HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-10-15 TranscriptionPage 1
1. Call to Order
Tbrogmorton: Before we proceed fiuther, I would like to say a few words in memory of
Clemons Erdahl, who served on Iowa City's City Council from 1978 through
1985 and who died almost two weeks ago. I didn't know Clemons well at all, but
I understand he traveled widely when he was younger and received a bachelor of
arts in general studies, a masters in urban planning, and a doctorate in law, all
from the University of Iowa. He believed in the importance of fighting for the
common person and was a fierce advocate for social justice. Our thoughts go
with his wife Roxanne, their children, and their grandchildren, and I think Rockne
knew Clemons very well, so I wanna ask Rockne to say a few words.
Cole: Thank you so much, Mayor. Um, you know we all serve the City of Iowa City
and we all love this community so much, and as my term comes to a close I think
of the ties that bind all of us, the threads that run through this wonderful
patchwork quil.... quilt that we call Iowa City, and Clemons Ertl was one of the
brightest threads. Um, he was a civic leader, um, he was a rabble-rouser, a man
after my own heart. He was .... he believed in community service. He was a
father. He was a grandfather. He was a poet. He loved ideas. He loved his wife,
and he loved the city so much. He served this city with distinction from 1978,
um, to 1985. Um, he was involved in a lot of environmental projects, so when
you look at, um, Ralston Creek and what Ralston Creek represents for this
community in terms of flooding and all the challenges we've had with that, that
was one of the very first issues that got Clemons involved in Iowa City politics.
Um, Clemons died much too young. He was a very young 71 -years -old. He died
very suddenly, um, at the height of his powers. Um, he was trying cases up to the
very end, and so I think the greatest memory that I think we can give to Clemons
is to really remember that we need to seize each day, um, live in service, and work
together in community, and I think that is really one of the best things that we can
do to honor his memory, and Clemons, I wanna thank you for everything that
you've done for this community. Thank you.
Throgmorton/ Nicely said, Rockne. Thanks!
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 2
2. Student Leadership Awards - Grant Wood Elementary
Throgmorton: So we have awards, ub.... to give to two students from Grand Wood Elementary,
Katie Nguyen and Ivan Shinkunas. Did I do that okay? (laughs) No! (laughter)
I knew it! Let me stand in the center. I'm .... I'm sorry, I knew I was just gonna
misstate your last name. Why don't you say it for us?
Shinkunas: Ivan Shinkunas.
Throgmorton: Shinkunas, right! Darn it! Okay! (laughter) So .... first of all, it's great to see
you. I hope you're doing beautifully at Grand Wood Elementary and I understand
that you are! And it's a terrific school here in Iowa City. And I'll bet your parents
are pretty proud of ya too. So I .... two awards, of course one for each of you, and
I'm just gonna read the text, and the only thing that differs is that one of 'em says,
did you say Ivan or Evan? Ivan. One says Ivan and the other says Katie. Okay?
So, Student Leadership Award (reads award) So, Katie, would you read your
statement first? (mumbled)
Nguyen: My name is Katie Nguyen. I believe I was chosen for this award because I ... how
I work quietly and participate during class. I'm willing to help other students
when they need help with their work or with reading words they don't know. I'm
involved with activities such as band, orchestra, art club, and choir and soccer.
This is why I think I was chosen for the Leadership Award. (applause)
Throgmorton: Bravo! (applause continues) Well done. Thank you. Okay, your time!
Shinkunas: Hello, my name is Ivan Shinkunas. I wold like to thank the Iowa City Mayor and
the Iowa City City Council, and my teacher Mr. Glenn at Grant Wood Elementary
School for this award. I believe the reasons why my teacher picked this ... picked
me for this recognition, or be .... are because I'm a great leader of my team in the
classroom. I am a bank officer that pays people Mr. Glenn bucks and I don't lie
how much they earn and I'm excelling in ELP, the extended learning program, that
requires a lot of responsibility. I am also involved out of school. I am on a
competitive swim team, the Iowa City Eels. I bowl on Saturdays and also feed
my cats and fish at home. Thank you all very much for this award.
Throgmorton: Bravo! (applause) So, Ivan, I used to be a competitive swimmer, but when I
would be swimming down, you know, the 25 -meter race or whatever, my dad
would lo ... would look at me and say, 'Are ... are you gonna drown, Jim, or what, I
mean you gotta keep swimmin' harder than that!' So anyhow, it's a great thing,
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 3
swimming like that. All right, so .... I know the parents are very, very proud of
you, so bravo, well done, keep up the good work at Grant Wood Elementary.
(mumbled) (applause) (several talking) Keep up the great work! (applause)
You know it's funny, I get nervous time every time I go out to do that and
sometimes I stumble a little bit, but you know, human .... all too human.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 4
3. Proclamations
3.a. Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery Day
Throgmorton: (reads proclamation) Is there anyone here to accept this proclamation? Come on
up! (applause) You would be Ben, right? Ben Stammeyer (mumbled)
Stammeyer: Good evening, my name is Ben Stammeyer. I am a firefighter and shift fire
inspector for the Iowa City Fire Department. Um, and on behalf of the Iowa City
Fire Department, I would like to thank Council for recognizing November 3rd as
Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery Day. We would like residents to
remember that by maintaining smoke alarms, they play an important role in life
safety. Smoke alarms are one of the simplest ways to assist with evacuation in the
event of a fire. From 2008 to 2017, total fires in our country decreased by 6.2%;
however, during that same time, fire -related deaths increased by 9.6%. Fires burn
hotter, they bum faster, and with more intensity than they did 30 years ago. It is
vitally important that smoke alarms are ready should a fire take place. Thank you
very much.
Throgmorton: Thanks so much, Ben. (applause) Thanks for the great work the Fire Department
does, and your fellow firefighters.
3.b. United Nations Day
Throgmorton: (reads proclamation) And I think Jim Olson is here to accept the proclamation.
(applause) (mumbled)
Xia: Thank you, Mayor Throgmorton, and this Council for the proclamation. My
name is Claire Xia. I came to the United States as an international student in
2012. Now I work and live in Iowa City. I'm proud to be a member of United
Nation Association of Johnson County Chapter. Um, it allows me to attribute...
contribute to UN sustainable development goals by working with local businesses
to raise awareness and funding. Currently we work with three restaurant in
downtown Iowa City to celebrate United Nations Day on October 24th. Would
like your involvement.
Olson: Thank you. My name is Jim Olson. I'm also a member of the board of the
Johnson County Chapter of the United Nations Association. I wanted to join
Claire in thanking the Council for the proclamation. As the proclamation
mentions, we work locally to try to help citizens be aware of the 17 sustainable
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 5
development goals and to undertake activities here in Iowa City and throughout
Johnson County to advance and promote and implement those goals. As I .... as I
look up at the screen and I see the seven goals for more inclusive, just, and
sustainable Iowa City, I .... I note that those goals are very much in the spirit of the
UN's sustainable development goals and so we have a real linkage between our
local aspirations and work at the local level. Uh, tomorrow our chapter, along
with the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council is sponsoring a UN Day event. It
will be at noon at the Congregational Church. It will be a discussion of the UN
and human rights, and I would encourage, uh, all of you to attend, if your
schedule permits. I'd also like to suggest that another appropriate way and
important way that we can all observe United Nations Day is to communicate
with our elected level .... our elected officials at the federal level to indicate that
like the majority of Americans, we believe that the United Nations is still a useful
instrument, uh, for the United States, and I would direct you to our association's
web site, which is unausa.org and you can find out more information about that.
So once again, thanks to the Council for issuing this proclamation, as you have for
many, many years.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Claire. (applause) Thank you, Jim. (applause continues)
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 6
4. Special Presentations
4.a. UCI Jingle Cross World Cup Cyclocross Race
Throgmorton: Say that five times really quickly! (laughs) Only kidding, Josh! Hi!
Schamberger: Thank you, Mayor, and Council. Uh, I could probably say it five times fast
(laughter) been around it for so much, but I'm here tonight just to, again, as I've
been in the last three years now, uh, thank the City of Iowa City for joining
Johnson County and playing just a really big and .... very big and important role in
the annual production of the Telenet UCI Cyclocross World Cup. Uh, this is...
was the first stop of this year's event. Uh, this still continues to be a pretty
substantial event here in our community. The Iowa State game made things a
little bit more challenging this year. Uh, unfortunately UCI and the World Wide
cycling audience doesn't care as much about the Iowa Hawkeyes as we do, uh,
when they put together their global schedule. So, uh, we were faced with a little
bit of a challenge there as it relates to volunteers, but everything ended up
working out in the end as it normally does in Iowa City and Johnson County. Uh,
we put out a call and .... and folks show up and really make it happen. So this was,
as I mentioned, the fourth consecutive year that we've been able to welcome really
thousands of visitors to our community for this event and hundreds, uh, from
outside of the United States, uh, that travel here from Europe and quite a few
teams, and uh, being the first year, we were, or the first stop on this year's tour,
they were here for really the whole .... the entire week. I know, uh, Geoff and
Nancy Bird downtown'll tell you that she regularly saw Belgiums and Dutch and
Germans and French, uh, in the restaurants and, uh, eating pasta at Basta and all
the other places that they like to visit when they're in town. So, uh.... uh, it's, uh,
it's important and it's hard to imagine that, um, but its actually backed up by data
and, uh, television viewing audiences. You know the Iowa/Iowa State game, uh,
had a television viewing audience of ...of, uh, I believe 3.2 million this year, and
uh, the races that were broadcast live from Iowa City had a global television
viewing audience of 11.3 million. So I tell people and I joke that maybe only the
.3 was from the United States (laughter) but it's still really cool to be able to put
on an event that you know 11 million people across Europe are watching live
from Iowa City, Iowa, and the Johnson County Fairgrounds. So, uh, that's the
reason we do it. Uh, we continue to break even and make a little money on that
and, uh, John Meehan who's our director and .... and a pediatrician.... or, sorry, a
surgeon out in Seattle that flies back and takes vacation to put this on, continues
to this day and, uh, now 17th year of the event, fourth year of World Cup, to
donate every last dollar he makes on the event to the Children's Hospital, uh,
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 7
which is terrific. So I wanna thank Geoff and Ashley in particular. Um, this year
we had some rain issues on the day leading up, and so Brock, uh, and uh, Zac Hall
from Parks and Ree came out and were tremendous. Uh, we were worried about
high winds on Thursday night after the course was.....we took a week to set up
the course. You know, Brock had his guys show up with three pallets of sand
bags from the City, you know, within an hour, and uh, we took care of the fence
and nothing blew down. So the City really does step up and support us, and uh,
it's... it's.... it's a big deal and a big return for the community. So in keeping, uh,
with the tradition of bringing you a little token of this year's event, we have a little
print, uh, that Nick put together and that you can hang here, and this is a picture of
this year's, uh, Women's World Cup champion. Uh, her name is Mag ... Maghalie
Rochette and she's from Canada, and so, uh, you can see, uh, just the.... her.... her
first World Cup win and we'll hang it somewhere next to the past year's events
(mumbled) So, you wanna present that up to the Mayor and happy to answer any
questions. Otherwise just wanna say thanks for all you continue to do with the
County. (several talking in background) It's great to look at everybody's
expression there. I love those kind of photos. (laughter) So .... any questions? If
not, thanks very much and .... we'll carry on! (several responding) (applause)
Throgmorton: It's a great event and the CVB, led by Josh, does superb work on it and so many
other things. Thanks for the great work, Josh.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 8
11. Community Comment (items not on the agenda)
Throgmorton: This is, uh, the moment when anybody, uh, who has something they'd like to tell
us about any item that .... or anything that's not on the formal meeting agenda
should please feel free to come up and speak to us. Uh, first person goes first.
