HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-02-23 Agenda
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IOWA CITY CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA
SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING OF FEBRUARY 23, 1993
7:30 P.M.
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CIVIC CENTER
410 EAST WASHINGTON
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AGENDA
IOWA CITY CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING - FEBRUARY 23, 1993
7:30 P.M.
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
ITEM NO.1- CALL TO ORDER.
ROLL CALL.
ITEM NO.2- STATE OF THE CITY MESSAGE.
ITEM NO.3- MAYOR'S PROCLAMATIONS.
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6. Professional Social Work Month - March 1993.
b. Fine Art and Fun Days' March 5-7,1993.
c. United Way and Hospice Road Races Volunteer Appreciation Week - March
14-20, 1993.
ITEM NO.4. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS.
a. Psentation of Ann~;:)City Hospice Road Race Award.
7lrU1~-(r
CONSI ER ADOPTI6N OF THE CONSENT CALENDAR AS PRESENTED, OR
AMENDED.
ITEM NO.5.
a. Consider approval of Official Council actions of the regular meeting of
February 2, 1993, as published, subject to corrections, as recommended by
the City Clerk.
b. Minutes of Boards and Commissions.
(1) Board of Appeals meeting of January 7, 1993.
(2) Board of Appeals meeting of January 21, 1993.
.(3) Airport Commission meeting of January 19, 1993.
(4) Parks and Recreation Commission meeting of January 13, 1993.
(51 Parks and Recrer"lon Commission meeting of February 10, 1993.
(6) Senior Center Commission meeting of December 21, 1992.
(71 Mayor's Youth Employment Board Meeting of September 23, 1992.
(8) ,Mayor's Youth Employment Board Meeting of December 2, 1992.
(9) Housing Commission meeting of December 8, 1992.
(101 Library Board meeting of January 28, 1993.
(11) Board of Adjustment meeting of January 13, 1993.
(12) Planning and Zoning Commission informal meeting of January 11, 1993.
(131 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting of January 19, 1993.
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114 page 1
Courtneyi Presentation of Annual Iowa City Hospice J{oad ]{ace
Award
Peg ~JcElroy Fraser/ I thought [would give you the Cliff Notes
version of this speech tonight in view of your tremendous
agenda. I want to thank the City or Iowa City for your
tremendous support in this annual event which was held
Sunday October 18th. i\ record breaking 4,600 individuals
registered from 17 states and 5 foreign countries represented.
There were over 500 community volunteers and 150 year
round community volunteers that contributed their time in
order to insure that the participants enjoyed themselves and
arrived safely at the finish line. Darrel joined me and froze to
death with me to start the race that raised $111,000 in funds
for the agencies of United Way, Up from $104,000 last year.
And the figure earned us the title of being the largest fund
raiser of this type in the country. Coralville Central f:lementaJ}'
students said it well in their school rap written lor this event,
to the tune of we will rock you, "I/ospice J{oad Haces, the thing
to do. You'll get an awesome tee-shin before you are through.
When you pledge your money, it goes to whom you choose.
You are helping lots of people so there is no way to lose." All of
the international athletes that GUile Thursday, visited CEC and
also Longfellow Schools. Ted Pacia of Team Hawkeye Medical
Supply and platinum level sponsor raised over a whopping
$5,000 and our overall pledge winner was Gwen Glasser Hayes
who raised over S7,00n. Our first place team competition went
back to the notable team, Iowa City PublIc library-soundly
defeating team University of Iowa Library. That was
somewhat dilTicult for me to explain to my Mayor's Youth
Board member, Sheila CrelT, librarian at the University of Iowa.
Our national and international guests \Vere so great in number
that time does not permit me to announce them tonight. But
two major guests were ~'lark Palages! (l) of South Africa and
Nan Doak Davis. Mark told the kids at [Dngfellow to appreciate
their freedom as citizens of this country as hIs running career
has often been interrupted by politics. Palagest has a 2:.10:29
best for a marat hon. One in 1991 in Los Angeles and Nan Doak
Davis joIned us that day to do color that (,dY. She is olT the
roads lClllpontrily becoming a mOlllwith spouse Bany Davis.
No\V, my l~l\'orlte report. There \Vere no significant injuries.
Traffic control director .Ioc 11111,1. assisted by the lo\Va City
,
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Police Dept., the sheriJT's dept., the department reserves and
the laIV Enforcement E'\plorers once again provided excellent
services to the participal1ls. Yes, this event IVas a tropical
paradise, thanks to this great city for IVhlch I am so fortunate
and proud to be associated in conducting the Hospice. I have
an alVaI'd for you that is 2.99 limes 40- Now, get training. You
have 243 days until the 17th Annual Hospice Hoad Hace. To be
held Sunday, October 24th and I still think that challenge to the
City of Coralville and the lillaI'd of Supelvisors should go out
from you all. Thank you.
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Agenda
Iowa City City Council
February 23, 1993
Page 2
(14) Planning and Zoning Commission meeting of February 4, 1993.
c. Permit Motions as Recommended by the City Clerk.
(1) Consider a motion approving a Class "E" Beer Permit for Hy-Vee Food
Stores, Inc., dba Hy.Vee Food Store #3, 1201 N. Dodge. (Renewal)
(2) Consider a motion approving a Class "E" Liquor License for Nash-Finch
Co., dba Econofoods #473, 1987 Broadway. (Renewal)
(3) Consider a motion approving a Class "E" Beer Permit for Hy-Vee Food
Stores, Inc., dba Hy.Vee Food Store #1,501 Hollywood Blvd. (Renewal)
(4) Consider a motion approving a Class "E" Liquor License for Hy-Vee Food
Stores, Inc., dba Hy-Vee Food Store #1, 501 Hollywood Blvd. (Renewal)
(5) Consider a motion approving a Class "E" Be~r Permit for Hy-Vee Food
Stores, Inc., dba Drugtown #1, 521 Hollywood Blvd. (Renewal)
(6) Consider a motion approving a Class "E" Liquor License for Hy.Vee Food
Stores, Inc" dba Drugtown #1, 521 Hollywood Blvd. (Renewal)
(7) Consider a motion approving a Class "E" Beer Permit for Hy-Vee Food
Stores, Inc., dba Hy.Vee #2, 310 N. ,1st Ave. (Renewal)
(8) Consider a motion approving a Class "E" Liquor License for Hy-Vee Food
Stores, Inc., dba Hy.Vee #2, 310 N. 1st Ave. (Renewal)
(9) Consider a motion approving a Class 'C" Beer Permit for Krause Gentle
Corp" dba Kum & Go #0104, 1104 S. Gilbert St. (Renewall
(10) Consider a motion approving a Class "B" Beer Permit for Benjamin
Barrientes dba La Perllta Mexican Cafe, 327 E. Market St. (New)
d. Motions.
(1) Consider a motion to approve disbursements In the amount of
$6,854,915.51 for the period of January 1 through January 31, 1993,
as recommended by the Finance Director subject to audit.
e. Setting Public Hearings.
'13- 32.
(1) Consider a resoiution selting public hearing for March 2, 1993, on plans,
specifications, form of contract and estimate of cost fo.r construction of
the Kirkwood Avenue Reconstruction Project.
Comment: This project Involves the reconstruction of Kirkwood Avenue
from Gilbert Street to Franklin Street. Construction includes new
pavement, storm sewer, water main, railroad crossings and retaining
wall. Preliminary cost estimate Is $1,317,423.00. Plans and specifica-
tions are now on file In the City Clerk's office for public viewing.
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Agenda
Iowa City City Council
February 23, 1993
Page 3
(2) Consider setting a public hearing for March 2, 1993, on the City of Iowa
City's proposed application to the State of Iowa Department of
Economic Development for HDME Investment Partnership Program
funds.
Comment: Iowa City proposes to submit an application to the State of
Iowa Department of Economic Development for HOME Investment
Partnership Program funds to be used to assist the Greater Iowa City
Housing Fellowship construct four new duplexes (B units) of affordable
rental housing. The purpose of the HOME funds is to expand the
affordable housing stock and to promote and advance the goals of the
Iowa City and State of Iowa Comprehensive Housing Affordability
Strategy (CHAS). Public input Is required by federal law.
f, Correspondence.
(1) Letter from Dr. Nikolai Dtmakhov encouraging contacts between the City
Council members of Iowa City and his home city of Nizhniy Novgorod.
(2) Letter from Betty Funk regarding various issues.
(31 Letter from Laura L. Alagoz regarding handicapped signs at parking
meters.
(4) Letter from Mrs. E.I. Kral regarding taxing and spending policies,
(5) Letters regarding Airport Feasibility Study from:
(a) William and Judith Knable
(b) Dorsey Phelps
(c) Environmental Advocates
(6) Letters regarding the Melrose Bridge and Avenue Project from:
(a) Karen Sofranko
(b) J.S. Smith
(cl Elly Bell
(dl George Johnson
(e) Roderick Lakes
(7) Letter from Mary Lewis regarding the neighborhood associations.
(B) Memoranda from the Traffic Engineer regarding:
(al Installation of No Parking Any Time Signs at 511 South Madison
Street
(bl Loading Zone on the South Side of the 200 Block of East Court
Street
(c) Land Use Restriction on Broadway Street South of U.S. Highway
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Agenda
Iowa City City Council
February 23, 1993
Page 4
(91 Memoranda from the Civil Service Commission submitting certified lists
of applicants for the following positions:
(a) Senior Accountant - Treasury
(b) Civil Engineer - Public Works
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END OF CONSENT EN AR ',k Dr? / ~ ;.);..5 ao ~
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ITEM NO.6. P NNING AND ZONING MATTERS, afe~
a. Public hearing on a resoiution approving the voluntary annexation of an
approximate 19.18 acre Hact of land located south and east of the intersec-
tion of Sun~~t Street and Highway 1 West. (A-9001)
Q3.33
Comment: At its December 17, 1992, meeting, by a vote of 6-0, the Planning
and Zoning Commission recommended that this parcel be voluntarily annexed
to Iowa City. The Commission's recommendation is generally consistent with
the staff recommendation that the property be annexed subject to conditions
contained in the conditional zoning agreement. The staff memorandum and
attachment dated December 17, 1992, describe these conditions. Comments
regarding this proposal were received by the Council at the January 5, 1993,
public hearing. This hearing has been continued from the January 5, 1993,
Council meeting to accommodate discussion of options for the Iowa City
Airport.
Action: .f&.J ~)
fJw;/~ /)h'~ ~ ~~ J>>:;
b. Consider a resoiution approving voiuntary annexation of an approxi~~~
19.18 acre tract of land located south and east of the intersection of Sunset
Street and Highway 1 West, (A.9001I,
Comment: See item a above. Approval of this resolution essentially precludes
implementation of Option #3 of the Airport Relocation Feasibility Study. A
memorandum regarding the Airport Commission's recommendation to
eliminate Option #3 from discussion is included in the Council's packet.
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ii6a page I
Courtney' I'd like to reopen this p.h.
Jack Dane/ Mr. hlayor, members of the council. My parents, John and
Allegra Dane, own I'.).J 8 acres along llighway 1, southwest of
town. They're visHing my grandmother in San Diego and
couldn't be here. i\lIhough they would like to be here. I was
kind of regretting thai we got moved behind the budget but I
think it is a little bit fortuitous because when you stMto talk
numbers you wonder where the money is going to come from
and projects like this one are where money is going to come
from in the future to build great things that this city needs.
This is a project-the initial part of the Mennard's project is a $5
million valuation addition to the taxable values in the City of
Iowa City. The project for annexation and rezoning has been
something that has actually been kind of ongoing for almost
three years. Slowly but the pieces have fallen together and P/Z
has passed this unanimously, 6-0. The Airport Commission had
some concerns because they were studying the issue. Once
they studied it they eliminated any conflicting objects. They
eliminated that unanimously, 5-0, just last week. This project
is not going to add any more SlOp lights on Highway 1. All the
city services are already in place. I would remind you that it is
19 acres that is completed surrounded by the City of Iowa City
and it is something which needs to be addressed at this
juncture. The improvements that are neceSSaIY are going to be
made as part of the upgrading of the light or what not are
going to be made as part of this project at no cost to the City.
And the City planners have put together additional zoning
agreement which addresses a lot of aesthetic concerns if you
have reviewed that. Trees and the parking lot and the [Joral
barriers and shrub barriers. I think all and all a lot of hard
work has gone into this proposal by the city staff and by others
to make the gateway to the southwest side of Iowa City an
attractive place to enter the city. J think the business,
Mennarcl's, that is looking at locating there this is their optimal
location. We have two Mennard's stores in the Quad Cities
where I am from and I think that they would be a tremendous
asset to this community primarily because t hey bring the home
improvement market-they make the home improvement a lot
more competitive. And in a city like Iowa Cit)' where housing
is a concern, the cost of housing, the cost of improving housing
is a concern you can use more cumpetition !nthat home
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ii6a page 2
improveml'1Jlmarke! and I!hink 'he City is delermined, 'he
city staff is determined. There is over a $20 million sales lost
out of Iowa City to other comml1l1ities where people have to go
to buy buiiding type materials, home improvement materials
thai would be addressed by Mennard's coming to town. I woukl
ask that the number of the ordinances in a roll', I would ask
that the councii adopt those ordinances in annexing land tot he
city. Additionally the ordinance rezoning the land lor the
commercial usage and in view of t he fact that it has been
passedunanimous]y, it is a benefit to the city and I would as
that the second reading be waived to this project can go lorth.
The people at ~'Iennard's would like to build this spring. Thank
you.
Courtney I Tbank you, .Jack, Any other comments on tbis item.
Novl I have a question. Docs Mennard's take the entire 19 acres or
is there going to be some other commercial development.
Danel The Mennard's side wiil be 1O.R7 acres. Some of the 19 acres
will be-is dedicated to the required access roads and some of it
we bope will be other smaller developments. Maybe
restaurants, maybe other kinds of stores along those lines. So
Mennard's is well over half of that project.
Novl And there will be enough parking area avaiiabJe if other
projects are put into this] 9 acres.
Demel As any additional projects are proposed all of them in
accordance with the city's conditional zoning agreement will
have to in compliance witb the zoning agreement 8nd the
overall zoning plan of the city which would require individual
parking standards be met.
Kubbyl A question for Karin Franklin. 1t is about the zoning but it
seems like it flows beller if we talk about it together. In tbe
councii packet in the note it says that it could be zoned a
combination of two things. ~'Jy understanding was tl1at it
would be all CI-l.
Franklin/That is correct. It will all be CI-]. We started out with a
combinat ion of Cl-l and CC-2 when it was first put on tbe
councils agenda. And as it has evolved it has changed to just
CI-] and that comment regarding the combination will be
deleted limlJ your next packet.
Kubby / And restaurants are allowed at the CI-l.
I:ranklinl In CI-], yes.
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Illia page 3
Larson/ I just wondered if .lack is allowed to act as if he is their son
(uld not their lawyer, too. Do you bill your parents....
Courtney / Any other COIllments on this Hem.
Karr/ Mr. Mayor, you have a leHer before you this evening from a
Laura PI}'bil. Would you like to accept it as part of the public
hearing, please.
Courtney / Moved and seconded (Nov/Kubby) to accept additional
correspondence on this item. Discussion. All in hwor (ayes).
Close the p.h. on this Hem.
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116b page 1
Courtney/ ~Ioved by Ambr, seconded by larson, Discussion.
Kubby/ I have a fell' concerns that will lead me to voting no to this
and the first and foremost one is even though the Airport
Commission did come to the conclusion that option 113 for the
redevelopment of the airport wasn't a viable one, they did in a
letter sent to the ~'layor on I:ebruary 18, make a comment
which is really important. So I would like to read it quickly.
And it says, quote, and this is li'om the Airport Manager lIon
O'Niel. It says, quote, comments remain concerning allowing
any further development in the vicinity of the airport until a
decision is made concerning how to proceed with the airport
master plan. Hesidential and commercial encroachments are a
major factor in considering m1 alternative site for the airport.
If the airport remains at the present location, additional
development near the airport would increase safety concerns
and limit future options. So, my concern with this statement is
if we go ahead and allow further development to encroach
even though it won't be on Airport property, it will be near.
That what in essence we are kind of doing is adding more
weight to relocation options of the Ail1)ort Feasibility Study vs,
redevelopment ones. It creates fewer options for us within
redevelopment options 1 8:: 2. And it just seems that we are
going to be making similar mistakes to what we did in the past
that got us in this problem in the first place. So, for me, until
we make the decision about the airport, I can't pass very much
judgment on this kind of thing. I guess my second concern is
John Dane had written a letter to P 8:: Z saying that some people
object to this kind of development-kind of a strip development
orientation pattern because it generates traffic problems and
consumes fuel and in his letter he said, "while solutions to
these real problems may come in the not too distant future, I
seriously doubt that this lies within the realm of possibility
that a Zoning Commission can effectively J(m:e a change in
public dri\~ng habits." I just want to strongly disagree with
that statement that John Danes was using to support the
annexation because our development decisions determine the
structure of our community. And il' not P 8:: Z Commission and
council, who is responsible for creating the development
patterns in our community, i\nd so we are the ones who make
final decisions about these ane! kind or shape our reality. And
that will be partly why I will be voting no. And even though
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this isn't directly the perview of cily council, 1 do have
concerns of having things like tvIennards and Walmart at the
entranceway to our city. 1 am going to come in from Highway
III West and not be sure what town 1 am entering uniess we
have a really big Iowa City sign and [want 0 make sure that
where ever 1 go in Iowa City I can stand and know that I am
home. I will be voting no on this.
Courtneyl Any other council discussion on this item.
Novll have to say that I agree with the airpoJ1 in eliminating the
third option. I think the other two are still viable. Andl think
the third option could have eliminated Walmart and some
other things which cu'e all ready constructed. 1 tend to agree
wilh them on that one.
Larsonllthink this is fairly non controversial and it is the right use
for that property and I ,un glad tvIennards is coming to town.
Courtney/Any other discussion. noli call-
The resolution passes, Kubby voling no.
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Agenda
Iowa City City Council
February 23, 1993
Page 5
c. Public hearing on an ordinance amending the Zoning Ordinance to condition-
ally change the use regulations of af'! approximate 19.1 B acre parcel located
south and east of the Intersection of Sunset Street and Highway 1 West from
the County designations of C-2, Commercial, and A.l, Rural, to CI.l,
Intensive Commercial, sr B eon,binstivII vI CC-2, Commlfflity-B&mmi~i,..aRd
CI 1, IAtinii". C'nmmerclal, upon annexation. IZ.9003)
Comment: At its December 17, 1992, meeting, by a vote of 6-0, the
Planning and Zoning Commission recommended that the site bB conditionally
rezoned to' CI.l. The Commission's recommendation is genBrally consistent
with the staff recommendation that the property be rezoned to CI.l subject
to the conditions contained in the conditional zoning agreement. No
comments were received at the January 5, 1993, public hearing on this Item.
This hearing has been continued from the Council's January 5, 1993,
meeting.
Action:
Y\ Q fhAI',) aft p ~A p..-fl.
d. Consider an ordinance amending the Zoning Ordinance to conditionally change
the use regulations of an approximate 19.1 B acre parcel located south and
east of the Intersection of Sunset Street and Highway 1 West from the
County designations of C-2, Commercial, and A.l, Rurel, to CI-l, Intensive
Commercial, or a combination of CC.2, Community Commercial, a~:j CI.l,
Intensive Commercial, upon annexation. (Z.9003) (First Consideration)
Comment: See item c above.
I
;#e- 1/ ~-P
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e. Public hearing on a resolution amending the Iowa City Comprehensive Plan by
incorporating revised growth policies for Iowa City into the Plan.
Action: o(~/I~)
o
f(t./A-
,,~,I
Comment: At its January 21, 1993, meeting, by a vote of 6.1 (Dierks voting
no), the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended In favor of proposed
amendments to the Population, Developable land Analysis, Development
Sequence, Annexation Policy, Fringe Area 5 and Fringe Area 6 sections of the
Plan. These amendments Incorporate the findings and proposals of the
growth policies report prepared by the staff.
Action: k ~tV
~ttl.7 / ~
flIhpf (,Jr1J1fJJlJrmdJ.AU(
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116e page I
Courtney/I open the p.h. on this i1em.
Steve llendri.x-\1l!/ 38 Dearborn Street. Bcfc)re I get started in
comments about the amendments to the growth policy /
wanted to say that I greatly appreciate the assistance that /
have gotten from the city urban planning department.
Particularly Karin, who is sitting out here, and Bob Miklo, who
apparently managed to get one night all this week, They have
been both very prompt and very courteous in instances where
/ have asked for particular material. / would also want to say
they have been very helpful in answering specific questions
that / have. Other people such as Dave Alias and Dale Helling
have also been equally helpful. So / would want to first say
that you have a very good staff and they are very courteous to
the citizens of this city and vel)' helpful. So, with that being
said, what/ find is that I still have to be rather critical of the
amendments that are proposed to the annexation policy. I did
send you a memo which you have in your packet where I
argue that the case in the document that you received from
urban plrullling for the change in the annexation policy are
vel)' weakly defended in that dowment. Particularly on the
basis of the available developable land within the city limits.
What I pointed out in that memo was that it assumes
absolutely no capita] improvements will be made in the next
seven years that would aJTect development within the city,
particularly those t hat would relate to t he sewer treatment
capacities and collection systems. What J also pointed out in
that memo was that even if only one, contrary to what Karin
said last night, and she has men1ioned all. If only one of those
areas were serviced with collections systems that the time limit
on development would be extended for four or five years pasl
that projected limit of 1000 years. So listening to Karin last
night, she did approprialely so, Ihal there are other
considerations that need to be taken into account when one
looks at the developable land with in the city limits and she
and their slalT had come up with 530 acres. She had made
some important points I think. Rightly so. Topographical
concerns certainly should be taken into consideration.
Environmenlal concerns and you knoll' tat I am very interested
in those. j\nd another which was lack of interest by the owner
in developing the particular properly. All imporlant
considerations and I certainly applaud taking them into
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rifle page 2
consideration. But what I would like to say its that to get a
proper assessment of developable land that is within the city
limits, then you have to have an accounting taking those
considerations into the numbers and give your reasons for
eliminating those particular areas. There are some thar should
be eliminated. I suggested one in the P & Z meeting a couple of
weeks ago. SO you really need to get that documentation to
fully see that in fact the 530 acres is indeed all that there is. It
may very well be that that is not all there is. What I would say
that without that inlormation you do not have the adequate
documentation to really make a valid judgment. Basically what
it comes down to is that it is just smoking mirrors. You don't
really know. Nobody knows. I can't figure it out and you
certainly can't figure it out easy either. So what I would say is
that you need that information. To find that out Ictus actually
nnd out what is there before a decision is made. I don't see
any reason why this has to be rushed, Why you can't get that
kind of informat ion. This is not something that is hot on the
front burner. During that time that you arc getting that
information I would also suggest that there be some
prioritizing of capital improvements because that will be the
other major consideration that has to be taken into account.
