Joyce. I'm with Impact 7G I am the consultant that has
been working with the app....applicant for, on this project, for about four years,
reviewing woodlands, wetlands, other sensitive areas,working with City staff to
make sure that we are not only in compliance with their ordinance,but we're
exceeding wherever we can to protect and enhance the resources that are
available,while still allowing the project to move forward. So I'm available to
answer any questions that you might have regarding this subject....if you have
any, so....
Throgmorton: Great! Thank you, Judy. Uh, we may shout out at ya in a little while. Not in a
bad way, I mean just to ask questions. (talking in background) Yeah, okay.
Baltazar: (speaking through interpreter) Good evening(both talking)
Throgmorton: Good evening, Margarita.
Baltazar: (speaking through interpreter) We are here again. Continuing with our dream.
Our goal is to fulfill....to obtain affordable housing for Forest View. (both
talking)we have been working,uh, wholeheartedly for about three years. It has
not been easy. We are constantly in the fight. We know that there is beautiful
people that live in Forest View. We have people that have lived there for 30 years.
I have lived there for 13 years. We know each other. We are brothers. We (both
talking)the language or the color. We are one family. We are here ....to continue
to support our project because it is a project that we have been working since the
beginning. We're gonna continue ahead, for our children, for our elderly,because
it is a great opportunity, and this is good for other, uh, developings to develop.
And to continue working....to obtain affordable housing ....for other people. At
least myself....I cannot see, uh, living, people living in the street or homeless
people. So I believe that we all need to continue ahead together. I know that we
have worked greatly with the developers, monthly, uh,month after month. (both
talking) continue working ahead. I do not know what else to tell you except that
to support us in this project. Uh, we are just looking for, um, dignified homes.
We are very interested in maintaining, um, green, um, trees. (both talking) Forest
View and the(both talking) trees are very old in Forest View. So actually last
week....the, one of the trees, um, fell. And it turned the cable or the electrical
cable. And all Forest View was with no electricity. So that we....we are
interested in, um, replanting trees in Forest View. (both talking) time when...in
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the spring, when, urn, wind season. (both talking) last year there were four houses
that were damaged by trees,because(both talking) very old. We still want to care
for them...but we want more security for everyone. And when you relocate us, we
will be the first one, uh, replanting Forest View.
Throgmorton: (both talking)Thank you, Margarita. Thank you. Who's next?
Morataya: (mumbled) I need to sign?
Throgmorton: Yeah. Yes? No? (both talking)
Morataya: I just wanna say(both talking)
Throgmorton: ...Rafael (both talking)
Morataya: ...my name is Rafael Morataya. I'm Director with the Center for Worker Justice,
and urn, I think this is a....one thing that I'm concern is that please don't delay the
project so much,because a resident has livin' there for, Margarita say, for so many
years and we been workin'this, uh, process for three years, and um...uh,the
houses need to be replaced very soon and this is (unable to understand)Zoning
and Planning Commission, they already give the proposal and recommend the
City Council to do some step. So that's only I wanna ask please don't delay the...
the process. Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thanks, Rafael, but for....for your information, Rafael, and for all others, there's a
lot more work that has to be done that has to do with the tax increment financing
aspects of funding the roadway and so on. I don't wanna go into detail about that,
but that's not an easy thing. It's work that we and the staff have to do. (talking in
background) Okay, who wants to speak next? (talking in background)
Davis: My name is Donna Davis. I've lived out at Forest View for over 30 years, one of
those (laughs)people who's just been there forever. Um....I am really looking
forward to having a new house. When....as people have moved out of the trailers,
some of them have been torn down, and....it's just amazing what happens to a
trailer the age of mine. All the insulation that's in it kind of slides down the wall,
so you end up with about this much of your trailer insulated, and the rest not. And
it's all full of mold and it's just really unpleasant. I get a notice about every three
months from the gas and electric company telling me how much less efficient my
home is than others of its size. Well I know it's true (laughs) I live there every
winter. I know how inefficient it is. And it's expensive and God knows what
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(mumbled) all those carbons into the air is doing, but, you know, you have to do
that to stay warm. So I would like to see this developed. I don't know how we're
gonna get through another winter, but....we'll muddle through somehow. Thank
you.
Throgmorton: Thank you (mumbled)
Rodriguez: I'll sign my name first (both talking)
Throgmorton: Yes, please!
Rodriguez: Good evening. Um....
Throgmorton: Please state your name.
Rodriguez: My name is Margarita Rodriguez.
Throgmorton: Thank you.
Rodriguez: And as you all know I've been here for 29 years at Forest View Trailer Court.
Well, I has told you a lot of stories about myself, when I first got here and all that,
well, I can also say when I travel back and forth, from San Antonio to Iowa, the
first thing I did was to locate a gas station. The gas station would say....two exits
down, a mile down, but I always....always notice that the gas station should be
close to the interstate. If not, I wouldn't get off, cause if it would say next exit,
but yet it's a couple of miles down into town, I'll be wasting some gas to continue
going to my journey. Now, what I wanna also say is....we don't know how it's
gonna look, unless it's built. Urn, I had....when I was working in California, I had
an engineer and a person that was trying to become an engineer, as electronic.
One person build the electronic and it worked,but when (unable to understand),
he's an engineer, he put it in the paper, it didn't work. So we didn't know what...
he had to go back to the drawing board to find out how, where he went wrong.
But yet the other person, it worked and we put in to process it. We built boards
and we continue going on. Now, what I wanna say about the trees, it is true, you
know, I got photos here, but I don't know how to work this thing because I never
had the, you know, uh, whatcha call it, a(mumbled) USB (laughs) Yeah! So, um,
but I do got a photo of the trees, old trees, and stuff like that, deers,because I like,
when I first got here I used to take the road, the long road to work, so I can notice
the corn and all the water, all the field, because I enjoyed it. And now what I'm
gonna say here is I want a new home, and for my family to be happy also. Um,
•
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like I said before, my kids went to school here and all of them, they're not here
now but still, they will come. Like I said, you build it, they'll come. So, um, what
I also wanna say is that, um, everybody has a choice. They have a choice to go to
work. They got a choice to go.....out and all this other stuff. So please, make the
choice and get this project going. I really appreciate it. Thank you for your time.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Margarita.
Rodriguez: You're welcome!
Throgmorton: Anyone else? Good evening.
Flores: (speaking through interpreter) Hi (both talking)
Throgmorton: Please state your name. Yeah.
Flores: (speaking through interpreter) My name is Zulay Flores. (both talking) I am a
resident of Forest View. And really....(both talking) this road.....I have seen
(both talking) there is opposition or not. The voices have been heard (both
talking) the developers and at the level as us as a community, and I believe that it
can be achieved, a good project, that will benefit all of us. The idea is to support
one another and a great strength of force can extend a hand to those that are below
or under(both talking) is us. We are not that low. But we can also extend a hand
and come together....to achieve this great project. The interests are very strong,
but it is (both talking) of the human being is the living condition. We will, uh, we
will be greatly, um, appreciative of your support and to the surrounding
neighborhoods (both talking)them to give us the opportunity. Thank you. Good
night.
Throgmorton: Thank you. Anyone else? Hi, Dan.
Daly: Mayor and Councilors, thank you for this opportunity.
Throgmorton: Please state your name, Dan!
Daly: (both talking) My name is Dan Daly. We continue to hear the new homes for
Forest View residents being referred to as 'trailers.' They will, in fact, be
permanent houses and cherished homes for a vibrant community. While our
metropolitan area has struggled to preserve and create affordable housing, it is
often restricted to areas where affordable housing is present, if not dominate. The
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mix of housing that the overall plan calls for is just what Iowa City needs. This
developer should be congratulated and future developers should be encouraged to
launch more such projects. Big lots and expansive lawns are less practical now
than they used to be. These smaller lots make sense for low-income families.
The shared green space will help to build community and keep neighborhoods
safe. Our city should embrace a mix of housing, a sharing of cultures, and a
diversity of neighborhoods. The preservation of an established neighborhood
community may be the most valuable aspect of this excellent plan that should go
forward efficiently. Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Dan. No one else? All right, like I said, I'm not gonna close the
public hearing. So we'll have a discussion now about conditions that have been
proposed by Council and also relating that to things that have been said tonight,
and uh, this might end up being a fairly complicated discussion. So,just bear
with us, we have to do our work. And I have to find my notes for this, so....
where are my notes? I...I think the first thing we should get on the table basically
is the fact that at least two Council Members recommended some new conditions,
and it seems as though some of those conditions, uh, are acceptable to the
developer. Others need to be refined in ways I'm not exactly clear about yet, and
others we're not clear about whether we as a majority support the proposed
conditions. So, uh, my....John Thomas and I are the two that submitted, uh,
recommended some new conditions. My....what I recommended is much briefer,
so I think I'll do that first, and...and then get back, move on to yours, John. So, all
right, so....I submitted to, uh, my fellow Council Members a set of proposed
conditions and...there....there really were three and...and in the end they weren't
really, not all of them were conditions, and I'll explain that first in a second. But
my first proposed condition was to eliminate the gas station, or accomplish an
equivalent result in some other ways. I....I don't think I need to discuss that now,
given what Jimmy Becker said to us, but we need clarity about that. I...I was
getting' lost a little bit as Jimmy spoke, so we'll have to be real clear about that.
Uh, likewise I advocated the use of downward directed, energy-efficient lighting
in the parking lots and all exterior lots and that kind of thing, and again, Jimmy
Becker addressed that. So I think that proposal....we don't need to discuss. Uh,
the last thing I recommended was not a proposed condition. It's just something I
recommended to the Council, and basically that was to hold a special work
session...to put on our list of pending work session topics....um, the...the
possibility of....uh....um, requiring all new....all new, not this one, all new large-
scale projects to....uh....consider the effects of their proposed projects on future
carbon emissions and carbon absorption capacity, and to take actions that would
help us,help the City achieve the City's carbon reduction goals. So, earlier this
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evening during our work session, the, uh, a majority, a clear majority of the
Council, agreed to put that on our pending list of work session topics. So, there's
really nothing more I need to say, it seems to me, about what I was
recommending. But there are things on John's, uh, set of proposals that we need
to consider, and John, as you talk about these, you....you might refer to the fact
that Geoff has said, to us, many of the items on your list can be dealt with by the
City staff and not as a condition of rezoning. Yeah.
Teague: Mayor, if I'm correct, you actually don't have any contingencies now.
Throgmorton: That's what it boils down...well I do, but....but (several talking) apparently is
agreeing to them.
Fruin: Correct. So if I could just (clears throat) briefly on the....on the gas station/
convenience store, uh, to be very clear, the developer has expressed a willingness
to take that use off the table. So lot one would no longer be a gas station/
convenience store. We need to figure out, at a staff level, how best to....to, um,
incorporate that into the plans and present that to you at your next meeting so that
you're able to vote if you'd like to. Um, what the proposed use is would be a, uh,
trailhead for the Iowa River Trail. So you can imagine a....a entryway into that
lot, uh, maybe similar to what was presented with the gas station,but it would be
a....a parking lot, uh, with access to that trail. They've indicated a willingness to
install some electric vehicle stations. We need to have some conversations about
the landscaping, uh, detail, you know, any additional buffers on Dubuque, um,
how big that, uh, parking lot would be. Is it simply for trail users? Do we want to
explore some,uh, extra parking for commuting uses? That's some of the
discussion that we need to have, and then we need to be able to figure out exactly
how best to incorporate that into the plans on a very quick basis so that we can
move this project forward. If you have any thoughts on that, it'd be helpful for
us....it'd be helpful for you to articulate those to us today. Otherwise staff will
use our best judgment on....on how to constrain, urn, the.....the lot, uh, through
the conditional zoning agreement or through their, uh, adjustments to their plans.
Throgmorton: Okay. We may come back to that. Yeah.
Thomas: Um....you know I....I developed a fairly lengthy list, many of the items were
relatively minor in nature. Uh, but basically what I think my intention was is after
listening to comments made at our last meeting, uh, to see what at this point in the
project could be done to try to address some of those issues. And,um, the
conditions that I had prepared were prepared prior to....the more recent
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information, which we just received. So....so, you know, that both changed the
content and I think....as I listened, uh, served....served as kind of an ice breaker
in my mind in terms of what I'm hearing in terms of the, um.....you know, the....
the willingness of....of the applicant to consider....concerns that....that have been
raised at....at our hearings. Um, I'll just briefly try to go through....um, you
know, some of my comments, and as....as Jim had said, it's a little....I was
hearing Jimmy's comments for the first time, so it's a little difficult to....to process
and understand precisely what,urn, what the outcome was there,but in terms of,
uh, one of my first conditions, which had to do with the development along
Dubuque Street. There was a lot of concern in the community that I was hearing,
that I felt myself, regarding how the development of lots one through four were
going to affect the character of Dubuque Street as a gateway, the most beautiful
gateway, into Iowa City. Uh, clearly the,uh, elimination of the gas station and
convenience store makes a huge difference in terms of that particular issue. Um,
in many respects. Um,but certainly with respect to the, uh, the aesthetics, it was
that lot—lot one—that I think was going to be the most problematic in terms of
preserving the character of the gateway, urn, with that....with that development.
Urn, I still have concerns about....the.....the screening, you know, based on the,
uh, photographic images that were presented at our last meeting, uh, the intent
seemed to me to be to really screen,uh, those lots from view, from the views
from....from Dubuque Street. But nevertheless, there was some concern of mine
that if we're just basing that screening on the existing vegetation, whether that
would hold up through the year. Um, you know, again,upon hearing....the....the
comments that Jimmy made, I....I certainly think it's possible, without making a
condition, to, uh, achieve that level of screening, that....that I was trying to
articulate. It would certainly be useful at the next meeting to see some progress
on that, in addition to the changes to....to lot one, in terms of understanding what
the design intention is there. I think there's plenty of room to accommodate and...
and accomplish the screening that I think the community is expecting with this
project. But it would be really helpful to see what that intention is in more detail.
Right now we just have those photographic images, and....in the plans, sort of a
zone that's identified as providing screening,but um, it would be helpful to have
more detail on that. Some of the other issues,um, you know, I have, um, item 12
had to do with screening from the interstate. I do think that's a relatively minor
issue. Uh, I....I.....I believe through....discussion with staff,uh, the intent there
was to, you know, that we can accomplish the intent, which was to screen views
from the interstate, uh, with evergreen trees. I think....I think that can be
accomplished without it being a condition. Um, there was,uh, item 13 had to do
with....or condition 13,had to do with specimen size. The intent there, again,
was to more effectively screen development at the perimeter. I think, again, we
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can accomplish that through staff review. The screening south of the proposed
gas station was condition 14. That's no longer,uh, necessary. Urn, the west
building on lot 15, which is proposed to be five stores, urn, the condition was to
try to reduce that in height, because of its proximity to the single-family
residences which are one-story. Uh, we....we heard Jimmy's description of why
that would...would not be desirable. Uh, again, there are ways of addressing that
transition, uh, without stepping the building. I'll just suggest that the trees that are
already proposed there, as restoration trees, could be, uh, large specimen
evergreen trees, which would help screen the....the mass of that building, uh,
facing the single-family development. In other words, there are ways of making
that transition other than....than an architectural transition. Uh, item....or
condition 17 had to do with...uh, covering more of the parked paving surface with
tree canopy. One of the major issues with this project is the loss of....of canopy
cover,uh, with the loss of the existing woodlands and then the project itself
generating, uh, significant amount of impervious surfaces. So my....my intent
with condition 17 was to increase the canopy cover over the parking lots, uh,
which are extensive in this project, uh, to the point of 50% canopy cover. Uh,
I....I don't know what the existing percentage was, but it was significantly less.
So....so this would have benefits in terms of; uh, reducing the storm water runoff.
It would reduce the heat island effect. Uh, a whole range of benefits would flow
from this, um....this condition. I'm willing to basically, you know, staff and the
applicant understand my intent there. I think there are ways of achieving it. Uh, I
don't know that it....needs to be held as a condition to the project. Uh, 17 was
usable open space developed on lots 49 and D be reviewed by City staff. My
concern there was that as private development, I wanted it....I would like to have
some assurance that it be developed to a standard of open space and recreational
use that would be consistent with our own City parks. Um, there to I'm willing to,
you know, certainly the neighbors need to be involved in that process, urn, and I
will...I will rely on staffs, uh....recommendations with respect as to how to
achieve a high standard there. Um.....I'm willing to, uh, based on the....concems
the applicant has with respect to the submittal of building elevations, um, with...
withdraw that condition, um, as it pertains to the multi-family and commercial
lots. Um, I certainly would prefer, and I would....I would think the community
would like to have a better idea of what this project looks like. Um, we have no,
very little imagery here on which to understand what's being proposed. Um, it
needn't even necessarily be the actual proposed buildings. It could be projects or
buildings similar in character to what is being proposed. That would be helpful.