Uh, and please state your name and take not more than, I don't know, three or four
minutes to, uh, express your views. Please!
Barker: All right, thank you for letting us speak to you tonight. My name's Lucy Barker
and I'm one of the directors of Houses into Homes.
Silva: And I'm Erin Silva and I'm one of the board members.
Barker: So, you may already be aware of our non-profit organization, Houses into Homes.
We provide beds, furniture, and other household items to families and individuals
transitioning out of homelessness or other crisis situations in the Iowa City area.
Two-thirds of our recipients live in Iowa City. We have delivered beds, furniture,
and other items to 208 households since February, 2018. Those households
include 702 community members, which is 294 adults and 408 children. Many
local social service agencies depend on us to provide beds and furniture for their
clients, including Johnson County Social Services, Shelter House, the Iowa City
Community School District, Domestic Violence Intervention Program, the Iowa
City Police Department, two UIHC clinics, and others. There's also increasing
community awareness of our organization and growing financial support from
individual donors.
Silva: One of our recipients told us having decent furniture makes you feel like not an
animal. You feel like a human being, being able to go and lay in your bed, sit on
your couch, sit at the table and eat your food, even having dishes to eat your food.
It doesn't seem like something when it's something you're used to having your
whole life. It doesn't seem like a big deal that you have a plate or that you have a
bowl or cups or anything, but when you look around and you don't have those
things and you don't have the means to get those things, it's like top priority. It's
the only thing you think about because you're walking around your safe place and
it's not feeling so warm and safe. You're not having the things that you're used to
having there. Having furniture and other things in your home is definitely big for
your confidence. It's definitely big for feeling like humanity, but also too to feel a
bit of structure in your life. It's so funny how drastically different life feels when
you're in an empty apartment. I don't k now how to explain it, it's just even your
mood too can feel kind of empty, and the apartment where it's like I feel blah right
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 9
now, I'm looking at white walls and looking at just wall-to-wall carpet with
nothing breaking it up, it can make you feel crazy sometimes.
Barker: Our program improves the physical and emotional well-being of Iowa City
residents most in need by providing a comfortable place to sit, sleep, and eat.
Evidence indicates that improved sleep quality produces decreases in stress,
reductions in depression, improved mental health and decision making, and better
performance at school and at work. Our organization diverts many tons of
household items from the landfill, and we provide a service that no other
organization in the community provides. While some social service agencies are
able to provide a bed or meet their client's household needs piecemeal, Houses
into Homes collects donated beds, furniture, and other items, plans a full furnish,
and delivers all at once. We are at a critical point, however, where we are having
to reduce our services because of a lack of funding. We have requested to meet
with each of you and have been pleased to meet with Rockne and Bruce, as well
as Erika Kubly, Tracy Hightshoe ... and Tracy Hightshoe, and we have continued to
have a relationship with the leaders of the landfill and the recycling department.
We ask tonight that the rest of the City Councilors find time to meet with us in the
next two weeks so we can tell you more about the vital service we provide to
Iowa City residents and the community as a whole. Thank you.
Silva: Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thanks. I'd like to make a request, uh, for me in particular. Would you please
send me another email or a copy of that email so that I can respond to ya? (unable
to hear response, away from mic) Okay! Thank you. Okay, you're up! Please
state your name and if you haven't written it down already, please do.
Dehn: I sign here?
Taylor: Yes!
Dehn: There we go! (mumbled) Hi, um, my .... my name is Jonathan Dehn and I'm, um,
an ... and I've ... and I actually am, I'm here tonight in regards to like uh.... um....to
like further development in zoning, uh, such as, um, I .... I've written this letter
here about two proposed developments, and I'm hopin' someone will take this
letter from me afterward and....
Throgmorton: Okay, sure!
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 10
Dehn: Yeah cause....
Throgmorton: When you're finished with it, Jonathan, just hand it to our City Attorney over here.
Dehn: Oh, and ... and I'm, it's about, you know, downtown student housing. Um, first off
if you, I don't know if any .... you probably noticed in the last, um, oh some, um...
um, five years, uh, that we've been destroying a lot of historical buildings and
making, you know, and making like, um, a lot of like high rising fancy housing
that.... that I'm ... and ... the fact, in replacing them with more student .... um .... is that
there's been a proposal to demolish these apartments, these Pentacrest apartments,
I think that's just off Burlington and, um, and Gilbert Street, and replace them
with, um, with ... with newer, with like more high-rise buildings and making, um,
the .... I wanna make sure we can make it more affordable, cause the ... what the
average college student, you know, they can't afford high rent! And .... and then
second of all I would .... I would like to say, you know, I'd like to limit the stories
of how ...of how many stories we have, cause I've lived here now, oh, 25, going on
26 years and .... and when I got here, um .... I'm originally actually from California,
and you're thinking California, oh fancy buildings. Well in my town, where I
grew up, Merced, they didn't have too many. They didn't have more than like two
or .... two or three-story buildings. It was that poor! It was in the San Joaquin
Valley, near Fresno, so when I got here I was like there were a lot of like taller
buildings, and ... but they didn't go up more than 10 stories high! I think that the
tallest building when I arrived here was the Veterans Administration Medical
Center at 10 stories, and I don't wanna think of Iowa City as a major city like
Chicago. And I don't want future generations (mumbled) residents to feel that
way too. I ... I .... I want there to be more of keep Iowa City not too big, not too
small, college working-class town, which is the right size on .... on how I found it,
and .... and I feel like that, you know, like I was referring to in the beginning, um,
I .... I don't want students to have to, you know, pay like, urn .... um, to pay
outrageously high rent. That .... that should not be Iowa, although it's ... I
understand the cost of living in Iowa City has always been going up and will
probably continue, but you know we .... we need to, you know cut it off at some
point. And I feel like .... and with, not to mention that the average college student
is struggling just to make ends meet! And second there is a .... I was told about
proposed, uh, building complex on the ped mall, and .... there's a lot of mixed
commercial, uh, businesses like the one that was I know a little controversial
some years ago, like where I think it was like where that ... that old historical, uh,
that old place, I think where the Red Avocado used to be some .... some years ago
and it was .... it was just, I know that was a pretty devastating loss, but then they
eventually relocate, became Trumpet Blossom, but ... (mumbled) the last thing
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 11
needed in Iowa City to me is more .... is more like real estate development. There
are so many ...many mixed-use buildings. Many have gone up within the past, I
don't know, some less than 10 years I think. And do you really have to keep
knocking off that extra space? Just to ... just to, so ... so that you can put in more
like.... like.... like more development, and there's .... and there's some like on Iowa
Avenue, and there was some .... and there was some, I think there was some like
old, who was it, Ted Paka, um, that destroyed the ... that was like the (mumbled) I
think he .... he was retiring and had, you k now, wanted to sell the property. I
know there was .... there was a bitter ...bitter legal fight for the, to save 'em, but I
could understand why they couldn't... could have gone either way. Maybe we need
to do more historical preservation, to ... to make it ... because we're an old city.
We're like, you know, it's ... so to me it's like, you know, if we could preserve more
historical buildings that would be great. And ... and you know keep (mumbled)
Iowa City as a college town and not a big city. That's all I have to say.
Throgmorton: Great, Jonathan. Thank you. Could you hand that to our City Attorney please?
Could I have a motion to accept correspondence please?
Cole: So moved.
I Mn1if ` lvo"I
Tbrogmorton: Moved by Cole, seconded by Salih. All in favor say aye. Opposed. Motion
carries. Thank you, Jonathan. It's good seeing you again too! Hi, Brandon!
Ross: I'm Brandon Ross, uh.... Jonathan's (mumbled) I think Iowa City is unaffordable.
It's unaffordable. Can't live .... can't live in Iowa City, uh, unless you have....
unless you have the bucks. You know yesterday I was gonna mail a package but
the Post Office was closed. It was Columbus Day, right? And I thought there's
something ironic about it, because uh.... Columbus, he was a very inaccurate
navigator. Wasn't he? He didn't really end up where he was goin'. Uh, he was
trying to go someplace. He ended up someplace else. And, uh.... I thought well
the Post Office, they re very accurate as navigators. They always get to where
they're goin', but theyre closed for Columbus Day. When Columbus got finally to
the place where he got, uh, he basically, uh, he basically hurt people and
exterminated them in order to get their stuff, uh, which was basically what they
called 'precious metals, ' uh, to bring back to Portugal, and uh, he might have been
the first key capitalist. Um .... and yet we celebrate this Columbus Day. Some
states actually call it Native American Day or Native Peoples Day. I ... I would
support that. I know that the Council made a proclamation a couple weeks ago to
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 12
have a Native American Day, that we were declaring there would be a Native
American Day. That these people who have lived in this, in these continents for
20,000 years, now they get one day, and I thought, well what are they going to do
on this day? Right? What are they going to do? Well, what can we offer them?
We got ... we got bowling alley. Maybe they can go free bowling. You know.
Maybe they're allowed to live in some of these new apartments that are goin' up.
That are stuck up there by .... by our millionaires, for the rich! How bout them
getting some of those? Instead of always getting the lowest. And just having a
day, it makes us feel good, you know, makes us feel good. We're sayin' we're
givin' the Native Americans a whole day! Man! Isn't that somethin', the whole
day? So later, after Columbus, you know we, you know settlers came here and
exterminated the Native American populations. They just took their guns with
their .... with their metal and they turned what the natives called 'nature' into
property, and they thought that was pretty cynical and satanic. And, uh, then they
replaced those people with, uh, with Afro people, said they had stole it from their
land. This is 400 years ago! And the Afro people built this country's capital up.
They worked 16 -hour days. They built the White House! Ironically! And where
do Afro people live today? They live in the poor sections. You look at this
Council here, you see a diverse Council. I give people credit for voting in that
way. You look in the Council chambers.... it's all white! There are no black folks,
there are no Native Americans here. Where are they? Where's their power?
There's some minorities here, maybe, in the .... in the back here behind me. 1 think
there's a couple of journalists, if they're writing about something important. That
would be .... that would be a minority. So you look at Iowa City, we have a Native
American Day and we have an Afro American Month, which actually is the
shortest month of the year. Meanwhile these people are living in the poorest
conditions, are profiled, are being murdered, as if we're still in Jim Crow. We're
being heavily policed, even Iowa City is partly to blame in these areas. They are
segregated, they're segregated in our town. And we can do a lot better. But just to
call something a Native American Day, or an Afro American Month, that's cool
for liberals, you know, we feel good. You know? We feel good, we feel safe now.
We gave .... we said that. You know? But it's nothing. It's nothing, there's no
action there. You know, when Barack Obama came in to office, he promised a lot
of great things and everything. You designate days, but we have to do better. We
have to do better with working class and poor, our native people, our Afro
American people, our Latino people. We have to do better by nature, and I think
that constitutionally, nature needs to have rights. I know, five minutes, right?
That's what we get (both talking)
Throgmorton: You're at it.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 13
Ross: Matt Hayek used to say, 'You know the drill! Get it over with!' But I...we
appreciate this, to be able to come here and say this, and hope that you're not just
biding your time playing games on your iPhones back there. I'm sure you're not.
I appreciate everybody on the Council and management, but we can do a hell of a
lot better on these issues. Well let's go!
Throgmorton: Please wrap it up! Thanks! Anyone else? Hey, Liz!
Maas: My name's Liz Maas. I live at 743 Kirkwood Avenue in Iowa City. Uh, I just
wanted to tell you guys thank you for the bang-up job of handling and getting
Greta here safely and making sure everybody in our community was ... was okay.
