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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1983-09-27 Bd Comm minutesf MINUTES HOUSING APPEALS BOARD JULY 12, 1983 MEMBERS PRESENT: Goldene Haendel, Beth Ringgenberg, Al Logan MEMBERS ABSENT: Fred Krause, Mike Farran STAFF PRESENT: Kelley Vezina, David Malone, David Brown, Michael Kucharzak, Judy Hoard Haendel called the meeting to order. Logan made a motion to approve the minutes from the June 22, 1983, meeting. Ringgenberg seconded by the motion. The motion carried. APPEAL OF MRS. HAROLD MANN 723 E. JEFFERSON Present: None. i Inspector Malone reported that he conducted the licensing inspection at 723 East Jefferson on April 12, 1983. The violation appealed was Chapter 17-5.N.(4) Lack of required 7' minimum ceiling height; basement living room, kitchen and bedroom have ceiling heights from 6110" to 71. Ringgenberg made a motion to grant a variance to Chapter 17-5.N.(4). Logan seconded the motion. The motion carried. APPEAL OF ROGER KATHOL, 321-23 LEXINGTON AVENUE Present: Mr. and Mrs. Roger Kathol. Inspector Malone reported that he conducted a licensing inspection at 321-23 Lexington Avenue -on May 5, 1983. The violation appealed was Chapter 1.7- 5.I.(2)(a) Lack of required- handrail; no handrail on the two sets of front steps. Mrs. Kathol told the Board that she and her husband had recently purchased the house and were in the process of making repairs. She had contacted several contractors in the Iowa City area regarding the repair of the rock that surrounded the steps and was told that they were busy this summer. She added that she and her husband did -not wish to put in a temporary handrail only to have it removed when the rock work had been completed. She asked that the Board grant an extension until the spring of 1984. After discussion between the Board members and Kucharzak regarding the length of time requested by Mr. and Mrs. Kathol, Logan made a motion to uphold 17- 5.I.(2)(a) Lack of required handrail with an extension of time given for correction to May 10, 1984. Ringgenberg seconded the motion. The motion carried. APPEAL OF PHIL PHILLIPS, 722 IOWA AVENUE Present: Phil Phillips. Inspector Malone reported that he conducted a complaint inspection at 722 Iowa Avenue on June 3, 1983. The first violation appealed was Chapter 17-7.A.(1) Roof not maintained in safe and sound condition; the east underside of the porch gg5 _ �•,�..._..._.MICROFILIIED.BY....__......� JORM MICR+LAB CEDAR RAPIDS •DEC NDINES I Housing Appeals Board July 12, 1983 Page 2 roof is observed to have a hole with squirrels nesting in it, also missing materials at the west underside of the south porch roof. Mr. Phillips told the Board that he was concerned about the nesting period of the squirrels but felt that they were no longer a problem because the tenant who lived at the property told him that he had not observed any squirrels in the soffit area this spring. Mr. Phillips stated that he was withdrawing all of the originally appealed violations with one exception and that was Chapter 17-7.A.(1) Sidewalk not maintained in safe and sound condition; the south private sidewalk has broken squares. He added that he was in the process of correcting the other cited violations. Mr. -Phillips told the Board that there was only one square that had a crack in it and he did not feel the violation presented a safety hazard was Present. Assistant City Attorney Dave Brown read this particular Code section to the Board. Ringgenberg made a motion to uphold Chapter 17-7.A.(1) Sidewalk not maintained in safe and sound condition. Logan seconded the motion. The motion carried. APPEAL OF CHARLES SIDDISON 913 N. GILBERT Present: Charles Biddison and Charles Smith. Inspector Malone reported that he conducted a licensing inspection at 913 North Gilbert on May 18, 1983. The violation appealed was Chapter 17-5.N.