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Home My WebLink About2008-09-04 Info Packet~ i ~m~ ~ ~..._ CITY OF IOWA CITY www.icgov.org CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET September 4, 2008 SEPTEMBER 8 SPECIAL WORK SESSION IP1 Council Meetings and Work Session Agenda [See revised distributed 9/8/08] IP2 Memorandum from the Assistant City Manager: Commercial Vehicle Congestion Downtown SEPTEMBER 8 SPECIAL FORMAL IP3 Memorandum from the City Attorney and City Clerk: Evaluations MISCELLANEOUS IP4 Memorandum from the City Manager: Newsletter Distribution IP5 Police Citizens Review Board Community Forum -September 16, 2008 IP6 Building Permit Information -August 2008 IP7 Memorandum from the JCCOG Executive Director to the City Manager: JCCOG Affordable Housing Taskforce IP8 Memorandum from the Director of Housing and Inspection Services and the Public Housing/Homeownership Coordinator: Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County Grant award of $175,000 to construct an affordable, universal design, single family home with "green build" features. IP9 Lee Grassley, Mediacom: Big Ten Network IP10 Flood Recovery Update [submitted by the Iowa League of Cities] IP11 Email from Garry Klein: FAIR! to sponsor forum: "After the Flood: Vision for Long Range Recovery" -September 9, 2008 IP12 Invitation: Community-Wide Celebration of Volunteerism and Flood Recovery - September 5, 2008 Iowa City At a Glance, September 8, 2008 Memorandum from Parks and Recreation Director: Annual Parks Tour [Distributed at 9/9/08 Work Session] DRAFT MINUTES IP13 Public Art Advisory Committee: August 7, 2008 September 4, 2008 Information Packet (continued) 2 IP14 Human Rights Commission: August 26, 2008 IP15 Planning and Zoning Commission: August 21, 2008 IP16 Planning and Zoning Commission: August 18, 2008 ~ 1 ~~i~®~~ ~III~ ~~~~~ -n..~_ CITY OF IOWA CITY www.icgov.org CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET September 4, 2008 SEPTEMBER 8 SPECIAL WORK SESSION IP1 Council Meeting and Work Session Agenda IP2 Memorandum from the Assistant City Manager: Com ercial Vehicle Congestion Downtown I SE~'TEMBER 8 SPECIAL FORMAL ~ IP3 Memorandum from the City A~torney and City Clerk: ISCELLANEO IP4 Memorandum from the City Manage ~ Newsletter IP5 Police Citizens Review Board Comm nity For IP6 Building Permit Information -August ons bution - September 16, 2008 IP7 Memorandum from the JCCOG Executj4~Director to the City Manager: JCCOG Affordable Housing Taskforce ~~ IP8 Memorandum from the Director of ousing nd Inspection Services and the Public Housing/Homeownership Coordinator: Housing rust Fund of Johnson County Grant award of $175,000 to construct an a ordable, uni ersal design, single family home with "green build" features. IP9 Lee Grassley, Mediacom: Big Te Network IP10 Flood Recovery Update [subm' ed by the Iowa League of ities] IP11 Email from Garry Klein: FAI to sponsor forum: "After the~lood: Vision for Long Range Recovery" -September 9, 008 \ IP12 Invitation: Community-~11ide Celebration of Volunteerism'` and Flood Recovery - September 5, 2008 / l DRAFT MINUTES IP13 Public Art Advisory Committee: August 7, 2008 IP14 Human Rights Com/mission: August 26, 2008 IP15 Planning and Zoning Commission: August 21, 2008 IP16 Planning and Zoning Commission: August 18, 2008 ~ i V''~~`~~ ,~®~~~ -^..AA._ CITY OF IOWA CITY City Council Meeting Schedule and Work Session Agendas - REVISE® September 8, 2008 www.icgov.org • AA~1Al1'IAV~ CCDTCIIAQCD 4 Emma J. Harvat Hall 63Ap Special Work Session ^ Parking and Transit Reorganization (reference agenda item 11) Rescheduled to Commercial Vehicle Congestion Downtown (reference IP2) 5:30 p.m. Community Planning Initiative Tuesday, Sept. 9 Agenda Items ^ Information Packet Discussion ^ Council Time ^ Schedule of Pending Discussion Items ^ Upcoming Community Events/Council Invitations ^ Discussion of Meeting Schedule TBA • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Special Formal Council Meeting TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE • MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Special Work Session • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 Emma J. Harvat Hall 5:30p Special Formal (separate agenda posted) ^ Executive Session (Evaluation -City Manager) 7:OOp Special Formal Council Meeting • SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4 Quality Inn and Suites TBD Council Retreat • MONDAY, OCTOBER 6 Emma J. Harvat Hall 5:30p Special Council Work Session 7:OOp Special Formal Council Meeting Continue Special Work Session if necessary • MONDAY, OCTOBER 20 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Council Work Session • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Formal Council Meeting ~ _ _ ~ u9-6%+-G8 '~ ~`®'~~ City Council Meeting Schedule and -~....~ CITY OF IOWA CITY Work Session Agendas September 4, zoos www.icgov.org • MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Special ork Session ^ arking and Transit Reorganization reference agenda item 11) • mmercial Vehicle Congestion D ntown (reference IP2) ^ C munity Planning Initiative ^ Age da Items • Infor ation Packet Discussion ^ Counc'I Time ^ Schedu of Pending Discussi n Items ^ Upcomin Community Events ouncil Invitations ^ Discussio of Meeting Sched le 7:15p Special Formal (sepa to agenda po ted) ^ Executive Se ion (Evaluati n -City Attorney & City Clerk) ~IP3J • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Special Formal Council Me ting TENTATIVE MEETI SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO NGE • MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Special Work Session • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 Emma J. Harvat Hall 5:30p Special Formal (separ to agenda post ) ^ Executive S sion (Evaluation - ity Manager) 7:OOp Special Formal Co cil Meeting • SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4 Quality Inn and Suites TBD Council Retreat • MONDAY, OCTOBER 6 Emma J. Harvat Hall 5:30p Special Cou it Work Session 7:OOp Special Fo al Council Meeting Co tinue Special Work Session if necessa • MONDAY, OCTOBER 20 ~ Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Coun Work Session • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Formal Council Meeting ~ i .,:.®~~ ~;_~~ ;~~ ,~ City Council Meeting Schedule and CITY OF IOWA CITY Work Session Agendas September 4, Zoos www.icgov.org • MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3 Emma J. Harvat Hall 5:30p Special Council Work Session 7:OOp Special Formal Council Meeting Continue Special Work Session if necessary • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11 Veterans' Day -City Offices Closed • MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Council Work Session • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Formal Council Meeting • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27 Thanksgiving -City Offices Closed • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28 Holiday -City Offices Closed • MONDAY, DECEMBER 1 Emma J. Harvat Hall 6:30p Council Work Session • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2 Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:OOp Formal Council Meeting • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10 North Liberty 4:30p Joint Meeting • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16 Emma J. Harvat Hall 5:30p Special Work Session 7:OOp Formal Council Meeting Continue Special Work Session if necessary ~~~®~J ~ "-"~`'~ ,~®,~~~ CITY O F IOWA CITY ~p2 MEMORANDUM Date: September 4, 2008 To: City Council From: Dale Helling, Assistant City Manager ~,_, Re: Commercial Vehicle Congestion Downtown The issue of the congestion of commercial vehicles downtown was raised during the past winter. Council identified several concerns including: a perceived under usage of commercial zones on Iowa Avenue; dedication of certain loading zones as "Commercial Loading" at specific times of day; limited specified delivery times; enforcement of prohibitions against park in the middle of the street; and conversion of the east side of Dubuque St. between Iowa Avenue and Washington Street to a loading zone. Councilor Hayek volunteered to represent Council on this issue before the Downtown Association (DTA), and to work with staff to identify an acceptable solution. The attached April 10, 2008 memorandum reflects the solution that was proposed. This material was forwarded to the DTA and was discussed at a meeting of City, DTA, and Chamber of Commerce representatives. Since that meeting in the spring of 2008, I understand that there were further discussions among downtown representatives, but the DTA has not taken a position on the proposal. It is my understanding that a number of downtown business owners prefer the status quo over any changes at this time. The staff proposal is being brought to Council to determine if there is support and/or current interest in further pursuing parking/loading regulation changes in the downtown area. The recommended changes. were formulated to address those concerns expressed by Council in response to citizen complaints council members and staff have received. Staff will be present for the discussion at you work session on September 8. cc. Chris O'Brien, Acting Parking & Transit Director Craig Gustaveson, Downtown Association Rebecca Neades, Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce City of Iowa City TO: i FROM: DATE: RE: MEMORANDUM Matt Hayek, City Council Joe Fowler, Director of Parking & Transit Chris O'Brien, Parking Manager April 10, 2008 Downtown Parking On February 27, 2008 we met to discuss issues regarding parking congestion in downtown Iowa City. These discussions centered on commercial parking, congestion and availability of short term parking. We discussed potential solutions to these issues that follow in this memorandum. One of the main concerns has been the freedom that has been granted to commercial vehicles and the congestion that has resulted. Currently, commercial vehicles are allowed to park virtually anywhere they can find space for at least 30 minutes. This has led to congestion of high traffic areas, confusion of parking rules to visitors to downtown and an unsightly entrance into downtown Iowa City. In order to properly address these issues, changes need to occur in the way commercial traffic operates. Following is a summary of our discussion points to address the concerns regarding commercial traffic: • 10 Block of S. Dubuque Street -Eliminate all loading, unloading, parking, etc. in the middle of 10 S. Dubuque Street. This would eliminate congestion, perceived or otherwise, in the 10 block of S. Dubuque Street which in turn will also improve the sight line as people come into Iowa City via Dubuque Street. • Reassign specific loading zones to commercial zones -This would involve changing the loading zone on 10 S. Clinton Street as well as the loading zone on the north side of 100 E. Washington Street to commercial zones. • Establish Delivery hours -Establish the east side of 10 S. Dubuque Street and the south side of 100 E. Iowa Avenue as Commercial Delivery Only zones from Gam - 10am. These spaces would remain metered and would open to the general public after 10am. The meters would be a different color to distinguish it from the other parking meters. We would sign those blocks with the established delivery hours for clarification. After 10 am all commercial vehicles must use a commercial loading zone in order to make deliveries. A fine needs to be established for violations of the Commercial Delivery Zones and should be signed as a tow away zone. • Change signage for No Parking Anytime - Currently we allow for commercial vehicles to park in areas designated as No Parking Anytime given that they allow for continual traffic flow through the area. We recommend eliminating this exception for commercial vehicles. We also recommend changing the signs to state " No Parking, Stopping, Standing or Loading" • Increase fine for commercial zone violations - By increasing the fine from $10.00 to $25.00 we would create a deterrent for operators of personal vehicles that consider parking in the commercial zones. In addition it would motivate commercial vehicles to abide by the time limits to avoid a $25.00 citation. Z C7 O Cn .-. Iowa Ave C7 0 E Washington St n 0 c 6 c c fD Iowa Ave 0 c c c m E Washington St ® Current Commercial Loading Zone (30 minute limit) 15 Minute Loading Zones After Changes Proposed Additional Commercial Loading Zones (were 15 minute loading zones) L~ Proposed Delivery Hours Zone (6AM - 10AM) r ~' r- 5' ~' - ~~~®~,~, CITY C~- F I O 1N A CITY ~P3 ~E~CJR DATE: September 3, 2008 TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Eleanor M. Dilkes, City Attorney Marian K. Karr, City Clerk ~,~, RE: Evaluations Mayor Bailey has requested the following items be distributed in preparation of our evaluations scheduled Monday evening: ^ Employment Agreements for City Attorney and City Clerk ^ Administrative and Confidential Pay Plan for FY09 ^ Salary History for City Clerk and City Attorney Union employees for all three unions (AFSCME, Fire and Police) received a 3.3% cost of living increase and a merit increase if the employee was not at the top of their range. u/evaluation08.doc Employment Agreement THIS AGREEMENT, is made and entered into this 12th day of October 1999 by and between the City of Iowa City, State of Iowa, a municipal corporation hereinafter called "Employer," and Eleanor M. Dilkes, hereinafter called "Employee". WHEREAS, Pursuant to previous action by Employer, Employee is the City Attorney for the City of Iowa City; and WHEREAS, Employer and Employee desire to set forth in writing the terms and conditions of Employee's employment as City Attorney. NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein contained, the parties agree as follows: Section 1: Duties Pursuant to Article II of the City Charter, Employer hereby agrees to employ said Eleanor M. Dilkes as City Attorney for the City of Iowa City to perform the functions and duties specified in Title I, Chapter 7, City Code, and to perform other legally permissible and proper duties and functions as the Council shall from time to time assign. Section 2: Term A. This agreement shall be for an indefinite time. B. Nothing in this agreement shall prevent, limit, or otherwise interfere with the right of the Council to terminate the services of Employee at any time, subject only to the provisions set forth in Section 4, Paragraphs A and B, of this agreement. C. Nothing in this agreement shall prevent, limit, or otherwise interfere with the right of the Employee to resign at any time from her position with Employer, subject only to the provisions set forth in Section 4, Paragraph C. Section 3: Suspension Employer may suspend the Employee with full pay and benefits at any time during the term of this agreement, but only if: 1. A majority of Council and Employee agree; or 2. After a public hearing, a majority of Council votes to suspend Employee for just cause provided, however, that Employee shall have been given written notice setting forth any charges at least ten days prior to such hearing by the Council members bringing such charges. Section 4: Termination and Severance Pay A. In the event Employee is terminated by the Council during such time as Employee is willing and able to perform her duties under this agreement, then in that event Employer agrees to pay Employee a lump sum cash payment equal to three months aggregate salary, provided, however, that in the event Employee is terminated because of her conviction of any illegal act involving personal gain to her, then, in that event, Employer shall have no obligation to pay the aggregate severance sum designated in this paragraph. 2 B. In the event Employer at any time during the term of this agreement reduces the salary or other financial benefits of Employee in a greater percentage than an applicable across-the- board reduction for all City employees, or in the event Employer refuses, following written notice, to comply with any other provision benefiting Employee herein, or the Employee resigns following a suggestion, whether formal or informal, by the Council that she resign, then, in that event, Employee may, at her option, be deemed to be "terminated" at the date of such reduction or such refusal to comply within the meaning and context of the severance pay provision. C. In the event Employee voluntarily resigns her position with Employer, then Employee shall give Employer one month notice in advance, unless the parties otherwise agree. Section 5: Disability If Employee is permanently disabled or is otherwise unable to perform her duties because of sickness, accident, injury, mental incapacity, or health for a period of twelve successive weeks, including any accrued sick leave, Employer shall have the option to terminate this agreement, subject to the severance pay requirements in Section 4, Paragraph A. However, Employee shall be compensated for any accrued sick leave, vacation, compensatory time, and other accrued benefits. Section 6: Salary Employer agrees to pay Employee for her services rendered pursuant hereto an annual base salary of $78,811.20, payable in installments at the same time as other employees of the Employer are paid. In addition, Employer agrees to review said base salary andlor other benefits of Employee and adjust said salary and benefits in such amounts and to such extent as the Council may determine that it is desirable to do so on the basis of an annual salary review of said Employee made at the same time as similar consideration is given other employees generally. Section 7: Performance Evaluation The Council shall review and evaluate the performance of the Employee at least once annually, with the method of evaluation to be in accordance with provisions of applicable law. Section 8: Hours of Work It is recognized that Employee must devote a great deal of time outside the normal office hours to business of the Employer, and to that end Employee will be allowed to take compensatory time off as she shall deem appropriate during said normal office hours. Section 9: Outside Activities Employee shall not spend more than ten hours per week in teaching, counseling, or other non- Employer connected business without the prior approval of the Council. Section 10: Vacation, Sick, and Military Leave A. Employee shall accrue, and have credited to her personal account, vacation and sick leave at the same rate as other general employees of Employer. Additional vacation time may be credited to Employee upon the mutual agreement of Employer and Employee. 3 Section 11: Disability, Health, and Life Insurance A. Employer agrees to make required premium payments for insurance policies for such life, accident sickness, disability income benefits, major medical and dependent coverage group insurance covering Employee and her dependents as Employer may now or hereafter have in effect for its administrative employees. B. Employer agrees to provide dental, hospitalization, surgical and comprehensive medical insurance for Employee and her dependents and to pay the premiums thereon equal to that which is provided all other employees of Employer. Section 12: Dues and Subscriptions Employer agrees to budget and pay for the professional duties and subscriptions of Employee necessary for her continuation and full participation in national, regional, state, and local associations and organizations necessary and desirable for her continued professional participation, growth, and advancement, and for the good of the Employer. Section 13: Professional Development Employer hereby agrees to budget for and to pay the travel and subsistence expenses of Employee for professional and official travel, meetings, seminars, courses, continuing education and occasions adequate to continue the professional development of Employee and to adequately pursue necessary official and other functions for Employer. Section 14: Indemnification Employer shall defend, save harmless, and indemnify Employee against any tort, professional liability claim or demand or other legal action, whether groundless or otherwise, arising out of an alleged act or omission occurring in the performance of Employee's duties as City Attorney. Employer will compromise and settle any such claim or suit and pay the amount of any settlement orjudgement rendered thereon. Section 15: Bonding Employer shall bear the full cost of any fidelity or other bonds required of the Employee under any law or ordinance. Section 16: Other Terms and Conditions of Employment A. The Council, in consultation with the Employee, shall fix any such other terms and conditions of employment, as it may determine from time to time, relating to the performance of Employee, provided such terms and conditions are not inconsistent with or in conflict with the provisions of this agreement, the City Charter or any other law. B. All provisions of the City Charter and Code, and regulations and rules of the Employer relating to vacation and sick leave, retirement and pension system contributions, holidays and other fringe benefits and working conditions as they now exist or hereafter may be amended, also shall apply to Employee as they would to other employees of Employer, in addition to said benefits enumerated specifically for the benefit of Employee, except as herein provided. C. Employee shall be entitled to receive the same vacation and sick leave benefits as are accorded department heads, including provisions governing accrual and payment therefor on termination of employment. 