Those events sometimes can draw some strange things, as was noted in the press,
and I just wanted to tell you that ... to mobilize and get everybody.... make it
happen as soon as, and as fast as you did, cause I know the notification for her
arrival was pretty slim ... slim timeline. Just wanted to tell you thank you.
Throgmorton: Thanks, Liz. Anyone else? Okay, not seeing anyone else, uh, we will turn to...
Item 12, Planning and Zoning Matters.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 14
12. Planning and Zoning Matters
12.a. Regulating Plan Amendment - 625 S. Gilbert Street — Ordinance
amending the Riverfront Crossings regulating plan to include the property
located at 625 S. Gilbert Street in the Central Crossing Subdistrict. (ZCA19-
03) (Second Consideration)
Throgmorton: Could I have a motion for second consideration please?
Mims: So moved.
Cole: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Mims, seconded by Cole. Discussion? Danielle!
Sitzman: Mayor, uh, Danielle Sitzman, NDS. Just wanted to mention with this agenda item
and the one that follows (mumbled) brief update. We have received the signed
CZA that goes with item 12.b., the rezoning for 305 and 315. I can give you a
brief, uh, synopsis of the changes that were made at that time.
Throgmorton: Okay. Would anybody like to address this topic?
Maas: This is just a., right?
Throgmorton: Yeah.
Maas: Okay. I'll be back (mumbled)
Throgmorton: I like brief comments, that's great. So, anyone else? Okay, Council discussion?
guess we said enough last time. Hearing no discussion, roll call please. Item
carries 7 .... 6-1, sorry. And moving on to....Item 10.b.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 15
12.b. Rezoning at 305 and 315 E. Prentiss Street and 625 S. Gilbert Street —
Ordinance conditionally rezoning approximately 1.6 acres of land located at
305 and 315 East Prentiss Street and 625 South Gilbert Street, from Intensive
Commercial (CI -1) and Community Commercial (CC -2) to Riverfront
Crossings — Central Crossings (RFC -CI). (REZ19-07).
1. Public Hearing [Continued from 10/1 meeting]
Throgmorton: I need to reopen the public hearing. (bangs gavel) Danielle!
Sitzman: Thank you, Mayor. Just to summarize the changes that were incorporated into the
signed CZA tonight. There was a minor edit made to correct a ... an accidental
deletion, and then two items that were, uh, I would say substantively changed, but
not much. One was regar.... regarding the required improvements to Ralston
Creek. We went through the City's wording that required tree planting in Ralston
Creek. The applicant asked us to do that. They would intend to propose
improvements to Ralston Creek as part of their bonus height discussion and
wanted to have the flexibility to design the creek bed, uh, in that manner and it
might not include tree plantings as we had specified. So, um, we requested the
minimum improvements in case the bonus height request did not include creek
improvements, um, we're satisfied with that. The other change we made was to
remove, uh, the exhibit that showed paving of a trail along Ralston Creek, but
does still secure the easements where a trail could be placed there. So those are
the two changes, uh, in the revised CZA.
Throgmorton: Okay. Thank you. Anyone else?
Maas: Okay, so ... I've got just a couple things here.
Throgmorton: Uh, I think you're Liz Maas again, right?
Maas: I'm Liz Maas again, yes. Sorry! I'm Liz Maas again. Still .... still Liz Maas. Um,
so the first one is a recommendation to revisit the parking requirements. Um, I
know you received, you should of received, uh, correspondence from Martha
Norbeck (noise on mic, difficult to hear speaker) information about parking
requirements and how we could do different things with parking. Of course just
building more parking spaces encourages people to continue to drive cars, which,
um, I don't think Greta would like. Um, then the other, uh, question I have .... is
I'm really impressed actually, um, with .... page 165 of the packet. It talks about
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 16
the specific portion of the code, 14.2g.7.g.8, uh, -8, that talks about restoration of
Ralston Creek, which you know me, I am all about Ralston Creek getting
restored. That's totally my jam. Um, I appreciate that .... that you've identified
bioswells, rain gardens, green roofs, rain water harvesting, stream bank
stabilization .... with a maintenance plan! That's even better, right? That's
awesome. Um, so my question is, could we, um, modify the code, which I realize
is a big deal, ultimately to also include .... um, instead of tying it specifically to
improvements to the landscape, which is also important from a biodiversity
protection standpoint, but doesn't do necessarily a ton for climate change. Could
we do things that relate to electrification? So more and more regions are looking
at electrification as a climate action strategy. We know that Mid American is
trying to install more and more wind power, and the aspiration of this will be that
we have just our energy comes primarily from wind and solar, and if we continue
forward with either natural gas, um, we know that that's a loser, right? Um, and
so could we instead tie some of these height requirements, or height extensions,
the bonus height that you can do, um, be more specific exactly with what we're
talking about, instead of just saying, 'Oh, if you do LEED we'll give you some
extra height stuff.' Well but what does that actually mean? So it's nice that you
have a lot of specifics in regard to environment restoration of the creek, but those
same sorts of specifics aren't included in energy efficiency. So can we .... can we
change that, improve that? That's my question. Thank you!
Throgmorton: Thanks, Liz. Anyone else? Hi, Davis.
Maxwell: Hi. Davis Maxwell, the applicant. Uh, Mr. Mayor, Council, uh, thank you once
again for your time and consideration to support this rezone, not only on behalf of
myself but also Mr. Boyd and his wife Judy, and our team, and our company,
Capstone. Uh, we're excited about, uh, the opportunity to bring a quality housing
development to the City of Iowa City. We have a fantastic location. I think we
have a fantastic site. It will serve, um, residents who not only attend the
University of Iowa, but also these residents that will, uh, continue to (mumbled)
uh, walk to campus, bike to campus, and visit the great retail that your vibrant
downtown has. Um, I travel to a lot of these colleges and universities throughout
the country and .... and one thing that does stick out to me, um .... is the .... the life
that you have in the downtown retail corridor that is, you know, not far from our
site. So once again thank you, uh, we look forward to, uh, continuing to work
through this process.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 17
Throgmorton: Davis, could I ask you a quick question? You and I chatted about this briefly,
right before the meeting started. Uh, in our last meeting I asked if you could
provide the market analysis (both talking)
Maxwell: Sure!
Throgmorton:.... and you just told me right before the meeting that you're not able to get it yet.
Could you tell us whether we'll (both talking)
Maxwell: (both talking).... the.... the fust meeting that we had was on October the 1 st. Our
market consultant, who's Dan ... Danner & Associates, Danner Company. They're
out of Columbus, Ohio. They do business all over the country. Uh, not only
for ... for student housing but market rate, and they've also worked with different
municipalities to, uh, provide market studies, um, for whatever the request may
be. Uh, they were in the market the week before, uh, October the 1 st. Um, I did
speak with our consultant on Friday. Uh, they're in the process of updating that
report. I'll be glad to share that report with .... with you, uh, Mr. Mayor, as well as
the City. Uh, we would ask that, um, we sign a confidentiality agreement, but I'm
sure that we can work that out with, uh, not only Capstone, but also the City. Um;
I anticipate havin' that report soon, uh, probably before the end of the month. It
was just an update to a prior study that was performed in 2018, uh, actually
February of 2018, but once we have that, let me review it, let me review it with
my team, and then I'll be in touch with you to discuss how we can share that
document.
Cole: I think one of the numbers you had described at our previous meeting was your
(mumbled) approximately a 5% vacancy rate that you were looking at in the
Riverfront Crossing District, or was that as the city as a whole?
Maxwell: No, it's actually, uh, it....it was ..... it was a less than a 2% vacancy rate for the
immediate area.
Cole: The immediate area, okay!
Maxwell: The immediate area. You know there are, um, and .... and then another stat that
was brought up in that market study that, um, I think out of like 5,900 units, um,
that were studied in the effective area that will be shown in the market study that's
75% of, uh, those units, which were both purpose built student housing, market
rate, um, housing, uh, 70% of those units were occupied by students who attended
the University of Iowa. But the immediate area in general is (both talking)
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 18
Cole: ....is 2%. Okay, and then market wide would ... you threw out a 5% number or
maybe that wasn't...
Maxwell: (both talking)
Cole: ...sounds good.
Throgmorton: I'd like to ask you another question.
Maxwell: Sure, go ahead!
Throgmorton: Although we're focusing on the proposed rezoning right now, you know that last
time we had considerable conversation about the height bonuses and ... we were
expressing informal views about what kind of bonuses we'd like to see and what
would be ... what we'd be willing to offer and that kind of thing.
Maxwell: Sure!
Throgmorton: Uh, and there was some extensive discussion, I think, with regard to the, basically
the energy efficiency of the proposed building, especially with regard to the
climate crisis resolution that we adopted in August. So, I'm wondering, you don't
have to elaborate on this right now, but I'm wondering if you've had a chance to
think about that and how that could play out with regard to your particular project.
Maxwell: Yeah, I think that's a great question and uh, yes, that is something that we are
going to consider, pursue for the height bonus. You know, Liz, thank you for
bringing up the, uh, one way to reduce that carbon footprint would be to reduce
the parking requirement the City of Iowa City has imposed on developers that
wanna come to the market. You know we're... we're.... we have a three-story
parking structure. We would love to have lower than 20% park, I mean we're .3
miles to the front edge of campus. No .... no student or no....no student or, I
would be willing to say that, um, the majority of residents that would attend, or
live in our complex, are not going to be driving to campus. They're going to be
walking or biking to campus. So, um, if that's something that the Council would
consider, think you would need to change your ordinance, but to reduce that
parking footprint that has been imposed on not only me but other developers that
want to come to the city, we would certainly welcome that. Also, um .... you
know, uh.... when we get into the design of the building, um, Mr. Mayor,
we .... we, you know, we've looked to reduce that carbon footprint, uh, within the
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 19
building, uh, provide energy efficient fixtures, uh, lots of daylight, um, the carbon
footprint, uh, water, uh, have water meters for each individual unit so you can
monitor consumption by each individual resident. So there's a long list, uh, of
items that we look at in order to make our project more sustainable.
Throgmorton: Okay. Thanks! Any other questions for Davis?
Taylor: You know that, uh, sparked something, question for me. You mentioned the water
meters for .... for each resident. Does that mean that's yet again going to be
another additional cost? Are you going to charge that out, or will it be charged
out to the resident?
Maxwell: Yeah, that's something we'll consider as we look, you know, how we're gonna
structure, you know, we're gonna look at neighboring competitors, uh, to see what
they're doing. Are they, A including water and sewer. I believe that, you know,
what I currently have in my motto right now, that would actually be, uh, I would
pay for that. That would be an amenity or perk for you to live in my building.
But, one thing that we find that's been official, uh, for us as we develop these
projects all across the country, we do like to sub -meter each and every unit, and
the reason why we do that is because, um, we might put a cap on that water, you
know, if that unit's going over a .... allotted amount. Then we like to see why,
right? You know... Pauline, if. ... if your unit is all of a sudden more excessive than
Mr. Mayor's right here, well why, you know. Number one you need to pay for it,
but then two you're.... you're gonna collect that overage. So we can .... we
can .... we can manage, um, each individual unit's consumption.
Throgmorton: Any other questions? Thanks, Davis.
Maxwell: Yeah!
Throgmorton: We might ask ya to come back up in a minute, depending on how our
conversation goes. But thanks for comin'!
Dilkes: Um, just a quick comment on the, I wasn't aware that .... that the confidentiality
agreement would be necessary. We won't be able to sign that. Once .... once the
document's in our hands, it'll be a .... it'll be a public record.