Whether or not there is any money available given the other
projects that the city needs and wants to do that could
constrain that. So you need that kind of information as well. 11
may very well be that at the end of that-when you get that
information you can make an in]()J'Jned decision but you need
that information /'irst before you can do so. So what I could
recommend as a citizen who has spent a good deal of time
looking over these documents is that you put on hold the
decision in making changes to the annexation policy until you
get the information you need to make an informed decision, If
however you are not particularly inclined to do that, you don't
really wish to wait, then what I would suggest you do is
consider some 01' the other unsolved problems t hat will
certainly occur if you change the annexation policies and then
what will surely follow wou: : be the development in Fringe
Areas 5 & 6, The question 01' urban sprawl does need to be
addressed. You are roughly increaSing the geographical area of
1011'11 City by about 40% by my best guess. So we are adding a
tremendous amount of land or potentially adding a tremendous
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IIC1e page 3
amount of land to the city. The other concern I have is with
the Sycamore Farms i\nnexation which is still before the P & Z
Commission. As you well knoll' by now it does contain federally
protected wetlands and it is environmentally sensitivc area. At
:his point there arc no provisions for protecl!ng it on the rather
Iimlted ones that the federal government has and P & Z has
actually f<'quested in this document in the amendments that
there be something like that to protect il. So if you want any
kind of city ordinances to protect it, you don't have them at
this point. They are certainly not in place. Likewise and this is
a dollar kind of thing that you need to think about too is that
with the Sycamore rarms Annexation you will likely preclude
the use of that wetland area as a final polishing treatment for
water from the south plant. NolY the installation of the
physical plant to do IYater polishing in a wetland would be
about the same as the mechanicai processes in terms of the
initial infrastructure costs. But what you will have is incredible
savings for the users of the water system in Iowa City because
you will not have the recurring types of infrastructure repairs
that you will need with a mechanical system. And lastly]
would like to point out is that changes in the run oj]' pattern of
water which will certainly occur when you develop and slart
paving large areas is likely to increase downstream J100ding in
that area. That area is already loll'. It is already is /looded on
some occasions. And] guess the question] have is holY many
angry farmers do you want to see in the coming years under
those circumstances. ] think the bottom line is wait, gel the
information you need, then make the decision. Thank you.
HorolY/] have a question! Given the amount of land that lYe are
lalking aboul. Given the amounl ofwclland, marsh or
whatever-
Hendricks! Wetland. We call it wetland.
HOJ'Owl And the percentage of that intl1at volume of 1,1Ild. Is is
possible to use the wel area as it was originally designed for
our t reatmcnt plant and have development.
Hendricks! Not at the-] don'l belicve so at the densities thaI have
been discussed j(Jr that area in terms of what has been
projxlsed in t he concept plans. I t had calc ulaled t he way the
concept plan was initially put togcther you would have 13
acres of roof lops and streets. No, ,lctually just streels. Inevcr
even tried to calculatc roof lops. lilrgc surl~lCcs out of that in
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ii6e page..j.
that area. .lust the upper part that borders the wetland. That
was justlhe slreels, Then you include roof tops which / held no
idea on exactly how to calculate that and you are adding a
trcmendous amount. So you are going to really increase the
rush of water that goes through there, The highs will be higher
and the 1011'S will bc lower and according to Dave Aliases
information and whelt 1 have been able to gleam from the
literature, the most important hlCtor in using the \Vetland for
water polishing is that you don't have tremendous !lushes of
water going through, pushing the water out of the wetland
before the natural processes have a chance to do their
polishing. 1 seriously doubt it.
/11rson/ Steve, that would be an issue hlcing us at the Sycamore
Farms Annexation time, We could approve these grclll1h
policies into the Compo Plan and still turn Sycamore Farms for
that reason.
Hendri~1 Yes. But what I have seen happening is one follOWing the
other so very closely. And / do have-they are vel)' distinct but
/ do have some serious problems with just the straight
numbers that support the need for annexation in the Hrst
place. I would like to see a lot more information and
documentation on that. Because I feel like the proposed
annexations are what drove the idea to get the changes in the
annexation policy in the first place.
Larson/ And I think those numbers that you are asking for are
available (can't hear). I think they have done those
calculations which people don't want to develop. That is what
you are asking about. Can't be developed topographically. 1
may be wrong. We will find oul.
Kubby /1 have some other questions. 1 know Ihal you are involved in
doing a natural areas inventory for Ihe Counl)' Conselvalion.
Are Ihere any of these areas thai you have looked at in terms
of that invenlory for possibilities-
Hendricks! Within the city limits?
Kubby / Within the annexation area.
Hendr~i I have done one visit out to the wet lands. 1 would like to
get at a time when I am here when there is probably a little bit
more going on to actually look at what kinds of plants. But that
area has actuaily been h1irly \Veil documenled, So. And there
will be more documentation by Corp of Engineers as to where
t he wetlands elctuelily are. But It is a large area. No doubt
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!!(ie page S
about it. And Ihere are some other ones within the city limits,
by the way, that should be definitely struck ofT any list for
potentially developable land.
1101'011'1 Thai really sort is why I asked that original queslion. jvly
understanding of the wetland, if you are going 10 develop on
the area you have to subslilute on another part. In other
words, YOll have to create more.
Hendri*1 Yeah. If you are going to actually do any serious
drainage of the wetland area. The point that I have tried 10
make with P/Z when I have discussed this issue with them is
that when you have wet lands in urban areas the major
problem in protecting them and preserving them is whal is
occurring on the adjacent upland areas. You can put your nags
in the ground on where the actllal wetland is designated and
you are unlikely to do anything to actually preserve it unless
you are also protecting in the adjacentup]and areas. That is
the major problem in the urban areas.
HOrOlyl As I understand now the city is
CHANGE TAPE TO REEl. 92-21 SIDE 1
HOJ'Owl Ilwould be greater than this individual area,
Hendr~1 Right. There are other problems with Ihe other
annexations too, because there are connected into this same
drainage system.
HorOlYI Same watershed.
Kubbyl Can you talk about that a little more'! I don'l know if you're
going to speak during other paris.
Hendricksl I'm going to let Sandy Rhoades lalk about that particular
issue I think.
Kubby 1 Oh.
Courtney 1 I think we need to move along. We've got gobs of people
who want to lalk tonight. I'm going 10 wield a moderate to
heavy gavel tonight Moderately heavy
Richard ]{hOfdesl 2014 ]{ochester Avenue. I'd like to read a very
brief statement tonight about Ihis growth policy issue.
(IU1\DS STATE~IENT)
Thank you. If there's any questions, that's it.
l\ubby/ Are you saying that you think thai we should inventOlY
lhlgile areas in Ihe city limits so that we know kind ol'what's
fall' game to develop'!
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ii(le page 6
1\ho~/(jes/ Yes. I am. And SIeve brought oul and some of the
questions brought out. the idea Ihat it's not just Ihe actual
fragile area itself. but if you develop inappropriately around
the fragile area, you're going to have severe negative impact on
it. And indeed that's what would probably happen to the
Schneider Creek bottoms if intensive development is allowed in
the uplm~ds around them, leI alone lIying to develop on the
bottoms as has been proposed in sOllle of the annexation
proposals.
Kubby/ I'll probably have more questiom onlhis item.
1\holldes/ Okay.
Kubby/ Are you gOing to stick around?
RllO~es/ For thel
Kubby/ For OIher items concerning specif1c annexations.
Rholldes/ Hickory Ridge is itl I'll stick around for the Hickory Wdge.
Courtney/Windsor.
Rho'des/ Windsor Hidge. Son)'. l get them confused.
Any other questionsl Thank you.
Hem)' Henvick/ Current president, Home Builders Association of IC.
I'd like to make a very brief comment and perhaps call to your
attention in your deliberations on this matter, to consider the
economic development dimensions of it. I represent an
induslly that demands no incentives or subsidies. An industry
thai has no ominous smoke stacks. An industry thaI proVides a
larger payroll than most I~1Ctories. An indust!}' that has a
profound inHuence on a signiJ1cant segment of the business
community. Without regard to specif'ic projects, ] would urge
you to favorable consider the dimensions of the proposed
growth policies before you. And consider them in the light of
the positive impacI on those who are part of the home-building
indust!}' of the Iowa City area. Thank you.
Courtney/Thanks Hem}'.
Carol Thompson/ I'd like to make some commenls onlhe growth
policy. I did give you a leIteI' stating some of' my speciJJc
concerns, so I'd like 10 be a bit more general tonight. ['m vel}'
much aClually in/il\!or of having a development planli)!'
growlh in (owa City. We need something 10 direct development.
We need some mechanism by which we can plan. )'mnot
opposed to growlh and development. l'mnol saying leI's not
build any more houses, ete. But I think that we do need a
mechanism to direct this development. And inlhalmechanism,
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#6e page 7
we need to take inlO cOllsidemtion environmentally sensitivc
lands. That is part of what's in the comprehensive plan now.
Whal} /'ind lacking is some sort of a plan that lakes into
consideration the II'holc, and I think that is the direct ion we
should go in. Right nOlI' lVe consider all of our annexations. We
consider all of our development piecemeal. So therefore, if
there's a lI'et]and on that piece of property, we consider that.
We don't look at the who]e situation and} think that becomes
particularly important as IVe move into areas south of Iowa
City where II'c're going 10 encounter geology that's dilTerent.
We are looking al different soils that we have in most of the
town. We have lilr more environmentally sensitive lands in
that area then II'C have dealt with in other parts of the city. I
don't feel that the plan takes adequate consideration of these
environment,.] matters. If you look at it, environmental
sensitivity is a issue. 11 is brought up, for instance, in the
ranking scheme. But the plan itself, the plan amendments that
you have in front of you go inlo a filiI' detail on Se\\'<lge and
number of people ,u1dthings like that. It doesn't really specilY
in a given area. Hall' much of Ihal is environmentally sensitive.
As Mr. Hhoades said, if you look at, for instance, Fringe Area G,
we knoll' Ihat there are some environmentally sensitive lands
there. There are some very basic data requirements that we
have availab]e. I am not asking for people to even go oul and
do things. That say that this is a sensitive land. We have an
aquifer down there. Eve/ybody knows about aquifers in 10ll'a
City no\V. We don't take those things into consideration. At
least not openly in that planned document. [think that that
limits its usefulness. We have growth policies thaI say we can
put an X number density of houses on this land. That does nol
take into consideration what the Jand is like. So while I fiwor a
plan, I fee] thaI this plan could use some more work in terms of
particu]arly delineating some of till' concerns with regard 10
environmental issues. Thank you.
Kubby/ Carol, you don't think that kind of the caveat statemenl in
one of I. Ihree changes saying annexation is alright but you
need to have ]egislation in place to protect environmentally
sellsi tive areas.
Thompson/ ThaI \Vas added because of the concerns thaI We have
raised, Ihal amendment. i\ndI Ihink thaI thaI is a good /'irst
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116e page II
step. But il is still prelty vague. And Ihat in ilself is pretty
vague, thaI amendment.
f\ubby/ Whar else could we add to those three points that would deal
wilh your concerns.
Thompson/ I guess what I would like to see on the plan is more of a
consideratJon. For ins lance, if we are considering fringe areas
there ar e things we know about and we know the 100 year
nood plain. We know extensive aquifers. We can cerlainly
delineate potential wetlands. We don't know jurisdictional
wetlands and I realize that. If those are then looked at we
might be able to then loGk at an area and say that maybe we
ought to direcl development somewhere else. Maybe this is
not a good spot. You know, lets say our slopes are 45 degrees
over 20% of the area. That eliminates 20% of the area. We
can't just say now we have 520 acres or whatever to develop.
f\ubby / So you wouldn't add things necessarily to those three -
Thompson/ Not necessarily to the amendment clauses per se.
f\ubby/ To the things that would then allow us live those things out.
You think we are lacking a directJon to make those things-
Thompson/ Yes. I really do think we need a more comprehensive
plan looking at these.
Larson/ Karin, I have a question for you. Karin Franklin. Thanks
Carol. It has been brought up in one of the letters that Iowa
City does not have an environmental planner per se although I
am sure that most of the planners have some experience in
scholastical background in environmental planning. What
would an environmental planning stall person as an addilion to
your staIT, this is ammunitionlhr next year's budget hearings
for you, what would they allow us to do in these kinds of
growth policies and comprehensive plan amendments that you
weren't able to do this year in this process.
Franklin/ First of all in terms of our exposure to environ menIal
planning, we do not have anyone on stall wilh a scientific
background. llhink thai is where we have the deficiency in
st afn ng.
larson/ Such as evaluating soils.
Fmnl<lin/ Soil science, geology. I mean we obviously havl' some kine!
or vel)' elementcll)' knowledge of whallhis tennillology is and
we are le<lrning more as we go t hough this process I'rom Steve
and Carol and Sandy, cerlainly. But we don'l have Ihe
expertise 10 do the kind of evaluation Ihat would need to be
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done to place regulations on this land. As a government we
have to be, as you well know, careful about the reglllationthat
we place on private property. And when we impo:;e those
regulations, we have to have that based solidly on some kind of
data and factual material and a clear understanding of the
public risk before we place those restrictions on private
property of I\'e subject ourselves to potential of a regulatOl)'
taking. And these kinds of cautions I have discussed with the
Jillks that have come and talked to you tonight. And I think
that they understand that also. We do not feellhat on starT
right now we have the Glpacity to do that kind of evaluation to
have thatl~lCtual data in place to propose a reasonable
restriction on development that would be defensible.
Larson/ I guess I understand that and I guess I am saying Ihat I
think it is reasonable for critics to say that kind of general
language that says this area should not be developed without
taking environmental concerns into consideration is about all
we are saying with this. And a critic that would say that is
kind of a general statement that really doesn't make sure that
later councils or later planning stans will actually put teeth in
those concerns, that seems legitimate to me, And what you
seemed to have just said is that we can't get more specif'ic
about those things until we have more data or more expertise,
more ability to form these restrictions without unlawfully
taking people's properly.
Franklin/ The risk of il. If we are going to go beyond state and
federal law in terms of wetland regulation which of course we
have in place right now and all of us arc subject to the public
and the private sector. We have a state and federal wetland
law. We have our local flood plain regulations Ihat are
enJorced that would be enforced in the areas that we arc
talking about lor annexation. We have our storm water
detention ordinance that would be enforced and applied in
these areas that we are talking about. But if we are going to go
beyond that to some other level of regulation thai is where I
feel uneasy in terms of' our just imposing a reslriction and not
knowing what the risks are and nol knOWing what the
consequences arc.
Kubby/ But in doing nothin!( in that light or from that perspective
then we might end up developing things thai maybe we
shouldn't or should do but in a different way or a different
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!/(le page 10
configuration. lt almost seems we need even at an ad hoc basis
in terms of not having anyone on stall possibility bulto get
someone in here to do thaI invenlory andl don't know that it
is just wetlands that people are concerned abollt. Certainly
I hat is the focus because of Ihe specifics of Ihe annexation.
11l0k at the whole city so that we can look at woodlands,
ravines and-
Franklin/ I think Ihal the initial question is the level of risk and
concern that the city council feels about the isslles that have
been brought beJ{lre you in terms of the specifics. The P/Z
Commission obviously already has some level of concern
because that is why they inserted that language and the
recommendations to you and it is why they have deferred the
Sycamore Farms Annexation specifically until they can clear up
some of these questions. If you decide that it is in fact a
concern as a body then t he next step is how do we deal with it
in the scope and whether it is just wetlands and the
development around wetlands or other environmental issues
will be the determining factor as to whether it makes sense to
have someone on stall that can deal with these issues as they
arise on a regular basis or we contract with a consultant to deal
with this one issue and it may be more economical to just
contract for a specific issue.
Larson/ I guess I would encourage you to be forceful in finding a
way around whal seems to be kind of a Catch 22 in Ihat on an
awful lot of developments there are environmental concerns
and I would like to make sure thaI our slarr is prepared to
fully and expertly advise us as to what things we could do
because I don'l know if Ihe state and federal law would
prohibit it, fell' instance. But if someone comes with a building
prolxlsal that is going to end up with a cliff behind it and it
ends lip eroding for my entire six years on this body, then I
want to be able to say no wilhout having to won)' about
whether some magistrate is going to treat it right or some legal
IXlint is going to gel dismissed on a technicality. And I don't
care about state and federal law. I r \Ve need to go farther, I
want the expertise on stall to go lilrtl1l'r and similarly, if the
federal law is jllst going to be okay here is a wetland and you
can't put an apartment building in the middk' of it, But that we
as a council fel'lthalllll' law ollghlto be, atll'asllocally, Ihal
neither can you build parking lot 100 feel away that is going to
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lihe page 11
cause the drainage to change the weIland dramatically, then I
want us to have the expertise to do that. Whether ll1at means
ad hoc consulting or whether that means pro hono \l'ork.
Whether is means going in with you folks and getting more
training or you just proposing it and let t he law suit lake its
course if you f'eellike we arc risking too much taking. I would
rat her see more aggressive proposals ont hose areas because I
don't want to leI annexatiuns and rezonings be opportunities
for us to shape development and w, not use alllhe tools you
think we might be able to use because we don't have the
particnlar type of' planning we need.
Franklin/ If 11mt is the direction the council would like us to go in.
l.arson/ God knows. It is mine.
Nov/ There are a f'ew of' us.
Hormv/] agree,
l\ubby / I agree totally.
/There is Jour.
Franklin/ If' that is the direction that council would like us to go in ]
think what we need to do is sit down and talk about that in
terms of' what the ICImif'ications are at a work session some
night.
Larson/ That is correcl. And it may-I guess these are kinds of
discussions that I think growth policy discussions should
engender and we arc a little ham strung by the IilCt that
because of individual council member schedules so f'orth. We
kind of had to jam evel)'thing into one night here. I think that
is somewhat unfortunate. ! guess what [am saying is, to make
sure that! am not misunderstood, is ! don't think that would
leadla less development. Goodness knows lhat ] am not really
anti-development. ! think it would allow us to put together
policy such as planned developments, OPDHs or whatever so
that the same number of the people can live in an mea and yet
leave the nalural sensitive areas alone. And we really don't
have those kinds of' rules and regulatiuns to do that now if I am
correct.
Franklin/ No we don't.
!\ubby/You were talking about it in terms of (can'l hear). Maybe in a
regional sense but kind of' hearing Sandy and Carol say is that
maybe bef'ore another thing comes bel{)re us lhat we look at
the whole community and outline where the red /'lags get
raised which in some sense you may have done on some level.
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il6e page 12
So that I\'e can say and pre-lOne those areas as Naomi has
talked about. To make sure t hat that is kind of in place so the
expectations arc known bef()f'l' a proposal comes through.
111rson/ I am not too picky which approach. But when you start
talking ahout regional and comprehensive I hear ears sticking
up and I don't think that is necessary.
l\ubby/ I am ready to go wilh some things in (erms of looking
at the whole communily. There is not that much
undevelopable land. That if we had someone come in and
pinpoint. But that is not, in terms of the percentage of the cily,
that is-an inventor)' can be done in a reasonable amount of
time to have it-part of our plan where those sensitive areas are
and how we are going to deal with them vs. waiting for a
projeClto come to us. It is a real difl'erence in philosophy. It
seems more filiI' to do this more wholistir approach instead of
the piece mill one for the development community. To know
that the expectations are of t he local government.
Franklin/ Well, we will certainly be glad to follow councils direction.
I will look fonl'ard to your support for staff too.
Courtney/This is a financial issue also. Steve is over there glaring
holes at us.
11lrsonl Your only job is to figure out which planner on your staff
gets eliminatcd. You add one, you take onc.
Kubby lIt scems like there were at least four people who were
interested in having discussion.
I\mbr. I would say let us wait until we have an informal discussion
on it before you go out and advertising to hire people.
Courtneyl I would really like to move along tonight. This is times for
further discussion. Any other input from the public on this
particular item. I think my gavel has to be more for the
coullcil then it does the crowd tonight.
111rson/ I haven't said anything all night long. It is l)"30, I was
gelling a little itchy.
Jim Throgmorton/ J 026 Friendly. I am an associate professor for
Urbanl\egional Planning at the University oj' Iowa and I am a
member of EA Urban Development Commit tee. Beli)re I go any
further I would like to congratulate you for recenlly adopting
the lIP Plan. That is an important step in the right direction
and I applaud you for taking it. Clearly growth is an important
issue as we have learned just tonight and Karin Franklin and
her stall deselvl' praise Iilr lilcusing allention on it. ram
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however going to oppose the proposed policy and I want to
explain why. I am not against development. My hlther is a
contractor. Places change over time and I have no desire to
o~)pose changes that will improve this place. My sense is
however that the proposed gro\l1 h policy will perpetuate a
pattern of development that is radically altering the characler
of Iowa City and Its environment, Instead of adopting a policy
that would have the city continually expand in almost every
direction, annexing land whenever I he city government would
make money oIT proposed development, the city should adopt a
growth policy that conscientious seeks to maintain and enhance
the clmracter and integrity of this community. That the city
and county has grown and changed dramatically over the past
several decades cannot be denied. 50 years ago Iowa Cily was
a small agricultural town that occupied only 5.6 square miles
and possessed a unique sense of place. The J 7,000 people who
lived here could walk from there hipped COllages and four
sqmu'e homes d.t. or the University in a little more than 20
minutes. Or from one end of the town to the other in about 40.
A clean free /lowing river ran through the heart of the city and
the farms thaI surrounded it. Some of the best characteristics
of that city in 1940 still remain. I think you all love that
portion of the city that sllll remains. The older parts of our city
still remain eminently walkable. It's air is quite clean. It is a
wonderfully safe place to raise children as I know. I have tll'O.
It has the feeling of a small midwestern city but the
intellectual and economic diversity of a Illuch larger place. It is
blessed with an often beautiful river that weaves through soil
deposited by ancient glaciers. Bicyclists can easily depart the
city and peddle over gently rolling hills that still retain hints of
their ancient stalus as a meeting place of foresl and tall grass
prairie. Though not yet emsed, that city of] 940 is being
radically transformed into whall call every place-no place. I
have been in Los Angeles and I see it. Since J %0 the city's
populalion has increased by J 79% to almost W,OOO people.
While its land area has increased by 289% to 22 square miles,
The hipped COllage has been replaced by the same bland
architecture that can be Ibund anywhere in the Uniled States.
Now living much I~lrlher apart from 0~1l' another, most citizens
and the county have liltle choIce but 10 use automobiles that
consuml' risky imported oil, that destroyed vital older
,
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neighborhoods, thai contribute to global warming, and thai
increase the time and cost of commuting. Older neighborhoods
have been transl(JI'Jned into poorly designed conglomerations
of lllulti-hlmily structures. J\ndthe few parcels of semi-wild
land that remain, like Hickory Hill Park and the woodlands in
the Sugar Bottom mea to the north, seem to be on the verge of
being transformed into suburban homes, roads, parking lots,
unneeded airports, and hamburger stands. So it is clear that
this place has changed radically over the past few decades. 11
will continue to change in the next future. But hO\\ it should
and will change in the years ahead is an open question. And I
think that the proposed growth policy will help change this
place in an undesirable way. The proposed Growth Policy
projects that the city population will grow by 6200 people in
the next ten YCal'S, and by l.unO in twenty. And that the
county's will grow by 18,900 people in the next lwenty years.
The policy argues that city governmcnt should accommodate
and manage this growth and the development pressures that
follow from it. In this view growth is both good and inevitablc.
