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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1987-06-30 Bd Comm. minutes.o. MHIIUTEs STORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ARMS WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 1987 - 7:30 P.M. ROOM B, IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY MEMBERS PRESENT: Horowitz, Kern, Nowysz, Vanderwoude, Wagner MEMBERS ABSENT: Champion, Sierk STAFF PRESENT: Beagle, Lazenby GUESTS PRESENT: Beth Collison CALL TO ORDER: Horowitz called the meeting to order at 7;40 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF APRIL 8, 1987: Horowitz noted that the end of paragraph five on page two of the joint com- mittee meeting should include the circulation of the Dwight Finkin sign-up list controversy. Horowitz moved to approve the minutes as amended subject to a telephone concurrence with Champion and Sierk who are not present. Kern seconded the motion. The motion was carried unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF APRIL 16, 1987: Horowitz requested that the first sentence in Linda Bielfeidt's comments be placed at the end of her testimony. Horowitz clarified that Bielfeldt was offended because Nowysz had spoken with a member of the City Council and had stated that a majority of property owners in the proposed district were in favor of the Historic District. Horowitz moved that the sentence be placed at the end of her comments. Wagner seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. PUBLIC DISCUSSION: Discussion of Homes Tour: Collison suggested that the Commission set as a goal the August meeting to have homes selected for the Homes Tour. She questioned the Commission whether they wanted to resurrect the house selection committee. Horowitz suggested that they ask more people to help the Commission and get involved in these activities. Collison suggested a garden party theme for the homes tour, highlighting the hones' gardens and providing musical groups. Nowysz noted that it may be better to have the tour the week before preservation week, at the end of April on a Sunday. It was also noted that the tour could include four homes with two alternates and the guests could spend one to two hours on the tour. Nowysz stated that the hones tour would be a source for fund raising. ISP Historic198eservation Commission May 13,Page 2 Horowitz moved that the Commission discuss its priorities, offering that the Commission should be foremost involved with the North Side Historic District. Kern seconded the motion for discussion. Nowysz noted the educational value of the homes tour project. Horowitz added that additional meetings concerning the North Side Historic District would mean less time available to devote to the hones tour project. She suggested the Commission could delegate ad hoc members or associates to help. She noted that Friends of Old Brick and the Johnson County Historical Society are able to support this Commission and could become inof volved with the homes tourance.. Wagner agreed that the other two groups sthatl the names ssof thistoric opreservsz ationed a supporters int meeting. be found Horowitz in previous meetings, minutes and could act as constituents to work on projects. Vanderwoude noted there was an active support group for Horace Mann. Wagner added that the Prucil group could be asked for support or suggest others who would. It was the unanimous view of the Commission that they seek constitu- ents for support of both the North Side Historic District and the Homes Tour Project. Collison stated she would begin work to form a Homes Tour Committee. She hoped that by the next Commission meeting a committee would be formed and what t brain storming for Homes Tour ideas would have begun. Collison questioned Horowitz repliedpes of unds the that the Commiission ssion haddto none butkthathforFriendsthis of OldoBrick may have some. Collison noted that businesses could donate toward the pro- ject. Horowitz questioned what measures the Commission should take about insurance. Collison replied that the liability insurance. Commission should definitely carry should take on another Callison questioned the Commission whether the project fund raising cause. Horowitz also questioned whether iteneceesssaryoto go it the accept tity Council. or She noted that private sources or is discuss it with legal counsel . Collison concluded her remarks bysstating oshe hoped to have a Homes Tour Committee selected and suggestions from them for the next meeting. Wagner questioned whether there was enough interest in the City to buy the Kirkwood School. Horowitz, replied that there is a lack of funds for park acquisition. TAX INCENTIVES FOR REHABILITATING HISTORIC BUILDINGS; Beagle stated that Chapter 404 of the Iowa Code serves as a source for cities to declare revitalization areas and the criteria they are required to meet. He added that no jurisdictions in Iowa are currently using it exclusively for rehabilitation of historic properties. He noted that a plan would need to be P' the additionaland fo value added to the structureeduBeagleh aced hat nit wouldbbeoa lengthy process and that all property owners and tenants would have to be and informed by mail. Nowysz moved that a meeting between the Mayor, City Manager exemptionritopic c Pr servationHorowitz mission secondedb the arranged tion. order discuss was carried unanimously. All members requested information concerning the meeting and a COPY of Chapter 404. Beagle replied that he would do so. Historic Preservation Commission May 13, 1987 Page 3 REVIEW OF REHABILITATION PROJECTS: 712 Dearborn as amended Beagle stated that the addition concerns the siding. Vanderwoude noted that the improvements had been made upon request. The Commission voted unani- mously to forward the application. 19 Evans Street Beagle stated that a special exception to allow Youth Homes, Inc. to occupy the house was being discussed that evening at the Board of Adjustment. Wagner stated that residents on Iowa Avenue, Muscatine and Woodlawn do not support having another agency house in that area. She noted that cars wait and park on Woodlawn due to cramped parking conditions on Iowa Avenue. Horowitz stated that the house is in close proximity of a juvenile delinquent home and noted that they should be aware of the kind of use the home would serve and the ages of those served. She added that regulating the density of group hones may be an issue which should go to the Planning & Zoning Commission. Beagle stated that the hone is in a Residential Conservation Neighborhood (RNC -20) zone. He added that the applicants have stated that there will be no more than ten youths and one counselor residing in the home. Nowysz questioned whether parking was an issue. Beagle replied on-site parking is a problem because the creek runs near the home and there is little room for parking. Wagner questioned whether the agency's budget allowed for the upkeep of the home to maintain its present condition. Vanderwoude commented that the agency is not in the business of keeping up houses. He noted that the home on Ronalds Street is not kept up well. After speaking with Karin Franklin at the Planning & Program Development Department, Beagle informed the Commission that the Board of Adjustment deferred the agency's application for a week. Franklin advised the Commis- sion to evaluate the rehabilitation project on its merits, and whether it would deter or attract the historic value of the home. Nowysz moved to approve the deficiency list. Horowitz, Nowysz and Vanderwoude voted to apprlist.Yethe tnabstained- a the Boadnd agofrAdjustwas mentea word ppofvcaution concerning the negative impact of the use on the structure of the house, the Historic District and the RNC -20 zone, and the question of perpetual mainte- nance. Vanderwoude seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. 524 Ronalds P Nowysz suggested that concerning point 4.b. on the deficiency list, the lumber should be painted. Horowitz asked that the Commission be contacted so that a site visit could be made to monitor use of funds to achieve confor- mity. Nowysz questioned whether the porch was enclosed or exposed. Beagle stated he had not yet seen the subject. Wagner stated it was enclosed. Nowysz stated she still recommended painting. She noted that if a ladder was to be placed according to point 5.b., that it should not be visible from the public right-of-way. Horowitz moved to approve the application and forward it. Kern seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. .Y' Historic Preservation Commission May 13, 1987 Page 4 LETTER TO DORSEY PHELPS CONCERNING THE KIRKWOOD AND DODGE FACILITY: Horowitz stated that the project should be lower on the Commission's list of priorities to save. Nowysz agreed, as did Kern. Horowitz raved that the Commission chairperson send a thank you to the Iowa City Community School District for consideration. Kern seconded the motion. The motion was car- ried unanimously. COMMISSIONER'S REPORTS: Horowitz stated that the Iowa City School Art Department was very helpful and cooperative during historic preservation week. Polly Brotherton and Pat Eckhardt gave a talk on architecture and historic Preservation and showed the Commission's movie. She added that she and Sierk attended an art teachers' workshop at City High and showed the same movie and had a question and answer session. Kern and Horowitz participated with fourth grade students, parents and teachers at Mark Twain in a walk -about treasure hunt in which they searched to identify architectural elements. Vanderwoude attended a workshop held by the State Office of Historic Preser- vation to acquaint himself with what the state does. Wagner attended a teachers' meeting and was pleased to learn of the help they wanted in educating students about historic preservation and felt the Commis- sion can serve as a source of ideas. Horowitz added that the film is avail- able for anyone to show. Nowysz noted that the Commission had received a thank you note from Margaret Keys for being awarded Historic Preservation Person of the Year. Nowysz stated that Friends of Old Brick will subsidize the reprinting of the Who To book and asked Commissioners to bring updated suggestions to the next mee - ing. At 9:30 Horowitz moved to adjourn. Wagner seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. .V' r MINUTES $ULjOC tJ i.;TPOVa� JOINT MEETING OF THE IOWA CITY HISTORIC PRESERVATION C ISSION & AND THE IOWA CITY PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION MAY 11, 1987 - 7:30 P.M. SENIOR CENTER CLASSROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Champion, Cooper, Dierks, Horowitz, Kern, Nowysz, Scott, Sierk, Wallace MEMBERS ABSENT: Clark, VanderWoude, Wagner STAFF PRESENT: Beagle, Franklin, Mullen GUESTS PRESENT: Jim Harris, John Holton, Dwight Finken, Pat Eckhardt, Iva Hilleman, Lowell Brandt, Paula Brandt, Linda Bielfeldt, Corrine Suter, Margaret McDonald Scott called the meeting to order at 7:44 p.m. He asked the Commission members how they wanted the discussion to proceed. Scott said he wanted to discuss the possible exclusion of fraternities, the Lutheran Campus Ministry, and the Margaret McDonald property on the west side of North Dubuque. He clarified that there was a question about the logic of including the frater- nities, that the University of Iowa had signed a purchase agreement for the Lutheran Campus Ministry, and that McDonald's property was slated for acqui- sition by the University of Iowa. Noting that there were not many members of the public at the meeting, he said that they might have time for specific questions and/or comments from the guests present. Scott discouraged general statements from the public in favor of or against the proposed district. Horowitz asked about the Council's concern over entranceways. Scott said that entranceways would be addressed but the impact of any proposal was just speculation. Franklin said the entranceways have not yet been defined. She said the Urban Environment Ad Hoc Committee had discussed an overlay zone. She felt that the entranceways were not an appropriate issue in the discus- sion of historic designation. Scott noted that the same properties may be affected. Franklin said the overlay zone would involve a site review which would examine all pertinent regulations applicable to a project, including historic district requirements if the district were adopted. Horowitz said the proximity of the entranceway and historic district has coupled the is- sues. She said the entranceway argument was one of the main reasons for including this parcel in the historic district. Kern asked about the possibility of one of the fraternities erecting a high- rise. Franklin said that the parking requirements for the RM -44 zone make putting up a highrise prohibitive in most cases. Dierks suggested they might build an underground parking garage or something similar to comply with the City ordinance. Franklin said the land was not expensive enough at this time to warrant the expense of such construction. Champion asked why the University would not be affected by an overlay zone. Franklin said there had been some test cases in this regard. The issue is whether the interest of the local ordinance is more compelling than the interest of the State, which operates the University. Champion said it bothers her that the University does not want to meet zoning overlays. Franklin said she thought they did as far as was economically feasible. .1. Historic Preservation Commission Planning & Zoning Commission May 11, 1987 Page 2 Franklin said that generally state law preempts local laws. She thought the University would not want to be under the aegis of the City except possibly for public relations. Scott said this legal question is relatively new. Harris said that historically, certain powers are allocated to the City and others to the State. Wallace asked to discuss the fraternities, since they had sent representa- tives to the meeting. John Holton, the president of Sigma Chi, said that when Jim Jacobsen looked at the area six years ago for possible nomination to the National Register, he had specifically excluded fraternities. He won- dered where the idea to include the fraternities in the historic district originated. The Sigma Chi vice president said that the fraternity is run by nityrregulatesaitself sand e does of need toare Iowa tbecrregulated as itizens. He a id the a historicdis- trict. Nowysz asked about the SAE house. Molton said it was not built as a frater- nity house originally. He said all the rooms had outside entrances and were not connected inside. Molton continued by saying the people on the corporate board would