Uh, the....the six remaining conditions had to do with the development of
Algonquin Road right-of-way, and Forest View Drive. My intention there was
that the existing speeds on Algon...Algonquin Road, uh, are probably very low
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right now, cause the street doesn't run through. Urn, I would like to make sure
that when Algonquin does get extended into the project, that the design speed on
Algonqin....Algonquin Road (laughs) be 20 miles per hour. Urn,that's what the
residents on Algonquin experience now. Uh, the Forest View residents have
speeds of more or less 10 miles per hour in their....their current location. So I
would like both of those neighborhoods to experience no change in their traffic
speed. And that entailed planting street trees on the existing side of Algonquin to
Foster Road, as one way of, um, improving that condition. And granting any
traffic calming measures that the....the, urn, residents require, once....once the
project is underway. These....these, urn, conditions, I think, can be developed
through the development agreement, urn, rather than as conditions, and the....the
Forest View Drive right-of-way, uh, similarly had several conditions that I was,
uh, proposing. My concern there is that...in this project there is no
accommodation of public open space within the project. Uh, the only public, uh,
park spaces or open spaces are private. Uh, and the usable open space on the
private properties is very limited. So I....I really view the Forest View Drive
street as the primary opportunity for creating a kind of social engagement
opportunity for the residents of this entire neighborhood. Urn, that can, I think, be
accomplished through the development agreement process, but some of the issues
that I was suggesting was that the street trees along Forest View Drive be between
the curb and the sidewalk. In the drawings it was shown on the back side of the
sidewalk. That we include some intersections on Forest View Drive, which would
make it safer to cross the street, than what we see now on the drawings. And that
along Forest View Drive, we would provide opportunities for seating and
enhanced landscape to promote the idea of Forest View Drive as a,really the
public space spine of the project, uh, so that....residents living in the area would
have an opportunity to engage one another. So...so in the end, um....I think, again,
based on what I....what I'm hearing in terms of the gas station deletion, and uh,
I....I'm sensing a more of a willingness to, urn, work with staff, with an
understanding of what some of the expectations are moving forward, um, but I...
I don't see the need for any additional conditions, urn, assuming again that these
good faith efforts continue.
Throgmorton: I....I'd like to say that most of these suggestions you made, John, are ones that I
support,but as you say, there's no need to specify them as conditions for the
rezoning, but....at a certain point we'll have to get into the detail about the
roadway stuff, uh, for instance, and that would be during the development
agreement phase (both talking)
Salih: (mumbled)
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Throgmorton: I think so, but Geoff(both talking)
Fruin: For the improvements within the right-of-way, I think we can address those in the
development agreement. Urn, Councilman Thomas, you're talking also about
your expec....your belief that staff can work with the owner on the caliper size of
the trees,with the placement of the trees. That's a little....that's somethin' that you
should talk about here. If you want to make changes to a landscaping plan, then
we need consensus among,uh, the majority of you to do that, because those
things become fixed in the plans, and I think if you're wanting additional
screening, or you're wanting to increase, again, caliper size or the placement of
evergreens, um, those are the conversations you need to have now. I'm...what I'm
tellin' you is that....items within the right-of-way, we can address those through
the development agreement.
Throgmorton: Okay, so.....
Hektoen: I just wanna point out, sorry! Sarah Hektoen from the City Attorney's office. In
the current draft of the conditional zoning agreement, it does say that, uh,
development shall include screening and tree preservation along Dubuque Street
in accordance with the detailed landscape plan approved by the City Forester.
Um....so there is that there, uh, if you want to provide guidance to the landscape,
or you know, on that landscape plan, I think that would be great. If you wanna
expand the scope of it to be on, you know, along Dubuque Street,uh, that's
another opportunity to clarify that condition....as well, so....
Thomas: I think we need to hear from the(mumbled) fellow Councilors in terms of, uh,
you know, what....to what level of degree....do we wanna be more specific in
terms of improving the project along the lines I was describing.
Throgmorton: Well one thing I think we need to make sure happens is that the entryway to the
City, meaning the west side of Dubuque Street as you're driving down from the
interstate interchange needs to retain the essential visual character that it currently
has, and that, I think, you've suggested that can be accomplished. I....I think you
said by, uh, selective insertion of various evergreens or....into the....the....the
screening or....buffer.
Thomas: Yeah, I think....I think, um, I mean this is where, as I had said, the idea of further
study of the condition, the actual condition that we're working with, urn, would
give us a better answer, but it does suggest what....what the condition on that, in
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that location suggests to me would be, uh, greater use of evergreen trees, as a
means of providing visual screening, uh, particularly because the existing
vegetation, to a large extent, is deciduous. So in order to maintain more effective
screening, additional trees would....would most likely need to be evergreen.
Fruin: This may be a good time to have the developer give you an overview of that
corridor. I think they're prepared to talk in more detail about that, so you have an
understanding of what is proposed.
Becker: Thank you for all the feedback thus far. I am gonna flip ahead. There was a...a
cross-sectional that was shared last time. Obviously it's outdated, uh, so it does
have the gas station illustrated,but for purpose of the discussion that we're
having, I think it's still helpful. So this cross-section illustrates what would be
shown, uh, if you were driving along North Dubuque Street,uh, with respect to
working towards preserving the entryway, and so the top...topography kind of
speaks for itself, uh, and the two cross-sections that are shown, um, the first....I
don't know how that works. Okay! So the first is the section through buffer. Uh,
and then included with that is the section...above, so that you have a....a good feel
for what you would see from the....from the entryway of North Dubuque Street.
Fruin: Jimmy, could....could you just briefly explain how to read a cross-section
diagram like this, for those that aren't familiar with that?
Becker: Yeah, yeah. Thank you, Geoff. So, I think it might be best to start from the
bottom and work up, so that's how....how we'll look at it. So if you're drivin'
along North Dubuque Street, and wondering what are you going to see when
looking at the development, what you will see is the opening to the entryway of
that secondary access, which is where the illustration of....of cars is show. Here
.....what....what is represented here is the existing of trees, and what's shown
in...this is where the cross-section is cut, and then behind that is where the trees
are, where there's additional topography, uh, with....with the grading of the site
development as it is. This cross-section, urn,just above that takes a cross-section,
not considerate of the trees along North Dubuque Street, but it cuts it as...as if
those trees didn't exist, uh,to provide an illustration of what you would see if
the....the 40-foot buffer didn't exist, and so the....the importance of this
representation, the trees that are along North Dubuque Street are 40-feet or more,
urn, I don't know if(talking in background) you can verify?
Joyce: Yeah, if you kind of just look at the height of these buildings here, and the height
of those trees there,because of the topography, the trees'll do additional, um,
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screening than if it was a level surface. So you can see that in the cross-section
here that basically this cross-section is if you strip the frees away,the building is,
if you look where the hand is, that's where the building is. So it doesn't stick up
over the trees. It's below, because of that topography, and that's what the cross-
section's showing.
Thomas: Right, so...the....the question is, whether the trees that we're looking at are
deciduous or evergreen, and my....my recollection is most of them are deciduous.
Joyce: Yeah, and I think there's some along the right-of-way that might be not deciduous,
along the right-of-way. I'd have to...look at the photographs again, but I thought
there was some arbor...arborvitae, along the right-of-way, but not up....not up on
the, um, outside that property boundary, or on that property boundary. You're
right. That's all mainly maples.
Thomas: Yeah, so I mean this is where, you know, the intention that I was trying to
describe in the condition was that when....when the project's completed,the....the
planting along Dubuque Street,throughout the year, would provide screening of
lots one through four. So....so to the degree there are evergreen, that could be
existing. Those trees could be built into that screening effect, but I.....my sense
was that...having, you know, looked at the conditions on site, that there were not
sufficient....a sufficient number of evergreen trees to ensure that the views would
be screened throughout the year.
Becker: I'll speak to that more specific with the....with the intended use. Uh, because as I
mentioned in....in my presentation, we do have to be considerate of the
commercial end user. Uh, we're not suggesting to raise the buildings, uh, to...to
sit above the trees, uh, but.....with respect to different times during the year, I
think that that's what allows....because of the fact that the proceeds of the sale of
the commercial parcels helped to provide for the funding necessary to honor the
rent rate at$310 month for the residents. Um, if....if we make....make it, um,
completely closed off or shut off, we're, um, limiting, um, ourselves and makin' it
more difficult to sell those parcels. Um, obviously most people today have their
smart phones, and so if they're lookin' for whatever the end use might be, they
have the ability to, you know, do a quick Google map, um, and obviously those
who live in....in the city, once these uses are up, will know where to go without
having to....to look on their phones. But, um...having walls, uh....hiding, uh, the
....the use of the building,there is some sensitivity to that, as well, so that's just a
consideration.
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Thomas: Yeah, I....I was not....given the change since I wrote this, the walls were no
longer, in my view, part of the(both talking) strategy. (several talking)
Throgmorton: Kevin,please say your name, please.
Monson: Kevin Monson. Uh, this section really doesn't help us as much as the section that
would actually be, uh, going the other direction.
Thomas: East-west?
Monson: East-west.
Thomas: Yeah.
Monson: Um....you can see, uh, in the upper section here, the entrance into the
development, Forest View Drive. You see where the cars are? You can also see
where the, uh,blocks, uh, two, three, and four would be, and see how they're
actually lower than the entrance drive into the development. The entrance drive
into the development is at Dubuque Street level. So you basically come straight
in. And what we don't see is there's a large berm there currently between
Dubuque Street and lots two,three, and four. We need....we do have a section of
that. It was shown, uh, to P&Z. And that does a better job than any tree, uh will
ever do,because we have an earthen berm and raised area. So we really need to
give you that section so you can get a better feel for it.
Thomas: Yeah, I'm (both talking) I could see from the plans that....that two, three, and four
were in a depressed (both talking)
Monson: Right!
Thomas: ....elevation(both talking)
Monson: Right!
Thomas: ...compared to lot one.
Monson: Right, and you can see even though, uh, those, uh....buildings are quite a ways
back into the development. There's a lot of real estate between, uh, the street and
those buildings. So the biggest thing though is actually the topography that is
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there right now, and that's gonna be a very big benefit to screening those buildings
from Dubuque Street.
Mims: Okay, that's one question I had that I wanted to clarify. So that berm that is there
now, as you drive down on Dubuque Street and you look to the west, to the right-
hand side, that elevation is gonna stay the same. That's not gonna be graded off at
all.
Monson: That's right. That's absolutely right.
Mims: Okay, and then in lots two, three, and four, the base of those buildings is actually
going to be lower...
Monson: Lower than Dubuque Street.
Mims: Lower than Dubuque Street.
Monson: Yes.
Salih: It's lower(mumbled)
Mims: Okay.
Monson: Yes, the base of those buildings are actually lower than Dubuque Street.
Mims: Okay.
Monson: (both talking) ...between Dubuque Street and, uh,those buildings is a....a fairly
large grade change.
Mims: Right.
Monson: What you can see is there today.
Mims: Okay.
Monson: Right.
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Mims: Yeah, you're right, that makes a huge difference in terms of...even if there weren't
any trees, your line of sight going up over that berm is gonna be significant, and
then you add the trees, that's definitely(both talking)
Monson: Right, and we do have that cross-section and it should have been,uh, part of this
presentation.
Mims: That would be helpful.
Throgmorton: My concern in looking at that,uh, that first rendering, I guess, of the entryway,
with trees on either side, was that all....all we saw were deciduous trees so I'm
thinking....wintertime, those deciduous trees aren't gonna have any leaves and it's
just gonna be branches, so you know, it's gonna mess up the entryway,but I drove
down there(laughs)just a few days ago and you know just checkin'things out as I
usually do, and yeah, there's that...um....
Monson: Very large hill.
Throgmorton: Very large hill there on the right. So, I....I think that goes a long way, John,
toward dealing with that entryway. I mean I hope you understand our big
concern, and it's not the biggest concern, but it's (both talking)
Monson: No! It's been part of our goal from day one is to preserve the beautiful entrance to
the city of Iowa City. It's the stated goal of the project, and it was stated goal, uh,
P&Z, and it continues to be a goal of this project (both talking)
Throgmorton: Okay.
Monson: ...to preserve that pristine view.
Thomas: So we will see that at the next(both talking)
Monson: Yeah, we...staff has it already. So....they can share that with you. The other thing
is one of the reasons we have those stone retaining walls on either side of our
entry is to....eliminate as much of the cut (several talking) as necessary. You can
imagine if we had to (several talking) didn't have those walls, we'd be cutting out
even more. So we have tried to keep that as narrow as possible, and every time
the traffic study said we needed another lane, I cringed (laughter)because I just
widened that out. So, urn,by eliminating the gas station, we have eliminated, you
know, a huge amount of our traffic count too. So....
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Thomas: Right.
Monson: ....so, but that is always been the intent.
Throgmorton: Okay, John, I think there's another key part of what you were recommending that
would be a condition, if....if, uh, if you wanna kind of move it along. And that
has to do with, uh, the....the planting of, having 50%tree cover over the 1,000 or
so parking spaces in the development. So is that somethin' you wanna(both
talking)
Thomas: Well it...yeah, I mean it's certainly....as you said, Jim, the conditions I was trying
to articulate, I think, are an improvement to the project. So....the, it....how we
are, try to articulate that, that's acceptable, uh, as we move forward is I guess the
question, and yes, the....what would the strategies be. They would be....in....
possibly increasing caliper size, increasing the....
Throgmorton: What is cal...caliper size?
Thomas: The size of the trunk diameter.
Throgmorton: Thank you.
Thomas: Uh....selecting trees that have a larger canopy. Um, there are a number of things
that could be done, um, with the goal being, and if you look at the plans, the plans
are....are kind of shocking in the sense, if....if they're depicting the canopy cover
on these lots, urn,they're not going to be well covered by the trees, and....and so
that was the goal.
Joyce: Yeah, and I wanna speak a little bit to that, uh,planting large caliper trees.
Thomas: Uh huh.
Joyce: Um, I, uh, lived in the Peninsula neighborhood for a number of years. We planted
large caliper native trees. They had a very hard time surviving. That....that
construction soil that compacted those...the way, uh, native trees,their roots have
a long tap root. They do not like to be ball-and-burlapped. So if we're trying to
replace native trees that are sustainable, resis.....you know,resistant to disease
and drought. Planting large caliper trees is not always the best option, so I think
we have to balance that a little bit with,urn,planting trees that are gonna be
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resilient and sustainable, than planting trees that provide an instant cover. So
that's just(both talking)
Cole: I guess from my point of view at this point, I'm not willing to get into this level of
detail,in terms of a conditional zoning agreement. Urn, so that's my position. So
I mean if there's perception that that's level of detail we want to get into, we can
continue on that,but I'm not willing to get into this level of detail, from my point
of view.
Throgmorton: Well then the question becomes what level of detail would be appropriate. I
would say,John has suggested something that is a meaningful....marker, which
.....the applicant can think about and then tell us in the end what the applicant,uh,
chooses,uh,thinks is possible and what's not. So in the end,if I understand you
correctly, you think that the parking lots,thousand or so spaces,the lots
themselves need....in the end,to have about 50%coverage.
Thomas: That would be the goal. I mean (both talking)
Throgmorton: Yeah, so then the question is if that's proposed as a condition for rezoning, is that
something that the developer can live with and would be an okay thing. You don't
have to answer right now (both talking)
Salih: But why should we(both talking)
Mims: Wait a minute, does the majority of Council even agree(several talking)
Salih: Yeah! You should ask us that question,Jim,because(unable to understand)
agreement. This is not something in the code. As long as they are not violating
the code,we don't have(unable to understand) We ask them too much. I think
they eliminated a lot of thing. We ask them for something that is not in the code.
The developer came and talk about a lot thing that is not in the code, and(unable
to understand)the size of the....no! That's like really a lot of details(unable to
understand) If they wanna do voluntarily, okay. If they not, I don't think this is
something. They are not violating the law. Or the code, I mean.
Taylor: I disagree a bit because I think some of John's suggestions are....are very helpful
and very good and with good intention, and we've said over and over again that
we want this to be a model development. So I think we need to get it right the
first time and look at all the details that will make it right and will make it good.
That's my(both talking)
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Salih: ...have to have a vote on this. (several talking)
Throgmorton: Well....hold...hold on just a second. In the end, whatever we instruct will be at
least a majority of the Council doing the instructing. So we're (both talking)
Salih: Because I just (mumbled) you telling that(unable to understand) (both talking)
Throgmorton: No, ma'am, that's not(both talking) I was ask....I was asking a question. I wasn't
telling the developer what to do. So I...I was just wondering how the developer
would respond, if...if, that sort of 50% coverage (mumbled)
Becker: It's something that we'd have to defer with....to our consultants, to have further
discussion on and we'd be happy to have further dialogue and conversation with
the City. I think it's not necessarily gonna be one or the other. It sounds like
there's opportunity to achieve the goals, uh, that are stated and do it in a way that,
uh, given that one of our conditions is to maintain the trees for five years, uh, to
Judy's point, we don't wanna be putting trees that are gonna die. So I...we wanna
be considerate and I think that we can come back with a solution and if there's
further clarification or feedback(both talking)
Throgmorton: Okay, so if you are willing...would you please do that and that does not commit
this Council to...saying we impose this as a condition. That's something that we
will eventually decide as a Council, but if....if you're willing to just provide that
information and your own assessment of the viability of...of that as a condition.
Becker: And we can provide some of the pros and cons that we...we come up with from
the research (both talking)
Throgmorton: Okay. Okay. Is....is that okay with the rest of you?