4 Section 17: No Reduction of Benefits Employer shall not at any time during the term of this agreement reduce the salary, compensation, or other financial benefits of Employee, except to the degree of such a reduction across-the-board for all employees of the Employer. Section 18: Notices Notices pursuant to this agreement shall be given by deposit in the custody of the Unites States Postal Service, postage prepaid, addressed as follows: 1) Employer: Mayor 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 2) Employee: Eleanor M. Dilkes 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 Alternatively, notices required pursuant to this agreement may be personally served in the same manner as is applicable to civil judicial practice. Notice shall be deemed given as of the date of personal service or as the date of deposit of such written notice in the course of transmission in the United States Postal Service. Section 19: General Provisions A. The text herein shall constitute the entire agreement between the parties. B. This agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the heirs at law and executors of Employee. C. This agreement shall become effective commencing July 1, 1999. D. If any provisions, or any portion thereof, contained in this agreement is held unconstitutional, invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of this agreement, or portion thereof, shall be deemed severable, shall not be affected and shall remain in full force and effect. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the City of Iowa City, Iowa has caused this agreement to be signed and executed in its behalf by its Mayor, and duly attested by its City Clerk, and the Employee has signed and executed this agreement, both in duplicate, the day and year first above written. CITY OF IOWA CITY, IOWA B' ayor Eleanor M. Dilkes ATTEST: ay: ~ .9 'ty Clerk eleanorla pVdilkes.doc AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT Eleanor M. Dilkes, City Attorney for the City of Iowa City, and the City Council of the City of Iowa City do hereby amend the employment agreement between them dated October 12, 1999 as follows: Section 11 of said Agreement is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph "C" thereto: Section 11: Disability, Health and Li€e Insurance A. Employer agrees to make required premium payments for insurance policies for such life, accident sickness, disability income benefits, major medical and dependent coverage group insurance covering Employee and her dependents as Employer may now or hereafter have in effect far its administrative employees. B. Employer agrees to provide dental, hospitalization, surgical and comprehensive medical insurance for Employee and her dependents and to pay the premiums thereon equal to that which is provided all other employees of Employer. C. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, and/or the reduction of Employee's hours by mutual agreement to less than 1.0 FTE, Employer shall provide medical insurance to Employee and her dependents and pay the premium thereon equal to that which is provided to full-time employees of Employer. CITY OF 10 TY, 10 BY: AYOR ~~ ATTEST: ~ ~~. DEPUTY I ERK B : L~~Z ~ ~ Y Eleanor M. Dilkes eleanorlagUCtyatt-agtSecl l amend.doc Employment Agreement THIS AGREEMENT, is made and entered into this 12th day of October ~ qqq by and between the City of Iowa City, State of Iowa, a municipal corporation hereinafter called "Employer," and Marian K. Karr, hereinafter called "Employee". WHEREAS, Pursuant to previous action by Employer, Employee is the City Clerk for the City of Iowa City; and WHEREAS, Employer and Employee desire to set forth in writing the terms and conditions of Employee's employment as City Clerk. NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants herein contained, the parties agree as follows: Section 1: Duties Pursuant to Article II of the City Charter, Employer hereby agrees to employ said Marian K. Karr as City Clerk for the City of Iowa City to pertorm the functions and duties specified in Title I, Chapter 7, City Code, and to perform other legally permissible and proper duties and functions as the Council shall from time to time assign. Section 2: Term A. This agreement shall be for an indefinite time. B. Nothing in this agreement shall prevent, limit, or otherwise interfere with the right of the Council to terminate the services of Employee at any time, subject only to the provisions set forth in Section 4, Paragraphs A and B, of this agreement. C. Nothing in this agreement shall prevent, limit, or otherwise interfere with the right of the Employee to resign at any time from her position with Employer, subject only to the provisions set forth in Section 4, Paragraph C. Section 3: Suspension Employer may suspend the Employee with full pay and benefits at any time during the term of this agreement, but only if: 1. A majority of Council and Employee agree; or 2. After a public hearing, a majority of Council votes to suspend Employee for just cause provided, however, that Employee shall have been given written notice setting forth any charges at least ten days prior to such hearing by the Council members bringing such charges. Section 4: Termination and Severance Pay A. In the event Employee is terminated by the Council during such time as Employee is willing and able to perform her duties under this agreement, then in that event Employer agrees to pay Employee a lump sum cash payment equal to three months aggregate salary, provided, however, that in the event Employee is terminated because of her conviction of any illegal act involving personal gain to her, then, in that event, Employer shall have no obligation to pay the aggregate severance sum designated in this paragraph. 2 B. In the event Employer at any time during the term of this agreement reduces the salary or other financial benefits of Employee in a greater percentage than an applicable across-the- board reduction for alt City employees, or in the event Employer refuses, following written notice, to comply with any other provision benefiting Employee herein, or the Employee resigns following a suggestion, whether formal or informal, by the Council that she resign, then, in that event, Employee may, at her option, be deemed to be "terminated" at the date of such reduction or such refusal to comply within the meaning and context of the severance pay provision. C. In the event Employee voluntarily resigns her position with Employer, then Employee shall give Employer one month notice in advance, unless the parties otherwise agree. Section 5: Disability If Employee is permanently disabled or is otherwise unable to perform her duties because of sickness, accident, injury, mental incapacity, or health for a period of twelve successive weeks, including any accrued sick leave, Employer shall have the option to terminate this agreement, subject to the severance pay requirements in Section 4, Paragraph A. However, Employee shall be compensated for any accrued sick leave, vacation, compensatory time, and other accrued benefits. Section 6: Salary Employer agrees to pay Employee for her services rendered pursuant hereto an annual base salary of $59,009.60, payable in installments at the same time as other employees of the Employer are paid. In addition, Employer agrees to review said base salary and/or other benefits of Employee and adjust said salary and benefits in such amounts and to such extent as the Council may determine that it is desirable to do so on the basis of an annual salary review of said Employee made at the same time as similar consideration is given other employees generally. Section 7: Performance Evaluation The Council shall review and evaluate the performance of the Employee at least once annually, with the method of evaluation to be in accordance with provisions of applicable law. Section 8: Hours of Work It is recognized that Employee must devote a great deal of time outside the normal office hours to business of the Employer, and to that end Employee will be allowed to take compensatory time off as she shall deem appropriate during said normal office hours. Section 9: Outside Activities Employee shall not spend more than ten hours per week in teaching, counseling, or other non- Employer connected business without the prior approval of the Council. Section 10: Vacation, Sick, and Military Leave A. Employee shall accrue, and have credited to her personal account, vacation and sick leave at the same rate as other general employees of Employer. Additional vacation time may be credited to Employee upon the mutual agreement of Employer and Employee. 3 Section 11: Disability, Health, and Life Insurance A. Employer agrees to make required premium payments for insurance policies for such life, accident sickness, disability income benefits, major medical and dependent coverage group insurance covering Employee and her dependents as Employer may now or hereafter have in effect for its administrative employees. B. Employer agrees to provide dental, hospitalization, surgical and comprehensive medical insurance for Employee and her dependents and to pay the premiums thereon equal to that which is provided all other employees of Employer. Section 12: Dues and Subscriptions Employer agrees to budget and pay for the professional duties and subscriptions of Employee necessary for her continuation and full participation in national, regional, state, and local associations and organizations necessary and desirable for her continued professional participation, growth, and advancement, and for the good of the Employer. Section 13: Professional Development Employer hereby agrees to budget for and to pay the travel and subsistence expenses of Employee for professional and official travel, meetings, seminars, courses, continuing education and occasions adequate to continue the professional development of Employee and to adequately pursue necessary official and other functions for Employer. Section 14: Indemnification Employer shall defend, save harmless, and indemnify Employee against any tort, professional liability claim or demand or other legal action, whether groundless or otherwise, arising out of an alleged act or omission occurring in the performance of Employee's duties as City Clerk. Employer will compromise and settle any such claim or suit and pay the amount of any settlement or judgement rendered thereon. Section 15: Bonding Employer shall bear the full cost of any fidelity or other bonds required of the Employee under any law or ordinance. Section 16: Other Terms and Conditions of Employment A. The Council, in consultation with the Employee, shall fix any such other terms and conditions of employment, as it may determine from time to time, relating to the performance of Employee, provided such terms and conditions are not inconsistent with or in conflict with the provisions of this agreement, the City Charter or any other law. B. All provisions of the City Charter and Code, and regulations and rules of the Employer relating to vacation and sick leave, retirement and pension system contributions, holidays and other fringe benefits and working conditions as they now exist or hereafter may be amended, also shall apply to Employee as they would to other employees of Employer, in addition to said benefits enumerated specifically for the benefit of Employee, except as herein provided. C. Employee shall be entitled to receive the same vacation and sick leave benefits as are accorded department heads, including provisions governing accrual and payment therefor on termination of employment. 4 Section 17: No Reduction of Benefits Employer shall not at any time during the term of this agreement reduce the salary, compensation, or other financial benefits of Employee, except to the degree of such a reduction across-the-board for all employees of the Employer. Section 18: Notices Notices pursuant to this agreement shall be given by deposit in the custody of the Unites States Postal Service, postage prepaid, addressed as follows: 1) Employer: Mayor 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 2) Employee: Marian K. Karr 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 Alternatively, notices required pursuant to this agreement may be personally served in the same manner as is applicable to civil judicial practice. Notice shall be deemed given as of the date of personal service or as the date of deposit of such written notice in the course of transmission in the United States Postal Service. Section 19: General Provisions A. The text herein shall constitute the entire agreement between the parties. B. This agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the heirs at law and executors of Employee. C. This agreement shall become effective commencing July 1, 1999. D. If any provisions, or any portion thereof, contained in this agreement is held unconstitutional, invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of this agreement, or portion thereof, shall be deemed severable, shall not be affected and shall remain in full force and effect. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the City of Iowa City, Iowa has caused this agreement to be signed and executed in its behalf by its Mayor, and duly attested by its City Attorney, and the Employee has signed and executed this agreement, both in duplicate, the day and year first above written. CITY OF WA CITY, IOWA B • ~ ,~,,,~~- Mayor By: r ian K. Karr ATT~T: By: ~ • , City Attorney Ap oved as to City Attorney NeanorlagVkarr.doc AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT Marian K. Karr, City Clerk for the City of Iowa City, and the City Council of the City of Iowa City do hereby amend the employment agreement between them dated October 12, 1999 as follows: 1. Section 10 of said Agreement entitled "Vacation, Sick and Military Leave" is amended as follows: Section 10.A Employee shall accrue, and have credited to her personal account, vacation and sick leave at the same rate as other general employees of Employer. Additional vacation time may be credited to Employee upon the mutual agreement of the Employer and Employee. The employee may, no later than June 15 of each year, at her discretion convert up to 80 hours of accrued vacation time to the employee's pension plan at the employee's current base rate. CITY OF I TY, IOOWA) BY: w MAYOR ATTEST: `~ DE CITY Cl. K By: Man K. Karr Approved by City Attorney's Office elea nor/agUctycl erkagGS ec10A.doc ~~cnC~v»O~ mW Q ~~nm -o Nm o a r y p ~ o m ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ N ~ ~ ~ ~ in o ~ o m 3 ~ o c ~ ~ ~ .~ c ~ ~ ~/~~/ v D a `~ N 1 7 ' ~ (p .~. m '" ~_~ ~ cn ~ i n ~ ~ 3 3~ N ~ N o O m D .~. ~ vi o0 o v co ~ ~ m ui _n ~_ ~ ~ ~ ~ o n `~ ~ -a ~ m p ~ ~ ~ n a 3 O ~ u, o ~ o ~, ~ ~. 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O O N N A W j IV 69 OD W N O EA W J b9 j Oo W W G1 (~ ~ ~ U7 A 0o ao 0 CO W -~ J ? v, m D o w o o~ o o ~ \~~ rn ~~ ~O~ A N J W O W 69 W O ~_ EA J Qo 69 W W A (n ~ N N N O O OWO A A ( T ~ m ~ _ O O O O O O W O c H~ O W Ji ( CO 69 OD ~ ~ N O W W W A (O 1fl J W fA fn (a OOD 00 W W W O J J J ~~ m Op OO O~ N N N O O N \ f~l ~ O O O O CO Ou 69 ~ ~ O W W W OD O GH O W W W fA -• O (fl o Q1 (n N O A Oo OD U7 N N E '' ' ~ cn ~" m ~ O Q1 U1 O O N ~ ~ c ~ O O -~ O O Cn O ~ W W O W ~ ~ J Efl J A ffl ~ V W J J O) W W W CO 00 f0 O~~ O O N O O 0 0~ o ~ ~ N J Y ri Y W E~ O A ~ W ODD W J1 ( O O) V7 A A O ~~ A ~ A A N O O O N O O CP O O "T1 O (D N Q _~ 7 N X N N cn fD ~ ~T D ~'~~ r:=T - c o ~' w (~ v ~ a ~ (D _ 6 t11 y ~ ~ 0 ~ 7 ~ ~~ ~ ~ mcn ~ ps ~~o~ ~~ o~ m; ~ o ~ w ~ ~~ ° w v A (D (Q ~p 0 n _ ~ (~ (p ~ ~ O n O pip W N N ~_ coo W rnow Z (j7 (ji ~ N N Ul O O O C O O A Efl ~ ~ A D ~ ~ O O ~ m m 0 il ( Oo 0~ ~ ao Oo j C O O O O ~ m X m n c m D Z T O L C Z m N 00 N O O OD A Sept. 2008 City Council Appointments Salary History for City Clerk & City Attorney Amy, CLERK Inrumhan+ Hires rata' 9197 Incumbent Hire Date: 4183 Salary Addt'I Salary Addt'I Benefit Benefit 1997 New Appointment 4% $70,000 1 $52,284.54 1998 5.7% 5.2% $74,000 $55,000 1999 6.5% 7.28% $78,811 $59,009 2000 6.59% 6.76% $84,011 $63,003 2001 3.25% 6.5% $52,041 2, 4,5 3 $67,100 FTE $86,736 2002 3.25% COL 3.25% COL 3.5% merit 5 3.5% merit 3 $55,623.36 $71,718.40 FTE $92,705.60 2003 3% 3% $57,295.68 5 3 $73,860.80 FTE $95,492.80 2004 2.65% 2.65% $58,818.24 5,6 3 $75,816.00 FTE $98,030.40 2005 2.75% 2.75% $60,440.64 5,6 3 $77,896.00 FTE $100,734.40 2006 8.0% 8.0% $65,270.40 5,6 3 $84,136.00 FTE $108,784.00 2007 6.0% 6.0% $69,189.12 5,6 3 $89,190.40 FTE $115,315.20 1 -New hire 2 -Pension plan payment 3 -Cash value of 80 hours accrued vacation paid directly to pension plan 4 - 60% FTE effective October 3, 2000 5 -Full health premium 6 -Disability cledc\salaries2008. doc ~„~„®,~ CITY O F t 0 1N A C 1 T Y 1P4 ,~®,,~ A N D ~ ~ E~CJR DATE: 9/3/2008 TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL FROM: MICHAEL LOMBARDO, CITY MANAGER RE: NEWSLETTER DISTRIBUTION I mentioned to you that I intend to start compiling a "what's happening" type of communication or newsletter to you with brief updates of city projects and activities. The first newsletter "At A Glance" was included in your council packet on August 21 information packet. There is no regular schedule for the newsletter, rather, it is my intent to compile and release as necessary. Future distribution of the newsletter will be utilizing your individual mail boxes in the City Clerk's office and the City website under the City Manager page www.icgov.org/citymanager. Copies will also be distributed in Council information packets. s/cityclerk/cm newsletter.doc The City of Iowa City IP5 POLICE CITIZENS REVIEW BOARD COMMUNITY FORUM WHEN: Tuesday, September 16, 2008 TIME: 7:30 P.M. WHERE: Emma J. Harvat Hall 410 E Washington St TOPIC: History of the PCRB, Complaint Filing Options & Public Discussion We invite YOU to attend a forum about the History of the Police Citizens Review Board, Complaint Filing Options, and Public Discussion. Presentations will be given, followed by a public discussion. _ ua-u4-ua ~~ ,1 IP6 ., .. ,; ~~..~ 1 ._ BUILDING PERMIT INFORMATION August 2008 KEY FOR ABBREVIATIONS Type of Improvement ADD -Addition ALT -Alteration REP -Repair FND -Foundation Only NEW-New OTH -Other type of construction Type of Use RSF -Residential Single Family RDF -Residential Duplex RMF -Three or more residential RAC -Residential Accessory Building MIX -Mixed NON -Non-residential OTH -Other Page : 2 City of Iowa City Date : 9/2/2008 Extraction of Building Permit Data for To : 8/1/2008 From : 8/31/2008 Census Bureau Report Type Tune Permit Number Name Address Impr Use Stories Units Valuation BLD08-00461 AL STREB PROPERTIES 2802 INDEPENDENCE RD ADD NON 1 0 $10,000 FOUNDATION FOR OFFICE ADDITION Total ADD/NON permits : 1 Total Valuation : $10,000' BLD08-00458 ROBB & DEBBIE PECK 1417 FRANKLIN ST ADDITION FOR SFD BLD08-00530 BILL SMITH 515 WOODRIDGE AVE 2ND FLOOR BEDROOM ADDITION FOR SFD BLD08-00506 TIM & LESLIE FINER 1436 ABURDEEN CT ADDITION FOR SFD BLD08-00425 WILLARD L & SUSAN K BO 620 RIVER ST Install elevator addition at rear of house BLD08-00443 YOLANDA F FRUDDEN 3655 FOXANA DR 580sf free standing uncovered wood deck BLD08-00440 MARY LUKAS 406 KIMBALL RD 3 SEASON PORCH ADDITION FOR SFD BLD08-00523 KEN & MARYBETH SLONNI 611 N GOVERNOR PORCH ADDITION FOR SFD BLD08-00500 DAVID CUNNING & NAOMI 2836 BROOKSIDE DR DECK ADDITION FOR SFD BLD08-00417 JOHNS & GRETEL E BECK 1052 JENSEN ST Install exterior stairs and landings BLD08-00483 SHAMI L MORSE 1712 E ST FRONT ENTRY DECK FOR SFD BLD08-00456 FREDERICK N & JANET F S 918 ESTRON ST SCREEN PORCH ADDITION FOR SFD BLD08-00459 ROBERT & MICHELLE MOR 1016 RONALDS ST DECK ADDITION FOR SFD BLD08-00480 CHRISTOPHER FORBES 3237 LAKE FOREST AVE DECK ADDITION FOR SFD BLD08-00450 KD PROPERTIES LLC 940 MILLER AVE REPLACE ENTRY DECK FOR SFD ADD RSF 0 0 $68,000 ADD RSF 2 0 $60,000 ADD RSF 0 0 $40,000 ADD RSF 1 0 $32,000 ADD RSF 1 0 $7,500 ADD RSF 0 0 $6,000 ADD RSF 2 0 $6,000 ADD RSF 0 0 $2,800 ADD RSF 0 0 $2,000 ADD RSF 0 0 $2,000 ADD RSF 0 0 $1,500 ADD RSF 0 0 $1,000 ADD RSF 0 0 $500 ADD RSF 1 0 $250 Total ADD/RSF permits : 14 Total Valuation : $229,550' BLD08-00397 NEW PIONEER COOP SOCI 22 S VAN BUREN ST ALT NON 1 0 $98,320 WINDOWS AND ALTERATION FOR GROCERY STORE BLD08-00415 BLUEBIRD DINER 330 E MARKET ST ALT NON 1 0 $95,000 RESTAURANT IN FORMER PAINT STORE BLD08-00442 UNIVERSITY OF IOWA 123 N LINK ST ALT NON 2 0 $62,000 U OF I THEATRE DEPT CLASSROOMS USE ALLOWED AS TEMPORARY USE PERMIT ONLY BLD08-00452 BOWMAN CHIROPRACTIC 2501 N DODGE ST ALT NON 0 0 $33,000 ADD 3 TREATMENT ROOMS IN LOWER LEVEL OF CHIROPRACTIC PRACT ICE Page : 3 Date : 9/2/2008 To : 8/ 1 /2008 From : 8/31 /2008 City of Iowa City Extraction of Building Permit Data for Census Bureau Report Type Tune Permit Number Name Address Impr Use Stories Units Valuation Total ALT/NON permits : 4 Total Valuation : $288,320 BLD08-00504 MARK J ROFFMAN 516 E COLLEGE ST ALT RMF 3 0 $4,000 Redrywall and replace window in unit #9 BLD07-00731 UPTOWN PROPS 21 N JOHNSON ST ALT RMF 0 0 $1,500 ADD 5 DOORS BETWEEN DWELLING UNITS OF RMF BUILDING BLD07-00733 UPTOWN PROPS 922 E COLLEGE ST ALT RMF 0 0 $1,000 ADD 3 DOORS BETWEEN DWELLING UNITS OF RMF BUILDING BLD07-00734 UPTOWN PROPS 902 N DODGE ST ALT RMF 0 0 $1,000 ADD 3 DOORS BETWEEN DWELLING UNITS OF RMF BUILDING Total ALT/RMF permits : 4 Total Valuation : $7,500 BLD08-00445 MARK & LIZ PHELPS 115 TAFT SPEEDWAY ALT ELEVATE HOUSE AND REPAIR FLOOD DAMAGE SUNROOM AND DECK ADDITION BLD08-00426 DEAN MAX THORNBERRY 1202 OAKES DR ALT Convert screen porch to four season room BLD08-00495 MATTHEW LUMB 2221 A ST ALT Complete work from Building permit BLD08-00143 BLD08-00432 FRANK W & WILMA N PEA 323 WESTBURY CT ALT Convert screen porch to four season porch BLD06-00154 JEFFREY L & BRANDI L MA. 2408 WHISPERING PRAIRI ALT Complete interior remodel BLD08-00211 DAMIAN HAMILTON 1808 DEFOREST AVE ALT BASEMENT EGRESS WINDOW BASEMENT FINISH ADDED TO PERMIT RSF 0 0 $200,000 RSF 1 0 $45,000 RSF 0 0 $30,000 RSF 1 0 $8,000 RSF 0 0 $1,000 RSF 0 0 $800 Total ALT/RSF permits : 6 Total Valuation : $284,800' BLD08-00514 COURT STREET APARTMEN 228 E COURT ST FOUNDATION FOR 5 STORY APARTMENT/COMMERCIAL BUILDING 1-A CONST COMMERCIAL, 5-A CONST APTS FND MIX 5 56 $400,000 Total FND/MIX permits : I Total Valuation : $400,000 BLD08-00325 ST PATRICK CATHOLIC CHi 4330 SAINT PATRICK