The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About1990-06-12 Correspondence i I m IeU""1I ~ - tJ .' 1 ,:, i~' :~, ~~~~~ 1110 MARIAN K, KArl/' c:ry CL!::RK (I) Kay 31, 1990 /' IOWA CITY '0 AREA Z CHAMBER OF ~ COMMERCE 325 E. WMlnllon P.O, Box mB low~ Oty, low~ 52244 319-337.9637 City Council, lova City Civic Center 410 E, Valhlngton Street lova City, lA 52240 Dear Council Kemberl: The Iova City Area Chamber or Commerce Board or Dlrectorl dllculled, at Ita Kay 10, 1990 meeting, the propoled expanllon or the Iova City downtown bUllnel1 dtltrlct. The Chamber Board palled the rollovlng relolutlon: 1. Zoning Ihould be changed In the blockl betveen Burlington and Court and Gilbert to Kadllon to allov ror retail Ipace. 2. The Clty'a plan Ihould provide ror lomo typo or podoltrlan crollvalkl acroll Burlington Stroot. 3. Tho plan ror tho area louth or Burlington to tho railroad trackl and boundod by Gilbert Stroot and Kadllon Streot Ihould Inoludo public parking In thll aroa. Thll vould Includo ofroltroet and onoltroot parking, The abovo rOlolutlon val paalod by the Chambor Board Arter a great amount of dllculllon at thll mooting and dllculllon or thll aroa by varloul groupl Including tho Board, the Exocutlvo Committee, and a talk rorce eltablllhed by the Chamber Board to analyze the downtown expanalon project. I viii attempt to lumDarlze lomo or tho polntl made during tho dllculllon at tho Chambor board mooting, al rollows: 1. Tho downtown oxpanllon boundarlol Ihould Include Burlington Streot to the north, tho railroad trackl to the louth, GIlbort Stroet to tho ealt, and Kadllon Stroot to tho welt. 2. Tho curront propoaal bolng dllcusled by tho City dool not provldo ror rotall zoning louth or Burlington Street bocaule tho Council II hOlltant to encourago rotall south or Burlington. The roalonl glvon ror tho Council's concorn Includo: posllblo nogstlvo orroct on oxlltlng downtown buslnossol; podoltrlan trafrlc vould prolont a problem; vhat II tho demand ror retall Ipaco; and vlll customora croll Burlington Stroot. Tho Chamber Board rooll very strongly that rotall epaco should bo provided In the zoning south or Burltngton and that It should be oncouragod becaule tho long. term vlov (ton to tvonty yoarl) would Indlcato that thll la tho only logical direction for tho downtown to oxpand Ir oconomlc conditions warrant rurthor oxpanslon. SeNlna the low~ Oty, Corllvllle, ~nd lohnlon County Aru ' /{)~I tJ .:' 1 ,:/ E'.. ~, J. There V'I quit. . bit or dllculllon concerning the dellrablllty or having public ovned Orr'ltrllt parking. It V'I notld thlt the City h.1 pl.n. to havI lecond.level p.rklng ecroll rrom the Civic Center and the Recre.tlon Centlr. It val mentioned that the eeder.1 lot near the courthoule th.t currently jUlt hll lurrace plrklng II . pOlllblllty ror a tvo. or thr.e. lavll parking rlclllty. Dllcu..lon Indtclted that thll leemed very dellrlbll bICIU.I It II alreldy IpacI lat Illde ror plrklng, and adding Ilvall to It vould not take av.y Ipace ror othlr devllopment. AIIO, It mov.. available plrklng tvo block. louth or Court Street, vhlch could help to Incourlgl Ixplnllon Ind development or comaarclll/retlll IpacI In thll