not allow the fraternity to build an inappropriate building or to poorly maintain one. He pointed out that their recruitment of new members is dependent on them having an attractive house. Horowitz said she had asked before that the lawyers for the fraternity find out what had happened in similar situations in other towns. She said there are countryyandldsheh felt ithisuiil sue sin must haveuniversities up beforecolleges across Horowitz asked Molton to follow-up on this question, as she had received no response from the lawyers as of yet. Chamioed olton aid asked planto zone build aonewrhouseeandatheyiwant as little s the littlered tape as possible. He said there were already zones, that the fraternity is a responsible organization, and that there was no reason to include the frater - iesameion said the would commission was alarge sing at the effect development andhisto Molton said there were no rules set up about exactly how the review procedure would operate. Scott said there were many things that still needed clarifi- unknown- Hbothitz fromt he point the of -view bofmtheseemed f aternitiesfrom and thefear of th Commis- sions. Wallace asked what would happen if the fraternity's corporate board decided to build a highrise. The vice president of the fraternity said the board woul thatdoneof not allow the fraternity'sdconcerns waswhich the Costunattractive. Molton build- ing to the Commission's specifications. Nowysz clarified that the Commission with ission reviewstonly situations that rmaintenance wh have anthinto require building permit. Nowysz said keeping a building up to code is a separate matter. .c• Historic Preservation Commission Planning & Zoning Commission May 11, 1987 Page 3 Molton asked if there were any benefits to property owners besides being listed in a historic district. Scott said one important purpose of the designation is to preserve the char - are acter of the neof the ighborhood, Separating out the fraternities implies that they not removed, that the fraternities hadSa goocott d argumenid if t for exclusionargumee Horowitz disagreed with Scott, saying that this was a way for the Greek wantutoty to wrk help createiahthe Cior the futue. She felt sense of community forr rthe future. orowitzthe Greeks would the Greek community had discussed the historic district designation inkrelaif - tion to their responsibility to the City. Molton reiterated his request for information about the possible benefits of historic district designation and possible costs (maintenance and other), Scott asked the fr t contact him. Scottesaidy no to on fraternities were out of town. Scott rected to Karin Franklin, have their attorney, Mark Rettig, to would be made this summer when the asked to have any correspondence di - A discussion ensued about the location of the various Greek houses. said if some fraternities were excluded, then they all should be excluded, Scot s Sierk said that would create a piecemeal district which might not be desir- able. ert able, Scott said that the real problem for fraternities and sororities in regard to building is the parking requirement. Dierks disagreed, She said they would find a way around the parking requirement. Kern inquired about the McDonald house and wondered if the University expects to buy it. Franklin distributed a map showing areas near the proposed his- toric district that the University expects to acquire over time, asked about the Ronalds Street right-of-way by the Sigma Chi annex. thought some of the Harris He said no, that the City owned property ead been deeded to the fraternity. Franklin for a city right-of-way, property but that it could have been vacated Wallace requested that the staff create a map of the district with all the Greek houses located on it. Wallace said she knew of a homeowner at the cornerChurch money into o his hand Dubuque Streets who had put a considerable amount of OM and would like to see it included in the district. Dierks pendent groueserence to the map requested by Wallace, about including inde- P She wondered where the line should be drawn between uses. PUBLIC COMMENTSMUESTIONS: Dwight Finken said the neighborhood does not want to be designated a historic district, 6 NM Historic Preservation Commission Planning 8 Zoning Commission May 11, 1987 Page 4 Pat Eckhardt said she was in favor of the historic district designation. In reference to the postcards mailed with the informational brochure, she said she thought there was no indication that the cards should be counted. Horowitz said she had asked many of the people why they said no, and had been told by residents that they would need permission to paint their home. Franklin said that somehow the cards and the brochures explaining them got separated, which lead to a lot of confusion. Eckhardt said many people were in favor of the designation. Iva Hilleman said she lives in the historic district on Summit Street. She wondered how the entire North Side area could be designated as a historic owners district. She said it should be a neighborhood. Hilleman said property members dornotshavetfinancialdinter sts intthet areamany uestion Commission asked if anyone had ever asked her to maintain her house in better condition• Dierks asked if it would bother her if her neighbors did something to their property. Nil leman said her property was hers an said the designation would not id theirs was theirs. She freedom and a financial burden to mprove the area, and it would be a loss of the property owners. Lowell Brandt spoke in favor of the district. He said the two conflicting underlying values were individual freedom and community. Those leaning strongly toward individual freedom were against the district and those lean- ing more toward community were in favor of it. He said he feels financially supported by the overlay because of the assurance of fewer intrusions. Dierks asked Brandt if he lived in the house he owned. Brandt said he did. Paula Brandt the peoe in thearea were p not isolated, but historic ratherwere tconnectede andsaid affecttedpleach other. She said she believes in the Iowa City mind losing some freedoms, historic district and does not Linda Bielfeldt spoke against the proposal. She said she lives in a house she owns outside of the neighborhood and owns rental property in the neigh- borhood. She stressed that many people fully understand the proposal and are still against it. She said it was not the case, as some proponents seem to claim, that if only everyone understood the proposal, then everyone would favor it. She said people want to control their property. Harris said this was an opportunity for the City to take on an educational and persuasive role. He said there are mixed uses, including multi -family units and modestly priced homes. proposal that the Commissions He said there was some class bias in this would make the most sense in should be aware of. He said this proposal per square foot. an area with large lots and a small investment Manville Heights is such an area, but he said for political reasons, such a plan would never be implemented there. Corrine Suter spoke in favor of the proposal. She said the people in favor of designation tend to live in the area and those opposed own income property in the area. She said it bothered her that people who do not live in the area were so vocal butnrather areoaipart ofssociety fraternities and sororities .V' Historic Preservation Commission Planning & Zoning Commission May 11, 1987 Page 5 Margaret McDonald said she understood both sides and had friends on both sides. She thought someone who is not in the district and would like to be part of it should be given consideration. Scott noted that there were prop- erty owners on Clinton Street who had expressed an interest in being included. COMMITTEE DISCUSSION: Scott noted that one of the provisions of the historic district designation applied to the reconstruction of completely or partially destroyed buildings. He said that properties could be rebuilt to their previous structure and use even if the use and/or structure were non -conforming with the zone. Franklin disagreed, saying the provision dealt with non -conforming structures only and that non -conforming uses would not automatically be allowed to reestablish. Scott said that Dick Boyle, the Assistant City Attorney, had told him that a property could be rebuilt to the degree of pre-existing non -conformity, including parking. Scott asked if the ability to rebuild was not an incen- tive to favor the designation. Hilleman said in some cases two or three lots would be needed to build a structure and this would not be possible under the historic district designa- tion. She said the district was too big, and that there were lots of homes in the area that needed to go. Champion asked why many property owners are against the designation. Hilleman said it was because of the loss of freedom and the economic argument. Cham- pion asked if people did not want to buy property under this designation. No one answered. Dierks asked the Commissions to examine other fraternities and sororities and see how they handle historic districts. Horowitz questioned the validity of the answers people gave on the cards given questions raised about the information the answers were based on. She said she would like information on other areas. Champion expressed surprise at the considerable amount of opposition. She said h not have into it had not ben for the Summit Street dhistoric district eoverlay.he She felt me f the oppositione ewarranted serious consideration. She asked how much of the opposition has come from the area that was added to the original proposal. Franklin and Nowysz said they had mapped the opposition and it was scattered throughout the district, not concentrated in any one area. Scott said he was surprised by the north end opposition. He said not only must the Commissions deal with process, rules and legitimate arguments, but they must also deal with perceptions, regardless of veracity. He said the Commissions needed to find out from the City Council what they perceive the future of the north end of Iowa City to be. He said if they don't want it to be all rental housing, then something should be done. M .1. Historic Preservation Commission Planning & Zoning Commission May 11, 1987 Page 6 Scott said he did not feel the measure was ready to go to Council yet. He said the Comnissions needed to do more homework, but felt the idea could be sold to a majority of the property owners. He thought a premature push at the Council level would probably lead to defeat, and thought that should be avoided. Nowysz said she agreed with Scott for the most part. She emphasized the need to do more homework. Scott asked about the development of guidelines. Franklin said the Historic Preservation Commission planned to have them by June and that copies would be sent to the Planning andZoning Commission. Horowitz said that the idea could be resold to supporters. It was noted that there had been a blitz to sign and return the cards if opposed. Sierk said she would like to meet with members of the corporate boards of each Greek house in order to ask questions directly and get straight answers. She asked that a representative of each board come to a meeting. She also asked for information about the policy of the national Greek organizations. Hilleman said this tthis same area had b historic would affect same me people.a Scott said that in nd thatin the rezoning, property owners had lost their right to add units, but felt it could not be shown that they were adversely affected. Harris said he felt the economic interest should not dominate. He said he felt the speculative value of the North Side was overblown. It was noted that there were approximately 12 building permits for both interior and exterior work on the North Side in the last two years. Nowysz said the review by the Historic Preservation Commission could actually save Historic Preservatioeowners n�Comnission would, and often did ndealewithtsomeone terNowyszeks saidwthe that the Historic Preservation Commission did not design, but it had lots of valuable information that it could make available to the homeowner. It was decided that the next joint meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission and the Planning and Zoning Commission would be Monday, July 27. Standards would be discussed and Commission members will be provided with a map of the Greek houses, a map of the owner -occupied houses in support of the proposal, and the address of the Widiss property. The meeting adjourned at 10:05 p.m. Minutes submitted by Christine Mullen. Ui MINUTES APROWS PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION FORMAL MEETING JUNE 4, 1987 - 7:30 PM CIVIC CENTER COUNCIL CHAMBERS MEMBERS PRESENT: Cooper, Dierks, Hebert, Horowitz, Scott, Wallace MEMBERS ABSENT: Clark STAFF PRESENT: Boyle, Franklin RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL: 1. V-8702. Recommend denial of the City initiated application to vacate a portion of a north -south alley located south of Benton Street, north of Ralston Creek and east of Dubuque Street. i REQUEST FOR STAFF ASSISTANCE: I 1. Request that staff review Section 36-68(j) of the Iowa City Municipal Code regarding the encroachment of decks into required yards. 2. Request that staff initiate the rezoning of property owned by the Lu- theran Campus Ministry when it is conveyed to the University. 3. Request that staff look at provisions of the Zoning Ordinance that dis- criminate against older housing stock, and the ability of homeowners to maintain the integrity of their neighborhoods. 4. Request that staff evaluate the use of a P (Public) overlay zone. CALL TO Off: Vice Chairperson Horowitz called the meeting to order at 7:36 p.m. Chair- person Scott entered at 7:38 p.m, PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: Corinne Suter, 609 Brown Street, asked that the Commission look into Section 36-68(j) of the Iowa City Municipal Code regarding the encroachment of decks into required yards. Suter also asked that the lot lines be established before a building permit is issued, and that the Code be reworded such that lot owners may seek recourse for the encroachment of a deck onto their prop- theytimeSuter constructionthat begane Boyleicommentedtthatnthedid abuttinghave pr a permit at has since obtained a build ing permit, and that once a building per owner P issued, the property owner has the right to finish the construction. 