Mims: I think that's a little challenging though for the developer. If we're going to try
and close this public hearing in the next meeting,that....(both talking)
Throgmorton: Well we could, I'm sorry, we could (both talking)
Mims: If we're gonna try....that's what the City Manager's I think recommendation hope
was, that we could potentially close this public hearing at our next meeting. That
means a CZA needs to be signed,be...before we get to that meeting. That means
the developer and staff need to know what are absolute conditions that this...that a
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majority of this Council need to see in that CZA. So that, to me, says we as a
Council have to direct them tonight on....is this 50%tree coverage, you know, is
this 50% coverage of the parking lots with trees, is that basically a make or break
piece of the CZA? Otherwise I don't see how staff and the developers can get a
CZA signed, because to me they don't have enough direction from Council.
Okay? So from my perspective, that is not a make....a make or break piece for
the CZA.
Throgmorton: I'd like to just notice...note that the staff still has to work with the applicant to
refine some of what we've already heard, especially with regard to the gas station.
We...we don't....we don't know the details about that. So we won't know the
details until like, I don't know, several days before, uh, our next meeting. So we
will not have had a chance to discuss those details.
Mims: I agree,but they may have a CZA signed and then we'll be at a point of either
having to accept that CZA or we will have to continue the public hearing again if
we don't agree with that CZA. My point is, if we have issues in front of us
tonight, that we can as a majority of Council give direction of whether they....
whether we require or don't require them to be in the CZA, then we should do that
to minimize the number of unknowns that we will be facing before that next
meeting in that CZA.
Teague: If....if they were to render some drawins' that show trees but it wasn't a part of
this CZA, would they be held to that as well? To whatever they render, as far as
(both talking)
Mims: ....not if it's not a part of the CZA(both talking)
Teague: It would have to be in the CZA.
Russett: I mean I think this conversation informs the City Forester, uh, in his review of the
landscape plan that will be presented to him. Um.....so I think this is all helpful.
Whether you actually write it into the conditional zoning agreement or not, this
gives a lot of direction to the City Forester,um.....
Teague: Which that is a part of the CZA.
Russett: Right(several talking) One that the developer has....(mumbled) original
conditional zoning agreement contain the condition that I read earlier about, uh,
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landscape plan being approved by the City Forester for the Dubuque Street, uh,
section of it.
Cole: So my position is is that, you know,between now and the next meeting, if they
can have a reasonable discussion and they're agreeable to that, I'm fine with that,
but I am not going to reject something that the developer is not comfortable with
at this stage. Um, my view is is that, you know, you look at in comparison to the
Forest View residents have been working for three years hashing out details, and I
do not think we should be getting into this level of detail at this stage. I'm sorry I
disagree,uh, as far as that goes. So (both talking)
Salih: I'm sorry.
Cole: I just think we need to move on. I do not want...I'm willing to continue, but I
want the meeting done by next meeting. I wanna close the public hearing and I
wanna take a vote, and after that I'd like to collapse the second and third,but
that'll be at a future meeting, because we've done enough delay. We need to fish
or cut bait (both talking)
Throgmorton: Just to be clear, I will not support condensing the last two. This is too important
to do it, and I've told, uh, minutes....uh, members of the tenants association that I
cannot and will not support condensing the last two readings. There're so many
other interests involved. I....I can't do that. But anyhow, that's for next week
(both talking)
Cole: ....for a future meeting.
Throgmorton: Okay, so....um.....
Teague: I guess I have a lot of questions, and I know the time is, you know....far late, urn,
I guess one comment to John. I am not an expert on speed and stuff like that, um,
but I know that you did make mention that you wanted to keep the speeds the
same, um, as the current speeds. I'm not exactly sure 10 miles per hour, um, is...is
the right speed. I'm not sayin' I wouldn't support that, but (both talking)
Thomas: I was....I was saying 20 miles (both talking)
Teague: Oh, 20 miles, all right. That I can support! I guess I'm just gonna go through and
just make mention to the....to the, um,the developer. Some of the things that I
am....that I've thought about, I'm gonna kind of read through them just to get 'em
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all out, and then people can chime in. Urn, so the homes, individuals own and
rent these, and they rent the land as well, and then you mentioned,urn,honorin'
the initial monthly rate of 310. So the word 'honoring the initial' is kind of
(laughs) choice wording to me (both talking)
Becker: Yes!
Teague: But I'm gonna go through and then at the end...um, my question is, when we're
talkin' about initial rates, what limits can we as Council create to regulate rent
increases for property owners, and if the land is sold to another owner, initially
the owner, you know, what....what can we do there? And then I also heard you
say that initially the owner, um, the project owner, uh, will be a part of the HOA,
the homeowner association, and then as the residents become owners, like 15
years from now, then they'll be a part of the HOA once they become homeowners,
and then their voices will be a part of the HOA. But, I'm gonna continue, and
then,urn, in 15 years.....again I, you know, what will the lot rent be? The
mortgage be for the house? And the HOA fees,because a mobile home, which I
own one(laughs)um, currently still, since 2003,urn, there's the lot rent, there's
the mortgage, and if you're talkin' about a HOA homeowners association, you'll be
(mumbled) about that in a minute, and then....you know,the....we heard the cost
of$200,000....for the, for each of those parcels. So....mobile, manufactured
homes, I'll call 'em what they are—manufactured homes—you stated to build
them, you know, and I understand there's plumbing and all that stuff, but....the
estimate that I remember is 200,000 per parcel. Um....I do know....I do
appreciate the high insulation comments, as well as the Sheetrock inside of the
home, um, as,you know, um.....(laughs) the home that I have was built, and it's
rental—I don't live there,but um, it was built in 1998 and the expense of the
heatin' and air is quite expensive. So I imagine that they've done much
improvements to the manufactured homes,um,by then. And then I know that I
was the one that made the comment about the steel roofs. Um, so when we're
talkin' about the neighborhoods and the neighbors and stuff like that, wanted to
ensure that, you know, that the quality of properties don't go down. So within....i
don't know what the life span actually is of a, um, shingled roof,but my
assumption is is while I was told by a steel roof guy that it was about seven years
—that may not be true, right, cause he was tryin' to sell me a steel roof,but,urn,
will say that it's about.....well, 20 years, um, somethin' like that, where the entire
roof potentially has to be changed. Now I don't know the prices for steel roofs for
this particular project, but I....from personal experience, um, I imagine if I was to
do a guesstimate,um, for all of the properties you could be anywhere between
50,000 and 100,000 to put steel roofs on something that will last the entire life of
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that property, if you get the right one with the right warranty. Urn, where they
place it, no matter who lives there. Um, and I think that as all of my comments
that I just wanted to get out first, and then, urn, and....and Council, if you....if
you all have things that you wanna talk about as well.
Dulek: Just maybe before Jimmy responds, some of your questions and concerns are
already part of the relocation plan that's approved and that's part of the CZA. For
example the rent increase is 2%per year. So some of those concerns have already
been dec...decided and approved and are part of the CZA.
Teague: Thank you. (several talking in background)
Russett: There would be no lot rent either, I mean there'd be a mortgage,but because it's
sold as, you know, a single-family home, they wouldn't have to pay a separate lot
rent.
Teague: Okay.
Russett: They'll have HOA fees, urn, but that part would be eliminated(mumbled)budget.
Teague: Okay.
Becker: So the sales, the predetermined price that allows in 15 years for them to put down
a down payment, uh, so we would work with the residents for.....to secure
financing and a portion of their rent is going as accumulation of equity towards
down payment.
Mims: One of the things that I think is really unique and important about this project is
....we are not replacing one trailer park with another trailer park. The legal
structure of this is totally different and the fact that there is a guarantee in terms of
the increase in rent. It is, as was mentioned earlier, fee simple, which means that
when they buy, they are buying not just the unit,but they are buying the land
underneath. It is legally real estate,which means they can qualify for a regular
mortgage at a lending institution. Whereas when somebody has a trailer, that is
considered personal property and it is a depreciating asset. So you can't get the
same kind of financing. It is much harder to get. It is much more expensive to
get. So this builds in a lot more protection for these individuals....that can get to
that point of being able to achieve ownership. So it is a much better system than a
trailer park, as we've seen with some of the recent cases of....I would call it
predatory buying.
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Salih: I have a question for you. For me I really have zero, like...asks for this ques....for
this project. I just feel it's great as it is. Uh, if, urn, gonna be the,like the (unable
to understand) I would say just yes and you guys go ahead,but we have...all of
them have to vote. Anyway, what I wanna ask you (unable to understand) before
I been elected, I used to work with, of course, this project, and I was being closely
with the developer and the residents that I...when they first came and try to sort
the problem, try to negotiate how they can do the relocation plan,but I remember
when they first propose the kind of housing that they will provide for the
residents. Now this is completely different than the one that I saw it on the
proposal right now. The other houses was....look like, uh(unable to understand)
you know the roof like this, like look like house, but the one that I see right now is
really look like mobile home. I think those residents deserve like better houses.
If we say we are moving them from mobile home,just like Susan said, you know,
to better housing. I understand, everything's completely different,but the way
that they look, maybe they are not blend with the rest of the community and that's
why there is many people now came here and they just....as they said, even
though I don't agree with them, that's would reduce the....the value of their
houses, you know, that...next to them, but I think....if you can provide really nice
houses than the one that you proposed,will be nice. I don't(unable to understand)
have to be add to the conditional or this is something that we can discuss during
the....when you come for affordable housing.
Teague: So Maz is referring to the peaked, um, roof. I was actually....today I just found
out it was actually a manufactured home and....and I've never seen a
manufactured home without a peaked roof.
Becker: So it may be a....depiction of the....the photo. The....the homes that we initially
proposed three years ago hasn't changed. Urn, I don't know if this is the best
rendering that we have within our slide deck,but (both talking) we can provide
further,uh (both talking)
Salih: But that's not like the same one that we saw?
Becker: Yeah, it is.
Salih: It is?
Teague: Whatever reason the last time it looked flat.
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Salih: It looked flat.
Teague: (laughs)
Salih: The one that we saw because...like Bruce and I were looking at it and we talked
about it.
Becker: Okay. Uh, one of the comments,uh, from a citizen of Iowa City, uh, directed,urn,
Council Members to this web site and the....the home that we, uh, have described,
and that the residents looked at when we did our field trip down to Mt. Pleasant
actually was on the web site. So...um, this isn't necessarily the company that we'll
work with, but it at least provides more of the specs and detail of....of the home.
Taylor: And how were these homes set on the lots and also the question was the skirting, I
was a little confused cause there was a proposal in something we received about a
concrete base (both talking)
Becker: Precast concrete (both talking)
Taylor: I know from experience, you know, high wind and skirting, they don't mix, and
that's a problem.
Becker: So it'll be anchored to....to the home, with the concrete skirting around the home.
Salih: And how many bedroom is this homes?
Becker: Those are three-bedroom homes.
Salih: Okay! I also heard,before, and now some people, like from (unable to
understand) talk to me about it, also they said if you have now current like four
bedroom, or if you now have a, like a four-bedroom or three-bedroom,but you
have more children, on the mobile home,maybe you can be entitled to a bigger
house, which is four-bedroom, to accommodate all your children, and they...the
rent will be like change and the price will be of course change. Are you still
willing to do that, because I know that there is some families in Forest View, they
have more like....they.....they need four-bedroom, not only three-bedroom,
because they have big family, they have kids.
Becker: So I think it's something we'd have to discuss with the manufacturer of the...of the
homes, as far as what we're able to do. Um, I know at least what we've discussed
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with the residents of Forest View, urn, some alteration of what's illustrated here,
uh,just with respect to increasing the bedrooms and decreasing the closet space,
just to maximize square footage within the rooms. Uh, in terms of adding, uh,
more....more bedrooms,that's somethin' I'm gonna need to, uh, discuss internally
with our team to figure out how we can accommodate that.
Taylor: It was said that some of the residents, uh, might choose to, uh, be housed in the
multi-family units or the cond...condos, or townhouses. Might those have four
bedrooms?
Becker: Those....those are three bedrooms (both talking)
Taylor: Okay.
Salih: I guess that something you have (unable to understand) I know a lot family in
Forest View and they talk to me, and they said they have more children. How did
you figure out....I know that you done a survey and you done all this, and you
know how many children that household, and if they really have to have three-
bedroom or four-bedroom. Uh, I hope you consider that.
Throgmorton: Yeah, this sounds like a significant topic. We can't resolve it tonight. So there's
gonna have to be conversations, uh, I think,Jimmy, uh, with you and the staff and
so on about this so we can have clarity about what specifically's being proposed
and....uh, what the response to Maz's question is.
Salih: Okay(mumbled)
Throgmorton: Well we have a lot more to do tonight and there've been people waiting a long
time for another topic, I think, but maybe they've all left (laughs) I don't....l don't
know. Uh...I wanna thank you for coming in and going into detail about your
proposed changes. Uh, I'm very excited that,uh, you're agreeable to the idea of
the gas station being removed. Uh, if anybody wants to see my own, um, analysis
about why....it would be important to take that gas station away, you can find it in
our infor...in our agenda packet. It's one of the first items under this particular
topic. I don't wanna go through it in detail, uh,but I lay out the numbers about
the amount of traffic that would be generated by the gas station alone, and the
implications of that for all sorts of other things that matter. So....I.....in the
interest of time, I'm not gonna go through the detail about that, but I'm really
pleased that you are, you and the applicant, are willing to,uh, make that happen.
Okay, uh, can we move on? Are we okay with doin' that? Okay, so (both talking)
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Becker: ...ask a couple quick questions.
Throgmorton: Oh, yes, sir!
Becker: So are there any other, uh, considerations or....or comments from other Coun....
Council Members that we should be considering in our correspondence with the
City?
Cole: I'm supportive of the project.
Salih: I'm supportive of the project too.
Thomas: (laughing) I think we're all supportive (both talking)
Throgmorton: Yeah, I think(both talking)
Salih: ...without adding any condition, how about that? (several talking and laughing)
Throgmorton: Yeah, I think you've heard all we're capable of saying. (laughter)
Becker: Thank you, and then the can....canopy, was there a determination on that or just
work with the City? Is that....
Throgmorton: Well, it's really dependent on you.
Becker: Okay.
Throgmorton: If you're willing to consider die possibility of having a....a standard like 50%, or
perhaps somewhat smaller than that.
Becker: Okay.
Throgmorton: If you are willing to do that then you can just work with Geoff about that, and it
can be a condition—that you'd be willing to sign. If you're not willing to do that,
I don't think there's majority support to, uh, re....require that as a condition.
Salih: Yeah, if you willing!
Throgmorton: Yeah.
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Salih: (unable to understand)
Throgmorton: So just(both talking)\
Mims: I don't think it's gonna kill the project if you don't.
Salih: Exactly!
Becker: One final question with respect to the petition. Uh, I don't know the extent of
who....who signed and why, but with the change of the gas station this might be
more of a technical question, but how does that impact?
Russett: It's still part of the rezoning, urn, boundary, so it would still be....the calculation
doesn't change.
Throgmorton: I think what he means is some of the petitioners might not oppose it if the gas
station's gone away.
Russett: Fair point, yeah. Right. So they could withdraw their(laughter) (several talking)
Throgmorton: ...they could do that.
Becker: Okay. I was just curious.
Throgmorton: I don't know that we've ever had that(laughing)happen before! (several talking
in background)
Cole: ...comment real quick (several talking) If the tree, if you put more trees in the
parking lot, hypothetically wouldn't we be taking away stalls that are
recommended by the staff and City that we would.....see what I mean? (several
talking)
Throgmorton: Okay.
Becker: Thank you very much.
Throgmorton: Thanks so much, Jimmy!
Becker: Have a great night!
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Throgmorton: Okay, folks, so, uh, could I have a motion to continue the public hearing and defer
first consideration to May the 7th?
Teague: So moved.
Salih: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Teague, seconded by Salih. Discussion? Hearing none, roll call
please. Motion carries 7-0. Could I have a motion to accept correspondence
please?
Mims: So moved.
Teague: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Mims, seconded by Teague. All in favor say aye. Opposed. Motion
carries.
2. Consider an Ordinance(First Consideration) (Deferred from 4/2
meeting)
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10.b. City Park/ 100 Park Road rezoning: Local Historic Landmark
Rezoning, City Park Cabins—Ordinance rezoning property located at the
Old Settler's Association of Johnson County cabins, off 100 Park Road in
City Park from Neighborhood Public (P-1) to P-1 with a Historic District
Overlay (Pl-OHD) (REZ19-1)
1. Public hearings
Throgmorton: I'll open the public hearing. (bangs gavel) Hey, Danielle!
Sitzman: Good evening, Mayor, City Council. Danielle Sitzman, Neighborhood and
Development Services. I'm going to give one staff report for the next three
agenda items since they're all very similar. Uh, they all are historic landmark
rezonings for City-owned properties that are also already on the National Historic
Registry. Uh, the City is taking the initiative to bring these forward through the
Historic Preservation Commission and the Planning Commission to you tonight
with recommendations of approval to acknowledge the historic preservation, uh,
of three,uh, important resources in the community. The first one being the, uh,
cabins at City Park, which were recently, uh, rehabilitated lovingly and will be
rededicated, um, or acknowledged with the 70th anniversary of City Park pool
this, uh, next month. The second,uh, resource being the Ned Ashton House, the
designer of said City Park pool and an important figure in Iowa City history of
bridge building, and the third being the old post office, now currently the Senior
Center. Urn, so all three of those are being proposed tonight for rezoning to
landmark, uh, zoning designation. They all have met the requirements for
landmarks, uh, and have been reviewed by Historic Preservation and reviewed by
the Planning Commission for compliance with the comprehensive plan. So...
they are recommended for approval to you tonight.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Danielle(both talking) Yeah, we'll just hopefully move right through
this. So,uh, would anyone else like to address this topic? (talking in
background) (mumbled) ....Kevin, hi.