entlrl Irll, rlthar than jUlt relldentlal. hlgh.denllty hou.lng. 4. Dllculllon continued concerning the Clty'l Ittempt to leplrlte dllculllon bltvlen lonlng Ind plrklng. The dl.cu..lon Ilemed to tndlclte thlt It I. Vlry dlrrlcult, Ir not Impo..tble, to .eplrlto thele tvo lubjICt.. In rlct, It mlY not be prlrerlble to loplrlte them beclu.e the eltlbll.lIment or plrklng Clcllltlel vtthln thll lonlng .rel vould create thl opportunity or encourase certlln type. or devllopment. In other vorda, Ie parkins I, Iltabltlhed on a tvo. or thrae.level raclllty. that vould encourage retail or commerclll development 10 thlt the ulerl or orrlce or retail Ipace could Clnd accelllble parking. S. It VII I.ked Ir the propo.ed artl Clclllty hal been conlldered In the planl In the expanded Irea. The relponle val that It hal been dl.culled In I genor.l naturo, but not Ipeclrlcally al to IC or vhoro It vould bl loc.tod In tho oxpandod aroa. 6. Tho potontlll Cor oxpandod parkins In tho rodoral lot vaa dl.cu.aod aglln. Tho quoatlon val alkod vhothor tho City hll had dllculllonl vlth tho rodoral govornmont to dotormlno IC thoy voro Intoroltod In tho Idoa oC oxpandlng that raclllty. Tho .nlver val that Inrormal dllculllonl had takon placo vlth no tlmotablo lot ror any doclllonl. 7. Tho commont va. mado that vlth .Ignlrlcant hlgh.d.n.lty re'ldontl.l devolopm.nt In thl. aroa In lato 1989 and oarly 1990, tho lonlng and dovolopmont d.clllonl In thl. aroa .hould bo mado .oon. 8. Tho dov.lopmont In tho Maldon Lano area and Linn Stroot project I. moving ah.ad and avaltlng rlnal approval bororo th.y b.gln. 9. Additional dl.cu..lon took placo concornlng parking opportunltlo.. Tho comm.nt va. mado that Ir tho City I. going to have orC..troot parking, which It .hould ovn In thil expan.lon aru, It .hould movo to acquire thl. property a. .oon a. po..lblo whllo It might be co.t .rrccLlv~, and that public parking do.. pey ror It.olC vlthout neodlng to b. .ub.ldllOd. Tho comm.nt we. mad. that beroro the Council meko. any rlnal decl.lon. on rezoning that perking will b. addr....d a. v.ll. 10. DI.cuI.lon contlnu.d conc.rnlng the marketplace deciding vhat g.t. dovolop.d or not vlthout too many r..trlctton. by city gov.rnmont: vhllo parking do.. pay ror It..1C, v. wouldn't want to cr.at. so much parking that It vould not p.y ror It..lr: tho Council hal conc.rn ror ramlllo. and Individual. that would b. dlsplac.d by .llmlnatlon or housing In this area and what .hould be provldod ror them. / or;/ . - -, c . :: 1 ,g ;~ . ~ II. A coma.nt v.. lad. thlt tho Council va. conc.rn.d If th.y ..tabll.h.d rltltl zoning In the ,xplndld Ir.l. thlt th.y vould cr.lt. anoth.r downtown Ind vh.t Ilpact thlt vould hlv, on thl .xl.tlng downtown. AI.o, the lor. rttld.ntlll unit. und.r con.tructlon In tho Ir.1 viii cr..tl I hlghtr volum. of p.d..trlan trlfflc vhlch II&ht n..d Iddltlonal ..rvlc. orl.nt.d bu.ln...... Slgnlflclnt dl,cu..lon .n.u.d coma.ntlng that tho ar.a .outh of tho curr.nt downtown va. not an additional downtown, but an .xpan.lon of the .xl.tlng ar.. In tho only dlr.ctlon th.t It cln go b.cau.. of d.v.lopl.nt on tho oth.r thr.. .Id.. of the downtown. It va. .1.0 cOII.nt.d that the Council vant. the downtown to b. cOlpact and not .pr.ad out. It vould ...1 a. though tho .xpan.lon of the .r.a .outh of tho curr.nt downtown to Includ. r.tall zoning vould provld. tho COlp.Ct IlId contlguou. downtown II oppolOd to a '.prtld out' downtown. 