9oyle that further stated that the City does not require proof of the lot line, only withinththe Plotcline. Thethe Cityistaff doesinotmust haveasufficie�tnstruction is verify each lot line. Scott requested that staff look into the situation lato nd i BS9 .1. Planning and Zoning Commission June 4, 1987 Page 2 determine if the ordinance should be revised. Scott then a,, would be in ordinance form until the July meeting Put on the agenda for the June 15, 1987 t', 'd that nothing . i l but that', -' item would be :ONSIOEearrnu or r,,...._... _ , informal meeting. Cooper moved to a mn Horowitz secondin h approve the minutes otion of the April Hebert abstaining dMot ion. The eto being absent mat the carried, B. 1987 meeting with 4-0-2, with Wallace and Horowitz moved to approve the meeting, with the Commission and the HistoricPreservationCommission, seconded by Cooper.Of the April 1987 joint meeting P The motion carried, 6-0. The motion was Horowitz moved to approve the minutes of the May 7 seconding the motion. The motion carried to being absent at the meeting, y hWa meeting with Cooper 5-0-1, with Wallace abstaining due Wallace moved to approve the minutes of the May 21, 1987 meeting seconding the motion. The motion carried, 5-0-1 to being absent at the meeting, with Dierks with Cooper abstaining due ZONING AND DEVELOPMENT ITEMS: I. V-8702. Public discussion of a City initiated a port on of the north -south alley located south of Benton Street, north of Ralston Creek, and east of Dubuque Street, application to vacate a Franklin requested that the staff report, dated June 4, 1987 into public record, and recommended the vacation of the all. stated that the Commission's be entered City's needs for open space andaskedw need to Y• Horowitz ace Plan addressed parkland acquisition. Franklin ether be directed toward the with open space in residential areas but does nottreferatotop Pneighborhood lan den eals industrial or commercial areas. Franklin continued at this area is not highly residential, open space in Creek Urban Renewal Plan Boyle maOutde reference tosthe lLower Ralston Properties purchased b Pointing were for privatthat e commercial uses Of enterprises• Boyle then added y the Cit accordance with Cha that the Ralston Creek Plan can only from Horowitz regarding 403 of the Iowa Co In res be amended in recommendations the effect of the Urban Environment nment nse o a question effect on a Boyle stated that a city-wide recommendatinCommittee's specific Plan. has no Cooper supported Horowitz's statements, stood the concerns expressed but did not agree ethat stated that she of der- ve property was inappropriate. Hebert stated that he felt this location wthe as of the Countya props ate on Office fficdevelopment due to the proximity intent d the Urban Building. He agreed with Boyle's commens on the vacation because it returnsithe Program and d added that sated that he was not o Y to the tax rollssuPpotted the sideration for sale b Opposed to development of both Scott indi- y the City, but expressed his desireto retainunder the a& Planning and Zoning Commission June 4, 1987 Page 3 parcel abutting Benton Street for open space. He pointed out tie iiffi- culty of acquiring open space once development had occurred and stated that he felt the City should anticipate a future need for open space and not be so ready to sell it. Scott stated that he would vote no on the vacation issue since this was the only opportunity the Commission would have to make a statement regarding the concern for open space in this area. Wallace moved to approve the application to vacate the alley. Horowitz seconded the motion. In voting, the motion failed, 2-4, with Horowitz, Scott, Cooper and Dierks voting no. OTHER BUSINESS: Discussion of the rezoning of publicly owned land upon conveyance of that land to a non-public entity. Scott stated that the Commission had discussed recommending to the Coun- cil a policy statement in regard to public property sold to a non-public entity. Scott recommended consideration of a P overlay zone that would allow property to rely on the underlying zoning when ownership is with a private entity. He added that the P overlay zone could entail the zoning of University of Iowa property. Scott then added that the overlay zone would give notice to people who buy public property, and to those who own properties adjoining the public properties being sold of what the anticipated uses were. Franklin stated that prior to 1983 the system described was in effect. Her only concern with the proposal related to the work program. Franklin added that this method of zoning would save time for those persons who wanted to buy public property. Scott stated that the P overlay zone would limit the amount of conflict when people who buy public property assume that their proposed development will occur. Scott suggested putting the item on the pending list. The Commission requested that the staff initiate the rezoning of the Lutheran Campus Ministry's property when it was sold to the University. 2. Planning and Zoning Commission Information. Horowitz requested that the staff investigate the ability of homeowners to contribute to the integrity of older neighborhoods through home im- provement and ways in which the Zoning Ordinance and possibly the Build - Ing Code could be amended to make the upgrading of homes in older neighborhoods easier. She cited a case in the Highland Avenue area in which an addition to the house required a special exception. Horowitz stated that the process to contribute to neighborhood integrity should be one that encourages homeowners to increase the value of their homes. Horowitz added that the goal of the Commission should be to eliminate the negative aspects of local government for people who want to improve their homes. Scott stated that the item would be placed on the pending list. ah Planning and Zoning Commission June 4, 1987 Dage 4 ADJOURNMENT: i Wallace moved to adjourn the meeting, with Cooper seconding the motion. The motion carried, 6-0. Minutes submitted by Linda Barr. I, Approved by: Sally ier s, Secretary i 1W MINUTE'. BOARD OF IDJUSTMENT MAY 13, ::?97 - 4:30 P.M. CIVIC CEITER COUNCIL CHAMBERS MEMBERS PRESENT: Fisher, Mask, Randall, Winegarden MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT GUESTS PRESENT: Messier Boyle, Franklin, Mullen, Rockwell, Stoffer Jim Schlott, William McCarty, Pat Meyer, Jim Swaim, Ted Wernimont, Beth Walsh, David Schuldt, Ginalie Swaim, Ruth Bonfiglio, Barbara Wagner, Johannes Ledolter, Donald MacFarlane, Jim Knapp, Nancy MacFarlane, Lea Vandervelde, Richard Fox, Linda Rabben, Dean Oakes, Steve Roberts, Halvor E. Scott (These people all spoke. Other guests were present who did not speak.) The meeting was called to order at 4:30 p.m. CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES: Randall moved to approve the minutes of the April 8, 1987, meeting. Winegarden seconded. The motion passed unanimously. SPECIAL EXCEPTION ITEMS: No one objected to reversing the order of the two items on the agenda, so the application from Gym -Nest was considered first. 1. 5E-8706. Discussion of the application submitted by Steve Kohli and parte kinglrequire ents tt Of Iowa Gfor m-NNascomnercialfor a precreationaexceliusettorbe estabe lished at 545 Olympic Court. Rockwell explained that the applicant had agreed to limit the use of the large gymnastics room to 40 people. This owner -enforced restric- tion applicantreduce plansthe torlimitetheuuserofftheradupakin9tsworkpacesroomfromto8pto 47. arents of children concurrently attending classes. The applicant also indi- cated that currently most of the participants are under age 16 and cannot drive. They are usually dropped off and picked up at the facility. This further reduces the need for s. The staff recommended that the special exception to aredurkince sthe erequired number of parking spaces to 30 be approved contingent upon the en- forcement of a 40 -person occupancy limit in the large room and the use of the adult work-out area being limited to parents of children who are concurrently taking classes. Mask asked if the owner -enforced parking restrictions included parking signs. Rockwell said the restrictions only involve the use of the rooms and do not specifically deal with the parking lot itself, Rockwell clarified for the Board how the parking space numbers were calculated. .o• Board of 4d May 1J, ...' Page 2 Jim Sch'ott, owner of Iowa Gym -Nest, came forward to answer questions. Fisher asked how the large room would be used and if it could be used to lead 100 people in aerobics. Schlott replied that it would be full Of gymnastics equipment and structured classes would be held in there. He said the large room was not a gymnasium which could be used for aerobics and could not accommodate more than 40 people at a time. Schlott said people must be enrolled in a class to use the equipment and cannot just line up to use it at their convenience. Only adults whose children are concurrently enrolled in a class may use the weight room. No one stood up to speak in opposition to the special exception. Minegarden snored to approve SE -8706 to reduce the required number of limit parking spaces to 30 spaces contingent upon a 40 -person participatory building, nand Similareenforceementcof the h facility tyle to limitithe use of the adult work-out room Area B to parents of children concur- rently using the facility. Randall seconded, Franklin polled the Board. The vote was 4-0 in favor of the special exception, SE -8105. Discussion of a request submitted by Youth Homes, Inc. for a speciaT exception to establish, at 19 Evans Streeta group care facility within the RNC -20 zone and to reduce the parking requirements of this use by 50 percent from eight to four spaces. Franklin reported that the staff looked at this situation as a group living situation. Since other multi -family dwelling situations exist within the area, the staff felt this use would not have a significant impact on surrounding uses. This property has visual and physical separation from surrounding This dwellings. The recomnenda- tion to allow this use in this area is based upon information supplied to the City by Youth Homes, Inc. The house would accommodate up -to ten adolescent girls who had been subject to abuse in a domestic situation and were being removed from that domestic situation and placed in the Youth Homes for a period of time for their safety and adjustment. The girls will be supervised. Eight parking spaces are required for this use according to the normal calculation for the required number of parking spaces. This calcula- tion is based upon the number of staff people at the facility at any one time and the number of individuals who reside there. The maximum number of staff people at the facility at any one time would be three and would require three off-street parking spaces. Five parking spaces would be required for the ten residents. Residents are not permitted to have automobiles while they are residing at Youth Homes. Each resident is visited by a social worker on the average of once per month, usually on a weekday. Parental visits also average one per month, but usually occur on weekends. Based on that information, the staff found the requested reduction in parking acceptable. .a• 9o8rd of Adjustment Nay 13, ;987 Page 3 Staff recommended that both special exceptions be approved subject to three conditions: 1) the plot plan comply with the placement of trees adjacent to the right-of-way; 2) the applicant obtain a permit author- izing alterations proposed for land located within the floodplain; 3) the parking area design be approved by City staff. The staff will look to maximize the efficiency of the parking area layout and to insure that there will not be b k' ac ing onto a public street. Franklin noted that any exterior work require a building permit would require by the Historic Preservation Commission in the Woodlawn Historic District. on this building which would that the since the builbuilding is ect be reviewed Franklin called the Board's attention to two handouts. One was a letter from Simone Delaty in which she requested that a maximum reduc- tion in the required parking spaces be approved along with aminimum amount of paving. The other handout was a memo from the City Manager and the COBG Program Coordinator stating that the City Council had approved $75,000 for the purchase of the property at 19 Evans Street by Youth Homes. This action was not to be construed as either support for or disapproval of this location for a girls' group home. Franklin showed the Board the current plot plan and explained the current parking plan. Stoffer explained how the two proposed parking places by the creek would be constructed. It was noted that parking could be created behind the house. Franklin said this has been con- sidered, but would require so much paving that it would drastically change the lot. She said if the Board were to deny the special excep- tion lotrequest wouldfor no plonger�fitthe inewithethuird eaneighborhood, andwould be sogshetwothat uld not recommend granting the change in use under those circumstances. Fisher asked Franklin to review the criteria that the Board was to consider in deciding on the special exception for the use of this property. Franklin said that in the RNC -20 zone, group care facility feet of lospecial exceptions are allowed tareaforeach occupant. This rrequirementeisrmat forae 550sthiseproposed use. The other consideration is what effect the proposed use would have on the neighborhood. The use should not be detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, morals, comfort, or general welfare; it the immediate i vicinity toitheshould and notnjsubstantially ment of other diminishtyain nd impair property values in the neighborhood; it should not impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of the surrounding property for uses permitted in the zone. In regard to property values, Franklin said there were court cases in in aachusetts residentialere zonehwouldue of diminish ther the Placing tyrvaluesrofcaeftaciities helprop- erties in that zone. The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that it FU .o• Board of Adjustment May 13, 1987 Page 4 could not be proven that the location of group care facilities wa; :he factor that influenced property values in a residential area. Continuing, Franklin said that a special exception use should have adequate utilities, access roads, drainage, and necessary facilities. This is an existing development and these criteria have been met. The special exception use should also provide for adequate ingress and egress designed to minimize traffic congestion in public streets. Franklin said that this requirement forces the Board to look at the parking situation. The special exception must also comply with all other regulations and standards of the zone. Franklin said that in this regard, three items