DR NEW NON 1 SAINT PATRICK CHURCH BLD08-00191 ITC TRANSMISSION 635 RUPPERT RD NEW NON 1 66,560 SQ FT OFFICE/WAREHOUSE BUILDING BLD08-00510 TOM & RICK STREB 2710 N DODGE ST NEW NON 1 COMMERCIAL STRIP MALL BUILDING BLD08-00478 ZIMMERMAN, GREGORY J 3852 LIBERTY DR NEW NON 0 CONTRACTOR STORAGE STRUCTURE WITH 3 HR FIRE WALL IN CENTER CREATING 2 BUILDINGS BLD08-00466 CRESCENT ELECTRIC 2149 S GILBERT ST NEW NON 2 FOUNDATION FOR 12,000 SQ. FT. COMMERCIAL BUILDING 0 $10,524,740 0 $4,200,000 0 $426,197 0 $320,000 0 $91,000 Page : 4 City of Iowa City Date : 9/2/2008 Extraction of Building Permit Data for To : 8/1/2008 From : 8/31/2008 Census Bureau Report Twe Tune Permit Number Name Address Imnr Use Stories Units Valuation Total NEW/NON permits : 5 Total Valuation : $15,561,937 BLD08-00494 ITC 635 RUPPERT RD NEW OTH 0 0 $290,000 several hundred linear feet of 6' w/barbed wire strands Total NEW/OTH permits : 1 Total Valuation : $290,000 BLD08-00511 ROBERT & CAROL BARKER 437 BUTTERNUT LN NEW RAC 0 0 $150,000 POOL AND POOL-HOUSE ADDITION FOR SFD BLD08-00469 ARLINGTON DEVELOPMEN 4954 E COURT ST NEW RAC 1 0 $48,000 DETACHED GARAGE FOR 12 PLEX APARTMEN T BUILDING EIGHT 2 CAR GARAGE STALLS BLD08-00444 BLAKE HENDRICKSON 1307 MARCY ST NEW RAC 1 0 $10,000 20' x 24' detached garage Total NEW/RAC permits : 3 Total Valuation : $208,000' BLD08-00414 ARLINGTON DEV INC 56 BRENTWOOD DR Duplex with two car garages 56-58 Brentwood Dr. NEW RDF 1 2 $287,337 Total NEW/RDF permits : 1 Total Valuation : $287,337' BLD08-00468 ARLINGTON DEVELOPMEN 4954 E COURT ST 12 PLEX APARTMENT BUILDING 4954-4956 through 4976 E COURT ST. BLD08-00433 SYCAMORE APARTMENTS 1 2159 KOUNTRY LANE 12 PLEX APARTMENT BUILDING BUILDING H BLD08-00439 SYCAMORE APARTMENTS l 2175 KOUNTRY LANE 12 PLEX APARTMENT BUILDING BUILDING I Total NEW/RMF permits : 3 NEW RMF 3 12 $1,333,927 NEW RMF 3 12 $1,079,597 NEW RMF 3 12 $1,079,597 Total Valuation : $3,493,121 BLD08-00411 GARY FRAKES CONSTRUCT 72 WHITE OAK PL NEW RSF S.F.D. with two car garage BLD08-00447 SWARTZ, TWILA 875 CAMP CARDINAL RD NEW RSF S.F.D. with three car garage BLD08-00498 ARLINGTON DEV INC 60 COLCHESTER DR NEW RSF SFD WITH ATTACHED 3 CAR GARAGE BLD08-00453 ADVANTAGE CUSTION BU 1864 MACKINAW DR NEW RSF SFD WITH ATTACHED 2 CAR GARAGE BLD08-00488 J & K CONSTRUCTION 1503 FOSTER RD NEW RSF SFD WITH DETACHED 2 CAR GARAGE BLD08-00485 ARLINGTON DEVELOPMEN 127 EVERSULL LN NEW RSF SFD WITH ATTACHED 2 CAR GARAGE 1 1 $375,000 1 1 $320,000 2 1 $289,618 1 1 $210,834 2 1 $210,000 2 1 $193,233 Page : 5 City of Iowa City Date : 9/2/2008 Extraction of Building Permit Data for To : 8/ 1 /2008 From : 8/31/2008 Census Bureau Report Tvne Type Permit Number Name Address Impr Use Stories Units Valuation BLD08-00503 ADVANTAGE CUSTION BU 1830 MACKINAW DR NEW RSF 2 1 $175,348 SFD WITH ATTACHED 2 CAR GARAGE BLD08-00501 ARLINGTON DEVELOPMEN 41 EVERSULL LN NEW RSF 1 1 $172,646 SFD WITH ATTACHED 3 CAR GARAGE BLD08-00413 ARLINGTON DEV INC 17 WHITECHAPEL DR NEW RSF 1 1 $167,824 S.F.D. with three car garage BLD08-00502 ADVANTAGE CUSTION BU 1846 MACKINAW DR NEW RSF 1 1 $160,217 SFD WITH ATTACHED 2 CAR GARAGE BLD08-00487 IOWA VALLEY HABITAT FC 2429 WHISPERING PRAIRI NEW RSF 1 1 $142,967 SFD WITH ATTACHED 1 CAR GARAGE BLD08-00486 IOWA VALLEY HABITAT FC 2426 ASTER AVE NEW RSF 1 1 $120,829 SFD WITH ATTACHED 1 CAR GARAGE Total NEW/RSF permits : 12 Total Valuation : $2,538,516 BLD08-00482 KEVIN MONSON 9 S LINK ST REP MIX 0 0 $12,000 REROOF Total REP/MIX permits : 1 Total Valuation : $12,000 BLD08-00497 ALDI INC 1534 S GILBERT ST REP NON 1 0 $300,000 FLOOD REPAIR OF GROCERY STORE BLD08-00431 LARRY E & SANDRA SUE B 1565 S GILBERT ST REP NON 0 0 $150,000 Flood repair BLD08-00424 LYTLE, LOUISE E 1519 -39 S GILBERT ST REP NON 2 0 $100,000 Flood repair BLD08-00436 FOSTER, DERROLD M 1920 S GILBERT ST REP NON 0 0 $60,000 Flood repair BLD08-00539 AERO RENTAL 227 KIRKWOOD AVE REP NON 0 0 $55,810 REROOF COMMERCIAL BUILDING BLD08-00441 MILLER & MASKE LLC 1201 S GILBERT ST REP NON 1 0 $42,000 ROOF REPAIR FOR LUMBERYARD BLD06-00658 FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST ; 722 E COLLEGE ST REP NON 0 0 $27,200 REPAIR AND REROOF CHURCH DUE TO STORM DAMAGE BLD08-00527 NANCY RILEY 1220 HIGHWAY #6 WEST REP NON 0 0 $22,423 REROOF COMMERCIAL RESTAURANT BLD08-00455 IOWA BNAI BRITH HILLEL I 122 E MARKET ST REP NON 0 0 $4,400 REROOF BLD08-00534 CHURCH OF THE NAZAREN 1035 WADE ST REP NON 0 0 $1,200 ROOF REPAIR FOR ABOVE STAIRS Total REP/NON permits : 10 Total Valuation : $763,033 BLD08-00472 GORDON KRAFT 133 PENTIRE CIR REP RMF 2 0 $25,000 FLOOD REPAIR OF MULTI-FAMILY DWELLING UNIT (2nd floor unit damage was limited to garage only.) BLD08-00535 JEANETTE M WATERS ETA 5 WOOLF AVE REP RMF 0 0 $18,000 REROOF RMF Page : 6 City of Iowa City Date : 9/2/2008 Extraction of Building Permit Data for To : 8/ 1 /2008 From : 8/31/2008 Census Bureau Report Permit Number Name BLD07-00497 HERITAGE PROPERTY MAN REROOF RMF Address 727 -29 MICHAEL ST Twe Impr REP Twe Use RMF Stories 0 Units 0 Valuation $7,520 Total REP/RMF permits : 3 Total Valuation : $50,520 BLD08-00418 DIANNE M WERGER TRUST 605 EASTMOOR DR REP RSF 0 0 $250,000 Flood repair BLD08-00437 TED N & REBECCA L TANBI 809 NORMANDY DR REP RSF 0 0 $200,000 Flood repair BLD08-00462 LYNN BRENNEMAN 821 EASTMOOR DR REP RSF 0 0 $176,000 FLOOD REPAIR FOR SFD BLD08-00463 CHERYL L & ORVILLE V P 801 EASTMOOR DR REP RSF 0 0 $105,000 FLOOD REPAIR FOR SFD BLD08-00419 MARY JO WALKER 882 PARK PL REP RSF 0 0 $100,000 Flood repair BLD08-00429 CRAIG RALPH DAMS 829 NORMANDY DR REP RSF 0 0 $100,000 Flood repair BLD08-00420 DANIEL G KERANEN & WE 701 MANOR DR REP RSF 0 0 $80,000 Flood repair BLD08-00435 ELIZABETH A MAHER 817 EASTMOOR DR REP RSF 0 0 $65,000 Flood repair BLD08-00434 ROLAND BRUCE WALTER 809 EASTMOOR DR REP RSF 0 0 $50,000 Flood repair BLD08-00470 GERARD ELECTRIC INC 111 TAFT SPEEDWAY REP RSF 0 0 $50,000 FLOOD REPAIR FOR SFD BLD08-00473 MAX HILTON 701 EASTMOOR DR REP RSF 0 0 $50,000 FLOOD REPAIR OF SFD BLD08-00490 TOM & DEB SASS 709 EASTMOOR DR REP RSF 0 0 $50,000 FLOOD REPAIR FOR SFD BLD08-00493 HELEN M QUIGLEY 717 MANOR DR REP RSF 0 0 $50,000 FLOOD REPAIR FOR SFD BLD08-00360 LONNY DAMS 837 NORMANDY DR REP RSF 0 0 $45,000 FLOOD REPAIR FOR SFD BLD08-00422 PHIL CARSON 616 MANOR DR REP RSF 0 0 $35,000 Flood repair BLD08-00406 GERALD E CAMPION 732 MANOR DR REP RSF 1 0 $30,000 Flood repair BLD08-00408 JOHN F POTTS 804 NORMANDY DR REP RSF 1 0 $30,000 Flood repair BLD08-00474 CAROL ERBAN 808 EASTMOOR DR REP RSF 0 0 $30,000 FLOOD REPAIR FOR SFD BLD08-00477 JAMES D HAYDEN 716 EASTMOOR DR REP RSF 0 0 $28,000 FLOOD REPAIR FOR SFD BLD08-00409 LARRY E & JANICE OMAN 721 NORMANDY DR REP RSF 0 0 $20,000 Flood repair BLD08-00454 SARA CINDER 2718 E COURT ST REP RSF 0 0 $12,800 FOUNDATION REPAIR FOR SFD Page : 7 City of Iowa City Date : 9/2/2008 Extraction of Building Permit Data for To : 8/ 1 /2008 From : 8/31/2008 Census Bureau Report Tme Type Permit Number Name Address Imnr Use Stories Units Valuation BLD08-00430 MARK C MOODY 612 EASTMOOR DR REP RSF 0 0 $12,000 Flood repair BLD08-00479 RUYLE, JOHN B 107 S LUCAS ST REP RSF 2 0 $4,000 PORCH REPAIR FOR SFD BLD08-00410 CLAUDIA J BARBER 1707 E COURT ST REP RSF 0 0 $800 Replace concrete front steps with wood(same size) Total REP/RSF permits : 24 Total Valuation : $1,573,600 GRAND TOTALS : PERMITS : 93 VALUATION : $25,998,234 IP7 r r~~ Date: September 4, 2008 To: Michael Lombardo, City Manager, City of Iowa City From: John Yapp, Executive Director ~~~~ Re: JCCOG Affordable Housing Taskforce JCCOG m e m o Earlier this summer, Andy Johnson, Director of the Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County and Jeff Schott, a facilitator with the University of Iowa's Institute of Public Affairs, met with appointed representatives to the JCCOG Affordable Housing Taskforce from Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, Johnson County, the University of Iowa and the Iowa City Community School District. The purpose of these meetings was to obtain input and feedback regarding the findings of the Affordable Housing Market Analysis commissioned by Iowa City. Shortly after these initial meetings, the 2008 flood event occurred. After checking with several of the participants affected by the flood event, the process was put on hold until issues raised by the flooding are less urgent. The flood event also affected the housing stock in several communities, and this needs to be taken into account. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Schott, who are leading this effort on behalf of the Johnson County Council of Governments, will contact the representatives appointed to the JCCOG Affordable Housing Taskforce later in September to reschedule meetings. Each entity had slightly different perspectives on questions of affordable housing. As a general matter: • There was not significant disagreement with the study's findings regarding housing needs. • Transportation issues are important in addressing housing needs. • There was interest in seeing what is available in terms of multi-family zoning countywide. • Quality and management of housing is a concern, and there was interest in entities comparing and sharing inspection requirements. • There is a belief that implementation of affordable housing strategies will require community education, and support. Cc: Andy Johnson ~~®~ CITY OF IOWA CITY Mpg ~ ~III~~~ M E ~/I O Date: September 3, 2008 To: City Council From: Doug Boothroy, Director Housing and Inspection Services and Deb Briggs, Public Housing/Homeownership Coordinator Re: Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County Grant award of $175,000 to construct an affordable, universal design, single family home with "green build" features. The Iowa City Housing Authority in partnership with the Iowa City Area Association of Realtors (ICAAR), Southgate Development Company, Extend the Dream Foundation, and the University of Iowa College of Law, Clinical Law Program, submitted an application to the HTFJC for a grant to construct a new affordable "green build" home to be sold to a family at or below 80% of the area median income. The name of the project is "Homes for Our Future". The HTFJC awarded a grant of $175,000 to the project and a lot has been identified in the Sandhill Estates development. The roles of the partners follows: ICAAR: Will secure donations, discounted products and services to reduce the cost of the project. Will handle all marketing Will produce streaming video (with the help of the Press Citizen) on their website to document the progress of the project. (This video is also available for City's and any Partner's websites) City/ICHA: Will provide 2"d Mortgage Loan for approved buyer, which will be repaid to the City/ICHA, with interest. Will assist in design of unit Will provide homebuyer education course Southgate Is providing a lot at a discounted rate. Development: Is the general contractor and will complete construction at a discounted rate Extend the Dream Will assist in determining design and features of home. Foundation: U of I Clinical Will assist in determining design and features of home. Law Program: Will document the project and create video and written material on the various features and their costs. In addition to the original partners listed above, MidwestOne Bank has recently come on board as a partner. They are also assisting in discounting the lot, and will provide an in-house loan, with no closing costs, for the buyer. Groundbreaking for the project is expected to be this Fall. Council and the Public will be invited to attend the ceremony. The home will be completed in the Spring of 2009 and will be included in the June 2009 Parade of Homes. September 3, 2008 Page 2 What makes this project unique is that when. the property is sold, the buyer's first mortgage loan will be paid back to the HTFJC, and earmarked for future affordable housing projects, with ICAAR as the lead partner. It is expected that these funds will be "seed" money for a viable, self-supporting, affordable housing program. The ICHA may or may not be involved in future projects. Mediacom August 2R, 2008 Ms. Marian Karr City of Iowa City 410 E. Washington St. Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1826 Dear Ms. Karr: l' - Z "4' ,.._ ~ i C~=_f fir` ,, ~:~4~~~,r. Mediacom is pleased to announce the addition of the Big Ten Network to the Family Cable package on channel 72 in your community. The Big Ten Network features sports and informational programming related to the member institutions of the Big Ten Conference. This change will be made on or about September 7, 2008. Please contact me directly at (319) 395 9699 extension 323 if you have any questions or concerns regarding this new programming. Sincerely, e~ssle U~""`- Senior Manager, Government Relations IP9 Mediacom Communications Corporation 6300 Council Street NE • Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402 IP10 FLOOD RECOVERY UPDATE August 29, 2008 Iowa League of Cities As disaster recovery efforts move forward, the League will provide updates on the Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commission (RIAC) and the Rebuild Iowa Office (RIO), as well as provide important information to flood and storm damaged cities. This flood recovery update contains information on the most recent Rebuild Iowa Commission meetings. RIAC to Review Draft Report In a telephonic public meeting at 4 p.m. Friday, August 28, the Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commission will finalize its initial 45-day report. The report, due September 2 to Governor Culver, will contain initial recommendations for immediate flood and storm recovery. Members of the public may listen to the call from the Rebuild Iowa Office, 4459 121st St., Urbandale, or by using the following toll-free, dial-in number: • Dial-In Number: (866) 685-1580 • Conference Code: 000 999 1691 The finalized report will be delivered to Governor Chet Culver on Tuesday, and will be made available to the public through the RIO online at www.rio.iowa.~ov or by calling (515) 242-5004. Commissioners Aim to Narrow List of Recommendations at RIAC Work Sessions Just after noon on Tuesday, August 26, RIAC Commissioners completed a facilitated two-day work session that began Monday, to compile a set of "compelling" recommendations to be included in a report, containing suggestions for immediate action for recovery needs. Cities are ably represented on this 15-member Commission by League President, Jim Fausett, Mayor of Coralville. Much time was spent discussing the need for local governments to have the flexibility to raise funds through means other than property taxes. Another recommendation included finding new ways to expedite federal and state funds, to ensure quick responses to citizens and communities. Housing and small business were high priorities for all the Commissioners. Other issues such as comprehensive case Issue #5 RIAC Timeline • August 18: Task Force Reports Due • August 25 & 26: RIAC Work Sessions +' August 29: RIAC Conference call to review report draft • September 2: RIAC Full Report Due • October 31: RIAC's Long- term Planning Report Due 1 management, public health, flood plain mapping and funding issues also rose to the top. Discussion reflected the difficulty of sifting through the myriad of problems, when Commissioners struggled with whether flood plain mapping was an immediate need, or whether it was a more long term issue to include in the long-term RIAC report, due October 31. Funding for this mapping was deemed a critical immediate need. Cultural and quality of life was also seen as important, but not as immediate as other critical needs. The Commissioners will review a draft report of their recommendations Friday at 4:00, during a conference call. Groups Discuss Need for Special Session During Monday and Tuesday's work sessions, RIAC Commissioners discussed whether to make a special legislative session a part of the Commission's recommendations. Jim Fausett, President of the League and RIAC Commissioner, expressed his desire to include it as a specific recommendation. Other Commissioners such as Carroll Reasoner from Cedar Rapids, initially expressed the need for a special legislative session, but later decided it did not need to be a part of the report. RIAC Chairman, General Dardis said that if the Commission put together a good report, the Governor would be able to decide based on it, whether to call the session. Ultimately, the Commission decided not to make a special session a specific recommendation in the report. Republican legislators from flood affected areas sent out a press release Wednesday calling for a special session to address flood recovery. The statement referenced RIAC Commissioners' desire for a special session, and laid out six specific ideas to accomplish during the proposed special session, including freezing property taxes at no more than pre-disaster levels and having the state temporarily make up the difference using the general fund ending balance or the state's rainy day Fund. Fast Fact According to provisions of the Iowa Constitution, a special session of the Iowa General Assembly can be called in two ways. 1) By proclamation of the Governor, or 2) Upon written request to the presiding officer of each house of the general assembly by two-thirds of the members of each house A special session can be called by the Governor by proclamation or by petition of legislators. So far, neither the Governor nor legislative leadership has indicated whether a special session will be held. 2 Individual Task Force Reports Completed The nine individual task force reports on which the RIAC based its final 45-day report are available now on the RIO website. The reports were completed August 18, and reviewed by the Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commission during their August 25-26 work session. These reports contain in depth summaries from the topic driven task forces, including damage assessments and recommendations for immediate and longer term recovery. The Task Force reports can be found by clicking on the individual task force at the RIO webpage, or you can download all nine task force reports in one combined PDF document by visiting htt~//rio Iowa g_ov/resources/task force reports 08-2008.pdf . Greensburg/Parkersburg Community Forum on Lessons Learned An event organized by the non-profit Center for Sustainable Communities in collaboration with Meredith Corporation and sponsored by the Iowa Finance Authority, will bring together city officials from Parkersburg, Iowa and Greensburg, Kansas, communities both devastated by recent tornados. The Parkersburg/Greensburg Community Forum, to be held September 2 in the Des Moines downtown library from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., will focus on sharing challenges and successes of the communities, as they continue their on-going rebuilding efforts. The Mayor of Greensburg, Bob Dixson, will speak. The event is free and open to the public. For more information see the agenda below. To register, RSVP to Emily at (515) 277-6222 or Emily@icosc.com. Agenda 3:45 - 4:05 -Registration 4:05 - 4:15 -Welcome and introductions 4:15 - 5:00 -Tragedy to Triumph presentation -Stephen Hardy 5:00 - 5:30 -- Comments from Greensburg Mayor Bob Dixson Comments from Parkersburg Economic Development Dir.Virgil Goodrich Comments from Parkersburg Mayor Bob Haylock Comments from Parkersburg City Planner Don Temeyer 5:30 - 6:20 -Open discussion on lessons learned and steps taken 6:20 - 6:30 -Wrap-up, share resources, thank you 6:30 - 7:00 -- Refreshments and networking o ', I~` 11111 IOWA LEAGUE °f CITIES 317 Sixth Ave. Suite 800 Des Moines, IA 50309-4113 Phone: 515-244-7282 Fax: 515-244-0740 www.iowaleague.org V.7-VY~V V IP11 Marian Karr From: Garry Klein [the3rdiowa@mchsi.com] Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 10:05 AM To: Council; rsullivan@co.johnson.ia.us; Imeyers@co.johnson.ia.us; tneuzil@co.johnson.ia.us; sstutsma@co.johnson.ia.us; pharney@co.johnson.ia.us; jfausett@ci.coralville.ia.us; tasalm@terracon.com Subject: FAIR! to sponsor forum: "After The Flood: Vision For Long Range Recovery" FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contacts: FAIR! Websites: www~cfa.ir._o_rg Contact Person: Garry Klein garryklein..