Boyd: (both talking) How are you doing? Good...Chair of the Historic Preservation
Commission. Um, I think it's fitting that the Old Settler's cabins at City Park is,
uh, kind of the lead of these three. Urn, the Old Settler's were our founding
mothers and fathers. Each of them chose this place, Iowa City, to build their
future. Some of them lived quiet lives, others were outspoken community
leaders,but as an organization that came together to pay tribute to the lives of
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early settlers, these cabins are an embodiment of that mission, uh, creating
examples of how pioneers lived in the....how pioneers in this area lived. When
they were dedicated in 1919, uh, at City Park, at their current location, Elizabeth
Irish, a business leader, gave the dedication speech. I'm not gonna read the whole
thing,just a sentence. Um, and she said: Another year has come and gone since
we met on the banks of this beautiful Iowa River, um....(mumbled) Today we
dedicate these cabins to commemorate the early settlers of Johnson County, their
virtues,high ideals, and their pioneer struggles. Uh, we, their descendants, have
built these cabins, forming a link...in the chain of development for which, uh,has
gone steadily forward. As the City(mumbled) the City has already made sure
these,uh, historic assets are ready for another hundred years through their careful
restoration. Tonight you have the opportunity to add them and these other historic
landmarks to the rightful place in Iowa City's list of historic, uh, landmarks. As
(mumbled) Miss Irish suggested to continue that link in the chain of development
from our pioneers and community leaders, uh, to today and for future generations.
I urge you all to support the landmark designations. Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Kevin. Anyone else? Okay, seeing no one else, I need to know
whether you folks are inclined to agree with the Planning and Zoning
Commission's recommendation to approve. (several responding) Okay, I'm
gonna close the public hearing. (bangs gavel)
2. Consider an Ordinance (First Consideration)
Mims: Move first consideration.
Thomas: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Mims, seconded by Thomas. Discussion? I'm glad we're moving
ahead on this.
Salih: Uh huh.
Throgmorton: Hearing no more discussion, roll call please. Motion carries 7-0.
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10.d. 28 S. Linn Street rezoning: Local Historic Landmark Rezoning, Old
Post Office—Ordinance rezoning property located at 28 S. Linn Street from
Neighborhood Public (P-1) to P-1 with a Historic District Overlay(P1-OHD)
(REZ19-3)
1. Public Hearing
Throgmorton: I'll open the public hearing. (bangs gavel) Hey, Jay! How are you?
Honohan: Mr. Mayor! Members of the Council! Jay Honohan, 1510 Summerset Lane. I
didn't know this was on the agenda.
Throgmorton: And now you know!
Honohan: I came down for the deer (laughter) however....I'm confused. When we built the
skywalk, we had to deal with the Historic Commission of Iowa City, and in fact,
the compromise for the sidewa...for the skywalk was that big glob of concrete
sitting on the corner next to the....north door of the Senior Center! And I'm really
getting up today, uh....to keep my rights to protest in the future, and I'm gonna
read the ordinance, then figure out what this means,because we had so much
trouble with the skywalk that I'm a little nervous about historical designations, if
we want to do something else to make the Senior Center a better senior center.
Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Jay. Well, where's Marian Karr when we need her! She's (mumbled)
not talkin'to you, Jay, uh, our former Clerk, City Clerk Marian Karr, would know
all the...she'd have (laughs)memory of all past decisions.
Honohan: I was there! (laughter)
Throgmorton: Yeah, but she would know what they meant with regard to historic landmarks.
Honohan: Terry who left and Joanne (can't hear) and I were the three spearheaders for that,
and we had to deal with this (mumbled) Commission at that time.
Throgmorton: Okay. So....let's see now, would anybody else like to address this topic? Are you
folks, uh, are you folks inclined to support the Commission's recommendation?
(several responding) Okay, so I'm going to close the public hearing. (bangs
gavel) Could I have a motion please?
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2. Consider an Ordinance (First Consideration)
Mims: So moved.
Salih: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Mims, seconded by Salih. Discussion? So has Jay raised a question
here that has significant bearing on our action. Sue, is there any way you can
answer that question? I didn't think so.
Dulek: 'Fraid not.
Mims: Well it would seem to me, Danielle, didn't you say that these are all already
National...on the National Historic....
Sitzman: Sure, they are all nationally, uh, registered properties, which does not grant them
necessarily protection. This would. Um, this would put any modifications to the
exterior of these buildings in the purview of the Historic Preservation
Commission's normal review of such projects. So if the City were to initiate some
sort of exterior change to our property, it would now be,uh, reviewed by Historic
Preservation.
Mims: So when they were trying to do the ramp from the...from the parking ramp to the
building, the fact that it was designated nationally, could that have(both talking)
Sitzman: I'm not sure! I think we may have just had a higher standard of carrot since it was
a City property at the time, but I don't know. (mumbled)
Throgmorton: That may well explain what you're....what you described, Jay, cause there's the
National Historic Register of Historic Landmarks and then there's the local
landmark designation.
Honohan: Well, that's what I would like to check out. To be sure....of what it means to the
Senior Center to see if I wanna file an objection. (several talking)
Throgmorton: Okay. All right well this is only the first reading, so you know how that goes, Jay.
Honohan: (speaking away from mic) ...preserve my(unable to hear)
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Throgmorton: Okay so....let's see now.....we have a.....we've done a motion. All right, any....
any other discussion? Hearing none, roll call. Motion carries 7-0.
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10.e. Proposed Vacation and Conveyance of Hutchinson Ave—Resolution
vacating and conveying the Hutchinson Avenue right-of-way north of Park
Road in Black's Park Addition Subdivision to Bryan Svoboda.
1. Public hearings
Throgmorton: I'll open the public hearing. (bangs gavel) Danielle!
Sitzman: Thank you, Mayor. Urn, this is a vacation of a...of right-of-way, uh, which has
never had a street, city street, built in it. It has functioned essentially as a
driveway for the adjacent properties. The owner of the adjacent properties is at
this time requesting the vacation and to purchase the, uh, land to incorporate it
into land that they own, facilitate a driveway onto their property, and for potential
redevelopment of the property they also own to the west of their current
residence. This red highlight is the area of the right-of-way that would be
vacated. Urn, this, uh, shows it in relationship to the original subdivision design
for this neighborhood. Urn, this map shows it in relationship to the existing street
network, which has been built. Also in relationship to the network that was laid
out in the subdivision, which has not been built,which has also been vacated over
the subsequent years, anywhere from 19....the 1940s to the present. So the City
has embarked on kind of a piecemeal vacation of various components of the street
network over the years and this is just another, uh, one of those. The City feels
that this right-of-way is not suitable for,uh, future construction of a city street,
due to the steep topography. Uh, we also have evaluated this request against the,
uh, criteria necessary for a vacation, things that have to do with, urn, public safety,
uh, we don't feel that there are any concerns with vacating the right-of-way and
there are no City services that would need to be relocated in the right-of-way. So
Planning Commission does recommend, uh, approval of the vacation.
Throgmorton: Thank you. Anyone else want to address this topic? Seeing no one else I'm going
to close the public hearing. (bangs gavel) Could I have a motion to approve
please?
2. Consider a Resolution
Mims: So moved.
Teague: Second.
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Throgmorton: Moved by Mims, seconded by Teague. Discussion? Hearing none, roll call
please. Motion carries 7-0.
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11. Deer Management Public Input—The Public is invited to share their views
on the City's management of the deer population.
Open public input
Throgmorton: So, I'm....in a second I'm going to open, uh, the floor to public input on this topic,
and I really admire and appreciate your.....uh.....perseverance or whatever the
right word is here for sticking around through all the prior discussion. But I
wanna state a few things to make sure we're on the same wave length. Uh....and
....and more, yeah, I wanna provide some background information about the
decision we have before us, and more historical background is available on the
City's web site. So, first, it is important to keep in mind the distinct roles of the
Iowa Natural Resources Commission,the NRC, and the Iowa Department of
Natural Resources, the DNR, with respect to deer management. The NRC is a
seven-person statewide board that approves deer management in urban areas. The
members are appointed to six-year terms by the Governor and confirmed by the
Senate. The DNR, on the other hand, is the staff support to the NRC. Any plan to
manage the deer in Iowa City must be approved by the Natural Resources
Commission, the State commission. So, Iowa City began, first began managing
the deer population just over 20 years ago. Beginning in the winter of 1999 to
2000, and continuing annually for nine out of the next 10 winters,the City
contracted with White Buffalo Incorporated to sharpshoot. In each of those
winters, the City asked the NRC to authorize sharpshooting, and each year the
NRC did so. Because the deer population was at a reasonable level, uh, was at...
no, uh....was not at....I must have mis-written something here. The....oh yeah,
sorry, because it was at a reasonable level, the City notified the NRC in May,
2010 that it was not seeking authorization to sharpshoot the following winter and
the City did not request to sharpshoot again until the spring of 2018. City staff
made two requests to the Commission in 2018 to authorize us to sharpshoot, and
the Commission denied both requests. City staff now believes that the NRC, the
Commission, will not approve a request to manage the deer population solely by
means of professional sharpshooting,but the staff also believes it is likely the
Commission will approve a five-year deer management plan that consists of
sharpshooting in the first year, year one, followed by "public hunts" in years two
through five. City staff have communicated with city officials in Coralville and
Cedar Rapids,both of which have managed their deer populations through public
bow hunting for quite a few years. In recent years, this has resulted in 60 to 100
deer killed in Coralville, and 95 to 125 deer in Cedar Rapids. The programs
managed by these cities have similar parameters, including required hunter safety
courses,program training and proficiency standards, well, including those two
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things—program training and proficiency standards. These requirements lessen
but do not eliminate the likelihood of non-lethal shots from bow hunting. The
staffs of those two cities report to us few complaints coming from the public. In
addition to culling the deer, the five-year plan that would be approvable by the
NRC will also need to include annual deer counts and the promotion of non-lethal
management strategies. But again, it's the staffs belief that a five-year plan will
not be approved unless it includes a public hunt in years two through four. Okay.
So we wanted advice....from members of the public about what to do, cause we...
we have felt stuck. So, please do come up, share with us your advice, and give us
your recommendations.
Honohan: Mr. Mayor, Members of the Council,uh, I'm in favor of the plan that the City staff
has promulgated. I only have one story to tell you as to why I feel it is
appropriate. Uh,whenever I travel...I'm always inquisitive, although my wife
says it's nosy, but in any event, I visited the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
That park has animals such as buffalo, antelope, mustangs, all kinds of feathered
birds, ground squirrels, you name it! It is a wilderness compared to the
metropolitan area that we live in here in Iowa City. Yet at the Theodore Roosevelt
National Park, for the benefit of the animals in the park,they harvest animals
regularly. I think this is important because the deer in our location, and the other
day I was on Rochester and I saw only....eight going and five coming back.
We're overpopulated and this is only going to harm the animals. Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Jay. Hi there.
Frary: (clears throat) Excuse me! Dawn Frary,um, I'm with the Iowa City Deer Friends
and we do have a presentation this evening. So Iowa City Deer Friends, um,
we're here tonight because we seek to support a, um, peaceful and sustainable co-
existence between humans, deer, and other wildlife through education and
empowerment. Uh, we advocate for non-lethal, non-violent wildlife management
and as I said we promote a peaceful co-existence with deer and the other wildlife
that we share our area with. Um, we believe in education and prevention as long-
term, peaceful, progressive solutions that don't cause conflicts between neighbors
and neighborhoods. We propose taking advantage of our highly-educated
citizenry, our local resources (clears throat) and our reputation as being a leader in
progressive thought and action, not just in Iowa, but throughout the Midwest.
Um, we wish to make it known that we are willing to work with,um, City
Council, with the City, with neighborhood associations,um, to create and provide
educational materials, um,web site content,uh, informational pliers, uh, fliers,
seminars, urn, anything like that that might be helpful for this issue. Urn, through
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our own research and discussions we've, urn, arrived at the conclusion that this is
not an issue of numbers, that the issue,urn, is not the number of deer in Iowa City,
but that it is an issue of conflict. What the Iowa City residents are calling for,
those that are calling for, urn, for lethal methods, urn, is impractical and
unsustainable. Uh, we need a solution that extends beyond just wildlife
management and teaches,urn, residents how to co-exist with nature. Urn, a few
points on that, uh, hunting does not sustainably reduce the population in the long-
term. Um, removing deer from one area does not mean that there will be fewer
deer there. Urn, what that means is that it will open up that area for other deer to
move in due to greater space and to greater food abundance. Um, so (mumbled)
when, excuse me, when populations are reduced, the remaining females will
respond to that greater space and greater food abundance by giving birth to twins
or triplets, which will drive the numbers back up. Urn....as we....as we continue
to move into wildlife habitats there does seem to be the expectation that nature
will submit to human presence, which is not the case. Urn, it's a two-way street.
We move into their habitats and so, urn, they will then inhabit ours. Urn, with
there being fewer and fewer green spaces available in urban environments for
deer and other wildlife,urn, we don't see any other way, um, any other choice but
to learn to cohabitate and, uh, to quote, uh, Jeff Goldblum from the film Jurassic
Park, "Life will find a way." Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Dawn.
Jaynes: Allison Jaynes, Hotz Avenue, Iowa City. So let me go on with the presentation
here. So what we're trying to get across is that there is no evidence that there are
too many deer in Iowa City. There are reported conflicts and we need to deal with
those conflicts,but that does not mean that there are too many deer in Iowa City.
The complaints that you've heard have come only from a small group of citizens,
albeit highly organized....those few small groups, who were concerned about
landscaping being grazed upon. Okay? In order to make any argument on killing
any part of that herd, you need to have a solid foundation of the deer concerns and
the stakeholders in those concerns. So far you've heard from just a few who've
submitted complaints or petitions. So we are suggesting that this should include a
citizen survey that you could conduct, available to and advertised to all in Iowa
City. There are examples online from other communities, like Ann Arbor and
other communities in the Midwest that do this as a standard practice. They poll
their citizens so they understand where the conflicts are, what parts of the
neighborhoods in Iowa City, or in their communities, are having these troubles,
and what they can do to reduce those conflicts. We also ask that an independent
deer count be commissioned, perhaps not from the entity that would hold the
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population management contract. There may be a, um, conflict of issues that arise
from that. So I have a quote here from the, uh,Wisconsin Urban Deer
Management Report from the....from the Wisconsin Natural Resources Forec...
Forestry Program that says the number of deer that a community wants is a
community decision. There is no biologically correct number. The biological
carrying capacity of many of our urban areas can be over 100 deer per square
mile. Which we may agree is too many. But that is the biological carrying
capacity or how many could exist and live within one square mile. So what the
community needs to determine is the social carrying capacity, how many deer the
citizens are willing to tolerate, and this goes back to finding out from your
constituents exactly how many deer are too many, or what they think the issues
really are. So, the major concerns of the community should be established before
moving forward to any means of population control. I would say that in this case,
deterrents, efforts, and landscaping protection may be all that is needed to solve
the current conflict, meaning no other action may be needed....to solve the
conflicts that are currently taking place. Right now you are listening to a very
small few who have had the motivation to stand up and make noise about their
plants being eaten, but you have not heard from many of the residents who
cherish their wildlife, who live here because of their love of wild spaces and close
quarters with city life, and who have personal connections to members of the
Iowa City herd. So those voices need to be heard.
Throgmorton: Thank you,Allison. Hi, Florence, how are you?
Boos: Fine if I can figure out...how to (mumbled) (speaking away from mic) Thank
you. My name is Florence Boos....first it should not be assumed that there is a
significant problem until clear evidence of one actually exists. Deer/vehicle
accidents, um,have not been reported this year, so by that measure they do not
pose an immediate public safety concern. There are many, urn, ways to begin to
reduce.....deer/vehicle conflict, including increased use of reflectors and white
tags, which have proven to be effective in other situations. Moreover, additional
signage and flashing lights during hunting season, urn, can alert drivers to pay
attention. These are much less expensive and much less dangerous than other
methods. Now here we have the car....car/deer accidents in Iowa City in 2016.
Kind of obvious that they center on Highway 80 and also, as you can see, on 218.
Likewise, here we see something similar in 2017. I would point out too that
there's all....there are other reasons for limiting speed within the city, um, and...
and observing the speed limit. It's dangerous to drive at night or at dusk, when
one might hit a student who rushes out, a child, a disoriented person, or a pet.
Now we see....um, as you can see, over a five-year period these are the statistics
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available. There have been no fatalities and three accidents. So what can one do?
At hunting season especially it seems irresponsible not to put up warning lights or
signage in the very places where these accidents occurred. As you can see it's
about a one-mile, at most, on 80 and two or three miles on 218. Likewise, it's
been suggested, uh,by the Humane Society and tried out in western states that
both overpasses and underpasses are very successful. Urn, these not only enable
deer to cross in their usual habitats,but they help preserve other forms of wildlife.
When these have been implemented, thousands and thousands of crossings occur
each year. Okay, landscaping! The complaints have been in limited areas. Those
surrounding Hickory Hill Park and on what used to be the area at the Peninsula.