have been raised by the staff: 1) the review of exterior work requiring a building permit by the Historic Preserva- tion Commission; 2) the necessity for a floodplain permit; and 3) the need to comply with tree regulations. Finally, the special exception use should be in accordance with the short-range comprehensive plan, which in this neighborhood calls for multiple family residential use. The proposed use is consistent with that. Mask asked how many single-family dwellings are in the immediate area. Franklin said there are some on Iowa and Woodlawn and one single- family rental north across the creek. The rest of the dwellings in the area are multi -family. PUBLIC COMMENT IN FAVOR OF SE -8705: 1. William McCarty, Executive Director of Youth Homes, Inc. McCarty said that Youth Homes was a private non-profit child welfare agency that hasen in owa or is for Homes forthe relocation of one of them. This home will be a home for adolescent females who have been abused, neglected, or come from an otherwise disruptive family situation and have emotional problems because of that. Clients are placed with Youth Homes by the juvenile court to receive supervision, counseling, and treatment until such time as they can be returned home or placed on their own independently. All the girls are enrolled in the public schools. The house is staffed 24 hours a day by professional paid staff. In addition to normal household there meetings in the house, recreational activity edaily either inthehuserorpoutside, and some individual counseling sessions. Mask had McCarty clarify that the girls attend local public schools. Mask asked the average with stay youngerwas or a childrenl McCarty s aid it requiring alonger stay. .o• Board of Adjustment May 13, 1987 Page 5 McCarty said that the children are n court and the Youth Hones screening that the children are suitable for before they are accepted. Children ronment are sent elsewhere. of vio'=-: or dangerous. Both t. ­ process independently determine this type of living situation who need a more structured envi- Mask asked if there was a process for removing a disruptive person from the home if the need arose. McCarty said yes; if Youth Homes decides that a child is no longer appropriate for the program they can call a social worker, or the police if appropriate, and have the child taken away. Randall asked if there were age limits. McCarty said the age range was 12-17 with most of the girls being 14-16. Randall asked if any of these children would go to the Iowa City Hillcrest Facility when they were too old for this program. McCarty said no, that the Hillcrest facility was for people with mental health problems, and these children would not fit in that category. McCarty said he knew of no one who had gone from Youth Homes to Hillcrest. Mask asked McCarty to clarify how many staff people would be on duty. McCarty said there was a minimum of one person on duty at all times. During shift overlap times there would be two staff people there for about 30 minutes. Occasionally he or another member of the staff visits the house to check on the operation. McCarty said that nor- mally.the largest number of staff people that would be there at any one time would be three, and that would occur at shift changes at 7:00 a.m, and 3:00 p.m. 2. Pat Meyer, Domestic Violence Project Worker. Meyer said she works but does not live in the neighborhood. She said the neighborhood has been very tolerant of their program. The Domes- tic Violence Project could cooperate with Youth Homes on financial affairs and programming. Both projects would adjoin the creek and they could share in the fix -up expense. The Domestic Violence Project sometimes serves the same population as Youth Homes, only a few years later. This opportunity could lead to some joint programming. Meyer concluded by stating that the Board of Directors of the Domestic Violence Project wanted the Board of Adjustment to know they were in favor of the project. 3. Jim Swaim, area resident at 1024 Woodlawn, and Director of United Action for Youth. Swaim said he had lived at two houses in the neighborhood. He said Youth Homes had come into the neighborhood and held a helpful informa- tional meeting prior to the public hearing for area residents. Swaim said he and his wife were both supportive of the project. He said he thought it was important that abused children be allowed to remain in the community. He said he had two children and was a licensed foster parent for an abused teenager for four years. He thought that cur- rently the opinion of neighborhood residents was mixed. Most, he thought, saw the need for such a facility, but some had reservations of locating it in their neighborhood. He said if the children are to .8"'•! of adjustment d i987 P3;:- 5 remain in the comnunitf, the neighborhood has _c be opened up. The parking exception was z zajor concern because t -a .louse is located in about smaintadiningict. He the integrityght all Of the nelghborhood.'s Hersaidnitrwas the responsibility of the neighborhood to welcome the cothe children into community. He thought if this request was denied, another neigh- borhood would have to face the same issue. 4. Ted Wernimont, Board member of Youth Homes for eight years. Wernimont said he was a licensed foster parent and one of the first house parents for Systems Unlimited. When Systems Unlimited was new in the neighborhood, it faced problems with neighbors who weren't sure of the group home. Now, he said, most neighborhoods are very happy with Systems Unlimited and it is a well-established program in Iowa City. He said he was strongly in favor of the proposed home. Chil- dren in the program have been forced to live in much less than ideal circumstances. Wernimont said McCarty has looked at every property listed for sale in the last six to eight months and the Evans Street property is ideal. 5. Beth Walsh, President of the Board of Youth Homes, Inc. Walsh said theprogram for the girls was very structured. Privileges such as free time, must be earned by showing responsibility in the home. She said she has spent a lot of home. time in and out of the current At all times she felt like her ten year old daughter and five year old son were safe, that the interaction between the girls and her children was positive, and that it was a learning experience for all parties. The special exception Youth Homes is applying for is the same excep- sidersthat thewould hooe-likes atmospheruired ewofrthenlivingn owaCit, Youh Hoes con- arrang ment tom mbe part of the therapy. Many of these children have never had a good home life. 6. David Schuldt, Board member of Youth Homes, Inc. Schuldt said that this property had stuck out in their search for a house because of the neighborhood and the isolation of the location. He noted that teenagers play stereos loudly, and these girls were teenagers. He said the elegance and grace of the setting will add to the quality of life of the girls who live there and urged the Board to .o• grant the special exception. 7. Ginalie Swaim, 1024 Woodlawn Swaim said she had positive experience over the last ten years with various group hones that have been located in the neighborhood, in- cluding Systems Unlimited and Hope House. Therefore, she had no reason to expect any problems from a group of teenage girls. She also expressed concern over the historic nature of the property. Swaim C'IZ .V' Y Boar! of s�iustment May Page saia she would rather have a that they would work with the move in who might turn the area it deteriorate. Therefore, she tion to be approved. group move in that has publicly stated neighbors than to see a private owner into rental property and who might let said she would like the special excep- 8. Ruth Bonfiglio - Member of the Board of Directors of Youth Homes since its inception. Youth Homes originated with funds from the City of Iowa City and the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to provide a protective home for children in the area. Though it is called a group home, each girl is treated one-on-one. 9. Barbara Wagner, 1025 Woodlawn, and member of the Historic Preservation Commission from the Woodlawn District. Wagner said she was neutral on the issue. She asked if there was a time limit, established by City Ordinance, for the use of this facil- ity as a provision group no the budget forlin said no. maintaining the home nden eat ileastthere aswas good condition as when it was entered. McCarty said that next year's budget included a substantial increase in the building maintenance line item. In addition, he said, Youth Homes expects to spend $30,000 to $35,000 upgrading the house upon moving in. McCarty stated that the COBG funding for part of the purchase price comes with a strong financial incentive to not sell the house or change its use for ten years. PUBLIC COMMENT IN OPPOSITION TO SE -8705: I. Johannes Ledolter, 947 Iowa Avenue, resident since 1978. Ledoiter's property is separated from 19 Evans Street by one house. He said he came to voice his opposition to the project as a resident and owner of property in. this neighborhood who is concerned about main- taining a balance of family residences and apartments in the area. He said the residents were the group of people most affected by the location of a group hone in their neighborhood. Ledolter is against the concentration of group homes in one area. He noted that the Domestic Violence Project has frequent visitors and 15 garbage cans. He said the addition of another group facility could provide a tipping effect and make the neighborhood undesirable for families. He ex- pressed his concern for security, saying Youth Homes told him that half the girls in the facility would have criminal records. He said the workers at the Domestic Violence Project were aware of the poten- tial security problems. Until 1983, he lived next to Project HOPE. Ledolter was always concerned about the presence of these men. It affected his decisions about when to lock his door, leave things in his yard, and close his curtains. He said the neighborhood has sup- ported and continued to support its fair share of group homes. He does not want to subject the person who provides child care at his hone to an unquantified risk. .P• Board of May 13, Page 3 Ledolt=_r said it is hard to find parking spaces in the 900 block of Iowa Avenue because most apartment houses have an insufficient number of spaces. He said the parking situation would be unacceptable if there was inadequate parking for the new group hone. He felt the required number of parking spaces should allow for staff, visitors, and the project's group van. He also expressed concern about the traffic hazard posed by cars entering and leaving the residence. He said the Board of Adjustment has denied the present owner a reduction in the parking requirements for his doctor's office. He did not see why a special exception should be made for a group home which would have a far greater impact on neighborhood residents. He urged the Board to consider the concerns of the residents. Boyle stated that the Board of Adjustment had never acted on a parking request at 19 Evans because the request to change the use was denied. 2. Donald MacFarlane, 943 Iowa Avenue. MacFarlane stated that he came with regret to oppose the project. He said "with regret" because he knows people have a duty as members of j society to support those less fortunate than themselves. He said he lives with -his wife and two children, age 8 and 5. He said some of the inmates of this home would be classified as adjudicated delin- quents, which is the top grade of criminality one can get as a child. He said although the premises will not be locked, the inmates are not allowed to leave. If they do, a warrant will be issued for their arrest. He said the application did not make this clear and ques- tioned its legality on that basis. He said the wording for a special exception for group homes does not imply that a group home can be used to house people against their will as a part of the criminal justice turnedsystem. He i this down as illegal. The d an re idents at othethome'slcurrent location are referred from various places in eastern Iowa, primarily the Quad Cities. As of today, there is no resident in the home from Johnson County. Therefore, he felt that Iowa City did not need this home. The current facility, he said, has a panel missing on the front door, broken rails on the front steps, and a poorly maintained landscape. MacFarlane said he would not want to see the people in charge of the upkeep of that building be in charge of the property at 19 Evans Street. He said he did not understand why the staff recommended against a doctor's office at this location and are now recommending in favor of a group hone. He thought the staff report had not considered the impact on the neighborhood of ten young female adults from the criminal justice system with their social contacts and so on. MacFarlane stated that the neighborhood was predominately single- family dwellings and not multiple -family dwellings as the application states. MacFarlane stated that Mr. Knapp and Mr. Roberts had both worked very hard to upgrade their property. Project Hope was in their back yard and caused disruption to their lives. Basketball was played noisily outside until very late and beer and wine bottles were thrown into the .o• Board of Adjustment May 13, 1987 Page 9 MacFarlane's yard. He said he did not complain because he felt he had a duty to society to allow these homes. He said Domestic 'Jiolence Project is well run and is welcome in the neighborhood. This project, he said, is not welcome. He felt the girls should be placed in their own communities. MacFarlane concluded by stating he had had very little time to establish these facts, and that he hoped they were accurate. 