@g_mail_com Telephone Numbers: 354-2600/331-0778 Headline: FAIR! to sponsor forum: "After The Flood: Vision For Long Range Recovery FAIR! is sponsoring acommunity-wide forum at the Iowa City Public Library in meeting room A from 7 to 8:30 pm on September 9th focusing on measures we can begin to take to improve our environment, conserve resources, and reduce future flooding. The speakers will be Nicholas Johnson, University of Iowa Law School lecturer who will discuss "A Corridor Greenbelt Concept.," James Throgmorton, professor of Urban and Regional studies at the University of Iowa who will discuss "Living Downsteam," and author, Connie Mutel who will discuss "Nuturing Nature." There will be a question and answer session. The program will be simulcast on the Iowa City library channel 10 and will be rebroadcast on City channel 4.. This is a free event and open to the public for this event and is accessible. About FAIR! FAIR! is a progressive voice on local issues of importance to Johnson County residents. We work to build a sustainable, livable, and humane community. We value fairness, justice, equity, and open government. FAIR! seeks to mobilize the community through education, public policy debate, and local electoral politics by focusing on issues such as: . Equitable use of tax increment financing (TIF) . Affordable housing . A living wage . Expanded public transit 9/3/2008 Page 2 of 3 About Nicholas Johnson Nicholas Johnson is an Iowa City native, spent much of his professional life in Washington, D.C., began teaching at the University of California, Berkeley, and now teaches at the UI College of Law. He formerly served as co-director of the UI Institute for Health, Behavior and Environmental Policy, hosted the PBS-distributed "New Tech Times," authored the nationally syndicated column "Communications Watch," ran for congress, served on the local school board, has been both a public interest advocate and corporate lawyer, held three presidential appointments during the administrations of three presidents (including Maritime Administrator and FCC commissioner), advised foreign governments on media policy, and served as law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo L. Black. His Greenbelt site is ht~_//res_ourcesforlife._co__m/goiowa. His latest books this year deal with media reform (Your Second Priority), politics and the recent primary (Are We There Yet?). About James Throgmorton Jim Throgmorton is a Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Iowa. His work focuses primarily on the roles of rhetoric and narrative in planning, especially with regard to making city-regions more just and ecologically sustainable. He is the author of Planning as Persuasive Storytelling: The Rhetorical Construction of Chicago's Electric Future and co-editor (with Barbara Eckstein) of Story and Sustainability: Planning, Practice, and Possibility for American Cities. From 1993 through 1995 he served as an elected member of the City Council of Iowa City. He is currently working on a critical history of planning in Louisville, Kentucky, from 1890 to the present. He's also been writing bi-weekly columns for the Press-Citizen since early June. About Connie Mutel Connie Mutel's new book, The Emerald Horizon: The History of Nature in Iowa, explores how our state's natural features and their ecological functions -including their inborn flood resistance -have been modified during the last two centuries by intensive human use. The book promotes restoration of these natural features and functions. Mutel, a historian and archivist at the UI's IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering, is author/editor of several other books including Fragile Giants - A Natural History of the Loess Hills and The Tallgrass Restoration Handbook for Prairies, Savannas, and Woodlands. Mutel and her husband are long-term residents of the oak-hickory woodlands north of Iowa City, where they grew to love Iowa and were privileged to raise their three sons. 9/3/2008 IP12 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, AT 6:00 PM CATCH THE FINAL CONCERT OF THE SUMMEo F AND LOIN THE SUMMER OF THE ARTS, UNITED WAY JOHNSON COUNTY, THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, JOHNSON COUNTY, AND THE CITIES OF IOWA CITY AND CORALVILLE IN A E s `` ~ ~' _ i r ~ G K~ ~~ ~~ . ~ ~ .`, .N - ~ ~, . ~cIVF t1HI7ED ~~y'y h~ ~ y F~ ~ 4 y~ ~ ~. ~r_ r jS~~~ h- Z„{ 4l, _ HZ-. ~ Esc 5 `~: ~ ~~ __ xt- ~'. . _ .. - -- - - IN ADDITION TO THE GREAT MUSIC, THERE WILL BE FUN ACTIVITIES FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY: ALL FREE. TNISWEEK'S BAND, PUBLIC PROPERTY IS S PO NSORE D BY M IDWESTONE BAN K. ~,,~ ~~~. SUmhlerof fhs FRIDAY NIGHT ~ sERiES ~ ~ www.unitedwayjc.org ~'' 61VE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER. LIVE UNITED.__ :. From the Office of the City Manager Michael Lombardo 319-356-5010 michael-lombardo@iowa-city.org September 8, 2008 Dear Council members: Some additional information on a variety of topics. • FLEET PROGRAM (Public Works): Iowa City recently purchased its' first hybrid vehicle, a Honda Civic Hybrid, as part of the "in town" motor pool. The Equipment Division will closely monitor and compare both fuel usage and actual cost of ownership to help guide future vehicle purchase decisions. • POLICE RIDE-ALONG: I recently had the opportunity to be on patrol with Officer Jeremy Bossard of the ICPD and laterjoined Officer Dan Roth on foot patrol through downtown. The ride-along provides me an opportunity to meet members of the police department and community and see aspects of the City that I might otherwise miss. • PUBLIC WORKS TOUR I: Last Thursday I spent the day with several divisions in the public works department to tour facilities, meet staff, and discuss operations and service delivery issues. The days started with Bud Stockman in the Streets & Traffic Division -Bud and his staff do yeomen's work operating out of disparate and quite frankly out-dated facilities and I have a newfound appreciation for what they accomplish day-to-day. I then met with Chris Gilstrap for a tour of the North and South Wastewater Treatment Plants. The contrast between the two facilities is remarkable and more than ever I can see the value of consolidating operations at the south plant; something we will likely develop a funding proposal for through EDA. The day ended at the Water Division and a tour of the facility and primary well sites. • MOODY"S AFFIRMS BOND RATINGS: In light of the Bond Refunding opportunities that Council recently approved, we were visited by representatives from Moody's Investors Service to discuss Iowa City's financial stability and the impact of the flood on our ability to provide services. I am happy to report that the Aaa rating for general obligation bonds and Al rating for both the Water and Sewer Services bonds were affirmed. • ANNUAL PARK TOUR (Parks & Recreation): Every year we arrange a tour of parks/facilities for the Parks and Recreation Commission. Typically, we invite Council members and the City Manager to join us. This year we are doing something different ... a joint tour with the City of Coralville. I apologize for the tardiness of this notice, but the tour just came together recently. At any rate, you and the Council are invited to join us on Monday September 15th, 4:00 g.m. We will depart by bus from the Coralville outdoor pool parking lot, and plan to return to the same location by approximately 7:30. Box lunches will be served, so I do need to know how many will attend. Responses (either yes or no) would be appreciated by Thursday, September 11th. You can either send me an email or give me a call at 356-5104. • MASTER PLAN MEETING (Parks & Recreation): The final presentation of the Parks, Recreation and Trails Master Plan will occur at the October 8th meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission. We would like to suggest a joint meeting of the Council and Commission for this purpose. The usual starting time for Commission meetings is 5:00 p.m., but this could be flexible if necessary. Location is pending, but will likely be either at the Library or Harvat Hall. From the Office of the City Manager Michael Lombardo 319-356-5010 nichael-lombardo@iowa-city.org FIRE DEPARTMENT UPDATE: Aside from the day-to-day operations of the fire prevention bureau (FPB), members of the FPB and the public education station recently completed a joint training session with the University of Iowa (UI) Residence Halls and the UI Department of Public Safety. The third annual Resident Assistant (RA) Academy took place on August, 2008 at the courtyard located between the westside dormitories. The fire department utilizes this training opportunity to teach RAs fire and life safety issues critical to providing safe living spaces for UI students living on-campus in the dormitories. During this years training activities, the ICFD personnel trained 140 RAs and Pro-Staff in an educational and fun environment, including live fire demonstrations of a sprinkled and non-sprinkled mock dorm room to show the importance of sprinkler systems in a building. With the return of the UI students to the area, and football games to Kinnick, several of the assembly occupancies in the city see an influx of patrons to their establishments. To provide a safe experience for these patrons, FPB personnel perform systematic checks of assembly occupancies looking for life safety issues such as overcrowding and blocked exit ways. These checks are performed in both the downtown area and outlying areas to make sure that all assembly occupancies adhere to standards of safety that any reasonable person would expect. Following The Station Nightclub fire in 2001, language was added in the fire codes requiring crowd control managers in assembly occupancies. The FPB provides the training for crowd control managers to meet the requirements set forth by the code. Due to the unexpected flooding of the ICFD training center, crowd control manager training preliminarily set for August was pushed back to October. The FPB intends to provide 11 classes for new crowd control managers, and eight (8) classes for those who have attended in the past. Next year, the FPB hopes to provide an online course and test for those in need of a renewal, while still providing live training for new personnel. The FPB and especially personnel from the public education department are working hard to provide educational and hands-on training to the elementary-aged school kids in the city. Performing fire drills with the schools and utilizing the fire safety house to teach kids the important points of what to do in a fire emergency are a couple of methods used. In order to make fire safety education fun, the ICFD provides an annual fire safety program to all of the elementary schools in the city. A witty script filled with fire safety messages, songs, and puppetry provides a learning experience that kids and teachers alike enjoy. These individuals work hard to provide a quality product year after year keeping fire safety and the fire department in the minds of all fortunate enough to take in the show. city of Iowa city PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT 220 S. Gilbert Street TO: City Council FROM: Terry Trueblood, Parks and Recreation Director DATE: September 5, 2008 RE: Annual Parks Tour The Parks and Recreation Commission's annual tour of parks/facilities is taking on a new look this year . it will be a joint tour with the Coralville Parks and Recreation Commission. We will be visiting a few locations in Coralville and a few in Iowa City, and you are invited to join us. It will be held Monday, September 15tH from 4:00 to 7:30 p.m. (approximately). I apologize for the late notice, but this just recently came together. We plan to meet at the parking lot of Coralville's outdoor pool (just north of City Hall, off 7tH Street). Since we need to plan for box lunches, I do need to know whether or not you will be joining us. If you could give me a call or send me an email by Thursday, September 1 lcn I would appreciate it. Phone: 356-5104 Email: terry-trueblood(a~iowa-city.org If you have any questions please feel free to give me a call. ~~ IP13 MINUTES PRELIMINARY PUBLIC ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2008 LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM -CITY HALL Members Present: Patrick Carney, DaLayne Williamson, Annadora Khan, Terry Trueblood, Rick Fosse Members Absent: Mark Seabold, Jan Finlayson Staff Present: Marcia Klingaman, Jeff Davidson, Nate Kabat Public Present: None RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL Recommend approval of the Robert A. Lee Center Artwork Lighting at a funding level not to exceed $14,600, contingent upon satisfying the procurement process. Moved by Fosse. Seconded by Williamson. Motion passed 5:0. CALL TO ORDER Williamson called the meeting to order at 3:02 PM. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA None CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE JUNE 5, 2008 MEETING MOTION: Trueblood moved to approve the minutes; Fosse seconded. The motion passed 5:0. ROBERT A. LEE RECREATION CENTER ARTWORK -UPDATE AND REVIEW OF LIGHTING INSTALLATION ESTIMATE Klingaman updated the committee to the current status of the art piece. All pieces of the project were found in storage and successfully transported to the permanent site. The tracking system, wires, and hangers are in place. The lift was removed by the contractor due to oil leaking but• will bring it back 1-2 weeks before the dedication to finish installation. Klingaman informed the committee the dedication will take place on September 18th at Noon. The Parks and Recreation Commission, City Council, and BJ Katz will be in attendance and the event will be open to the public. Formal invitations will be sent out. Total installation cost is at $17, 400 and lighting has been quoted at an additional $14,600 from Apex. Klingaman informed the committee the lighting cost needs to be approved in order for the project to move forward. Fosse was concerned that only one bid was received and wondered if this would satisfy the city policy requiring multiple Iowa City Public Art Advisory Committee Minutes August 7, 2008 Page 2 quotes. He asked if the lighting was essential for the dedication. Klingaman said the lighting is not essential, but it would be nice to complete the project. Trueblood explained the lighting is meant to make the project stand out from its surroundings. Fosse recommended the committee approve the lighting cost not to exceed $17,400 contingent upon satisfying the city's procurement process. MOTION: Fosse moved to recommend approval of the Robert A. Lee Center Artwork Lighting at a funding level not to exceed $14,600, contingent upon satisfying the procurement process. Seconded by Williamson. Motion passed 5:0. FUTURE WATERWORKS PRAIRIE PARK TRAIL ARTWORK DISCUSSION -IDEAS Trueblood showed the committee a concept plan for the Waterworks Prairie Park site. He explained to the committee a fishing pier is to be added to the large pond and an amphitheater is to be installed. Klingaman asked how big the amphitheater would be. Trueblood said it would be 16x20' square and is not meant to hold large scale events. He also explained the park is mostly prairie grasses with the large pond always being filled. The northern wetland area is always wet, sometimes more wet than others, and the southern wetland dries up at times. He showed the committee where a sculpture meadow was at one time proposed and where the relocation of the old downtown fountain was proposed as well. Near the lagoon area a sculpture was proposed at one time, but was never placed as well as a sculpture area near the treatment plant that was never completed. Trueblood also pointed out a hospice area has been approved for the central area of the park and thought sculpture might be a good addition to that project. Davidson asked if the hospice was budgeted. Trueblood said it was, but would happen in a few years. Fosse pointed out to the committee that burns are used to maintain the prairie grasses in the park, so this would need to be considered in the placement and materials used for the sculpture. Trueblood agreed and added that the burns are controlled so the sculptures would be protected to some degree. Fosse asked how much was available in the budget for a project. Marcia said it was between $20-50,000, but said she would get a more exact figure for the next meeting. Fosse suggested the entrance of the park might offer a larger audience for an art piece. He also thought art could be incorporated into the supports for the amphitheater. Fosse thought a project similar to the scope of the Cedar Rapids Airport artwork would be appropriate for the wetlands area of the park. Carney explained the sculpture looks like large windmill paddles and can be seen from the air. Kahn agreed that a large project in the wetlands would be attractive and thought something with movement would be a good idea, this would allow the project to be seen all over the park. She also thought the entrance would be a good location; Trueblood agreed and encourage the committee to consider where people are most likely to see artwork. Davidson asked if visibility from I- 80 would be good. Fosse pointed out the large stand of trees at the southern edge of the park would prevent visibility from the highway. Trueblood agreed and said such a project might cause an unnecessary distraction for drivers. Fosse explained to the committee there is a problem with invasive willow plants in the wetlands that grow to a large size and this would compete with the art project for visibility Iowa City Public Art Advisory Committee Minutes August 7, 2008 Page 3 if placed in the wetlands. Davidson asked what size the project should be. Fosse thought if the project was located in the wetlands, it should be big. He brought up the idea of a whale tail or something similar sticking out of the water. Klingaman said the size might be partially determined by the project budget. Trueblood asked what material might be good for that area. Fosse thought a metal like aluminum or stainless steel might be good in the wetland. Klingaman offered to check on pricing for materials and sizes of projects. Fosse asked the committee what they thought about a project incorporated into the columns of the amphitheater. Kahn recalled a project like that with faces carved into columns that incorporated reflections as well. Klingaman asked how high the columns would be. Trueblood said they are 10-12' at the front and shorter in the back. Davidson asked how accessible the amphitheater is. Trueblood said a trail goes right by it. Trueblood referred to the artwork by David Dahlquist (who was the artist for the Court Street Transportation Center) at the Iowa rest stop where he created stacks of books for the project. Fosse brought up some metal sculptures he saw that were done with torches that created very earthy tones and thought that might fit in well with the surrounding area. Carney said he thought it would be good to incorporate multiple projects that progress throughout the park as people walk on the paths. He thought something similar to the ducks taking off in Coralville's city square would fit well in the park. Carney thought the art should be natural to fit in with the surroundings. He thought the art should appear to be part of the park and not just put there for the sake of putting art somewhere. He thought something with moving water might be good. Fosse explained moving water might be hard since that would require an energy source that is not present in the park. Davidson told the committee a pedestrian bridge is to be installed on Dubuque Street just north of the park entrance in 2009 next to the current auto bridge. He thought that would be a good opportunity to incorporate art. Klingaman mentioned an archway project she saw in Milwaukee that was done on a bridge where multiple artists contributed to the many arches. Davidson said it might be a good idea to incorporate art into the railing or the lighting of the pedestrian bridge. Kahn asked if there is an artist list that might help to get ideas. Klingaman explained there is a database that the department has been maintaining for a while that could be used. She said the committee is welcome to look at it if they would like. Kahn offered to look through it for the next meeting. Klingaman told the committee she would gather samples to help the committee come up with ideas for the project for the next meeting. She also said she would provide a more solid dollar figure for the project as well. Fosse encouraged the committee to take a walk around the park before next meeting. RECOGNITION OF ART IN NON-PUBLIC PLACES - 2008 Klingaman explained this program was suggested a few years ago to solicit nominations that would recognize Iowa City residents who choose to display are on their property for the public to see. This program gives individuals recognition for adding art to the city. She explained this program takes a lot of encouragement to gather nominations. Fosse asked if the program is worthwhile since it takes a lot of effort to get nominations. Klingaman explained the effort is worthwhile since people are very excited when they get Iowa City Public Art Advisory Committee Minutes August 7, 2008 Page 4 recognized for their art and the project works to raise awareness of art in the community. Fosse asked who has been recognized in the past. Williamson said Kent Angerer was recognized in the past for the piano man sculpture. Kahn said she doesn't take time to notice art on people's properties and thought this might help encourage that. Kahn said in Chicago artists sometimes open their homes to other people who can come in and view the artists' work. She wondered if this might be a good thing to do in Iowa City. Klingaman said the Longfellow neighborhood did a studio tour like that about 10-12 years ago. She also said Garry Klein produced an "art in the yard" proposal a few years ago where people would put their art outside for people to view. Kahn wondered if people would be willing to let strangers into their homes to view art. Williamson agreed it might be hard to get people to open up their homes. She mentioned the Alley Walk in Northside Neighborhood on August 23~d and wondered if art could be incorporated into that to make "Art in the Alley". Klingaman said she would go ahead with the Recognition of Art in Non-public Spaces program to get nominations by October. Williamson suggested a brochure could be made that would include pictures of past winners, so people would have an idea of what should be nominated. Kahn asked if the art needs to be visible from the road. Klingaman said it does. COMMITTEE TIME/UPDATES Klingaman asked Carney about the cigarette machine art project he has been interested in. Carney said he is still interested in pursuing that. Klingaman said she has found the vendor that does this project and the machines can be found all over the world. She believed the machines are filled with art supplied by the vendor which can be selected from a large list of options. Klingaman had not contacted the vendor yet, but was willing to do so. Carney was hoping the machines would have a more local focus than what it sounded like the vendor in charge supplies. Carney said he would contact the vendor and follow up on the project. Williamson asked if there were any machines like this in Iowa. Carney did not think so; he said they are mostly in larger cities. Trueblood told the committee the park bench for the Pheasant Hill park project has been ordered. Klingaman said the contract has been signed with the artist and the project will move forward. Trueblood told the committee no artwork has been lost from the flood. ADJOURNMENT Fosse motioned to adjourn; Carney seconded. Meeting adjourned at 4:10 pm. Next meeting scheduled for September 4, 2008. Minutes submitted by Nate Kabat C m .