(2) Overcrowding; more than four people occupying structure. Inspector Malone stated to the Board that at the time of the inspection the owners informed him that there were six people living at the property and upon further investigation Inspector Malone found that the post office showed that there were seven people receiving mail at the property. Inspector Malone told the Board that a building permit had previously been taken out for three additional bedrooms in the basement making a total of nine bedrooms in the structure with a kitchen in the basement. Mr. Biddison stated that he and Mr. Smith had bought the property two years ago with the understanding that it was a multiple dwelling. During the past couple of years extensive remodeling has been done with an apartment added in the basement. Inspector Malone stated to the Board that the building permit that was issued to add the bedrooms stated that it could only be used as a single family. Mr. Biddison stated that he was aware that the zoning was single family in the area but had been under the impression that the zoning would be changed to allow for a multiple dwelling as there were other structures in the neighborhood being used as multiple dwellings. Kucharzak stated that because this property was in a single family zone it could only be used as a single family residence at'this time. He stated that there were three options open to the owners. One would be to reduce the occupancy to four unrelated people; the second, to appeal to the Board of Adjustment for a variance and the third would be to petition for a rezoning of the entire area. He added that the Board could only grant a variance to Chapter 17 and not to the zoning violation. He stated that the building permit was properly issued because there is no limitation on the number of bedrooms a single family can have. Ringgenberg made a motion to uphold the violation of Chapter 17-5.N.(2) with an extension of six months given to correct the violation. Logan seconded the motion. The motion carried. MICkOFILMED BY t JORM MICR+LAB 4� 4 CEDAR RAPIDS • DE: MOINES a t Housing Appeals Board. July 12, 1983 Page 3 APPEAL OF PHI DELTA THETA FRATERNITY 729 N DUBUQUE Present: Mike Sobocinski. Inspector Hoard reported that during a reinspection of the property on May 11, 1983, she conducted a licensing inspection of several rooms at the property that had not been inspected during the initial licensing inspection. The violation appealed was Chapter 17-5.N.(4)(a) Lack of required ceiling height for rooms with sloping roofs; room N3, second floor sleeping room, has sloping ceiling with fi'll's" maximum ceiling height. Inspector Hoard stated to the Board that there is a maximum ceiling height of 6'11," that sloped down to 5' at the side walls. Mr. Sobocinski stated that the house had been built in 1923 and that he was asking a variance from the Board due to the costs involved in altering the roofline to increase the ceiling height in this room. Ringgenberg expressed her concern about this room being used for sleeping when there was, in fact, another room available for the occupants to sleep in. Mr. Sobocinski stated that the occupants of the room chose to use the lower level of the room for general living and to use the loft area for .sleeping purposes. There was discussion among the Board members regarding the fact that the violation cited dealt with ceiling height and that variances had been granted on this height. Logan made a motion to grant a variance to Chapter 17-5. N. (4) (a) Lack of required ceiling height for a room with sloping roof. Ringgenberg seconded the motion. The motion carried. APPEAL OF DELTA CHI FRATERNITY 309 N. RIVERSIDE Present: Mark Lorenz. Inspector. Hoard reported that during a reinspection on May 24, 1983, at 309 North Riverside, she conducted a licensing inspection of several rooms that had not been inspected during the original licensing inspection. The violation . appealed was Chapter 17-5.J.(1) Lack of required natural light; Room 17 has 5.83 Square feet of natural light, lacking the minimum requirement of B.6 square feet of natural light. Mr. Lorenz stated to the Board that the windows present in the room face south and west thus providing more natural light than if they were facing another direction. He stated that the structure had been built in 1929 and that the walls were 1's feet thick and to enlarge the window would involve major reconstruction. Ringgenberg made a motion to grant a variance to Chapter 17-5.J.