Throgmorton: We're legally required to make it public, is that ... or make it available to the public,
right? All right. Hey, Tom, how are you?
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 20
Gelman: I'm Tom Gelman, uh, I'm local counsel for Capstone Collegiate Communities.
Um, my job I think ... right at this moment is to try to bring focus to the discussion.
Um, we've had a very useful, kind of broad discussion of issues associated with
this development, but I think maybe you've gotten a little ahead of the actual
process. Uh, and it's difficult not to do that. I mean I understand that. Uh... there
are many steps in this process. Uh, probably the next steps are gonna be quite a
bit more substantive in terms of the specifics of this project than the current step,
but the current step is really quite preliminary, and it's .... it's rezoning, so that
we're dealing with an area of land that can be redeveloped, uh, that isn't the same
zone. I mean I think there's two principle objectives at this early phase. One is
the development of a site pursuant to the Riverfront Crossings form based code,
which we're about half -way there now, and I think we all realize the benefits to
the community of doing that, because the form based code is such a
comprehensive code that's been so thoughtfully put together by staff and by the
community and by the Council, and so by doing that we can rely upon that code
to serve a lot of the purposes that this Council has .... has expressed some interest
in. The second thing that we're really trying to do here is to redevelop this as a
single site. Right now it's sort of a multiple site. There's multiple uses on the site.
And so the proposal here is to redevelop it as a single site. That really wasn't
anticipated under the comprehensive plan, uh, some redevelopment was, but
redevelopment of the entire site wasn't really anticipated. But it makes a lot of
sense to do it that way. The Gilbert Street site as a separate site doesn't make
much sense in going forward. Redevelopment of this area as an entire site really
offers some interesting benefits for the entire community. Um .... the site, uh, is
such, so .... so ultimately the rezoning is requesting that you consider doing it,
making this a single zone so that as we move forward with the development
process, it can be developed as a single site. Um .... we've talked about the height
issue. We've talked about affordable housing related issues. We've talked about
some development considerations and improvements to the creek. All those will
manifest themselves in the next stages of this process. And really aren't directly
relevant to this rezoning phase. What is most relevant to the rezoning phase is
getting this rezoned, uh, as a single site and redeveloped as a residential facility,
uh, under the form based code. So that's really what we're .... we're trying to do
here. Um, and I'd like .... it would be helpful to keep the focus there, I think, for
this particular vote. Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Tom. I think, um, it's helpful to be reminded that our, the topic at
hand is the rezoning. I think we're very conscious of that, uh.... but we've also
been advised it would be helpful to the developer for us to signal our thinking
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 21
about height bonuses, but the focus here, now, is on the rezoning for sure.
Anybody else want to address this? Hi, Nancy, how are you?
Carson: Four years ago we had a very contentious election. When it was over, we citizens
believed we had sent a message that we wanted a more conservative, mid -wise
approach to development. The Riverfront Crossings plan was an in-depth look at
this whole area, with an all encom... encompassing and enthusiastic participation
from we citizens. The consensus was a mid -wise approach be used to develop
this area. The consulting company that was experienced in development and how
to do it successfully developed the plan. They agreed with this approach. Mid -
wise development would be the most successful approach in our cic... in our city.
When the zoning code was drawn up, why were the incentives at the very end
included? They have the power to sabotage the whole plan, which they have been
doing and continue to do, and that is why I am here tonight. I feel it appalling
when ... even though the majority of citizens made it known they wanted a mid -
wise type of development, both through the Riverfront Crossings plan and
election... business goes on as usual. Will we ever see a zoning code that will
support the Riverfront plan supported by the Iowa City citizens? Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Nancy. Anyone else? Okay, seeing no one else, uh, Council
discussion, but before we do that, I need to ask if you are inclined to vote in
accordance with the Planning and Zoning Commission's recommendation to, um,
to approve, to vote in favor of the proposed rezoning.
Cole: I am.
Throgmorton: Yeah, I'm seeing a lot of nodding heads. So we can proceed. So, uh, I think I can
close the public hearing now. I'm gonna close it. (bangs gavel) All right, could I
have a motion to give first consideration please?
Mims: So moved.
Cole: Second.
Salih: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Mims, seconded by Cole. Council discussion?
2. Consider an Ordinance (First Consideration) [Deferred from 10/1 meeting]
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 22
Mims: I'm in favor, um, of this rezoning and it's kind of interesting that we're doing this
right after the work session we had tonight, when we were talking about
Riverfront Crossings in-depth and actually looking at Opticos' recommendation
that why hadn't we rezoned all of this to Riverfront Crossings, um, as bulk
rezoning, and as we talked about it at that time, the reason was that for certain
elements, the City wanted something. We wanted right-of-way along South
Gilbert Street, um, you know, we wanted to reopen Capitol Street, and other
things. So now we're kind of at a parcel -by -parcel kind of process in doing these
rezonings, but that has been the goal from the get -go, from when that comp plan
was done, was that this area would all be rezoned. The height bonuses are a
separate piece and I think that's one of the things Mr. Gelman's tried to make sure
we focus on, cause certainly .... and I get your point, Jim. The developers need to
have an idea at a certain point where we are on that, but the only thing that we
actually should be, in my opinion, focused on as we talk about this vote tonight is
the actual rezoning and I think it's totally appropriate to rezone to the Riverfront
Crossings.
Teague: As I look at this project, the rezonin' exactly, that's what we're talkin' about
tonight and I have no problem rezonin...... um, this parcel, but I ... I have huge
concerns about this project, um, when it comes down to, you know, the 259
parking spaces that we're talking about and climate change, um, what we can do
there. Um, the eight stories, I'm not too worried about that, um, but when we're
talkin' about, you know, all the residents that'll be there, um, and then we talk
about each unit havin' their own water meter (laughs) um, each unit bein'
individually charged, I ... I'm sorry, but this to me seems a little .... you know, I was
okay up until I heard the water meter (laughs) um, whereas it'll be placed there,
you're probably, um, pay for it now. You just wanna be able to monitor the usage?
If you put a unit of AC or heating at every, in every unit at some point, my
assumption is that bill will be the responsibility of the tenant. So I don't wanna
get into a lot of that, because you're exactly right — we'll be able to get into this
more, but as I'm hearin' these things and I wanna make sure that, um, the... you
know, the intended renters of these properties are not put in a position by Council,
um, where essentially they're taken advantage of.
Salih: I .... in term of the Planning and Zoning, of course I'm gonna be voting for that
because I agree for this. I don't have problem. But I really agree with Bruce for a
lot thing here, and uh, I know that this is Planning and Zoning matter and we have
to focus on that, but I guess we heard from the staff, especially from Geoff said
we always, if we give an idea about height or, uh, even like something else, will
help the people pursue later. Um .... same concern that just Bruce said, especially
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 23
treating the water as amenity (laughs) That's really strange, and especially this,
uh, this apartment will be furnished and you put meter there, and you rent the
apartment by rooms, and if it's two bedroom apartment, who use the water more
than the other? You know, I don't know. Since you furnish apartment, I believe
the water should be included, because this is furnish apartment. This become as it
like hotel, you know, rooms, uh, but the water will be really concern for the, if
you have one meter and you have different people live there, in the apartment, and
the water come like $100 and somebody will say I did not use the water that
much, I wasn't here or anything. I don't know, this is going to be really concern,
and also ... just, uh, as I said last time, I really like to see some kind of
affordability in every single thing in Riverfront Crossing and those will be the
thing that gonna concern me, when it come to the point that we gonna talk about
the height and the affordable housing piece to it. Yeah.
Taylor: I ... I agree with everything, uh, Councilwoman Salih and Teague have said, um...
and I will agree to the rezoning, uh, because as .... as Susan Mims had said, we
discussed this earlier, and it is necessary that we, uh, we look at the rezoning of
this area so that the entire Riverfront Crossing is consistent, but there's just a
number of items I have to tell you that I'm uncomfortable with, ub, about this
proposal, and um, Mr. Gelman, you mentioned that you .... you think that we've
gotten ahead of the process, but I think, uh, the developers themselves have led us
into that, uh, because they already immediately proposed this is going to be an
eight -story building, which leads us into the height discussion and the 259 parking
spaces leads us into the questions about the sustainability of it and the carbon
footprint, uh, and now tonight we hear about, uh, the water being an amenity, and
I guess it is a necessity. It's.... it's important and shouldn't be charged. Salih, uh,
brought up a great concern cause you'd..... at the last meeting had said that there
would be three separate bedrooms, uh, with three locked doors so that, uh,
individuals could .... could rent at the same time, but again, how .... how are you
going to parcel out that water bill. There just are a lot of concerns and ... and such
a long building. It's a massive long building. I have concerns about that. The
three floors of parking, uh, with all those spaces. Uh, the Ralston Creek, I think
the last time, you can correct me, but, uh, I don't know if others heard this too,
when you were here you talked about, uh, sprucing up the creek and talked about,
uh, for public use, and I ... I could swear that you said something about, uh, using it
for canoeing or kayaking and .... and I think that just sends up a red flag, that
you're not familiar with the creeks in Iowa City. They're.... they're not usable
in .... in that form. Uh, yes they .... they do need to be spruced up, uh, especially
Ralston Creek. There's need for that. Uh, but I think that also should be part, uh,
as ... as you're owning that property to, uh, to take care of that, uh, but those are
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 24
just my concerns, but I will vote for the rezoning, as I'd said, because, uh, it is
necessary to get this consistency in that, uh, district.
Cole: So with this discussion about mid -rise and high-rise, I think for me the thing to
emphasize is that even at its max, this will be a mid -rise development, okay? This
is not a high-rise. A mid -rise is defined as stories between four and nine
structures, and someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that that's what
the Riverfront Crossing plan calls for. hi terms of our carbon emission goals, one
thing that is very clear is that mid -rise structures are the most energy efficient
buildings available. And so if we're serious about our carbon emission reduction
goals, why we would not support this in full does not make any sense to me, and
in fact there's an article — "Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities." Patrick
Conden compared three busi.... three structure types — ground oriented structures,
three, uh, three or fewer stories; mid -rise structures, the four and nine -stories; and
high-rise structures, 10 and more, and he said that by far the mid -rise structure is
the best structure for carbon emission goals. It is not a high-rise structure.
Pauline, I'm hearin' ya on the 259, but that's required by code. As far as I can tell!
So we cannot blame the developer for re ... responding to what is required by us.