~ 0 U O .] 'd Q Q U ~ ~ o ~ O Q. N ._~' ~ ~ ~~ ~_~ 3 ~' ~ ~Qa ~i G ~ O ~'" v U ~a 00 .~ v ~ ~ ~ N 'C ~ C L ~ i~ ..Vr ..i ~ ~ ~ i O O ~ /`~ O ~ O i ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ i i i i ~ M ~ ~ ~ i O N i i O ~ ~ ~ ~ O .--~ i ~ y r-+ ~ ~ ,~ ~ O •-~ ~--~ O ~ D1 O ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ N 0 0 0 0 0 0 ~ X W ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ~L ~ Si ~ CC ..~.r ~r ~ ~ O O r ~ ~ ... ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ U ~ ~ ~ ~. , „~° ~ ~, ~ , c `~ ,x c ~" E~ a~ ca ,~ e~ f~, ~' .~ z d ~ A ti ~ a RG H a b N U X G~ ~ ~ ~ N ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~COO IOWA CITY HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION TUESDAY, August 26, 2008 LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL Staff Present: Stefanie Bowers. IP14 Members Present: Kate Karacay, Martha Lubaroff, Joy Kross, Newman Abuissa, Eric Kusiak. Call to Order Karacay called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. Recommendations to Council (Become effective only after sep Consideration of the Minutes of the July 22, 2008 meeting Minutes approved 5-0. Annual Report The Annual Report for FY 08 was approved on a vote Connections Kickoff Commissioners Lubaroff and 7th. Leadership Program Karacay reported there possible program. Building Blocks to Plaza. The next subcom at the annual event on October concerning this The tentative location is at the Eastdale tuber 9th. to bring attention to this issue. A possible activity is to co- The tentative date for the program which will Abuissa will present on September 24th at 7 p.m. at the Iowa City Public Library. He will also moderate if ecessary. Human Rights Breakfast Wallace D. Loh will be the keynote speaker at the Breakfast. His presentation should be no longer than 10 minutes. UNA Fall Forum The Commission voted to co-sponsor a Foreign Policy Forum with the UNA in November. Karacay will communicate with UNA directors regarding further details. Reports of Commissioners Abuissa and Kross both noted the need to bring attention to sexual harassment. Karacay and Kross discussed the program Women in Iowa. Adjournment There being no further business before the Commission, the meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p Board or Commission: Human Rights ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2008 (Meeting Date) NAME TERM EXP. 1/22 2/26 3/25 4/22 5/20 6/24 7/22 8/26 9/23 10128 11/25 12/23 Florence Ejiwale 1/1/09 X X X X X X X O Kate Karacay 1/1/09 X X X O X X X X Martha Lubaroff 1/1/09 O X X X O X X Newman Abuissa 1/1/10 X X X X O X Joy Kross 1/1/10 X O X X O X X Eric Kusiak 1/1/10 X X O X X X t Dell Briggs 1/1/11 O X X O X O Yolanda Spears 1/1/11 X O X X X X O Corey Stoglin 1/1/11 X X X O X X KEY: NMNQ - No g, no quorum X = P~"es O =Absent IP15 MINUTES PRELIMINARY PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AUGUST 21, 2008 - 7:30 PM -FORMAL CITY HALL, EMMA J. HARVAT HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Charlie Eastham, Josh Busard, Ann Freerks, Wally Plahutnik, Tim Weitzel, MEMBERS EXCUSED: Elizabeth Koppes, Michelle Payne STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo, Christina Kuecker, Sarah Greenwood-Hektoen OTHERS PRESENT: Dick Noble, Dwight Doberstein, Judith Pasco, Will Jennings, Anna Buss, Mark Holtkamp, Helen Burford, Marshall Poe, Jackie Briggs, Chris Henso RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL: 1. Recommend on a vote of 5-0 (Koppes and Payne absent) that REZ08-00008, an application submitted by the University of Iowa Community Credit Union for a rezoning from Research Development Park (RDP) zone to Commercial Office (CO-1) zone for approximately 3.87 acres of property at the south corner of Dodge Street and Scott Boulevard, be approved subject to a conditional zoning agreement that includes; • substantial compliance with the concept plan most recently presented to the Commission, any substantial deviation from which would require approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission, including locating the building on Dodge Street with no parking being located between Dodge Street and the building; • the driveway access point to be located as shown in the concept plan; • additional landscape to the S-2 level provided along the Dodge Street frontage; • and building elevations articulating appropriate fenestration of the Dodge Street elevation suitable for its position as a property at the entranceway into the city, defined as a building having a brick veneer with limestone-based sills and banding to break-up the facade, and windows on at least 30% of that facade. 2. Recommend on a vote of 5-0 (Koppes and Payne absent) amendments to Article 14-5B, Sign Regulations, to allow for use of freestanding signs in the CB-2 zone, add a definition and standards for entranceway signs, and to clarify the regulations regarding signs on residential buildings. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Chairperson Ann Freerks. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. Planning and Zoning Commission August 21, 2008 -Formal Page 2 REZONING ITEMS: REZ08-00008: Discussion of an application submitted by the University of Iowa Community Credit Union for a rezoning from Research Development Park (RDP) zone to Commercial Office (CO-1) zone for approximately 3.87 acres of property south of Dodge Street, west of Scott Boulevard. The 45-day limitation period ends September 14, 2008. Kuecker stated that the applicant has submitted a revised concept plan which she has forwarded to the Commission. This concept plan was submitted in order to show sensitivity to the importance of this entranceway into Iowa City. The current zoning of Research Development Park (RDP) provides areas for office, research, production and assembly firms. Personal service orientated retail uses such as retail banking and drive-through facilities are not allowed in this zone. In the CO-1 zone, similar uses to the RDP zone are allowed. Additionally, personal service retail and drive-through facilities are allowed by special exception through the Board of Adjustment. The Comprehensive Plan does address the area. Both the North District Plan and the Northeast District Plan note the two primary employers of the area as ACT and the Press Citizen, and also note the area as a natural, beautiful entranceway into Iowa City that should be maintained. Staff finds that the proposed concept plan addresses the appearance of the development as it relates to the Dodge Street entranceway by locating the building on the corner rather than the parking. To the north of the property is a row of five townhomes that would be most visually impacted by the development; by placing the building on the corner, these townhomes are buffered from the view of the parking lot. Landscaping has also been proposed for the Dodge Street side to help buffer the view. Across Scott Boulevard is a public zone which is the future location of the new Iowa City fire station. The RS-5 zone beyond that has only one home currently and has been noted by the Comprehensive Plan as a future RDP or ORP area. The residential zone to the south is buffered by approximately 150 feet of ravine space between the parking lot and the nearest property line. S-3 screening is also required in this area to provide additional buffer. To the west of the development is the Press Citizen complex, located in an RDP zone. There is future development in store for the area with the proposed fire station, and the likelihood that the RS-5 zone will be rezoned in the future based on the Comprehensive Plan. Kuecker said that Staff believes this area is appropriate for the CO-1 zone, as this zone has been determined to be an appropriate buffer between residential and higher-intensity commercial uses. The branch bank and the drive-through will generate some increase in traffic; however, the roads currently are designed to handle that traffic. Kuecker noted that this site does have environmentally sensitive areas. The protected slopes have been buffered around as required by code, and since less than 35% of the critical slopes are being disturbed, a sensitive areas review will be done at the level 1, which is administrative review by Staff. There are already adequate sidewalks along Dodge Street and Scott Boulevard in this location. There was some concern on Staffs part regarding where to locate the access point on this property. It was determined that across from the Dubuque Road turn-off would be the most appropriate location. The access point is removed enough form the intersection of Dodge and Scott that any traffic congestion would be mitigated. Kuecker noted that concern was expressed by Commissioners at the informal meeting regarding the placement of the access point and a memo from John Yapp, Transportation Planner, addressing this concern had been handed out. Kuecker summarized the primary issues with this redevelopment. She said that one issue was that Dodge Street is a major entranceway into the city, and as such should remain attractive. Kuecker said this had been addressed by the provided concept plan locating the building near the corner and keeping the parking away from Dodge Street. Staff feels the required screening and additional screening on Dodge Street will ensure that the development is compatible with the area and buffered from the nearby residential and commercial areas. The issue of vehicular access is addressed by locating the access point away from the intersection of Dodge and Scott Boulevard by a sufficient distance. Sensitive areas will be addressed during a sensitive areas review, Kuecker noted. Planning and Zoning Commission August 21, 2008 -Formal Page 3 Kuecker stated that Staff is recommending approval of this rezoning subject to a conditional zohing agreement. Kuecker said that she had handed out a revised recommendation which addresses some of the issues brought up in the Commission's informal meeting. The new conditions for the zoning agreement include: a requirement for substantial compliance with the concept plan most recently presented to the Commission, any substantial deviation from which would require approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission, including locating the building on Dodge Street with no parking being located between Dodge Street and the building; a requirement for the access point to be located as shown in the concept plan; additional landscape to the S-2 level provided along the Dodge Street frontage; and building elevations articulating appropriate fenestration of the Dodge Street elevation suitable for its position as a property at the entranceway into the city, defined as a building having a brick veneer with limestone base, sills, and banding to break up the facade, and windows on at least 30% of that facade. Kuecker shared several photographs from varying viewpoints of the property. She noted that a concern had been expressed at the informal meeting of what the elevation differential would be between the parking area and the street and how that might affect the view of the lot from the road. The street elevation, Kuecker said, is currently at 770 feet; the parking elevation would begin at 769 and would drop down to 766. The parking lot will slope away from the street, and will be screened from the street by S-3 screening. The ground level of the building will be at 771 feet, Kuecker said, slightly above the street level. Kuecker presented a photograph of the residential area to the south of the proposed site and stated that there would be quite a bit of buffer between the two properties given the distance between the parking area and the property lines of the homes, the steepness of the ravine between them, and the level of landscape screening that will be required. The applicant provided a video with schematic design drawings to illustrate their proposal. Kuecker noted that the building design in the video was not the final design so it could change somewhat. Freerks asked if Kuecker could point out the primary differences between the new concept plan and the concept plan presented to the Commission at the informal session on Monday. Freerks said she saw the additional island in the parking area, but wondered if the trees in the steep an critical slopes were trees that were already present in that area. Kuecker said she was not certain about the trees, and directed Freerks to the applicant for that information. Kuecker said that there had been a discrepancy as to where the overhang for the drive-through would be in the previous plan and that there is a slightly different parking configuration in this plan. Miklo stated that trees in a steep and critical slopes area would remain undisturbed, and would be addressed specifically with the sensitive areas review. Plahutnik asked what the screening requirement for the front of the building was. Kuecker replied that there is no code requirement for screening at in that area, but that Staff is recommending at least an S-2 screening along the Dodge Street frontage. Busard and Eastham asked if the concept plan would be for S-2 screening or S-3 screening in that area. Miklo stated that Staff recommends S-2screening for that area rather than S-3, as S-3 is intended to be five to six feet tall and more of a solid hedge type of screening. Miklo said it was probably better not to screen the building from Dodge Street. Staff feels that S-2 screening, generally a two to four foot hedge or flowering bushes, often has more color in it and would be more appropriate for that location. Plahutnik asked when S-3 screening was required as opposed to S-2. Kuecker said that code requires S- 3 screening between a parking lot and a residential area, and S-2 between a parking lot and the street. Freerks noted that Koppes had brought up the issue of possibly installing a turning lane into the property at the informal meeting, and asked if there had been discussion about that. Kuecker said that Staff consulted John Yapp, the transportation planner, and that he provided a memo stating that he does not feel aright-turn lane would be warranted in this case because a right turn is a free movement for which one does not need to slow down substantially. Kuecker said that Yapp was more concerned about what would happen with people heading northbound on Scott and turning left, and how that might affect traffic. Planning and Zoning Commission August 21, 2008 -Formal Page 4 As of right now, Kuecker said, they do not foresee any sort of traffic control needed though they will continue to monitor the situation. Miklo said that one thing to recognize is that as development occurs and traffic increases, traffic tends to slow down. This may alleviate concerns expressed about people taking the turn form Dodge onto Scott. Eastham said that his quick reading of the memo from John Yapp, transportation planner, seems to address traffic coming to and from this site as it pertains to its office use, and not as its banking use. Eastham asked if he was misreading the memo. Kuecker said that Yapp's feeling was that the office use would generate more traffic at the peak hours than the bank traffic, which would occur at off-peak hours. There were no further questions for Staff and the public hearing was opened Freerks invited the applicant to speak first. Dick Noble, 173 Glenn Drive, Vice-President of Operations with UICCU, thanked the Commission for the opportunity to be there. Noble said that the UICCU purchased the parcel in 2002 with the idea that at some point in the future additional administrative and operational space would be needed. Noble said that the UICCU did look throughout the entire area, but they chose this parcel in part because it was important to them to keep an Iowa City address. He thanked Staff in general and Miklo in particular for guiding them through the Comprehensive Plan and the details of zoning ordinances and bringing them to the point they are at today. Noble stated that the UICCU did not have any particular design or occupancy plans at this point, but that the idea is that this facility would handle growth over time, and that the facility would not be filled to capacity when initially occupied. Noble said that while he would be happy to answer any questions the Commission might have, he imagined their interest was primarily in the site plan, which would be best explained by Dwight Doberstein of Neumann-Monson Architects. Dwight Doberstein of Neumann-Monson Architects thanked Staff for their guidance, and the Commission for the feedback that resulted from their informal meeting. Doberstein, stated that there were changes made to the concept plan as a result of that feedback. He noted that there would be a canopy over the drive-through as the sketch-up model shows. He said that more landscaping had been added to the island in the parking lot and in other areas. The parking lot had also been shortened up a bit on the south side to minimize impact on the steep slope area. The trees that had been asked about by Freerks, Doberstein noted, are existing trees and would be left in place to the fullest extent possible. Doberstein said that the design will be done with the goal of maintaining the current state of the ravine and the views as much as possible. He said that the model being shown is rather generic, and that they are. hesitant to share it as they do not know what the building will actually look like yet. The interior uses of the building have not been determined exactly, although it is estimated that it will be approximately 32,000 square feet, with only about 5,000 square feet of that going to member services area, with the rest of it going to office space. Doberstein said the UICCU is committed to a pitched roof which will fit in nicely with the residential buildings in the area. Doberstein said that as the program develops and decisions are made about the uses of the space, features can be added, such as a glass lobby or conference rooms that are projected out, things of that nature. Doberstein said they expect the building to look a lot more interesting than this, but that they are sharing this generic building to give the Commission a level of comfort about the site plans. He said he would be happy to answer any questions and hear any comments the Commission might have. Freerks asked if it was correct that the height limitation for a CO-1 zone would be 25 feet, as opposed to 45 feet in the current zoning. Doberstein said that was correct and that the plans call for a basement plus two floors, a configuration which stays under the 25-foot limit. Doberstein said the building had been setback further than the required setbacks in order to get some additional height from the slopes to allow for the pitched roof. Eastham said the he understood from Doberstein's comments that the building design was not yet pinned down because the uses had not been fully determined. Eastham asked if the plan is to build the building in phases or in one construction cycle. Doberstein replied that the idea is to at least get the shell built as well as some interior spaces inside, and then as the UICCU grows into it, to finish off the rest of the interior. Doberstein said that Neumann-Monson's recommendation is that it would be cheaper to build it all at once rather than to have phases. Eastham asked if the same idea would apply to the parking lot. Planning and Zoning Commission August 21, 2008 -Formal Page 5 Doberstein said that UICCU would not want to build a big parking lot and then have it sit empty. He said if it was agreeable to the City, that aspect of the project might be phased in. There were no further questions for Doberstein. As there was no one else present wishing to speak to this issue, the public hearing was closed. Freerks stated that she would entertain a motion. She noted that the option existed to vote on this tonight or defer it until the next meeting. Weitzel moved to approve REZ08-00008, an application submitted by the University of Iowa Community Credit Union for a rezoning from Research Development Park (RDP) zone to Commercial Office (CO-1) zone for approximately 3.87 acres of property south of Dodge Street, west of Scott Boulevard, subject to a conditional zoning agreement requiring: • substantial compliance with the concept plan most recently presented to the Commission, any substantial deviation from which would require approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission, including locating the building on Dodge Street with no parking being located between Dodge Street and the building; • the driveway access point to be located as shown in the concept plan; • additional landscape to the S-2 level provided along the Dodge Street frontage; • and building elevations articulating appropriate fenestration of the Dodge Street elevation suitable for its position as a property at the entranceway into the city, defined as a building having a brick veneer with limestone-based sills and banding to break-up the facade, and windows on at least 30% of that facade. Plahutnik seconded the motion. Freerks opened the floor for discussion from the Commission Weitzel stated that he felt this was a good project which had taken into account site and neighborhood factors, and looks like awell-designed and attractive building on the entryway to the city. He stated that he would be voting in favor of it. Eastham stated that his understanding is that this proposal does comply with the Comprehensive Plan for this district. Eastham said that the only qualification he had was that the Commission would be approving a concept plan that includes a site plan and a verbal description of the design of the north side of the building. Eastham said he