The city will continuc to grow at ever decreasing densities at
the Ji'ingcs of the urbanized area, and the city shouldmakc
sure that the gro\\1h occurs in an orderly and efficient manner
by annexing land on the city's fringe. I say in response, the city
does not need to expand spatially, that it should not expand
spatially, and that it should instead adopt a policy that
nurtures the sense of t his place and the character of this
commllllity. What's most distressing about the proposed policy,
is thai it's written in such a way as 10 obfuscate choice, to deny
Ihe reality of choice. 11 makes expansion sound inevitable and
annexation sound necessary. While never helping those of us in
the public understand that only modesl increascs in the
density of new development would eliminate the need to annex
additional land into the city. l.et me emphasize that I'm not
arguing for dramatic increases in the density of eXisting
developmenl or Jor indiscriminate leveling of older homes.
own an older home. I don't want it knocked down. I do
believe that modesl increases in the density of such
developmenl would be appropriate but only if such increases
are ('()upled with firmef'l(>rts first to discourage automobile
tmrnc and to encourage reliance on alternate modes of
transportation. And secondly, to ensure Ihat new
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"6e page 15
developments are designed to maintain or enhance the existing
character of older neighborhoods. II is a matter of choice, nol
inevitability. And I encourage you to insist on having the
dimensions of that choice clearly articulated and debated in ,Ul
open public forum. To claril}' this point let me reiterate some
things that Steve said. Let's think brief'ly about the
developable land analysis presented at the end of the growth
policies report. Tlmt analysis says that 2,920 acres of land
theoretically developable within the existing city limits.
bJOugh to house 28,000 people. But that several f~1Ctors reduce
the land actually developable to ] ,020 acres, enough for 11,275
people. That analysis also indicates that another 1400 or so
people can be housed on land already plotted. As a result, the
report says, the city's ability to aCCf1mmodate growth over the
next 20 years with land currently inside the city's limits is
mcu'ginal. These calculations assume an average density of
roughly 11 persons per acre per new developments, Assuming
25 persons per unit. That implies a density of 404 dwelling
units per acre in new development. Simply increasing the
average density of ncw development 0 ] 5 person per acre or 6
dwelling units per acre would make it possible to accommodate
projected grO\\'lh quite easily. Put the starting offense of
101m's foolballteam plus one Hmvkeye fan on lhe field at
Kinnick Stadium, add just four more fans, that is the increase in
density of new development that I am talking about. Choice
not inevitability. So the city has no absolute need to expand
spatially. It should not expand spatially eilher. Why not.
Hasn't the staff shown quile clearly in its fiscal impact analysis
that the revenue generated by residential development within
the proposed annexation would pay for nearly all of their
associated municipal and sch<Xl1 district expenditures. Well
perhaps it has. But I urge you to consider t hat the language of
direct public cosls andl'CVellllCs proVides neither the only nor
the best lI'ay for the city 10 think about groll'th. That rhetoric,
direct publiC costs and revenuc, is so unquestioned in the
report, that is took me more than an hour to Clltthrough it and
to realize thatll'e should be more interested in comparing the
longer IeI'm net societal benefits. The stull that Sandy and
Sieve \\'ere talking about of anneXing additional land against
the longer term net societal benefits of slightly increased
density, What costs Clre likely 10 he incurred as Cl result
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1i6e page I ()
flooding downstream fromtht' developed portion of Snyder
Creek. Or from further dispersing the urban area in such a way
as to require construction or widening of arterials that will, in
turn, devastate existing nalural ecosystems and neighborhoods.
Ithink here of Kirkwood, of ~Iclrose, and perhaps soon of
North Dodge. Unlortunately, to echo a point earlier made, the
city's ability to assess the environmental impacts and net
societal benefits of new development is woefully inadequate
largely because the city's planning slall docs not include an
environmental planner. I strongly urge you to authorize the
Planning Department to add at least one full lime
environmental planner to its staff. But more importantly I
think we need to shift the conversat ion away from direct net
public benefit and tOlmrd what kind of comnlllnity we want to
create. We need to be talking about how proposed actions will
affect the character, feeling and health of this place rather than
whether the city government will make money ojr of proposed
development. And we need to be doing that in an open
dialogue mther than in one way statements in response to a
hurried growth policy. We should strive to maintain and
enhance the sense or this p[Iace. The chamcter and integrity of
this community mther Ihan simply accommodate and manage
growth. Thank you. I will be happy to answer any questions.
Courtney/ Thank you, Jim.
larson/ Jim I wanted to make sure I understood one thing and I do
not want to get into discussion because they will lynch me. But
because I did bring this up last night 1 wouldn't mind bringing
it up again tonight and just gelling a chance to respond to it. I
can't remember if you were in the room or nollast night.
Throgmorlon/ No. I gol here right aner you all talked alxmt it.
Larson/ My understanding is thal-I don't know whatever document
this is. 11 talks abmIt 530 acres of developable land that is
sewerabIe at this time. That kind of land is what idmaybe, at
least in someone's judgment, available righl now to be
developed within Ihe e1ly limils, Andllhink you make a lot of
good points but I want to separate I hem)' and reality a little bit
in the sense of youlalk about ,lClding llmr pt'Ople 10 1.1 and
achieving that kind of density.
Throgmorton/ No. From -1.4 to (i dwelling units.
larson/ But I was using your Ic)othall analogy. I don't knoll' how
many pcoplt, are on a !c)otballll',ml. Did you S,IY..j to .12 or is it
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#()e page 17
appmxilIliltely a one third higher density that you would
proposed 1I'0uld mean lI'e IVouldn't need to go outside the city
limits lilr more growth.
Throgmorton/ For the new development.
Larson/ My allit udl' is that I don't lI'ant to increase the density
within the city limits any percentage. We are noli' developing
at about three units per acre. Not I J or I-J.. Three units per
acre and I would like to see that number stay. I don'tll'ant
any more apartment buildings in the city. And given the l~lCt
thar certain number of people lI'ant to live here and given the
j~lCt of that regarclless of what we do there are certain plots of
land that are going to change from sJ. housing to apartments
because they are already zoned and lI'e can't legally change
some of those things, I guess I just think that given the choices
,md adding the h:t that the county is going to let them build
outside the city limits anYlI'ay, why shouldn'tll'e control and
develop in an orderly way in those areas rather than say no
and run the risk of people deciding to put more apartment
buildings in our established neighborhoods, develop a 11'agile
area that is vacant now in a way that is maybe not proper or
build helter skelter out into the county.
Throgmorton/ You said there was some 500 and some odd acres that
is currently developable within the city limits.
Larson/ Currently sewerable and developable.
Throgmorton/ And that is the number that I used in llying to
estimate how much landll'ould be available for future growth.
All I did was say if you increase the density from -J.,-J. dwelling
units per acre to () on that land, it could accommodate the
growth the city expected in the next 20 Y0ars.
I.mson/ About a 25% increase.
Throgmorton/ The rationale about adopting the groll'th policy would
then literally disappear.
Lnrson/ But only one rationale for the growth policy. Which is we
need to make room for the people to come in. But it ignores
the central fact which ls that eVen if no matter what we do
they aren't necessarily going to choose to build at G density
instead of 4.25. They might just decide to build out in the
coullty and just have all of these streets that aren't up to city
design. They have no planned development to not pay any
attention to the environmental consequences because they
don't have to in the county. And that is what I am saying.
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!\ubby' If the county would liJl1o\\' their enl'ironmental policies.
Nov! Something that \Ve have is up so. So that if we zone for 6
dwelling units per alTl'. It still reads up to 6 dweJ]jng units.
And anyone who \V,lnts 10 can develop their own property to 3
dwelling units per acre.
Larson! But] don't \Vant to get oJT track. It seems to me that the
point is thai if we just let more density be in lhe city that we
wouldn't need to expand. I am saying that it doesn't matter
what lYe want. They are going to build out there whether we
\\<1nt them 10 or nol. And I don't know if even I could tell
them they can't build out there if I would want Ihemto build
at higher densities within the city. ] want less density in Ihe
city rather than higher in some area, anyway, of town.
Throgmorton' What I hear you saying, Handy, is that the pattern of
growth that we are currently experiencing is inevitabie. And]
think that is just wrong.
larson! We can do some things about it.
Throgm0l10n'] 1V0uldlike to be able to talk more about i\. If I could
make one addilional point and then I will get out of the way
because other people have to talk. If we follow the city's
current plan for expansion which is expressed in another way
in the 1991 arterial plan that the city has adopted and is
following. The city will continue to spread out. This is what
the plan literally says. The city will spread out and congestion
will worsen. Even if the city builds all the arterials that it says
it needs congestion will worsen. So the inner city
neighborhoods are going to feel more congested ,md feel less
safe even if we folio\\' the plan currently adopted.
Larson/ I appreciate and I know w(' agree that this is very
complicated and requires more debate another time, Now is
the time that it is on the agenda.
!\ubby/ While the next person is coming up, when you say that
increase of density from 4.4 to 6 means sJ. 10 apartments I
think that is unrealistic. I doesn't have to mean apartments. II
could mean slightly smailer lots and sJ. detached homes. You
are like taking it 10 an extreme of whal it could mean and it
doesn't have to be that.
Larson! I guess [ think it does because there is only a certain
number of vacant lots. And if 100 ]ots are developed and then
one vacant one. If you are going to add 2S% or 20% to ail of
those 100 loIs, you got to put 20 unlls on that one vacant one.
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Courtneyi I think we can debate this in our future. This is a chance
for us to get input form the public. Lets move ahead,
I..arson/ !t isn't just that. It is a chance J()r us to react to that.
Courtneyi You to can debate it later. II is getting late and we have
got about six more p.h.s.
I..arson/ It is not thm this is unimportant.
Courtney.: I didn't say that.
Larson/ Thank you.
Tom ColVeni I am a member of Ihe E'\ Urban Development
Committee. The characler and people, landscape and buildings
of Iowa City is unique and beautiful. It is being threatened by
generic sprawling, poorly pl,ulned surburbanization that is
occurring on all edges of town. this type 1)1' growth does not
contribute to our quality of life ,UJd should not be continued.
As a community we can take control of future growth to assure
that this town remains a wonderful place to live and work. The
proposed annexation of 600 acres despite its lack of initial city
investment is not worth the negative affects of an adequately
managed growth it will have on the city as a whole. I urge the
city council to post pone the annexation of any new land lUltil
the growth policy includes design gUidelines that will insure
that future development is no longer generic but specific
compatible with the character of Iowa City. Thank you. I only
want to address your one question about city growth and
county growth. Our ambition in the f:A Urban Development
Committee is to also encourage the county to manage its growth
belieI'.
Courtney/ Any other public discussion on this item.
Larry SchniUjer/ From MMS Consultants in Iowa City. I am not a
member of f:A by the lI'a)'. There is a few issues that I would
like to address that has been made here and in the papers
latel)' that! think need a little bit of insight from at least
another point of view. For those that advocate no or limited
growth !lI'ould suggest that )'outake a close o bselvationto
many of the small towns in this area and see what those j()lks
are Jiving at. They must commute to rind work, shopping,
recreation, whatever. We have got il all right here. Even
though we have to drive form the edge of town in we got it
here. As j~lr as the commenls on a little bit of increased
density I have done enough subdivision work to knoll' that the
design of subdivisions inlO\va City, sJ. lots you wIll not exceed
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3.5 lots per acre. The only way to get to six dwelling units per
acre is to go to at least a portion of it as duplexed lots.
I\ubbyi With our current minimum lot size.
Sc1mittjer/ .lust physical1y getting that must space for structures on
it. If you want to take the illustration of the footbal1 field one
step lilrlller. Take those J 5 people and you add 6 houses and
take out a street from that football field. I/ow much space do
you have left. Not too much.
I/o/'Ow/ Lan}', about that though, in the neighborhood that I am
more Jillniliar with there arc sJ. dwellings on lots that arc a lot
smal1er. Talking between Kirkwood and Highway 1/6. And it
has onen puzzled me as to why IVe cannot go back to that size
lot. There arc Jhmilies being raised on those lots.
Schniltjer/ Most of those lots arc about 6520.
Hol'Ow/ I realize that is not what the development-I am assuming
the development would not make llloney from that sort of
thing. But is it possible to mass produce this map in our own
setting.
Schnittjer/ I just did a subdivision study using lots of that dimension
on 55 acres. II was a hlirly eJTicient design. I had J 71 lots. So
you arc still at your 3 lots per acre. i\ linle bit over 3 lots per
acre. 60 foot wide lots. They were a little bit deeper than 120
feet because they had to meet a minimum area but the
minimum width was 60 feet. II was a very eJIicient design. If
you decrease the length of thosc' lots you might pick up another
2-3%, maybe 5. I don't know, But not another lot per acre.
I/orow/ This is ;1 ,JtJssibility.
SchnilijL'1'I Hut you won't get up to 6 lots per acre, individual lots.
Nov/ l..an}', what happens if you arc' developing something as RS.8
instead of ](S-5.
Schnittjer/ RII-8 is potentially a duplex zone or a zero ]01 line zone
which has minim um 101 dimensions of 45 Ibot width and you
take the area requirement and it works out to be about] 25
foot deep. So that is 45 by J 25. That is not WI)' much space
but it is what they build a half a duplex on.
Nov/ So you pretty well need a zero iot line in order to develop it.
Schnittjer/ You need the zero lot line when you gel 10 that density
and I can't give you an exact determination right now on what
Ihe densily would be on a per acre basis but you are gening
some efficiency and open space around the sl ruct ures by going
to a duplex type struct Ull' becausc' you have got open space
,
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ii6e page 21
Ihal is collected ontll'o sides oflhe SlrUClure. Not an awful lot
because most of them are ten foot side yards and Ihal slill
doesn't leave you will an awful lot of space.
larson/ larry, you probably knoll' more about this than anybody.
Do you agree wilh Ihe approximately 530 acres of developable
and sewcrable land wilhinthe city Iimils.
Schnittjer/ I don't knoll' all of the developable land. That was
another comlllentlhat I was going 10 discuss an awful ]ot about
here. But a lot of that area would be between Dubuque Street
and Prairie du Chien and the peninsula and one of the
comments I scribbled clolVn here a while back was that I have
looked at that area for various people and I have tried to come
lip with comments but whenlVe look at the extreme
environmental sensilivity of it and how much grading and
destruction of the environment would be required to develop
thm area, it is not economical to develop. Even with the
densily that is shown on the zoning map. There are small
portions of the area that can be developed. There is an awful
lot of deep holes up there.
larson/ I just wondered if in reading this the analysis that she did to
come down to 530 acres of developable land
Schni1tjer/ There arc some other smaller pieces. The Stevens tract
out on Rochester Ave. and a few others that arc just kind of
setting there waiting. Even that has gOI possibilities of a small
wetland on the corner according to one report.
Courtney/ Thanks, Lan}'.
Any other public discussion on this item.
Close public hearing.
l\arr/ Could we accept correspondence.
COllltney / Moved and seconded (Nov/llorow) to accept public
correspondence on this item. Discussion.
All in hlVor (ayes)
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Agenda
Iowa City City Council
February 23, 1993
Page 6
f. Public hearing on a resolution approving the voluntary annexation of an
approximate 240 acre tract of land located east of Scott Park, south of Lower
West Branch Road and north of American Legion Road. (ANN92.0002)
Comment: At its January 21, 1993, meeting, the Planning and Zoning
Commission, by a vote of 7.0, recommended approval of the Windsor Ridge
Development voluntary annexation request. This recommendation is
consistent with the staff recommendation in a report dated December 3,
1992,
Ar.tion: kJ ~
#Mr / ~ 01ftpf U}/iJ ~~dM<u
g. Public hearing on an ordinance amending the Zoning Ordinance by con~ ~
Iy changing the use regulations of an approximate 240 acre tract located east
of Scott Park, south of Lower West Branch Road and north of American
Legion Road, from the County uesignation of RS, Suburban Residential, to
RS.5, Low Density Single.Family Residential. (REZ92-0013)
Comment: At its January 21, 1993, meeting, the Planning and Zoning
Commission. by a vote of 7-0, recommended approval of the requested
rezoning of the Windsor Ridge tract from County RS to RS.5 with the clear
understanding that all of the costs associated y,ith providing infrastructure for
development of the subject tract wiil be paid by the developer, and subject
to 1) the developer dedicating 6.9 acres of open space (a centrally. located
four acre neighborhood park with the remaining 2.9 acres developed as
greenway trails linking the tract to Scott Park). the locations of which shall
be negotiated with the City of Iowa City, 2) the developer dedicating a
minimum 13.acre school site, the location of which shall be negotiated with
the City and the Iowa City Community School District. and 31 City Develop.
ment Board approval of the annexation. This recommendation is consistent
with the staff recommendation included in a report dated December 3, 1992.
Action:
~ 'M/)
h. Public hearing on an ordinance amending the Zoning Ordinance by chang ng~
the use regulations of a 71.05 acre tract, generally located north of Rohret
Road, between Hunters Run and Southwest Estates subdivisions, from ID.RS,
Interim Development Single-Family Residential to RS-5, Low Density
Single.Family Residential. (REZ92.00161
Comment: The Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to consider this
rezoning at its February 1 B, 1993, meeting. Staff recommends that the
requested rezoning be denied due to the lack of sanitary sewer capacity and
the need to upgrade Rohret Road. The staff recommendation is included in
the staff report dated January 21, 1993.
Action: ~./
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fl6f page 1
COllrlneyiOpen the p.h. on this item.
Richard MacNeil/ RJ 9 Fairway Lane. The Far Horizons Subdivision.
First of all I have not had much dealing with city government
and I admire your courage for silting up here night after night
You should have had now-a petition that on i1londay the
residents of Far Horizons Subdivision submit ted as well as a
let tel' explaining our specific opposition to the Windsor Hts.
annexation and development. lwould like to elaborate on a
few points. I have looked around the room and I see members
of the P.iZ Commission and many of my comments are the same
ones shared with them a while ago. I apologize to them but
you people have not been privy to them so I share them with
you in addition to one more. Hrst of all I think it is important
that you understand our motivation behind opposing the
,mnexation.
CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 93-21 SIDE 2
In essence that our illlerests and interests of other apparently
ruml Johnson County people were rather parochial in his words
in light of the city's needs. It is suggested that our interests or
our opposition has something to do with property value. My
wife and I have been presidents of the association of Far
Horizon J()r the last year. We have had numerous discussions
on this. The property value has never been an issue brought
up and indeed from the proposed development ,md annexation
what they arc talking abont, our property value would
probably go up rather than down. So thai is not the issue.
What that issue is here in our minds OUI' reason for opposition
has to do with quality of life. /\nd we have heard quality of
life mentioned a lot before. Many of us, I guess all of us have
chosen to live outside the city limits for numerous reasons. My
life and I moved from West Liberty where we lived for a
number of years and we looked at properties in Iowa City and
found vel)' nice places in Iowa City. One near you Darrel, as a
matter of hlCt. But decided that we wanted something with a
bit more open space. A bit less trame. /\ bit less people.
There is a trade off ill doing that. We recognized that We
don't have services. I have teenagers thai are involved in after
school activities. I would love to be on a bus line. We don't
have that. We take care or our own roads with a plower that is
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p(,f page 2
not very efficient. That we slide down the hill most of the
winter. And these other things. But we recognize that we
accept it. Our reason/ill' OPlxlsing the annexation has nothing
to do with property values. II is a quality of liJ'e that we have
chosen 10 live oulthere Ihatwe try to pursue. And hell yes,
we are conceJ'Jled about the possibility of 1500-2000 people in
our backyard as anybody would be. That is a concern. But it is
not an economic concern. A second issue that I would like to
raise is why this annexation, why now. I would like to also use
the growth policies in Iowa City and just take a couple quotes
from it. In referring to the three policies pertinentta growth
in the future one of the said "The adoption of policy prioritizing
public investment and infrastructure and public amenities such
that obligations to property currently within the corporate
limits take precedence over some other things." The ne;..1 page
talking about Fringe Area 5 &: G the comments made, "The city
does not contemplate involuntal}' annexation." And a third
comment, "The city future service area extends one mile into
area 5." For which Windsor Hts. development is involved in.
Now] assume that you are familiar with the area. You have
seen the map. You recognize a couple things about this. First
of all the city docs not anticipate involuntary annexation. You
will notice on the border, the city border right now, Scotllivd.,
you have the lIieronymous Farm, Fairview Golf Course is next,
Far Horizons Development, t hen approximately the last quarter
of mile the city service limits is Windsor Ridge proposed
development. What you have created, obviously, is a peninsula
if this annexation is proposed with a contiguous front of about
400 feet 01T Scott Park. It seems rather inconsistent in terms
of policy planning document in terms of trying to have
contiguous growth that you create this. In addition there is the
possible problem of the developer is going to have to go
through rather extraordinary mCilsures to avoid a island
because there is a property within the mids1 of this Windsor
llidge that the owner apparently has decided that he has no
desire to sell and docs not want 10 annc.'\. And so it is going to
take some extraordinary measures 10 avoid that creation of an
island which my understanding would be against state
regulations anyway. And so we think it is rather consistent to
consider this proposal when there are potentially 500 and
sOlllething acres which is debatable within the city limits now.
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li(,f page 3
I realize that t he developer has proposed that he will put in the
roads and the selVage IVhich is an impressive financial figure to
do. On the other hand IVe IVould say to you that the sewage
still has to go some place. Il is nice that it is going to go but it
is going to go to city treatmeIl1 plant. If that city treatment
plant, and I have heard many discussions al P/Z about city
treatment plants is one of the possible hmilations of grO\\1h,
you still have got J 500-2000 residents contributing selVage to
that. That is a consideration. ;\ third consideration is in terms
of American Legion Head. This goes above and beyond our
desire to oppose the annexation. We IVould like YOllto consider
if any possible groIVth occurs in the east side of town IVhich it
del1nitely certainly lViII, to consider some things about
American Legion Hoad. rt appears to be to Ihe residents out
there a dangerolls place. I say that for a couple of reasons.
One, IVe recognize thai it has been zoned J(l]' lIrban density
traffic or classif1ed for urban density lrame. I don't know the
definition. I assume it has something to do with Ihe level of
pavement and the IVidth of the romi. If you go out there any
warm day, nice day in summer, spring, Jhll, you will find
numerous joggers, IValkers, bicyclists, not from Far Horizons
per se but from the cast side of tOWll. That road Is heavily
used. Il has soft shoulders. rt is a very narrow road. The
speed limit coming into tOWll. Il is a major Ihoroughfare
coming in hum the east side of town. The speed limit is 40-45
which has in most cases exceeded by many people going ill
there. In addition to that, when you go easl from Scott Evd.
about a third of a mile is the entrance to Failview Gold Course.
The driveIVay has three exits onto Americanl.egion Road al a
curve in the road. Potentially a vel)' dangerous spot.
Especially IVhen there are meetings more so Ihan golfers
beGluse golfers come out Individually out of the parking lot.