3. Jim Knapp, 1005 Muscatine Avenue. He but sed that he was not some questions, Knapp ehe was a ked about the intention ofither hadRNC-20 zone, and wondered why an exception was needed. He said he had an exception on his awn property and thought it might be hypocritical to oppose this exception. He had no qualms about the parking exception and felt that Youth Homes probably did not need the parking they were required to have. He said he was concerned, if in fact these girls had criminal records and therewould be exposure to small children in the neighborhood. McCarty had assured him earlier in the day that these were regular children from homes where they were abused. He said his daughter was in City High and he knew that the children from homes like this were not causing as much trouble in the schools as some of the other children. He agreed with McFarlan that it is not the re- sponsibility of Iowa City to house children from outside Iowa City who have committed crimes against society. Knapp had concerns about property values. He said he assumed the realtor in attendance was in favor of this, because he was due to make a commission on the sale. Knapp wondered if he had a property for sale, listed with another realty office, and the realtor in the audi- ence had a property listed with another owner in another neighborhood, if the realtor would point out that there was a group home down the block that most realtorsdwould notppointtthateoutoandlfeltcthat wasnevidenceethat grohat if he hadutohomes had move into aa house tnext on pdoorrto hisucurrentareside croety vales. Knpsaid e before he moved in, when it was occupied by Hope House, he would have had strong reservations about doing it. Knapp said that with the exception of the woman who wrote in who has worked hard to upgrade her property, he felt the residents of the north side of the 900 block of Iowa Avenue had no business complaining about property values because they could upgrade their property by keeping it in better condition. Knapp asked McCarty if he could assure the neighborhood residents that the girls will not have the criminal records that had been mentioned earlier. Franklin said the intent of the RNC=20 zone is to permit multi -family development and preserve single-family development. It was designed during the major rezoning action in the College Hill area, which took place prior to the adoption of the Comprehensive Plan and prior to the adoption of the new Zoning Ordinance. It is called the residential neighborhood conservation zone. The idea was to hold the level of development in the College Hili area, permitting existing high density multi -family to continue and providing for single-family detached .o Board of 4djus tment May 13, 1987 Page 10 housing. It is a moderate density multi -family area. Frank:'- said that the reason that group homes are dealt with as a special exception in the RNC -20 zone and other zones throughout the City is Public input prior to the grantin f to allow for g o the special exception. 4. Nancy MacFarlane, 943 Iowa Avenue. For five years MacFarlane lived next to Hope House. She and her child were threatened once by one of the men, there were beer and wine bottles in their yard constantly, and she said it was horrible living next to these people. Had she known the Hope House was there, she never would have bought the property. She has two Young said she thinks someone is trying to dump a lot of group children' eon She the neighborhood. people, aid butshe doesould objectttoea half way houosed to a se systems house with criminal records. girls 5. lea VanderVelde, 947 Iowa Avenue. VanderVelde presented a petition signed by six single-family homeown- ers in the area who are opposed to the addition of another group home to the neighborhood, because it would upset the present balance of the desirability,of the neighborhodrive Out more dShe said �forefamilies with childrenimi the petitioners, plus the Macoarlanes and Mr, Knapp, (who represent lall the singlmost e -family property owners outside the Woodlawn Area would ettere fromBuWilson ofted 942bIowa Avenue expressing reservations about the group home. VanderVelde said that the neighborhood is roughly half single-family hears and half multi -family learned to tolerate each othedwellings and that the neighbors have r. She said this was not a reason to dump three group homes on the neighborhood in five years. She noted that most of the residents are not from Iowa City and could be located elsewhere. She said the main concern was concentration. VanderVelde said it was not a good idea to concentrate group homes in one area. She said concentrating group homes together was against public policy of the state. She provided the Board with copies of Chapter 358A.25 - zoning for family homes. This section of the Code states these uses said she should not be located closer than one-quarter mile of each other. She uses here.realized er, thectwongroupnot homesawill bepwithinto t200tfeet of each other - not the minimum 1300 feet required by the statute. VanderVelde felt that granting the special exception did not advance the purpose of having group homes. She said if the purpose of the group home is mainstreaming residents so they can be brought into a community and observe other residential families living together, then there is no point to be served by clustering group homes all in one place. The residents simply observe each other. She said there was no point in placing the homes close together in order to coordinate v IPO .o• Board of Adjustment May 13, 1987 Page it programming when greater efficiency coin- -e achieved by a lar: - institution. The whole point, she continue:, of separating the insti- tutions is to spread them out in the community. The neighborhood still lives under the cloud of Hope House in the eyes of many Iowa City residents, she said. The addition of another group home would add to the neighborhood's reputation as an area where three group homes are clustered. She said the attitude of the neighborhood is not, "no, not in my neighborhood," but rather, "no, not three times in my neighborhood." 6. Richard Fox, area property owner. Fox said that he thought the owner had the right to sell the property to whomever he wishes. Fox said he lived in the house he owned when he first bought it and liked the neighborhood very much. He said he would prefer to see the parking requirement reduced and the parking area left as it is, if possible. Fox said the maintenance costs for this house might be higher than for a house not in a historic neigh- borhood. Personally, he said he would prefer that Youth Homes locate elsewhere, but thought that was mostly because he did not know how the group home would affect him personally. He was concerned about visi- tors to the home and the possible use of his land in the future. He said he would disagree with Knapp on the value of the property. 7. Linda Rabben, 1024 E. Jefferson, Rape Victim Advocacy Program Volun- teer. Rabben said she lived far enough away from the proposed home that she felt she would not be immediately affected. She said she had volun- teered for the Rape Victim Advocacy Program at the Women's Resource and Action Center and had counseled adolescent rape victims. She thought that the residents of the proposed home would be particularly vulnerable to these types of assaults. Some of the conditions in the immediate area of 19 Evans Street might increase the vulnerability, thus making that location less than ideal for a home for adolescent girls. The street lighting is poor, the creek area ill-defined, and there are many areas into which a person could be forcibly taken. The traffic situation in the area poses hazards for all pedestrians, especially late at night. Rabben thought these girls who had already been victimized once, and were more likely than the average person to be vicitimized again, should not be located in such a hazardous area. 8. Dean Oakes, R.R. 2, Box 26, owner of Woodlawn Apartments. Oakes said many of the residents of Woodlawn Apartments have been there for many years - eight over ten years and a few over 40 years. He thought that just because people pay rent instead of owning prop- erty, that does not make them any less of a citizen. He did not know if any of these residents had been contacted. The building is not centrally air-conditioned, but it is well -shaded. The residents like to have the windows open and do not like a lot of noise. They would not appreciate loud stereos playing only 90 feet away. Oakes said it .Y' Board of Adjustment -Av 13, 1987 ?sqe 12 would be a financial =jr:en on him if the frog: :artments got to be known as the ones where the windows had to be <apt closed for the noise. He said everything that happens in a neighborhood influences the values of other peoples' properties. He said he was against allowing a facility with inadequate parking - if the place needed eight parking spaces, it should have eight parking spaces. He said he was opposed to Youth Homes moving to 19 Evans and he was opposed to the granting of a parking variance. 9. Steve Roberts - 1015 Muscatine Avenue. Roberts purchased his property in 1983 when Hope House was still in the neighborhood. He said he would not have purchased his property if he had thought Project Hope would remain there. He asked if Youth Homes used to operate a home on the 300 block of Horth Dubuque Street. He said he was neutral on this issue. 10. Haivor E. Scott - 903 Iowa Avenue. Scott said he purchased his property in 1950 and had lived there 37 years. He said the location of a house for abused women nearby has deteriorated the value of his property. Scott said no one will buy it now. Yet he said, his taxes increased in order to support more group homes. He said he was against group homes. Scott said if the parents cannot control their children then there is something wrong with them. He said where he grew up there were not many abused kids because the parents controlled them. He asked why the group did not locate over in Manville Heights. RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS RAISED: McCarty stated that Youth Homes had never operated a home on the 300 block of North Dubuque. McCarty said that Youth Homes is very concerned about the vulnerability of their children to assault. The children in this program have hours to keep depending on their age and how well they are doing in the program. Also, the adolescents are taught how to avoid assault, and in the past they have used resources from the Rape Victim Advocacy Program. He said that comparing this property to other available properties in other neigh- borhoods in Iowa City, they had found it to be no better or worse than other situations in regard to safety. McCarty clarified that Hope House was no longer in existence and that if Youth Homes moved into the neighborhood, there would be two group care facilities in the area. When surveying available properties, given the permitted zones, the costs, and general real estate market in Iowa City, he said it was difficult to find a house that was not near another group care facility. McCarty said the project is in no way similar to Hope House or the Domestic Violence Project. He said it was a licensed child- care facility, which meant it had to meet strict standards with regard to Board of adjustment Ma• Page :. such :-;ngs as number of children, number of staff, and fire safety stan- dards. McCarty thought it was net fair to compare abused children with adult felons. McCarty clarified that George Matheson, a realtor present and referred to earlier, was present as a member of the Board of Directors of Youth Homes and has waived his commission on the sale of the property. McCarty said the children in the home are not criminals, not violent, and not dangerous. Some of the children have committed delinquent acts and had trouble with the law. A delinquent act is anything that would be classified as a crime if committed by an adult; that ranges from petty shoplifting to first degree murder theoretically. In juvenile court there are two types of children - adjudicated delinquents and children in need of assistance. Children in need of assistance have not been found guilty of committing a delinquent act, but have family or emotional problems that require their placement elsewhere. McCarty said there was a lot of over- lap between these groups. Children placed in Youth Homes are judged both by the courts and the Youth Homes screening process as not dangerous to the community. Youth Homes does not want children who cannot function properly in their program. If Youth Homes has too many failures, the courts will stop referring children to the program. So the program and the neighborhood both have a vested interest in only having children in the program who can function well in that environment. i McCarty noted that Youth Homes would need to seek a special exception anywhere in the city it sought to locate. He said for the past seven months, Youth Homes has been thoroughly studying the housing market, evaluating houses based on 11 objective criteria. This property, accord - Ing to their study, is the most appropriate property available on the market at this time. Randall asked McCarty to elaborate on what degree of delinquency would be unacceptable to Youth Homes. McCarty said that unacceptable delinquency would include such things as a history of assaultive behavior, a history of extensive damage to property, and an extensive history of theft. Typical problems that females tend to be involved in are shoplifting and/or drug and alcohol abuse. Those behaviors, in and of themselves, would not dictate that a girl was not appropriate for the house. Randall asked if there was anything in writing in Youth Homes' by-laws or else- where that the neighbors could depend on. McCarty said there was nothing in writing, except the screening process itself. McCarty said one of the neighbors asked if Youth Homes could guarantee they would not admit an .o• adjudicated delinquent. He said he could not promise that. McCarty said the facility was not a locked facility, or a detention type facility, but rather a licensed group foster care facility. The children are there by court order because no one else can make the decision about where they will live. McCarty said the children could leave whenever they want to. .o• Board of AdpistmAnt May 13, Page 14 Mask asked ho« often a person was sent back to a social worker or removed from the house because of a problem, and how such problems were handled. McCarty responded that physical confrontations are very rare. When they do occur, they usually stem from an argument between two girls which gets out of hand. At that point, staff immediately intervenes, the social worker is contacted and the girl removed from the facility. There has been one removal in the last nine months. In a similar program that McCarty ran in Cedar Rapids, he said there were at most ten removals in 12 years. Mask asked if there had ever been any incidents with third par- ties. Bonfiglio said that in the history of Youth Homes, the only inci- dents involving third parties were incidents where the third parties were harassing the girls, and never the other way around. Winegarden asked if it was true that the current residents were not from Johnson County. McCarty said yes, at the current time that was accurate. He said the reason for that was that when he took the job, the local judge told him she would not place local children in this program until the program and the building were satisfactory. The program has been