realized that it was alright to do that, but because this is an important entrance way into the city, he would feel a little more comfortable with an elevation to look at as part of the concept plan. Eastham said that nevertheless he did feel it made some sense to go ahead with the information that has been presented. Eastham said he also raised at the informal meeting the possibility of including as a part of the conditional zoning agreement a condition that if the applicant does not follow-through with the approved site plan, the zoning would revert back to its present level of RDP. Eastham said that discussions, led by Staff, had resulted in the conclusion that having a plan of this detail that was not implemented would have the same effect. Eastham said his reservations about going ahead with the CO-1 zoning had been put to rest, and that he believed he would vote in favor of the project. Plahutnik said that he would also vote in favor of the proposal. He said that UICCU gets what it wants out of the proposal and the city gets am improvement to public view along Dodge Street. Busard said he felt UICCU had done a good job of not disturbing sensitive areas, and of providing an attractive entrance-way into the city. He said that he supports the project. Freerks said she thought this would be a nice addition to an important intersection and a good use of this area. She said she was happy to see how carefully the applicant had done its homework regarding the Comprehensive Plan, as well as in working with the topography of the area. Freerks said she would vote for the measure. Planning and Zoning Commission August 21, 2008 -Formal Page 6 Busard said he would like to add that he did like the idea of phasing in the parking lot. Freerks called for a vote. The motion carried 5-0 (Koppes and Payne absent). COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ITEM: Consider setting a public hearing for September 4th to consider adoption of the Central District Plan as an element of the Iowa City Comprehensive Plan. Freerks said there would not be discussion on this item tonight, and that the Commission is merely wants to get the public hearing set. Miklo pointed out that the Central District runs approximately from just north of Brown Street south to Highway 6, and from the Iowa River east to 15` Avenue, excluding the downtown and the University campus. Basically, Miklo said, it is the area surrounding downtown and the Central business District and includes most of the older neighborhoods such as Northside, Longfellow, the Kirkwood Avenue area, and South Gilbert Street. Miklo said there have been a series of meetings over the past couple of years to illicit public input and concepts for the plan. Most of those are in the reports, Miklo said. Miklo said that Staff would be attempting to get a lot of press coverage so that the public is aware that this is going on, because it is probably one of the more detailed plans that the Commission will be considering. Freerks asked if this needed to be voted on in some way. Miklo said that he believed a motion to set the public hearing would be appropriate. Eastham motioned to set a public hearing for September 4`h for consideration of the Central District Plan as an element of the Iowa City Comprehensive Plan. Weitzel seconded Freerks invited discussion. Busard asked if September 4"' was a good day to have the public hearing since there would be no September 15` work session due to the holiday. Freerks noted that it might be better to have as much time as possible to read it all too. Miklo stated that Staff would not expect the Commission to vote on September 4`h. He said the Commission could vote on the matter on the 18"' or even later if more time was required. The idea of September 4"' is to get public input as well as Commission input. The Commission could take its time to get into details of changes that might be necessary. Freerks said it might be nice to have an informal meeting prior to the public hearing. Weitzel said he believed the Commission would have plenty of time to work on this. A vote was taken and the motion carried 5-0 (Koppes and Payne absent) CODE AMENDEMENT ITEM: Consideration of amendments to Article 14-5B, Sign Regulations, to allow limited use of freestanding signs in the CB-2 Zone, to add a definition and standards for entranceway signs, and to clarify the regulations regarding signs on residential buildings. Miklo stated that the zoning code contains provisions regarding free-standing signs, often known as pole signs. In the parts of the city where they are allowed, free-standing signs are generally on a pole and can be as high as 25 feet. Miklo said that these signs were allowed in the CB-2 zone, the zone just north and Planning and Zoning Commission August 21, 2008 -Formal Page 7 east of downtown which includes the area near the Hamburg Inn, Market Street and John's Grocery. When the new zoning code was adopted, the original intent was to drop the CB-2 zoning code, however, after considerable discussion, the decision was made to keep the zone but to make it more like the downtown zone, a more urban zone with buildings built to the street and parking lots in the back. As a result of that decision, the same sign regulations that apply to downtown were also adopted for this zone. In most cases, Miklo said, Staff feels that is appropriate because some of the infill development that will be seen will be more pedestrian in nature. There are a few businesses that will continue to be set back from the street and it will be difficult to provide the kind of signage required in the downtown zone. Russ's Service Station is one such business, and they recently were unable to change their sign-face as they had wished because of the sign regulations now in place for the CB-2 zone. Miklo said Staff is proposing basically taking a step back and reinstate free-standing signs for the CB-2. These regulations would be more restrictive than elsewhere in the city as they would only allow the signs to be 20 feet tall, rather than the usual 25. Miklo said that there would be provisions governing what businesses would be allowed to have these signs, businesses that were set back from the street by their nature and are not conducive to the fascia signs. Staff is recommending this change, Miklo said. One element of the sign ordinance that Staff wishes to review concerns entrance-way signs. The specific example is of the Bread Garden bakery and grocery store downtown. The Bread Garden's concern was that they have a parking facility which was not easily identifiable as their parking under current sign code. In most of the city's zones, signs have to be attached to buildings or free-standing. In this case, Miklo said, there was a structure designed to help screen parking from the street, and there was not a good way to provide signage other than on this structure. Miklo said Staff is proposing a new entrance-way sign to be added to the sign code, which Staff feels could also be used outside of the downtown zone. Miklo showed examples of a public sign in a park and a historic sign that use the entrance-way design. Miklo said Staff is recommending approval of this. The final aspect of the sign code has to do with clarifying current regulations pertaining to real estate signs. A neighborhood group brought to Staffs attention that real estate signs are starting to become permanently affixed to homes in various neighborhoods, particularly those near the campus. Current sign code has a prohibition of signs being permanently affixed to single family homes and duplexes. Miklo read from the code: "single family and two-family uses are not allowed to install permanent signs except one small identification sign." An identification sign is a sign that states the name of the occupant of the building; it is not allowed to have advertising on it. Real estate signs are allowed as temporary signs in our residential zones. The intent of these signs is that they are advertising the properties that they are placed on as being for sale or rent. The difficulty is, Miklo said, that these signs are being placed on rental properties and then are not being removed when the unit is rented; they become permanent. This is in conflict with the zoning code. Some of these signs do not actually advertise the property to which they are attached. The neighborhood association making the complaints actually did some research and found that if one goes to the advertised web addresses the properties are actually leased a year or two in advance, but the website is used to direct the viewer to other properties that the company has for rent. The code makes it clear, Miklo said, that a real estate sign has to be advertising the property to which it is attached. Miklo said there are various problems with these signs and the way they violate the sign code as it is currently written. Miklo stated that in the city's residential zones the sign ordinances are intentionally strict to protect and preserve the residential character of the neighborhoods. In discussions with Housing Inspection Services (HIS), Miklo said, it was pointed out that there are enforcement difficulties with the ordinance, especially in multi-family buildings where there might be several units and at any given time one might be for rent. To make the ordinance clear and to provide more latitude to multi-family buildings that might have reoccurring vacancies, Staff has proposed a new sign class, allowing landlords to attach a 3-foot square sign to their property known as a residential leasing company sign, and which could contain a phone number or a website for that property management company. These signs would only be allowed in multi-family zones in buildings with more than eight or more units. Planning and Zoning Commission August 21, 2008 -Formal Page 8 Miklo stated that the intent of the sign ordinance is to preserve the residential character of the neighborhood and to avoid a proliferation of signs. Currently identification signs are allowed which name the building or complex. Wth the new ordinance, the identification sign would still be allowed and an additional residential leasing company sign would also be allowed. The ordinance requires that within 48 hours of a property being leased, rental signs must be removed. This requirement is currently in the code for real estate signs for the sale of homes, so this will clarify that this applies to rentals as well. There is a proposed timeframe of a four month window from the lease effective date during which time a "for rent" sign would be allowable. The new code will state that "for rent" signs can be placed in a yard or a window, but cannot be attached to the building. This will make it more likely that the signs will actually be taken down after the unit is rented, and will make enforcement easier. Staff recommends the approval of this change. Miklo offered to answer any questions the Commission might have. Plahutnik asked who would be the arbiter of who could get afree-standing pole sign and who does not in the CB-2 zone. Miklo replied that Staff and HIS would determine that based on the criteria in the code. Plahutnik asked if there was an appeal process in place for that. Miklo said an appeal could be filed with the Board of Adjustment. Plahutnik asked if the provision for allowing identification signs could be manipulated to allow advertising signs too, for example: if "Pine Ridge Apartments" had an indentifying sign of "Pine Ridge Apartments.com", would that be allowable? Miklo replied that the building itself would have to be named "Pine Ridge.com" in order for that to be permissible as an identification sign; however, if it represents a company it would not be allowed. Plahutnik asked if the 48-hour deadline for removing a rental sign upon lease was intended to mean 48 hours from when the lease is signed, or 48 hours from the move-in date. Miklo replied that it was 48 hours from when the lease was signed. Eastham asked if the 48-hour limitation for property being purchased was also from the time the offer is accepted, or if it is from the time of closing on the property. Eastham asked how these provisions would be enforced. Miklo said that these provisions would be enforced on a complaint basis. If the neighborhood noticed there was a proliferation of illegal signs they could call HIS and report them. Eastham asked if code enforcement has been successful at having the signs removed. Miklo replied that he did not believe there has been a real effort at enforcement recently. In fact, Miklo said, Staff had wanted to do these code amendments before there were any enforcement actions. One of the reasons for the window signs and the yard signs, Miklo said, is that those tend to be self-enforcing; people want to remove things that block their windows or have to be picked up each time one mows, so once the unit is rented these signs are quickly removed. There were no further questions for Staff. Freerks opened the public hearing. Judith Pasco, 317 Fairchild Street, stated that she is the coordinator for the Northside Neighborhood Association, and she thanked everyone who worked on these code clarifications. Pasco said that there have been a lot of people throughout the city government who worked very hard on these amendments to address the issues in an equitable way. The neighborhood association, she said, really appreciates this clarification of they believe to be the original intent of the sign code. Pasco said the Northside Neighborhood Association is more than happy to work cooperatively with the city to enforce these ordinances. She said that she is aware that enforcement issues could place a burden on area-inspectors. Pasco said that the City's efforts to reduce sign-clutter are greatly appreciated. Pasco noted that this clarification of the code is not a change but that there has nevertheless been a proliferation of these permanently affixed signs in recent years. Planning and Zoning Commission August 21, 2008 -Formal Page 9 Pasco concluded by inviting members of the Commission to the Northside Neighborhood Associations Alley Walk and garage Sale Day, which takes place on Saturday from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Pasco said that the event is free, but that they are hoping to raise money for the Wetherby Park splash pad. Will Jennings, 311 Fairchild Street, has been the owner/occupier of his home for the last ten years. Jennings said he wanted to reiterate what Pasco had said about honoring the original intent of the sign ordinance. Part of that intent, Jennings said, is to keep residential and mixed flavor of the neighborhoods. When these signs began to accumulate, Jennings said, sign clutter begins to build an impression on those who drive through a given neighborhood. Jennings said that those who work and live on the north side of town take a great deal of pride in the way the neighborhoods look. A great deal of satisfaction is also taken from the fact that the neighborhood is a mix of working class, professionals, and students, Jennings said. Larger issues faced by the neighborhood include: wear and tear on properties, high turnover, and general issues of maintenance such as snow removal, parking problems and over-occupancy. Jennings said neighbors are faced with a list of things that area already complaint driven. It is the vigilance of neighbors who have to call and initiate enforcement of a lot of things. Jennings said that when zoning addresses the spirit and aesthetic of neighborhood, it goes a long way to clarify enforcement. Jennings asked what was being a good neighbor and what was not. Plastering your building with signs certainly makes a certain amount of sense from a landlord perspective, Jennings said, and provides a permanent advertisement. Jennings said that he did not feel that was the intent of the original zoning, and it definitely goes against the look and feel of the neighborhood. Jennings said that the neighborhood was doing all it could to make the north side a stable, welcoming, gateway community to the downtown. He said that he felt like the upkeep and efforts neighbors put into their homes tries to speak to that desire. Jennings said he would very much appreciate whatever assistance the Commission could provide. Anna Buss, 525 W. Benton Street, stated that the City has put out a brochure about neighborhood calming, which mentions many of the things Jennings mentioned: parties, furniture, cars, grass, and messes. Everyone who lives in Iowa City knows that if the area in a direct circle from the Old Capitol Building is considered the "miracle rental mile," Buss said. She stated that while the Northside Neighborhood Association is well-meaning in their efforts to eradicate signs, Buss believes that this should be re-thought. Buss said that the City should consider forcing rental property owners to have a small sign indicating who the property is managed by. The sign would be a benefit for the neighbors because they would know exactly who to call if there were problems at the property. Buss said that the police department would also know instantly who to get a hold of if there is a problem. Another benefit, Buss said, is that property owners would know about any problems that arise at their rental properties. The signs would also give the fire department easy access to the property manager. Buss said that most property managers and owners send the police and fire departments lists of the properties that they own, manage, or take care of for someone. Buss said that there are a lot of absentee owners who have no one taking care of their property locally, which Buss said she believed was a violation of HIS rules. If property owners were required to have a sign with a phone number for someone to call locally, this violation would be cleared up, Buss said. Buss said that some of the signs shown at the meeting were much larger than what she had in mind. She stated that they would be suitable perhaps for rental season, but not acceptable to be posted on a house permanently. The sample sign which Buss brought with her is approximately 12x18 inches, she said, and could be posted to the right of the entry, or in some other clearly visible spot. Buss said that with the police and fire departments this would help clarify who the local contact is when needed after business hours. Buss said she checks the police reports every day to see if there were any problems at her properties. She said that she believed most property owners would appreciate a call from the police if there were problems with their tenants. Buss said there are also owners who do not care if their tenants cause problems, and would not want to know. Buss said that in her neighborhood there are two such landlords, and she and her tenants call them each time there is a problem at their property regardless of the time of day. Planning and Zoning Commission August 21, 2008 -Formal Page 10 Buss said that her phone number is posted on all of her buildings, and that the previously stated reasons are the primary reasons why. She said she does have one building with a sign that lists the rent, but said that it is not an issue, and that she could take it down if it was not allowed. Buss thanked the Commission, and stated that her idea was worth considering Mark Holtcamp, 1175 Kyle Drive, stated that he owned rental properties throughout town. The biggest problem that he has with the proposed changes is the provision in which a property cannot have a rental sign until four months prior to the availability date. Holtcamp said that most of the houses close to downtown begin leasing up in December and January for the lease term beginning August 15~. By the time the owner of a rental house would be allowed to put out a sign, the house will already have been leased for three to four months. Holtcamp said enforcement will be an issue for that provision, and that the provision is not practical for the local rental market. Freerks asked if Holtcamp had signs on his rental properties. Holtcamp said that he did. Freerks asked how long he has had them up. Holtcamp replied that he had had them up for approximately three years. Freerks asked if Holtcamp had had problems renting his properties prior to installing the signs. Holtcamp said no, but that he had had to do more advertising in the newspaper. Holtcamp said that if a landlord is renting out a one or two bedroom unit, it can be leased later in the year, but that anything bigger requiring larger groups of people need to be leased up a lot earlier. Holtcamp said that signs that he puts in the yards get beat up or damaged or vandalized whereas signs attached to the houses do not. He said he did not have a problem taking down his signs once the property was leased, but thought the prohibition against affixing signs to the house should be reconsidered. Helen Burford, 528 E. College Street, said that she appreciates the effort that has been made, but that she wished to bring up the fact that the zoning changes had been made to reflect a more urban feel for the area. She noted that in urban areas these signs are not present; one does not walk down Park Avenue in New York City and see signs advertising www.trump.com. The signage that has appeared seems to be taking advantage of their property as an investment rather than recognizing the structure as apart of the community and the neighborhood. These signs change the nature of the community, Burford said. Marshall Poe, 416 N. Linn Street, said that he would like to speak to the issue of what happens to a neighborhood once these signs are affixed to houses. Poe said he lived in Ann Arbor for a time, where apparently there is no city code against these signs, and realtors had signs up all over the homes in the neighborhood in which he lived. Poe stated that once these signs go up, single-family households do not want to live in that area anymore because it looks as though the neighborhood has been completely taken over by student