I'm sure if we were to, and if we were able to in a way that we could do consistent
with our ordinance, they would gladly reduce that, and in fact I think the next
Council will seriously have to look at a completely antiquated, uh.... uh, parking
requirements. I mean this is an old -school issue, where the presumption was
everyone is going to have a car. That is no longer, I think, a valid presumption in
some cases. Um, I don't think that we should write the rules as we go along. We
have to honor the existing requirement. I think if there is a path forward for them
to come to a lower parking requirement, that's consistent with our ordinance and
our Legal counsel, and Council as a whole, I'd love to find a way to do that, but I
don't think we can blame them for complying with our code. Um, it is a student -
oriented development, but .... we have 30 -plus thousand students. Um, we do also
have precedent for student -oriented districts. Um, I think to the .... the individual
units, joint and separate liability as Susan mentioned, is a huge problem. What
happens if you get, um, one tenant that leaves a unit. That means the other two
tenants are stiffed, and in some cases can have crippling, uh, financial
repercussions associated with that. Um, this is a good solution in my view. We
have a lot of houses where we have five students in one room, and you'll have,
you know, two that could be ... you know, three could leave. So it's a huge
problem. This allows each individual tenant to be responsible for their own
individual rent and I think that's a good thing. I wouldn't like that expanded
throughout the community as a model. Uh, that's obviously, I think, limited to our
student population and our base. Um .... I think related to the water issue, I think
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 25
that was responsive to a question that was presented in terms of efficiency. My
guess is there would be some further discussions about that, and I think in terms
of water use, certainly California does closely monitor individual water
consumption, um, and I think in the Midwest we don't do that as much. Um, I
think in terms of how that's done, I'm confident that they would work with us in a
way that's consistent with our community values, and also achieving our water
efficiency that we also wanna support. So I think this is a great project. I'm really
hopeful we can get a bike path or some usable space near the creek, um, you
know, Pauline, you bring u the point of well why wouldn't they just go ahead and
do that anyway, clean up the creek. Well I guess why wouldn't we do it, because
it costs a lot of money to do it, and I think if they're going to, um, you know, get
some of the height bonus, I think it's fair then that we ask them to provide some of
that public amenity, um, as far as that goes. So I think this is a good project. I
think we have to keep it in balance and maybe not .... if every project was like this,
we need to maybe reconsider, um, but this also is going to .... and I believe this is
true, some people maybe don't believe this, but I do believe that this sort of
capacity, we're getting.... we're so close to getting the capacity that we need to
take pressure off of the neighborhoods, in terms of having six students in a house,
which is not ideal for the students, it's not ideal for the neighborhood. Um, I think
we're so close and when we're so close to get there to sort of put the .... our thumb
in the dike and say we're not gonna do that, I .... I just .... I just don't understand
that. So I'm supportive of this, and I'm hoping that, uh, that we have a
collaborative process going forward to sort of meet our values, as well as the
needs of the developer in this particular instance. So I will be supporting this.
Thomas: Well, we did have that conversation earlier tonight about, uh, our bonus height
provision and we're not .... we're not approving the bonus heights tonight, but I ... I
do think while we're .... we're really considering the rezoning, it certainly follows
on our work session discussion. Three out of the eight stories of this project are
parking, and uh, so the .... you know, the building height question, um, is resolved
if we can reduce the parking requirement, and uh, and then again, this is another
good example of what are .... what are we trying to incentivize, what are we trying
to promote, uh.... and then this is also a pretty good example of the embodied
carbon issue. All the embodied carbon that goes into those three floors of parking
is considerable. So, uh, that's.... that's a huge issue on this project, it seems from a
lot of different points of view. I hope we can, uh.... revisit the parking
requirement. I think that.... addresses the affordability, our climate action, and the
urban planning component as well.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 26
Throgmorton: I guess it's my turn, right? Yeah, okay. Gotta be clear about these things! Okay,
we just did a (mumbled) about amending the regulating plan, and given the fact
that a 6-1 majority of the Council clearly wants to amend the plan, that means
when we come to this next time, the question of rezoning will be based on the fact
that it ... that the, uh, regulating plan has been amended ( laughs) so ... given that, I
will, as I did last time, support the proposed rezoning. Think it would be
completely appropriate. Uh, but I've been listening to what, uh, my fellow
Council Members have been saying, and .... also I have considerable concerns in
my own mind about the proposed height bonuses, especially in relation to the
climate crisis resolution that we adopted last August. So I'm not gonna say much
more about that, but just given what people have been saying, I think our Council
wants, once we complete the rezoning process, our Council's gonna have to, uh,
arrange a work session focused on the proposed height bonuses... for this project,
because clearly there's ... it's an iffy kinda thing and we're gonna have two new
members anyhow, uh, come the time .... I think by the time we get to the height
bonus.... decision. Uh, and with regard to that, I wonder if there are viable ways
in which we can incorporated transportation alternatives that substantially reduce
the necessary amount of parking. If there are viable ways of doing that, I think
that'd be good from a developer's point of view. It would be good from a cost
point of view. It'd be good from a climate action point of view, and it would be
probably good from a renter's.... rent point of view. Uh, I don't know if it's
possible. That's the kinda thing we'd have to learn more about. And Eleanor and
Geoff are the people we'd have to turn to on that. So, the bottom line is, I'm
gonna support the rezoning.
Mims: I ... I would just follow up with one comment. I totally support .... Rockne, you
made the point, and I think I made it last time, the parking is driven by our current
code, and I think we've all had that conversation of revisiting our parking code.
Um, but that's not going to be a quick and easy fix. And so I would seriously
doubt that there would be anything that we could do in a timeframe that would be
beneficial for this particular project, to reduce the parking. I mean that .... we can't
just look at this as a one project issue in terms of parking. We .... we need to look
at it, the whole downtown area, the whole surrounding area. I mean I was
surprised with an email that I got today and I questioned Geoff between ... in the
break about an error in the ... in the email about the waiting time to get permits for
our ramps downtown, for employers who .... whose employees wanna park in the
ramps downtown. And I was shocked at how long that waiting list is, and how
long it can take people, um, to get a parking permit if they work downtown, and
want .... feel the need to drive and park downtown. So this can't be a .... a knee-
jerk reaction in terms of changing the parking requirements. Um, if we're gonna
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 27
take on more of that responsibility as a city, um, if we're not gonna take it on but
we're not gonna require others to do it, we .... we'd have to have that discussion of
what does that mean for our businesses downtown. Will people work downtown?
Will other companies want to come downtown if their employees can't park?
Changes to the transit will help, but I ... I mean I just throw that out that a lot of
people talked about the parking. I don't see that as ... even a point of discussion for
this particular project, because of the timeframe.
Teague: I ... what I heard Rockne and, um, Mayor Throgmorton say is ... just a review to see
if there was any pathway forward, you know, we understand what our....
understand (mumbled) the code right now. Not sure if that is point-blank, the end,
but I think they just asked for it to be reviewed, just to see if there's any other
opportunities to decrease the parking.
Salih: (mumbled) ...maybe you can ask the developer direct, maybe (unable to
understand) that could be (several talking)
Throgmorton: I don't think we can do this as a one-off kind of thing (several talking)
Salih: Yes, that what I mean!
Taylor: I .... I think we're forgetting, you keep talking, and Rockne, you kept stressing that
this is a mid -rise and yes, indeed, if it's the eight stories. Hence the reason they
require the 259 spaces in the first place, because it is going to be a higher
building.
Cole: Yeah.
Taylor: ....more residential spaces requires, according to our code, more parking spaces.
So that's why there's 259, which is the alarming number to a number of us and the
environmentalists. That ... that's a pretty large carbon footprint, but it's because of
the height of the building.
Mims: But again, like I said last time, if those cars and people aren't there, they're gonna
be further out and they're gonna be more likely to drive those cars to get to
campus or to get closer to downtown, so then they can walk or bike to the
campus. So by having them that much closer to campus, there's that much more
likelihood that those cars are just gonna sit there the majority of the time, rather
than being driven as much.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 28
Throgmorton: Well there are topics to discuss further, but, uh, we have a question before us, and
the question is do we want to rezone this property. And unless there's further
discussion on that point, I would ask for a roll call. Motion carries 7-0. Could I
have a motion to accept correspondence please?
Salih: Move.
Mims: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Salih, seconded by Mims. All in favor say aye. Opposed. Motion
carries. And the first motion carried 7-0.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 29
12.c. Fringe Area Rezoning - American Legion Road — Letter to the Johnson
County Planning and Zoning Commission in support of a rezoning from
County (A) to County Residential (R) for approximately 25.32 acres of
property located in unincorporated Johnson County north of American
Legion Road and south of 400th Street SE. (CZ19-01)
Throgmorton: Could I have a motion to approve please?
Mims: Move.
Salih: Move.
Cole: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Mims, seconded by, uh.... uh, Cole. Discussion? Danielle!
Sitzman: Thank you, Mayor. Danielle Sitzman, NDS. This is a request for a rezoning in
the fringe area. It's an area highlighted on this slide on the right-hand side in the
red -dashed area. The left-hand side is current, uh, City of Iowa City corporate
limits. In this slide you can see the fringe area, uh, identified in different shade of
blue and purple on the left-hand side. One is the growth boundary area in the
fringe area and the one is the outside growth boundary, uh, area. This project is
located in area B, outside the growth area, uh, and in the fringe area agreement.
Um, the fringe area agreement is a component of our comprehensive plan. It
applies to these kinds of areas and it provides guidance on, uh, land development.
Um, staff does rely on the fringe area agreement, uh, in reviewing requests for
comment from the County. The role of the City Council is to provide a
recommendation to the County, but ultimately the County has jurisdiction here.
Um, this is the current existing County zoning districts and the, again, identified
property and the boundary in red. Um, it's currently zoned agricultural and
surrounded by, uh, County residential, uh, residentially zoned land. Um,
previously we've had a similar request in the last year, last 12 months, in this
vicinity. Uh, the smaller wedge shaped property to the south of American Legion
Road shown in this inset was requested for a rezoning. Um, in a similar situation
to this one is in, uh, conflict with our current existing fringe area agreement. Um,
that particular request, uh, went through the process outlined in the fringe area
agreement of a conflict resolution committee meeting, a joint meeting between
City Council Members and Johnson County Board of Supervisors to discuss that.
Ultimately, uh, the City did recommend approval of that, with some direction to
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 30
staff to begin an update of the fringe area agreement to address these kinds of
conflicts. These conflicts are arising primarily because the fringe area agreement
is older and the County has updated its comprehensive land use plan map and is
proceeding to rezone, uh, land within its jurisdiction, in conformance with this
comprehensive plan. Um, this map shows that County's comprehensive plan and
the location of the subject property well within an area that they have identified as
appropriate for future residential. As I said, uh, tonight this is a City Council
recommendation to Johnson County Planning and Zoning Commission, and again
the Board of Supervisors does make the alternate decision. Um, the Planning and
Zoning Commission did recommend at its October 3rd meeting to recommend
approval of the proposed rezoning, although it's, uh, technically not consistent
with the currently adopted fringe area. That recommendation was based on, um,
the understanding that staff is .... that the, a similar property had gone through this
process and ended up ultimately being recommended and that staff is currently
working with County staff to amend the fringe area agreement. I think that
concludes my staff report.
Cole: (both talking) ...carbon emission analysis, did we look at number of trips? This is
nearly certain to be an auto -centric development with virtually no acces... access to
walkable services. Am I correct in that?
Sitzman: Right, there's no existing sidewalk system to connect this to the (both talking)
Throgmorton: Any other questions for Danielle? I don't hear any. Thanks! Council dis... well
anybody else want to address this? Oop, two people! It's not all about Liz, Liz
(laughter)
Landau: Gina Landau with MMS Consultants. I was here when we talked about that
triangle piece to the south of American Legion Road as well. Same client
requesting rezoning. Um, that one actually moved through the subdivision
process. This one really is just purely rezoning. Um, lot A Redwing that we're
talking about, lot A, was platted in the 80s and was designed in the 80s to be
residential, and it just kind of sat, you know, nothing really going on, except for
fanning it for the last little bit. Um, it's now in the land use plan for the County,
for residential. That's kind of I guess the next step. So that's why we're moving
forward on this. Um, and those this is a County subdivision, so yes this, I mean,
you can bike to Iowa City, for sure. I would choose not to (laughs) um, two miles
away, but definitely this is county, so ... yeah. Do you have any questions for me I
guess?
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 31
Throgmorton: Any questions for Gina?
Landau: Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thank you.
