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2002-09-10 Bd Comm minutes
FINAL/APPROVED MINUTES HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION JULY 11,2002 - 5:30 P.M. CITY MANAGER'S CONFERENCE ROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Richard Carlson, Michael Maharry, Jim Ponto, Amy Smothers, Tim Weitzel MEMBERS ABSENT: James Enloe, Michael Gunn, Peter Jochimsen, Michaelanne Widness STAFF PRESENT: Shelley McCafferty OTHERS PRESENT: Darren Spenker CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Maharry called the meeting to order at 5:34 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS FOR 509 SOUTH LUCAS STREET: McCafferty said this is an application for a certificate for an owner-occupied Craftsman-style house in the Lucas/Governor Conservation District. She said the proposal is to build a kitchen addition on the back of the house, basically extending the bump-out that is already there. McCafferty said the owner proposes to match the siding, the trim boards, and the eave details. She said she had discussions with the builder and owner with regard to the window options. Spenker said he originally planned to do a grill pattern through the entire window. He said since the meeting with McCafferty earlier in the week, he found out that the Andersen Window Company makes an internal mutton that has a half light at the top. Spenker said that would give it the look of the six over one. He said it would still be a casement window but would have the look of a double hung window. Spenker said he could do the same thing for the picture window as well. Spenker said the homeowner wants a bay window. McCafferty said she recommended that the angled bay window be squared off in the plan; with the roof extended to give it the same eave overhang. She said the homeowners were adamant that they have a bay window there, however. Weitzel asked if Craftsman homes had bay windows. McCafferty said they were not done with this type of angle. Maharry said the angle would be back behind, hidden from the street view, in any event. Weitzel said the doorway has an extension already that would cover up almost all of the addition. Spenker agreed that from the front, the addition cannot be seen. Maharry asked about the door on the addition. Spenker said the door would exit to the deck. He said on the north side, the owner wants to put higher guardrail for privacy. McCafferty commented that because this property is in a conservation district, she would recommend doing something nice and historically appropriate, but it would not be required. MOTION: Smothers moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for an addition at 509 South Lucas Street, subject to submittal and staff approval of drawings of the windows and deck. Ponto seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 5-0. Spenker asked if he would need to attend the next meeting for review of the windows and deck. McCafferty said it would not be necessary; she would set the process in motion. PROJECT SCHEDULING: Proposed Colleqe Hill Conservation District: Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 11, 2002 Page 2 Maharry said the Commission needs to firm up dates for its projects. McCafferty said the Commission needs to do that to make sure everything is on track and to assign people to specific jobs. Maharry noted that the agenda says conservation district and not historic district. He said no one has any big qualms one way or the other, and the issue has been discussed thoroughly. Maharry said the Commission has the goal of at least keeping the houses from being destroyed. He added that the future hope is to have people move to the neighborhood who want to fix up and maintain the houses. Maharry said the Commission also felt it would be easier and faster to have a conservation district approved. McCafferty added that there would be less dissension from the State, and Weitzel stated that the Commission would not have to come up with a funding source to do the surveying. McCafferty said the map is basically complete, and it needs to be carefully reviewed to ensure the Commission agrees with the contributing versus non-contributing statuses. She said Smothers is working on the Iowa Avenue survey. Smothers said she thought she could have the survey completed by August 15th. She said she would also work on recommendations for landmarks within the conservation district. Weitzel asked if there was a limit on how many landmarks there could be in a conservation district. McCafferty said the Commission will want to be relatively selective so that it does not lose any credibility in terms of what it wants to designate. McCafferty said Mike Gunn is currently working on the guidelines, and she will try to get a tentative completion date from him. Smothers said Ralph Christian's letter stated that if it is possible that a property is a landmark, then it is not a contributing property. She said that conflicts with what has been done in the past, when the landmarks were added to the districts. Smothers said she feels this is a conflict of interest but stated that is just her personal viewpoint. Weitzel asked if technically, a landmark stands independent of the district, so if the district is ever repealed, the landmark status would remain. Smothers confirmed this. McCafferty said in theory there could be a non-contribufing property that is a landmark because it wouldn't be within the distinct context of the district. She said the landmark then goes into a different level of review than a contributing property would, similar to that for a contributing property in a historic district. McOafferty said there is only one landmark that is in a conservation district right now, the AME Bethel Church, but that is a national landmark, not a local one. Maharry asked what the process is to deem a property a landmark. Smothers said the property owner could make an application. McCafferty said that legally the property owner does not have to agree to the landmark status. She said obviously if the property owner is supportive, it helps to get the designation through the City Council, but the support is not required. Maharry said the Commission is therefore looking for possible landmark properties. McCafferty said the Commission will then want to recruit the property owners to get them on board to do a group designation. Maharry asked if the Commission wouldn't do that with any property in the City, since it doesn't matter for a conservation district. McCafferty said it could be done anywhere in town, but the reason the Commission is specifically discussing landmarks in conservation districts is that the State wants to see the extra level of review for any property within a conservation district that should have the protection of a landmark. She added that it should be a typical practice in nominating conservation and historic districts to identify all the landmarks in the area and make recommendations. Ponto asked if the nomination for a local landmark would use the same type of form as for a national landmark. Carlson said it is a similar form and would require between ten to twenty hours of work. McCafferty said she would like to discuss with the State the possibility of lowering the requirements for the submissions, since the State wants the Commission to recruit more landmarks. She said the Commission has the basic history, significance, and maps, but it is not to the level that would be expected for the National Register. McCafferty said this is, for the most part a voluntary effort, and if the Commission is to get this accomplished, perhaps the standards could be lowered. She said Kerry Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 11,2002 Page 3 McGrath has indicated to her that other states don't have the same standards for national as for local status. Carlson asked what the State's reaction was to the Commission's one-paragraph Hohenshuh Mortuary nomination. McCafferty said she didn't know what happened with that nomination. Carlson suggested that the more detailed the form, the more carefully people will read it and be more likely to find minor errors and changes they want to make. He said it might actually be preferable to have a shorter nomination. McCafferty said she would contact the State to find out if the Commission can get a standard that is higher than one paragraph but less than the National Register requirements and would be easier for the Commission to prepare. Maharry said one potential landmark is the Anomie House Co-op (The Crag). He said the owners are anxious to have the landmark status. Smothers said she could have landmark recommendations completed by August 15th also. McCafferty said it would take one to two weeks to get a letter and a mailing list put together so that she could schedule the neighborhood meeting for the end of August. Maharry asked what officially needs to be done at the neighborhood meeting. McCafferty replied that the meetings involve discussion and getting feedback. She said the Commission is not required to hold a neighborhood meeting, but in terms of building the Commission's case, it's good to say that the neighborhood is on board. McCafferty said the Commission may want to show the map and guidelines at the meetin§ and basically rally support for the nomination. Maharry suggested providing an e-mail address in the letter in order to get responses from those who are unable to attend the meeting. Ponto asked where the meeting would be held. McCafferty suggested the Civic Center or the Public Library. Maharry asked about the official report. McCafferty said she would work on that on an ongoing basis. McCafferty said there needs to be a one-week notice before the Planning and Zoning Commission's public meeting. She suggested that the Planning and Zoning Commission's first public hearing be planned for October 3"° to insure enough time to give proper notice. Maharry said the Historic Preservation Commission's public hearing could be held on September 12th. Maharry asked if the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting is essentially informational. McCafferty said the Planning and Zoning Commission votes as to whether the nomination is consistent with the goals of the Comprehensive Plan, of which the Preservation Plan is a part. She said the Planning and Zoning Commission holds two meetings on the issue, which would be October 3rd and October 17th. McCafferty said there will then be five City Council meetings: one to set the public hearing, one to hold the public hearing, and three considerations. She said that will take the final vote into December. Carlson said it is important to note that the Commission is not just recommending a conservation district because it is politically expedient. He said the Commission is doing it because of the scale and type of the buildings and the modern intrusions. Carlson said the area under consideration does not meet historic district standards. McCafferty added that the Commission has decided not to try to revise the context of the historic districts. Carlson agreed. Maharry asked if the Commission should be present at the Planning and Zoning Commission meetings. McCafferty said once the neighborhood meeting has taken place, all the Commission needs to do is attend the public hearings to present findings and to be available to answer questions. Proposed Downtown Historic District: McCafferty said there have been changes to downtown, so the survey forms will have to be updated. Carlson agreed to do the updates. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 11,2002 Page 4 McCafferty said she has an intern compiling a mailing list that she hopes to have by next week of all property and business owners. She said the Commission needs to compile a map with all the addresses and configurations of the properties. McCafferty said she has started on the map and did revise it quite a bit some time ago. She asked for someone to go through the notebooks and look at the plat map. McCafferty said the map will have to designate contributing versus non-contributing properties, and the Commission will also want to identify potential landmarks. McCafferty said the boundary would be approximately from Washington to Clinton to Iowa and would then wrap around the Senior Center and go down the alley between College and Washington. She said the Commission may want to look at also proposing a conservation district. McCafferty said, of the Pedestrian Mall on College Street, the north side is basically gone, with only one historic building remaining. She said, however, the south side of College Street is relatively intact. McCafferty said Marlys Svendsen did not include any of College Street in her recommendation because of the barrier of non-historic properties. McCafferty said the Commission may therefore want to consider a conservation district in that area, possibly going up to the Sheraton Hotel. Carlson agreed that the Commission will have to review Svendsen's recommendations to determine what it wants to do. McCafferty said College Block is already a landmark. She said there is also Crescent Block, which is not a landmark. McCafferty said the entire downtown has been surveyed. Weitzel agreed to work on the downtown map. McCafferty said the Commission will need to have discussions with the Downtown Association and other downtown organizations. She said the Iowa City Cultural Alliance, which is attempting to bring many organizations together for the purposes of coordination, has recently been established. McCafferty said that might also be a vehicle to talk to in order to get other organizations on board. She said she wanted to talk to a few more people to get a sense of how this should be presented. McCafferty said she has talked to the Downtown Association Board already. She said she would be doing a little more groundwork and some research into who would be the key people to contact. McCafferty said the Commission will then want to have a meeting with the downtown people again. McCafferty said she had a list of things to be included in the presentation. She said the Commission will want to present the summary of the evaluation, including some of the history and background. McCafterty said she also has a binder of photocopies of historic photos from the Historical Society. She commented that there are great photographs that show an entire block of wonderful, old buildings that were once where the Old Capitol Mall is now. McCafferty said that might communicate how much has been lost and show how little is left now. McCafferty said the meeting should also include a discussion of guidelines. She said owners are concerned about being forced to do things they don't want to do. McCafferty said some general guidelines could be discussed in order to leave them open-ended and to get input from the property and business owners. She said the Commission is not trying to say exactly how things are going to be but wants to emphasize improvements it would like to see downtown. Maharry said it would be good to dispel myths and rumors. He said the Commission is not concerned with the interior of the properties but is only concerned with the outward appearance and with demolition of the properties. McCafferty said with regard to fagades, the Commission would like to see historic principles of design used, such as large glass windows, a recessed entry, perhaps some cornice elements, etc. She said the Commission is not saying that the fagade has to imitate historic facades or that it has to be reconstructed as it originally was. McCafferty said signage is something that really affects downtown that the Commission would want to regulate. She said the Commission does not need to regulate it so much as to say that designs have to use old-fashioned type faces, but she would like to bring back some sign types that were done historically, such as hanging signs on the building. McCafferty said she would like to see the suburban style of back-lit plastic signs and awnings done away with. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 11, 2002 Page 5 McCafferty said she has collected a lot of examples of facade improvement programs from other communities. Weitzel said Mount Vernon would be a good example of such a program. McCafferty said she also has a lot of information from the Main Street Program in terms of how to write design guidelines. She stated that she has elevations of most of the blocks downtown and said the Commission could put out ideas and visuals of how things could look. Maharry suggested that before and after photographs be from out of town properties so as not to offend any owners. Smothers discussed a signage program in Freeport, Maine that actually spurred on an entire new international artisan community. In terms of incentives for facade improvement, McCafferty said there is support from the Planning Department to earmark $60,000 to $70,000 of economic development funds for revolving no or Iow interest loans. McCafferty said there is also interest in downtown to establish a Self-Suppoded Municipal Improvement District (SSMID) and a portion of that could be earmarked for fagade improvement. She some financial incentives should be established to make it easier for the property owners and encourage the improvements. Maharry said he would like to help prepare the presentation for the downtown property and business owners. Carlson said that the difficult part might be coming up with an argument for people who really have no interest in historic facades. Maharry said the Commission would want to emphasize how little this would affect their overall businesses. Smothers said the Commission could obtain statistics regarding the impact of fa(;ade/signage improvements on foot traffic. McCafferty said there is a lot of information like that available through the Historical Trust. She said the presentation could also emphasize that this is an opportunity for economic development. Weitzel agreed to work on the map for downtown. Smothers said that after August 15th she could begin digesting and organizing the information McCafferty has compiled. Maharry asked if it would be possible to have a meeting with the downtown people the last week of September or first week of October. McCafferty said that is realistic. Maharry asked if Gunn would be willing to work on the guidelines, and McCafferty said she had mentioned it to him. Ponto said the downtown guidelines would be markedly different than for a residential district. McCafferty said she had a lot of information about how to write those guidelines. Maharry said the guidelines could probably be started on at any time. McCafferty said the Commission could start to block it out and perhaps do a draft. She said there could be a framework for the guidelines but at the time of the meeting, they should still be open-ended. Ponto said the Commission should at least have a list of all the things it would like to look at. McCafferty said she had already prepared such a list. Smothers said she would be willing to look at the downtown guidelines issue. Maharry said as the meeting time approaches and things are clearer, the time frames can be firmed up a little more. CLG Grant Applications to Prepare: McCafferty said the Commission needs to determine what grants it wants to write and referred to her suggestions. She thought the Commission should go ahead and look at the National Register nominations for downtown while information is still relatively current. McCafferty said the Commission had discussed extending the Brown Street District to include the Ronalds Street area. She said in terms of contextual issues, the Commission may want to look instead at doing a separate district in that area and look further at the recommendations for the entire North Side Area. McCafferty said the Commission might want to hire a consultant to prepare a National Register Nomination for the North Side. She stated that there is one potential district along Dubuque Street and one on the North Side. Carlson said the Commission already has the recommendations, but now the issue is determining the boundaries and writing the nomination. McCafferty questioned whether the information is still current. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 11,2002 Page 6 Carlson said one would have to go back and look at the old recommendations and look at the whole area again. McCafferty said the State recommends that local historic districts correspond with National Register districts. She said although the Commission won't be ready to move on the local district for a while, if the Commission has a consultant who is working on the National Register, then that will set the stage for a local district nomination. McCafferty said the Commission applied for an HRDP grant for that district in the past, but it was denied. She said the previous survey material is still available so that it shouldn't take much to put that grant together. McCafferty said with a CLG Federal funds, 10% of the money funnels through to the local communities. She said there is discussion of increasing that to 15%, and perhaps a portion of that might go towards brick and mortar since the HRDP program has been eliminated. Carlson asked if the CLG is the only grant option now, and McCafferty confirmed this. McCafferty said two possibilities for grant applications are the downtown district and the North Side. She said this is a lower priority, but something the Commission should keep in mind, is to revise and update the Preservation Plan. McCafferty said she has reviewed the Preservation plan, and there are a lot of things that haven't been addressed or are now outdated. She said a consultant may not be needed to update the Plan at this point. Maharry asked when the grants are due. McCafferty said the material should arrive at the end of the month, and there is a pretty quick turnaround. She said she would find the old grants for the North Side if someone wanted to work on putting together a new grant application. Maharry said he could help with that. McCafferty said the applications are due around September 1~t. Carlson said it is pretty ambitious to attempt two grant applications. He also pointed out that the Commission would then be competing with itself. Weitzel said people who write a lot of grants generally advise writing only one grant for an organization at a time. He said it takes extra time from the one grant to compose two. Weitzel said it works better to have one really good grant proposal than to have two sort- of good ones. He said an organization is likely to only receive one grant anyway. Maharry said he thought the North Side would be a higher priority. He said the downtown is more stable at this time. Carlson asked if the plan would then be to not expand Brown Street but to create a new historic district. McCafferty confirmed this. Maharry said the boundary could generally be from Dubuque Street almost to Dodge Street and from Fairchild to Ronalds. Carlson asked if a different context would be written for the new district. McCafferty said the context that was presented in the survey information could be used. Ponto said downtown is moving along with impetus from the Commission. He agreed it would be worthwhile for the Commission to apply for money to hire a consultant for the North Side to get that moving independently of the efforts for downtown. Moffitt Cottage District Nomination in Lonqfellow District: McCafferty said the only significant thing to be done here is to include Moffitt Cottage district guidelines in the Longfellow Neighborhood Guidelines. She said Doris Malkmus has already written about a page of guidelines. McCafferty said the public hearing and official process should go through rather smoothly. McCafferty suggested setting an August 15th deadline for the Moffitt Cottage guidelines as well. She said she would contact Gunn about working on those guidelines. Historic Preservation Ordinance: McCafferty said this is on its way to Duncan Associates. She said there will be one more time for the Commission to review the ordinance and submit minor changes. McCafferty said the Commission will Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 11, 2002 Page 7 receive the entire City ordinance from Duncan Associates and will then review the Historic Preservation Commission section. Smothers asked if the issue of fences would be addressed in the ordinance. McCafferty said she plans to discuss that with Gunn to get his recommendations in terms of guidelines. She said the Commission has to write a section regarding site guidelines and needs to determine what it wants to do regarding fencing. McCafferty added that would be in the handbook, as opposed to the ordinance. Historic Preservation Handbook: McCafferty advised including multi-family infill guidelines. She said the Commission has already looked at the guidelines and provided comments. McCafferty said the Commission will have another chance to look at the guidelines, and she hoped to have a draft by the end of August. OTHER PROJECTS: Brochures: McCafferty said she hasn't had time to complete the brochures and asked for volunteers to help with the project. To review, she said in the early 1990s, there was an historic Iowa City brochure published. McCafferty stated that a couple of years ago, the Commission wanted to reprint it again. She said they made a lot of revisions to the brochure, and document services redesigned it. McCafferty has now proposed that, instead of doing one single brochure with the entire history of Iowa City, the City publish a series of brochures based on the neighborhoods. She said the first primary brochure would be for the downtown area. McCafferty said she has written all of the text and descriptions for that. She asked for someone to look at the text and provide comments. McCafferty said the other thing for the brochure would be to include a small map of Iowa City pointing out the broader neighborhoods, with a description of the historic neighborhoods, including Goosetown, the North Side, Longfellow, East Iowa City, etc. She said the next brochures would then deal with the specific neighborhoods. Smothers suggested color coordinating the brochures so that someone traveling the City would know where to go by referring to a key. McCafferty said the first one might even be a little bit larger cover brochure, with a pocket to hold the other brochures. McCafferty said there are two things to be done to move forward. First, she stated the writing needs to be completed. She said she has a lot done for downtown and the introduction to historic Iowa City but could use assistance to complete and review the text. McCafferty said she also needs help with the design; she would like to see something that would carry over to the other brochures and could also translate to a web site. She said she has considered speaking to the Downtown Association to see if it would consider a donation to hire a designer. McCafferty said the Commission does have about $2,000 available for printing. She said the plan was that once a mock-up of the brochure is complete, the Commission could look to organizations for donations. She added that the design could include a small area to recognize contributors. Maharry said it would be beneficial to have the downtown brochure done before the downtown meeting. McCafferty said she would like to have at least a mock-up completed by that time. McCafferty said an intern did a lot of work for her on individual neighborhood descriptions. She said someone needs to make the descriptions more concise and make certain that the language is consistent. She suggested one paragraph for each neighborhood to summarize the character of the neighborhood. McCafferty suggested emphasizing the broader neighborhoods and history of the neighborhoods, rather than just zoned, historic districts. Smothers and Carlson agreed to review the text, with one examining the neighborhood descriptions and one looking at the building descriptions. Maharry suggested the possibility of having students do some work on the graphics aspect of the brochures. McCaffer[y said to get the downtown brochure done before the meeting, it might be best to Historic Preservation Commission Minutes July 11, 2002 Page 8 find just one very competent student who might be willing to do it for his or her portfolio and a small stipend. Maharry asked if the text work could be done by August 8~h in time to review this item at the next meeting. Carlson stated that he felt that was realistic. Alliance Review Article: Maharry said he felt the graveyard article was very interesting but might be more appropriate for the Johnson County Historic Preservation Commission. He said he would present the article to that commission. Other Information: McCafferty said August 14th is the last date for the term of the College Green Historic District representative, which is currently unfilled. She said at that time she would submit Maharry's application for that position. McCafferty said the Commission could then advertise the at-large position and could draw from a larger pool of applicants. She asked Commission members to recruit any interested parties. Maharry said Friends of Historic Preservation was holding a Salvage Operation at Grand Avenue Court. Carlson said it would be held on Saturday, July 13~h. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 7:19 p.m. Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte. shared o~ cityntJpcd/minutes/hpC/hpC07-11~2 doc FINAL/APPROVEI MINUTES IOWA CITY AIRPORT COI~IMISSION THURSDAY, JULY 18 2002 - 5:45 P.I~I. IOWA CITY AIRPORT TERMINAL I~IEbIBERS PRESENT: Rick Mascari, Michelle Robnett, Mark Anderson STAFF PRESENT: Sue Dulek, Ron O'Neil CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Anderson called the meeting to order at 5:45 p.m. APPROVAL OF I~IlNUTES: The minutes of the June 6, 2002, Commission meeting were approved as submitted. AUTHORIZATION OF EXPENDITURES: Mascari made a motion to pay the bills. Robnett seconded the motion and the motion passed 3- 0. PUBLIC DISCUSSION - ITEMS NOT ON AGENDA: No items were presented. ITEI~IS FOR DlSCLISSlON/ACTION: a, Aviation Commerce Park 1. July report - Tracy Overton, from Iowa Realty, presented his monthly report. Overton said he continues to receive interest. Most of the inquiries are from tenants that want to purchase the lots. He said there was an offer of $.07/sq. ft. on Lot 5. O'Neil said the minimum the Commission could accept is $.14/sq. ft. Mascari said Overton should decide what he thinks it is worth and relay that to the potential tenant. Overton said that right now, there is not a lot of competition out there. He did think that there were some other areas that were being developed. 