remedied to her satisfaction and she is prepared to use it as soon as Youth Homes has an appropriate facility. Winegarden asked if local children were being sent out-of-town and out-of-town children sent here. McCarty said that was the case. McCarty said in the long -run, he does expect to get some children from out-of-town, because some of the outlying counties do not have similar programs. Winegarden asked what percent of the children placed in the home were juvenile delinquents and not abused children. McCarty said that numerous changes have been made in the program since he came. He thought it was possible that in the past there were children who were just delinquent and not abused. The current program and screening process looks for children with a history of abuse and emotional problems, though they may have some delinquency as well. Mask asked if Youth Homes would have enough money to do the kinds of things being discussed at the time they were expected to do them. In addition to the CDBG money, McCarty said Youth Homes had a $5,000 grant from the Gannett Foundation and a $10,000-$25,000 application pending with the Department of Economic Development. Reimbursement rates for the home will be going up by seven percent beginning July 1, 1987, which will mean an additional $20,000 for operating expenses next year. Also, the line item in the budget for maintenance has been increased. McCarty said he had no doubt that Youth Homes would be able to maintain the property. He said when he came to Cedar Rapids 11 years ago, the agency owned nothing. When he left, they owned property free and clear worth approximately $500,000. The agency in Cedar Rapids had a reputation for maintaining the property well. McCarty said maintaining the property was an important part of the treatment. The girls needed to learn what it meant to live in a nice home and what it meant to maintain it. 8oard of Adjustment May 13, 1987 Page 15 FURTHER 01=1ON: Vandervelde said had told f Of te irls then adjudicated delinquents ya d half were childrenat uginlneedlof assistance. wShe asked the � situation Josephine Getler told here that it was aboutGet7was herJuvenile justice, pr that these two populations should not be combined in the same homopinion e, but that it was often done for economic reasons. She said institutions like hthis have to operate on filled beds and adjudicated delinquents ma oainputfinto who wentthere is an pintogthe house and she I de dfelt ty be tthe eighb shoo dhad be resolved more in favor of the neighbors. Vandervelde said that even if only victims were livingin the home presence would still decrease property values in the eighborhood. She said that she bought her its institu- tional home next door, The realto property without knowing there was an realtors tell other neighbors who bou htd not tell them, nor did other she put in a low bid for the property whichrwasrtsuprisinglyin the racce tShe ed, said said the difference between what the previous owner got for the house aShe nd what the previous owner expected to get for the house was exactly the decrease in the property value of that lot. Vandervelde also expressed concern about the special exception for park- ing. She said social workers will probably want to meet with parents at the house, parental visits will probably cluster on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, that the group may have a van, and that actually two staff members are required to be present at the home when the girls are there during waking hours. These circumstances lead Vandervelde to believe that the parking requirement should not be reduced. But she said if it was not reduced, then the construction of a parking lot would impact on a historic hone. Therefore, she felt this was not a good site for the facility. MacFarlane asked for the opinion of the Board as to whether the wording of the RNC are sent -20 special exception for group homes could apply to a home where houseehave been throughtheinvoluntarily Halof the people who will go to this vetted in the juvenile justice systemjoftiaecri eejustifyingm and ethembeen being removed from society. McCarty said that the 5o-50 figure he quoted referred to all the programs P I hadtaYhigher percentage of adjudicatedand adelinquents ramsNone affrom tthepchilhave have been through the criminal court. All of the children have been through the juvenile court because that is the court required to act been allow any child to be removed from their home. Youth Homes is not alloweto d I to restrain the children or force them to stay, The children may walk out at any time, I Franklin said that the people who live at Youth Homes are undergoing rehabilitation, are in need of adult supervision, and are provided serv- ices in accordance with their individual needs, Therefore, Youth Homes would qualify to apply for a special exception in the RNC -20 zone. Rio .P' Board of Adjustment May 13, 1987 Page 16 Franklin also clarified that the Domestic Violence Project is not .ec1ni- cally considered a group home but rather emergency housing, because of the transiency of the residents. Randall moved that item SE -8705, a request submitted by Youth Hanes, Inc. for special exceptions to establish a group facility within the RNC -20 zone and to reduce parking requirements of this use, be approved subject to the three conditions outlined by the staff on page 4. Mask seconded. There was discussion of the need for clarification of conflicting state- ments and the need for more time to deliberate. Fisher noted that the burden of proof is on the applicant. Masked moved to defer consideration of SE -8705 until May 20 at 4:30 PM. Yinegarden seconded. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 7:05 PM. Minutes submitted Eby. Chriiss7tin�e Mullen. ru Approved by: I Ob t �' Y A_1 Peter Fisher, Chairperson Karin FranKlin, Secretary 89D ��151 MINUTED BOARD OF ADJUS 30 MAY 20, 1967 - =:30 P.M. CIVIC CENTER COU"NZIL CHAMBERS MEMBERS PRESENT: Mask, Randall, Fisher, Winegarden MEMBERS ABSENT: Messier STAFF PRESENT: Boyle, Moen, Reggentin GUESTS PRESENT: Bill McCarty, Marion Neely, Beth Walsh, Jon Ledolter, Lea VanderVelde, Nancy McFarlane, Ralph Stoffer, Jim Swaim CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES OF MAY 13 1987: The Board moved to consider the minutes of its May 13, 1987, meeting, at its regular meeting in June. SPECIAL EXCEPTION ITEMS: 1. 5E-8705. Continued discussion of a request submitted by Youth Homes, nT c. for special exceptions to establish, at 19 Evans Street, a group care facility within the RNC-20 zone and to reduce the parking re- quirements of this use by 50 percent, from eight to four spaces. Moen reported that, prior to the meeting, information had been dis- tributed to the Board including the proposed Youth Homes, Inc. policy regarding admissions to a Girls Group Home, a letter from Carol Thompson, Director of Human Services, a letter to McCarty from Sylvia Lewis, Juvenile Court Referee, a letter from Jan Williams who lives near a group hone and has a business next door, and descriptions of the functions of Youth Homes, Inc. and girls group homes provided by McCarty. Moen also stated that the memorandum from the Historic Preservation Commission indicates that the Commission feels that the establishment of a group home at this location could adversely affect the historical aspects of the property and of the district of which the hone is a part. PUBLIC COMMENT IN FAVOR OF 5E-8705: 1. Bill McCarty, Executive Director of Youth Homes, Inc. McCarty claimed that there was a certain amount of misinformation in .o• regard to the home's residents. The written information which was distributed is intended to clarify that. He stated that the letter from Sylvia Lewis explains clearly the type of children that are to be housed in the facility. He also stated that the letter from Carol Thompson describes the types of children referred to the home. He stated that the facility was prepared to adopt the policy for admis- sion dated May 18, 1987. Although this policy has been followed, for the comfort of adjacent property owners, the Youth Homes Board of Directors will formally adopt this policy as the criteria for admis- sion. He also said that the letter from Jan Williams states that she FAM .P' MINUTES 90ARD OF ADJUSTMENT MAY 20, 1981 - 1::: . CIVIC CENTER COUNC:_ :'=VIERS PAGE 2 lives next to a group home and, in addition, owns the bookshop across the street. Based on her experience, she has had no problems residing or running a business near a group home. McCarty said additional information dealing with Youth Homes' histori- cal data is not relevant due to changes that have taken place in the program recently. He said there are currently eight children in the program, none of whom are adjudicated delinquent. All come from family backgrounds that involved abuse or serious family problems. Social histories and court records of the children are given to Youth Homes before the children are accepted for admission. He also stated that there are only four delinquency charges among all eight children. These include two shoplifting charges, one theft charge which involved charging long distance telephone calls to a former foster parent and one simple assault filed by Youth Homes which involved two girls who had fought within the house. McCarty questioned the Historic Preservation Commission's stance on the preservation of the property. He stated that he did not have an opportunity to address the Commission but feels that Youth Homes is capable of preserving the property. He stated that no exterior changes to. the building are planned except for any alterations re- quired for parking. He stated that with CDBG assistance they are to maintain the structure for ten years; the City will monitor the project during that period. He also added that they cannot take out a building permit for exterior changes without the authorization of the Commission. McCarty said that the only changes that would take place would be to bring the facility up to standards, and to add a portable ramp for handicapped individuals. Approximately $35,000 would be spent on the property to further rehabilitate it and a good portion of the projected operational budget would be related to improvements and operations of the Evans Street property. Having to do with the parking issue, McCarty said that they would provide as many spaces as the Board decided was necessary. He stated that four would be enough and any more would possibly endanger the preservation of the environment and the historical aspects of the property. He said that a majority of the time there is only one staff person there. He stated that three vehicles would be present for approximately one-half hour three times per day. During programming which amounts to about 36 hours per week, a second staff person must be present if there are more than five children in the house. He also stated that no agency vehicles would be stored at this facility. He said Youth Homes owns no vans, but leases one car that is always kept at a different location. 52 .P' MINUTES °^.'.O9 OF .ADJUSTMENT '0, 1987 - 4:30 P.M. CENTER COUNCIL CHAMBERS 3 PUBLIC COMMENTS OPPOSING SE -8705: Marion Neely, Attorney for Dean Oakes, owner of Woodlawn Apts., lo- cated across the street from the proposed site. Neely stated that the Board must consider some things before making a decision. He stated that Sec. 36.12 of the Code regulating the RM -20 zone indicates that child care facilities are subject to the require- ments of Section 36-55. He stated that the intent of these require- ments is to regulate child care centers other than the type of facility under consideration in which children are held in detention. In addition, the RM -20 zone allows family care facilities provided they are not within one-quarter mile of each other. Boyle stated that the RNC -20 zone is under consideration and that Youth Homes is re- garded a group care facility. Neely stated that the impact of the establishment of the group home on property values has been addressed by the opponents. He also questioned the historical competence of the administrators of the facility. In summary, Neely stated that prob- lems will be created that will not be beneficial to the neighborhood. Property values will be affected and it is in close proximity to another group living situation. He asks that the requests be denied. 2. Johannes Ledolter, 947 Iowa Avenue. Ledolter feels the past history of this facility is relevant. Ledolter also addressed the parking issue. He stated that according to the Department of Human Services a hone with ten residents will need two supervisors during prime time hours and with shift changeover, the four parking spaces will not be sufficient. He said that they should not plan for minimum parking requirements, but rather a maximum or average number of parking spaces. RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS RAISED: Fisher asked McCarty about the staffing issue. McCarty responded that Ledolter's figures were not current and the figures McCarty provided were current; during 36 hours of the week, primarily evening hours, there would be two staff members present in the house. Beth Walsh, Board President of Youth Homes, stated that the maximum number of supervisors will be three (two coming off during prime time and only one going on). McCarty elabo- rated that six days per week there's a second person on staff during evening hours. At the 11:00 p.m. shift change there are three staff members present for about one-half hour. Lea VanderVelde, of 947 Iowa Avenue, raised the question of staffing. She stated that the Iowa Department of Human Services said that during peak periods two staff members were needed for ten residents. She stated that if weekends were considered peak hours then there would be two staff members coming on and two going off, resulting in four vehicles present. • MINUT-eS BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT MAY 20, 198; - 4:30 P.M. CIVIC CENTER COUNCIL CHAMBERS PAGE 4 r facility eak situaions rather tan the avera9etheBreakdowns sresultpwhen you houllan fortarepunable tot taccomnodate high traffic periods. High traffic periods could require four staff cars, a vehicle owned by the facility and parents. On -street parking is not possi- ble. She also questioned the professionalism of the organization due to its history of shifting programs. Sylvia Lewis had indicated to her that at one point girls were not referred to a Youth Homes facility because boys were also being taken. Lewis also expressed that she hoped this would not occur under the present Youth Homes leadership. McCarty stated that during prime programming times, Department