Maas: Thanks for taking, uh, my comments again. My name is Liz Maas. Um, this ... I
appreciate this opportunity to speak, um, whenever there's an agenda item like
this, more because it's just nice to share what the community's feeling and I know
Tom Getman and I know he's trying to keep you guys on track and get you home
at a nice time, and I appreciate that, but I think it's important to have this kind of
discussion because it does bring awareness to the developers of what the
community feels about these kinds of developments that are .... that are happening,
and this is just another good example. I realize you can't change the ordinance for
one project, um, but using these .... my comments usually are just made as an
example of hey, hey' we need to change some things. Um, I realize that this, the
previous development might happen and we might have it the way we want it and
that's totally fine, but we need to work towards making these changes. Same here,
um .... this is another sort of typical thing actually in July I sent you guys an email
about the other property with the same kinds of comments. Uh, as you said,
Rockne, you know, it's a .... another one of those where you're gonna have to drive,
and incentivizing people to make better choices, reduce our carbon footprints, you
know the drill. Um, so working with the County, to try to make these things
happen so we don't have this, um, type of project that just continually comes up,
with our .9 acre lots, you know, kind of large .... large lots. Doesn't make sense
from a land use perspective, certainly not from a water quality standpoint and
storm water management either. So, thank you very much!
Throgmorton: Thank you, Liz. Anyone else? Sure! Go ahead.
Landau: The County is very cognizant about the driving back and forth. That is why this
was designated as a residential area for land use for residential, because it is
within two miles ... of the city. There are a lot of pieces out there in the middle of
the county that are 15 miles away from cities that are six miles away from the
City of Swisher, from Shueyville, that, uh, developers are wanting to rezone to
residential. And they are being denied, at the county, because of that. The County
does not warm see little bits of residential here and there, all over the county.
This is a nice big chunk of residential. It's already been residential since the 80s.
There are currently over 80 homes in this area. It feels like a residential area
when you drive to it. Unfortunately the County calls it the ... the land of a
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 32
thousand driveways. That's what they call it (laughs) because there are so many
homes there. There's a brand new school, brand new elementary school out there.
So the City, or the County is very cognizant of the driving. That is why they have
decided that this is designated residential. It's close enough to the city that you
are not going to be driving 10 miles to get somewhere. You're driving less than
two. Thank you.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Gina. Anyone else? Seeing no one else, Council discussion?
Mims: I will support this, um .... I think the County has certainly done a lot of work in
their comprehensive plan and where they will allow residential and where they
will not. Um, I think they just re .... I think they just got theirs redone in the last
year or so, and I think that has been a big issue for them, of not having a lot of
sprawl, trying to control where property can and cannot be developed for
residential, within the county, outside of cities, and I think the point that this is
within two miles of city limits, you already have a lot of residential there, um,
makes a lot of sense that this is where you would have more, and gives people the
opportunity for carpooling. It certainly is within reasonable distance for some
people who might wanna bike, um, but it's a lot better than being six or eight
miles outside of any one of our communities in the county.
Cole: Well as I understand it, I mean we're just making a recommendation to the
County, correct, and they are free to ignore, I mean this is not a technical, um
(mumbled) ultimately the jurisdiction's gonna, uh, rest with the County, in terms
of their decision. So I think we do need to send a message. Now if we're just in
an ordinary .... we have a .... we have a, uh, goal for significant carbon emission
reductions by 2050 and 2030, and we are .... we lament all the time, all the .... all
the powers that we don't have, and all of the inability that we don't have to be able
to implement that goal, and then we have these fringe, one -acre, low-density
residential that are not close to services, that functionally are not walkable, they're
not very bikeable, and as far as my time on Council, there has been very little
opposition to these. I've been sort of a candle in the wind. Um, I don't know how
we're going to get there until we send a message to the County that these, this is
an ex -urban development. It is ... and it doesn't necessarily have to be that way, I
mean look at like we're doing in our South District plan, we're looking at a, uh,
more of a missing -middle concept with some neighborhood commercial, some
amenities out there, so you're not .... so I'm not necessarily opposed to all
development in the green field areas. Um, but I .... I think we're making a mistake
by not sending a message to the County, um, that this ... this is, we will not achieve
our goals if we keep supporting projects like this! Um, unless I'm wrong, I mean
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 33
the automobile is one of the key contributors to carbon emissions, and it's trips,
more than anything else, that lead to that, and if we're going to support these sorts
of projects, how ... how are we .... how do we seriously say we're.... we're achieving
our carbon emission goals, and it's for the exact opposite reason that, um, you
know, I .... I support so strongly what we're doing in Riverfrom Crossing, because
it is dense, it is close to downtown, it is close to amenities, it is walkable, it is
bikeable, um, it does align, and .... and have convergence with that. So this is not
a huge project. Is it going to be the end of the world if it goes through? No it's
not. Ultimately the County's going to make their decision, but let's send a signal
to them that, no, we don't think these sorts of developments are appropriate and
we recommend that you deny it.
Teague: So ... go right ahead. I think we should send a letter of support. I do hear what
Rockne is saying and I .... I think that it's very valid that we send a message, but I
don't think that this is the appropriate method to send the message. Um, I think
we do .... we have our 100 days report comin' out, and I think that is the time when
we can have a .... a fruitful comfor...conversation with the County and let them
know about our plan, and then get into some more, um, actionable things that they
can, you know, really be cognizant of to help us as, you know, not only Iowa City,
but you know, countywide and even throughout the state achieve the goal, but I ... I
hear what you're sayin' and 1100% agree. I don't think that this would be the
method to do that.
Salih: Also hear what you're saying and we know that we need to reduce the carbon
emission and everything, but she just mention that there is 80 resident live there.
That mean they already using their cars (unable to understand) This is happening,
you know, I ... I just thinks, uh, we cannot do anything, at this moment, because
there is people live there, they using their car and everything. If we (unable to
understand) eliminate them from using their car. Anyway, I will be supporting for
this for now.
Throgmorton: How bout the rest of you?
Taylor: Well, with all due respect, Rockne, and I'm just really confused with where you're
going with this. As Mazahir just mentioned, there are already 80 units out there.
Just recently (mumbled) didn't even blink an eye at the five stories with however
many residents that are going to be there, but 259 parking spaces, and then
recently another project, soon to be before us again, uh, was going to have 1,000
residents in it and however many cars with that. And you .... you didn't even blink
an eye, but yet you .... you're having difficulty with this, uh, this project. I ... I'm in
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 34
favor of it because I think it sounds like it....it will be a very good development
and .... and the, uh, looks on the map like it's ... it's very far, but uh, if it's two miles,
that's good. I ... I live four miles from here, for heaven's sake, so that's even closer
than .... than I live to City Hall, so, uh, that's a quick bike ride, and uh, I don't see
any problem with it.
Thomas: Well I appreciate the context, um, you gave on .... two miles versus the six miles. I
think that's useful. Is this a project I'm in love with (laughs) I think, um, you
know there.... it's.... it's not something I'm fully supportive of, and yet it's sort of
the world we live in at the moment. I .... I especially, you know, this labeling...
the land of a thousand driveways, I ... I mean I would much prefer if we were to
develop in this sort of rural location that the .... the lots be clustered, rather than
large lot, uh, so that there would be some sense of place, if you will, to the
community rather than these large lot developments. I do think that's part of a
longer conversation, um, you know, how do we .... how do these small settlements
on the edge of town, uh, how can we develop them in a way where they have their
own sense of place, rather than the large lot subdivision. Um, but for the time
being I'll support this.
Throgmorton: So I'm gonna support the rezoning, not because I'm in love with it (laughs) like
you said, John. Uh, I'm in love with a lot of things, but not this particular project.
Uh, but uh, I'm gonna support it, mainly because I'm .... I'm thinking about the real
world we .... we live in and .... by which I mean, right now there's no regional
vision about how development should occur, and I don't see any likelihood that
that's gonna happen any time in the near term future. So without that, then it
seems to me this is about the best we could expect to get. I .... I take Gina's point
that there are already 80 or so residences out there, and this will permit more, uh,
and they're kinda clustered. It's not ideal from my point of view, as you know,
Rockne and John, and everybody else here knows, but ... then the other reason, uh,
I would support it is just because vehicles are powered by gasoline right now does
not mean in 10 years they will be powered by gasoline. Uh, I think, uh, we are
looking at a trend toward electrification of motor vehicles and therefore the
concern about carbon emissions from motor vehicles, I think, will decline, I'm
hopeful about that, especially if Congress adopts that Energy Innovation and
Dividend Act that I referred to earlier in our work session, and so on, so I'm gonna
support the .... the letter and .... and move ahead on that. So, I think we're in a
position to do a voice vote now, right? So, all in favor say aye. Opposed. The
motion carries 6-1.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 35
13. Airport Zoning — Ordinance amending Title 14, entitled "Zoning Code,"
Chapter 6, entitled "Airport Zoning," to update the airport zoning
requirements based on the new Airport Layout Plan, closing of the
north/south runway, and changes in FAA regulations.
1. Public Hearing
Throgmorton: I'll open the public hearing. (bangs gavel) All right, Mark .... Mike, song!
Tharp: (laughs) Uh, Mr. Mayor, Council Members, Mike Tharp. I'm the Airport
Operations Specialist at the Iowa City Airport. With me is Melissa Underwood
with SEH. She is, was our lead consultant on developing this code update. Uh,
talk to you a little bit about how we got from where we were to here. Uh, the last
time we updated the Airport zoning code was after, again, major planning
projects, uh, 2002. Since then several things have happened, uh, in terms of
rela... relation to the Airport. Uh, one runway has been decommissioned, uh, the
north -south runway. That's been decommissioned for some time. Uh, FAA
definitions on air space and what's required have changed. Also our.....our
planned usage from the 1996 master plan didn't quite live up to where we thought
it was going to be and, uh, some of these code changes are reflective of that as
well. Um .... uh, the process itself really started with the updates of the Airport
master plan in 2016, as well as the Airport layout plan, um .... uh.....(mumbled).
Uh, we also have grant insurances that are put in place by both the FAA, the
Federal Aviation Administration, and the Iowa DOT, whenever we accept a .... uh,
support for, uh, funding projects, and that's basically operating the Airport in safe
and efficient manners. So keeping approaches clean, uh, things like that, and uh,
one of the ways to do that is by having a .... a current Airport zoning code. Um...
as the Airport layout plan exists, uh, the Airport layout plan is basically the wish
list of the, uh, how the Airport Commission, uh, feels the Airport would develop
over the next 20 years or so, uh, if there was unlimited resources and
opportunities to invest in the Airport. So, um, what we see here is .... is, uh,
basically that Airport layout plan condensed in one, uh, the Airport master plan
condensed in one picture. Um .... it does show the .... the changes of the runway,
uh, category definition, some.... some, uh, shifting of the runway 12-0, our cross
wind runway, uh, to bring some of those approaches closer to the Airport property
as opposed to, uh, having those further out. Um .... as the current Airport zoning
ordinance exists, again, 18-36, that north -south runway still exists. Uh, runway 2-
5, uh, shows actually a prosi.... a precision approach path, uh, something that is
not achievable, uh, these days with the FAA regulations, and then we've got, uh,
just definition of change... definition changes for runway 12-30 and 7. Um, what
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 36
the plan does is is turns it into that. Uh, again you can see 18-36 is removed from
the definition and the mapping, uh, runway 2-5 has ... has been shrunk down.
It's... it's a non -precision approach path. Um, same thing with 3-0, those are our
two runways that have instrument approaches attached to them. Um .... and then 7
and 12 match the ... the definitions, um.....uh, what brought this about, again, the...
the runway design code changed, so each runway has a specific aircraft that it's
basically.... aircraft type that it's designed to handle. Uh, back in 1996, uh, that
aircraft was projected to be something like a Gulfstream IV, V, where you have
19, 20 passengers on a fairly large business jet. Um, we do see that aircraft, but it
doesn't meet the FAA definition of 500 operations a year, um, to become the .... the
aircraft that becomes the designated, uh, category. So what it does is it backs that
runway down to a lesser category. It doesn't prohibit the Gulfstreams from using
the Airport, um, but we're just not designing for that to be the common aircraft.