When there an- meelings. Ihe Elks Club and various clubs that
meet out therr'-notlhe Elks Club but the other clubs thatmeel
out there, when they exit they exit together. 11 is potentially
dangerous spot. Belo\\' that another fifth of,l mile is the
entrance to Far Horizons Development. It is ill the bottolll of the
hill at a slight decline and what happens is this is Ihe pointlhat
people art' picking lip speed in the road. We also fear, in man)'
cases, of a hend on collision or a rear end collision atlhat point.
But the worse local ion of course is Tan Ave. The intersection
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liflf page-'l
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of Taft Ave. right at the end of the city service area. This is the
Intersection II'here three people have been killed In automobile
accidents in the Jast!c)Ur years. You have got two blind corners
coming In over a hill. The Knights of Columbus is building a
social center which they are going to start in the spring right at
that intersection. Wght at the intersection there II'hich is going
to add to tmlTie. Whatever you do in the east side of tOlm in
terms of development I ask you to please consider that. We
have children thatll'ait for buses dOll'n there. We use the road
heavily as joggers, as walkers and also in our cars. Please
consider that in future negotiations. One other thing that I
would like to mise and this is slightly different and indeed
perhaps it is an issue 1hat doesn't deserve much attention but I
would like to make a point about it anyways. It has come to
our attention that city of11cials or some city olTicials have made
comments perhaps in jest and perhaps not thai people II'ho live
in Far Horizons or other rural Johnson County ,u'eas are
somehow pamsites or leeches living 011 the goodll'ill of Iowa
City. We have been told on occasion informally and never
formally that we utilize the services of 10ll'a City, the
recreation services, the parks, lI'e use the roads. If lI'e have
trouble with the city lI'e would call t he police and city. We
1I'0uld call the fire dept. even though lI'e don't pay tewes for it.
Well, very frankly that is a vel}' inappropriate analogy for a
couple of reasons. One, there are a number of residents in Far
Horizons and I am sure in other rural Johnson County who also
oll'n property In Iowa City and II'ho are tax payers. It is
inappropriate to classil)' them with everybody else. Secondly,
when we use the selvices for recreation or library lI'e pay the
e"tm fee for it. Thirdly, we lI'alll to make it clear that the daily
services of We lI'e take care of ourselves. We don't burden
Iowa City with our sewage. We take care of that ourself.
Waste products lI'e take care of ourself. We maintain our oll'n
roads. We never use the water of 10ll'a City. Indeed I don'
think that meets the definition of leech or a parasite. i\nd in
fact, the matter is lI'e, when we purchase selvices, we buy our
groceries in 10ll'a City, lI'e buy our automobiles, lI'e buy our
insmance inloll'a City. I don't like to be classified as a lel'ch or
a parasite beGluse I choose not to live in IOll'a City. Nol
anything negative against 10ll'a City but I like the Iile that I
have out there. So I pleelse ask you to be sensitive about
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1161' page 5
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comments like that. Not only for I~u' I/orizons hut I think rural
Johnson County people all together. Thank you.
Courtneyi Thanks, Hiell.
Gary Walls/With Windsor Ridge. I have highlighted a fell' of the
reasons why I feel this annexation will have a positive impact
on the city. First of all it is-this annexation will provide a large
east s;de lots with 100 foot frontages ,md GUl anybody
remember when they have done that. That is a prelly good
size iot. We are also donating 13 acres to be used for a school
site. And I think we just passed it on the west side and you
knoll' I am excited to do this on the east side. Windsor Ridge
also is a large single tract of land that I think if you look at
annexations in the past, you have seen five acres, 10 acres, you
knoll', little piece mill things. We are trying to bring in 240
acres all at once. Also it will be built to city design standards
and not a county subdivision. I want to point that out.
Windsor JUdge agrees to assume the cost of extending existing
sewer, water to newly annexed area. A 30 inch sewer
extension from Scot t Park and a 12 inch water main along
American Legion Road. We are assuming those costs. Projected
total assessed values in excess of 100 million dollars. Total
annual property tax revenue of at least one million dollars.
Potential tax advantages to thl; city for newiy annexed areas in
light of property tax freeze mandated by the state of Iowa.
The Windsor Ridge Subdivision will supply jobs and an
economic bene/'it to all the small businesses relmed to the
home-building industry inlowa City. Thank you and I
appreciate your considemtion.
Nov/ Can you answer how long do you think it will take to /'inish the
development of Windsor Hidge.
Walts/ We anticipate, Naomi, 15-20 years.
larson/ I/ow homes would it be.
Wall sl Randy, you knoll' we arc looking at 100 foot lots andl 00 foot
frontages by 180-200 feet or so. Depending on everything, I
would say from 400-500 houses. Which I don't know what the
population would be. Also as a Real Estate Broker in Iowa City
for over 1(1 years we feel that there is a large demand or a real
penned lip demand f'or large east side lots in Iowa City. Thank
you.
COllrtney/ Not exactly the kind of lots the other folks were talking
about.
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Walls' You know DarreL we are looking at an upscale development.
I would estimate housing costs between $1 i5,OOO-$300,OOO.
COlU1ney/ Thank you. Any other public discussion on this item.
Kubby/ I wanted to ask Sandy a question. Actually, Karin if you
could listen to these questions. I would like Professor Lon
Drake to answer these questions. So if we could ask him
because he did the wetlands study dOIVn near the Sycamore
Farms area that included part of that. He might have a
different viewpoint on this. I don't know how specific Mr.
Wall's development has been looked at except in terms of
where the possibility for the open space lor the school site and
extension of Scot t Park would be. Are there specific areas
within this Fringe Area 5 that we would be annexing that you
would say should not be developed because of the hydric soils
'JfJ there.
R\ 'Sandy"RholAdes/ The city study that they did for that in plZ did
consider areas of hydric soils and those were primarily along
the branch of Halston Creek that goes through the northern
edge of the development. Not the northern edge, sort of
through the center up from Scott Park. The southern third of
the development is in the Snyder Creek water shed but it is hlr
up into the uplands. It is right up at the Vel}' edge of that
water shed anclthose soils as I remember, the maps I have
been coloring that direction, are l~lirly weil drained. So I didn't
even consider this development when] was looking at the
question of preselving the Snyder Creek bollom. Of course
evel}' acre that is taken out and developed with have an
incremental alTect down stream and that is something P/Z and
the city council seems to be ignoring by looking at these
questions on a tract by tract basis. You have to look at the
whole system. The whole water shed to find out what is going
on. However the-I don't know. I have no ideal what the
acreage is. RO acres or so that is in the Snyder Creek water
shed. probably will have a very small impact on the Snyder
Creek bottom.
Kubbyl would you agree that large lot development is more
appropriate in this area because it takes ft'wer acres. To put
surhlCe on fewer acres. It kind of contradicts somt' other
things that have been said tonight. .lust looking at it in terms
of soils and what it may do to the bottomland even if it is not
significant. [lave you been thinking ahoulthat at all.
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Rhotdes I have not thought about the question in those terms.
What I would say that it is probably more how the lots are
c!i.:veloped than their gross size. It how the storm water
detention basins are put in. lIow they release the water.
Whether it inlJltrates into the ground. Whether it goes out
slow]y. The surf~lCe drainage. But those are just generalities.
But the primary impact o[ this development is going to be in
the Ralston Creek Drainage which has that big storm water
detention basin there on Scott Bvd. As I understand things, the
concept plans [or this development include allowing a hlir
amount of green space along that branch or Ralston Creek
which is where the hydric soils arc concentrated.
Kubby I You would say that the way this development should happen
to have the least amount o[ impact is determined by how the
water detention area is designed. Is that the most critical part.
Rh~des. Boy, I am way out of my depth here so- it is the design o[
the deve]opmentthat will determine the impact. That is as J~1r
as I really feel I can go.
Kubby I I appreciate that.
Courtney/Karin. It hink that I do have some concerns on the traffic
on American Legion. lIas .1elT taken a look at the ultimate
tramc flow when the project is done. I think we are assuming
that some where along the line Court Street will be extended
into this area and there will be some access and egress up on
Lower West Branch Road also. I guess I don't want it
portrayed that the whole 200 and some acres are going to
dump on American Legion.
franklin/ They wouldn't. With full development or the 240 acres the
access would be by American Legion, Court Street, and Imver
West Branch I(oae! in terms of trawl to the west. And of course,
Tart Ave. But Tart Ave. reeds into either Lower West Branch,
IDeal Road and American Legion Road. Jell did look at the
development as I recall inll'l'lns of numbers in so far as the
initial project coming north from American Legion Road
because we are working with a concept plan right now and that
the numbers Ic)r thaI \\'ere nol excessive. But I Gln get the
specifics of t hatlbr you.
Conrtney/ Yeah, I might like to see that.
l<lrsonl When is American Legion Road slated for improvement.
Never. Sometime like Rohret Road.
Franklin/ Hight now.
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larson/ It has a lot of similarilics like Hohret in that it is going ID
have a schoo] on it, il is narrow and-
rranklin/ The schoo) site would not be on American Legion Road,
What we arc looking at is on Court Street.
11lrson/ And it has soft shouldl'rs and it is dangerous. It has those
similarities. I just wondered if we have established a lime
table. Is it a fut ure arterial.
Franklin/ It is a future arterial, yes. It is current arterial. It is an
arterial right now. It is just thal the volumes on il are not high
and certainly not at urban volumes. There are no plans for the
improvement of American Legion Road now because obviously
right now it is a county road and would be continuing to be a
county road for a period of lime. Although we talked about the
maintenance agreement that we would need to enter into with
the county. That wjl] have to come in to future planning for he
area. But this particular development as it builds out should
not in and of itself precipilate to improve American HocKI.
11lrson/ Does that statement ring in your ears as reminiscent of
about 1987 about Southwest Estates or. There it was said you
guys can build out on Rohret Road but we are not improving il,
Franklin/ Not in terms of what the planning stall told you with
Southwest Estates.
11lrson/ Okay.
Kubby/ But it is always hard when the statement is macle that this
development in ancl oj' itself does not create because that (can't
hear) which encourages other development which encourages-
Franklin/ 1 think it is appropriate to look at il in terms of when that
would be scheduled some time in the future. But we arc
talking about quite J~lr in the fut lire here.
Coul1ney/ I wish I could anticipate when Court Street would be done
because I would anticipate it to be eventually the main arterial
in and out of tIllS thing. .lust simply because it heads d.t.
Franklin! Court St reet will be a major, Court and American Legion
Hoad wjl] be the main, I think l.O\ver West Branch I(oad wjl]
not.
illrson/ My impetus was how long does it have to Slay dangerous
when il is really not something we can predict at this point. I
just want-
Courtney/ We don't have nay idea when Court Street might
ultimately go Ihrough.
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I
Franklin! II is going to depend on how rapidly this development
proceeds and then there is an intervening property owner
between this development and Scott Park, Part II.
Larson/ Perhaps this development Il'iII spur improvement thallakes
the safet)' to a difTerenlleve1. The counly road aren't going 10
get upgraded unless budget things change much and so.
Franklin/ It is there. It is just a matter-
larson/ Increased traffic Is going to be bad in the short term.
Franklin/ Do you want anything further on American Legion Hoad for
counts for this projecl or an evaluation.
Courtney/ I Ihink it would be appropriate to have at least-l don't
want a real in-depth sort of thing done but some sort of an
idea. I know that is going to be dimcull to do. Especially since
we don't knoll' anything about Court Slreet. There is always
the eventual option of condemning through Court Slreet if \Ve
had to. That hasn't been a popular way of doing things over
the last several years either.
Any other public discussion on this item.
Jim Throgmorton/ Very brief comment. T\Vo brief comments. You
need to annex the 220 acres for reasons I described earlier. I
just want to make that point though you might disagree with it.
Secondly, the topics you have jtl~t been talking about with
Km'in and Sandy about run olT into Snyder Creek and Halston
Creek and about the alTeCls ontmfnc along American Legion
Road are market externalities. If you monitize those market
externalities and other externalities you would be able to
calculate net societal benefits. That was a point I \Vas trying to
make earlier in terms of comparing net socielal benefits of
annexing land vs. slighlly increasing density of development. I
just want to point out that that is a g<Xld reason J{)r enabling
the city planning department to hire an environmental planner.
Thanks.
Kubby/ So, what I was asking you to ask Lon Drake was clear.
Basically, I am asking docs he believe development of the arC<!
within Windsor Hidge would affect the wetlands below it, The
ones that \Vere obligated which was what his st udy \Vas.
Courtney/ Any other commenls on this ilem.
Karr/ Motion 10 an:epl correspondence.
Courtney/ It has been moved and seconded (NoV/ ) for
correspondence on this item. Any discussion.
All in lilvor (ayes) Close the p.h. on this item.
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Courtney j Open the p.h. on this item. Any comlllents on this one.
We just went to the other side of lawn.
Lan}' Schnittjer/ I alll not prejudiced, I work on either side. The
reason for proposing this rezoning and development at this
lime is due 10 the fact that Ihe school is there and the owner
and his partner have seen it to be appropriate that the
development of the school site and the development of the
subdivision should coIncide to save both Ihe district and
themselves a little bit of mane)' so they don't have to get two
contractors in there or whatever. 11 may still end up getting
two contractors but at least we have a cohesive design and
then as soon as the schoo] is open we could have walkways and
streets and what have you thai would provide access to the
school from the adjacent subdh1sions. There are, I can't recall
the number of lots in Hunter's Run but there is a substantial
development out at Hunter's Hun out there and also Southwest
Estates on either side of the school thai will proVide a
substantial population to the school and that way we can keep
those ids and at least provide an access for them that is not on
Rohret Hoad. While Hohret Hoad is either being improved or
until it is improved. F'Or that reason we would like to proceed
at this time with the zoning and whatever else it takes to get
going with the project. Is there any questions.
Kubby/ Can't these kinds of things happen whether HS-5 is
developed at this point or not. That the planning could be
coordinated and some of those sidewalks could be put in now.
Schnittjer/ 11 is possible but there is no impetus Jar tJle person who
owns the farm to allow anything other than agricultural
pursuits around the school site until he is ready to spend some
money on it. If somebody wanls to contribute a sizable fund
101' the installation of sidewalks and grading or what have you
to get those sidewalks built. Maybe that could occur.
Nov/ 11 will be hard to farm it though with the sidewalks.
Schnit tjer/ He will have at least one paved spot where he won't get
sluck.
Courtney/ Any other public discussion on this item. I understand we
have a need to conlinue this one.
Gentl)'/ Yes.
Courtney/ E,plain.
Gentry/ The conditional zoning agl'l'elllent has nol yet been signed
because Ihey were nol able to have Iheir attorney review it
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and so I think it is rcasonablc that thcy would want thcir
attorney to rcvicw it and you have to have the conditional
zoning agrccmcnt signed bcfore you close the public hearing
and it is not signed right now.
Courtncy/ fI'loved and seconded (Kubby/Horow) to continuc to March
2 meeting. Discussion.
All in j~lV()r (aycs)
tune.
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Agenda
Iowa City City Council
February 23, 1993
Page 7
i. Public hearing on an ordlnanca amending the Zoning Ordinanca by changing
the use regulations of an approximate 14.25 acre tract of land located west
of U.S. Highway 218 and north of Rohret Road, from IO-RS, Interim
Development Single-Family Residential, to P, Public. (REZ92.0016)
Comment: At its February 4, 1993, meeting, by a vote of 7-0, the Planning
and Zoning Commission recommended that the site be rezoned to P, Public,
subject to conveyance of the title for the property to the Iowa City Communi.
ty School District, and acknowledging that this approval may accelerate the
need to upgrade Rohret Road. This recommendation is consistent with the
staff recommendation Included In the staff report dated January 21, 1993.
Action:
~ (J1u/ d.,4"A'4.P1.
j. Public hearing on an ordinance amending the Zoning Ordinance by adopting
Section 36.10.5, Neighborhood Conservation Residential Zone (RNC.12).
Comment: At its January 21, 1993, meeting, the Planning and Zoning
Commission, by a vote of 7.0, recommended that the Zoning Ordinance be
amended by adopting Section 36-10.5, the Neighborhood Conservation
Residential Zone IRNC.121. The Commission's recommendation is consistent
with the staff recommendation Included in a memorandum dated December
17,1992.
Action:
_lb~ ftV
I
k. Public hearing on an ordinance amending the Zoning Ordinance by changing
the use regulations of property located in the general vicinity of Johnson
Street on the west, Clapp Street on the east, Market Street on the north and
Jefferson Street on the south, from RM.12, Low Density Multi-Family
Residential to RNC.12, Neighborhood Conservation Residential Zone.
(REZ92.0018)
Comment: At its January 21, 1993, meeting, the Planning and Zoning
Commission, by a vote of 7.0, recommended that the Zoning Ordinance be
amended to chanQe the zoning designation of the subject property from
RM.12 to RNC-12. The Commission's recommendation is consistent with the
staff recommendation included in a memorandum dated December 17, 1992.
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%j page 1
Courtneyi I would like to open the p.h. on this item.
Nancy Carlsonl 1002 East Jefferson. I am here to speak in support of
the RNC-] 2 zoning amendment be/ore the city council and to
speak on behalf of the nelghborhood surrounded basically li'om
Johnson to Clapp and from Jefferson to Markel. We were the
impetus to this and we have been very grateful to the staff and
to the P/Z Commission for coming up with this zone and we are
here to say that we support it. Th,mk you.
Courtneyl Thank you. Any other public discussion on this item.
Close the p.h.
Nov/ We need to accept correspondence on this one.
Com'tney 1 Already in the consent calendar.
Karrl No it was not. I have accepting correspondence under the next
one dealing specifkally with the property rather than the zone
HNC.
NovlOkay. .lust want to be sure-
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116k page 1
I
Courlney/Openlhe p,h. on this item.
Nancy Carlsoni I do have some visuals and I didn't realize that I had
to ask before hand to have something brought up. In the Jl & Z
Commission they always have them. They have always had it
right Ihere. Is it a problem.
Courtneyi YOll need the overhead.
Carlson/ Yes, I need the overhead for a couple of visuals. And while
they are doing that I would like to explain the "ballot" type of
llmn that YOllmay have received already. And il' YOll have not
received, you will be receiving. During our allemptto deal with
problems in our neighborhood the opposition to this passed out
a petition asking people to sign it asking it to remain the same.
In doing t hat I don't know whether they did it purposely or
accidentally. But that basically what they did of'len limes in
talking to people in the neighborhood was ask them if they
wanted things to stay the same or if they wanted them to
change. And when people looked around their neighborhood
they didn't see apartments. They looked around and saw what
they saw and said no we don't want this to change and we
want it TO stay the same. So oflen limes they signed the
petition reeling that we keep it the way il is not understanding
that in signing the petition in that way what they were doing
was supporting the HM-12 zone which although things were
this way now would allow a change. The stail-the city stafl
when they came up with the proposed zone used lhe word high
density single flunily vs. low density multi flllnily and so the
people saw the word high density and low density and they
didn't go lhrther. They didn't realize that we were talking
about apples and oranges. All they saw were the words high
density and low density. They were really frightened by the
word high density so they wenl 1'01' the low density. So there
was a lot of conl'usion. So the people who were supporting this
change inlhe neighborhood k'lllhat in order Illr Ihe
neighborhood to make an informed decision as to what they
wanled inlheir neighborhood Ihal we would do a leller to the
people who lived in the neighborhood, the owner occupied
properties. We did a Il'l leI' and we felt thai we would leave a
ballot, We left what we called a "ballot" with Ihem so that they
could make an inf(l/'IlIed decision on their own. We left a sell'.
addressed envelope. We felt that this way It \Vould allow the
neighborhood to undersland and to look at the words high
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ii6k page 2
densily, loll' density, RM.J2 and RNC-] 2 and have it on a piece
of' paper in front of them. Some of' them were sent out and
some of' us went d<Xlr to door to attempt to explain to the
people in the area, Our major concern was the evel}'one in the
area would understand what was bef'ore them and what their
choices were and what ramifications those choices would make.
And so, as a result of' that, people sent in either letters or the
"ballot" with comments. This was our way of making sure that
everyone in the area understood what arrect each or the zones
would have on their area and allow them to make their own
choice and make it known to the cill'.
(Uses Overhead Projector)
r would like to start out by saying ihat Bob ~'Iiklo had said that
87% of the area being considered was developed wilh single
hlIllily homes or duplexes. This is a slide showing the area. The
green colored end segments are actually owner occupied single
family homes. The blue segments are owner occupied multi
family units. Duplexes in one case. There is a three plex. Each
of those units has an owner who live sin it. Because one of the
things that they had brought up was that basically 70% of these
was actually rental. That there were not very many people
who actually lived in the area and owned property in the area
and so we wanted to bring this up to say that yes, especially in
the area that Mr. Muller was attempting-was considering
building an aparlment. If you will look arollild there.
Basically, the vast majorily of the properties in that area arc
owner occupied. One of the other (can't hear)-
When we started with this, one of the things that I had to think
about was as a person who owns a piece of property-who owns
a house, I want houses only in my area. But J also need to
stand back and look at the whole property and one of the
things J asked myself is did J leel that apartments would be
beneficial in my neighborhood. Would this help my
neighborhood or would this hinder my neighborhood. If I had
Jell that apartments would help m)' neighborhoodl would be
here tonight in suppOrl of that. But li'om the previous slide
thaI r had shown andlhis one, I felt that apartments in
actuality will serve a death toll to our neighborhood and that
our neighbor has existed as basically a single family and
duplexes neighborhood and continue to do so. This particular
slide shows properties that have been sold in the last three
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il6k page 3
years. The blue ones are Single hU)]jJy houses Ihill were sold as
single tinnily houses. They remain so. The green ones are
rental properties that were rental properties that remain so.
And the purple ones that were rental properties that have
become owner occupied properties. There are ten rental
properties that have changed hands and remain relllai
properties, there are nine single family or owner occupied
properties that have changed hands and remain so and there
are five rental properties that have transferred to owner
occupied. From this I would say that our neighborhood is
viable as a. and duplex area and that not only do the pc'Ople
who live there but the people who have brought property in
the last three years have not looked upon it as a place to
develop apart ments but have Ic"'ked at it as a place where they
could, if they were concerned with rel1lalunits, where they
could make a living and sli/luphold the integrity of the area.
And I would like to call that in to attention.
One of the other things that I would like to talk about (nUl't
hear). One of the comments that we have heard off and on is
that people knew when they moved in here that this was an
HM-12 zone. I would like 10 state that there are a large
number of people who have been here long before the 1\/\'1-12
zone was even a figment of someone's imagination. In
particular, I would like to discuss Irene Lincoln who moved
into 932 when she was two years old and it was her
grandparent's house. She is approximately 86 years old now.
Where she lived with her grandparents until she married.
During the time that they lived in that house her grandparent
moved a house on next to it at 938. When she married and
started haVing children, that property which had been a rental
property, her grandparents moved into and became their home
and Irene continued to live in the yellow house that she had
grownup in. She lived there until her children grew up and
married. When they married she and her husband moved into
the grandpa house next door and their daughter continued
living in the yellow house and raised her children.
Kubby / The j~lIl1ily cycle.