rules require a second staff person when more than five children are'in the house. This is mainly in the evenings and is scheduled around school, work, home visits, etc. Four staff people in the house at any one time is not required or needed. McCarty stated that regarding the integrity of the organization, judges have not been giving local children to the agency due to their dissatisfaction with the prior agency. He said that the Judge handling these types of cases is pleased with his work in Cedar Rapids and has total confidence with his administration. He also stated that the agency is heavily regulated and is not allowed to simply change programs. The Youth Homes Board is also prepared to adopt the admission Policy statement and the CDBG contract requires continuance of this pro- gram at one location for ten years. tiod stated Randall weekendeeveningsdareeprimeiprogrami gi tme. Six eve- n nings a week a second person is on duty if more than five children occupy the house. Randall asked who did the cooking. McCarty replied that it is the. responsibility of both the supervisors and the children in the facil- ityThis duty teaches children household responsibilities. Randall mored that Item SE -8705, a request submitted by Youth Homes, Inc. for a special exception to establish a group care facility within the RNC -20 zone at 19 Evans Street be approved subject to the following condi- tions: a. That the plat plan Ordinance regulatingcomply with Section 36-73(a)(2) of the Zoning rights-of-way. the placement of trees adjacent to street b. That the proposed admission policy dated May 18, 1987, presented to the Board of Adjustment be adopted by the Board of Directors of Youth a• Homes, Inc. Mask seconded the motion. DISCUSSION Randall indicated his concerns regarding the group care facility and stated he felt perhaps neighbors' concerns were addressed with Mr. McCarty's presentation of the proposed admission policy. FIM MINUTES BOARD OF 40JUSTMENT MAY 20, 1987 - 4:30 P.M. CIVIC CENTER COUNCIL CHAMBERS PAGE 5 At a map of family dcare lfacil tiles sin' the mar a. VanderVeldeg group care faclities and said that themconcentra- tion was too great in the area. Randall felt that ideally there should be an equitable distribution within the community but purchase price is an Issue and affordable structures are concentrated stated that there were problems with in one area. McCarty in due to the fact that the ueiIding size, and with various Thiisusgreatlyr limits then area that zoning lot available b for group home locations. Fisher askecare d the origin of the quarter mile distance requirement imposed to calf stipulation butionesma datedMoen ebyothe State. that h�Fisher�sindicatednot the i issue was whether two facilities in close proximity is sufficient to have an effect on adjoining uses and properties. He's satisfied, however, by i the evidence presented that the effects will not be substantial. ieffect on Winegarden stated that he felt that this use would not have a negative addiion to the neighborhood hinacomparisonotorea and dexistingcuses inin fat, beathe areaositi. Maskt talso stated that she felt it would be a positive aspect to the neighborhood in terms Of upkeep and long-term effects, but was concerned about the possibility Of exceeding the ten person limit on the facility. McCarty said that the State has requirements on the sizes of the house and lot which, therefore, restrict the number of children licensed for a particular house. Mask also stated concern about the parking issue and did not want this parking Issue to restrict the staffing needs of the Center. Mask encouraged Youth Homes to have a community liaison or representative on the Board to soften the impacts of Youth Homes on the community and also to keep in touch with community concerns. McCarty agreed with this suggestion. At Fisher's request, Moen explained requirements concerning exterior improvements made to structures located in a local historic district. Mask indicated that her concerns had been addressed but emphasized that the community's concerns must be carefully listened to by Youth Homes and must be regarded with the utmost care. The neighborhood would be trusting Youth Homes with regard to the administration of the programs, the type of girls admitted to the home, and the physical appearance and upkeep of the house. Moen polled the Board. The vote was 4-0 in favor of the exception. VanderVelde requested that, in order to appeal this case, the Board vote on each of the seven standards on which a special exception is evaluated. Boyleat meeting. Fisher fact FisherWould noted thataaevote innfaoreofba special exception is a vote confirming that each standard has been satis- factorily addressed. The Board agreed to consider the written findings at the next meeting. .P' MINUTES BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT MAY 20, i3': - 4:30 P.M. CIVIC CENTER COUNCIL CHAMBERS PAGE 6 Nancy McFarlane questioned how four parking spaces could be located on the property without building out over the creek. Fisher noted that the applicant would have to obtain the City's approval of the design of the parking spaces and certification from a registered engineer and the De- partment of Natural Resources before excavation to construct a parking space could occur. Stoffer, a registered engineer, commented that the proposed design is expected to satisfy the City as well as the Department of Natural Resources. Mask 705 Youth Homes Inc. to reduce parkinthat g requircial ementsoatS198EvanseStreetdbyy50 percent from 8 to 4 spaces be approved subject to the following restrictions: a. That the applicant obtain floodplain. b. alterations proposed for cated b. That the parking area design be approved by the City staff. The motion was seconded by Randall. Mask inquired about the use of the brick area south of the house for parking. Moen stated that the applicant prefers to preserve the natural features of the area and if that area is used for parking, it would have to be expanded westerly in order to avoid having vehicles parked in the front yard. McCarty commented that the parking arrangement preferred by Youth Homes provides adequate parking for their needs and has the least intrusive impact on the property. Mask indicated that she feels, the number of spaces proposed is the minimum needed by Youth Homes. Stoffer commented that several parking arrange- ments were considered; preservation of the attractiveness of the site was taken into consideration. Jim Swain, a resident of the Woodlawn Historic District, preserve the dexisting mature property ono on Youth the sites parking McCatynorder stated his spacesmiftthetand parkingesit situation affects the neBoard to add parking ighborhood At Fisher's request, McCarty clarified that parental visits average one visit per child per month on weekend days. Other primary visitors with vehicls are socialewo kerssvisit during ocial sthe week who sduri g it eregularer oofficnth eehours. There er child. e fore, those two groups don't usually meet each other. Ledolter stated his frustration with facts he thinks conflict. He was also under the impression that, as a condition for receiving a grant from the City, Youth Hones would assure there would be no neighborhood opposi- tion and would not locate in an area where they would have such opposi- tion. McCarty stated that the Council did express concern regarding neighborhood impact. Youth Homes' commitment to the Council is that the agency will select a site that has minimal or negligible impact on the neighborhood. That is the reason the property in question was selected due to its location and the size of the lot. He stated he has never nor 174 .V' MINUTES BOARD OF AOJIJSTvc4r MAY 20, 19.4.' • :..0 P.M. CIVIC CENTER COU': ;(l CHAMBERS PAGE 1 ever would commit not to enter a neighborhood due to neighborhood opposi- tion because, in his experience, someone usually becomes concerned about the possibility of such a facility in his/her neighborhood. Fisher asked of the Historic Preservation Commission's ability to review parking options. Moen responded that Commission review is only triggered when a regulated permit for work within a local historic district is applied for. Only if a permit for construction of a parking lot is re- quired would the Commission review those plans. Fisher felt, given the pattern of usage described, four spaces was ade- quate. VanderVelde requested clarification whether two persons present on weekends requires a half hour overlap when four staff vehicles would be epresent. noughparking should o be supplied to satisfy tmeethe hechighestil cconcentrationetion iof vehicles, not the average number. Assuming the Historic Preservation Commission must review the parking arrangement for this project, she feels the Board cannot decide on a suitable number of spaces for Youth Homes' needs without the Commission present to endorse a particular arrangement. Fisher feels McCarty has addressed the staff issue to the Board's satis- faction. At vehicle, if used nbyraerequest, Youth Hommesstaff Cmember, arty awould dbehused hin alieuyof the staff member's own vehicle; this vehicle would be stored at another facility. Mask inquired about the remedy if four off-street parking spaces prove insufficient. Moen stated that the Board's decision regarding an adequate number of spaces for Youth Homes' needs should be based upon information received regarding the perceived needs of this use. Stoffer said addi- tional spaces could be supplied on the site if the need becomes apparent. Moen polled the Board. The vote was 4-0 in favor of granting the special exception to reduce the parking to four spaces. Mask inquired of the Youth Hanes Board's willingness to have a community representative sit on the Board. Walsh, president of the Youth Homes Board, expressed the Board's commitment to make the program a community- based program. To achieve this, relationships with community members must occur and one must be open about problems that exist and directions the program is taking. This is consistent with Youth Homes' policy. Fisher explained the appeal process. The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 p.m. 890 MINUTES BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT MAY 20, 1981 - ;::,; �., CIVIC CENTER COUNC:_ C44;+BERS PAGE 8 Minutes submitted by Mark Reggentin. Approved by: i i I t ,P I i I • MINUTES SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION MAY 18, 1987 MEMBERS PRESENT: Michael Kattchee, Dorothy Whipple, Ruth Wagner, Geri Hall, Jean Hood, Lorraine Dorfman, Jack Bock, Fred Goss, Bill Coen GUESTS PRESENT: Alan Roth, Milo Pecina, Council of Elders; Robert Welsh, Mike Lawson STAFF PRESENT: Bette Meisel, Joyce Phelps MINUTES/PUBLIC DISCUSSION Coen moved that the minutes of April 20, 1987, be approved as read. Bock seconded. Motion carried, all ayes. There was no public discussion. SENIOR CENTER UPDATE: Meisel gave each member quarterly financial reports on the Eldercraft Shop, Trips and Tours, and the Gift Fund. She explained the consignment rules for the Eldercraft Shop and updated the Commission on the new tour contract. She said that just before contract time, Charter Coaches filed a bank- ruptcy petition. Tri-State Tours agreed to take the remaining trips for FY87. The City sent out requests for proposal for tour contracts, and through a misreading of the RFP, Tr The onli-States did not submit their bid on time. y tour service complying with the City rules and timeline requirement was Hawkeye Tours. Meisel said the references for Hawkeye Tours were all very favorable. Hall suggested that next year information on the tour contract be sent out three months in advance to give everyone plenty of time to bid. Meisel said that the darkroom equipment was on order and that some more electrical work remained to be done. Goss inquired about the mechanics of paying bills, i.e., who wrote the checks, etc. Meisel explained the process. Goss also said the library steps were ready for pickup which he would do. He said the step unit did not have the tension -mounted casters, but it had one railing on one side. An additional railing could be added later if desired. the that the o. Meisel informed ecCenter be getting the msequestedfomHeritggeny for the chairs. Meiselalosaid thatRus Proffitt of Heritage Agency told her that the only objection to the Cen- ter's getting the money came from Johnson County. Goss said that the objection came from him; not because he did not want the Center to get the money, but because he was protesting that the proper procedure was not followed. Meisel, referring to the parking lot as both a blessing and a curse, said the Commission needed to think about a policy on whether or not paid employees who work at the Senior Center should be allowed to park in the MINUTES SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION MAY 18, 1987 PAGE 2 lot if they were 55 years old or over. The present policy states that employees may not park in the lot; however, at the present time there are 5-6 people who work either at SEATS or Congregate Meals who park in the lot. This is something that should be considered and discussed at a later date. Finally, Meisel reported on the Head to Toe Screening which was held on April 28. This year 60 senior citizens were screened by 15 professional health providers in the following areas: dental, vision, health insur- ance, hearing, cardiopulmonary, feet, medication counseling, memory reten- tion, and self breast examination and mammography counseling. There were as always many referrals made which seem to suggest that the Head to Toe screenings do perform a valuable service as many of the elderly being screened do not have physicians or dentists that they see on a regular basis. Meisel said she had written a letter to the Press -Citizen regarding Older Americans' month and Older Americans' Day. Meisel handed out a copy of a survey she had completed for the National Institute of Senior Centers Directory to be published soon. Kattchee said that the Commission had received a letter from Congregate Meals Advisory Board requesting that a joint committee of two members from each board be appointed to investigate coordinating the volunteer recogni- tion process of both Congregate Meals and the Senior Center. Kattchee said because of the time limit, he was in favor of not discussing this subject until the June meeting. He said he did not want to appoint a committee without discussion. Kattchee announced his Senior Center committee appointments. They are: 0 erational Handbook - Dorfman, Hood- Contract Review - Bock, Goss, ipp e; enior en er Coordinator Evalion - 'oen. Kattchee, Wagner, ua Kattchee told Dorfman and Hood that their main job would be to go through theo erational handbook, make changes where policy has changed and recom- men a ons w ere deficiencies were apparent. A draft would be due by early fall, Meisel said contracts from SEATS, ESA and other agencies would be sent to the city legal department after the committee reviews them, then have to go to the City Council and Board of Superviscontracts ors The a contJune 30. Kattchee said they were merely operating contracts and not controversial. 