Deer obviously lived there in great numbers at one time and they're trying to
continue to do so. The suggested and intelligent preventive approach is more
likely to work. Lyme disease is a non-issue. Ticks move to other animals or even
humans if one host isn't available. The venison if donated cannot be used for
public consumption due to the expensive testing for chronic wasting disease. So
there's no humanitarian, um, claim. Bow hunting, sharpshooting programs in
other communities have failed to produce long-term results. Lethal methods of
wildlife management have been controversial in general. Sterilization efforts by
contrast have been implemented in similar communities, in Clifton, Ohio and Ann
Arbor, Michigan. I think the world is moving in that direction, and we have those
pockets in our city such as in the Peninsula area or in Hickory Hill where it
would be more feasible to have such a program. We recommend before jumping
to lethal action the City conduct a survey, such as the one in the Humane Society
pamphlet we are providing and the ones mentioned by the former speaker. This
doesn't need to be long. It can be a one-page insert into the electric bill. So, it
gives a chance for all opinions, not just those who are, uh, especially energized
and knowledgeable about the issue. We also advocate a one-page handout. Also
this could go out with the electric bill or whenever, advocating co-active things
residents can do to limit deer browsing. There are quite a few things. Double
hedges prevent them from jumping over, because they won't jump where they
can't see. This would also be useful at the boundary of Hickory Hill. Um, the
choice of deer-unfriendly plants works for me. The use of little screens around
growing trees for$2.00 or so. A screen, uh, also preserves 'em until fruit trees and
others are large enough. Uh, fences of course, flaglets, and reflectors, and most
important as our next speaker will emphasize,no feeding. We suggest that the
leaflet should emphasize that residents themselves can be proactive to minimize
landscaping problems. Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Florence.
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Kendrick: Hi, Lori Kendrick here. Urn, I'm gonna start off with I think stakeholders should
be able to perceive the DNR and NRC as impartial, unbiased, and willing to treat
the full spectrum of knowledge fairly and without prejudice. Iowa City's deer
management debate started over a petition concerning landscape browsing. To
date there's no public record of Iowa DNR working with City officials or residents
to initiate any non-lethal management to discourage or....or, uh, minimize the
landscape browsing. According to an ISU Extension publication, I'm not sure
(mumbled)......(speaking away from mic) Uh, ISU Extension publication
Managing Iowa Wildlife, 'Landscape plantings near prime deer habitat will be
damaged.' If you're butted up against Hickory Park, Hickory Hill Park, guess
what? There's gonna be damage. However, if the DNR insists that it's a numbers'
issue and they're determined to decrease the deer population, a feed ban,
unintentional recreational feeding is one of the first management interventions
implemented in most communities prior to conducting a hunt. I'm just surprised
that that wasn't done during the first culling session. The proposed, uh, feeding
ban that we suggest would focus on intentional feeding of deer. Bird feeders
would not be part of it, and it would also exempt all City....(mumbled) City and,
uh, State and federal, anybody working within the deer management program.
Whenever we get to that place. The....they would be exempt from the feed ban.
Sioux City, Iowa, urn,proposed a feed ban, implemented a feed ban in 2012 and
chose success in decreasing numbers. In 2015 the feeding ban was noted to
contribute to the control of deer population, which was on the decline according
to the DNR, and the DNR counts were 28 deer in 2014, down from 47 in 2012,
which is a pretty good marked difference. There are numerous articles that
provide evidence that lowering deer population has not stopped deer browse. On
a personal level I have family members that live in Des Moines,by, uh, Jordan
Creek Mall and some by South Ridge Mall. They've been doing, uh....uh, archery
hunts in Des Moines for numerous years and starting about three years ago,
family members started having deer come in their yard, defecating in their yard.
My brother and sister-in-law's, literally on their front steps. My sister-in-law's
like, "What's this?" They've been culling all these years and yet areas of town are
having an issue. So I called the DNR this morning in preparation for this evening,
and I was told that the....those areas are part of the DMC zone, and that
the....areas hunted are about decreasing deer numbers, not about stopping
landscape browse issues. That's an issue. If the DNR is saying that. Then, urn,
go the Quad Cities and....sure....okay, um.....Quad Cities.....basically hunting
fiasco is the way the newspaper article read. (mumbled) council-endorsed urban
archery hunting season, not talking about sharpshooting. Talking about archery.
In 2017 Mayor Stephanie Acri said that she's an advocate for discontinuing the
hunt. That there were multiple incident in which deer were found wondering the
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neighborhood with arrows, as well as a large decaying buck carcass that was
found after the hunter shot it but was not permitted to track it into the neighbor's
yard. Mayor Acri said to eliminate deer/vehicle accidents, the deer herd count
would have to go to zero. To hunt them to protect vegetation, the DNR has
already said that cannot be done by hunting. Targeting wildlife rather than human
behavior is a short-term plan to a long-term need.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Lori.
Crawford: Hi, I'm Lori Crawford. I'm not....my time's not started cause I haven't signed in,
okay? Okay. Um, I'm gonna make a couple of suggestions and I'm gonna talk a
little bit about bow hunting. Urn, my first suggestion is that I encourage the City
to set aside green areas, um,that are designated as hab.....safe habitat for deer to
reside. This area is from the Peninsula. These are the kind of areas where deer
have lived historically. They've found food, water, and....and protection there,
and allowing them to continue to live in those areas, without being hunted, would
help keep them in those areas and off of roads and in people's yards. Uh, of
course keeping them out of your yard depends on your landscape choices. Um
....second I encourage you to appeal the Natural Resource Commission's
decision. I think that Iowa City should be permitted to manage its wildlife/human
conflict and its citizens. You don't solve one conflict by creating another. Bow
hunting will cause conflict, I know. I lived through 12 years of bow hunts in
Cedar Rapids. This is an example of a hunter in a tree stand, um, and you can see
there's a dog walker and a dog walking by. You can see where the sidewalk is and
how close he is to the street. Bow hunting invites strangers into our
neighborhoods. It pits neighbor against neighbor as deer are shot in hunted
yards....as deer shot in hunted yards end up wounded or dead in non-hunted
yards. I lived in a neighborhood where there was no hunting in my neighborhood
and we still had wounded and dying deer in our yards.....from nearby
neighborhoods. There's a 50%wounding rate with deer. Um, and hunters don't
like to talk about that, but this means that for every deer shot, another one does
....is not retrieved or found by the hunter and it suffers and dies. This is a
historical wounding rate chart, and this is from a current study of 24, uh,bow
hunting areas across the United States. The wounding rate's gone up! It's now
54%. Um...(mumbled)...they found bow hunting to be ineffective and inhumane.
It found that deer die a slow aganaz...agonizing death from infection. A large
buck was shot in my yard illegally. I had the DNR come out and they said it had
been shot by a hunter on foot, which was illegal. They were to shoot from stands.
I sent the story to you, I don't know if any of you read it,but that buck took 12 1/2,
I mean 10 1/2 months to die, and during that time I would see him from time to
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time in my yard and I would take photos of him as he slowly starved to death. I
actually had necropsy done after he died and they found infection around the
arrow that was still embedded in his body. This was a large buck. That's probably
one reason it took him so long to die. Bow hunting is recreation. It's a sport, it's
not a population-control measure. This was one of the findings of this
hunting....of this, uh, study that I mentioned, and also by Horace Gore, who, um,
is a biologist in Texas. I'm sorry about the photo, but I think it needs to be seen. I
found this doe. Uin, she was obviously not retrieved by the hunter. She had been
shot in her face, obviously. She, um. .uh
Throgmorton: We don't see it.
Crawford: You can't see it? Okay, well then, there you go. Oh! There it is. Sorry! Um, I
found her like that, uh, this hunter was disqualified from the hunt. We were able
to find out who it was who did this. Hunters are instructed, at least in Cedar
Rapids, to shoot in the lung and heart area. This hunter obviously didn't do that.
Um.....I also had a...the buck previously mentioned and a nursing doe shot in my
yard. The DNR came again and said that it was intentional and that the hunter
was on foot. Hunting was to be from tree stands, as I mentioned. The profic....
the proficiency test is not test-field conditions. It's a stationary target. The hunter
gets more than one try. In the field,uh, the buck will move. They call it'jumping
the string,'the buck will hear the string and move. The hunter oftentimes
some...has something called buck fever'when he gets...she gets excited and sees
the buck start shaking. There's a number of reasons that the proficiency test is not
a valid test for field conditions. Bow hunting, with its inherent cruelty, 50%
wounding rate, lax rules, secrecy, rule-breaking hunters and safety issues, will
cause conflict between neighbors and in the community. Hunters are not even
vetted. One Cedar Rapids'hunter, also a city employee, was a registered sex
offender. I'm asking that you don't create a conflict to solve a conflict. Thank
you.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Lori. Good evening.
Gallagher: (mumbled)
Throgmorton: It has!
Gallagher: (mumbled) My name's Lynn Gallagher. I live near Solon. I'm just an individual,
concerned citizen. In the past Iowa City has used sharpshooters to reduce the deer
population. They chose this method over bow hunting because it's more humane.
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I appreciate the fact that in the current situation, the City Council is again
proposing to use sharpshooting, rather than bow hunting. I'm glad the other
people spoke about non-lethal met...methods,because I support those too,but I'm
talking about the contrast between you want it to be more humane and I really
appreciate that. Sharpshooting involves highly-trained professionals and they
shoot the deer in the head. Tony DeNicola says that a shot to the front of the brain
incapacitates the animals with death following in seconds. A side shot just below
the back of the skull can also be used and DeNicola says, "The deer drop
immediately. Heart and lung functions will cease. They lose consciousness and
die in eight to twelve seconds." Contrast that with what happens amateur bow
hunters attempt to kill deer. I wanna share a quote from an article written about a
hunting outfitter in Illinois. "Most of his clients are bow hunters, which means
the deer that are shot die from blood loss and are often retrieved at the end of long
and meandering blood trails." I've read several articles from hunting magazines
and hunting web sites that instruct bow hunters on how to flo...follow a blood
trail. Think of what that means for the wounded deer. I think Tony DeNicola told
you that approximately 20% of the deer are never even required. Lori probably,
might have more accurate figures with the 50%, I don't know. If a person plans to
kill a deer for food or to reduce the urban population, the method used should be
the one that causes the least suffering for the deer. This would rule out bow
hunting. Bow hunting is a recreational activity. The deer should not have to
endure increased suffering because some people enjoy shooting them with a bow
and arrow. The NRC should allow Iowa City to have local control on this issue. I
hope that Iowa City will be able to move forward with education about co-
existing with deer and that you will continue to explore and advocate for the
potential use of sterilization in combination with sharpshooting, if that is needed.
Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Lynn.
Gromko: Good evening.
Throgmorton: Good evening.
Gromko: My name's Mark Gromko. Um, may have, uh, recognized the name. We....the
residents of White Oak Place where I live submitted a petition to you, signed by
all the....all the residents of the street, save one, uh, where the house is not
occupied. I want to begin by telling you what, uh, our experience is. Um....
particularly this last year. As to the issue of browsing, it's not a trivial issue. Uh,
just this last year we lost four hemlock trees, three of them mature that had, um,
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been there for 10 years. Uh, deer had not eaten them before that,um, and we had
taken that as a sign to...to plant a fourth. It seemed like a good deer-resistant tree,
but the population has grown so much and the winter was so severe, that the deer,
uh, were desperate, and they ate the things that they normally don't, and all the
deer-resistant, in quotes, uh, plants were fair game so to speak. So we lost, urn,
just those four trees we lost over a thousand dollars worth of landscaping, and
that's not all. There were red (mumbled) dogwood. There were....they ate the
viburnum; they ate(laughs) everything! Urn, so it's not a trivial, uh, economic
issue, urn, for us. Urn, the same is true for other residents, not only the street,but
of...if you just walk around the Peninsula neighborhood, you can see the trees
eaten to about five to six feet, uh, all over....all over the neighborhood. So it's...
it's extensive and it's expensive. The second issue is that the number of deer is
quite amazing. Urn, and is evidence of that the....the deer droppings that we have
to put up with. Uh,my neighbor four doors up reports that she would go out on a
daily basis and collect a bucket, or more, worth of deer droppings that she would
respose of responsibly. I can tell you the same is true in my yard. I don't think I
could quite that number, but, uh, we have substantial issue collecting deer
droppings. Urn....it's disgusting, uh, especially when you invite your grand-
children over to play croquet or go out in the backyard, it's, urn, it's unpleasant. I
think it's also a health hazard. Urn, I did my best looking up on the web to find
resources about disease transmitted by(mumbled) disease, and the list is quite
long. Uh, add to that, urn, if you look,uh, to advice to hunters, they are advised
to wash their clothes after being in contact with deer, preferably, uh, at a site, uh,
or separate from their regular laundry. I mean the...it's clear that, uh, we're not the
only ones that think the spread of disease is an issue,particularly with very large
populations. Urn, all that said, that's my experience. I just wanted to convey that
to everyone. It's....it's been a,uh, challenging and unpleasant experience that has
increased, uh, since we've lived at that site over the last 10 years. Urn....we've
tried any number of, urn, non-lethal methods to limit browsing in our yard. It'd go
from spring, that very smelly stuff, urn, on a daily basis, both myself and the
neighbors up the street have tried that too. Little effect. When they get hungry,
they eat, uh, regardless of whether you spray with that. We've used netting.
We've put up small fences around, urn, individual trees. Uh, we put sheets (clears
throat) excuse me, over some of the stuff that they've eaten back in front, uh, that
was just easier to cover that way. Urn,they seem to get, uh, around all of that,
urn, the....so, uh, although I....I would be pleased if the non-lethal methods
worked, uh, in my experience and the experience my neighbors, urn, they don't.
Urn, that said, I,urn, agree with, um, many of our previous speakers in noting that
I don't think bow hunting will be an effective solution. Uh, the numbers you cited
there for the, fewer than a hundred, is not gonna put a dent in this population of..
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of what I believe to be many thousand deer in....in Iowa City. Um, so I don't
believe that the non-lethal methods are effective. I don't believe bow hunting is
effective. I do believe....that what Iowa City did for nine or 10 years, up to about
2010, was effective—hiring sharpshooters, and I urge you to appeal, um, the
decision of the NRC to reconsider that, and I also fully support the previous
speaker. It should be an issue of local control. It should not be an issue where
government comes in and tells us how to manage, uh, the City's problems. Thank
you for your time.
Throgmorton: Thank you.
Irish: Hi.
Throgmorton: Hi!
Irish: Erin Irish, I'm a biology professor and I teach ecology. So I have some, um, some
additional thoughts to add. So first of all, I'm an avid gardener and it's been a joy
for the 20....almost 30 years that I've lived here, until the last couple, where all of
my even deer-proof plants are just being....like (laughing) I put them out, they get
killed! It's...it's, there's not, you know, that I'm planting the wrong things. I'm
planting plants and they're getting eaten. Um,the....the point has been raised that
bow hunting is not gonna be effective for taking the numbers down, but I think
the....I wish that the State would let us do what we asked to do,but if they aren't
going to, I think that still the one-year of sharpshooting followed by the bow
hunting as maintenance is a reasonable compromise, if we assume that
sharpshooting year is very lethal. Um, if...if the numbers are brought down in that
first year, then if bow hunting is not as effective as it might be, we're still going to
have populations that will be maintained at a level that will get us through the
next five years and then we....we revisit that. The....many have commented that
we....we've moved into their habitat, and indeed we have, and in fact you could
say, well, okay,maybe the solution is we all decamp to someplace else. We return
Iowa City back to nature. Besides that probably being pretty unlikely, and we
would have just transferred the problem to a new place, nonetheless the...eco-
system where we are now is destroyed. We don't have the....the network of
interactions among the different organisms, the plants that feed the herbivores that
are then fed upon by carnivores, we've taken the carnivores out of the picture.
They're gone. We're not going to be reintroducing the wolves or the other sorts
of....of top predators that would have kept their pop...the middle range of those
(mumbled) levels intact, and so it's....yes, it's sad to kill a beautiful animal, but on
the other hand the....all,yes you could say that there's no biological number that
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is appropriate for a certain size area,but if you were to look at an area where
humans have not settled, there would have been these different levels of predators
that would be keeping these mid-level herbivore numbers in check. Since we
have subtracted them from the landscape, it's our duty as humane organisms to re
.....to resupply that ecosystem service to those organisms, as well. And yes I hate
to see my landscape, my gardening getting ruined, but there's also the natural
landscape around us that I don't think we're doing a very, you know, I don't think
very many of us have done surveys on what are the numbers of the different kinds
of mammals,birds, reptiles, amphibians, and all the countless invertebrates that
are....that would have been part of the ecosystem before European settlement.
Certainly it's been disrupted, and just to say well the deer are there and that's
nature. I imagine that their overabundance is having a really dramatic effect on
some of these other organisms that are not so easily observed, and so we need to
be thinking of them as well.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Erin. Hi, Mayor!