Um, again runway 7-25 updated for the approach, uh, runway 12-30 remains the
same size but the location shifts, and then we've removed the ... the language, uh,
reflecting 18-36. Um .... included with this update we've, uh.... um, added
additional mapping to,um, the Airport zoning code, so what you saw was the
overlay and, uh, we'll also include basically zoomed in sections of each runway
and those make it a little easier to see, if you can picture, uh, especially for
developers or anybody that's lookin' to, uh, do any projects near ...near or in line
with an Airport (mumbled) uh, these zones are gonna impact'em on a little bit
easier scale to .... to see. Um, so each one, 7-25, 12-30. And then last ... the last
couple of changes that are made, or recommended to be made to the zoning code,
uh, reflect the penalties that are in the City code as opposed to having something
formally written, 4 within the code itself that might need updated on .... on a, uh
....uh, kind of a non-standard basis. We, uh, reference the City code, so the, uh, if
that piece of the legislation is updated by Councils in the future, we don't have to
come back and do this one. Uh, we also update the .... the notice for post
construction and alteration. That is the process the developers and anybody doing
alterations to buildings use to conduct what is called an air space study, so that
they can confirm, uh, their project is not gonna impact any of the Airport
approach zones. And that's all I got with that. I'm happy to answer any questions,
um.....
Throgmorton: You and I joked a little bit beforehand, like about how ... how frequently the
Airport Zoning Board does its work, and I think you said there's been one other
time in your experience.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 37
Tharp: Yeah, um, one other time we did, and that was just to add some language so that
we could, um, allow for .... for taller buildings downtown in .... in certain
situations.
Throgmorton: All right! Any questions for Mike, or Melissa?
Teague: I so appreciate your knowledge on this (laughter and several responding)
Salih: Yeah! Thank you!
Tharp: Thank you! (several responding)
Throgmorton: Okay, does anybody else want to address this topic? Cause if not I'm gonna close
the public hearing, which I hope I already opened. Did I open the public hearing?
Yeah, good! Thank you. So I'm gonna close the public hearing. (bangs gavel)
Could I have a motion for first consideration please?
2. Consider an Ordinance (First Consideration)
Salih: Move.
Teague: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Salih, seconded by Teague. Discussion?
Cole: Sounds good to me!
Salih: Yeah (mumbled)
Thomas: Well I just found all those drawings really fascinating (both talking)
Throgmorton: Weren't they great? The first one was great (several talking and laughing)
Thomas: It looked like a, uh.... Russian constructivist painting to me (laughter)
Taylor: Well Bruce and I both live very close to the Airport, so I was appreciating the
drawings also from that concept, and trying to figure out where my house was
and .... and how I've noticed the change over the years, the direction that the planes
are taking for coming in and going out, so I appreciate that, and I ... I love the
Airport. I think it's pretty good for Iowa City.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 38
Throgmorton: You mean they don't fly overhead anymore?
Taylor: From a different direction. (laughter) More towards Bruce's house! (laughs)
Throgmorton: Any further discussion? Hearing none, roll call please. Motion carries 7-0.
Thanks!
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 39
14. Disorderly Conduct and Disorderly House — Ordinance amending Title 8,
entitled "Police Regulations," Chapter 5, entitled "Miscellaneous Offenses,"
to amend the ordinance so that it complies with a recent federal court
decision. (First Consideration)
Throgmorton: Could I have a motion please?
Mims: So moved.
Salih: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Mims, seconded by Salih. Discussion? Eleanor, did you want to say
anything about this?
Dilkes: I can. Urn .... there was a federal court decision that, um ... actually related to a ... or
was dealt with a charge that had been made by city police officers outside of
Planned Parenthood, um .... um, under the State disorderly house, um, code, um,
and it was a First Amendment, uh, violation being alleged, and the Court found
that the, uh, State code was, um ... vague and that it...it was not constitutional. Um,
we have, our disorderly house provision in the City code, as well as our ...I mean
our disorderly conduct provision, as well as our disorderly house provision, suffer
from the same problems, and so we're correcting that here.
Throgmorton: Okee doke. Any questions for Eleanor?
Salih: No.
Throgmorton: Hearing none, roll call please. Motion carries 7-0.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 40
18. Community Comment
Throgmorton: Anybody wanna talk to us? (laughs)
Lenkaitis: Hello, um, Charlotte Lenkaitis, Deputy City Liaison, University of Iowa Student
Government. Um, it's homecoming week, as you may have noticed all the
decorations around campus. Um, so I just wanted to point out a few of the bigger
events, um,and also the City Council forum at the University is tomorrow from
7:00 to 8:30 P.M. at the North Room of the IMU. So I know I'll see some of you
there. Um, but I'm excited for that event, should be good. Um, tomorrow there's
also the multi -cultural block party, right before the City Council forum, from 5:00
to 8:00 P.M. at the Cultural and Resource Centers, on the west side of campus.
On Thursday, um, Iowa Shout, um, is just like a bunch of student performances,
so should be a lot of fun. It's from 6:00 to 9:00 P.M. at the Pentacrest, and then on
Friday you are all gonna be in the parade, correct? Yes? Okay, that's exciting
(laughs) I (laughs) sorry, I texted Austin to see if he was interested in .... in
walking with you all, if that invitation still stands. (several responding)
Throgmorton: Any objection to that? (several responding) Fabulous!
Lenkaitis: Okay, sounds good. Um, and then, yeah, Saturday we've got our game against
Purdue at 11:00 A.M. Um, but yeah that's all I have for you, um, but yeah!
Thank you. (mumbled)
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 41
19. City Council Information
Throgmorton: Let's start with Pauline and move to her right.
Taylor: Okay! Uh, it's been pretty busy last couple weeks. Uh, on Thursday, October 3rd
I attended the Iowa Women's Foundation luncheon at the Coralville Marriott. Uh,
it was very well attended. Not all women! It was a very diverse group of
attendees, uh, including some more City staff. Great luncheon and great speaker,
Dr. Angela Sadler -Williamson was the keynote speaker. Uh, she's an, uh, award
winning independent filmmaker, uh, most recently known for documentary about
her cousin, actually her cousin — Rosa Parks, and she's also the author of a newly
released book, uh, titled Women Who Eliminate. I ... haven't ... I ... read the book but
it just, from the title, sounds like it'd be very good. Uh, on Saturday the 5th, uh,
the CWJ gala was a great event. I can let Mazahir elaborate on that a little bit, uh,
bit it was also a very diverse and large group of attendees, but a wonderful event,
and also on Sunday the 6th, which she can also elaborate if she'd like, the event
titled "Connecting Iowans to Sudan." It was an event hosted by CWJ that was
billed to spark cultural exchange, and... and it really did. Uh, it was just a great
group of people. Uh, one of the guest speakers was very impressive, and correct
me on this — Dr. Muhammed al -Asad, uh, who was one of apparently key players
in the non-violent revolution against what was seen as a corrupt, uh, regiment.
Uh, Thursday the 10th I attended an initial planning meeting for what they're
calling a prevention coalition, uh, it's a group of, urn .... uh, individuals trying to
establish a countywide substance misuse and prevention coalition that's going to
look at harm reduction and risk reduction, uh, strategies around, uh, substances, to
promote a healthier environment for youth and adults throughout Johnson County.
Staff from Prelude spearheaded it, but it included interested parties from .... from
many realms. Um, my interest included of course what we as a city, uh, should be
looking at and be aware of and plan for. Um, we even talked about, uh... uh, the
vaping. That .... that's considered a substance and obviously is getting a lot of
attention and .... and a lot of concern. So, we're gonna be looking at that also!
That's all!
Teague: Yes, so .... on the 5th, uh... um, of October... no, Friday the 4th, uh, Greta Thunberg
was here and that was an amazin' event. Um, thanks to the City of Iowa City and
all that were involved, especially the student climate, uh, strikers, uh, for all of
their work in makin' this possible. It was a wonderful event and I'm sure others
will talk about it because there was a few of us there. Um, on the Sunday the 6th,
I did attend what you just mentioned about, um, connectin' Iowa to Sudan, and I
was really impressed with the information about their fight for democracy, and
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 42
that's somethin' that we really do take for granted, and so, um, was very
appreciat.... appreciative to learn first-hand from some people that's really been in
that fight. That .... that was a wonderful event, with a lot of good food! Lot of
good food (laughs) and then on Wednesday, um, there was three of us Councilors
that actually did the Park and Rec tour, and I'm sure some of us are gonna talk
about that, but we have some beautiful parks throughout our community, and
thanks to Juli, uh, Seydell-Johnson who took us on that tour. It was awesome and
amazin'! Um .... on the 10th a trail ... um, TRAIL of Johnson County had a
wonderful event at the Coralville Library, um, but I can tell you that it was so well
intended that they really needed a larger venue, um, to really house all of the
people that came to celebrate the TRAIL of Johnson County and they
are.... definitely makin' it possible for elders to remain in the community
and .... and continue to be active and gray, as I love to say! And then on ... um, on
this past, uh.... Sunday, the 13th, um, there was a play, or readin' of The Laramie
Project at New Song, and this was about the 21 st.... well it's the 21st anniversary
of Matthew Shepard's death, and so, um, havin' the community come out, ulr, to
just hear the reading, uh, it was great that, um, the readers were very
compassionate. After there was a question and answer, and the ... it was very
emotional, but I think that the one thing that, um, I kinda left with is the fight for
the LGBTQ+ community, uh, is still, uh, very well and alive today, although we
have made great strides. One Iowa and their, uh, this is the 10th year of marriage
equality, um, and One Iowa actually was a sponsor of this event, and One Iowa
was influential in gettin' the marriage equality here in Iowa. So, um, even though
it was a ... um, the .... The Laramie Project was very moving, but I also left very
inspired by all the work that Iowa is doin', uh, within the LGBTQ+, uh... uh,
world. There's a couple of events comin' up and I just wanna mention one. Um,
and that is the Refugee, um .... I wanna make sure that I get it right! And ... (several
talking in background) Imm.... Immigrant and Refugee Recognition dinner, and
that's gonna be this Saturday at St. Patrick's Church, from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.
and um, it's gonna be an awesome event. I'm plannin' to attend, but they are
going to be honoring our Mayor there, as well, on this Saturday, and so wanted to
give a shout -out to him, for all the work that you do. Uh, one last thing is the
Human Rights Awards breakfast, and that's gonna be next Wednesday, on the
23rd.
Salih: Yeah, you guys did everything that I wanna say (laughter) Okay, on .... on Friday
the 4th I attend, um, an event called "Iowa Ideas," in Cedar Rapids. That event
was about like just ways to .... help immigrant navigate, how Iowas... Iowans can
help immigrant navigate, and also the struggle that immigrant face. It was really
nice event. And it...it ended like, uh, just like almost noon, and I just have to run
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 43
to meet Greta, and it....it was really amazing event with Greta. I .... I thinks like I
really would like to shout out and thank those student from City High and all the
young people who really, uh, started this fight, which is great, and just to see a lot
people attending this kind event. That means we are in the right direction for
climate action plan, because a lot .... it seemed like a lot people interesting in
doing this, which is really great. And, uh.... for, uh, also Sunday, Saturday, yeah,
of course, was the gala. It was really nice event, a lot people came and we sold
out the ticket. Even Rockne could not attend because he couldn't find a ticket
(laughter) but this really was nice event, and .... on the 6th the Sudanese event,
Connecting Iowa to Sudan. I guess the mission or the goal of that event was
really since there is a lot of community from Sudan live in Iowa right now, and
the way that we can make it one community, because immigrant tend to isolate
and, uh, usually people will understand another culture through food and music
and art, and that's why we had this event, and I thinks this really, by the way that
now, so far, Pauline and Bruce talk about it. I guess it did the mission for us, the
goal, it made the goal because you saying you understand a lot thing about what's
going on and you can now like relate to those people and... understand what's
going on in .... in Sudan too. (mumbled) yeah, the speaker was amazing.