Carlson/ Basically it is a Amish type of thing that is right here in the
middle of Iowa City. /leI' daughter died a few years ago. Her
son in-law continues to live in the gold house and he has stated
that as long as Irene is alive this is where he will stay because
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Irene. if she has people around to watch her, can continue to
live in her house. lie takes her sol sec hcr brother in a nursing
home in West Branch evel)' Sunday morning. I don't knoll'
whethcr it will continue in the family or nol for thc next
generation. But when we talk aboul our neighborhoods I find
that Ihis is a wonderful precedent and when IVC lalk about
changing our neighlxlrhood and progress I am going is this
progrcss or is Ihis change. Whcn we talk aboul neighborhoods
IVC are talking about commitments and values. Whal are our
commitments and what are our values. To me a commitment
such as Ihat where one hllllily has staycd in an arca for 80
some years and has moved from one house to another and
allowcd the next gcncration to go on. Whcn this camc up, thcir
lot is as large as Mr. Mullcr's and thcy could do the same thing,
Instead of saying thaI they havc said no. We IVant to preserve
the integrity of this ncighborhood, And so, there are other
people like thaI. There IVas an 85 year old gemlemlUl when I
went to his door I wasn't sure how he was going to act because
he lived nexl to an apart ment house and it had becn there for a
long period of time. And when I explained what I was doing
he said yes-let me sign it. He said, there was nobody here to
help me when this IVcnt in next door and I have had to live
with this ever since it was built and if I can stop someone else
from having to live next to these I will do whatcver I can. lIe
is a gentleman who wrote on his ballot don't throw this in the
wastebasket. We have had other older people live in the area.
Wc have had a couple who has signed everything with the
exception of one thing bccause the wife was in the hospital
having hcart surgel}'. We havc another lady. an oldcr lady, hc
is in hcr 80's who signed everything although right now she
had onc leg amputated below her knee so shc is in extended
care. So what this shows is that there are older people who
have lived through this. who have put up with this, who didn't
want it in the /'irsl placc but because the commitment to their
house is there and now thai they havc the chance to change it
they are very excited and very concerned about il. There are
other people who may have been naive when they bought their
house and didn'l realize whal R~'I-12 meant. And 10 I hat I say
J read an example here of someone who. a naive young woman
who walked down a bad alley and got robbed, and thcy said
you are naive and because you were there you shouldn't have
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i/6k page S
I
been there. Because you were and this guy held you up, it was
your 1~1l1lt. Well, I would sort of like to make the same analogy.
The naive public. Often times t he Real Eslate agent does not
really specifY exactly what these 1(~'1-12 zones mean and unless
you have actually been involved in something you really don't
knoll'. you really don't take it illlo consideration. I would also
like to make a comment about people who maybe did knoll'
what the lUvl-12 zone was, such as I. But I wanted to live in an
older house in an older part of time, I had to find a house that
[liked. That I could afford as a single woman who is self'
employed. When I bought it in the 80s the illlerest rates were
18% and I couldn't afJ(lrd an J S% loan. So I had to find
someone who was willing to sell it on contract. I had a lot of
stipulations without the Rill-1 2 zone. And so, you knoll', when
I look at this, I IVant an old house. I have to find someone who
is willing to work with me and so I am going to have to take a
risk. It wasn't a risk that I wanted to lake and it isn't a risk
that I have enjoyed living with. And for me now to finally be
al)]e to see this chance to change is a wonderful experience for
me. I have 111'0 other things that I want to talk about real
briefly and then I wiII go on. And these are-one of them is
commitment. There are certain commitments that you make in
your liIe. There is a commitment you make when you get
married. There is a commitment you make when you have
children. There is a commitment you make when you buy a
piece of property. For most 01' the people in this area this is
their major investment and they do have a financial
commitment. But there is also an emotional commitment. A
commitmelll that comes along with it. It was something that I
didn't understand when I I1rsl bought my house.
CHANGE TAPE TO REEl. 93-22 SlDE 1
Nancy Carlson/ Whenlhe plumbing breaks I get it fixed. When the
taxes go up I deal with that. There becomes a real emotional
attachment to that people who rent don't have. W11enll'e
started talking aboulthis some of the renters said why should
I get involved. My lease ends in May and I can just move out.
I didn't hear any property owner make this commenl. You
know, it was I am here, I have been here, I am here lelr the
duration and lneed to deal with this and what am I going to do
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116k page 6
I
about il. The other thing that I would like 10 talk abow is
values. You take care of that which you value. And it is an
automatic thing. It is not something you think about. But if
something is important to you and you value it, you take care
of it. If you drive down Jefferson or Market I think you can
tell who values the property and who doesn't. Because when
you value something, you take care of it and so you are out
there. You are painting it, you are fb:ing it up, you are dealing
with the sidewalks, you arc doing the landscaping and you arc
doing this because you arc valuing it. Not because of I1nancial
gain or rewards or anything but because it is important to you
and because you take pride in it. We the owner occupants of
the area value and are committed to our property and we are
here tonight to ask you to jOin us in that commitment. Thank
you.
Barb Van Allen/102-J. East JefTerson, I am here to talk about the
zoning amendment. The request for rezoning developed out of
the neighborhood's sincere concerns about the affect of
increased growth and redevelopment. Both in Iowa City and
within our older existing neighborhood. Neighbors lelt there
was merit in attempting to conserve our neighborhood and its
remaining single hlmily and duplex character. We are
encoumged that the staff of the Dept. of PCD and the P 81: Z
Commission have responded so favorably to our efforts and
support the rezoning request. We feel it will help greatly
stabilize and conserve our neighborhood if the zoning
amendment is passed. The exisling RlI'I-12 zoning proVides
incentives for the destruction of this neighborhoods older
a!Tordable entl)' level single family and duplex hOUSing stock.
The RM-12 zone proVides little incentive for preservation and
renovation e!Torts in the older section of the city. Neighbors
fear the existing clmracter of the neighborhood will eventually
be lost if the neighborhood area continues to develop at the
higher density as provided by the RM-12 zone, It was this
neighborhood chamcter many buyers searched or and valued
when they purchased their home in our area. Neighborhood
planning in Iowa City has been often discussed. In order for
this process to work the city must listen to neighborhoods. I is
this neighborhood's vision and goal to maintain the stability of
our neighborhood and conserves it existing character. We seek
to I1nally accomplish Ihis goal by requesting YOllr Sllpport on
I
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1r6k page 7
the HNC-] 2 zoning amendment. We also request for continued
efforts of developers to recognize the importance of design
within our older neighborhoods and encourage new
developments to be compatible with existing structures. This
issue, while not before the council tonight, is a matter of
paramount concern to the older neighborhoods in the process
of working towards conservat ion and renovation eflorts. The
neighborhood is pleased with the conservation enorts by
Charlone and .Iill] Muller and Cindy Cook for the property
located at 92-!- ./efferson Street. I have been asked to thank
them for the renovation <Uld design compatibility eHorts on
this property. The neighborhood request a continued eflon
and interest to develop new structures compatible with
existing neighborhoexl structures. There appears 10 be an
opportunity available to set an example. Demonstrating that
new structures can be designed and built compatible with older
existing structures within an established neighborhood. We are
hopeful that developers in older neighborhoods will want to
take advantage of this opportunity. Thank you.
Courtney I Thank you.
./udy Sieve1f$on/Well we are back and we are glad to be here. There
was a lot of work done at P & Z and we have been told that you
will receive the packet if you haven't already and I just wanl
to emphasize the importance of that packet. There are over 80
owner occupied responses and they were all positive lor the
rezoning. The neighbors wanted their voices heard and they
that by writing very personal leners. And I don't think there
is a beneI' way to express those feelings. 11 has all been said in
the Jeners. I also leel that the HNC-12 is a good compromise,
Personally I would like HS-] 2 with design review. And I am
sure the contractors would prefer the HM-12. So we have both
given in to some degree. And several neighbors mentioned
tllat the tri-plex was built ]asl summer on the corner of
Hochester and Market. Physically it fits in really well wit h the
neighboring houses. We hope thai the I{NC will allow us to
preserve our neighborhood and we feel that's a good example.
There's more than WOO cars a d,lY that are passing through
our neighborhood. We hope t hat these new duplexes will be
seen as monuments of compromise between Ihe neighbors and
the contractor, I'm asking the city council to rezone my
neighborhood to I{NC-12.
I
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I/(lk page 8
Nov/Would you say your namel
Sievelson/ ludv Sieverson.
lvJary Doylei I live at 811 Market St. which is included in the area of
proposed rezoning. ~'ly husband and [ have lived there since
1980. We are home owners. I prepared a somewhat lengthy
talk. This afternoon when I was thinking about this meeting, I
nnd that I'm repeating the same things that everybody else
has said, so [ think I'll save everybody the time. But I do agree
with everything that's been said so far, and would strongly
urge you to pass the proposed ch~U1ge in the RNC-12 zoning.
Thank you.
Kubby / Thank you
Larson/ I'm might ask to have that piece of tape preserved. Thank
you. Your patience in sitting there all this time told us
everything. Noll' if we could just get the Mayor to put the gavel
down. Get to hammering over there.
Nov/We have to put in our correspondence anyway. Let's move to
accept correspondence.
Larson/ Move to accept correspondence or second it.
Courtney / It's been moved and seconded (Nov/Larson) to accept
correspondence on t his item.
Discussion.
All in favor (ayes)
Thank you.
/ I'm sony, We had one person who couldn't come tonight. and
if [could ask that this be included in the correspondence.
Courtney/Sure.
KmT/ Now you can close the p.h.
Courtney/ Any other discussion on this iteml
Howard, you came and sat through all of this and you aren't
going to say anythingll've never known you not to say
anything.
Howard/
Courtney/Thanks Howard.
Close the p.h.
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Agenda
Iowa City City Council
February 23, 1993
Page 8
Q3-3'j
I. Consider a resolution approving the final plat of First and Rochester Commer-
cial Subdivision, Part One, Iowa City, Iowa. (SU892.Q024) (50.day limitation
period: March 1, 1993)
Comment: At its November 5, 1992, meeting, by a vote of 7.0, the Planning
and Zoning Commission recommended that the final plat of First and
Rochester Commercial Subdivision, Part One, a two.lot, 2.88 acre commercial
subdivision, located at the southwest corner of the intersection of First
Avenue and Rochester Avenue, be approved subject to approval of legal
papers by the City Attorney's office and of construction drawings by the
Public Works Department prior to City Council consideration of the final plat.
This recommendation is consistent with the staff recommendation included
In the staff report dated November 5, 1992. The construction plans have
been approved by the Public Works Department. This item has been
continued, at the applicant's request, from the Council's December 15, 1992,
January 5, 1993, and January 19, 1993, meetings.
Action: kif, I ;(tJM.hJ
.I I'h
~U{/mht~~-d/IAJ tuAj? /I. l~
m. Public hearing on a resolution amending the ancillary agreement etwefn ~
Frantz Construction, Inc, and the City of Iowa City, Iowa, concerning
storm water management obligations for Mt. Prospect Addition, Parts V.VIII.
Comment: On July 7, 1992, the City Council approved an ancillary
agreement in which Frantz Construction agreed to transfer storm water
obligations from Mt. Prospect Addition, Part V to Parts VINIII while the City
agreed to conciude its investigation and make a decision on a regional
storm water management facility no later than the final plat of Mt. Prospect,
Part VI or January 1, 1993, whi~hever is earlier. Staff recommends and
Frantz Construction, Inc. has agreed that the ancillary agreement should be
amended to extend the deadline to January 1, 1994, to enable the City's con.
sultant to conclude the study of the regional storm water management facility.
Action:
~ rYwP/ o/FAfJ~
9;)- 35
n. Consider a resolution amending the ancillary agreement between Frantz
Construction, Inc, and the City of Iowa City, Iowa, concerning storm water
management obligations for Mt. Prospect Addition, Parts V.VIII.
Comment: See item m. above.
Action: ~/~
~/ (h.Ju 'ntA) !kt1b1~
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Agenda
Iowa City City Council
February 23, 1993
Page 9
ITEM NO.7. PUBLIC DISCUSSION
~~
ITEM NO.8.
Public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 1993.94 Operating Budget and Fiscal
Year 1993.94 and 1994.95 Financial Plan which includes Capital Improvement
Projects.
ITEM NO.9.
Comment: City Council has reviewed the Fiscal Year (FY) 1993.94 Operating
Budget and the FY1993.94 and 1994.95 Two.Year Financial Plan including
Capital Improvement Projects. This public hearing is held 'to receive public input
on the proposed budget.
Action: C1l\~ -OJ ~~ ~ ;~) II~ M1 ~~)
P bl' h' 0 ~~d' ~- ~d . )h 1991 Ed' I f h U of PI 'bo
u IC eanng on an or Inance a opting t e It on 0 t e nI orm um 'ng
Code as amended. ,This Code shall be known as the Iowa City Plumbing Code.
I
Comment: The Board of Examiners of Plumbers has reviewed the 1991 Uniform
Plumbing Code and recommended several amendments to accommodate local
practices and to provide for licensing and enforcement. Changes In Sections 8.
171 through 8.179 reflect the consolidation of tM duties of the Board of
Examiners of Plumbers and the Board of Appeals (see memo concerning the
minutes of the Board meetings). Minutes of the January 7 and January 21, 1993,
meetings of the Board of Appeals are attached under Item 5b (Minutes of Boards
and Commissions) of the Consent Calendar.
Action:
It MuV ~u-f
ITEM NO. 10. Consider an ordinance adopting the 1991 Edition of the Uniform Plumbing Code
as amended. Said Code shall be known as the Iowa City Plumbing Code. (First
Consideration)
Comment: The Board of Examiners of Plumbers has reviewed the 1991 Uniform
Plumbing Code (UPC) and has suggested several amendments to accommodate
local conditions and practices. The 1 991 UPC is to replace the 1988 UPC.
Action: .fJ.dJw / ~)
II L
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#8 page 1
I
Courtneyi I IVouldlil,e to open the p.h.
Il'lary Geasland/ 53 Regal Lane, Iowa City. I am here representing the
Senior Center Commission as it's chair person. Since this is
budget hearings I just had a thought considering our cold snap.
Did one of you forget to pay the heating bill. Our comments
regarding the budget request for the Senior Center are not only
directed to you the council members but also to all citizens of
this commllllity. To promote better understanding of the
center needs which gets translated into budget requests, we
encourage and invite ,my of you to attend our comPJission
meetings, to visit the center and to read, listen and view, the
numerous and vcu'iedmedia items which we constcultiy
promote to help tell the stO!}' of the center and our senior
population in this community. In the citizen's summary of
proposed financial plan for the Senior Center budget an error
needs to be addressed. $130,000 for additional staff was not
our request. Rather it was lor $62,000 that covered one
receptionist clerk typist position and an assistant volunteer
specialist. Also the parking request is an adaptation of our
earlier parking request presented to you a year ago and which
was denied. Since day one of the opening of the Senior Center
parking has been a problem. We on the Commission will
continue in the futllre to offer i1movative ideas to you as ways
top resolve this ongoing problem. The third highlighted item
here, if reduced as suggested by the city manager, will delay
J~lCility needs even more. User numbers increased and increase
delay plus the aging of the building results in increased overall
costs in the end. In the last FY we asked for $80,000 in this
area, A compromise was reached, we were given $20,000 each
year for three years. Now we are being asked to cut again. Our
experience from the past makes us ask have you, the council
members, received our complete budget packel which includes
supporting documentation. If after hearing our remarks you
want to look at this further and in more depth we will be glad
to supply this to you. Included in our packet were a variety of
graphs which we felt help demonstrate to youlhe strain and
drain from our stall and resources at the Center. So where
does this leave us. Obviously the Senior Center Commission
would like all of our proposals approved. Where do we fit in
with the whole picture then. The graph which you have a copy
of which we are displaying for the audience printed in the
I
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118 page:1
Press Citizen of 12/22/92 shOll'S we would be in the negative
for reduced budget. Where as others are increasing. What is
fair and what is equitable. Do we spend a disproportionate
amount to serve a few in the guise of being good lor the whole
community such as thl' issues recently before you in the matter
of the airport. Can we rmilstically take from some other areas
to fill our identified needs. If we continue to be cut where will
that leave us. The answer may lie in the numbers themselves
for this population group. The age SS and over. I refer now to
anot her article. Again, of which you have a copy on which we
are displaying lor the audience. The Press Citizen of 1 J /24/92,
entitled the Changing Face of Johnson County. It reflects the
change in age groups from] 980 to 1990 ,me! is even more
reJlective of our countl}' as a whole in this trend. How are we
as a community going to provide for this majority group as we
enter into the senior categolY. Included in this same Press
Citizen issue on the same page is another article called, Iowa
City's Diversity Healthcare Make It Attractive For Retirement.
Another article in the C.R. Gazette of 3/1\/92 states Iowa City
Draws Older Crowd. This is to our community's credit and we
should take pride in that. However the Commission feels that
this will not be the case if our community does not devise a
plan now to accommodate the needs of this great InJItL\ of the
total population, The Commission has taken great pride in
having in place a continual five year plan lor the Center and
the needs of the senior population. And feel strongly that it
would be in the best inlerest if Ihis city and this community to
do likewise. The Commission recommends we pursue an
aggressive course in making this comlllunity an ideal
retirement community. We strongly believe Ihat if people are
given the proper setting they will be enticed to remain here as
opposed 10 retiring elsewhere. The cost of providing services,
programs andlllCilities will be greatly oJTset by the added
economic base derived from these retirement dollars. There
are olher benents 1e)r this cOlllmunlty too 1ll1ll11'rous to Jdenti1)'
here tonight by actively embracing this group. If we do
nothing further than tl}' to maintain what we have established
t hl' Commission fel'ls t hat we will have already fallen behind in
the numbers game. The Sl'nior Center Commission, stafe users,
and supporters of the Senior Cenler have tried in various ways
10 make IIp the differences of what YOll have so graciously
i
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#8 page 3
I
given and what our needs have been. We have utilized grants,
work studies, Green Thumb, Community Service Program. fund
raisers, out right gills and bequeaths, and numerous
volunteers. .Just to name a fell'. At some point in time even
these resources will fall short of our true needs. Then we wil!
be J~1Ced with proposing to you making choices, Cut programs,
limit numbers of users, reduce services, or whatever. All to the
detriment or the quality lI'e have so far enjoyed and have
taken pride in. Our Center is seen as one of the best in the
country. r:inally I would like to talk to you on a personal note.
I am part of the baby IXJom generation Jar good or bad
depending on the media that you listen to and feel that I have
a vested interest in what direction our community takes for
this group, I came 10 Iowa City in 1977(1 and raised three
children and worked in this community. And have been
involved in a variety of community acth1ties such as JYrO,
church council, our labor union ,Uld city commllllity
organizations and now the Senior Center. I received a degree
in social work at the University of Iowa. In 1981 I \Vas
privileged to take my rued experience \Vith Elderly Services
and see first hand the lrue needs of our senior population. And
celebrated in the opening or our Senior Center in 1981. In
1991 I was honored to be chair of the Tenth Year Anniversary
Celebration for the Senior Center and stood belore you
requesting additional money to help in that emJrt most of
which went towards increased advertising, education,
whatever. for that I thank you and the Commission thanks
you for then and for now your conlinued support. Inthe year
2001 as we reach Ihe 20th Anniversary of the Senior Center I
too wil! enter that senior group and as t he numbers renect so
wil! many others in this community if we continue in the
direction as indicated in this article. I sincerely hope, as does
the Commission, our community will be ready Jar us. I take
this great pride in this community. I commend you for the job
you have done. The Commission l(J)OWS thai you have difficult
decisions 10 make. The Senior Center Commission is trying to
honestly advise you in which direction we feel we as a
community need to go regarding our senior population. /\re
there any questions.
Courtney/ Thank you, Mary.
Geasland/ Thank you.
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#8 page 4
Mazy LewisiI am president of Ihe Crantwood Neighborhood
Association. I alll here to speak to you about the installation of
the pedestrian bridge at First i\Vt'. and Ilighway (l. I have
with me a letter Ii'Olll the district Iowa City School District and
in it it says the district wide parent's organization of Ihe Iowa
City Comlllunity School District urge the city council to carefully
consider the request Ii)!' pedestrian overpass at Ilighway 6. A
pedestrian overpass would allow all pedestrians to safely cross
the highway without interfering with vehicular trame. An
agreeable form of sale crossing is needed in this area for all
residents. And it is signed by Jerry Palmer and Barb. Grohe
and Myner ArneI'. I will give you that now and I also have a
petition to add to Ihe other petitions that I gave you on
January 5th with more signatures on it. I will begin with the
question that is in the Saturday 2/20th additional of the Press
Citizen. It said should Ihe city spend $(l 18,500 to build a
JJighway 6 overpass on Iowa City's sOlllheast side. tel me
rephrase that question 10 make it more concise. Should the city
spend $618,500 to provide a safe pedestrian crossing for
residents and school children liVing south of Highway 6. I have
a picture with Ille that is from the Press Citizen, it is dated
Tuesday October 27 and it pretty much says it all. It shows
two school children running with their books across the
highway in front of a semi. This is a problem residents and
school children have liKed lor years. This is not something that
was recently started. Houses were bltilt on the south side of
Highway 6 30 years ago. TralJic has increased /i'OIll 15,200
cars over a 24 hour period in 1982 to 22,100 cars in 1990.
What are your choices. A walk-don't walk light has been
considered. There is a walk-don't walk Iighl at the end of
llllersection of Highway (l and Sycamore Street. Hesidents t1]at
use that light tell me it usually changes to red beli)J'e they can
make it all the way across. They have discussed tJ]is problem
with the traffic department and been told that it is set with
stale standards and cannol be sN any longer or it will impede
the now of easl west traffic on Highway (l. In 1991 I
presented petitions li'om our neighborhood to request a walk-
don't walk light at Ibir Meadows and Highway (l. At that time
we h,](1 a difl]cult time finding out when the petition would be
presented to city council and found out after the meeting that
the city council, based on 1't'COlllllll'lldatiolls hum the cily
I
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ftR page 5
manager and traffic engineer had decided a walk-don't walk
light would not be a safe solution liJr this problem. They \\'ould
impede the flo\\' of east \\'est traffic on IIigh\\'ay (1 and it was
fell with the speed and volume of tr,llTic on IIigh\\'ay 6 it would
not be a safe solution. Nothing \\'as done there then at all to
alleviate that problem. With the increase in population and
traffic over the last two years you have told us a walk-don't
walk light still cannot be considered. What about a pedestrian
bridge. You have told us that the only safe solution is a
pedestrian bridge. A pedestrian bridge \\'ould provide a safe
pedestrian crossing fro eve/yone. Children could cross the
highway wit hout risking their lives to get to school. HesideI1ls
would be able to cross on foot. And walking or biking is
encouraged more and more. They could get to businesses,
recreational facilities, and shopping centers that are all on the
north side of the highway. Senior citizens and handicapped
residents could walk across the highway without fear of getting
caught in the middle on a very busy highway. I understand
the report you requested to sho\\' the feasibility and cosl
estimates of this project have been completed. We look
fonvard to receiving a copy soon. You also have told ll~ that
there are a lot of projects in line for the CIP budget. We
cannot be put on a waiting list. Another choice is to wait of just
do nothing. This is not a problem that has just begun. This is a
problem that is gro\\'ing daily. Eve/)' day our children need 10
go to school. Evel}'day our residents cross. They risk their lives
and it is getting more dangerous daily. Ne\\' houses arc being
buill in Wllispering Meado\\'s and MOUI1l Prospect. More
people and school children nee to cross the highway. The
volume of tramc is increasing constant Iy. Another 429 acres is
being annexed to Ihe south. A ne\\' plant \\'iII open in
September \\'ith 150 employees on Industrial I(oacl. There is a
possibility of a ne\\' airport on Highway (1. All of this \\'iII be on
a road that \\'e cannot get across now. !\ccording to the
December 19~)2 report from ./ccoe; estimated development in
the area could add 3,000 to 5,000 people to the area. The
relxlrt also states with large volumes of traffic operating at
relatively high speeds this is an unfriendly area lilr
pedestrians. Andlliglnvay (1 is Ihe highest traffic volume
arterial in 10\\'a City, Should the cily spend $(1IR,500 to
provide a safe pedestrian cross\\'ay for residl'nts and students
.....