12. Burlington Str..t h.. b..n r.f.rr.d to a. a 'natural barrl.r.' ~ould r.tall bu. In..... thrlv. .outh of Burlington? Again, luch dl,cu..lon follov.d. Th. dl,cu..lon ...I.d to Indlcat. that Burlington Str..t do.. not hava to b. a natural barrl.r unl... Illov~4 to be by restricted zoning In tho .xpand.d .r.a: long.t.rm vi. Ion vould Indlcat. that thl. .r.a I. the dtr.ctlon the downtown .hould b. alloved to ,xplnd: .nd th.t tho Ir.a clo...t to tha current downtown .hould b. zon.d for thl. purpo... vlth hlgh.d.n.lty r..td.ntlal and oth.r u... furth.r .outh. 13, DI.cu..ton contlnu.d on vhlt va. I.ant by .off..tr..t parking' and the lo.nlng of parking .tructur... Th. conc.n.u. ...I.d to b. that a parking .tructurl would ba . on.. to thr.,'I.v.1 f.clllty .tlllar to wh.t tho Council haa Indlcat.d thoy profor and not a .hlgh rl.o. parking r.lp of four or lor. llv.l.. Th. Ch.lblr BOlrd want. to th.nk tho 1.lb.r. of thl Downtown Exp.n.lon proj.ct T..k Forc. d,vllop.d by tho Chllb.r, Including 101b.rl frol bu.ln..., city govorlll.nt, and the Unlvorllty of Iova for I..tlng .nd r.vi.vlng thla aro. .nd v.rlou. propo.al. that h.v. b.on dov.lopod. Thl. ha. allovod a lot of dlalogu. and dl,cu'.lon on thl. .ubjoct. Tho Chamb.r Bo.rd b.llovo. that thl. I. tho tll' to ..tabll.h zoning vhlch allow. long.t.rm, vl.lonary d.volopm.nt of thl. .r.a .nd not .hort .Ight.d, 'vh.t'. bo.t tOd.y. .olution., Thank you for .llovlng u. to provide you Input on thl. .ubj.ct. Pl.... cont.ct Iy..lf, Bob quick .t the Ch.lb.r offlc., or J.rry H.t. .nd Craig ~.lt from the t..k forc. for .ddltlonal Inform.tlon. SirorelY, ~('l, I \..L (0 Q,C0L ~~rno Noi.on, Pro~ont . ... I" , ~-, t ...- ~ 'Jorry Hal., Chalrmln Downtown Expan.lon Ta.k Forc. cc: St.v. Atkin. /O()/ tJ " 1 :/. j~' b ~ } f JJ-\~ ~ Hills Banl< and Trull Company M.ly 31, 1990 Mayor John McOonald Civic Center 410 E. Washington Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Re: Plumgrove Acres. East Side of Scott Boulevard Dear Mayor McDonald: May this letter serve as verification that there continues to be strong demand for residential housing In Iowa City. We continue to have a number of customers of our bank stating their preference to live on the east side, but lots for new housing are limited. We believe that continued growth In Iowa City, especially In desirable areas such as the area near Court Street and Scott Boulevard, Is In the long term best Interest of the community. Positive action by you would be another step towards continued prosperity of the JOlla City conmunlty. Thank you for your consideration and If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, ii.t' ~I (kf,~~aC I Dwight tegm111er President DOS:st . 131 Main Slreel. Hilla, Iowa &2235. 310.670'~~01 , 1000 ~nd 51 root Coralville. Iowa &~241. 310,351,8000 "; I I I . 1401 Soulh Ollberl Slreel. Iowa Clly.lowa m40.310.338.m7 . Hlohway 065. Norlh Llber1y.lowa &~317. 310'8~O'~381 I~()~