rentals. Poe said that he did not meant any disrespect, but he does not believe it is necessary to advertise student living on Linn Street or Davenport Street because they are the houses that are trashed. Poe said that he has had people actually come to his door, although he keeps his home up quite well, and ask if his house is for rent simply because of the neighborhood it is in. The prevalence of these signs increases the notion that any home near the downtown area must be for rent. Poe's experience in Ann Arbor is that once these signs start to go up and remain permanently, the phenomenon spreads, and changes the character of the neighborhood and the market for potential buyers. Poe said that it is pretty well known that residences within that general area are largely for rent whether there is any signage at all. He said that such signs do not add to the probability that a given unit will be rented, although they do drive business to property owner's websites. Poe said that he did have to call owners from time to time in his neighborhood in Ann Arbor, and at that time he was glad their phone numbers were listed on the building. However, he said, he has since learned that all he has to do is call HIS and they will tell him exactly who owns the building. Freerks noted that the same information is available online as well. Jackie Briggs, 328 Brown Street, said that she is also in favor of limiting signage. She said that she wanted to attest to the fact that the character of the neighborhood is changed by these signs. Although she can understand the benefit of these signs for landlords, the affect on the neighborhood is real. Briggs said she enjoys living in a neighborhood that houses both students and single-family homes, but she said Planning and Zoning Commission August 21, 2008 -Formal Page 11 she wanted to see the balance maintained Chris Vincent-Haler, 715 E. Market Street, said that she is in an interesting juxtaposition because she is a homeowner, but she also rents a portion of her home. What she has realized is that no signs are actually necessary at all to attract renters. And while she thinks it is premature to suggest that signs should be eliminated from the neighborhood altogether, she thinks moving in the direction of limiting signage makes a lot of sense. In this day of internet advertising, she said, she has found that a more selective student renter is savvy to things like Craig's List and other kinds of marketing tools that require no signage at all. From her perspective as an investor in this community, she wishes to see everything possible to upscale the community. signage, she said, is visually detracting. Everything the Commission can do to limit signage does increase the monetary value of the property, raise property taxes, and increase the quality of life in the property for the renter. As a person who is partly renting and partly owning a house, she would urge property owners to rethink how they attract renters. The real answer here, she said, is to attract people who are not going to abuse the property. In her experience using the more selective advertising model of the internet provides a screening mechanism that is not invited by signage. She urged property owners to think more creatively than to use signage. Limiting signage and moving into a more residential look ultimately enhances property values and rental values. Freerks noted that as everyone who wished to had spoken once already, those wishing for another opportunity could come to the podium. Will Jennings, 311 Fairchild, stated that he wished to clarify that he is also a landlord, in addition to being a property owner in the neighborhood. He said he wished to honor the idea that property managers placed these signs on their buildings in case there was an issue with the property. Jennings said that if the phone number on the A&B Property Management sign shown by Anna Buss really does connect to a real person at two or three o'clock in the morning, then she has his utmost respect and condolences for having to deal with that. He said he appreciates anyone who takes ahands-on approach to their investment property and realizes that their investment exists within a larger community. Jennings said that he must point out, however, that a law on signage must take into account both the hands-on, kind and generous landlord, and the hands-off, less kind and less generous landlord. The phone numbers on those landlords' signs might very well go to answering machines. Jennings said he also wished to clarify that when a policy is complaint-driven, whether it is signage or snow shoveling or occupancy or parking, it is not the property management company's job to enforce these things, but that of the City. Jennings said he would not expect aproperty-management company to go in and break up a drunken party in the middle of the night; that's a job for the police, trained professionals not property-managers. Jennings said that while he appreciates that property managers want to be notified when there are problems with their property, all of the information proposed for a sign is readily available on the net. Jennings said if he needed to report a disturbance in the night, he would not walk down. to the disturbance and call the landlord listed on a sign on the property, he would call the police from his home. He said the most helpful signage possible for these properties would be clearly visible address numbers. Anna Buss, 525 W. Benton Street, noted that parties do not happen between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. when HIS is open. Buss also noted that while some landlords do have answering services, the City could easily require a local contact number that was available 24/7. Buss said that while it may happen sometimes that good renters are found without advertising, her best tenants have come from people driving around neighborhoods who have seen her for rent signs. Buss said she would like to see some sort of requirement to identify the property manager put on rental properties. Freerks asked Miklo and Greenwood-Hektoen if they knew whether or not police officers have laptop computers in their vehicles. Greenwood-Hektoen replied that they do but that she did not know what programs were on there. She said if they read a phone number of a property owner they could probably get it from dispatch. There were no further comments for the public, and Freerks closed the public hearing Planning and Zoning Commission August 21, 2008 -Formal Page 12 Freerks stated that she would entertain a motion. She said that the matter could be voted on presently or deferred to a later date. Eastham motioned to approve amendments to Article 14-56, Sign Regulations, to allow limited use of freestanding signs in the CB-2 Zone, to add a definition and standards for entranceway signs, and to clarify the regulations regarding signs on residential buildings as proposed by the memo from Karen Howard to the Commission dated August 15, 2008. Weitzel seconded the motion. Freerks invited discussion. Plahutnik clarified that this amendment does not eliminate window signs. He stated that when the apartments are rented, the signs must come down. Plahutnik noted that there are other options for advertising, and that the names and phone numbers for property owners are readily available. This amendment is a great way to keep the stability of the neighborhood apparent. When there are a lot of signs it increases the perception of rapid turnover. A neighborhood which appears stable is a nicer environment for both students and those wishing to buy homes in the area. Weitzel said what he believed was being discussed was actually a leveling of the playing field. The signs were intended as a means to facilitate real estate transactions, not advertisement, and that is what they should remain. Aesthetics and quality of life are affected by these signs. It is not a hardship for a property owner not to be able to have a sign on their house, although it is an eyesore for neighbors. A neighborhood that has a lot of permanently attached signs sets the wrong tone for the city. Weitzel said he did not see any reason not to approve. Busard said he was at first uncomfortable with restricting yard signs until four months prior to the availability date. However, he said, as he considered the matter further he has come to the conclusion that there are a number of other ways to find available property. Busard said ultimately the stability of the neighborhood far outweighs the potential additional advertising cost for landlords. Eastham said that he agrees that this is a reasonable extension of current regulations for signage in residential areas. As he understands it, it is an extension of the ability to use permanent real estate signs in some zones, and a clarification of the limitation of those signs in residential zones. He said that he thinks it is a good amendment to the current code. Eastham said that he also feels the provisions for free-standing signs in the CB-2 zone and entranceway signs are fairly well-crafted to meet specific problems that have emerged since the adoption of the new zoning code. Eastham said that he would like to suggest to the staff that as this goes forward to City Council, special provisions to address enforcement burdens should be made, as that is an issue that will be raised by Council. Freerks stated that all three of the changes to sign codes are good things. Freerks noted that the issue of permanently affixed signs was really a loophole that needed to be addressed. She said that when code revisions were worked on there were many conversations about this issue, and the signage being seen in these neighborhoods is not at all the direction the Commission had wished to go. She said she wished to be clear that what the Commission is doing is clarifying something that should never have happened in the first place. She thinks there has been some compromise involved. While the four-month period does not work perfectly for everyone, she does feel it is a fairly generous time-period. Freerks stated her support for the motion. A vote was taken. The motion carried 5-0 (Koppes and Payne absent) Planning and Zoning Commission August 21, 2008 -Formal Page 13 CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: AUGUST 7, 2008: Eastham moved to approve the minutes of August 7, 2008. Plahutnik seconded. The motion carried 5-0 (Koppes and Payne absent). OTHER: Miklo advised the Commission that the pages that had been distributed regarding the Central District Plan were replacement pages where typos had been found, and could be inserted into their copies of the plan. Miklo encouraged Commissioners to read the document over the next few weeks. Miklo also passed out a new rotation schedule for the Council meetings. ADJOURNMENT: Weitzel moved to adjourn. Eastham seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 8:57 p.m. Iowa City Planning & Zoning Commission Attendance Record 2008 cno~ww l 11wCCTl41!_ Name Term Ex ires 112 1117 3120 413 4H7 511 5115 815 8H9 7/3 7117 8/7 8121 J. Busard 05/11 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --- - -- -- -- -- -- X OIE X OIE X C. Eastham 05/11 X X X X X X X X X X X X X A. Freerks 05/13 X X X X X X X X X X X X X E. Ko es 05/12 X X X X X X X X X X X X OIE M. Pa ne 05/10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- O/E W Plahutnik 05/10 X X X X X O/E X O/E X X X X X T. Weitzel 05/13 -- -- - - -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X X x X X X IAICf1DMAl MFFTIN(: Name Term Ex ires 217 2121 4/14 5/12 6/2 6/30 7/14 8/18 J. Busard 05/11 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X C. Eastham 05/11 X X X X X X X X A. Freerks 05/13 X X X X X X X X E. Ko es 05/12 X X X X X X O/E X M. Pa ne 05/10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X W. Plahutnik 05/10 O/E OIE X X X X O/E X T. Weitzel 05/13 - - -- -- -- -- X X X X O/E Key: X =Present O =Absent O/E = AbsenUExcused oa-ua-uu IP16 MINUTES Preliminary PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AUGUST 18, 2008 - 6:00 PM -INFORMAL CITY HALL, EMMA J. HARVAT HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Josh Busard, Charlie Eastham, Ann Freerks, Wally Plahutnik, Elizabeth Koppes, Michelle Payne MEMBERS EXCUSED: Tim Weitzel STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo, Christina Kuecker, Karen Howard, Sarah Greenwood-Hektoen OTHERS PRESENT: None CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Chairperson Ann Freerks REZONING ITEMS: REZ08-00008: Discussion of an application submitted by the University of Iowa Community Credit Union for a rezoning from Research Development Park (RDP) zone to Commercial Office (CO-1) zone for approximately 3.8t acres of property south of Dodge Street, west of Scott Boulevard. The 45-day limitation period ends September 14, 2008. Kuecker stated that the intention of the University of Iowa Community Credit Union (UICCU) is to build a corporate office building that houses the administrative headquarters and a bank branch building with a drive-up through teller. The applicant has submitted a concept plan for the proposed development at the corners of Dodge Street and Scott Boulevard, Kuecker said. Kuecker said that the plan has the bank building located on the corner of the property, screening the view of the parking lot from Dodge Street, a major entranceway into Iowa City. The current zoning, Research Development Park (RDP), allows office, research, production and assembly firms, which would include the office functions of the proposed development; however, it would not include the bank branch or the drive-through as allowable developments. The bank branch facility would be permitted under a Commercial Office (CO-1) zoning, although drive-through facilities do require a special exception through the Board of Adjustment in the CO-1 zone. Kuecker said that the Comprehensive Plan does emphasize the need to preserve the natural beauty of the Dodge Street entrance into Iowa City. Both the North District Plan and the Northeast District Plan address this area as well, stating that this is a major entrance-way with environmental features that need to be maintained. Kuecker noted that there is a small residential townhome development across the street from the proposed site that would probably be the most visually impacted by the development. Kuecker noted that by locating the building on the corner, the UICCU has ensured that those residents will not be looking out onto a parking lot. The CO-1 zone has been indicated as a zoning that is appropriate between residential and higher-intensity commercial uses. Across the street is a P-1 zone, which is the location of the new city fire station. Adjacent is an RS-5 zone that currently has only one house, and is indicated by in Planning and Zoning Commission August 18, 2008 -Informal Page 2 Comprehensive Plan as an area for further office and research development parks. Kuecker noted that there is a substantial distance of approximately 150 feet between the site and the residential area just to the south. In that area is a large ravine which will help in screening the two areas from each other's uses. The adjacent RDP zoned property is the Press-Citizen building and campus. Kuecker said that Staff believes the CO-1 zone is compatible to all of these uses, especially in light of all of the landscaping that is required. Kuecker noted that between the parking lot and any residential area there needs to be an S-3 screening: the highest level of screening. This site does have environmentally sensitive areas, protected and critical steep slopes. The protected slopes are indicated on the concept plan and have been buffered around. Less than 35% of the critical slopes would be disturbed, which would require alevel-1 sensitive areas review, to be administered by Staff. Kuecker said there are adequate sidewalks in the area to keep pedestrians safe, and Dodge Street has been recently improved to increase its functionality. There is some concern, Kuecker noted, with the access point for the development and its location on Scott Boulevard. However, Kuecker said, the access point shown on the concept plan would be adequate for the amount of traffic circulation, and Staff is recommending that that location be required as a condition of the rezoning. Kuecker concluded by saying that the Comprehensive Plan considers this area an important entrance way into Iowa City. When the Press Citizen was rezoned, there was concern about the protection of that entrance way and the steep slopes in the area, Kuecker said. Staff feels that the CO-1 zone is appropriate for this area of town. The issue of this area being an important entranceway to the city is addressed in the concept plan by the installation of landscaping along Dodge Street, as well as between the parking lot and the neighboring residential area. There is some question of what the wall of the building facing Dodge Street will look like, but Staff believes an elevation showing what it would look like will be presented prior to Thursday's formal meeting. Concern has been expressed about the appropriateness of the new zoning to the area; however, because CO-1 has been determined to be appropriate buffer between residential and higher intensity commercial, Staff feels it is appropriate. Staff acknowledges that the vehicular access point at the busy intersection is an important issue, as well as the sensitivity of the nearby environment. Nonetheless, Staff does support approval of the rezoning as submitted subject to a conditional zoning agreement (CZA) that requires substantial compliance with the concept plan as submitted, a requirement for the access point to be located as shown in the concept plan, a detailed landscape plan that complies with screening requirements and provides for additional landscaping on the Dodge Street frontage, and building elevations demonstrating appropriate articulation of fenestration on the Dodge Street side of the building. Kuecker then shared several views of the concept plan and site with the Commission. Kuecker invited questions from the Commission. Koppes noted that she frequently drives this stretch of road, and expressed concern for the access point as shown on the site plan. She said that as cars turn left from Dodge onto Scott Boulevard, the entranceway to the proposed site is at the exact point where Scott Boulevard becomes one-lane. Payne noted that this concerned her as well. Koppes said she has seen accidents, near-misses, and people having to stop right in the intersection because of the narrowing of the road there. She asked if there has been any consideration of a right turn lane into the property. Koppes said that people often take that turn too quickly trying to get through the stoplight before it turns, and all of these factors are a safety concern for her. Miklo said that transportation planners had looked at it pretty closely, but he did not know if they had specifically considered the need for a turning lane. Payne suggested perhaps moving the entrance to the site down further, after the road has been one-lane for a bit. Payne said that currently, without the access point to a large office and commercial building, it is a bad stretch of road. Freerks said she could see the desire on the part of Staff and the UICCU to keep the entryway clean with Dubuque Road. Eastham said he would be interested in hearing the transportation planners' viewpoints on the subject. Planning and Zoning Commission August 18, 2008 -Informal Page 3 Koppes asked if Staff knew how far the entrance was from the entrance to the Hickory Heights subdivision nearby, as that was also an area of concern for her speed-wise. Miklo said he believed it was several hundred feet. Koppes said that at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. that area is very busy. Eastham said that as he understands it, the purpose of the rezoning is to allow for adrive-through facility on the site. He asked if it was possible to have a CO-1 rezoning revert back to the RPD zoning if the Board of Adjustment did not approve the drive-through. Greenwood-Hektoen said that it could be viewed as part of the substantial compliance with the concept plan that has been suggested as a condition for the CZA. Miklo said he believed that the Commission would have to go through a formal process of rezoning it. Freerks asked when the applicant was planning on going to the Board of Adjustment with the issue. Miklo said that he had advised the applicant that they would need to have CO-1 zoning in place before they could apply to the Board. Miklo asked if Eastham was concerned that the CO-1 zoning would not be appropriate without adrive-through. Eastham said that the Commission had discussed before that once a given zoning was implemented all of its possible uses inevitably become present. Freerks said that the CZA would not have been adhered to if the property comes into other uses. Eastham said he was comforted somewhat by that, but still wondered if there was any historical practice of reverting to original zoning if the Board of Adjustment did not agree with a use. Miklo said that he believed that adrive- through facility would be the most intense use possible under the CO-1 zone. If for some reason the Board did not al-ow adrive-through, Miklo said, he did not see that there would be a real negative in allowing the CO-1 zone to stand. Eastham asked if apartments could be built above the commercial property in a CO-1 zone. Miklo acknowledged that they could, but said there is a 25 foot height limit that would be limiting for that purpose. He noted that the same thing could happen with the current design, and asked if that would necessarily be a bad thing. Other than office uses, which are also allowed in an RDP zone, there are some fairly limited personal service uses allowed in a CO-1, such as beauty parlors. Miklo asked if there was some discomfort with CO-1 zoning. Eastham said he had already talked through