Hopefully he will be the next president of Sudan, uh, because we will thinking
that will be true. Also I want to thank the City for sponsoring the event, and this
was really great. Thank you. And, uh, also .... I guess Simon try hard to come but
all .... all the thing that was going on with on that day but (laughs) but thank you
for the, you know, the willingness to come, but .... you (mumbled) I think after
that, did I have something else? I ... don't thinks ... yeah! I went on Sunday, I
missed the Fairground bar-b-que of course because I went to Dubuque. There is,
uh, you know a mobile home park there also, you know, another one that being
bought by another company (unable to understand) but they are really increasing
the rent and the water, uh, they never been paying water before. They start paying
water. They start paying trash or pets and all this kind of thing, and we went there
to help them organize and create a tenant association. So we can have a network
of mobile home around the country, because right now the goal is to, uh, write a
petition and all the mobile home parks would sign that petition so we can have
something to send it to Des Moines, to help those people to, you know, uh, pass
some laws that will benefit the resident rather than just the owner. Yeah. That's
all I have. Thank you!
Cole: Yeah, to .... to double up on what everyone has said about the Sudanese event on
October 6th, it was incredible. I mean it wasn't just ... it was history, it was art, and
it was politics, it was music, it was dancing. The Condoka, the Warrior Queen, oh
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 44
my gosh! They were so good. They were mesmerizing and the singing, like we
have a future pop star .... is she from Iowa City? (several responding)
Throgmorton: She's pretty amazing!
Salih: She is from Iowa City. She live (both talking)
Cole: ...she is like awesome. So ... it was incredible (both talking)
Salih: ...one of them is my daughter, okay? (laughter)
Cole: Well she's great too! They're all fabulous (both talking and laughing) And so you
out in the community ,if you ever hear of an event involving Sudanese, like go
because they are so much fun and it's jut, um, it's just terrific. Uh, I'm gonna be
with Jim and hope everyone else can come to the refugee dinner this Saturday
night. Those are always a really great event, uh, what a contribution our refugee
community has made, um, from throughout the world, and uh, really proud that
we've really welcomed and incorporated as well as we can, more work remains to
be done, and I'm sure we'll have those conversations with the refugee community,
but it's really great to celebrate, and of course to have great food, which I always
like, and uh, and I'm really looking forward to the Human Rights breakfast on
October 23rd at 6:30. 1 think that's always a very invigorating event, um, to
celebrate some of the great work that local leaders have done. I know, um, my
friend Jesse Case is going to be one of the award winners, so it's really good to
see it in that hard work is recognized because a lot of time it is really thank...
thankless work, um, so it's good to sort of recognize that moving forward. So, lot
of good stuff, and stay tuned. There is an election this fall, last time I checked (
laughter) so do stay tuned for the various events, um, so people can get out there
and get information about the candidates and .... and decide who they wanna vote
for!
Thomas: Yeah, there... there were amazing number of events (laughs) over the last couple
weeks. So just, uh, yeah the Greta's visit and the Sudanese event were truly
extraordinary, uh, so thanks everyone who helped bring those together. I .... I did
wanna mention, um, October 24th, since we will .... not be meeting before then.
Uh, Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns is coming to Iowa City, uh, he will be
speaking at Merge at 12:00 noon.
Salih: When?
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 45
Thomas: Uh, October 24th, Thursday.
Cole: Who .... who's organizing that?
Thomas: Um .... who is organizing it? The, uh, forgetting his name (several talking in
background) Urban planning, but who was it we heard from, urn .... (several
talking in background)
Frain: Drawin' a blank! (laughter)
Cole: Just curious.
Frain: We're a co-sponsor with the (several talking) in the University.
Cole: Okay.
Thomas: So he has published a book, and so it's a book tour, uh, but he'll be giving a,
probably I would say an hour talk. Um, you know I've ... I've been a participating
member so to speak of'strong towns,' probably for six or seven years now. I think
they're really important voice in question of how .... how do we build strong
towns? Um, so it's .... it's great that ... he was here about four years ago, so he'll be
coming back for a second visit. So encourage everyone to attend if you're
available.
Mims: Uh, attended the ICAD annual meeting, uh, week or so ago, out at the, uh, Walker
Homestead. Hadn't been out there before. That's a beautiful, beautiful location.
Um, so they were celebrating, I think ICAD was celebrating their 35th
anniversary, so had a great event out there. Um, was downtown that day for
Greta's presentation. It was great to see the crowd there, and again I just wanna
double -down on the ... on the praise for the City. Um, with about 48 hours notice,
um, an internationally -known activist who for some people draws controversy,
um, and also thank you to the Little Village for their, urn, coverage. I was reading
an article they wrote today on some of their coverage, and Facebook posts, and
then the Facebook post that came out of Waterloo and, you know, their notifying
of the school district up there and the police in terms of making sure that, uh,
safety was obviously, uh, a major concern that day and, um, saw our officers out
and about, and .... and up on the rooftops, and appreciate Geoffs efforts with staff
to pull all that together, um, in such a short period of time. Um, had a great tour
of the parks the other night with Bruce and John and some of the Commission
Members. Um, seeing lots of projects that are hopefully getting finished up this
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 46
year, but probably won't (laughs) due to how late we are in the season. Um, and
things that'll be coming.... coming on -board, uh, for projects in the coming year or
two. So it was great to see that and meet some of the Commission Members as
well. And if you haven't driven down Dodge Street recently, it is being
resurfaced. Um, don't be in a hurry (laughs) I have never in .... I can't remember
how many years I've lived here, forever, uh, all my adult life. I have never seen
the traffic backed up on Dodge Street like it was tonight, and I was running later
than normal coming to the meeting. I got here on time, but .... I mean it was, you
came around the comer up at the top and I couldn't see the end of the traffic all the
way down through. So, but ... the right-hand lane looks great where they've gotten
it resurfaced, and so I'm not sure .... it looks like the weather's great for the rest of
this week. So I'm not sure how quickly that'll move, but if you happen to be
coming down that way, just allow a little extra time, cause it's only one lane.
So....
Throginorton: Yeah. This involves restriping too, right? Do you know when.... when will it be
finished? (several talking)
Fruin: I don't have an exact date, but it should .... it should be done this season. There's
just .... it's not a full resurfacing. It's just patching, uh (both talking)
Throgmorton: That's what I thought (both talking)
Fruin: And then the striping'll take place.
Throgmorton: Okay, so I'll mention several things, cause it's been a very busy two weeks for me.
On the 2nd of October I participated in a question and answer period after a really
excellent presentation by Raj Patel at the Sustainable Land Trust event at the
Englert, and this is not our Raj Patel. Then there were lots of jokes about that at
the Englert is that there's somebody else named Raj Patel, but it was really a
terrific presentation and Q&A. And I too had a chance to go up to that local...
what is it local, no, the .... the Iowa Ideas conference in Cedar Rapids on the 4th,
and participated in a panel discussion about local lead initiatives, so I talked about
climate action, drawing on all the good stuff that Ashley feeds me (laughs)
whenever I ask for things. Uh, the visit by Greta Thunberg, uh, wow! Uh, it was
quite the thing standing up on that stage, looking out at that audience, right? I
know you two folks were there. Uh, and uh, like .... like Susan just said, uh, I have
nothing but the highest praise for our staff and how skillfully they facilitated the
event on such short notice. I learned about it .... what was it, Wednesday morning
at 9:00 A.M. and talked to Geoff about it, uh, shortly thereafter, and next thing ya
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 47
know, they got it all lined up! (laughs) How'd you do that? And, uh, I don't
know, maybe as many as 5,000 people were there. It was quite the thing. But I
especially, like Susan said, want to praise our police officers, especially Captain
Denise Brotherton, Captain Bill Campbell, and all the specific officers I saw, and
there were a whole bunch I did not see, for the .... the great work in ensuring that
the event proceeded safely. Bravo to them! Beyond that, let's see, CWJ gala, well
yeah, that was good (laughs) Uh, the Sudanese community event, fabulous. On
the 10th I had the chance to make welcoming comments to attendees at the Iowa
Chapter of the American Planning Association's annual conference. And, uh,
turned out to be held in the Vetro, by accident, but it went very well. So, that was
a good thing to do. On the 11th I toured the renovated Lincoln Elementary
School with Principal Julie Robinson. That was great fun to do and I say
Principal, she's also the Principal of Horace Mann. So she's got kind of a tough
load right now. On the 13th I met with .... this is a really surprise for me, and you
all may not even know about it, but on the 13th, meaning Sunday, I met with the
Mayor of Parkland, Florida... Parkland, Florida, Christine Hunschofsky. Uh, it
happened.... with about a day's notice and she was up here for other reasons, so
we talked about those other reasons, but while she and I were talking, we focused
considerable time on .... the .... the mass killing of 13 students, I think, at Parkland
that occurred about 18 months ago, and .... how the effect that that had on the
community, and what she personally had to do in response to it, and I can tell ya a
large part of what she had to do was meet with people face-to-face, either in small
groups or larger groups or one-on-one to let them rant, rage, cry, grieve, and so
on, uh, in or .... in order to help them release all the tension that they were feeling
afterwards, and she also emphasized how .... important it was and how hard it was,
still ongoing, to help the community itself heal because it was a 19 -year-old
former student who killed 13 other people. So that had a very traumatic effect on
the, not just the students, but the whole community. So, I .... I've talked with
Geoff about this, you know, we've been very lucky so far. But such a thing could
happen here, in one way or another, and I remember when I was speaking at, uh,
over at the IMU, uh, many months ago after the Tree of Life Synagogue, the
shootings at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, and I had accumulated a
list of major shootings that occurred over the last several years and it was
just ... (laughs) it just made me wanna weep, cause it ... there's just so much of that
going on and such things could happen here. Uh, and we could learn a lot from
the Mayor of Parkland. So there's that, and I'm thrilled that we have a spot .... not
a, we don't have a, whatdaya call it a .... we don't have a float, but we have a spot
in the homecoming parade, and I'm really thrilled about that. I think we can have
a lot of fun doing this, and as far as I know it's the first time City government's
done this before. I hope you're gonna be there, I hope you're (laughs) you know,
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 48
it ... I think it could be a lot of fun. I'm really looking forward to the Immigrant
and Refugee Association's dinner at St. Pat's on the 18th, and (several talking) no,
19th. Did I do that again? Yeah. Last, I won't be able to attend the Human
Rights Commission awards event next week, nor will I be able to hear Chuck
Marone speak. This will be second time I have missed him, cause I have to be out
of town, for a planned trip. But I .... I'm sure both will go brilliantly. That's it for
me!
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.
Page 49
20. Report on Items from City Staff
a. City Manager
Fruin: Nothin'!
Monroe: Uh, the first meeting of the Climate Action Commission was held. They had a
quorum to meet last Monday and they are finalizing bylaws and they should be
ready for the Rules Committee soon.
Throgmorton: Great, and we just gave 'em a task too.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
regular formal meeting of October 15, 2019.