(1) Lack of required natural light, Room 17. Logan seconded the motion. The motion carried. APPEAL OF DAVID PANTHER, 214-144 N. LINN STREET Present: None. Inspector Vezina reported that he conducted a licensing inspection at 214-14k North Linn Street on May 6, 1983. The violation that was appealed was Chapter 17-5.K. (3)(a) Lack of required/adequate mechanical ventilation; apartment 1 and apartment 2, bathroom lacks a system of mechanical ventilation. Inspector Vezina told the Board that there was neither a window or a vent fan in the bathrooms. Logan made a motion to uphold Chapter 17-5.K.(3)(a) Lack of required/adequate mechanical ventilation. Ringgenberg seconded the motion. The motion carried. _ -MICROFILMED BY .... t JORM MICR+LAB CEDAR RAPIDS • DE: MOINES '1 B8� Housing Appeals Board July 12, 1983 Page 4 APPEAL OF LINDA HART 1102 N. DODGE Present: Linda Hart. Inspector Vezina stated that this appeal was not filed within the proper ten day filing period. Ringgenberg made a motion to grant appeal rights. Logan seconded the motion. The motion carried. Inspector Vezina reported that he conducted a licensing inspection at 1102 North Dodge on March 28, 1983. The first violation appealed was Chapter 17-5.N.(4) Lack of required 7' minimum ceiling height; second floor, northeast bedroom has 6'10" ceiling and second floor, southeast bedroom has 6111" ceiling. Ringgenberg made a motion to grant a variance to Chapter 17-5.N.(4) Lack of required 7' minimum ceiling height. Logan seconded the motion. The motion carried. The second violation appealed was Chapter 17-6.A. Lack of required access; second floor, access to northeast bedroom can be gained only by going through northwest bedroomMs. Hart stated to the Board that she felt, it would be difficult to provide a separate access to the northeast bedroom as there was little room to provide a doorway near the common wall joining these two bedrooms. Assistant City Attorney Dave Brown read to the Board the conditions for which a variance could be granted. Logan made a motion to grant a variance to Chapter 17-6. A'Ringgenberg seconded the motiod. During the discussion that followed Kucharzak stated his 'concern as to why a variance should be granted as he felt the northwest bedroom was of such proportion that part of it could be partitioned off and used as an entrance into the northeast bedroom. Ms. Hart stated her concern about the expense involved in making this type of renovation as she had already incurred much expense from other work on the property she had just recently purchased. Logan withdrew his original motion. Ringgenberg made a motion to uphold Chapter 17-6.A. Lack of required access. Logan seconded the motion. The 'Motion carried. Kucharzak stated that he would be willing to grant an administrative extension of time to correct this violation if Ms. Hart presented him with plans to make the correction. APPEAL OF MARVIN BRECHT 821 N. JOHNSON Present: Marvin Brecht. Inspector Vezina reported that he conducted a licensing inspection at 821 North Johnson on June 1, 1983. The violation appealed was Chapter 17-5. J..(1) Lack of required natural light; middle west bedroom, first floor, and southwest bedroom, first floor, lack a window facing directly to the outdoors. Inspector Vezina told the Board that a family room had been added that enclosed the bedrooms that did have windows in each of them but the windows opened onto the family room not to the exterior. Mr. Brecht told the Board that he had purchased the property with .the idea of having it used as a Systems Unlimited home. At the time he had Purchased the property the family room had already been added. He said there was a large window in the family room that provided spill light to He presented the Board with a letter that the bedrooms. had been written by the executive director of Systems Unlimited, Benny Leonard. The letter stated that the property was licensed by the Iowa Department of Social Services and had met their inspection requirements. Kucharzak was concerned about the egressing from these two bedrooms. He felt uncomfortable with the fact that these rooms did not open to the exterior and recommended to the Board that an opinion be ,. _ ... MICROFILMED BY_. JORM MICR#LAB I CEDAR RAPIDS • DES MOINES { I ' L_ _ I Housing Appeals Board July 12, 1983 Page 5 obtained from the Fire Department regarding the safeness of the egressing. Logan made a motion to defer a decision until the August meeting pending further investigation into the egressing situation and requested written clarification from the Fire Department. Ringgenberg seconded the motion. The motion carried. APPEAL OF KENNETH HALDEMAN, 221 S. LUCAS - I Present: Kenneth Haldeman. Inspector Vezina reported that this appeal had not been properly filed within the ten day filing period. Logan made a motion to grant appeal rights. Ringgenberg seconded the motion. The motion carried. Inspector Vezina reported that he conducted a licensing inspection at 221 South Lucas on May 26, 1983. The violation appealed was Chapter 17-5.N.