I
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fll{ page ()
south or lIighl\'ay (,. The residents that are here tonight feel it
is long over due. It is a long over due necessity. As of the
Grantwood Neighborhood Ass(xialion. The 7J school children
who sent you letters, the students at S.E. .11'. High who need to
cross the highway, the prinCiples Ji'om Grantwood, S.E., and
Mark Twain, the district parent organization and the nearly
500 people who signed a petition in supfX)rt of a pedestrian
bridge. I hope that you will think of it as a necessity also.
1\arr! Mr. Mayor, could we have a motion to accept correspondence.
Courtney I Moved and seconded (1\ubby!Horow) to accept
colTeslxmdence on this issue. Discussion. All in favor (ayes).
.lane 1\1rtl.ka/ Vice-president of the Grantwood Neighborhood
Associalion and' live on Hollywood Bvd. I would like to see
you put a cross walk in at lIighway (i as well. I have a school
child in S.E. .11'. High and I drive three to Jelllr students to school
every morning because it is too dangerous Jar them to get
across the highway. At 7:50 AM in the morning this moming
in particular I saw three or four eleme11lary aged kids trying to
get across the highway and I just held my breath because there
were cars coming from both ways. They finally made it across
and then they walked along the highway because there is no
sidewalk to get to MusGnine and then cut over by the fire
station. Well thaI is just really dangerous and evcnwith the
slick roads and when they are not slick. The thing is is that
summer is callting and Ihere is going to be more and more kids
and people and adults and senior citizens trying to get across
the highway. Wanting 10 go for walks. Wanling to ride their
bikes and there is no way for them to get across safely to the
olher side. It is only a maIler of lime before somebody is hit
there. I don't want to see it and I don't want to hear about it,
I don't wanl to have anybody killed or anything. When we
wenl through the neighborhood with the petition I talked to a
number of senior citizellS that they don't drive, They don't
have cars. They want to walk. They want to go to the mall and
to the grocery store to pick up a fell' things. But they make it
across the highway. So I feel as though we re"lIy have no
choice at this time and that we have to do sometJling. And the
traffk can only get worse. Thl're Is no way it is going to get
any better. I ml'an there is more and more pl'ople driving
daily. Thank you.
Courtney! Thank you.
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liS page 7
Frank Ward' The principal at S,E, Jr. High and I am here to speak for
the safe crossing or safe getting to and from schoo] for
youngsters in my neighborhood. fvr the Board and perhaps
others who might not know there is a law which requires that
the school district provide transportation for youngsters K-S
who live beyond two mIles from school. SO al the youngsters
beyond two miles that come to my school, that live beyond two
miles, get a free rIde to school. If there are signilkant reasons
the Board may declare an area eligible for discretionary busing.
So the youngsters who live inside the Iwo mile limit that come
to my school that live south of by-pass (i are 1-J.4 students. So
144 Jr. High aged 7th and Sth graders need to get to school on a
daily basis. The school district is alTering them the opportunity
for $135 yr. to ride the school bus. The youngsters whose
families cannot atrord that kind of thing and qualilY for ]i'ee or
reduced lunches may qualifY for free or reduced prices in
riding the bus. Of those 144 youngsters there are SO riding the
bus today and that doesn't have to be all year. That can be any
pieces of the year. So that leaves 9(i youngsters in my school
that on a daily basis need to get to and from school. And Ji'Om
the kind of conversation] am hearing] ask the Board to
consider Vel}' carefully if the regular flow of traffic is a higher
priority than the safe passage le)r YOlmgsters across that
highway. Thank YOll Vel}' much.
Paul Davis/ Principal at Grantwooe!. 1 want to shake YOll up a little
bit more. ]nthe last two days] have been the second car in
line crossing Fair Meadows. Yesterday the light turned yellow
as 1 was half way across. Today it turned red before] got
across. Now people if 1 can't drive my car across there without
it turning yellow 1 don't know how a child is going to get
across. 1 was watching kids crossing Sycamore and if 1 hadn't
been watching I would have clipped a Jr. Iligh boy. He looked
up and he saw who it was. Ill' was a Grantwood child and he
gave me the look. 1 knew what he was going to do before he
did if and 1 had stopped. Sure enough, he ran right smack in
Ii'ont of me. So it needs 10 be looked at people. It really does
and you might want to check the liming of that light. 1 IVas the
second car through. If I would have beenlhe third one I
wouldn't have made it. And 1 think something needs to be
done. Th,ll1k you.
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!IS page S
Doug Hussell/ Appearing as Chair of the liP Commission about a
budget ilem, r \\'iIl endeavor to be brief and will proceed
\\'ithout visual aides. There was in last year's budget a $4.000
item Jar thl' Preservation Commission Jbr matching funds Jar
grants that we have applied fc)r. We have two granls in the
process now and there is money in the budget previously
approved to malch those. But the $4.000 requested for the
coming fiscal year which you are now considering has been
removed and we ask that it be pul back in. The money is
needed for matching funds. As I said in a memo to you dated
2/12 in the last three. four. five years we have obtained
$25,000 in grants from federal and state funds. We are unable
to do this unless we have some city money of which to match.
The money that you provide to us is usual1y doubled and
sometimes tripled by the other sources and I say that we need
this money to match in addition 10 volunteer time and stall
time that \\'e present as part of our match to the funding
entities. The money \\'ould be used for survey work and for
National Hegister nominations and application papers. The I1rst
goal of the lIP Plan which was approved in December is to
identify the historic resources of Iowa City. That is what the
survey \\'ork is all about. U' we are going to nominate a
conservation district we have to have enough information to
know that tIKlt is the righllhing to do. If we are going to
designate an historic district in Iowa City we have to do a
building by building survey on federal forms to show that that
is an appropriale thing 10 do. Withoutlhe funding we are
unable to proceed. We need this money to fu1l1Jl our
obligations under the Preservation Plan. I request this money
knowing that most of the work \\'e do and most of the goals
that we seek are being-most of what lI'e do is being done by
volunteer 1I'0rk. We have a volunteer commission. We have
friends a11 over the community who give their lime Jar our
projects and for survey \\'ork and \\'e are 1I'0rking more and
more closely wilh neighborhood associations Jc)r survey work
and Ic)r block meetings and neighborhood meetings about
preservation issues. We have also bl'nefited Ji'om donations
fromlhree local banks in 10ll'a City and the survey of the
Board of Realtors here in Iowa City. They have given
IhcJlLsands of dollars to help the lI'ork of presl'rvation. Bul it is
not enough. And we can only ask Ic)r so much from them. 1
I
1
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its page 9
knolV 111<11 this is a vel}' small amount in light of t11e budget
generally. It is small compared to capital projects that you are
considering. It is small even in Ihe context of Ihe planning
department budget. But if lVe don't get the preservation work
done that needs to be done it lVill be all over and t11e things
then we \Vj]llose by nol doing our work arc things tha t cannot
be replaced. So I am hopeful Ihal youlVill put Ihis money back
in the budget. It 1Vj]] help us as a city governmenl to meet the
goals of conserving the older neighborhoods and presen~ng the
landmark bltildings in Iowa City. That will benent Iowa City
not only today but in years Ihat none of us 1Vj]] see. Thank
YOll.
Kubby/ Doug, I have a question. Are you saying that id we don't
have some matching funds from this granl that you Gln't do the
survey work Ihat wj]] allow us one of the (can't hear) of HP.
Hussell/ That is basically it. T11e year after this we will be unable to
oblain gran I money for survey lVork unless we have city
money with which to malch Ihe gl~lJltS.
Kubby / And do those surveys have to be done by a person with a
certain kind of skill or is that something thaI could be parlially
done with volunteers. I know it would be a massive eHort.
Hussell/ The answer is yes and yes. What we generally do is we ask
the neighborhood residents house by house and block by block
in proposed preservation districts to do the initial preservation
work themselves. Take the pholographs. Search t11e local
history to see when the house was buHt. To review Iheir
abstract to see w110 the residenls were and so Ionh. Th,ll
in/onnation is the basic starting point for someone who has
some training in this area. Typically it has been eit11er
graduale assistants, graduate students in urban planning or
architectural design or some sort or paid consultants. So the
initial in/ormation can come from volunteers but Ihe I1naJ
product has to be done by someone who has some expertise in
the area. That means paying them to do it.
Kubby/ So pan of the process Is to use volunleer-
Hussell/ That is how it11as begun and we have now Ihree
neighborhood sub groups Ih,l1 have already been senl the
materials and have started wit hlhe process and the BrolVn
Streel neighborhood is busy in Ilml activity right now. We
hope in the next six weeks 10 be meeling block by block with
I
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!Ill. page 10
the neighbors in that area to complete the survey work that we
already have. Thank you.
Courtney! Thanks, Doug.
Horow/ Doug, the question that I have on the applications
CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 93-20 SIDE 2
Horow/That you do have local governmcntmatching funds or can it
be local funds raised from private sources to do the matching.
Hussell/ I don't know the answer to that qucstion. It has been in the
past in each case local government money and the private
contributions we have received have been used for a specific
project. Uke Preservation Week activities and the two
additions of the historic guide map for Iowa City. Those
received private support.
Kubby / Could you find out.
Hussell/ Yes, I sure will. Thanks.
Courtey/ Any other input on the proposed budget.
Kubby / This is the most people we have had talk about budget since
I have been on council.
K<U'en Chappell/ I am the fonner chair of the Arts Commitee of the
Iowa City J\rea Chamber of Commerce and I am also a member
now of the steering committee for the Iowa Fest ivaI. And I
would like to represent the Iowa Festival tonight and speak to
you in favor of allocating a protion oflhe new Hotel Motel Tax
funds for the Iowa Festival. As yotl know, this will be the fifth
year of the Iowa Festival. It is a two week celebration of the
arst in mid-June. Iowa festival has grown tremendously over
the pat four years and now is an umbrella organization for
showcasing over 40 local arts organizations as well as national
and international groups and artists. Almost everything is free
and open to the public and over 50,000 people attended this
past year. Those of us who started the festival knew this could
develop into a major regional event and could contribute
substantially to the city's future toursim, earnings and
economic development. The Iowa City /\rea Chamber of
Commerce agreed and pledged to support the atm1 of such a
festival fiJl' its first five years. We also have enjoyed a good
relationship with the eVB and have receieved small grants in
the amount of about $500 froOJnthem each year. We
understand that teh eVB is not planning to increase their grant
I
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#8 page 11
program even if their budget is increased by the 1I0lel Motel
Tax. And so we therefore would like to request that 2.5% of
teh new lIo:el ~lotel T,tx be alloC<lled for the Iowa Festival.
This is comparable to the percentage the City of Dubuque gives
its Land of Festiva]s organization and the amount the City of
Cedar Hapids gives its Freedom Fest. We think the Iowa
Festival has contributed greally to the quality of life here in
Iowa City and that it has the potential to become a major
tourist attraction contributing greally to teh city's future
income. And we lVould like to urge you to support it in its
efforts through this way.
Courtney/ Karen, one item. The CVB has not done their budget yet
and I know that. I am the treasurer of the Board. And I don't
know where that information came !i'om.
Chappell/ We talked directly to Wendy who said there wasn't going
to be ,my change. If there is that is terrific. BUt-
Courtney/ There has been no Board decision on the additional funds
at all. In fact it is going to be a very interesting year for the
Bureau from its both-it has a ]ot of money and it has got some
proposals in!i'ont of it for complete change of its mission and
that whole process starts next month. So I wouoldn't, from a
Board member's standpoint, the decision has not beenll1ade.
Chappell/ I urge you then Darrell to pur us in your agenda. Okay.
Courtlley / Any other items on the proposed budget.
Steve or Don is here too. For the public's benefit can you take
us tlu'ough what is left in our process for budgeting.
Atkins/ The fact that you are having a p.h. tonight is a requirement
of the state law. We submit the budget. It has to be submitted
in a form acceptable 10 the state no later then March IS. I
would (~\pecl that at your informal meeting on March 1 if you
wish to make any changes you can make Ihem at that point.
The reso]ution for adoption will be on for your meeting Jill'
March 2. Keeping in mind that you can take items out but you
can't increase the t,tX askings. So, if in hlCt take Jell' example
the lIP grant. I f)'ou wish 10 add that $4,000 you \\'ill have to
sho\\' an off setting reduction somewhere else in the budget.
On a project of the magnitude of the pedestrian bridge, we
have jusl received that skelch and will be getting Ihalto you
shortly. Something of that magnitude I almost cerlain would
require the selling of debt which means we would have to
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118 page 12
package it with a number of other projects. Now your debt
service le\,y is not frozen according to state law.
Counney/ Willthat give you sufficient time with the Finance Dept. if
we bring several things to you on Ivlonday night to do the
juggling that is needed.
Atkins! I think that if you put together a shopping list and can come
to some consensus on I,londay evening we have Tuesday
morning to get that assembled IClr you and inCOll1orate it into
the resolution of adoption. A lot of it depends upon the
intricacies of whatever particular l1nancial arangements thm
you may choodse to make. If you IVant to put something in
road use and trade for this-the 1II0l'e intricate it becomes the
more state laws that kick in that regulate how you go about it.
If it is a straight up, for example again the HP-if you wwould
choose tf) add $4,000 (clr HP, my recommendation because of
the size of it, simply reduce you contingency bby $.+,000. It is
not a big item. That is a pret ty easy on eto take care ot:
Courtney / From the standpoint of capital improvement project we
have a lot of things that are on the table out there. You said we
would have to increase out debt to do that. Does that actually
have to be part of the vote, though.
Atkins/ No. You have the ability to authorize a project, a capital
project. And what we would likely do is the financing
mechanism would be we would either borrow internally from a
road use and repay it. Buy the debl,sell a short term note of
some kind to finance the project and then do teh permanent
capital financing at a later date. There is a number of options
available to you on that.
Courtney/ What I am trying to get across ht're is that even though
we don't declare that teh bridge is going to be built March 2, it
still could be put on the docket and then be built.
Atkins/ Yes. On the-like we talked about the other evening. We
need that CIP planning session with you. It appears to be
sometime in April. That is clearly all opportunity (el!' you to set
those priorities and decide where yu would like to place any of
these capital projects.
Courtney/ If one of us thoughllhat we needed more then $3 million
of dl'llt that we have sort of built into Ihis though, should we
do Ihal before the March 2 vote. Say we want to build in $4
millIon or $() million or whalever.
Atkins/ If you were going to do that I would prefer you make
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118 page 13
I
that decision in Fl' ~)5. And why I say that it is just simply
difJkult for us pyscially 10 get prjects done even if you had in
place the financing. That you could make a committment for
the next FY. We adopt a two year budget. We appropriate
annually. So you can amend 95 easily. Strictly at your
discretion. Don. I suspect depending upon t11e additional debt
that you wanted to add that would require an increase in the
debt service levy.
Don Yucuis/ Any additional tax askings-the amount that is in the p.h.
is set. So if you say you want to levy $(, million in debt light
noll', we don't have the abllity to repay that debt the first year.
We would have to structure it so we woldn't repay anything
until the next tax asking which would be the next FY.
Larson/ I think it would be pretty easy for the public to be conflL~ed
about this since 1 am. When we decide on March 2 what out
budget is what does our decision mean for CIP.
Atkins/ 11 means that you have in this budget the list of projects that
were shown. And those projects work is ongoing. We also
have built into the budget for 94 approximately $2 million in
debt capacity. You don't have to use it all. It is not speicifically
allocated. What we have tried to look at is really look ast it for
a two or three year period where we have the $3 million in
total over FY94 and FY95. I\Sre there projects such as the size
of the pedestrian bridge that you would choose 10 do in FY94.
The answer is yes. We would have to move some other
projects around on holV IVe anticipate the capital I1nancing for
those. AS you know capital financing, you approve aproject it
is a year or more o/'tern before we actaully put permanent
financing in place because of teh process of borrowing or any of
the other mechanisms that we use. So yu do have some capital
f1exibllity.
I,arson! So in the budget we are saying that we are going 0 ask for
enough taxes to do $3 million CIP over the next two years plus
there is-
Atkins! You have n total of three.
Larson/ And two of it is unallocated.
Atkins/ Yes. Approximately two is unallocated.
Larson/ And so I he presence of the $lOO,O()() for design work for the
overpass Jbr Higlllvny () doesn't even have to be there. We
could just sday we are going to do this in the $3 million capital
improvement,
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liS page 14
I
Alkins'- We spent out of our capital improvement budget, because
we maintain a reserve. For example you aithorized us during
your budget review to do the preliminary work. We have done
that The sketches came in Friday. Wel1ad to pay for that That
was baOlll a $10,000 appropriation. It doesn't design a bridge.
That gives you1cation and the sketches. It gives you
something to work from. Then we get into speicific
engineering. That is when you beign incurring substantial cost.
111rson/ And all you want to know by pUlling that in there is do you
wal1lus to move fOllVard with the actual engineering design
work this budget year or not. We wouldn't have to make a
decision and allocate specific money next Tuesday to build the
thing.
AtkillS/ No, you do not.
Larson/ We can still do that in April.
Alkins/ Absolutely.
Illrson/ 1 think there is some perception both within the
neighborhood, in the newspaper, and in the public's eye that
we have said we are not prioritizing this project. We are not
going to do it this year and we have not decided that.
Alkins/ Absolutely. And you have projects that are on going tl1m
theoretically you could pull back on and say we want to
readjust it and give it to another year,
Kubby/ (can't hear) with that one million that is earmarked but
might not happen.
Il1rson/ For instance, if we delayed repailing or rebuilding the
Melrose Ave. bridge we would have engineering time and
mocny to do something different.
Atkins! Our share of the cosl for that project would then be set aside.
You, then, have the ability to reappropriate it. We prefer this
project ove that one, park it for awhile and we can do that.
larson/ All those decision sare coming in April.
A tki ns/. Yes.
larson/ They don't have to be made by next Tuesday.
Atkins! No they do not.
Kubby/ Basically it is an amount we know and whm we do with it we
don't know. We are going to go through ,] process 10 figure tlmt
out in April.
Atkins'! Other then capital projects, keep in mine, that you really
IJave no discretion. The state decided what your action policy
will be for the next two years. Operat ions, you are fixed.
I
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il8 page IS
Court ney/ If one or more of us would feeltha! $3 million isn't
enough we should build that in now.
Atkins/ I would like some clue because we need to plan for thai in
95.
Larson/ That's my s('cond of about four lju('slions h('re and that is
are you saying that if we want $3 million to build Rohret Hoad
this summ('r that we need to decide that by next Tuesday.
Atkins/ First of all yeu won't get Rohret Hoad built by next summer.
We couldn't get it designed and bid in lime. We could not do
that.
Courtney/ That is why I am!alking about additional debt here.
Atkins/ Borrowing now. It is likely if you were to choose Hohret
Hoad as a project, when we go through the review you would
teilus authorize the engineer. We would then incirproate that
debt planning in j;y 9S. AnI' that is how we would take care of
that. In other words yu would auhtorize the project, it would
take a year to design and bit and then construct.
Larson/ That was a Jar instance. With the understanding that there
may be housing development out there that gets passed before
that road is ready and I am just trying to understand the lime
frame. Off of teh CIP, if it isn't too much trouble and if council
doesn't mind me spending lime on this I woudd like another
paragraph for Monday about all of the proposals that people
have asked us to put back in today. I know you gave us some
of the pros and cons during budget meetings, but I have some
more specific questions, amoungst those can we also reconsider
in terms of Senior Center that old proposal to put some parking
along Washington.
Atkins/ The note that I made to myself was that the Senior Center
Budget question mark some of the issues that they raised, I
would assume that what I could do, what I'll do for you, I'll just
simply summarize these, put them out on I;riday so you'il have
some kind of a working list for your meeting on Monday with
your numbers next to it.
Larson/ What I like is, for many of the options, pros and cons for
each of thl'ir requests. Where we could take money from. What
kind of places and rationales. We did this be!{)re, but some of
these are not as fresh in our minds as they could be.
Alkins/ I'U freshen your mind.
lnrson/ I'll come back to the llther one.
Atkins/ Okay.
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lill page 1 (1
hlrsoni Thanks.
Nov/ I have a question about Highway 6. Whaen we get to the point
of rcaUy discussing that, we arc going to consider traH1c
controls also aren't wel
Atkins/ I think that that's clearly within your policy options if you
want to do that. We've done some additional work, works
probably too strong a word. We made some additional phone
caUs and at least the impression I'm gelling left with from the
state is that if you would in 1~1Ct choose to re-regulate those
traffic signals, they appear to lx' telling us that that portion of
Highway 6 is predominately local tramc and that's going to be
their call. I think you have that going for you. Haowever, you
also have other policy positions you've taken on other projects
saying, we're deliberately directing traffic to Highway 6, so you
do have some potential for conflict there and your going to
have to sort that out.
Nov/ We don't have to direct stafr.
Atkins/ I understand that. I understand that.
Larson/ Thank you, Naomi, because tbat was my comment which
was, it would seem to be an easy thing for city staff to check
the length of time for the walk lights. The light itself.
Atkins/ For the southbound. Yeah. The question came up a couple of
weeks ago and we'd looked inot it and made some further
phone caUs and we'U prepare something that gives you a better
Idea on that.
Imson/ Because J guess what happens is, you start the assumption
that we want the ability to cross safely Highway 6. I think
that's something all the council members share. But in getting
to this the $600,000 expendit ure, we jumped over that thing
which says, council decided don't lmlk lights don't work. I don't
think that is re,lIy a councious decision lhal council has made
and wants to stick by forever without thinking about it bcacuse
I think we were told you can't mess arond with the sequencing
on Highway (1 because of state highway and state funding and
so forth. Now t hat mayor may not be t rue, and I may be
wiJling to risk the state's wrath in changing the sequence as
opossed to perhaps having to rind $WO,(XlO this year and
maybe if I get the don't walk/ walk lights sequenced belleI' in
a week thaI would be something worth looking aI,
i\lkins/ I think Ihat you want to make sure that folks understand,
you're nol going 10 find $()(Xl,OOO. Your budget is such is Ihal
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118 page 17
the way it's had to be structured because o[ lhe state
regulations each year, your nexibiJity is very, vel)' minimal.
Kubby/ But when we go through the CIP prioritization we might
need a short term solution?
Atkins/ Yes.