Bailey: Hi, Mayor! (laughter) Thanks for, uh, hangin' in, everybody! Um, I live on Reno
Street, it's very close to Hickory Hill and Oakland Cemetery and I think it's' safe
to say that if we all talk about our experiences with deer, you're gonna hear a wide
range of things. I mean my New Year's started with deer in my backyard. I was
delighted. I thought it was a great beginning to the year. I like the deer. I took
the time to move the hostas out of the back backyard because they weren't fenced
and deer like that yard, and deer like hostas. Urn, I'm willing to co-exist with the
deer. Some people aren't willing to co-exist with the deer, um, but what I'm not
willing to co-exist with, um, are hunters in tree stands in the city. Absolutely not!
That scares me. I have great concern, and I think the question is really what are
we gonna allow in our city limits? I know that you're....you're kind of in a corner,
you know, but....um....it makes me really uncomfortable to think of Hickory Hill
as a killing field really, and it makes me uncomfortable to think that a deer would
wonder into my property with an arrow out of it. Um, that's just not what I wanna
think of in the fall in my community. And if we think about last fall, there weren't
that many days when we could enjoy Hickory Hill Park. It was a muddy mess for
quite some time, and to cut a couple of those days off that I get to enjoy my park.
I moved there so I could enjoy that park. Um, so hunters can be killing animals in
the park? That just doesn't seem right. So I hope you can find another solution.
Um.....if nothing else, certify only two hunters the second year and be done with
it very....give 'em two hours, give 'em two hours at 4:00 in the morning and be
done with it quickly. That's my suggestion.
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Throgmorton: Thank you, Regenia. Hey I thought we saw you last....last meeting, Caroline!
(laughs)
Dieterle: That's right! Uh, you did and urn....
Throgmorton: Nice to see ya!
Dieterle: ....thank you. Um....I put a trail camera in the backyard and I did that(both
talking)
Mims: Sorry, Caroline, can you....Jim knows everybody (both talking) your name and
people forget to introduce themselves (laughs)
Dieterle: I'm Caroline Dieterle and I live on Walnut Street.
Mims: Thank you!
Dieterle: I've gardened on Walnut Street for 48 years, and this is the first year that I've got
deer. I think this shows something about the degree to which we're overpopulated
with deer and how they're moving in from the northern part of the city. Urn, I
think the....I also 100%, you know, agree with,uh, Professor Irish. Uh, she
knows what she's talking about and I think anybody who has any biological
background will agree with her that when you take away the predators, you're
going to have this kind of a problem. We have got to be the predator here,
because there isn't any other one that is around, and I don't think anybody wants
to add, as she said, wolves, you know (mumbled) so forth that would do the job
for us here. So that means we have to do it, and (clears throat) I guess I would
like to know, if you don't know right off the top of your head maybe you can
publicize it on your web site or somewhere, what the legislative part of the law is
that says that we do not have the right to defend ourselves from this onslaught,
which is what we've got here. And (clears throat) I put a trail camera in my
backyard because there'd been talk in our neighborhood about,uh,unknown
people coming and knocking on your door and trying to get in to see if there's,
you know, a way of getting into your house. I didn't catch any of these prowlers.
I got deer instead. And, you know, they're coming through in the nighttime, as
many as five or six together, and I also find it extremely ignorant and very
infuriating when people talk about landscaping choices. You know, as though...
what's growing here is basically a kind of exterior furniture that we can buy the
kind that they don't like and then we're going to have a nice landscape. Well the
people who have gardens and the people who care about plants know that, you
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know, you garden for the food that's there and we have this sustainable....
sustainability policy. We're wanting people to grow their own food in their yard.
Well I have news for you—they like the beans, the apples, the pears, the...peas,
the lettuce, you know, all of the things that we eat, and you know, I don't wanna
give up gardening and I don't think anybody else does either. The other thing that
I don't like, and I think is extremely ignorant, is talking about Hickory Hill as a
refuge that it's okay to have lots of deer in Hickory Hill. Well if you care
anything about the flora in there, and you know anything about how trees grow,
they're saplings first. They're seedlings, and those are great for deer to eat. And if
you don't have replacement trees growing to take the place of the ones that age
and die, you soon have no park. So....Professor Irish is right,the ecology—
you've got to think about here, and I think that the DNR needs to be defied here,
or rather the Natural Resources Commission. I think we could go ahead and do
the sharpshooting. Next year reapply. Reapply. Reapply. Don't pay any
attention to this bow hunting for four years. I think that we have the right to
defend ourselves in this community and to defend the flora that's around here. It
isn't just a matter of...you know, somebody's landscaping or what the law is or
who these....these people are who sit on this board! I mean, did they come down
here and look at our problem? I doubt it.
McGehee: Hello,my name's Claudia McGehee and I live on the east side of Iowa City, uh,
on the Bluffwood area. Uh, I just wanted to add my voice, urn,to the, um....the
opinion that the deer are okay in•my....my books. In fact I am a children's book
illustrator and writer, and I write about and I celebrate the natural history, the
natural world around us. Um, I live about five minutes away from the First
Avenue entrance of, um, Hickory Hill, so I'm very close, um, and our backyard
abuts other neighbors' yards and we have about a three-acre kind of green space,
where there's at any given point, uh, four or five individual deer that call that
home. Um, and I feel very privileged to see them, and I'm grateful that I have a
house that looks back and has a forest view. Um, I think I wanted to say that the
notion of solving a problem by shooting deer, either by arrow or bullet, in our
community parks especially, in our natural areas, goes against my sense of home
and community. I might live in an area, um, I might be one of the few opinions
(mumbled) this very differently from my neighbor next door. He, I think, started
one of the earlier petitions about how his, um, yard gets grazed so heavily. Um, I
just feel that we live in an enlightened community and we'll be able to solve this
in a, you know, a....a more longer term, uh, way, I mean having to listen...not
having to listen but hearing the agenda about the Forest View development earlier
this evening was enlightening to me. Um, there's so many good things that could
come of just, um, putting a different emphasis on....on, um, our community,
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um... emphasizing that there, uh, is, urn.....more lack of habitat for the deer and
.....and, um....um, I'm sorry, I'm kinda tired too (laughter) um....
Throgmorton: We do it all the time.
McGehee: Yeah! I kinda lost my train of thought but I just wanted to voice that neighbors
are gonna be so different and I know you've heard so many good points tonight
and, urn, I hope there can be some kind of solution,but I just want to sustain a
sense of wonder for our children. I don't want to have to explain(laughs)
children's books why we cull deer so, um, thank you for your time tonight, and I
thank you very much for your hard work.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Claudia. It's nice to see you. Good evening.
Thompson: Am I supposed to sign this?
Throgmorton: Yes, sir! And then state your name after you sign, please.
Thompson: Uh, Bob Thompson, uh, Church Street. Um, I'm, uh, in favor of the plan as
proposed,uh, not because it'd ideal,uh, because it's the best you're gonna do. Uh,
it's the lesser of two evils kind of thing. Uh,bow hunting probably used to slow,
uh, and I've been lookin' at this situation quite a bit. Um, first of all if you...I'm
afraid actually that....that a five-year plan isn't enough for me. Uh, I think there
needs to be an ordinance, uh, requiring a permanent, uh, management plan, with a
designated target population, so that, you know, when....when staff and Council
turns over in the future, they don't just forget about, which is exactly what
happened the last time. Uh, and that's why we're lookin' at a....a darned near a
crisis now is because, you know, everybody has so much more, you know, I mean
obviously there's too many irons in the fire, uh, in government,uh, especially
these days with all the, you know, big city problems and stuff. Urn, I just would
feel a lot more comfortable if there was a....a, you know, a permanent...a
permanent,uh, commitment to that, and uh, speakin'of that, uh, I read the, uh,
application letters to the NRC. Uh, the second one apparently, and you were hip
to the fact that, um, that they wanted, uh, long-term plan, but uh....apparently that
wasn't....well, what the long-term plan, under the heading long-term plan, it said
the, basically the Council will need to decide every year what to do. Uh,
obviously in hindsight that...that didn't fly and it's not a long-term plan. So now
they're comin'back with this bow hunting thing, which you have to get somethin'
underway, I mean I don't think I can take any more at this point of saying you
need.....you need a permanent ordinance codifying a permanent plan. Um, if you
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remember nothing else about deer, uh, they....they double their numbers every
three years, uh, so we're lookin' at a 30, 40% increase in the population in about
two or three weeks. I mean that's staggering. It's....and I'm seein' it. Uh, the...
I've never seen pregnant does so scrawny and desperate. You have to do
something. Uh....I'm not gonna defend bow hunting except if that, I mean we're
subordinate to the State and if that's the only thing they're gonna allow, then, uh,
that's...that's what ya gotta do. I think, urn, rather than, uh, you know, I think
there must have been some kind of deference to leaving the discretion up to, uh,
future councils to decide every year. That's literally what it said—every year the
council will have to make up its mind. Uh, future councils, uh.....that I....I don't
think that's even good for future councils. Uh, you make decisions that have to be
honored by future councils all the time. Uh, and you know, so go ahead and be
the bad guys and, you know, uh, I....there's this emotional hurdle that you have to
overcome. It's a difficult decision! Um.....and again the emotional hurdle of
bein' the ones who sign the death warrant for a whole bunch of animals. There's
the educational issue(mumbled) apparently(mumbled) what, we have a deer
problem? Uh, and just....you know, again (laughs) every three years, exponential.
100, 200, 400, 800, it goes on until they start laying around in the street dying,
you know, and they will! They're startin' to look like they're gettin' there this year.
Uh, I, uh....I have been lookin' at this, uh, quite a few things together actually.
Um...uh, I did,uh, a map plotted, uh, plotted deer complaints from the online, for
the online complaint form. Uh, notice that the entire problem seems to be
concentrated on the north side. Uh, then I looked at, uh....okay.... what is that, so
I look, I thought, 'Oh yeah!' The Coralville, uh,has a rural deer management
zone. I looked at the map of that, uh, it's huge. It actually totally surrounds Iowa
City, Coralville, and Solon, uh, they....they sell an additional, or at least offer
additional, uh, 500 tags, uh, for that...for that area. So there...we already actually
have a rural deer management plan,but when you go up north of town, like up
Dubuque Street, you know, veer off on Stewart Road, all those, uh,residential
developments, it's just crawlin'with deer. And I realized, okay, first of all that is
ideal habitat for'em. Uh, they're edge-dwellers. They like, uh, a mixture of
woodlands interspersed with, uh, cleared areas. The...that is just way too many of
'em up there. There's obviously a huge super-highway they can come into town
on. So....this, uh, actually explains, okay, the residential...the residential aspect
means that the hunters can't get to 'em in that area. Basically have a de facto
wildlife sanctuary,where they can overpopulate and then keep streaming into
town. So when you do a cull here, uh....they fill that vacuum pretty soon,
probably, uh, probably(mumbled)matter of months. That explains why it took
10 years of sharpshooting to get the population down to 25 per square mile and
now we're bein' asked to get it down to what, seven or 10? So I would guess that
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that's gonna be an ongoing problem, unless some kind of solution is... is found.
Urn....and I don't know what that is, uh, have to do more investigating. I would
start by calling the DNR and seeing well how many....how many deer were
actually harvested in that area. I would guess next to none. Uh....but,you know,
that's....that's' gonna be an ongoing source, I think, of population problems.
People have been mystified by how can they keep coming like that. It's because
we have like a huge stockpile of'em that are already overpopulated and they just
keep comin'.
Throgmorton: Yeah, uh, Bob, I know you have a lot to say cause you and I talked on the phone
about this,but you've already gone five minutes (both talking)
Thompson: Okay, thank you.
Throgmorton: Anyone else?
Kelly: Uh, good evening. I don't know if anybody else's butt's as sore as mine is
(laughter)
Throgmorton: I don't know (laughter)
Kelly: Uh, my name is Kevin Kelly. Um, I'm a tree lover, a tree farmer, and I consider
myself an environmentalist. Urn, this seems to be the third time that this panel
has been begging the State of Iowa to let'ern reduce the deer numbers. I've been
in contact with the Natural Resources Commissioners, every one of'ern. I know
every one of'em personally. I've spoke in front of'em before, and I've talked to
your City Manager, uh, about the situation here and um....probably the only thing
we can do is go with the bow hunting and then every year is going to fail, simply
because bow hunting never gets the numbers below 45 deer per square mile. Now
most people don't know it,but the DNR over 20 years came out with a pamphlet
that said if you want to protect your environment and not destroy your
environment and your trees and preserve your wildflowers and have that in your
woodlands, you need to reduce the numbers to five per square mile. Now
suddenly this has all disappeared. They don't like to say that any more, uh,
because the deer hunters are...have a very strong lobby, and they are in there
lobbying the Natural Resource Commission all the time. Urn, I have been in the
woodlands here in Iowa City and it's terrible. Uh, there's no new, urn, seedling
growth. The only out there that's growing is some thorny bushes, thorn trees, um,
nothing that's gonna be there for the long-term. Now if anybody thinks you can
go out there and put a fence around every single tree, that's just about impossible.
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You mentioned this new forest lane project and one of the main things, I don't
know how many times I hear it—trees, trees, trees, trees. Now unless you put a
fence around each one of those new trees you plant(mumbled) has been that in 10
years, you're only going to have 10% of'em left. The rest of'em are going to be
destroyed. Now even bigger trees, the big bucks get their horns in them, they will
rip them apart. So....most of the time you're gonna be plantin'trees that's one to
two inch caliper, cause that's the most economical, it's the easiest to plant, and it's
the easiest ones to get established. Unfortunately, those should have a five-foot
tall fence around 'em for about the first 10 years so that they will survive. So
there's another thought with this new project. Um, I....I shoot deer every day of
the year. I shot 72 of'em over the last two years to protect my property, and it's
all legal, 100% legal, urn, under the Iowa Constitution right to protect property,
and the Iowa Supreme Court ruling#30221,Natural Resource Commissioners
know all about this. They have no objection to what I do, and we have several
hundred other Iowans doing the same thing. Um, I opened up my own web site so
that everybody can get on there and see how I do it. It's called
stopthedeerdamage.com. Pretty basic stuff. Urn, we'd have people on there every
day seeing what it takes to stop the deer damage. It's getting bigger all the time,
uh, it has a lot of good information on there. It has 20 years of research, urn, so if
somebody wants to, has trouble with deer on their private property, and even
cities, um, you can do the same thing,but you have to stand up to these people
because they will bully you. They like to do that. Urn, that's all I have for
tonight. I appreciate stayin' around. My butt feels better already, so....
Throgmorton: Thank you, Kevin. Good luck! Anyone else? Good evening.
Ruppel: Um, my name's Julia Ruppel and I live in Iowa City on Cameron Road and I also
enjoy seein'the deer in my yard, and when I walk my dog, and they don't bother
me at all and I don't bother them, but um, anyone that thinks, you know, they have
a problem with deer, I don't think that bow hunting is the way to go about, excuse
me, I'm nervous (laughs) I don't think bow hunting is the way to go about getting
rid of them. I just don't think it's humane. Urn, my brothers, urn,have hunted
deer, um, and I've never understood why, but anyways....I just wanted to express
that. I just don't think it's humane. Thanks.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Julie. (unable to hear person speaking from audience) No, ma'am.
It's much too late. Anyone else want to address this topic? All right, uh....I'm
gonna close our public input. It's not a formal thing so....not gonna really do that
too much(bangs gavel) All right, so which of us has the solomonesque solution
to this quandary?
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Mims: I have a...couple questions first.
Throgmorton: Yeah.
Mims: And I don't know who from staff can answer or if you know the answers at this
point. If we were to go with what we believe the NRC would approve at this
point, and this is sharpshooting one year and then public hunt, how much
authority does the City have to control that public hunt, in terms of time span, in
terms of number of days, weeks, time of day, locations, number of hunters, etc. I
like the idea of two hunters for two hours at 4:00 in the morning. Um, so can you
give me any idea of what range of authority we would have with that.
Campbell: Bill Campbell with the Police Department. Um, I don't think we know the answer
to that. Uh, typically a permit from the NRC to a city does not establish those
things. It doesn't mean it can't establish those things. So we've obviously got an
ongoing dialogue with the NRC. They know we're going to be coming back for
this. Um, they recognize the...there are some options that we have on the table.
Could they put parameters on how we're going to do it? They certainly could. I
don't think we know what will happen there.
Fruin: My personal view on that is if they don't view it as a meaningful attempt at a bow
hunt, they're not gonna approve it.
Throgmorton: At some point you said they...the target that they wanted us to achieve in terms of
density was something like 10 deer per acre.
Fruin: Yeah, that was communicated to us, um, it started off from the chairperson of the
NRC,uh, with a suggestion that our number was too high, uh, for the....for the
target on our, uh, first two applications last year, which was the same target that
we had used in previous years. Uh, she then, uh, directed us to DNR staff to, uh,
get a better target and that's where we came up with seven to 10, is that...seven to
10 deer per square mile was their recommended target, and that's from again DNR
staff, but we were directed to them from the chairperson of the commission.
Thomas: And are we confident we can get that, the numbers down to that number in the
first year?
Fruin: Might as well stay up here, Bill (laughter)
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Campbell: Uh....that's an unknown at this point. Uh, the deer counts, and Sue, if you have
clarification on this, the deer counts that we have are for East Dubuque Street. So
that's what we did the count on when we did counts, this previous count last
spring. So we know about where we stand there, but we don't know what the
numbers are elsewhere in town. So to give you a sense of how many we need to
do across the town, we don't know that. Um, we're confident that we can make a
pretty good dent in that number, yes.