(4) Lack of required 7' minimum ceiling height; northwest rooming unit has 6'8" ceiling. Vezina stated to the Board that this violation had been cited in September of 1979 but due to the action by the City Council at that time it had been dismissed. Mr. Haldeman stated that the ceiling was covering supply and soil pipes in the basement. Logan made a motion to grant a variance to Chapter 17-5.N.(4) Lack of required 7' minimum ceiling height. Ringgenberg seconded the motion. The motion carried. APPEAL OF RICHARD NORTON, 621 S. LUCAS Present: Richard Norton. Inspector Vezina reported that he conducted a licensing inspection at 621 South Lucas on May 17, 1983. The violation appealed was Chapter 17-5.N.(4) Lack of required 7' minimum ceiling height; north bedroom in basement has 6'8" ceiling. Mr. Norton stated to the Board that there were pipe obstructions that prevented 1. the ceiling from meeting the 7' minimum requirement. Haendel made a motion to grant a variance to Chapter 17-5.N.(4) Lack of required 7' minimum ceiling height. Ringgenberg seconded the motion. The motion carried. APPEAL OF MICHAEL CAMP 2312 MUSCATINE AVENUE, LOT 22W Present: Michael Camp. Inspector Vezina reported that he conducted a licensing inspection at 2312 i Muscatine Avenue, Lot 22W, on June 17, 1983. The violation appealed was Chapter 17-5.N.(3) Lack of required minimum room size; middle bedroom has 54 square feet, lacks the minimum 70 square feet required. Mr. Camp reported to the Board that this was a problem common to mobile homes that were 12 feet wide or less. He stated that the mobile home had been inspected at the time of its manufacturing and did meet the national code for mobile homes. He felt that this would be a violation that would be impossible to correct within the framework of the mobile home. Ringgenberg made a motion to grant a variance to Chapter 17-5.N.(3) Lack of required minimum room size. Logan seconded the motion. The motion carried. Assistant City Attorney Dave Brown brought to the Board's attention that this may be a subject that needed to be discussed further and where the Board may want to give some thought to a general variance. He stated that a general variance could be granted when a particular type of structure was involved, such as in � 885 .. 141CROFILMED BY 1 ' �., JORM MIC R+LAB l E CEDAR VMS • DES MO RIES I Housing Appeals Board July 12, 1983 Page 6 the previous appeal, all mobile homes of a certain width the bedroom off the hallway would not meet the 70 square foot requirement of the Housing Code. It was the consensus of the Board that this be discussed at the next Housing Commission meeting. Ringgenberg made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Logan seconded the motion. The motion carried. Minutes prepared by Judy Hoard for Fred Krause Housing Appeals Board Chairman i i I_ I. 1 I I I 1 ■ MINUTES OF THE IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION September 8, 1983 Iowa City Civic Center Members Present: Saeugling, Schmeiser, Tiffany, Lewis, George Staff Present: Zehr, Brown, Wright The meeting was called to order at 7:35 p.m. The minutes of the August 11 and August 24 meetings were considered and approved. Mr. Schmeiser noted that the August 11 minutes were correct in reporting that Mr. E. K. Jones had expressed concern that not all commission members were informed of negotiations regarding the airport's state of non-compliance with the FAA; however, Mr. Jones' contention was not correct, since all members had been apprised of developments. Manager Zehr presented the bills for the month and explained them briefly. They were approved for payment as presented. In regard to the airport's FAA. grant status, Zehr played a tape recording of a letter from Melvin J. Fischer to