0 Kattchee d the ed from those commissioners who had vworked ocl selyiwith Meisel ttee had thiseenayearr.tThey will meet with the City Manager. MINUTES SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION MAY 18, 1987 PAGE 3 COUNCIL OF ELDERS REPORT: Pecina said Pauline Wright had resigned from the Council. A replacement for her would be appointed after the election on May 1g, Of Supervisors touncil invitefthemeto theeOlderg m the Cit Y Pecina said Of Elders election will be held on the same da Americans' y Council and Board running and eight will be elected, Fair• The Council include exhibits, style show, open Me said 01der9Amerielve people are ir will and music by the Old Timers Band• He at the agencies in the Center, SENIOR CENTER SURVEY PRESENTATION: Wagner explained the purpose of having sent the surve to Centers selected, She said the purpose was to gather in in order to create tangible long-term Y the Senior term objectives, 9 term goals which were to be accomplished by short She said the Senior Centers were chosen because the cities similar in size and demography, She explained the figures, were shown in both Y were located in because all Percentages and round numbers, did not alays add yup participants did not answer all the questions. Whipple said they had asked Dorfman to meet with them prior to the presen- tation and to use her expertise to help them evaluate the data. said the survey was illustrative and interesting, but she cautioned against making generalities about the results because such a small number u ber of Senior Centers was sampled. After Wagner went over each question and the responses, there was discussion centering around 'budgets, funding sources, parkin fees charged or not charged general fund raising, volunteers involvetd, and attendance figures 9 problems and programs offpaid, and unpaid staff, Kattchee suggested making I library, Meisel said ng tiinformation available in a other Senior Centers library had newsletters and information acket rthe from Kattchee requested that the materials be materials would rbe . � Placed in a binder, placed there. Kattchee introduced Bob Welsh who had arrived during said he came because he hoped the Commission would consider the request to a the meeting. Welsh appoint a c«mmittee on that day. Kattchee said no, simple P asked couldsaid he why dththatmwittee could discof be appointed then. Whipple be answered and that the executive committee had rtalkeddabe bout questions to an hour and a quarter. He thanked Welsh for coming to the meeting. Meisel proposed that the remainder of the agenda be postponed until the next meeting• This was agreeable. Kattchee said that the Commission needed to decide whether to basic Senior Center goals and objectives and if the Commission wanted to set yearly goals, amend the MINUTES SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION MAY 18, 1981 PAGE 4 Goss suggested scheduling 2-1/2 to 3 hours in order to finish a meeting. Meisel said she would report on the NCOA Conference at the next meeting. Hood requested that during open discussion at the next meeting, the Com- mission discuss the meeting time. She would prefer meeting earlier in the day. The meeting adjourned at 5:30 p.m. Submitted by Ruth Wagner, Secretary Prepared by Joyce Phelps, Senior Center Secretary W ML 940 MINUTES HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION MAY 18, 1987 MEMBERS PRESENT: Powell, Belle, Haughton, Farrant, Smithart, Weilbrenner MEMBERS ABSENT: Haines, Reed, Mims STAFF PRESENT: Alexander RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL: None. I RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY MANAGER OR STAFF: None. SUMMARY OF RELEVANT DISCUSSION: er at 7:10 PM by Chairperson Farrant. 1. The meeting was called to ord 2. Belle moved to approve the minutes of April 27, 1987. Seconded by Powell. I The motion passed unanimously. 3. In Conciliation: a, EIA, 12-10-8503. The team has found No Probable Cause. b. E/D, 4-10-8602. The team will meet soon and make a final determinati- on. 4. Complaints Closed: Six complaints were closed, all No Probable Cause. I 5. Community Education: ue show which is Haughton told Commissionersil,about t e next ; is Danielvil nLevitas of Prairie j scheduled for Friday, Y Fire. Tith a he topic is Hate/Violence Groups. discussion will oniofwlocal focus on national hate/violence groups and p 1986) met hate/violence groups such as the one that recently (November 22, in the Amanas. 6. Old Business: enner A Raci llyo offsnsi merchandiseefound Weil the so-calledd Black surveyedfour oArt swhich andsea todfthe ind thek merchandise dolls, etc, it wasn't ase tasteless* ines he dto his opinion, as this one other store. Other Commissioners ifamiliar l 1conceivedi, this sort of merchandise characterized it as stupid, an article on the prolifera ion o acially poorly done and tasteless. Farrant wondered if the Press -Citizen would pe interested in doing ed doing a television show on the offensive items. Haughton suggest 89oz .P' Human Rights Commission May 18, 1987 Page 2 C C. issue. Commissioners discussed the distinction betwee. offensive and tasteless and decided offensive represents merchandise which exploits stereotypes. Farrant again encouraged the Commissioners to further examine what's on the market and continue the discussion during the June meeting. Staff Report l9 regarding racial/sexual derogatory remarks - As re- flected in the staff report, a white male on May 5, 1987, made racial and sexual derogatory remarks to three University of Iowa employees standing outside a U of I building. The male told police he was ing that day and was drunk. He apologized for the offensive remarks. Powell considered the apology pledg- ing pretty weak. News Article re Lambda Chi Alpha Frat's "Mooning Marchers - Powell wondered if the Human R " Take Back the Night Of ights Commission could commu- nicate with the University oIowa Human Rights Committee and discuss the possibility of providing sensitivity training to the Greeks. Haughton stated he noticed in the news article that a letter had been sent to the frat's national office which will catch the local frays attention because they will be concerned about having their charter Farrant asked Commissioner Alexander otos contactidered theChairpe rson on iof thegU� one. Human Rights Committee and determine their perspective on theGreek incident. 7. New Business: ral A modifications a to theeStatesCivilyRightsdAc,. Lionel FostF.500 which er substantial for of the Mason City Human Rights Commission has requested the local civil rights commissions write Governor Branstad in support of H.F.500, Chairperson Farrant agreed to write such a letter. B. Roger Simon - Farrant advised Commissioners of the letter she mailed to ordinance Mr. Simon which reflected the Commission's decision to not revise the Commissionersithatdafter the M . Simon receivedctive class xthenletter, he xcalledtold and told Alexander he understood that as majority of one the Commission would not amend the ordinance, C. Big Mountain - The letter regarding the relocation of Navajo Indians has been sent to all appropriate individuals and 8. News Articles - The ad for waitresses was discussed, agencies, 9. Staff Report - Discussed. 10. The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 pM. Minutes taken by Phyllis Alexander. r� .o• MINUTES PRE�i�iRARY DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE Subject t0 Approval THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 1987 - 4:00 P M IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY - ROOM C MEMBERS PRESENT: Haupert, Novick, Seiberling, Sinek, Waters, Welt MEMBERS ABSENT: Alexander, Amert, Eckholt, Nagle STAFF PRESENT: Cain, Reggentin GUESTS PRESENT: Jim Coombes, University Facilities Planning; Steve Buchman, University of Iowa Architect; Bob Pruden, Business Admini- stration Student RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL The Committee recommends that the City Council approve the conveyance of Urban Facilities Corporation rcel 93-3 rwnithetheeese understandinglthat the Unto the iversitytwill provide suitable landscaping and trees on the development site. CALL T- ER The meeting was called to order 4:10 p.m. by Chairperson Welt. INTRODUCTIONS Welt deferred introductions to Cain who introduced the guests and members. APPROVAL OF MINUTES- Haupert moved and Novick seconded the motion to approve the minutes of May 21, 1987. The motion carried unanimously. I -�•^• �R cHnuZt;APE PROPOSAL FOR URBAN RENEWAL PARCEL 93-3 Cain described the location of Parcel 93-3 and explained that the UniversitytFacilities Corporation osal for this tis intending to purchase the parcel as part i never previous P She said that the of the total Breese Company property, to be used as laboratory space for the College of Engineering, and that under the existing urban renewal contract the City Council must approve any sale of the parcel prior to completion of Improvements n thequie. She said that the buyers must com 1 y i nary design plans, including submission and approvalofprelimin Coo bes ed d site andmexplainednthatait wast a conceptual plan lan of eformer of what the Breese Uni Company intends orte site. He said the facility would be used b P y property faculty in computer-aided design, environmental engineering graduate a deresearch. Students and Coombes and Buchman explained that the two-story portion of the former Breese Building would be totally renovated on the inside and that the one-story building wing on the north would be torn down and partially replaced by a new .1. Design Review Committee June 18, 1987 Page 2 two-story addition. Coombes also stated that the north portion of the prop- erty would be used for parking spaces assigned as part of the University parking system. Coombes noted relocating the transformer and cooling unit to the southeast corner of the lot. He said the remainder of the space, includ- ing essentially all of Urban Renewal parcel 93-3, would be used for green space with grass and trees. Coombes stated that a specific landscaping plan would be prepared later and submitted for City approval. He predicted an 18 -month construction time, with completion scheduled for spring or summer of 1989. Haupert asked for clarification of the demolition and rebuilding that was planned. Coombes stated that the one-story portion of the existing building would be destroyed and the two-story portion would be renovated and expanded to the north and east. The final building would be two stories overall (about 22,000 square feet gross) and would not extend as far north as the one-story portion of the existing building. Seiberling stated that over -story trees should be located along the parking area for cooling in the summer. Coombes responded that was a good recommen- dation, but final planting plans had not been made yet. Welt asked how close the parking area would be to the Lovetinsky Building to the north. Coombes stated that the building probably was five feet from the property line to meet the sideyard requirement. Seiberling said there should be street trees along the lot and asked what happened to the trees that were previously along the east side of Madison. Cain said they might have been lost when the Madison Street trunk sewer was put in and the street was resurfaced. She also stated that additional util- ity lines now run between the sidewalk and the curb. Novick moved to recommend that the Council approve the property transfer with the understanding that the University would provide suitable landscaping and tress on the development site. This motion was seconded by Seiberling. The motion carried unanimously. Haupert said he was pleased that this site would be renovated; Seiberling agreed that the conceptual plan presented would be a tremendous improvement. REPORT FROM CITY PLAZA "JOINT TASK FORCE" Haupert stated that everyone he asked agreed to walk along the mall and recommend plantings in the beds. He said that several asked for a listing of plantings that were originally recommended, so he reduced the map of the original plantings and sent it to those interested. A decision was made to meet with these experts in two sessions, probably within the next two weeks. He stated that City representatives will also be present and have been very helpful in the process. He also stated that maintenance time required and maintenance scheduling for the plantings would be considered. Waters asked if space for a storage shed for tools had been found. Haupert said no. Design Review Committee June 18, 1987 Page 3 Cain mentioned that she was told Cedar Rapids has a volunteer program for taking care of planting beds in public areas and gave the information for a contact there to Haupert. Cain also noted that the Downtown Association's newsletter contained a paragraph encouraging Association members to help keep the downtown area clean. Seiberling stated that the president-elect of the Downtown Association wrote a letter supporting the Design Review Committee's efforts to upgrade downtown plantings. REPORT OF DESIGN REVIEW STANDARDS COMMITTEE Welt stated that work continued on standards to be used in evaluating build- ing designs. He stated that the subcommittee is now in at materials from other cities. COMMITTEE INFORMATION In discussing the Trueblood letter which explained the City's watering poli- tcies, Seiberling stated that trees should be watered on schedules rather than hat a good pointnhadibeenimadesab utllover-water ng butrsaid that aseome plants did seem to need more water than they had been getting. Haupert stated that several people recommended that Clinton and Washington Street plantings also be taken care of by volunteers, but he said this is a tremendously large project and possibly beyond the scope of the present effort. Waters stated that there was much interest in the "adopt -a -bed" program, and she gave Haupert several names to contact. The next Standards msubcomnitteescheduled ing for was Jscheduled for Public 12:00, Library. June 9,A in the Planning and Program Development Department Conference Room, Commerce Center. The meeting adjourned at 5:10 p.m. Minutes respectfully submitted by Mark Reggentin .o• UL