Salih: I just ask Bruce maybe he, I ask like how, when was the last time had we do the
sharpshooting. He said 2010. Is that correct?
Taylor: Yes.
Salih: Then if the deer has been growing from 2010 and now 2019, that's almost nine
years, yeah, nine years. I don't know what months, but nine years. Can we just
like do the sharpshooting and then do anything until like another five year and do
another sharpshooting?
Campbell: The indication from the NRC is that they will not grant a permit for a sharpshoot
unless it's followed by four years of commitment by the City to do some type of
public hunt.
Throgmorton: Here's a different way of asking that question. Could we sharpshoot without their
permission? What would the consequences be?
Dulek: The deer in Iowa belong to the State of Iowa. So (laughter) that would be illegal.
As to what they would do to the City, that I don't know.
Salih: What about if we don't do the hunting, also like we have to prove the hunting?
Campbell: I'm sorry?
Salih: We have to prove that we were hunting on the four years?
Campbell: I think that...that City Manager Fruin has summed that up properly. I think that
the question will be, given what they've asked about this five-year plan and that
has come up during every time we've been there, I think they're going to be
looking for us to have a meaningful plan for years two through five. Although
they don't require that all the time in permit requests, I think we can expect that
that's what they'll be asking for.
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Taylor: So on....on that line, it was brought up that perhaps the second year we could go
ahead and request sharpshooting, even though they had said we should be bow
hunting. Is that a possibility or probably not?
Campbell: I think we can do anything Council would choose to do along those lines. I think
they're going to be looking for us to bring a commitment for that five years, and if
we decide to reapproach them to try to modify, they're certainly going to listen to
us on that. Urn, and we'd certainly have count numbers to see what had
happened, at least in the first year, whether they'd change their position or be
willing to modify things, that's a...question I don't think we can (both talking)
Throgmorton: I thought they'd been very clear that bow hunting would be required.
Campbell: I...that's correct. Urn, they, obviously their commission changes as time goes on
too, uh, as far as the personnel on that and there would be a different body,
potentially, the next year, urn...but they've made that pretty clear.
Teague: So the N...if the NRC know that our end goal is to decrease population of the
deer, and....and it's gonna identify how many, urn, deer per square mile,um, in
order for us to achieve that, you know, I would assume that a face-to-face
conversation and negotiation would probably say that in order for us to achieve
that, we would have to do sharpshooting, you know, for these amount of years.
So I don't know,uh, if._I'll just put it out there. I think that maybe Council, two
Councilors, and City staff, I don't know what their, uh, protocol is for, urn, you
know, tryin' to get somethin' that you want, or appeal their decision to. That's
what I would suggest—a face-to-face, two Councilors, City staff, or whatever
their appeal process is.
Fruin: I'm not aware of an appeal process. Are....
Dulek: Other than some type of district court action,because they've made some illegal
action. There's no administrative appeal to any other....any other body. Um,but
their....their process is much like....coming before you folks. You make your
pitch, you make your ask, they take a vote, and we know we only got two votes
the second time. Uh, they don't necessarily explain themselves, they don't offer a
written decision. You can go through,they'll talk about their comments, and then
they take a vote, and Bill and I go home.
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Salih: How....how often is that commission change, you know like elected every (both
talking)
Dulek: Well they're six-year positions, and they....they rotate. So it's not six every year.
It's staggered. So the Governor just reappointed two of them, one of whom voted
for us and one of whom voted against us. So for at least the next year you're
gonna have a seven, same seven folks,uh, of which we have two votes to
sharpshoot.
Teague: I would just make a correction to what I suggested then. So it would just be us,
you know, I know that staff has done an awesome job. I'm not, urn, takin'that
away from staff at all, um, but maybe some, either community people or....we do
something strategically to reach out to every last one of those, uh, commissioners
as well as be present to really, you know....talk face-to-face or whatever the...or
by phone, to get our point across that in order for us to achieve our goal,be it per
square mile, and they....and their goal is to ensure that our community, you know,
deer population is at a certain level, um, it would only be reasonable and my....
thought process is that they would determine that sharpshootin'is the only route.
Throgmorton: (several talking)
Cole: ...hunting as a recreational access for people, I mean I think that's part of the
problem, as I see it, is that their goal is not what our goal is. Their goal is to allow
access for hunters. I disagree with that as far as I can tell (both talking)
Throgmorton: I think it's also true that they have....I don't warma paint too broad a brush here
but people on the commission and then other people out in the state just don't
understand why we would not want bow hunting. It, I mean I have friends who
do bow hunting and they don't understand why we don't(laughs) want bow
hunting. So.....
Dulek: But we can put a request on the agenda, much like a....agenda item comes before
the City Council. That's what we've done in the past. They've got a deadline.
They put us on the agenda. We go there, next item on the agenda's Iowa City's
request, they hear from us, they have a discussion. Certainly we could do that
again, with a couple of Council Members and/or other staff members.
Cole: Can we just basically instruct staff to say, I mean to....to approach that
commission and say, 'We...we still prefer a five-year sharpshoot. That's what we
wanna do. We are willing to do the bow hunt if that is the absolute pre-condition
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to granting us authority to do this, cause I....I think we should at least make one
last try to do that, but....I do agree that we need....we need to get moving on this
as an issue, and urn.....I don't know if that's possible to....or do we have to...to
present the plan and say, 'This is what we're gonna do,' and we can't modify it on
the fly.
Campbell: To address what you said, they'll certainly engage us in dialogue. If we went there
or....or you folks were to go there, they're certainly going to engage us in
dialogue in that meeting, much like happens here. Urn, so that's...that certainly is
an option. I believe, I think it's our belief that,uh, they certainly sent a clear
message that we're gonna have to do a public hunt or they're not gonna approve
(mumbled) I....I do believe they've made that pretty clear, but we can certainly
reapproach them with any...any option.
Cole: We're gonna do like two public hunts and then three sharpshooting years, I
mean.....
Salih: And also we can propose that we can just do one sharpshooting and just wait and
we don't need to do anything until like another five year(both talking)
Cole: (mumbled)
Throgmorton: ...five-year course of action.
Cole: Yeah. I agree with you, that's the way it should be, but the people that decide say
(mumbled)
Salih: I understand but because you saying that we can just tell 'em like five year
(mumbled)
Teague: I wanted to be very clear that I do not support the hunt, in the least bit. It is very
inhumane, not right to animals, and so that I will not support.
Thomas: It seems to me (several talking) my concern is....we need their approval. I feel
we need to move forward with the sharpshooting, and.....so that's step one, the
sharpshooting, seems like. I think we all agree that we need the sharpshooting the
first year. It sounds like we're in a bind in terms of getting this approval of the
five-year plan, based on, you know, their....their values. Uh, it seems to me we,
and I don't support bow hunting either,but I think if...if we're going to be
successful in deviating from the one year of sharpshooting and the four years of
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hunting, uh, I think we will need to provide them with evidence that bow hunting
isn't working. So I would....I, my....my feeling is we....we plan, we follow their
recommendation and then report back to them....that we find it's just not working
and ask that....you know, we need to revise the plan basically. But, you know, I
feel...I don't feel we can wait any longer in terms of starting the sharpshooting.
It's, I know it's an uneven problem over Iowa City, but there are parts of town
where they're eating everything, including the native landscape.
Throgmorton: So...Iowa City Deer Friends has made several recommendations, and so far we
haven't talked about them at all. One of them is sterilization. Uh, I understand
that the acting director of the DNR has to approve sterilization or would be the
person who would have to approve it.
Dulek: Right. State law requires the approval by the DNR, not the NRC, but the DNR
director, uh, for any sterilization, uh, either surgically or chemically, and I've
communicated with the attorney, the counsel for the DNR, and he has indicated
that the interim DNR director would not approve that, and he doubts,uh, that the
new director would,but we don't know that.
Throgmorton: Right. Okay, so I wanted to get that on the record. Beyond that, Iowa City Deer
Friends has made several suggestions about elements, actions that could, uh, in
principle be incorporated within a deer management plan. So I....I can't iden...I
can't name them all, but there was a...a useful list. I...it seems to me that you've
already incorporated some of them into a sort of draft plan that wherever,
whatever we currently(laughs)have (both talking)
Fruin: Yeah, but I would concur with....with a lot of the folks that spoke. We can do a
lot better job at promoting the non-lethal as well, and we would have to articulate
that in the, uh, five-year plan, uh, so it's....we're not here sayin'that we don't
employ those non-lethal strategies. We're just tryin'to give ya the....the, uh,
reality of the picture as we see it, which is....you have to have that hunt, but we
would...we would have to step up our game on the non-lethal strategies (both
talking)
Throgmorton: ...here's a possibility I wanna toss out. That we propose to the NRC that we do
one year....first year sharpshooting,probably two times, but first year
sharpshooting, and then we put....have all these other non-lethal measures, uh, in
action. We monitor the count of the next year and would tell the NRC that if the
count is not adequate, then we will go and do the kind of bow hunting that they
want us to do, but....but that we....get ourselves in a position where we can
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measure how many, uh, deer are out there after the sharpshooting, and also have
non-lethal measures at play, doing....having whatever kind of success they're
gonna have.
Cole: I don't think they care though, Jim. They want the hunt.
Mims: I agree.
Cole: That's the whole point is that it's not a question of deer population. This is access
for recreation. Unfortunately. So what I would like to do is seek the five-year
plan and then after we do the first year we seek waivers on a year-to-year basis
and then, you know, if they compel us to grant the permit we do this, but I think
we need to move on it. I know that that's not a popular view, um, I am outraged
that we're in this position. Um, but I....but that's what my position is. I think we
need to do it, but then we can seek the waiver,urn, years two through five.
Taylor: I keep being bothered by the term 'recreational,' cause I would hate to see what we
do in the city be defined as that. I know the question came up about what kind of
guidelines we would, as a city, would be able to place. I also agree with the
person that said they don't want the....the trees, people to be up in the trees, uh,
would like to limit the number of hunters and their skill, make sure they're
certified and are....are able to be skillfully, uh, get these deer. So is there some
guideline on that, I mean that's what I would like to see. I don't want it to be
recreational.
Fruin: I think we could set reasonable parameters, um, for....for those hunts and...and
certainly that wouldn't be a....a tree stand in a neighborhood. Um, we would have
to limit them to, um, those areas where the deer...the majority of the deer
population resides. Um, whether you could...uh, create some buffer zones
between, you know, if you use Hickory Hill Park and you ensure that the hunters
stay X number of feet away from the developed portions, potentially I...I guess I
would have to, you know, we would have to have that discussion with people that
know a lot more about hunting than....than, and deer management, than I do.
Throgmorton: I think we need to go that direction too and I like your use of the term'waiver,'
Rockne,but(laughs) I completely agree with both Erin Irish and Regenia Bailey.
Uh, especially with Regenia's....Regenia's, uh, fear of having bow hunters out
there in the park and (several talking) I hate the idea, uh,but I think we need to do
something. We have to bite the bullet and act, and....
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Mims: Yeah, I'm not willing to go forward with a plan that's going to force us into bow
hunting. I....I just (both talking) let me finish, please! Um....I see that as so
inhumane. I grew up in a family of hunters, but that was with rifles and I just, the
difference between those in terms of the efficacy of putting an animal down is just
tremendous, and to have these animals goin' around with arrows in them and the
percent that are....that are not, uh, even recovered, urn, is just way too inhumane
for me. Urn, I totally agree with people that we need to do something, urn, I don't
know the solution, um, I think we need to continue to try and work with the DNR
and NRC and make our case, but given that inhumaneness of the bow hunting,
um, I....I can't support it. And I, let me tell ya, I live out in the edge of...edge of
town where I have (laughing) you live out there too, Maz. The deer are in my
backyard all the time. In my front yard. Urn, not only in my yard but....you drive
by the old North Dodge HyVee that's closed now. You look at the....the
arborvitae, I mean, never used to be that way. They are browsed all the way up as
far as they can reach. Um, you're just seeing it all over the place. There's....I....I
don't agree with people that there are deer resistant plants. They're....they're past
that. They're hungry. There's too many. They're too hungry. They're eating
anything and everything. So I agree we need to do something. I am not at this
point willing to go forward with....what the NRC has given us as an option. I
think we need to continue to try and work with them.
Throgmorton: I don't know what that means.
Mims: I don't either,but I think we need to continue to try and have those conversations
and convince them....and maybe through public input and....and, you know,
efforts from the public getting involved more, I will not sit here and support a
plan that goes to bow hunting. I just find it way too inhumane. If there's any way
I can open up my backyard legally to the police or anybody else, you're welcome!
(laughs)
Throgmorton: Okay, I'm happy to go along with whatever staff would be appropriate, maybe Bill
or somebody else, uh,happy to go up there and meet with the, uh, the NRC
commissioners. Uh, I think it'd be good to have somebody go along who, maybe
Erin Irish or someone like that who's really knowledgeable about ecosystems,
how they work....uh, and, you know, course we all know about predators, natural
predators. There aren't any here in Iowa City. We are the predators. We have a
duty to manage the deer population. Much as, uh, as distasteful as that might be,
but we don't wanna get into the bow hunting, I mean I agree. I don't want to get
into that either. So....
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Thomas: But we have to get their approval (laughs)
Throgmorton: I know, so I'm....I'm, you know, if....if, urn....if the majority wants to have us...
continue to have a conversation with the NRC and try to persuade them, then
what we need to do is put together a five-year plan that does not include bow
hunting and I will be pleased to go up to Des Moines and meet with the
commissioners, and....uh, I'd need help.
Teague: The only challenge I have is that...you are agreein' somewhat to bow hunting, and
personally(both talking)
Throgmorton: No!
Teague: I mean you would compromise potentially to bow hunting.
Throgmorton: No, I'm tryin'to respond to what Susan said, and I'm saying, okay, if a majority
wants to say we want....if a majority wants to say we have a five-year plan. The
five-year plan says we're gonna do, uh, sharpshooting in the first year and then fill
in the blank, and I'll go up there, and I'll talk with 'em. I don't know if that would
help or not!
Teague: So you're sayin' after we agree, not before we agree. (several talking) I'm....I
thought you meant before we agree to somethin'. ,I'm sorry about that.
Salih: I agree with Susan and Jim. I guess we need to....I.....I don't agree for the bow
hunting also. Uh....guess we have to continue the conversation and figure out
what we can do.
Throgmorton: We do need to have a deadline in our own minds about this because this will just
go on and on and on and on if we don't. So....
Fruin: Well the....the, really the next window for sharpshooting isn't until winter, uh,
of....of the coming year. So, um, I think if we could....could put together a five-
year plan in the next couple months and....and, uh, get in front of the NRC in the
summer, um, pitch that to them, a sharpshoot followed by,uh, non-lethal
strategies for the next four years,urn, if they accept it—great—we've
accomplished what we've wanted to do. If not,uh, there is still time for the
Council to re...uh, reconsider another application late summer, early fall, and....
and allow us to sharpshoot. (both talking)
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Cole: ...essentially do two applications then?
Fruin: Yeah, you put forward your preference and you're not committing, at this point,
to....to a second application, but at least you're preserving that opportunity. It's
not necessarily gonna be a one-and-done, if we can get in front of the NRC this
summer.
Dulek: They've been very open about allowing us to come back. So....
Salih: I guess why we are doing that, also encourage the Friend of the Deer to reach out
to the Governor or call the commissions, do something like put pressure on them
at(unable to understand) (unable to hear person speaking from audience)
Throgmorton: I'm sorry, ma'am, you cannot sit....
Salih: Can't year you!
Throgmorton: You cannot sit in the back and just talk, cause we need to have a public record of
what's being said.
Mims: No, we're not taking(both talking)
Throgmorton: No (both talking) You know, it's 11:17 now so.... All right. I....do....do we have
clarity now about what...we propose to do, I mean it's, you know, it's just push
things ahead.
Thomas: I'm willing to have, you know, give it one more try(several talking) but I do feel
if that's not successful we need to bite the bullet and at least for one year...uh,
consider the bow hunt, if that's what it takes!
Throgmorton: Okay. So just so, uh, viewers will know to be real clear, uh, I wanna repeat
something Geoff said. We're not gonna be able to start sharpshooting until the fall
in any event. So it's not as if we're gonna snap our fingers and start doing
sharpshooting. (several talking in background) Okay! (several talking and
laughing in background) So could I have a motion to accept correspondence
please?
Taylor: So moved.
Mims: Second.
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Throgmorton: Moved by Taylor, seconded by Mims. Kellie? All in favor say aye. Opposed.
Motion carries. (several talking and laughing in background)
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12. Utility Rate Ordinance—Ordinance amending title 3, entitled "finances,
taxation and fees,' chapter 4, entitled "schedule of fees, rates, charges, bonds,
fines and penalties" of the city code to increase water service charges and
storm water service charges.
1. Public hearings
Throgmorton: I'll open the public hearing. (bangs gavel) Dennis! Good griefl
Bockenstedt: Good evening! Or should I say good night? (laughter) Good evening, I'm
Dennis Bockenstedt, I'm the Finance Director for the City of Iowa City. Uh,
tonight is first consideration of a water and a storm water rate ordinance. Uh, the
water rate change that is being proposed was approved as part of the fiscal year
2020 budget and the three-year financial plan. It includes a 5% rate increase on
July 1st of this year and a 5%rate increase on July 1st of next year, uh, that is
2020. Uh, this will amount to a 37-cent increase this year and a 40-cent increase
next year in a minimum household charge. And so after two years that will
amount to $7.42, from $7.42 to $8.19 per month. Why is this rate change being
proposed? Uh, this is primarily due to,uh, Procter and Gamble moving their
personal care, uh, product manufacturing,uh, to their West Virginia plant. Uh,
that Procter and Gamble facility is our number one water customer and it counts
for approximately 8% of the City's water fund revenue. Uh, when that production
relocated, it'll amount to about a loss of about $750,000 per year in water revenue.