2. Other issues - Overton said he was going to meet with O'Neil and Casey Cook to review the appraised values in anticipation of getting approval to sell the lots. Overton said he has put together a revised agreement that would allow him to sell the lots, as well as to lease them. Anderson asked about the tenant for Lot # 107 O'Neil said Rob Nickel is supposed to make payments starting July 1,2002. An invoice was sent to him for the July payment. O'Neil said he has not had contact with him. O'Neil said he has had a couple of contacts from people that have excess fill and need a place to put it. Q'Neil said he told them the ACP would take all the fill they had to give. Mascari said a major local developer contacted him. He recommended the developer contact Overton. He said he wanted to discuss it with Mascari first. Mascari wil~ meet with him. b. Property lease-Toyota of Iowa City- Mark Dreusicke, from Toyota, was present to answer questions. Dulek has been working on the lease. There were some changes from the original lease. One was a clarification of what would be done with the original fence. The second was a change in the use from a parking area to a storage area. Another change dealt with the condition of the surface of the leased area. The foudh change was for two ten-year terms. O'Neil said that if the Commission wanted to consider the lease, they would need to set a public hearing. A public lease for more than three years requires a public hearing. Mascari said he would like a more detailed map. O'Neil said the lease requires the tenant to provide a detailed plat of the area they want to lease. Mascari made a motion to set a public hearing for August 8, 2002 at 5:45 p.m. Robnett seconded the motion, and it passed 3 - 0, with Ellis being absent. c. Property lease Dane/Larsen- Dave Larsen, a real estate partner of John Dane, wanted to lease some Airport property to install a real estate sign. Mascari suggested the airport manager negotiate with Mr. Larsen. The Commission agreed with Mascari's recommendation. O'Neil will negotiate with Larsen. Robnett said full-size billboards lease for about $1200 per month. d. Fuel site - Commission/FBO responsibilities- O'Neil said Dick Blum, from H.R. Green, is waiting for Double Check to send him a manual for the system. O'Neil and Blum will go through the manual and develop a list of responsibilities. After that list is developed, O'Neil will meet with Jet Air and decide who will take care of what responsibilities. e. United States Army Reserve lease- O'Neil said the Reserve did not have a problem with the amount the Commission is charging for rent. They would like to pay an average of the five4year increase instead of an increase every year. The contract manager for the USAR said it is easier for him to set up a consistent pay plan instead of one that changes every year. Robnett said she would rather stay with the rent scale they have set up for other properties. O'Neil said the paper work involved with the Federal government is more difficult or at least more complicated, than local leases. Mascari said that if the dollar amount were the same for other land leases, he would be in favor of approving it. Mascari made a motion to set a public hearing on August 8, 2002, at 5:45 p.m. for the USAR lease. Robnett seconded the motion and it passed 3 - 0, with Ellis being absent. 2 f. Obstruction removal project - O'Neil said he met with H.R. Green and Stanley Consultants to coordinate the EA and the Obstruction Removal projects. He met again with Stanley to fudher define the Scope of Services. O'Neil said he would like to have the contracts for Green and Stanley ready for the next Commission meeting. O'Neil said one of the major costs of the removal project is to locate and verify each of the 100+ obstructions. Blum said that when he and O'Neil met with the FAA in Kansas City last month, the FAA indicated that the United hangar could be considered with the runway extension project instead of as part of the IDOT grant. This would allow more funds to be used for other obstruction removal. g. Environmental Assessment and Section 106 project- O'Neil said the Section 106 project is actually pad of the EA. Green met with the FAA and has revised the Scope of Services. O'Neil would like to have this contract on the agenda for the August meeting. Blum said there would be more of a noise analysis than was originally planned. h. Master Plan - Airport Layout Plan- O'Neil said there is a letter in the Commission packet from the FAA that said they will not approve the 50:1 precision approach slope for RW 25 until the obstructions are removed or the Commission mitigates as many as they can. The FAA will hold the ALP until the obstructions are addressed. Blum said that the ALP currently being reviewed by the FAA shows a 50:1 slope. The proposed Zoning Code recommends a 50:1 slope. If the Commission wants to go back to the 34:1 slope, the FAA will approve the ALP. If the Zoning Code says 50:1 and the ALP shows 34:1, the local code would be more restrictive than the FAA requirements. If the 50:1 slope is not protected, it will be harder to protect for a precision approach in the future. Mascari asked how the new proposed building downtown would be affected. O'Neil said he reminded the Planning Department that the developers would have to file for an airspace study. He was told the developer has filed a Federal 7460-1 form and their proposed design meets the airspace standards. That file would have to be presented to the Building Department before a building permit is issued. Blum said the approach slope is a decision for the Zoning Commission. The Airport Commission needs to make a recommendation to the Zoning Commission. The Zoning Commission makes a recommendation to the City Council and the Board of Supervisors. Jerry Full, Chairperson for the Zoning Commission, said he would not want to be any more restrictive than necessary. Blum reminded the Commission that if they want to revise the ALP to 34:1, there will be additional engineering costs. This was not part of the original budget. Robnett made motion to have the Zoning Code at 50:1 and the ALP at a 34:1 approach slope for Runway 25. Mascari seconded the motion and it passed 3 - 0, with Ellis being absent. The Commission recommended to Full that the Zoning Code should reflect a 50:1 approach slope for RW 25. i. IDOT Vertical Infrastructure grant- Mascari made a motion for a resolution to accept the $50,000 grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation. Robnett seconded the motion and it was passed 3 - 0, with Ellis being absent. The grant will be used for rehabilitation for Buildings B and C. j. Electrical fee - T-hangars - Mascari said he thought it would be an excellent idea to include a $ 5.00 a month electricity charge for each t-hangar. Robnett seconded the motion. Mascari said the fee would be included with the rent. Robnett said there is a utility charge addressed in the new leases. O'Neil said this would be addressed with the next agenda item. k. T-hangars leases- Robnett noted that Mascari and Anderson would not participate in this issue because of a conflict of interest. Robnett said that as soon as O'Neil provides his final comments to Dulek, she would finish drafting the lease. O'Neil will add a note to the invoices that the lease will be discussed at the August 8 meeting. O'Neil will post a copy of the lease in the Terminal Building. Robnett said the leases would require a security deposit. It will be a one-year lease and rent will be reviewed on an annual basis. Robnett reviewed several other lease changes. Blum suggested the damage deposit be returned after a given amount of time. I. Public Service Announcements- Robnett had some material concerning radio and television spots. She will work with Jet Air to put together some of these spots. Mascari asked O'Neil if he talked to anyone about production costs? O'Neil said he talked with someone from cable TV and they would help with the production of the PS announcements. m. Fly-in breakfast - August 25, 2002- O'Neil said he had sent a letter last April to the Cedar Rapids tower, requesting a temporary tower for the fly-in breakfast. The FAA has reduced their budget and does not have funding for temporary towers. O'Neil said the Commission would need to monitor the UNICOM radio and provide advisory information. If it is a nice day, there would be over 100 planes that will fly in. Jet Air will also be giving airplane rides. O'Neil said it is necessary to monitor the UNICOM. He said broadcasts are of an advisory nature only. Blum said he would volunteer to operate the radio, with the Commission's approval and help. Mascari said he would like to wait until the August meeting to make the decision. Blum said that is too late. Mascari said he would like to see someone with aviation experience operate the UNICOM, but not under the direction of the Commission. He said he would volunteer. Robnett said she agreed with Mascari. She did not think it should be the responsibility of one person. In Jet Air's lease, they are responsible for operating the UNICOM. Dulek suggested writing a letter to Jet Air, reminding them that they are responsible for operating the UNICOM. Anderson asked O'Neil to write a letter to Jet Air, reminding them they will need to operate the UNICOM at the fly-in. Anderson reminded the Commission that the "Spirit of St. Louis" will be at the fly-in and rides will be available. n. AAAE Certification- O'Neil said the certification from the American Association of Airport Executives is viewed as a Masters program for airport management. There 4 is a written exam, an oral exam and a thesis. The Commission had expressed interest in O'Neil getting the certification. O'Neil said he would be willing to work toward the certification, but wanted to clarify who would pay the fees. The study materials and initial written exam cost $ 200. Mascari said that in light of the Commission's meeting with the Council, he thought the Commission should postpone the decision to pay for the certification program. Robnett said she agreed with Mascari, but encouraged ©'Neil to pursue the program on his own. CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT: Anderson asked about hangar # 617 O'Neil said the tenant had been told his lease was terminated. O'Neil will work with Dulek to decide how to proceed if the tenant needs to be officially evicted. Anderson said the Commission needs to work on their written response to the memo from the City Manager, concerning the Finance Department's audit. Anderson asked for comments from the Commission by July 29. COMMISSION MEMBERS' REPORTS: Robnett said she is still working on the public service announcements. She is working with the University to get a team of students to help, Robnett said she met with Kevin O'Ma~ley and discussed the financial audit with him. He said there were three areas investigated. They were FBO operations, hangar leases, and assessment of hangars, She said she has questions about the projected revenue budgeL Mascari said Council member Phab has asked several times if the Commission meetings could be taped. Mascari said he told him they are public meetings and he doesn't have any problem with having them taped. Mascari said a major developer in Iowa City contacted him concerning the ACP, Mascari asked if O'Neil was able to contact the tenant that has a plane on order. O'NeiJ said that is hangar #60 and the tenant is working out of town. Mascari asked why the AWOS was not working? O'Neil said that the NWS is responsible for the maintenance of the ASOS and it has been repaired. Mascari commented that the press received the City Manager's report to Council at the same time the Commission did, He said this did not give the Commission time to review the report before talking to the press. Dulek explained how information is released and that the information is made public to everyone at the same time. Mascari said he was upset with the fact that the press received the report at the same time the Commission did. He said he did not think the City Staff should have the report before the Council. 5 ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: O'Neil said he attended the FAA conference in Kansas City in June and met with several FAA officials. He was the moderator for two sessions. The Commission will be receiving an application to use the Airport for an MS fundraiser. The Chamber is looking for applications for the Community Leadership program. O'Neil said it would be good for someone from the Commission to apply. No one was interested. O'Neil said he would be interested, but the $ 800 tuition was a drawback. A FAA safety meeting was conducted at the Airport. Several safety issues were discussed. The Met Life blimp stopped over for an overnight stay last Friday. O'Neil said he wanted to get some press for the event, but the blimp did not get to the Airport until 11:00 p.m. There was an article in the packet about Jet Air joining the Chamber. There was a letter in the packet from the DNR about the Kennedy property. The response letter was included in the packet. There was an announcement by the Science Center, announcing their new home at the Airport. O'Neil said he doesn't know where that came from or what prompted it. SET NEXT MEETING: The next regular Airport Commission meeting is scheduled for August 8, 2002,at 5:45 p.m. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 7:40 p.m. Mark Anderson, Chairperson FINAL/APPROVED MINUTES IOWA CITY BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT WEDNESDAY, June 12, 2002 - 5:00 PM EMMA J. HARVAT HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Eric Gidal, Mike Paul, Vince Maurer, T.J. Brandt, Dennis Keitel MEMBERS ABSENT: None. STAFF PRESENT: Karen Howard, Sarah Holecek OTHERS PRESENT: Donald King, Steve Conklin, Darlene Clausen, Tim Walker CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Brandt called the meeting to order at 5:00 PM ROLL CALL: Gidal, Maurer, Brandt, Paul, and Keitel present. CONSIDERATION OF THE MAY 8~ 2002 BOARD MINUTES: Minutes for the May 8 meeting were approved as submitted. MOTION: Mike Paul moved that the minutes of May 8 be approved as submitted. Eric Gidal seconded the motion. Motion passed 5-0. SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS: EXC02-00007. Discussion of an application submitted by St. Wenceslaus Church for special exceptions to expand a religious institution, for off-street parking on a separate lot, and to reduce the required front yard from 20 feet to 5 feet for property in the Neighborhood Conservation (RNC-12) Zone at 619-623 Fairchild Street. Karen Howard gave the staff report. She shared a site map that shows the proposed parking lots and the properties at 619 and 623 Fairchild St. Fairchild St. curves around North Market Square. There is a public alley behind the church; there is a second parking lot west of the church. The religious expansion includes the properly nodh of the church and across the alley. Howard next shared the plot plan submitted by the applicant, in order to highlight the issues at hand. Last year the church purchased property at 619 Fairchild St., sometime after that, they put down gravel in the area behind it, as an ad hoc expansion of their parking lot. The existing parking lot in a legally non-conforming parking lot; it does not meet city standards, but has non- conforming rights. However, the church cannot expand the parking lot without approval from the Board of Adjustment. The city sent a notice of violation to the church, stating a number of violations with this parking lot expansion. Parking lots must be paved. Board approval is needed for expansion of a religious institution (the church is currently using 619 & 623 Fairchild St. for church purposes); and the parking lot must be brought into compliance with the parking lot design standards in the Zoning Code. Because the property is across the alleyway, and thus a separate lot, they need permission from the Board for a special exception for parking on a Iowa City Board of Adjustment June 12, 2002 Page 2 separate lot. There are a number of things that the Board has to consider, so Howard went through each issue separately. Specific standards for each proposed exception: Off street parking located on a separate lot- 1. May apply for parking on a separate lot, if expanding your use, which is the case. The church is not required to put in any additional parking spaces because they are grandfathered in. If the church decided to build new, they would be required to have 88 spaces; they currently have 58 spaces. Any additional spaces would bring them closer to compliance. 2. Specific exceptions for parking on a separate lot are listed in the staff report. The lot must be within 300 ft. of the use served; in the same zone as the use served. If there is a shared use, enough parking for all the various uses must be provided, and a covenant is needed if the parking is being shared with another use. The last two conditions do not apply to this situation, because the church is solely using the parking for their own purposes. The first two standards have been met. 3. The Board should consider the desirability of the location of the off street parking, pedestrian and vehicular safety, any detrimental effects on adjacent property and the appearance of the streetscape, as a consequence of this parking. In the case of non- required parking, the need for additional off street parking. Each category is highlighted in the staff report. a. Staff does not feel that pedestrian vehicular safety will be a problem since the lot is directly across a public alley. Vehicular traffic will be off the public street. They are not proposing to change the entrance to their parking lot in any way. b. The effect of the appearance of the streetscape is dependent on how much the church expands their parking lot. They have proposed it in two phases, shown on the map. Phase I- an additional 19 parking spaces, behind the houses. The lot would be screened from any residential areas along Fairchild St. Staff feels, and the applicant has concurred, that additional landscaping will be necessary to screen the lot from the view of North Market Park. Phase II- tear down one house and expand the parking lot an additional six spaces. Staff feels this would have a significant effect appearance of the streetscape, which the staff believes is not warranted. This plan to tear down the house will definitely erode the residential character of the 600 Block of Fairchild St. There is currently a National Register House locate north of the church and there are two houses along the north section of Fairchild St. that will be affected by Phase II. c. The applicant has not provided a lot of information regarding the need for additional offsite parking. The applicants declined to submit additional written information on the subject. Howard expressed the wish that the applicants illuminate the Board further on these matters. Staff took a couple surveys of the existing lot on Sunday during mass (10am and noon) and on a weekday. As highlighted in the staff report, in the older areas of town, parking for churches is a problem, especially for special events and church holidays, but there is a lot of omstreet parking nearby that can fill in any inadequacies. On the Sunday surveyed, there were approximately 200 on-street parking spaces available and empty during service, within a couple blocks walking distance of the church. Staff Iowa City Board of Adjustment June 12, 2002 Page 3 also notes that the church is leasing parking to Mercy Hospital employees during the weekdays. Providing parking for commercial use in a residential zone is not permitted. There is a concern that the revenue gained from leasing parking to commercial uses becomes a driving force behind requests to expand parking lots to the detriment of the surrounding residential area. d. In conclusion, the staff finds that the additional off-street parking located adjacent to the church would be more convenient to church members, particularly those elderly or disabled. Staff also finds that there is a large supply of on street parking available within easy walking distance to absorb fluctuations is parking demand. As stated, staff believes it is reasonable for the church to expand their parking lot in a way that does not compromise the residential integrity of the neighborhood. However, given the amount of parking spaces within easy walking distance, staff does not believe that exception should be granted to areas that would compromise said residential integrity. Howard SHOWED THE board a number of photos taken of the subject property and surrounding neighborhood. Expansion of a religious institution- There are a number of specific standards, all of which the church has met. 1. Minimum lot area of 40,000 square feet. 2. Have access to an arterial and collector street 3. Minimum yard requirement of 2 feet of horizontal distance for each foot of building height, measured from the nearest point of the lot line and the nearest point from which the height is measured. If the Board is going to grant permission for these buildings to be used for church purposes (619 is being used for over-flow meeting space and 623 is being used for office space), the Board will need to grant a yard reduction because the houses sit fairly close to the street. This will be addressed more in the yard setback section of the staff report. 4. With regard to yard modifications, there are two front yards to consider in this case. The setback requirement would be approximately 30 feet. However the street right of way width is 80 feet, so there is considerable space to provide additional landscaping. The church must show that there is some unique situation, such as practical difficulty in meeting these setback requirements. With regard to the modification for the religious institution uses along the north part, staff recommends that the Board reduce the yard requirement to 5 feet along the north facing frontage along Fairchild Street, to 5 feet along the west facing frontage for the length of the existing structure in order to allow the church use these buildings for church purposes. Staff feels that there exists a unique situation because the structures have existed on the site for over one hundred years and are similar in appearance to other houses in the neighborhood, helping to buffer the existing parking lot from the residential area. There is also practical difficulty in meeting the setback requirement for religious institutions. 5. With regard to the front yard reduction to accommodate the parking lot, staff feels it is reasonable to reduce the yard along the parking lot shown as phase I, however, as noted previously in concerns about the erosion of the residential character of the neighborhood, staff does not feel that it is warranted to reduce the setback for what is termed Phase II in the application. Iowa City Board of Adjustment June 12, 2002 Page 4 There are a number of general special exception review requirements: 1. May not be detrimental to, or endanger the public health, safety, comfort, or general welfare. Staff feels that churches are important institutions in our neighborhoods and that it seems reasonable to expand a parking lot. In this location, this must be balanced with the other goals of the city for residential neighborhoods. 2. The church must make sure that they have complied with all the other standards in the zoning ordinance, so the parking lot must be brought into compliance with the parking lot design standards, the tree requirements in regards to lighting and screening. Some of these elements are shown on the church's plan. It should be noted that the church has shown all compact spaces on the plot plan and have not shown the existing striping on the existing lot. Staff is not aware of whether or not re-striping is planned. The church needs to make sure that only half the spaces in the lot be compact. 3. Along Dodge Street, in more recent years, the church paved over the public right-of-way next to the sidewalk; this needs to be remedied. It is not permitted to have paving in the public right of way, particularly if the paving is similar in color to the adjoining parking area, which allows cars to encroach upon the public right of way, causing a hazard to passing pedestrians. The church needs to restore the grass strip or put in appropriate landscaping according to city standards. Therefore, staff recommends that the following five special exceptions, filed under application EXC02-00007 be approved with conditions as follows: 1. A special exception to permit expansion of a religious institution, as shown as Phase I on the applicant's site plan, dated April 2002. 2. Parking on a separate lot, as shown as Phase I on the applicant's site plan, dated April 2002. 3. Reduction of the front yard to 5 feet along the west property line, as shown as Phase I on the applicant's site plan, dated April 2002. 4. Reduction of the front yard to 5 feet along the west and north sides of the property at 619 Fairchild Street, for the length of the existing structure for as long as the structure is retained on the lot, and the reduction of the yard to 5 feet for property at 623 Fairchild Street, for as long as the existing structure is retained on the lot. Staff recommends that these exceptions be approved, subject to the following conditions: 1. Compliance with the city's tree regulations, 14-6R-2. 2. Compliance with the city's parking lot design standards 14-6N-1. 3. Submission and implementation of a landscaping plan that includes a minimum of 5 foot landscaping strip along the west property line that contains plantings that will form a solid hedge, approximately 3 feet in height to screen the parking area. 4. Restoration of an 8-foot grass strip or other approved landscaping, between the existing east property line and the public sidewalk along Dodge St, so that the church parking lot is clearly separated for the public sidewalk. Iowa City Board of Adjustment June 12, 2002 Page 5 It was clarified that the religious expansion relates to Phase I, as shown in the applicant's site plan, dated April 2002. Phase II is not recommended by staff. Public Hearin,q Opened Donald King, 604 E. DaYenpor~ - Applicant; on behalf of St. Wenceslaus, he stated that there are no longer any plans to implement Phase II. He spoke to Terry Robinson of the Forestry Department about the existing parking on the Dodge St. side, who recommended that no hedging be put in because of insufficient space. He is in the process of considering what trees will be planted along the west property line, using the city's list of suggested trees. A 3-4 foot hedge will be put in at the 30-foot setback along Fairchild Street across from the park, along with the required trees. On the church side of the alley, there is handicapped parking that will be re-striped to conform to new handicapped guidelines. 619 Fairchild was made into an office 4 ¼ years ago and has been taxed as a religious institution. Neither 623 nor 619 will be rented out as housing. Gidal commented that he thought that staff had only recommended a green space along Dodge St. and not a hedge. Howard clarified that the green strip must be replaced, but the City Forester has noted that there would be adequate space (8 feet) for a hedge if that were desired. Staff only recommends the replacement of the green strip, but would think it reasonable if the Board decided that a hedge be planted for screening purposes. King pointed out that a hedge would also block view of oncoming traffic from the parking lot and alley, causing a hazard. Gidal also asked King to clarify the church's relationship with Mercy Hospital. King responded that one of the lay directors would be better able to speak to that question. Mercy helped to pay for the pavement on the far lot, if employees of Mercy Hospital could park there in return. Steve Conklin, Iowa City - Parish trustee for St. Wenceslaus Church; he pointed out that the church has been a good steward of the North side neighborhood over the years. 