Kubby/ I have to dealwilh walk lights and a longer term solution
(can't hear)
Atkins/ There are other issues along highway 6 that you have to
consider. We built that into the preliminary engineering work
and that's a system of sidewalks, that right now, [or example
Firsl Avenue. lhere are no sidewalks on Firsl Avenue. There
are no sidewalks on the other side of the street. And when we
did, I've only taken a quick look at the sketches, lhere's a
whole sidewalk system that has to be buill in so you can direct
lhe pedeslrian tramc to this overpass and or whalever
intersection you want.
l.arson/ And just as a wild lhought.
Atkins! Yes.
larson/ Some mighl say you could find 5 or $600,000 by making
certain Melrose Ave. widths narrower than proposed.
Atkins/ Certainly within your policy pcrogatives.
l.arson! Okay.
Courtney/ Any other public input on the 1994 operating budget?
Quickly. We've got lots of hearings.
Mary Lewis/ We had investigated that in '91. And they had said
because of the volume of tramc and the speed of the cars going
on Highway (1, that this would be a big problem that they could
not see that that would be a safe solution to the problem. And
lhat's what we're hearing from the traffic department. And
we're also hearingI' tllat you people have decided that you don't
want to impede the now of east-west traffic on Highway 6 any
more that it already is and that you want to keep the trallk
moving. And that was your deci~ion to do that. So the walk
light would be another thing that would interfere with that
decision.
Nov/ Only that decision isn't set in stone.
Lewis/ That's what I wonder. The spl'ed limit may have 10 be
reduced anyway. When they put a light in atl.akeside, you're
not going to be able to go 45 mph between the lights any more.
Il's gOing to be somelhing thai should be examined 100.
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118 page 18
Larson! That decision, if we indeed really made a decision along
those Jines rather than just going along with what staff said, I
think can be reviewed,
Lewis/ The pedestrian bridge was your idea,
larson/ Yeah.
Le\l1s/ We just need some help. We can't keep going like we arc. So
that's where we're at.
Larson! Yep.
Courtney/ Close the p.h. on the budget.
I
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Courtney / Public Discussion.
Roberta Till-Iletz/l am a labor educator and researcher at the
University of Iowa and I live at 600 ~lanor Drive. I am here to
voice some concerns about item 1116 which is the city's
application for a CEBA grant for assistance to Iowa Process
~'Ieats, Ine. for S300,OOO f()rgivable loan. Plus a city tax
abatement in access of STf,OOO. My understanding is is that
these applications somewhat routinely and quickly now
through city council to the state ,md tat city council oversight is
somewhat generally routine. I believe there are significant
reasons to revise that custom ,md delay consideration. Noll'
this application promises IOO additional jobs li)r Iowa City in
the first year and 150 in the second at an average wage rate of
S7.75 an hour. I would by no means stand in the way of this
application except for the following points. One the corporation
requesting this grant, IPM, has been in existence only since
2/12/93 which is less than two weeks. Therefore the answers
to many questions on the applications-for example, question 29
which is Has the business been cited or convicted for violations
of any Federal or state laws or regulations within the last five
years are rendered meaningless for IPM. The real corporate
interest here seems to be Millard Refrigerated Services, the
corporation which has not answered of course any of the
questions on the application. Secondly the application appears
to be incomplete on its face. And I refer you to the !cller from
Millard to Steve Atkins on 2/12 of this year, Thirdly this
application omits information critical to its consideration,
namely the hourly pay rate of specific individual Jobs. This
information is required in question #36. When asked for this
information last night, the representative from Millard declined
to disclose the information saying it was proprietary. And
fourthly, there is the S74,OOO plus IR'\ abatement involved
here. And it seems that some oversight atlenst is necessary
before this routine tax abatement is implemented. The City of
Iowa City serves as a conduit For this application but must
exercise some minimal responsibility and advise the public
truthfully about its content. In my profession I docllment and
research labor conditions in Iowa. And in the brief period
since this material was made public. namely last Friday,
inlil/'lnation has been uncovered which would strongly indicate
a go slow approach Ion this particular application. First the
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#7 page 2
I
Denver Business .Journal of August 28, 1992 reports that
Ivlillard, the real corporate i11lerest here, was found liable in a
massive fraud and conspiracy case to the tune of $17 million,
less than seven months ago. Indeed the spokesperson from
Ivlillard, who stood before you last night at the Iowa City
council formal meeting was reponed in the Denver Business
Journal of August 28, 1992 to have been found by the judge in
that case to have "fraudulently obtained" the signatures to a $2
million promissory note. The Denver Business .Journal further
states that the judge called the ~Iu]herin's conduct "Beyond any
possible pale of decency and ethical responsibility imposed on
any attorney in his position." That]()..t. page opinion should be
critically reviewed by the council and additional information
should be gathered about the corporate ethics of this company.
We should at least know is this case has been appealed ,md
here is another where the council should afford minimal
oversight on this application process, Secondly, the council
should decide how to approach the claims made for the type of
jobs being created here. The application, on its face, indicates a
high mOlllhly turnover rate among production workers of 5%.
That is a 60% per year turnover rate. Which means of the 100
workers hired in the first year we could expect that 60 of those
will be gone in the first year alone. This is characteristic,
unfortunately, in the meat packing industry. We must know,
however, that jobs like this exert a terrific pressure on social
services. Many of which are ta\ supported in our conullunity.
We need better information on this point. With regard to the
hourly production worker wage rate. Unionized jobs in this
industry in meat packing in our geographic area pay between
$8.25 and $9.25 an hour with additional difl'erentials given for
shifts and certain jobs. '} he hourly rate proposed here of $7.75
an hour \\'ould seem to be significantly under that. Q,uestion
115 of the application of the CEBA grant is-says-Is the project
going to replace jobs currently being provided by another lo\\'a
Company. Answer to that question was no. Il appears that it is
possible that these 100v-relatively low wage jobs for processing
hams might encourage Iowa packers from other areas to move
higher wage ham processing jobs to this l~lCility. When the city
gives a t,1\ abatement for new jobs, someone should be looking
at the validity of claims of job creation andll'orth. IPII'I,
however, has no history of wage payment, having been only in
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#7 page 3
existence for two weeks. Millard, however, cerlainly must.
And in fact IvJillnrd has been involved in meal processing, if not
specifically of quality hams and of bacon, and should be willing
to disclose those wage rates. And finally, I would suggest that
you come up with a framework under which to evaluate this
and future applications and structure guidelines to the Iowa
City Area Development Committee if you are really looking for
good jobs. ~'lost immediately, I believe you should defer this
application. One option would be to deler it for a year until
IPM gels going on its own and has a track record on which it
could be judged. Another would be to defer the application for
a couple of weeks and get additional information on the real
corporate interests involved here, namely Millard. And some
independent sources about what this would mean for Iowa
City. Thank you. By the way, I have copies of the Denver
Business Journal article for the council. Is it appropriate to
give them-
Horaw/ Hoberta, I would like to ask the question about a third
option-that being, since this is a-
Courtney / I would like to hold off on these until we get to the item
and get a motion on the floor. This is a spot on the agenda of
public discussion on items not included on tonight's agenda.
Any fUrlher discussion.
Kubby/ If Susan has a question for Hoberla.
Courtney/We will get there in just a couple of minutes.
Kubby/ What I am asking is will Hoberta be allowed to speak
because the recent histOl)' has been during those items no one
will be allowed to speak if it is not a p.h.
Courtney! If I was going to strictly enforce that I would have shut
her oil on publlc discussion because it is on lonight's agenda.
Kubby / During public discussion you can talk about whatever you
want-
Courtney! Items not included on tonight's agenda, so.
Kubby/ I want to make sure that if there is a question directed to
someone that she will-
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frIO page I
Courtneyi Moved by hubby, seconded by Nov. Discussion,
Kubby/ I have some questions that I am not sure that anyone is here
that wil! be able to answer them. But I don't see in the new
ordinance that if lI'e combine the Board of Appeals and Board
of E'\aminers of Plumbers, who will be responsible for testing,
for giving the block test, for grading them, and deciding who is
eligible for taking the tesl. I don't see that anywhere and if we
are going to combine them it is important for me to know how
those decisions.
Gentry/ There has to be some language change.
Kubby.l It is going to be dimwIt for me to vote on it even though I
want to if I don't understand thaI. lIow those functions will be
served if these bodies are going to be combined.
Atkins '.;\Ie are p.h. now, righl.
COUl1ney/ No.
Illrson.l First consideration.
iI'lcD/ Move on first consideration. This is just first consideration.
Kubby.l So can we make sure that we get that information. Because I
know a lot of what the Board of E'\aminers does is determines
who is eligible and there is a lot of recourse-time for recourse
and process I{)r recourse if someone disagrees \\1th their
experiential qualifications.
And I had three comments quickly that I wanted to make. One
is because we are adding this back now device that may be up
to $300 just for the device plus installation, I am interested in
us talking about once we do the inventory of housing in town
to see who will need this and a lot of older homes may need
this back flow device because of the heating system through
radiators. That if loll' income property owners are required to
do lhis but they can't afford to, if we can put together some
kind of program that lIACAP does in Linn County with
inspecting heaters and ventilation systems and cleaning
furnaces in the winter. To get the plumbing community
involved in helping somehow install these things for loll'
income residences who would be required. Secondly I am very
glad that the retention of kind of different ratios and large
public facilities for men and women and there so that the
controversial potty parity, the functional potty parity, is still in
here in a good way. And lastly I am really glad to see in here a
ralio of apprentices to licensed plumbers. One licensed person
to three apprentices. Because now lI'e have no ratio and it is
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#10 page 2
possible IVe got ten apprenlices working wilh one licensed
person and that doesn't make for easy access to those
apprentices to that licensed person. And I hope that IVe do
that in our electrical code and any other codes IVhere we
should have. I will be voting yes on this and I IVanl to get
in/ormation about those things 1 inquired about.
Courtneyi Any other discussion.
Roll call-
The ordinance passes first considemtion.
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Agenda
Iowa City City Council
February 23, 1993
Page 1 0
ITEM NO. 11 . ANNOUNCEMENT OF VACANCIES.
a. Previously Announced Vacancies.
(1) Housing Commission - Two vacancies for three-year terms ending May
1, 1996. (Terms of James Harris and Robin Paetzold-Durumeric end.)
(2) Mayor's Youth Employment Board - Two vacancies for three-year terms
ending May 5, 1996. (Terms of Robert Swift and Jacque McClure end.)
(3) Planning and Zoning Commission. Two vacancies for five.year terms
ending May 1,1998. (Terms of Tom Scott and George Starr end.)
(4) Design Review Committee - One vacancy for an expired term ending
July 1, 1995. (Term formerly held by Kay Ireland. )
These appointments will be made at the March 16, 1993, meeting of the City
Council.
ITEM NO. 12" CITY COUNCIL APPOINTMENTS.
a. Consider an appointment to the Board of Examiners of Plumbers for a
representative ofthe public for a two-year term ending December 31, 1994.
This appointment should be deferred pending adoption of the 1991 Edition of
the Uniform Plumbing Code which consolidates the duties 'of the Board of
Examiners of Plumbers and the Board of Appeals.
Action:
kh~
ITEM NO. 13.
b. Consider appointments to the Historic Preservation Commission to fill two
vacancies for three-year terms ending March 29, 1996. (Terms of Sue Licht
and Kay Ireland end.)
Action:' /i~ - arl* ..L. -' ,&~k/- I r
l1uUtwcf 1/.":'d!,C/ </' .Jdll ,Lvttl'I1.' :3:::L..t) Ikft",,- SI-.
If)
c, Consider appointments to the Mayor's Youth Employment Board to fill to two
vacancies for three year terms ending March 27, 1996. (Terms of Carrie
Norton and Rosalyn Green end).
Action: ,:f.4.M- (l, F -r;ra./t)..
rr- H
'. 11/1 (J/I1t'~,',-1 (? I I!d.
'I- vWCZdl(c-cad<./ H.hUJ"I'.,.<q
CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION. -'<V',..,... .,1
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1112a page 1
Courtney/ Is become really mute noli'. This was an appointment or
Board or E\aminers or Plumbers and that is 10 be combined so I
think we will have rather an appointment to the Board or
Appeals ir that passes all or the considerations.
Kubby/ Could we have a letter written to Susan ./aquist who was the
applicant explaining the situation and thanking her 1'01' interest
and that there are other boards and commission that neecl a
reII' good womcn.
Courtney/ Ycah-
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li13 page]
Courtney! City Council In!i)f!niltion.
Kubby! I am sorry to say that I do have one item and if it weren't
timely I would for go lilY time. There is a bill in the senate to
look at preempting cities from doing any local lawn-pesticide
or la\\'n chemical application ordinances and even if you don't
want one here in Iowa City, I think that it is important that the
city council go on record for being against any further erosion
of our home rule authority. And that even though we mayor
may not choose in the future to go in that direction, that we
want the option to be able to decide for ourselves. And I
would like the city to write a letter against Senate File 94 of
the house study bill of 95.1. And I thought that it was really
interesting that the League of Iowa Ivlunicipalities has come out
very strongly against this preemption. Their biggest reason is
because of the storm water detention regulations that we are
going to be l~lIling under in the fut ure and how cities can have
some control over their treatment costs by having certain kinds
of local lawn chemical ordinances. I \\'ouldlike to pass this on,
the League's position on the paper and want to ask council's
permission to have Steve or Darrel write a letter to this effect
as our representative.
Courtney! Okay. Got four heads going-
Anything else.
I
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Agenda
Iowa City City Council
February 23, 1993
Page 11
ITEM NO. 14. REPORT ON ITEMS fROM THE CITY MANAGER AND CITY ATTORNEY.
a. City Manager.
-o~
b. City Attorney,
./c;h rha/
ITEM NO, 15. CONSIDER RESOLUTION GRANTING TEMPORARY USE Of A PORTION Of THE
~3' 36 DUBUQUE STREET RIGHT.Of.WAY AND AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION Of AN
AGREEMENT fOR TEMPORARY USE Of PUBLIC RIGHT.Of.WAY aETWEEN THE
CITY Of IOWA CITY AND THE fiRST NATIONAL BANK Of IOWA CITY,
Comment: This resolution authorizes the First National Bank to load and unload
construction materials in the parking area and to place a covered walkway on the
sidewalk within public right,of.way along Dubuque Street adjacent to the
remodeling project at their existing bank building at Washington and Dubuque
Street. Construction work has begun and Is expected to be completed by the end
of September.
13-37
Action: n~/ ~'
~b ;h~
ITEM NO. 16. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING APPLICATION fOR GRANT MONIES
fROM THE IOWA DEPARTMENT Of ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT fOR COMMUNI.
TY ECONOMIC BETTERMENT ACCOUNT ICEBAI fUNDING TO ASSIST IN THE
PURCHASE Of MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT.
IhxA ~
,
Comment: Mlllard's/lowa Processed Meat Inc. is requesting a forgivable loan
under the State of Iowa Community Economic Betterment Account ICEBAI.
Under CEBA. it Is appropriate for the city In which the business is located to make
application to the State on behalf of the business.
Action: ()PL dtM/.I~~"""') (f2/)tJ >f1;'II) #-1)
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i,114b page 1
CourtneY/City Attorney.
Gently/Some of you lllay be calling my olTice and gelling a dilferent
voice. We are now training Nikala Owens who will be working
in the office to replace Mary IvlcCristy for a while when
eventually ~lary has her baby which will be imminent and
Nikala comes from Oberlin College <U1d she is a affectionately
known as Nicky and we are going to be having here for
approximately eight weeks. So stop down and say hello.
Kubby / We are having lots of babies on city stan:
GentlY/Marsha BonmUl will also be having one soon. We will be
replacing her with me, however.
Ambr/ Do you have any announcements for us.
Gently/No. I am long past that time.
Courtney/As well as in the Clerk's office.
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Courtney / Moved by Nov, seconded by lIorow. Discussion.
Kuhby / I just want to thank Hrst National Bank lor having so much
young people's an in their walkways. It really makes a
difference. A walkway can be kind of intimidating,
claustrophobic and kind of inconvenient but the art work has
really made it different and I hope they will reuse the walk
\Vay that was on Washington Street on Dubuque. I assume
they.
Courtney/ Besides, they had a great windo\V in there for sidewalk
superintendents like me to stop every morning to look and see
what had happened the day belon.\
Kubby/ No\V inside in their construction they are having other young
people's art work and it is really a wonderful tiling to look for
and it has made the construction easier for their customers as
\Veil as lor their tellers.
Courtney/Any other discussion.
Hall call.
The resolution is adopted.
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1116 page I
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Courtney/ Moved by Ambr, seconded by McD. Discussion.
Now your questions, Susan.
I1orow/ Oh. I was waiting for that gentleman. Roberta, the third
option that you gave two options, and I wondered, this is
passing on approval for them to be evaluated at the state level,
and then it has to come back to us for the contraClto actually
be written and signed. We have to give approval for that
contract. I IVouldlike to consider a third option to being that
we let this go through at this point and that gives that lime
frame in which to f'ind out more so when it comes back to us
for being signed a contract with them, we can say yr:s or no.
Roberta TilI- Retz/ I had a, can you send some kind of a cover letter
alerting the state to some of the things that have been
discoveredl Would that be an appropriate thingl Can you send
a cover letter saying we're fonvarding this application but we
have certain questions we think need to be clarified we'd like
to draw your attention to.
Gentry / Is there some reason why you wouldn't send that to DED
yourself?
Till-Retz/ It is the city council which more or less puts it's
imprimatur on this by sending it fonvard. The city council has
any questions about it, it might be appropriate that those
questions appear in some sort of cover letter.
Gentry I But if you are concerned about it, I would think that you
would direct your information to the DED.
TilI-Retzl Yes. I certainly will, But I would think it would be
appropriate for the city council to indicate something of it's
concern if it has such concern.
Larson/ Ms. Till-Retz. is that the correct procedure as you
understand it. I don't know if you are an expert in this area or
not-is that we send it on and the DED-
Till-Hetzl No, I am not an expert at all,
Courtney / We have someone on starr that is, David Schoon. Let's give
the other gentleman a chance first David and then I will have
you answer. lIe may raise some more questions that you need
to answer.
Patrick Hnghes/ I am President of the Iowa City Federation of Labor
which is a central labor body lor Johnson and Washington
County and represents a conple thousand workers in those two
counties, Representing city and count)' workers, building and
trades workers as well as people as that work in plants like the
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proposed on in Iowa City. I was asked this afternoon by
representatives of meat packing workers from other areas of
the state to comment on this proposed CEBA application.
Having just hlmiliarized myself with the application and the
business plan today, excuse me while I refer to these notes.
This is all fairly new to me. I would like to speak on the side of
caution in approving this application without fUl1her study.
This proposal asks the tax payers of Iowa and the tax payers of
Iowa City to spend over half million dollars to finance an
endeavor to create IOO-1S0 S7.00 jobs according to
attachment C to an entity that has only been in existence for a
couple of weeks whose parent company has allegedly been
chm-ged and ordered to pay millions of dollm's for questionable
practices in other states. Who, by their own admission, hopes
to operate at a S% job turnover rate by the end of 1993. It
means it would take 20 months, less than two years, for the
entire work force to be replaced. Does this make sense to
spend training dollars with such percentages. IPM state that
their weakness and their competition is that their labor costs
are too high. Typically $8.50-9.50 per hour. And that they are
Calving out a new niche in an industry that is not threatening
any existing jobs in the state. Yet they state that one of their
opportunities is to attract interested national brands to
possibly affiliate with IPM. I have looked at the equipment list
needed to J111this plant and I question whether most of this
equipment isn't already present in the plants currently
operating in Iowa. According to the trade magazine, theirs is a
new product with lots of appeal. If tltis is true one of two
things will happen. One, the big players in the industry will
take over, absorb IPM and shut it's doors. Or the big players
will just buy products fromlPM and sell it under their name
and adjust their work force accordingly. The reason Yipsulany
decision against Geneml Motors should be of concern in the
former of these cases. The people I talked to today felt that
Iowa jobs would be lost. Their jobs. .lobs that the competitors
of IPM who have higher labor costs. Ollr state currently has
budgetary woes as does our federal government. Our new
national administration has told us that we will all have to pay
more to get liS Ollt of this mess t hat we are in. Ollr taxes will
be raised to help train and create good jobs fell' all Americans
and we are all asked to dig in our pockets to help pay for these
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programs. If appropriating thousands of dollars per employee
to create $i,QO jobs with a 5% turnover is an example of the
good jobs that our ta, dollars will create all I can say is shame
on the State of Iowa and shame on you. This proposal
contributes to the downward economic spiral that we have in
the state of Iowa. I ask you to delay your decision until you
have more information to ally these concerns. Thank you. I
ran out of paper.
./ohn Drahozali] represent Incal 431 of the United food and
Commercial Wurkers. I was asked to represent our local
representation which is in Dubuque and in Davenport because
of such notice they were not able to come up here on their own.
But they have got grave misgivings on this company also
because of the low wages and this is one of their big things that
they pushed in the meat packing. It is their low wages. That
they will take jobs away from other meat packers in the state
of Iowa which we represent. We hope you will look at this
proposal and vote no for it. Thank you.
Courtney/ David. Did anybody else have some questions for David.
Kubby / What the process is about gram and the contract
Courtney/What happens after we file the application to the state.
I}avid Schoon! We send the application into the state. The state then
reviews it. For this time schedule during March, they have
their meeting on March 18. The state would then decide
whether to award the grant to the company. After that then, if
they give a favorable recommendation, then the state works
with the city on working on agreements, putting the contract
together.
larson/ What criteria do they use to evaluate the application.
Schoon/ There is a number of criteria that are used that they look at.
The jobs, the type of jobs. They look at whether it would
compete with existing industries within the state. I1'it is a new
product. They will evaluate whether truly it is a new product
or whether it would be competing with other companies in the
state that use similar products.
Larson/ It would be fair to say that they would scrutinize the kinds
of questions that Ms. TIII-lletz brought up about competition
with others, pay scale, the things that they wouldn't answer.
The lack of history with their company that is newly lormed.
Those kinds of things.
Schoon! They would address those.
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l.arson.' Those would be things that they would investigate. So. if we
let them go through their process, it would come back to us and
we could then take advantage of t heir examination as well as
do anything of our own. And at point could we say no without
any problems of penalties or whatever to us,
Schooni The city is the applicant for the loan. And the city would
need to agree to enter into a contract 10 award the money, SO
the city could-
Larson/ So we would be able to pull out that application if we looked
at the result of their investigation as well as any of our own or
anybody else's without it hurting us in future applications or
costing us anything.
Schoon/ I don't know how typical that is IClr that to occur. I couldn't
comment on how the state would respond to that.
Courtney / I would guess that it would be a very atypical for
something like that to happen.
Kubby / If we are going to put forth the application we are doing it
saying yes we want to get this. We want to have a contract
with this company.
l.arson/ That is not what I would be saying. I would be saying yes,
we want to put this in the middle and if your investigation
shows that there are problems-then we can accept it or not at
contracrtime.
Courtney/ I don't fee] comfortable myself judging this particular
application and-on the basis of what it is going to do to jobs
across the state just based on these three people's statements.