So this here is a chart showing our top 10 water customers, and you can see
Procter and Gamble, uh, at just under 8% of our total fund revenue in 2018, which
is by far and away our largest water fund customer. Uh, with the VA Hospital
being a....a distant second at 1.2%. Uh, we did a projection over the next five
years of the impact of that,uh, relocation of that production for Procter and
Gamble would do to our water fund. Uh, the red line being projected
expenditures and the blue line being projected revenues. I'll just note that it does
tail off in 2023, as a downward slope represents the retirement of debt, uh, which
is why that has that downward slope, but you can see between those two lines, the
expenditures would be higher than revenues and it's a....a pretty steady,
significant rate. Uh,by factoring in the projected rate increases, uh, that are being
proposed, uh, you can see that the projection now, uh, as balances, brings into
lines those revenues and expenditures,uh, which would make that fund more
sustainable over the next five-year period. And, uh, so that sum...summarizes the
water rate change, uh, that was being proposed, or is being proposed. Uh, for the
storm water rate proposal, that was also approved as part of the fiscal year 2020
budget. Uh, is an increase of 50-cents per month, uh,per equivalent residential
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unit, or per home, uh, and that'll increase the rate from $4.50 to $5.00 per month.
Uh, the reason this is being proposed is the storm water fund continues to report a
net operating loss on a gap basis, and that is after depreciation,uh,but before
capital contributions. Uh,this will provide additional resources to meet storm
water and storm sewer needs, as well as infrastructure replacement. Uh, also it
will fund a new storm water technician position in next year's budget, which will
enhance field inspections, storm water permit compliance, and project
implementation. And I'll try and answer any questions.
Throgmorton: What? No questions for Dennis? Thank you, Dennis. Anyone else want to
address this topic? Seeing no one I'm going to close the public hearing. (bangs
gavel) Could I have a motion for first consideration?
2. Consider an Ordinance (First Consideration)
Mims: So moved.
Salih: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Mim...uh, Mims, seconded by Salih. Discussion?
Mims: I just appreciate,this is something that started really when Tom Markus came, and
that was doing kind of an annual review of all of our rates, cause some things
hadn't been reviewed in like five or 10 years and so all of a sudden we had to do
huge increases. Obviously this was,uh, brought forth by P&G moving, but, urn,
this is something that staff is now doing on an annual, or every other year,basis
re...reviewing all of these, uh, fees and making sure that when we do have to
make changes, they're smaller increments and increases. So I appreciate that.
Throgmorton: Any other discussion? Hearing none, roll call please. Motion carries 7-0.
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13. Transit Funding Application—Resolution authorizing the filing of an
application with the Iowa Department of Transportation for FY2019 Iowa
DOT State Transit Assistance and Federal Transit Administration Funding.
1. Public hearing
Throgmorton: I'll open the public hearing. (bangs gavel) Good evening, Darian.
Nagle-Gamm: Good evening. Urn, I'll be really brief; urn, what you see before you is a
resolution authorizing the City's annual application for DOT and our Federal
Transit Administration funds for Transit operating and capital assistance. This is
due to the DOT, uh, upon approval next week on May 1st. And I'd be happy to
answer any questions.
Throgmorton: Any questions for Darian? Thank you. Would anyone else like to address this
topic? Seeing no one I'm going to close the public hearing. (bangs gavel)
2. Consider a Resolution
Mims: Move the resolution.
Thomas: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Mims, seconded by Thomas. Discussion? Hearing none, roll call
please. Motion carries 7-0.
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14. City Park Adventure Playground—Resolution approving project manual and
estimate of cost for the construction of the City Park Adventure Playground
Project, establishing amount of bid security to accompany each bid, directing
City Clerk to post notice to bidders, and fixing time and place for receipt of
bids.
1. Public hearing
Throgmorton: I'll open the public hearing. (bangs gavel) Hi!
Seydell-Johnson: I heard you want a really long presentation on this one. (laughter) Urn, City
Park Adventure Playground, we're really excited to move forward with this
project. Um, this was one of two large playground projects that we have going on
this summer. The location is the hillside, um,between Upper and Lower City
Park. So directly north of the City Park swimming pool, um, and kind of what a
lot of people know as the old zoo site. In fact there's still some old structures
there from when the park had a zoo. Um, so we're building it into a hillside,
which presents us with just a lot of neat options and....and fun play features for
the....for the area. Um, this is the, um, drawing of the overall site, and what I
wanna point out to you, which I don't.....have a pointer(laughs) is, uh, the areas
that you see that have kind of just the hatched area around the logs on the one side
and the circle....(mumbled) That is engineered wood fiber for the fall surface.
Most of the rest of that is poured in place, um, rubberized surface. Uh, for a
couple reasons. To provide access throughout the site,but also because we are
building it on a hillside and trying to get the engineered wood fiber to stay in
place would be difficult. So this one has a combination of the different fall
surfaces, um,but quite a bit of poured in place. Um, the playground equipment
itself looks traditional from this picture, but remember this is being built into a
hillside. So that allows us to have several transfer points and several rest areas at
different levels of the hillside that will be very accessible to a lot of different uses,
a lot of different people. Uh, same with the, urn, kind of the upgrade merry-go-
round that you see on the left side of that picture. Uh, it is specifically designed
to let kids with a variety of different, uh, mobility devices get inside of it, spin
with the other kids. You can spin on the inside and you can spin on the outside,
all kinds of fun stuff. Um, and then there will be an embankment slide. It'll look
slightly different than that one you kind of see in the background,but it's built into
the hillside. So, you can go down the slide, you can roll down the hill, there's all
kinds of ways to have fun on this playground. Um, this is, uh, a wood climbing
structure that we're adding in kind of the quiet space. So with, uh, kids that have
sensory disorders, we're hearing parents saying they need a place that is within the
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playground but separate from the largest part of the play structure. Uh, so this
gives them another option to still be there,but be a little bit further away and a
different opportunity. So some of the ways that it's designed for both adventure
and inclusivity is that first of all we get to leave a lot of the large trees. If you've
been on that part of the park,there's just lots of big,mature trees. Uh, this
playground takes out maybe(sneezing,unable to hear speaker) It's not very many
and(sneezing,unable to hear speaker) large ones. We're building around the
trees. We'll have shade throughout. As I mentioned it has this natural hillside,
which will allow for play experiences, not just on the equipment you see, but we
see the whole hillside as being part of the experience. Urn, and it does have
pathways that are accessible to get from top to bottom. It's all connected. Um, it
adds these lookout transfer and seating locations at various points in the
playground, so,um, even if you're not able to get to the top of the actual play
structure,there's several lookout areas that give you a similar experience, and you
can access the slide directly from the hillside,because one of them is actually
built into the hillside. Urn, it has, like I said, areas of both poured in place,
rubberized surface, and it has engineered wood fiber, or the wood chips in part of
it. It has a quiet area, accessible paths, and then the spinning equipment that I,uh,
showed you in that last picture. So I think it's a really good combination.
Remember this is going in the same year that we are putting in,uh, the new
playground at Willow Creek,which is specifically,uh, even more inclusive in its
design,urn,because it's on a level surface(laughs) The fact that this is being built
into a hillside,urn,that presents some issues with full accessibility,um,but I think
we've addressed those and that adds to the adventure part of this, so we've got a
good combination between the two playgrounds. Uh, timeline—public hearing
tonight,bids due on May 14th,um, and then a....aggressive construction schedule
to have it done by August 28th of this summer. That's all I have.
Throgmorton: Looks pretty good to me. Any questions for Juli?
Mims: Exciting project.
Thomas: Are there swings,Juli?
Seydell-Johnson: There are not swings in the actual....this project.
Thomas: Uh huh.
Seydell-Johnson:This we were planning on leaving the large bank of swings that is currently in
the park, so it's kinda separate between where this site is and where the, urn, the
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amusement park equipment was. There is quite a large bank of swings still in that
area. Our plan is to leave that. (mumbled) the one drawback of the hillside is it's
difficult to put swings. There's not flat enough area right there for,uh, swings.
Throgmorton: We've received a couple or so communications from people who made
suggestions about....I don't know, modifications or improvements or whatever.
Have you had a chance to look at those?
Seydell-Johnson:Yeah, and, um, I have sent this presentation to them. They've talked with Zac
Hall, our Superintendent of Parks. Urn, I should mention this presentation is
available on the web site, urn, on the Parks and Rec web site. We have a section
of just park project updates, and this full presentation is there. So,um, I think that
will answer...I think when people first saw just the rendering of the play
equipment, they thought, oh, it's just a traditional playground, without seeing the
full site plan and understanding the full concept of everything goin' on there.
So....
Throgmorton: Good. Great! Thank you.
Thomas: Well the use of the....of the embankment is a really effective way of providing
access, so you don't have to build, you know, all these ramps and what have you
to get up a very nominal to (laughs) to a very low level actually. So using...using
the hillside I think is a really....the best way of cost-effectively providing access,
and it is more interesting.
Seydell-Johnson: It's going to be really fun. Yeah.
Throgmorton: (laughing)
Cole: (mumbled) Let's vote on it!
Throgmorton: More fun than the fire place out there at the, near your house?
Seydell-Johnson: Tough call! (laughs)
Throgmorton: Okay,thank you, Juli. Anyone else want to address this topic? Seeing no one I'm
going to close the public hearing. (bangs gavel) Could I have a motion to
approve please?
2. Consider a resolution
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Salih: Move.
Cole: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Salih, seconded by Cole?
Cole: Yep!
Throgmorton: Discussion? Hearing none,roll call please. Motion carries 7-0. Could I have a
motion to accept correspondence please?
Thomas: So moved.
Cole: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Thomas, seconded by Cole. All in favor say aye. Motion carries.
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15. Assessment Schedule—Resolution adopting assessment schedule of unpaid
mowing, clean-up of property, snow removal, sidewalk repair, and stop box
repair charges and directing the Clerk to certify the same to the Johnson
County Treasurer for collection in the same manner as property taxes.
Throgmorton: Could I have a motion to approve please?
Thomas: So moved.
Cole: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Thomas, seconded by Cole. Discussion?
Salih: I just wanna ask, this is like the unpaid mowing. Is this like after the City do all
the process, like....(mumbled) note on the door and all this, and if they don't pay
you, what(mumbled) Okay.
Throgmorton: Any further discussion? Hearing none, roll call please. Motion carries 7-0.
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18. Community Comment
Throgmorton: You're probably wondering if we'd ever get to you. (laughter)
Stewart: Who knows? Sometimes I like the joke that it's past my bubble bath time
(laughter) which may or may not be funny but I go for it. So it's around that time.
Um, so if you don't know, urn, this is my last City Council meeting. Um
(clapping)
Teague: Thanks for your service!
Stewart: Thank you (laughter) and even thought it's...they're sometimes late nights, I'm
thankful for this opportunity. I enjoy engaging in these conversations. Austin Wu
is gonna be great next year. He's quirky, he's fun, he's smart, and he's gonna do
well in the position, and whoever...or, urn, in the deputy city liaison that comes
and the person that comes after that and so on,um, that having this relationship
between the University of Iowa and Iowa City, urn, is just quintessential, urn, that
when I was growing up, uh, I grew up in Iowa City, um, I remember seeing how
much the University impacted the City, and then going into the University, I kinda
got this new perspective, okay,how much does the community and the City
actually affect, um, the University, and it's this symbiotic relationship that really,
urn, propels itself, whether it's issues of housing, whether it's'issues of
transportation,public safety, a variety of issues. Urn, but yeah! So,just wanna
say thank you and, urn, thank you for allowing me to work with you. (several
responding)
Throgmorton: You've done a terrific job, Gustave. I certainly wish you the best as you move on.
And now, uh, some people are beginning to think of Austin as awesome Austin
(laughs) because our friend Bruce like to use the term 'awesome.' Welcome
aboard, I mean you've done a great job in your first year as, what was it?
Assistant City Liaison, yeah, so we're looking forward to the full year with ya,
Austin!
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19. City Council Information
Throgmorton: And we could start with Rockne and move to the right.
Cole: Urn, I don't have a lot to add. There were a couple issues I wanted to bring up for
the work agenda, but I don't know if you wanna save that for packet time.
Throgmorton: Why don't you save it.
Cole: Okay, save it!
Throgmorton: John?
Thomas: I'll just mention that tomorrow I think, Jim, you're going as well, the, uh, Luci
Lorian's class is having a...kind of a juried review of....the notion of regenerative
cities as it applies to, uh, Iowa City. So we'll be seeing some presentations and
Iowa City, you know, projecting into the future. So it should be kind of
interesting.
Throgmorton: Fifty years I think, maybe even longer(mumbled) Susan?
Mims: Uh, I've got a police swearing in tomorrow morning at 9:30, so if anybody's
available, it's always nice to welcome the new members of our Police
Department.
Throgmorton: Wish I could be here. Pauline?
Taylor: Uh, lot of things happened over the last,it, couple weeks,but most highlight for
me was, uh, Friday, a couple Fridays ago, think Jim went also during the morning,
I went during the afternoon—City High government class, uh, the teacher
invited....she wanted a trifecta with the School Board, Board of Supervisors, and
City Council Members, and it was just really, it, invigorating to see those high
school aged students being so excited about what's going on in the city and they
had some really excellent prepared questions. So that....that was fun. Uh,
upcoming, um....reminder the Workers Memorial this Friday, 12:30, uh, and then
in the evening,uh, the, uh, Free Medical Clinic has a celebration event at the
College of Public Health. Uh, went to that event last year and it was, uh, very
nice. Uh, Monday is the Community Police Review Board forum at 6:00 at the
Library, and then, uh, we all put a lot of effort into supporting the, um, Labor
Center, and on May 2nd,Thursday May 2nd, 6:00 till 8:30 at Old Brick, uh, they
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are going to have a celebration for that (mumbled) successful in their attempt to...
to remain with the University. Music, appetizers, and solidarity! That'll be fun.
That's all!
Throgmorton: Very good.
Teague: All right! Um, so I know I'm unavailable tomorrow to go to the police swearin'
in,but I was able to go, um, Susan was also there, on Wednesday the 3rd for this
police swearin' in and the presentation of the Richard Lee Award. Urn, so that
was my first time attendin'that and that, um, it was a great,um,process to sit
through, and then on Thursday the 6th, I'm sorry,Thursday the 4th,um, I went to
Sycamore, I guess I don't know the name of it now (several responding) (laughs)
yeah, so there was the Civil Rights, um, tour documentary that was phenomenal.
We had,uh, two Councilors up here that were featured, or that was a part of the
documentary, and it was very informative. I would suggest that anyone out there,
urn, get a copy of the video,because it is for purchase. Yes! And then other than
that, I'm, uh.....this past Thursday I did go to the University of Iowa. They had a
faculty town hall,um,meeting and it was quite interesting and it was, um, it was
entitled "Navigatin'Academia as a Person of Color," and so, uh, there were three
professors there and that was quite interesting to be a part of. I thought it was a
great, uh, conversation that was bein'had. The last thing I'm gonna mention is
probably self, um, serving, but on Thursday I will be honored through,urn,
Kirkwood in Cedar Rapids as one....one of their distinguished alumni and so
(several talking) that should be interesting. Um, so, yeah! That'll be happenin'
this Thursday.
Throgmorton: If I could,uh, you mentioned the Civil Rights tour film. I just wanna praise Jack
Brooks for the job he did on that. Did all the filming, all the interviewing, I think
he did all the editing. I was just(both talking)
Teague: ...beautiful!
Salih: Uh, I guess Pauline said everything that I wanna say(laughter) I wanna add to
Friday beside the(mumbled) event, at 11:00 the Affordable Housing Coalition of
Johnson County, they have this,uh, kind of meeting like forum where they invite
some of the,uh,mobile home owner to talk about the issue that going on. At
11:00 at the, uh, Human, Department of the Human Services, second floor. If
somebody wanna come. That's all!
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Throgmorton: Okay well I guess it's my turn. So there are many activities I could report on, but
I'm gonna limit myself to one comment. As many people in the Council
chambers, there are like seven people here now, already know, I do not intend to
seek reelection to the City Council this fall. This has been a very hard decision
for me. When running for office four years ago, I said I wanted to help lead Iowa
City toward becoming a more just city. We have made great strides in that
direction over the past three or more years, but a lot more remains to be done. I
would like to have a hand in crafting our next steps,but there are other factors I
have to consider. Those factors include ongoing health concerns, a desire to make
space on the Council for younger people, and wanting to spend more time with
my wife, who will be retiring in another couple months. My children, who live
nearby,they're adults, and my soon-to-be two grandchildren. So I'm very excited
about that and I look forward to seeing'em. I hardly ever see'em as it is. So,
that's my announcement for tonight! All right, so I think we can turn things over
to our City Manager.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
special formal meeting of April 23,2019.