619 was renovated to an excess of $50,000, greatly improving the appearance. He explained that church membership has increased over the past 5 years from 550 members to now over 800. He estimated that at least 50% of mass attendees currently use on-street parking; any additional off-street parking that the church could gain would alleviate the confusion and congestion on the streets. He recalled that the green-space had been paved over because snow was being piled there and people were driving over it, leaving big ruts, all of which kept the grass from growing anyway. He reiterated that there is, at this point in time, no intention to implement Phase II and it will be stricken from the application. Maurer asked who owned the house on the corner of Dodge and Fairchild Street. Conklin replied that it is a Mr. Leo Gaffey, adding that this is the only property within that block that the church does not own. He also added that in order to remain viable, with so many Catholic churches nearby, that more off-street parking is necessary. Gidal asked Conklin to clarify the church's relationship to Mercy Hospital. Conklin explained that the relationship was entered into when there was a need for additional parking earlier. Mercy requested daytime/weekday parking, and in return, they paved a nearby vacant lot. Gidal asked if there would be a similar agreement for the proposed lot. Conklin said that there would not be; the lot will only be used by parishioners. He added that there is no contract with Mercy to use the gravel lot. Keitel asked for any suggestions as to how to delineate the public right of way if it were not grassed. Conklin suggested painting the strip green or another color. He explained that without a gutter or curb that people will cut across whether there is grass or not. Paul suggested a shod fence. Howard noted that the existing parking lot does not meet the parking lot design standards and is grandfathered in. If this were a new lot, spaces would have to be separated Iowa City Board of Adjustment June 12, 2002 Page 6 from the public right of way by a curbed, raised planting bed. Staff is not suggesting that the Board require that the entire lot be brought up to standard, but the city would certainly assist the church in their efforts to design or improve the parking lot. Conklin stated that the church has no intentions to modify the existing parking lot at this time. Conklin complained that the city was "holding us [the church] hostage" by demanding the green space before Phase I could be implemented. Darlene Clausen, 508 E. Bloomington - Speaking on behalf of the North side Neighborhood Association, she said that the Association cannot support the plan as it is submitted since it does include Phase II. The Association is concerned that if it were approved the church may go ahead with Phase II at a later date. The neighborhood does not want to lose more of its character to parking lots (Zion and Mercy are also nearby). Tim Walker, 621 N. Johnson - Is in favor of Phase I, but opposed to Phase I1. He asked that the two issues be separated so that it is understood that Phase II is not and will not be approved. He commented that he saw no existing "hostage" matter in regards to remedying the existing lot since it was not done properly to begin with. He said that it is not asking too much to return the right of way to green grass. He cited a Iongtime blind resident that could be endangered by the existing situation. He asked whether the cut-through problem could be fixed by using a post and chain fence like those on campus. He ended by saying that he is happy to have St. Wenceslaus as a neighbor and that they contribute to the neighborhood, but he would like to see them be a good neighbor by formally striking Phase II from the records. Donald King - If the Board decides that the green space must be restored, it could be set back some to retain a curve so that parishioners can swing into the parking lot easily. Howard added that since the turn in is a public alley, the city would certainly help the church to design a turn in that would meet all standards. It was confirmed that the city will meet with St. Wenceslaus to work something out. Gidal asked if King would object to having Phase II officially stricken from the site plan; King & Conklin stated that they would not object. Public Hearing Closed Brandt noted that due to the number of items, the exception will be broken down into parts for voting. Holecek agreed this was a good idea, so long as the conditions follow each appropriately. MOTION: Keitel moved that EXC02-00007 be approved for item #1, which is the special exception to permit expansion of a religious institution into the existing residence buildings at 619 & 623 Fairchild. Paul seconded the motion. Findinqs of Fact: Keitel - they have demonstrated that the exception will not be detrimental and that it meets all the requirements. Will vote in favor of approving the use of 619 & 623 as religious institutions. Gidal - Also have no problem with using the buildings as religious institutions, but is a little confused about the wording of Phase II, since it seems to also contain wording about the construction of the parking lot. He said that in that regard, it seems to link up with item #2. Concerns: the standards that are being used to discern whether or not this would be detrimental, are somewhat subjective, but still it remains that a green space would be replaced by a parking lot. Also is concerned about the relationship with Mercy Hospital, since Mercy is Iowa City Board of Adjustment June 12, 2002 Page 7 currently using a lot that the church says they are not. Is concerned that the expansion is not just for church usage. Will vote in favor of approving the use of 619 & 623 as religious institutions. However, he believes that the parking lot expansion would be detrimental to the streetscape and the neighborhood and that it remains unclear whether or not it is really needed, and would vote to deny. He asks for clarification on how recommendation #1 should be understood. Howard answered that a special exception is needed for all of the stated uses because that expanded parking lot will also be used by the religious institution, so it falls under the label of expansion of a religious institution. She said that he could vote for the use of the buildings, but not for the parking lot expansion. Gidal asked that even though the wording has the two issues grouped as recommendation #1, that the two issues be split apart and voted on separately. Brandt pointed out that recommendation #1 can be read as relating only to the buildings if one ignores the addendum, "as shown in Phase I". Holecek suggested rewording recommendation #1 to read as follows: "a special exception to permit expansion of a religious institution into the existing residential structures (619 & 623 Fairchild St.). That would leave recommendation #2 as the question of the parking lot behind, reading "Expansion of a religious institution and parking on a separate lot". Paul - No problem with the first item, believes they have met all standards. Will vote in favor of approving the use of 619 & 623 as religious institutions. He agrees with Gidal's separation of the issues. Maurer - No problem with the first item. Will vote in favor of approving the use of 619 & 623 as religious institutions. Brandt - agrees with the other members; has no problem. Will vote in favor of approving the use of 619 & 623 as religious institutions. Motion passed on a vote of 5-0. MOTION: Paul moved that EXC02-00007, item #2 be approved for parking in a separate lot, as shown on Phase I on the applicant's site plan date April 2002, as well as expansion of a religious institution, along with staff recommended conditions being compliance with the city's tree regulations, 14-6R2 and city parking lot design standards. In addition, implementation of a landscaping plan that includes a minimum of 5 feet landscaping strip along the west property line that contains plantings that will form a solid hedge approximately 3 feet in height to screen the parking area, and restoration of an 8 foot grass strip or other approved landscaping between the existing east property line and the public sidewalk along Dodge St. so that the church parking lot is clearly separated from the sidewalk. Keitel seconded the motion. Findinqs of Fact: Maurer - it is already a parking lot. He asked, "What are we going to force the church to do with it if they don't use it for parking?" He saw no problem with Mercy using the space during the week, if that was what the church chose to do. Will vote in favor of the exceptions under #2. Gidal - He noted that it seems wrong to complete a parking lot as a fait accompfi and then ask permission for it. It is now a parking lot, though not one that is compliant. In addition, as a parking lot, it will certainly be detrimental to the streetscape, so he suggested going along with the staff buffering recommendations. The other problem, he said is that it seems that the lot appears that it is primarily being used by Mercy Hospital 5 days a week, and only one day a Iowa City Board of Adjustment June 12, 2002 Page 8 week is it being used by the church, causing him to question the need that is driving the expansion. In terms of appearance and the question of the need, Gidal will vote to deny the exceptions under #2. Maurer argued that the church growth alone should be reason to grant the exception. Gidal disagreed, saying that it would be preferable to have parking on the street rather than damage the streetscape with a parking lot. Gidal pointed out that, by the church's own estimate, people are parking 2-3 blocks away, which is not excessive. Maurer argued that the green space is already long gone and the lot is already there. Gidal countered that the situation does not seem irreparable and he was worried by the precedent that would be created, (i.e. Build a parking lot and then get permission for it). Paul asked how the Mercy use of the lot is viewed by the city. Howard responded that it is a commercial use of the lot and is not permitted by city code. Paul - As far as the specific standards for parking on a separate lot are concerned, they appear to have been met. As stated in the staff report, the expansion will bring the lot closer to compliance in terms of the spaces required. The distance and zone standards have been met. He believed that if the lot is screened, there will be no problem. Phase II had been a concern, but since the church no longer plans to implement Phase II, it will not be a problem. Agree with Gidal that parking 2-3 blocks away is not excessive, especially since the city permits parking on both sides of the street for Sunday services. Believe that there is an adequate number of on street spots available, but is in favor of helping a growing church, so long as everything is within compliance. Paul will vote in favor of the exceptions under #2. Keitel - speaking as an engineer, the hard surfacing will increase the intensity of run-off in an urbanized area. Reinforced turf parking areas will reduce the runoff, though they are not a part of city standards. He suggested it for use in the gravel lot. Holecek noted that in the absence of any evidence of run-off, it would not be right to make reinforced turf parking a condition. Keitel clarified that he was not suggesting that it be made a condition, he was just throwing the idea out. Keitel will vote in favor of the exceptions under #2. Brandt - do not have any problems that proper buffering/screening could not take care of. Brandt will vote in favor of the exceptions under #2. Motion passed on a vote of 4-1, with Gidal dissenting. MOTION: Gidal moved that EXC02-00007 be approved for the reduction of the front yard to 5 feet along the west property line as shown as Phase I on the applicant's site plan dated April 2002, subject to the condition of the restoration of an 8 foot grass strip or other approved landscaping between the existing east property line and the public sidewalk along Dodge St. so that the church parking lot is clearly separated from the sidewalk. Paul seconded the motion. MOTION: Maurer moved that EXC02-00007 be approved for item #4, reduction of the front yard to 5 feet along the west, south, and north lines of the property along 619 Fairchild St. for the length of the existing structure, subject to the condition of the restoration of an 8 foot grass strip or other approved landscaping between the existing east property line and the public sidewalk along Dodge St. so that the church parking lot is clearly separated from the sidewalk. Brandt seconded the motion. MOTION: Keitel moved that EXC02-00007 be approved for item #5, reduction of the front yard to 5 feet for the property at 623 Fairchild St. as long as the existing structure is retained on the lot, subject to the condition of the restoration of an 8 foot grass strip or other approved landscaping between the existing east property line and the public Iowa City Board of Adjustment June 12, 2002 Page 9 sidewalk along Dodge St. so that the church parking lot is clearly separated from the sidewalk. Paul seconded the motion. Findinqs of Fact: Gidal - He commented that this and the next two exceptions seem to be common sense to approve because of how the houses are constructed. Keitel - In agreement, especially because the right of way gives adequate room for street trees or other types of landscaping. Paul -There is practical impossibility to conform to how the standards are written, so agree with the staff report. Gidal asked if it was worth having a discussion on the staff conditions, relating to whether or not the design standards should be applied only to the new lot or also to the existing one. Brandt said that his only concern for the existing lot was that the city engineering department helps the church to restore the green space, possibly by adding a curb. Paul noted that he would like to make the restoration a condition of granting any of the exceptions. All three motions passed on a vote of 5-0. The Board approves with conditions the following special exceptions filed under application EXC02-00007: 1) On a vote of 5-0, a special exception to permit expansion of a religious institution to reuse the buildings at 619 and 623 Fairchild Street for church purposes; 2) On a vote of 4-1, a special exception to permit expansion of a religious institution to include an expanded parking lot and to permit parking on a separate lot as shown as Phase / on the applicant's site plan dated April 2002; 3) On a vote of 5-0, reduction of the front yard to five feet along the west property line as shown as Phase I on the applicant's site plan dated April 2002; 4) On a vote of 5-0, reduction of the front yard to. five feet along the west and north sides of the property at 619 Fairchild Street for the length of the existing structure for as long as the structure is retained on the lot; and a 5) On a vote of 5-0, reduction of the front yard to five feet for property at 623 Fairchild Street for as long as the existing structure is retained on the lot. The Board approves these special exceptions subject to the following conditions: 1) The new parking area must be brought into compriance with, the City's tree regulations, 14-6R-2, and with the City's parking lot design standards, 14-6N-1; 2) Submission and implementation of a landscaping plan that includes a minimum a five foot landscaping strip along the west property line that contains plantings that will form a solid hedge approximately three feet in height to screen the parking area; and 3) Restoration of an eight-foot grass strip or other approved landscaping between the existing east property line and the public sidewalk along Dodge Street, so that the church parking lot is clearly separated from the sidewalk. Iowa City Board of Adjustment June 12, 2002 Page 10 BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT INFORMATION None. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Keitel moved to adjourn, seconded by Paul. The meeting adjourned at 6:24 PM Shared\pcd\mins\boa\06-12.02.DOC FINAL/APPROVED MINUTES IOWA CITY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2002 CITY MANAGER'S CONFERENCE ROOM Members Present: Richard Carlson, Michael Maharry, Jim Ponto, Amy Smothers, Tim Weitzel, Michaelanne Widness Members Absent: Michael Gunn, Peter Jochimsen, James Enloe Staff Present: Shelley McCafferty Others Present: Kerry McGrath, Mike Pubillones, Tara Ripple CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Maharry called the meeting to order at 5:37PM. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: The commission welcomed Mike Pubillones, Tara Ripples, who explained that they came just to observe for the time being. They said that they will hold any questions until the end. McCafferty facilitated introductions of the commission members to those present and presented new Chairperson Maharry with a book on historic homes. DISCUSSION WITH KERRY MCGRATH CLG COORDINATOR, STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF IOWA: Kerry McGrath was introduced and gave some background to the historical preservation movement. Executive Order 11593, given by President Nixon, formalized the country's commitment to historic properties. She talked about where this movement should be going and the commission's role. McGrath spoke of her role in the Certified Local Government (CLG) Program as being that of a pencil pusher, with local commissions doing the real work. Right now is not a good time for organizations looking for government support. Much of this money has been eliminated and/or the statute modified with monies suspended for a year. McGrath suggested trying to gain money through President's Programs, which are used to create jobs. As far as federal pass-thru money goes, there is not as much as there was two years ago, but there is more than last year. No allowances, however, were made for Historic Preservation in the Cultural Affairs budget. Right now, CLG is funding a number of different projects, ranging from developing contexts for evaluating commercial districts and schools, to preserving the history of the Underground Railroad. Funding for CLG grants should either remain the same or increase slightly. The information for the CLG grant comes out in June with a new deadline of Sept. 30 for proposals. These are matching grants (can be soft match, i.e. volunteer work) with a 60/40 ratio. Up until recently, CLG monies could not be used for rehab because "brick-and-mortar" funding was available from HRDP, but this has been eliminated. In the future, CLG money may be available for rehab projects. The commission took advantage of McGrath's expertise and picked her brain for strategizing suggestions. McGrath commended the active "Friends of Historical Preservation" volunteers in Iowa City. She said that they are an invaluable source for labor. She suggested that the members coordinate with salvage barns in Dubuque and Burlington to counter the high-cost arguments against proper rehab. Maharry commented that the commission is interested in adding historic districts and asked for advice on creating context and whether or not to enlarge an existing district or create a new one. McCafferty explained that College Hill historic districts were defined very conservatively. Since these designations the commission has become less conservative in defining the boundaries of districts and contributing Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission June 27, 2002 Page 2 properties. East College would fit in the context of College Green, but not vice versa. McGrath explained that it is possible to expand and amend historical districts, but you cannot create a "doughnut". She also said that it is often wise to put conservation and historic districts together, with the conservation district acting as a buffer for the latter. It was discussed that there is a need to educate the public about what it means to live in a historic district, since there are many misconceptions. For instance, Weitzel said that there were some misconceptions in the Longfellow Neighborhood regarding regulations of house painting. McGrath suggested using showcase districts to show the benefits, such as increased property value. McGrath noted that there is an incentive for rental owners to keep up their historic homes: federal and state tax credits. Private owners are also able to get state tax credits. McCafferty then asked her to explain tax abatement. McGrath clarified the term, saying that it often involves temporary tax exemption or it can, for example, work so that, say, four years from the starting point, the property tax remains at the same level that it began with. Over the next four years, the level gradually rises to that of the full property tax at that time. Establishing a local tax abatement program requires the approval of the County Commissioners, and is enabled by state law. McGrath also suggested taking advantage of student involvement to alleviate the costs of historic preservation (i.e. archaeology students, history majors, sororities and fraternities, etc.). PROPOSED COLLEGE HILL HISTORIC DISTRICT: Maharry began by saying that the historic context for the proposed College Hill district runs from 1860- 1920. The group is thinking of expanding the district. Maharry asked how to get a good idea of how context works. McGrath suggested reading multiple historic property proposal documents to get an idea of how context works. She also said that a lot depends upon the primary source material available, but you must be able to show significance and pervasiveness, keeping in mind that many times historic districts represent multiple contexts. However, primarily a historic context is made up of: 1. History- interesting, maybe based on an event (hardest) 2. People- maybe be based on a famous person 3. Design- similar design elements - based on design, construction (easiest) 4. Potential to yield information Maharry explained that the proposed district is made up of previous single-family dwellings that give a sense of evolving residential preferences. Smothers noted that many of the original structures have changed because of tornado damage. McGrath said that the important thing to discover in this sort of instance is what the underlying dynamic of the neighborhood was, i.e. were the poor copying the rich?, etc. She noted that letters and journals are best for this sort of investigation, and because this is a college town, there is a greater likelihood that such details were documented. Above all, however, she said that is essential to make sure that any nominations are defensible (use the National Registers as a basis for local nominations) and be sure to follow all procedures and be consistent! In answer to Maharry's question whether it would be feasible to turn the whole Eastside District into a Conservation District, McGrath said that you must take into consideration the following: 1. Will residents let you do it? 2. With a conservation district would CLG's objections be neutralized? 3. Do you have National Register properties in the Conservation District? Smothers asked whether landmarks would be non-contributing. McGrath said that this is not currently addressed and should be specified in the commission's ordinance revisions. The group then talked of specific problems with context in the proposed area, such as 730 Iowa Ave, which is a Georgian house amongst Queen Anne. McCafferty added that this particular house does not fit into the overall context, but rather contributes to it in a broader sense. McGrath agreed, saying that a similar situation can be found at Grand Ave in Keokuk, IA. The area shows evolving residential preferences from Federal style homes to 1950s ranches. McGrath added that she will send McCafferty a copy of the Conservation District Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission June 27, 2002 Page 3 pamphlet, and mentioned a Minnesota Study underwritten by a HRDP grant that the group could look into. McGrath said that overall, the most important thing is to keep the areas in question from being obliterated. This can be done by designating a historical district and a simultaneous overlay zone. Since Iowa is a home rule state, unless something is specifically forbidden, the city can do what they wish. MOFFITT COTTAGE HISTORIC DISTRICT: Ponto began by giving a brief description of some of the pros and cons of the proposal, the biggest con being that the cottages are not in one contiguous area. McGrath pointed out that Chicago has discontiguous historic districts and it might be possible to expand the Longfellow district to include the Moffitt Cottages, five of which are contiguous. The group was urged to look at specific Moffitt Cottage guidelines. McGrath will also send the group several orientation manuals for the new commissioners. ARCHEOLOGY (NOT ON THE AGENDA): Because of the State's concern regarding the Commission's role in reviewing archeological sites, the Commission discussed with McGrath a number of issues related to this topic including: 1. Weitzel's frustration with problems facing archaeological sites 2. Problems with the sensitive areas ordinance 3. Division of labor between Historical Preservation and the Office of the State Archeologist 4. Possible plans to survey the Iowa City area of possible archaeological sites The discussion then returned to the earlier agenda item of the proposed College Hill conservation district. PROPOSED COLLEGE HILL HISTORIC DISTRICT (REVISITED): McCaffer[y noted that the group must look at a timeline, now that the area has been surveyed. The commission indicated that they are interested in taking advantage of September CLG money for the project. However, many things must be done, including: 1. Update the neighborhood design book 2. Educate against misconceptions about design review 3. Public awareness and education in general including the Historic Iowa City brochures 4. Recruit volunteers (Such as "Friends") Maharry indicated that the proposed College Hill district would also appear on the next meeting's agenda. McCafferty noted that College Hill has been a priority because it is currently zoned for multi-family dwellings and is in danger because of this zoning. McGrath determined that the group should come up with wording that is agreeable to the City Council since they can only reverse commission decisions if they are arbitrary and capricious. DISCUSSION OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: Again, the discussion diverged along the following lines: 1. Why vinyl siding should not be used on Historic Homes 2. Fiber cement board as an alternative to vinyl 3. McCafferty will give National Trust FORUM passwords, etc. to commissioners so they can download information 4. Window replacement issue 5. Are vacant positions included in the determination of a quorum. What exactly defines a quorum? Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission June 27, 2002 Page 4 HISTORIC PRESERVATION HANDBOOK REVISIONS: As the meeting was running behind schedule, there was little time to devote to these revisions. McCafferty pointed out site changes, which incorporated changes from the last time this issue was discussed. She pointed out that the commission should try to prevent the paving of the front yard of 838 E. College St, an English bungalow with faux thatched roof. Widness suggested including more examples within the text and Maharry suggested new wording "new paving of a driveway" to combat the E. College St. problem. There was a brief discussion on fencing and it was decided that metal mesh fences would be put in as an example of a "no-no". Widness submitted minor comments and grammatical corrections to McCafferty, in writing. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES OF MAY 23, AND JUNE 13, 2002: May 23, 2002: 1. The name, "Christian" is misspelled throughout the document. 2. Page 2) Smothers- what makes obvious. Integrity of building not compromised... MOTION: Weitzel moved that the minutes for May 23, 2002 be approved as amended. Carlson seconded the motion. Motion passed, 6-0. June 13, 2002: 1. Page 1) effect, not affect 2. Page 2, line 1) knew of no house ever built MOTION: Weitzel moved that the minutes for June 13, 2002 be approved as amended. Carlson seconded the motion. Motion passed, 6-0. ADJOURNMENT: MOTION: Widness moved that the meeting be adjourned. Smothers seconded the motion. Motion passed, 6-0. Chairperson Maharry adjourned the meeting at 8:13 PM. Shared\pcd\min\h pc\hpc06-27-02.doc PIINUTES IOWA CITY PUBLIC LTBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING THURSDAY, July 25, 2002 5:00 PM Members Present: Linda Dellsperger, Shaner MagalhEes, Lisa Parker, Linda Prybil, .lesse Singerman, Tom Surer, .lim Swaim Members Absent: Pat $chnack, David VanDusseldorp Staff Present: Barb Black, Maeve Clark, Susan Craig, Barbara Curtin, Beth Daly, Debb Green, Heidi Lauritzen, Kara Logsden, Liz Nichols Others: Joel Miller, Special Project Manager CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 5:00 pm. PUBLIC DlrSCU$$ION: None APPROVAL OF F4TNUTES: The minutes of the regular meeting of June 27, 2002 were approved with one change: under Unfinished Business/Parking, one board member was added to the list of board members attending a City Council work session: Magalh~es/Dellsperger, unanimous. UNFINTSHED BUSINESS: A. Buildinq Proiect - Report from Joel Miller Joel Miller passed out his latest report and took the Board to the construction site. Board members walked on the recently poured concrete first floor and were able to see the progress of the project. Miller went over his printed report and pointed out the location of items in the report. He reported that some of the money saved in earlier stages is now earmarked for upgrading the locks throughout the building, an item that was not properly described in the specification. He estimates that the project is still 30 days ahead of schedule at this point. When asked about the timing of the move, Miller said that the Library is scheduled to move into temporary quarters around May of 2003. The move to the finished, expanded Library is scheduled for July of 2004. Craig hopes that the project can finish early, so Summer Reading Program can begin in June in the new Children's Room. Craig reported that the next major intrusive phase of the project will be to take down the west wall of the second floor of the existing building in order to connect the roof beams. All of the furniture on that wall will have to be shifted to other, already crowded areas. B. Approve Board Annual Report - The Board added one amendment the Library Board of Trustees report to be included in the Library's Annual report: Add the following wording to Goals, number 6: "including planning for public access and outreach": Swaim / Prybil, approved unanimously. ICPL BOARD OF TRUSTEES July 25, 2002 The Board approved the amended report with two changes: revise one sentence in Accomplishments, number 4; and add wording to Accomplishments, number 10: Dellsperger / Surer, unanimous. Curtin was asked how fundraising efforts were progressing, referring to Goals, number 3. The Board specifically wanted to know if they needed to do more in that area. Curtin explained that the fund drive is progressing, and yes, the campaign needs more effort from all people involved with the Library. Craig suggested that some of these issues could be discussed at the fundraising overview and update that will take place in September. Craig was asked if the Community User Survey, planned for November 2004, would include questions about parking, outreach sites, and accessibility. Craig clarified that the survey was the first step in the next cycle of Library strategic planning, and added that questions could be included about anything the Board wants to know. AoDrove Director's Goals - The Board discussed the issue of including on-going duties in a list of goals. For example, Craig must prepare and administer the Library budget, whether or not