I am not an expert in the labor situation across the state and I
suspect that the people in Des Moines are. Who sits on this
board who reviews these. Is it citizen appointed commillees
or-
SCh(Xlll/ There are executives of companies that sit on the commillee.
Courtney / It is an appointed commit tee by the Governor I presume.
l.arson/ My limited understanding of it is that I hey do evaluate those
things as to whether it would harm job structure across Iowa
and so forth. There is some controversy, I am sure as Hoberta
can say about they do an efTective job of that or whether they
are even handed. There has been some controversy about that.
But at least we would get the results of any examination that
they did in conjunction with anything we did.
Courtney! Do they make comments back to us or is it just yes or no.
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!i]C1 page5
I
Schoon/ They would provide a justification Itlr it. There IVould be a
stall recommendation that goes to the Board before hand and
then the Board reviews the stall's recommendation.
Larson/ Do we have that.
Gentry / Plus there is a lot of negotiating over the agreement. As I
recall the last one for Iowa City Can, we negotiated lor well
over one year before we got an agreement.
Larson/ Well I see enough smoke in the newspaper article to be
curious and to want to know some things. But I am rather
reluctant to take things at hlCe value without hearing the other
side and when these things just come to s this afternoon. I
think if there was a middle ground of saying lets let somebody
investigate if we can pull back later without any consequences
to us. Some of these things are, of course, very vel)' serious in
addition to all of the other questions that have been made
about whether there are desirable jobs and those kinds of
things. I mean a business comes to us that is a nine year
excellent corporate citizen by most accounts and whether we
all personaEy think these are great jobs, good jobs, or bad jobs,
they do have a history that haven't caused problems that I
know of and yet there is this new two week old entlly. So it is
not really that corporate citizen that we have a nine year track
record with. I guess I am not willing to pull back from it and
yet I am willing to look into it further.
Courtney/ David, right off the top of your head, do you know how
many employees they have out there now. They have been
such a quiet entity over the years I have never really
Schoon/ I would say less limn 100, maybe less than 50.
Nov/ A warehouse just doesn't need very much.
Courtney/ Would it be safe to assume that they are probabiy about
the same paying jobs or are they higher now,
IIl/'SOn! It is a different process-
Courtney/ But they are a corporate citizen now who we really
haven't had any diJTicuIties with and-
I,arson/ The question is thar this isn't the same citizen exactly. This
is a t\\'o week old citizen and I don't know what impact that
has. Maybe none.
Nov/ I am real concerned that we don't have the information. We
are handing in an incomplete application. And I am just not
comfortable with iI. Have we handed in incomplete
applications before,
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Schoon/ The P tV: G application was incomplete.
Gentry'! Not that I knoll' of.
Larson/ It just has to be completed by the time they consider it. Is
that the rules.
Schooni COrrl\'t.
Atkins/ And I am not telling you anything that you haven't heard
beJ()re but they are anxious to get on the agenda, the 18th, isn't
it for OED. And therefore all the infol1nation that the
application requires must be handed in. They are, in some
respects, accommodating your meeting schedule. We have 10
have all that information. It all has to go ofT to the state. And
it is all public.
Nov/ What if it were delayed one week. What if we vote next week.
Courtney/ We won't have all of the informallon that you are looking
for. It has to be into the state by the ISth.
Atkins/ II has to be in there before then,
Nov/ II says February 26.
Schoon! The bulk of the application needs to be in by the 2(lth.
There is some leadway. They would let us-the council could
consider it at their next meeting and then send the rest of the
information in the first week of March. But the bulk of the
application, what we have noll', we could send in by this Friday
so that it would be considered on the IvIarch 18th meeting.
Imson/ One of the things that argues for not delaying it is that Marti
Kelly is out of the country, these people couldn't be contacted
today to get a response. To follow up on a question I asked
him, in your experience, you have been involved in a lot of
economic development efforts. Does pUlling in an application
and then based on their staIr work and their recommendation
and their investigation, does pulling back from it cause us
problems.
Atkins/ I think there is always an clement of risk. We have been
very successful as a community in gelling CEllA grants. We are
fortunate and quite frankly Ithink the reason we get them is
we normally don't ask J(lI'lots of money. That our projects
normally succeed and we are having growlh in our business
community and a lot of cities in Iowa aren't, So I think they
are not unaccustomed form seeing from us. Wouldlhey look
with some what of a Jaundiced eye, lthink it is a risk. A
calculated risk. They don't want to award a grant to a company
that is a stinker any more than YOll do.
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II ](1 page 7
Now We have a list of seven pieces of information that have not
been given to us yet.
Atkins/ Yes. I understand that.
Nov/ One of them is is the application
CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 92-22 SIDE 2
Nov/ Which seemed to be slightly more urgent than the one we have.
Atkins! They have to have-they must have all of that information in
officially before the DED as a body, the commission, will
approve or disapprove the thing, That, my understanding is
that it is all public information and we arc accommodating
their schedule in order to get this thing to them.
Nov/ I would still like to delay it a week.
Kubby / I would too,
McD/ Sounds like we can start the process though and there is still
going to be ample opportunity for it to be reviewed at that
level and for us to have an opport lmity to seek any kind of
information that we might want to get on our own. Once we
just start the process it certainly doesn't write it in stone if new
information comes to light and you get sOllie of the answers
that you are looking for at a later date. As Linda pointed out,
this isn't going to necessarily come flying back to us in two to
three weeks or a month. There -the whole process can be a
lengthy process.
Atkins/ And I also need to hear from you. I can tell you candidly
that we arc not equipped as a staff to do background checks
upon all the ofl1cials of a company. You assume certain good
hlith decisions arc made. Whether 1'1'11'. !vlulherin is a good guy
or a bad guy-
Kubby / Is council interested in having a cover letter saying these arc
some of the questions that we still have. Would you make sure
that you look at these when you review this application. I am
not sure how much detail gets looked at one way or another.
Besides Ihe face value of what is given 10 them which if from
the companies perspective and not necessarily with a critical
eye.
McD/ I would cerlainly-well, maybe not fair because I don't know
for sure, Karen, hut I would certainly think Ihat a state agency
doling out money these days. Ithink anything would he
looked at very critically.
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Kubby/ I don't agree with that analysis on the state level.
Kubby/ So I am asking arc you willing 10 have a cover let leI' that
asks about hourly mtes and turnover rates and the lost.
Ambr/ David, are you aware-
Kubby/ E'\cuse me but I asked a question and it hasn't been
answered.
McD/ I am willing to wait-
Ambr/ I am pondering that question but I need his answer for
something.
Kubby/ When you get a chance .fohn, answer the question.
Ambr/ In the process the people who are going to make the decision
about granting this, arc they a group of volunteers like city
council that we get together periodically and take issues or is
this a staff function. Would they have people that are full-time
employees that set and peruse these applications.
Schoon! This board has a stall that serves that-
Ambr/ Is it a decision making staff or.
Schoon! No. The staff makes recommendations to the board.
Ambr/ They bring a commission together. I don't have any
reservation about passing this resolution for the various
reasons that were given. We are going ahead and starting the
process. I would like to have our Mayor and City Manager
make a phone call. Not only just a letter but I want a phone
call to these people who are going to make these decisions and
ask them those hard questioJls. Are you assuming, Mr.
Commissioner or Mrs. COlllmissioner, that because Iowa City
has submitted this application- is that prima-hlCie evidence to
you that we have done all of this primary background work,
Or are you going to do it and tell us aye or nay. That is what I
want to know.
Larson/ That is what I want, too.
Atkins! That is fine. I can do that.
Ambr! I have had a little experience. If you ren1ll, Mr. City
l\'lanager. I would like to put it in with thaI caveat.
Kubby / Because in the past when we have done things and we have
said we will do them and then if we have another chance to say
no. I don't know that we have said no ancI that if it comes back
that there are some questions but that they award I he grant,
how easy is it going to be li)r each and everyone of us to say
no to that $300,000.
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It 16 page l)
tlleD/ I think that is a decision that we will have to make at that
particular time.
Kubby / [ guess I am asking you to think abolllthat question in
terms of your decision. Because I think that most people will
say well we can just say no to this state aid-we need it.
Larson/ It doesn't go to us. The state aid doesn't do anything for us.
McD/I don't think it is so much the money. I think it would be
more-I mean iJ'the problems are documented and these
questions are. The questions that have been raised, if during
the review process, if illooks like there might be some
problems there and that comes back to our table. 1 think we
would be very willing to address that.
Kubby / And would you be willing to send a cover leller as well as
the call that Mr. Ambr suggested.
McD/ You mean with the original application. I think I would be
willing to go along with Bill. r think that is /'ine. To find out
exactly what the-I think what you are saying is exacHy what
kind of review do they go through. Correct. Is that what you
are asking.
Kubby / I want to make sure they are asking specific questions.
Ambr/ My speci/'ic concern is is this body that is going to deliberate
on this application-are they assuming that the Iowa City
council and our supporl staff has already done those
investigations and that we are putting our stamp of approval so
all they have to do is put the application in the hopper with the
rest of them and decides who needs the money the most in
whatever part of the state that it is coming from.
Schoon/ The Board does their own analysis. It is not an assumption
that the city approves it and they are doling out money.
Ambr/ They are not putting any particular weight on the city council
and its starr giving an endorsement to this application just
because we are Ihe conduit,
Schoon/ They would e;,pect some review of the application.
Ambr/ By us.
Courtney/ Which I\'e have already done and indicated that there are
some de/'iciencies to them.
larson/ That has to be Ihe point of the letter. r don't think Ihat is in
conflict with what you are saying. Is to say thai we are passing
it on because I\'e don't have the ability to do all of these things
in a timely manner and we would like you 10 investigate them
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itHl page 10
and these are our questions. And then we are just going to
have to decide when it comes back.
Ambr/ 'would like to have Steve and [Jarrel talk to those people.
The letter is nne with me. To make it just as pointed as you
can to get that specil1c answer. Because ii' there is some kind of
impropriety here or something that hinges on something on the
dark side, I don't want to be a party to it.
Kubby/ Are you Willing to send copies of this. This is just one side of
it. Will you tl)' 10 get to the bottom of it from a balanced
perspect ive.
Ambr/ You mean thisl That is for somebody else to send in,
llrson/ That is what I think too.
Kubby/ Because it is coming through us, , feel like we do have some
kind of responsibility because it does have an aura of approval
with it when we say yes to beginning the application process.
Even if there is a time in the middle for us to say no. That 1
like Naomi's idea of deferring to at least get some of the
inlormation. To have the application complete. Hall' do 1 know
lwant the application to go forward if' haven't seen the whole
application.
Larson! 1 have to tell you that the things that are incomplete about
the application are pretty non consequential to me.
Kubby/ 1 disagree with you.
Nov/ , am sorry. 1 don't agree with that one.
Kubbyl The wage rate of the production workers is an important
part.
Larson! That is not one of the things listed here, the wage rate.
Kubby / That is not in there at all.
Courtney/Hold on. The bottom line lhr me is deferral won't make
any djfjcrence for me. 'don't feel comfortable in judging this
thing no matter what inlhrmation comes to me. I want to send
this off to the people that do thi':, They are appointed to do
this. They have starr people to do it. They know what they are
talking about. And whether I do it tonight or do it next
Tuesday night is immaterial no matter what I get in.
l\ubby! It is material to me.
Courtney! Because' don't know how it is going to alTect the state
labor force no matter what ngures show up. They are the ones
that are suppose 10 determine that. They are appointed to
determine that.
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it I (1 page 11
hubby.! But I am saying that some of that inlcl!'lllation is material to
me. As to whether I want to put my vote on going forward or
not. f want 10 move to defer for one week.
Nov/ I would second that motion.
Gentry" You already have a motion on the 1100r.
NoV/ Alright.
Ambr/ I think you got to go up or down on the motion.
Gentry/ Yeah, on the /'irst one.
Courtney/ Any further discussion on the original motion.
hubby / I do. I guess I want 10 repeat a little bit about whal I said
last night and that the application-because of the wage is a
vel)' important issue to me. That if we are creating jobs I want
them to be jobs at a livable wage for this area. And the
application says thai nol that the wage is going 10 be $7.75 per
hour but that it is an average wage of $7.75 per hour and I
don't knoll' if that includes salaried management as well as the
lowest paid production worker or not.
Schoon/ Though it doesn't state on the application it does include
only the production workers. That 150 does not include any
management.
hubby/ So the $7.75 per hour is an average production worker Ivage,
SChOOll/ That is what I have been told.
Kubby / Okay. But if what is said about the representative from
Millard who was here last night is in anyway true, I don't know
if I can believe it or not. But let's just say that it is the average
wage of the production worker and that-l believe that this
information is not proprietary as was said last night because
we are spending public moneys for Ihese jobs. SO I think it is
in our purview 10 have thai infimnation and it is listed as
required in the application anyway and it wasn't there. Job by
job. Not just in general. The employer wiII not be paying full
medical coverage even for a single member household and the
employee has to pay 50% of t he premium. When you are
making $7.75 an hour plus you have to pay 50% of your health
care premium, what does that do to your take home pay in
terms of livability in this area. So I did some calculations.
i\lrighl, let's say there is $7.75 per hour. The full medical
coverage was covered amI your take home pay, then on an
annual basis was $1 (>,()OO. And a federal government says a
person should not spenclmore Ihan 30% of t heir income on
housing. So 30% of this $16,()()() annual income is $403.()O per
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1116 page 12
month. And the fair market rent in Iowa Cily for a one
bedroom apartment is $457.00 per month. More than what
this person should be paying. And that annual wage earned is
about 55% of the median income for Iowa Cily. Which is
deJ1ned as very low income through our communily block
grant program. So I don't believe this is going to be a livable
wage for Iowa Cily and I don't think we should put in
application without knowing for sure what the wage is and the
information that we are getting is that this is the average then
I want to conclude that it is not a livable wage and I can't put
my name on iI. And I prefer to defer to get more information
but that doesn't look like that is happening so my choice would
be to vote no.
Courtney/ Any other discussion on the motion.
- / Are you still open Jell' public debate.
Courtney/ I don't think so. I think we have been through-we have
got all the things that we need here. It wasn't a public
meeting-a p.h. to start wilh. V ou have somet hing new that
hasn't been discussed so J~lr.
- /Yeah. A new f~lctual piece of information. 1 just think that
you are all too tired. I have been watching you on t.v. This is a
big issue. Just think of the intensily of debate that has just
gone on. So I just really want to encourage you to defer and
you know, make the decision later. I wouldn't put nay stamp
on it. After Ihe stulT that Roberta had to say. ] think it was
unfortunate that you couldn't have that discussion then. I just
wanted to mention that. I know iI is late and I would say defer
when you have more information.
Courtney/Thank you.
larson! That is what we are doing. We are going to make our
decision later once we have more in/ormation.
Courtney/. Any further discussion on the motion. I am sorry.
larson/ That is my justification for going ahead wilh iI is the only
way we can get more in/ormation is by an expert source. Vou
can't ask the CEBA Board to look at it wilhout having an
application. That is the only reason I am moving iI forward.
Ncl\'! My real objection to this is that we don't have a complete
application. I don't like incomplete paper work. I am going to
say no.
Court ney / 1(011 call-
The resohllion is adopted, l\ubby and Nov. voting no.
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Agenda
Iowa City City Council
February 23, 1993
Page 12
ITEM NO. 17 - CONSIDER A RESOLUTION OF INTENTTO CONVEY CITY-OWNED PROPERTY AT
<;3- 38 2258 RUSSELL DRIVE TO R081N M. HAALAND AND JENNIFER L. HAALAND
AND SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR MARCH 16, 1993.
Comment: Robin M. Haaland and Jennifer L. Haaland own property located at
2248 Russell Drive, Iowa City, Iowa 52240. A portion of the fence for the
Haalands' lot is situated on City-owned property located at 2258 Russell Drive.
This Resolution declares the City's intent to convey its interest in that portion of
the property where the Haalands' fence is currently located, subject to a tree
conservation easement, and sets a public hearing on said proposal for March 16,
1993. .
Action: rk,M#J(/I/tm./; ". /
Ijp~ ~) /k/J Yo
ITEM NO. 18 - CONSIDER A RESOLUTION OF "TENT TO CONVEY THE CITY'S INTEREST IN
<j3- 3'i PROPERTY LOCATED AT 1421 WATERFRONT DRIVE TO MOSS FARMS, AN
IOWA GENERAL PARTNERSHIP, AS A CORRECTIVE LEGAL ACTION, AND
SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR MARCH 16, 1993.
Comment: In August, 1988, the City vacated the Westerly 8 feet of Waterfront
Orive. The City did not, however, execute a quit claim deed for the vacated
portion of the street which is located on the property at 1421 Waterfront Drive
In addition, the City may 'possess rights as successor In interest to a former
territorial road right-of-way located on that property. While Waterfront Orive
approximately covers that right-of-way, it is not possible to ascertain the precise
location of the former territorial road. This Resolution declares the City's intent
to convey its interest in the property located at 1421 Waterfront Drive, subject
to recorded easements, and sets a public hearing on said proposal for March 16,
1993.
Action: lllJ1J / /h,d
- I
ITEM NO. 19 - CONSIDER A RESOLUTION OF INTENT TO CONVEY, BY QUIT CUi M DEED,
:>, </0 PORTIONS OF VACATED OLD DUBUQUE ROAD IN IOWA CITY, IOWA TO
9 - AMERICAN COLLEGE TESTING, AND SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING THEREON
FOR MARCH 16, 1993.
Comment: In December 1992, the City of Iowa City and American College
Testing (ACT) entered into an Agreement, whereby the City agreed to convey
whatever Interest It had remaining In Old Dubuque Road, once that portion of the
road was vacated by the City, and agreed to do so in consideration for ACT's
agreement to convey other property to the City, but only in the event the City
chose to construct Scott Boulevard extended to the west, or to construct an east.
west unnamed arterial. Since ACT's abstract shows the City's Interest in the
vacated road is not set forth as a recorded deed, but rather exists only by
operation of common law, the preferred method of conveyance to ACT Is to
follow state regulations, as set forth in Section 364.7, Code of Iowa (19911. This
resolution was deferred from the February 2, 1993 Council meeting, due to
agenda and state law requirements, City Attorney recommends approval.
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1f17 page 1
Courtney/ Moved by larson, seconded by Ambr. Discussion.
l\mbr/ Are we going to sell this land to them.
Gentl)'! No.
Ambr/ Are we just going to give it to them.
Gentl)' / Basically. Just a litt]e triangle that is next to a public
housing property and it is J))ug Boothroy's recommendation
that since it is such a small encroachment that it would be
easier to clear up the title of the property this way. Marsha
and I discussed an easement and Chuck Schmadeke, Marsha
Borman and I discussed an easement. Vou could do it either
way.
Amllli Who owns the tree. Is the tree inside the fence or outside the
fence. J))es anybody know.
Gentry/ Sorry. I don't knoll' and I don't have a diagram. This kind
of came our of the blue. If you would like to defer it, you can
certainly do so.
Courtney/This is a resolution of intent to convey also.
Kubby / So we can get that info. Thanks for that question, Bill.
Courtney/Any other discussion.
Hall call-
The resolution is adopted.
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Itl9 page 1
Courtneyi Moved by I/ormv, seconded by Nov. Discussion.
l\ubby! I would like to request that anyone who came to other p.h.s
about Dubuque Hoad be notified of this p.h. directly so they
know that it is happening. It would be an easy list to get,
wouldn't ill In your computerized office. I saw her at work
last week. She was amazing there.
Courtney! Any other discussion.
GentlY / This wiII be published in the newspaper. This is a true p.h.
that is published in the newspaper.
Kubby / This is in the newspaper and direct contact are two
wonderful ways together of informing-
Gentry/ That is true. As long as Marian has the list.
Courtney/ Tell me. I am sorry. What is this all about. I don't
understand exactly what we are doing.
GentlY/ Well. do you remember what we did with ACT intenm of.
COUI1ney/ Ves.
Gentry/ Ole! Dubuque Hoad.
COUl1ney / What does this do.
GentlY/ We vacated the r.o.w. and all we had was an easement. And
we agreed long ago to give them whatever rights that we had.
We have very little if any right. But this, in order-or before
they can sell anything. they have to clean up the title and this
is a title objection.
Larson/ We are quitting any claim to that property.
Gentry/ We are giving them whatever we have ane! that will be-
Courtney/ I just think that if we are going 0 send letters out to the
people they ought to be velY clear as to what this is doing.
GenlIy/ We have velY Iillle rights left if any.
Horow/We don't have any rights. /'.'Iaking a mountain out of a
molehill.
Larson/ Characterize it in the leller as a f(lI'Illality to further
accomplish the thing.
Kubhy / It is a courtesy to people who have very intense feelings
about this.
Courtney/ I am not arguing with the letter. A courtesy though to
them is not to imply that this is some whole new deal that is
e!iJTerent from what we did beJore and force them to collle out
for a huge p.h. again.
Gentry! Mr. Meare!on who represents the HUllters is very much
aware of what is going on.
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#19 page 2
Horow/ I honestly don't want to get their blood in a boil and let
them think that they are going to get stirred up again.
Larsoni Write the letter so it is understood that this is just a
formality and not going to be a debate.
Courtneyi VOtl are assuming that people can understand letters that
lawyers write.
larson/ She is good.
Courtney/ I never understand lawyer's letters. Okay.
GentlY/ Am I truly suppose to write a letter.
MeD/ I don't' care if you do or not. I don't think it is necessaI)'.
Ambr/ I don't either.
Larson/ I am against a letter.
Courtney/ There goes the Jetter.
Nov/ The letter just disappeared.
Larson/ II raises more questions than it answers.
McD/ I think it does. I think it has that potential.
Courtney/Roll eall-
The resolution is adopted, l\ubby voHng no.
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Agenda
Iowa City City Council
February 23. 1993
Page 13
ITEM NO. 20. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION CERTIFYING UNPAID SIDEWALK REPAIR AND
~3. ~II UNPAID SNOW REMOVAL CHARGES TO COUNTY AUDITOR FOR COLLECTION
IN THE SAME MANNER AS A PROPERTY TAX.
hlcv
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City of Iowa City
MEMORANDUM
DATE: February 19, 1993
TO: City Council
FROM: City Manager
RE: Work Session Agendas and Meeting Schedul~
February 22, 1993 Monday
5:30 - 8:15 P.M. City Council Work Session - Council Chambers
5:30 P.M. - Planning and Zoning Matters
7:30 P.M. - Millards/lowa Processed Meat - CE8A Application
8:00 P.M. - Council agenda, Council time, Council committee reports
8:10 P.M. - Consider appointments to the Mayor's Youth Employment
Board, Historic Preservation Commission and Board
of Examiners of Plumbers
February 23, 1993 Tuesday
7:30 P.M. - Special Council Meeting - Council Chambers
March I, 1993 Monday
6:30 P.M. - Conference 80ard Meeting. Council Chambers'
6:30 - 8:30 P.M. City Council Work Session - Council Chambers
Agenda pending
March 2, 1993
7:30 P.M. - Regular Council Meeting - Council Chambers
Tuesday
PENDING LIST
Appointments to the Oesign Review Committee, Planning and Zoning Commission,
Mayor's Youth Employment 80ard and Housing Commission - March 16, 1993.