Chairman Emmett George, which reviewed the portion of the 1982 Master Plan concerning development of Runway 06/24 as a preferential runway. Mr. Fischer stated the FAA has deferred installation of most localizes/MALS projects, but advised the Iowa City Airport to continue to plan for such installation. He questioned -the adviseability of relocating the threshold of Runway 17 is an alternative to developing Runway 06/24, saying new noise contours and a public hearing would be required. Mr. Wayne Overman of Howard R. Green Consultants reported the development lion dollarnwayas c17/35 w told be more expensive than 06/24, approximately , approximately 2.6 for 06/24. The impact of changes in the city's zoning ordinance was questioned by Commissioner Saeugling ut,e left for discussionbwhenatherimpactestudy byuHoward oR. Green Company is b iscomplete. Chairman George asked for input from the public regarding the subject of runway development. Mr. Richard Blum responded that he would not favor any alteration of Runday 17/35 if it would jeapardize the eventual development evelop entMof Ken Ransha24 as the preferential runway. Mr. Larry Schnichter app eared and asked that the clear zone be adjusted so that permits may be obtained to finish the present Ranshaw building. Mr. Ranshaw offerred to sign an agreement to not develop his property further in a way that would conflict with airport operation. Mr. Schmeiser summarized a proposal which would hopefully resolve the problem, in which the threshold of Runway 17 would be relocated to place the clear zone away from the apartment buildings at its end, and the city would proceed with the plan to develop Runway re act4 as a finaleproposalntial whichrcould be submittedy. iffany ved by to appoint a committee top pe noon on September 9 for inclusion in the packet of information to be considered at the City Council onded the votedtno; the other members onday evoted aye; the ewis cmotioncarried. motion; Saeugling George and Lewis will serve on the committee. JORM MICR+LAB i CEDAR RAPIDS DE£ MOINES 1 Minutes of the Iowa City Airport Commission Meeting September 8, 1983 Page 2 Mr. Dick Pattschell, representing a group of local pilots, then read a proposal to build a set of T hangars on the east side of the corporate hangar.. They propose to lease the land for a fee of $1.00 per year for twenty years, construct a five -unit hangar in accordance with the Master Plan and with a contribution of from $25,000 to $30,000 from the commission. At the'end of'twenty years' the hangar would belong to the airport. The group was asked to prepare more specific plans, and Schmeiser moved to appoint a committee comprised of Saeugling and Lewis to meet with the group, review the plans, and report to the commission. The motion was seconded by Tiffany; all voted aye; the motion carried. Mr. William Newbrough then appeared to ask the commission and the airport manager to take a broader view of his proposal to build a 2000 foot TV trans- mitting tower in the Williamsburg area. Mr. Saeugling expressed strong concern that the FAA had not received more information from the Iowa City Airport Commission regarding the tower. The commissioners discussed each writing a letter to the FAA concerning the proposal. Chairman George had no report, but did inquire if there had been a response from the Cedar Rapids Airport to Zehr's request that a temporary air traffic control tower be established at the Iowa City Airport on the Saturdays of home football games. Zehr had received no response as yet. Schmeiser expressed concern that the•County has not yet passed an airport zoning ordinance. Hd will pursue the issue and report his findings at the 'text meeting.. Returning to Item 3-b of the agenda, Mr. Lewis reported additional supplies and labor for the instalation of a chickn wire and plastic ceiling in the"Old United Hangar would cost about $5,000. He questioned the advisability of this expenditure if the hangar would then be removed in the development of the preferential runway. Further discussion of the matter will be delayed until a decision is made on the proposal to build the new T hangars. The meeting was adjourned at 10:40 p.m. Recorder: Priscilla Wright 4 _ ..... __...-,MICROFILMED. BY. ....._..-... JORM MICR+LAB 1 ,CEDAR RAPIDS DES MOINES 1