it is listed here. The consensus was that the tasks be included in the goals this year, as they are especially important during the construction. The Director's goals were approved unanimously, no motion needed. NEW BUSZNESS: A. Set Public Hearinq for Auqust 22 for the Iowa City Public Library Expansion and Renovation Cabling Proiect - Craig explained that this bid hearing is open to the public and will be in Meeting Room A if the space is available. Overall, this bid is a minor portion of the construction project. But in complexity, the Telecommunications part of the project is very significant. We need to coordinate moving computer systems and data connections, including Internet service and phone service, and then moving them all back. The Board officially set August 22 to be the date for the Cabling project public hearing, Swaim / Prybil, unanimous. B. FY02 Planninq Review - The Board asked if the new Cell Phone Use Policy had made any difference. Clark explained that some people will always talk loudly, on the phone or not. The difference is that Staff now has a policy and procedure and can explain that calls must be taken to the lobby. Logsden reported that the Library and .Jail staff have been working together to smooth the transition caused by the removal of the Jail Library. New limits and procedures have been in place, to the satisfaction of Jail and Library staff. Craig interjected that the Library's name has been submitted to be on a committee to study jail needs. We hope to provide input on library needs. The Board inquired if the 37,000 number of items withdrawn from the collection is a larger than the average year. Craig answered that, in a good year, 20,000 items are withdrawn. She further explained that the Library has had a policy of slow growth of the collection, so each year acquisitions have been greater than withdrawals. Things were different this year because staff examined every item for both use and physical condition. The Library doesn't want to pay to put security tags on items that won't be here in 2004. Nor do we want to move twice items that are not used. Craig assured the Board that as the expansion is complete, the Library the collection will continue to be a priority. ICPL BOARD OF TRUSTEES July 25, 2002 Linda Dellsperger wondered about two items that were not listed in the FY02 Final Plan: Sleeping in the Library and meeting room policy changes. Craig and Parker reported on the progress being in committees in the Library and in the community. Craig mentioned that the problem is seasonal in nature; people are apt to sleep or spend time outdoors if the weather is nice. Craig suggested that the meeting room policy issue be included on the August agenda, giving her time to plan with staff and get advice from the City Attorney. She was optimistic that a solution agreeable to all parties can be found. Singerman emphasized the Board's appreciation to the staff for a great deal of work done very well in FY2002, and expressed her thanks for the same. C. FY03 Plan - Answering a question about revising emergency procedures, Craig explained that the construction firm was responsible for project safety and 3oel Miller is on top of the issues. So far, working conditions inside the Library have been good, with Iow noise levels and little dust. Further, any safety concerns within the Library may be addressed by the standing ICPL Safety Committee. Craig clarified the goal by saying that the internal Library emergency procedures would have to be amended to show which emergency exits and safe areas are different in a new space, and which duties have changed. The Board wanted to know how the plan will change if State funding is dropped or eliminated. Craig said that some state programs, such as the ICN room, will not be available in the temporary quarters. So far, state aide to public libraries has not been cut drastically. Swaim asked if there have been any technological innovations that protected kids on the Internet and did not include filtering. Craig said that filtering is still the only technology available at this time; however, libraries are working to educate parents and children on Internet safety. i'n answer to a question about partners for an Innovative consortium, Craig described the possibilities of incorporating, for example, Coraiville Public Library into ICPL's Innovative system, innovative is ICPL's computer catalog and circulation system. No decisions have been made, but we are exploring options with Coralville. if Coralville is interested we will pursue it; if not, it will be dropped. The Board approved the FY03 Plan: Singerman / Swaim, unanimous. D. FY04 New Plan - Craig projected that the Library will be in temporary quarters for most of FY04. Most of the goals for FY04 are in some way related to the expansion. The Board suggested cooperating with other City departments and community locations to schedule off-site story hours. They suggested stories at Mercer Center, the Sheraton, local libraries, and various other places. Craig and Green responded that the Library is exploring the options. Craig encouraged the Board to start thinking about the retail space that will be available in the expanded Library. She suggested that a timeline be created, that a year before the space is available is not too soon to start seeking tenants. Craig mentioned that she already has a list of people interested in the space. Craig gave a rough idea of one area of concern: does the Board want the tenant who can pay the most rent? The business that fits with the Library's functions? The City will need to be involved in these discussions. The Board approved the FY04 Plan: Dellsperger/Prybil; unanimous. ICPL BOARD OF TRUSTEES July 25, 2002 E. Adoot NOBU Budnet for FY03 - There was quite a bit of discussion on the item to support the Development Office staff salary with $20,000. This was proposed as a one-time expense, needed because of very poor market conditions and Foundation funds decreasing in value. Several areas of concern were that the Development Office has Library duties, i.e. the volunteer program, that the Board hasn't seen a FY03 DO budget and were unfamiliar with the workings of the office, that we were only "shuffling funds", that the Friends Foundation Board should be responsible for their funds. Singerman felt that, for a one-year period of time, this request was reasonable. The Board approved the NOBU budget as written: Swaim / Singerman, 5 to 1 with Dellsperger dissenting, and Suter not voting as he had left the meeting earlier. Curtin offered to write two budgets, one with and one without the NOBU funds. Craig and Curtin offered to prepare any kind of documentation to help the Board understand the Development Office budget. The ~oard directed Craig to prepare an overview of the Development Office budget in time for the September fund raising discussion, and to invite Beth Beasly, Friends Foundation president, to attend the September Board meeting. F. Reaopointment of two Deeple to the Library Art Advisory Committee - The Board approved the reappointment of .lan Friedman and Rebecca Kobos to the Library's Art Advisory Committee, for terms ending April 1, 2005: Swaim / Prybil, unanimous. The Board discussed the current, informal method of appointing members to the Art Advisory committee, the only Board committee not entirely composed of Board members. There are no term limits. Turnover is usually the result of someone moving, changing interest, or deciding that he or she has served long enough. The Board was interested in changing the appointment process to recruit wider, be more formal, and allow more people a chance to participate. STAFF REPORTS: A. Departmental Reports - CAVS, Circulation, ~'nformation The Board thanked the staff warmly for the work they do on departmental reports. The reports give them insight into the day-to-day work done by staff. There was some question why they did not receive a monthly report from the Development Office, as has been the practice. Craig explained that the DO used to be the only department to write a report and is now treated the same as other departments. B. Library Accreditation Approved - Craig was pleased to announce that the Library once again received accreditation from the State of Iowa. C. Stop by Fair Booth(s) next week - Craig pointed out that "next week" in the agenda referred to the week of.luly 22, 2002, as this agenda had been mailed the week before the fair. Many of the Board members had, in fact, visited or volunteered at the Libraries of.lohnson Counties fair booth(s). Tokens were distributed to passing fair-goers: brightly colored fans, pens, and Band-Aids. The fans and band-aids were funded through the NLM grant. D. Irvincl B. Weber Days - The Board asked why the Library was so involved in Irving Weber Days. Logsden explained that the programs fit in well with the Library's goals to promote local history. ICPL BOARD OF TRUSTEES July 25, 2002 PRESTDENT'S REPORT: Parker drew the Board's attention to the Board packet and her memo to Marc Moen, which thanked him for his original idea of valet parking to improve access to the Library. City Council member Irvin Pfab has suggested that the City cable staff tape and broadcast Library Board meetings. One member suggested that the Board return to taping the meeting once per year, at the .]uly meeting when the Board discusses the Strategic Plan. Others were not interested, The Board agreed to revisit the issue after the expanded Library was open. The Board's traditional social dinner had been postponed this year due to scheduled absences of several Board members. Parker asked for a consensus in picking a new date. No final decision was made. ANNOUNCEMENT FROM MEMBERS: Swaim was very proud to announce that construction companies McComas-Lacina and Knutson (currently working on the Library expansion) have pledged construction work on the new youth center for United Action for Youth in the Tower Place parking ramp. Prybil praised Debb Green for the success of the Library's storytelling, part of Kids' Day at the Johnson County Fair. There were about 100 kids in attendance COMMZTrEE REPORTS: The Art Committee invited Board members to meet the artists, Melanie Walker and George Peters, who the committee hopes will create the showcase art for the new Library. The artists will be in Meeting Room A on Wednesday, July 31, 2002, from 3:30 to 4:30 pm. This showing is by invitation only, for Board, Library staff, and some City staff. COMMUNZCA'r~ONS: A letter from Rod Sullivan and a letter from Lolly Eggers and Carol Spaziani regarding the changed meeting room booking procedures were tabled until the next Board meeting, when the policy will be reviewed. DZSBURSEMENTS: Visa report for .lune 2002 was reviewed. Disbursements for June 2002 approved, Magalh~es / Swaim, unanimous. SET AGENDA ORDER FOR AUGUST MEETING: Continue discussion of changes to Meeting Room Policy. Invite Beth Beasly, Friends Foundation president, to discuss the Development Office FY03 budget. AD.1OURNMENT: Adjourned at 6:55 p.m., Magalh~es / Surer, unanimous Minutes taken and transcribed by Beth Daly FINAL/APPROVED MINUTES PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION AUGUST 14, 2002 MEMBERS PRESENT: Kevin Boyd, Toni Cilek, Doug Ginsberg, Craig Gustaveson, Nancy Ostrognai, Matt Pacha, Rex Pruess, John Westefeld MEMBERS ABSENT: Al Stroh STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo, Mike Moran, Terry Trueblood FORMAL ACTION TAKEN Moved by Gustaveson, seconded by Westefeld, to approve the July 10, 2002 minutes as written. Unanimous. Moved by Gustaveson, seconded by Boyd~ to endorse the Southwest District Plan as presented. Unanimous. SOUTHWEST DISTRICT PLAN Bob Miklo presented the draft of the Southwest District Plan to obtain the commission's input. The plan contains concepts for housing, zoning, transportation, commercial development and parks and open space. Miklo explained the planning process and reviewed the district's four subareas. Miller-Orchard Neighborhood: It will be necessary to acquire additional parkland at the corner of Miller Avenue and Benton Street to provide safer access to Miller-Omhard Park The Ruppert family owns the property, and staff have had discussions with them in the past. If the area were zoned RM20 and RSS, the Rupperts would be required to dedicate 1.5 acres to meet zoning and subdivision regulations. Pacha asked about the lack of safe access to the park from Roosevelt School. Miklo indicated the plan shows the possible construction of a pedestrian overpass between the school and the park to address this concern, although it may not be realistic. The plan also proposes a sidewalk along Benton Street and possible traffic signal. Also, the Knabe family owns property to the west of the Ruppert property and their plans are to keep it as open space. Miklo noted the series of goals for parks, trails and open space in this area on page 31 of the plan. With respect to Riverside Drive, the City wil~ continue to work with the community to develop a plan to address long-term redevelopment. Willow Creek Subarea: Most of the area is completely developed except in the Galway Hills area. He noted he received a lot of positive comments on Willow Creek Park, Kiwanis Park and the trail system. People are very proud to have them in their neighborhood. Additional parkland will be developed in the southern portion of Galway Hills and in the northern portion of Walden Hills. Plans include bringing Willow Creek trail to Highway 218 and over to Hunters Run Park. West of Highway 218 seems isolated and plans include more trail connections in this area. Weber Subarea: The plan proposes extending Willow Creek Trail from Hunters Run Park to the west to connect with the County Poor Farm property. There have been discussions with the developer and they may be willing to give more open space than what is required. Another open space the City will acquire in the future is 4 acres on Slothower Road for a water distribution system that could double as open space. Parks and Recreation comrrassion August 14, 2002 Page 2 of 4 Rohret South Subarea: This area will not develop until the sewer line is extended west of Highway 218, which will be at least seven years. The area is suitable for a regional stormwater management facility, and the City would acquire the land for it. Miklo reviewed the "Carson Lake Concept Plan", which includes a 40-acre lake with a park around the entire lake and a buffer along Highway 218. The workshop attendants want the new neighborhood to have an identity/landmark, such as a shopping center and to have a park that is very public and open such as Willow Creek and Hunters Run. Also, there was a lot of interest expressed in a recreation center. Boyd noted he participated in the workshops and one of his concerns was that he felt he was walking into something that was just for the neighborhood. He indicated there should be ways to make sure the workshops are more welcoming for people who live outside the area. He felt the workshops were not including the whole community when determining the various concepts. The workshops reflect what the neighborhood wants, but they may not be in the best interest of the entire community. Miklo stated staff attempted to invite different groups to the workshop, and when that does not happen Planning staff's job is to keep the whole picture in mind for the benefit of the City. Boyd also noted the lack of commercial development in the plan, and pointed out the potential for it along Highway 965. He stated commercial development generates tax revenue and there needed to be more. Boyd felt the recreation aspects of the plan were wonderful, but the City needs to be more realistic in finding ways to fund it. Miklo agreed there is a potential for commercial development along Highway 965, and the plan will be revisited in the future to determine where commercial development can occur. He noted there is a lot of commercial space vacant in the City, and they are looking at ways to "beef up" commercial areas, such as along Riverside Drive. Pruess stated the railroad bridge is an eyesore that should be made more presentable. Pruess stated he liked the plan and applauded the Planning staff for their work, effort and patience in developing it. Westefeld asked for staff's perspective; Trueblood stated he felt it was a good plan. Trueblood felt "Carson Lake" was a great concept, but would have serious concerns if it was proposed for development immediately, because we wouldn't have staff to maintain it. If, however, that it could be 10 to 15 years before it is developed, the department could have the staff to maintain it at that time. Gustaveson stated he liked the concepts for the Miller-Orchard area, noting it is good utilization of the land. Moved by Gustaveson, seconded by Boyd, to endorse the Southwest District Plan as r~resented. Unanimous. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS Trueblood provided the commission with an updated list of the commission's top 10 CIP priorities and other projects not ranked. It set out the proposed fiscal year submitted to the City Manager, the resulting fiscal year as determined by the City Council and the projects staff would like to move forward if possible. Only one project, replacement of the City Park Pool filtration system, remained on the funded list for FY04 (as opposed to proposed FY03). The remaining projects were unfunded, which equates to FY07 or later. Trueblood noted the projects are reviewed every year so changes could occur, and that the "annual" projects remain on the list although some at a Parks and Recreation Commission August 14, 2002 Page 3 of 4 reduced level of funding. Pacha noted he would like the Commission to formulate questions for the City Manager as to the lack of funding for the department's CIP projects, and the City's financial situation in general for next month's meeting. Westefeld asked if the issue with funding is that nobody has money across the board or is the issue that the department will be getting less and less money? Trueblood noted there are other departments that are getting heavily funded for CIP projects, but much of the funding is coming from other revenue sources such as road use taxes. Westefeld stated he did not have a sense as to whether the commission should argue for changing the pattern or if it is systematic of the entire city. Pruess asked about the funds received from the hotel/motel tax; Trueblood stated 25 percent is the department's portion. He noted that years ago 10 percent of the funds went into a recreation facility reserve fund that was primarily used for swimming pool operations and improvements. The remaining 15 percent went into the parkland acquisition fund. Currently the entire 25 percent is going into the Mercer Park Aquatic Center/Scanlon Gymnasium facility, either for operations or debt payback. Gustaveson noted his frustration with the lack of funding, with surrounding communities developing their parks and recreation system while Iowa City is stagnant. Pacha questioned how far behind the City is slipping. The commission briefly discussed the sales tax issue, public education, and bond rating, and developed a list of questions. NEXT MONTH'S MEETING Trueblood noted the Iowa Parks and Recreation Association's Fall Workshop is scheduled to begin Wednesday, September 11. The commission agreed to move next month's meeting to Wednesday, September 4. COMMISSION TIME Boyd reported he met with the cities of Coralville, North Liberty and the Johnson County Conservation Board, and they would like to send representatives on the commission's annual park tour. They are very excited to see the City's projects and to share what they have done by having a representative from this commission attend their park tours. Gustaveson asked if any communities have done a joint project benefiting both communities, for example a skate park or dog park. Truebl0od stated thero have been coordinated programs, such as the Hershey Track Meet. He noted recently a suggestion has surfaced with respect to Iowa City and Coralville working together towards a dog park. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Trueblood reported on the following: Windsor Ridqe. A resolution accepting the open space in Windsor Ridge is on the next City Council's agenda; another 5-6 acres of additional parkland that will need to be maintained. Hickor~ Hill Trail. The article in the Press-Citizen had some inaccuracies. The headline indicated heavy rains "ruin" the trails inferring the entire trail system was washed out, when only a Parks and Recreation Commission August 14, 2002 Page 4 of 4 total of approximately 200 feet of the 15,000+ total feet had some washed out areas. It indicated the trail was 5 miles, when in fact it is 3 miles. It indicated Roadoyl was used on the trails, when in fact it was not. The problems are being worked out, and there will be fewer problems as the plant growth is established, and the crushed limestone trail becomes more compacted; moderate rains over time will help the compaction. There have been some calls with regard to a drainage pipe near the South Hickon/Hill entrance that should be lowered to drain the water. The area was designed to be a small wetland. Hickory Hill Parkino Lot. An informal bid was let for the parking lot off First Avenue and it should be completed by October 1st. Gustaveson asked if there was going to be a small playground in this area; Trueblood noted there had been discussions in the past, but nothing is planned in the near future. Citv Park Pool. There have been problems with cloudy water in the pool this summer. The pool was closed one Saturday and the deep end was closed 10-12 times over the summer. The Commission recommended replacement of the filtration system for FY03, but the City Council pushed it back to FY04. Staff has received permission to obtain engineering reports as to what needs to be done to correct the problem. Depending on the results of the report, replacement of the filtration system may need to be completed this year. Se~3tember 11th Event. The Press-Citizen is planning a commemorative event, with the major activities taking place in City Park at the Riverside Festival Stage. Staff will be attending planning meetings. Doq Park. An individual who is interested in getting together to discuss formulation of a community group contacted staff. Boyd noted Dr. John Weihe of Coralville is a big advocate of a community-wide dog park, and he would be someone they should contact. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m. MINUTES FINAL/APPORVED, 4~~b ~ SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2002 MEMBERS PRESENT: Lori Benz, Joanne Hora, Jay Honohan, Allan Monsanto, Charity Rowley, Jim Schintler, Deb Schoenfelder and Carol Thompson. MEMBERS ABSENT: Betty Kelly STAFF PRESENT: Michelle Buhman, Linda Koppmg, Susan Rogusky and Julie Seal. GUESTS: Bill Laubengayer CALL TO ORDER Honohan called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. MINUTES Motion: To approve the June minutes as distributed, The motion carried on a vote of 8-0. Monsanto/Schintler PUBLIC DISCUSSION None 28 E COMMITTEE- Thompson At their informal meeting on Thursday, July 18, 2002, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors plans to discuss the City/County 28E Agreement related to the operation and funding of the Senior Center. Thomson said the discussion would focus on the Board's interest in reaffirming, amending, or terminating the current agreement. She noted that if the County votes to terminate the agreement the Senior Center may be eligible for future funding from Johnson County through such things as annual block grants and the rural fund. LANDSCAPING PROJECT- Kopping The landscaping project is nearing completion. The sod is being put down today and the remaining plants and bulbs will be planted this fall during the appropriate season. Kopping recalled that for the 2000 Volunteer Recognition program Hills Bank, Iowa State Bank, and what is now US Bank donated $300 to the Center for the purchase of a tree to honor the volunteers. Iowa State Bank submitted their portion of the gift some time ago. Hora indicated that she will secure a check from Hills Bank and talk to someone at US Bank about the donation. C:\TEMP~Julyl 6~.doc MINUTES FINAL/APPORVED SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2002 2 NUTRITION PROGRAM LEASE UPDATE- Honohan Sue Duleck has prepared and mailed a letter to Liz Selk, Director of the Heritage Area Agency on Aging, itemizing the kitchen equipment and indicating who owns each item--the Senior Center or Heritage Area Agency on Aging. Once this list is approved by Heritage, the lease with Elder Services, Inc, for the nutrition program can be finalized. ROOM USE RECOMMENDATION- ROWLEY Members of the Commission's Policy and By-Laws Committee submitted the following revised items for consideration and approval by the entire Commission: 1. Section 10.2 and 10.4 of the Operational Handbook (Scheduling Space for Non-Senior Center Programming and Use of Space by Non-City Departments, Groups or Individuals during Evening and Weekends, and Holidays respectively) 2. Two room use agreements for non-Senior Center programming. One titled, Letter of Agreement, Use of Senior Center Space for Non-SetTlor Center Programming GOS--202--Assembly Room, and the second titled, Room or Space Use Request Form for Non-Senior Center Programming during Regular Hours of Operation. 3. An informational handout outlining Senior Center room use policy titled Senior Center Guidelines for Scheduling Room Use for Community Groups, Organizations or Individuals. Honohan suggested an amendment to the portion of the policy statement that specifies the time frame in which the Center must return the renter's security deposit (if warranted). Specifically, he recommended changing "by 10 a.m. the next working day" in section 10.4.3-1. b to read "within 30 days." Commissioners discussed this change and agreed to the amended language. Honohan also recommended modifying General Information, item 1, on the Senior Center Guidelines for Scheduling Room Use for Community Groups, Organizations or Individuals handout. Rather than saying, "Fundraising or sales by any individual, group, business or agency are prohibited in all areas of the building, "it should read: Fundraising or sales by any individual, group, business or agency other than the Senior Center or in-house agency is prohibited in all areas of the building. Requests to use the building for fundraising efforts sponsored by other departments within the City of Iowa City or Johnson County will be considered on a case by case basis by the Coordinator or his/her designee. Commissioners discussed and agreed to all the amended language recommended by Honohan.. A Discussion of the proposed increase in room rental and deposit fees as well as the recommended room use agreements followed. All were accepted as presented. 08/21/2002c:\tem p\julyl 6~.doc MINUTES FINAL/APPORVED SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2002 3 Motion to: 1. Accept revisions to Section 10.2 and 10.4 of the Operational Handbook (Scheduling Space for Non-Senior Center Programming and Use of Space by Non-City Departments, Groups or Individuals during Evening and Weekends, and Holidays respectively) as amended. 2. Accept all room use agreements as distributed. 3. Accept the Senior Center Guidelines for Scheduling Room Use for Community Groups, Organizations or Individuals handout as amended. Motion carried on the vote of 8-0. Rowley/Thompson SENIOR CENTER UPDATE Operations - Kopping Waterproofing Project The Waterproofing project is nearing completion. Thera is just a small amount of polishing that needs to be done on the handrails. Wal-Mart Wal-Mart recently donated $500.00 to the Senior Center CTG The Senior Center received a grant for the installation cable that will enable the Center to broadcast live events over public access and City television. Independent Contractors The City is looking at the feasibility of purchasing a small liability insurance plan that will cover independent contractors who offer classes and programs at the Center. The cost of this insurance would come out of the Senior Center's operational budget. Parkinq -Buhman Buhman reported that 154 parking permits have been sold to date. Programs - Seal Seal highlighted programs planned for August. For a complete listing of programs please see the August Post. Volunteers - Rogusky Rogusky asked Commissioners and staff to volunteer to sell Quilt Raffle tickets at the County Fair. 08/21/2002c:\temp\j uly16~.doc MINUTES FINAL/APPORVED SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2002 4 CITY COUNCIL - Schoenfelder Schoenfelder gave a general report and encouraged members of the Council to go to Thai Flavors today during the restaurants fundraising event for the Senior Center. Schoenfelder reported that one Council member asked about the lease agreement with Elder Services Inc. and questioned if the Commission was giving consideration to the possibility of charging rent for the use of kitchen space. Honohan indicated that the lease with Elder Services, Inc. had not been finalized yet. He also noted that the Commission will be exploring all possibilities for generating revenue in the futuro including charging outside agencies for the use of Senior Center space. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS - Schintler Schintler reported on the progress of the Landscaping Project, and the lease with Elder Services Inc. COMMISSION DISCUSSION Rowley questioned how the dissolution of the City/County 28E Agreement related to the operation and funding of the Center would impact the composition of the Senior Center Commission. Commissioners concluded that this will be something the City Council will need to look at if the agreement is terminated. Next Month's Commission Visits · Rowley will write the Post article for the August Post. · Honohan will go to the City Council meeting tonight. · Honohan will go to the Board of Supervisors meeting on the 18th and Aug. 1. · Deb will write the Post article from the August meeting for the September Post. Motion: To adjourn, Motion carried on a vote of 8-0. Rowle¥/Monsanto 08/21/2002c:\temp\julyl 6__.doc