his issues; he is more comfortable going to CO-1 with this owner for this particular use, than he is just going to CO-1 in general. Miklo said that the next question to ask is: are there some CO-1 uses that would be of concern? Miklo said he did not see any based on the level of intensity of those uses, but if there are, it would be possible that the owner could sell the property immediately after rezoning and other CO-1 uses were implemented for the property. Miklo advised the Commission that if they choose to rezone the property, they should be comfortable going to CO-1 zoning regardless of who the owner is. Miklo said Staff is comfortable with the CO-1 zoning for this location. Eastham noted that other uses might have potential access issues. Miklo replied that is one reason why Staff wants to pin down the access point, with the primary reason being to establish the best place to intersect Scott Boulevard. But if you look at the uses allowed in CO-1, Miklo said, none of them are really high traffic generators, like convenience stores or retailers. Koppes said she would be more concerned about putting a fire station across from the proposed development because it generates more traffic, although the zoning for the fire station is not CO-1. Miklo attempted to clarify the traffic concern, asking if the concern was because Scott Boulevard moves to one lane. Plahutnik said that the access point makes the absolute most sense for the bank, but might not make the most sense for free flow of traffic down Scott Boulevard. Payne pointed out that people unfamiliar with the area may not know which lane to be in when turning from Dodge onto Scott Boulevard. Miklo said that the other thing to keep in mind is that the applicant is aware that they have to get a special exception; if the special exception does not go through for some reason, they may still want to build a bank there. Busard said the way he understood the plans, the banking operations would be secondary to the use of housing the administrative operations for the UICCU. Miklo said that Staff understood the matter that way as well from early discussions with the applicant. Payne said she had a question about the CZ:A. The only other CZA she was familiar with was the one for the development at Rochester and Scott, and it concerned things such as sidewalk placement. By her understanding, this CZA seems more tied to the applicant, and she asked if that was standard procedure; if a CZA is tied to a specific applicant and then the applicant sells the property, the CZA means nothing. Miklo replied that Staff's concern was the relationship to Dodge Street as an entrance-way to the city and that the primary view from Dodge Street not be a parking lot; whether that building was a bank building or Planning and Zoning Commission August 18, 2008 -Informal Page 4 another office building did not concern Staff. Miklo said that if this particular plan was not implemented, the user, whoever it was, would have to come back to the Commission to amend the CZA. Payne asked if there were no other rules or planning tools besides CZAs that forbade the placement of parking lots on the street-side of a building. Miklo replied that there were not, as long as the setbacks were met. There are some zones or structures, for example apartment buildings where the parking lot must be behind the building; however, in a CO-1 zone, as long as all other applicable zoning regulations are followed, a parking lot can be placed street-side. Miklo noted that given the topography of the site, it is a challenging one. Having a concept plan showing how a use would appropriately fit into the area gives Staff a level of comfort that a development can be designed to fit the topography and address the Comprehensive Plans concerns about the entryway to the city. Freerks asked how the number of parking spaces provided compared to what might be expected of a building of that size. Miklo said the site plan is based on the maximum number of parking spaces that would be required for this structure. The applicant may actually need fewer spaces once their storage areas are calculated. Eastham asked if it was correct that the applicant would be submitting elevation drawings prior to the formal meeting which show the appearance of the Dodge facing facade. Kuecker said that the applicant had indicated that was the case. Eastham said he personally did not feel comfortable voting on the application until those elevations had been reviewed, especially in light of the extensive exchange on that subject with the new Wal-Mart store. Freerks noted that there was certainly time to do two meetings prior to the expiration of the 45-day limitation period. Eastham asked what the elevations of the ground floor of the building and parking lot were, given the steep slope in the area, and requested Kuecker provide that information at the formal meeting. Eastham recalled that Kuecker had said that the parking lot should not be prominently visible from the east or the south, and asked her to provide a little more detailed information on that as well. Payne noted that the house on the other side of Scott Boulevard viewed the property from a hill and would likely be able to look right down on it. Eastham noted that the parking island shown on one of the illustrations is not shown on the schematic drawing, and he asked if it was going to be included in the concept plan. Eastham said he would like to suggest that the median should be at least an eight to nine feet width to allow for more green space in the parking area. Greenwood-Hektoen said that she thought the more that the Commission can articulate what they want, the better. Eastham said that he agreed with Freerks in that he is much more comfortable when he knows exactly what concept plan he is voting on, as opposed to differing versions floating around. There were no further questions for Staff on this issue COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ITEM: Consider setting a public hearing for September to consider adoption of the Central District Plan as an element of the Iowa City Comprehensive Plan. Karen Howard passed out a draft of the Central District Plan for the Commissioners to review. The plan, Howard said, is to set the public hearing on the August 21S` meeting, giving the Commission a couple of weeks to review the document prior to the actual public hearing on September 4, 2008. Howard said that Staff intends to do a presentation of the plan at the public hearing, just as Staff has done for all of the Planning and Zoning Commission August 18, 2008 -Informal Page 5 other district plans. Howard asked if the Commission had any questions. Koppes noted that the Commission had talked a lot about the commercial areas in the district and asked if that was addressed. Howard said there was a whole section on that. Howard asked Commissioners to call or a-mail her with any questions they might have prior to the public hearing. CODE AMENDEMENT ITEM: Consideration of amendments to Article 14-56, Sign Regulations, to allow limited use of freestanding signs in the CB-2 zone, add a definition and standards for entranceway signs, and to clarify the regulations regarding signs on residential buildings. Eastham said that he wished to make it known that he is the manager of anon-profit housing agency in the city, and while they do not use yard signs to advertise vacancies, he wanted to announce his relationship for the record and state that he did not believe it was a conflict in this case. Howard stated that over the last six to eight months Staff had received several requests for changes to the sign code and the zoning ordinance. The first request for a change is in the CB-2 zone. When the new zoning code was created, Staff and the Commission had intended to get rid of the CB-2 zone, but for various reasons decided to keep it. City Council requested that the CB-2 zone be examined as a part of the Central District Plan, and to come up with some good standards for that zone at that time. In the meantime, Howard said, the zone was inserted back into the zoning ordinance in the easiest fashion possible, which was to group it in with the other central business zones. In the other central business zones free-standing signs are not allowed. Formerly, free-standing signs were allowed in the CB-2 zone; now, they are not. Howard stated that problems were not anticipated due to the small number of free-standing signs in the CB-2 zone. However, one property owner who needed to change their sign was affected. This particular property did not have room on the property for the allowable monument sign, and as a gas station, is a little different than most of the central district businesses that are located close to the street. There is very little CB-2 zoning, and as a result, very few examples where properties did not have an opportunity to put a sign other than afree-standing sign that would be visible from the street. The proposal, Howard said, is to insert a provision allowing free-standing signs under certain circumstances where other types of signs would not be visible from the street. Howard said that the issue of entrance-way signs came up as a result of the new Bread Garden bakery and grocery store located downtown. There is a parking lot for this business, and to separate that parking lot from the street and create a sort of urban street wall, a structure consisting of pillars and concrete walls was constructed. The owner wished to put a sign up over the entrance-way advising that parking was available for customers using the grocery store. Nothing in the sign ordinance allowed that type of sign because it did not fit into any of the existing categories. Staff noted that there are entrance-way signs in other parts of the city which serve useful purposes; the Elks Club has such a sign. This is a useful sign type which the City does not currently address in its sign ordinance, and so Staff created a new category for entrance-way signs. Plahutnik noted that this was somewhat fitting since a new category was also created for the Bread Garden parking lot when it was originally put in as Tait's Grocery. Eastham said that as he understands it Staff is proposing to insert a definition for an entrance-way sign. He asked if there was currently a definition for entrance-way arch. Howard said there would be an illustration included in the ordinance which should help clarify. Howard said it was best to avoid Planning and Zoning Commission August 18, 2008 -Informal Page 6 specifically defining things unless necessary. She said that sometimes someone will come up with something that is perfectly logical and fitting, but that doesn't fall into the narrow scope of a previously determined definition and so must be denied. Eastham said if Staff was comfortable leaving it undefined he was too. Plahutnik said that it might be helpful to come up with the worst possible version of what could come from saying that entrance-way signs were allowed, and then work backward from there in defining it. Howard said this had been done somewhat in determining the standards for an entrance-way sign. One of the things Staff had considered was if someone bought a property with an existing archway sign and then attempted to simply cover it with an ill-fitting, disproportional sign. To avoid this, Staff has proposed that design-review be required for any sign going beyond the edges of the archway. Eastham said that the term that is being defined is "entrance-way sign." He asked if it was Staffs thinking that these signs would only be allowed on an entrance-way arch. Eastham said that it seemed to him that if the intent is to define the sign for an entrance-way arch, then the wording should be very clear through- out that the standards apply to an entrance-way arch and not to an entrance-way only. Busard asked if the word "arch" could be removed and changed to simply "overhead" or terminology that applied to any overhead structure underneath which one passes. Howard pointed out that the structure used in Staff's illustration is not actually an arch. Freerks noted that some businesses would be very well-served by such overhead identifiers. Busard asked if the size of letters for the ach or the setbacks were addressed in the ordinance. Eastham said this went back to the definition of what an arch is exactly. Howard said that any kind of structure on the property would have to meet the setbacks for that zone, and then the sign, which would be adhered to the structure would have to meet the requirements of the entrance-way sign ordinance. Busard asked if the structure was free-standing and not attached to any other building if it would still be required to meet the setback requirements. Howard said that the sign would be required to be proportional to the size of the structure to which it is adhered; there is a connection between how big the sign is and how big the arch is. Payne gave ACT as an example, and asked if their sign would be ineligible for an arch because it would be too big, and would not fit the specified dimensions. Howard said she could not say for sure. Howard said that Staff would provide photographic examples and additional information at the formal meeting. The final issue concerning sign regulations regarded clarification of regulations for signs on residential buildings. Howard said that earlier in the year Staff had received an a-mail from the Northside Neighborhood Association expressing concern about the proliferation of signs on rental properties. Howard said that the signs in question were signs that had been permanently affixed to the property and sometimes gave only generic contact information or advertisement information for the property manager. Howard said that there are a number of regulations governing real estate signs and identification signs, and the signs in question do not readily fall into either of those categories. The signs really are advertising an off-site business, rather than merely identifying a given property by name. Off-site business advertisement signs are not allowed in residential zones. Temporary real estate signs are allowed and are typically found in the yard or window of a property. The concern is that the signs in question are permanently affixed to the building, and are neither real estate signs nor identification signs for a particular building. It is not uncommon upon looking at a particular website to find that all of the properties on that website have been leased for the following year; this demonstrates that the sign stays up all of the time, not just when there are vacancies. The concern about these types of signs is that they are often found in neighborhoods near the downtown area where there is a mix of housing types. Howard said that what Staff has done is to try to clarify the existing ordinance by clarifying the definition of real estate sign to clearly show that the signs should be temporary, and adding that the signs should only be yard or window signs. Howard said that a new sign definition was also created, a residential leasing company sign; Staff felt there was some merit in having these type of signs on larger, multi-family buildings in multi-family zones that may have more regular turn-over and are not necessarily in single- family neighborhoods. Howard said that this was determined by both zone and by use; only buildings containing eight or more dwelling units in amulti-family zone would eligible for this kind of sign. Howard said that Housing Inspection Services (HIS) had recommended a time of four months from the vacancy as adequate time to have a yard sign up. Easthan said that the way he reads it, there is no actual time limit on how long the sign can be up so long as the unit is available. Planning and Zoning Commission August 18, 2008 -Informal Page 7 Eastham said that the language states that an identification sign is not allowed if a company has a residential leasing sign. Eastham asked if a leasing company was required to combine an identification sign and a residential leasing sign into one sign if they wished to have both. Howard said that this was not the case. Payne asked about the language in documents provided by Staff. She asked if a sign permit is required unless otherwise stated in the language. Howard confirmed that this was correct. Busard asked if a "small apartment building" was defined anywhere in the code. Howard said that there was nothing in the ordinance that defined that term, that it was just a term used in her memo. Howard said that in the table they somewhat defined "small" by defining "larger" apartment buildings as those containing eight or more dwelling units. Busard asked if four months was adequate lee-way to give for renting apartments. He noted that many leases end on August 151, and that not allowing for a sign until April 15` seemed like not very much time to allow landlords to find a renter for their unit. Howard said that the general idea was that there are other means of advertising one's building other than posting signs on their buildings. Freerks said that if there is a unit available, it is permissible to have a sign; if there is no available unit, then there will be no sign. Busard asked if the person owning asix-unit apartment building was not at a disadvantage to a person with an eight-unit building. Howard pointed out that there were two different issues at play: 1) real estate signs and 2) leasing company signs. Anyone, Howard said, can put up a real estate sign, regardless of how many apartments are in your building. You cannot do the leasing company signs unless you have eight units, but you can do the yard and window signs, Howard said. The yard signs have a four month limit. The leasing company signs are permanently affixed to the building. Freerks pointed out that these leasing company signs are not supposed to be happening at all right now in residential zones. Freerks said that she felt the Commission had been clear about what they had intended and wanted when the code was revised, and that she felt that the current proliferation of leasing company signs is due to a loophole. Payne said that, lately, she had been noticing more and more of these leasing company signs being put up. Freerks said she believed that someone felt they got a green light on these and now they are multiplying. Miklo added that currently it was difficult for HIS to enforce, because what they would have to do is to call and see if the property owner really had availabilities or check their website. Freerks said that she had checked websites herself before and found that there were no availabilities. Miklo said that the new language will provide a timeframe so it will be easier to enforce in the event of complaints. Koppes noted that the new code only disallows leasing company signs from residential, not multi-family areas. Eastham pointed out that not only the timeframe for which a sign can be up is outlined in the code, but also the type of sign; the new code makes it clear that a sign affixed to a building in asingle-family residential zone is not allowed. Plahutnik noted that if there are availabilities, landlords may put signs up to fill those vacancies. Miklo said that in most cases, property managers send out letters to current tenants in January or February asking if they wish to renew for the following year, and put it on the market shortly after the tenant responds to the inquiry. Eastham asked Miklo to address a-mails received the previous week about vandalism of temporary signs. Freerks noted that one option for addressing this concern was to place signs in the window of the property. Howard said that she did not know what to say to this exactly. She said she understands the property owner's concerns and that vandalism is a problem. Miklo said that attached signs are less prone to vandalism. Plahutnik countered that attached signs change the feel of a neighborhood from residential to commercial; he added that he would love to rent his window out to McDonald's too, but that also is not allowed. Plahutnik said the point is that there are many other ways of advertising. Freerks said she Planning and Zoning Commission August 18, 2008 -Informal Page 8 remembers many conversations regarding this issue and that the intention behind the current sign ordinance was not to allow these permanently affixed leasing company signs. She said the Commissioners would have to decide amongst themselves if they wish to change the code so that it matches the original intention, or do something that might be a compromise. Miklo said that real estate signs in student-rental neighborhoods may be more susceptible to disappearing. Miklo said that some creative solutions had been used by property owners, such as bike locking the signs to a tree or a railing to ensure they are not stolen. Howard said that another point raised by a-mails received by Staff was that there is some information on leasing company signs that make the property manager more accessible if there are nuisance problems. Miklo said that there was some discussion when the nuisance ordinance was adopted four or five years ago that some cities require the property owners to put their phone number directly on the building in some fashion. That was an aspect that was never implemented in the City's nuisance ordinance, Miklo said. Freerks added that what was really supported in that ordinance was requiring documentation in the rental unit that had a copy of the permit and landlord contact information; that did not even get implemented in the end. Miklo said he believed that some people are confusing the original proposal with these leasing company signs. There was no further discussion on this topic. Miklo discussed an updated rotation schedule for Commission members to attend City Council meetings so that it reflected the two newest members, Busard and Payne. Koppes announced that she would not be at the formal meeting on Thursday. Payne said that she had a meeting in Des Moines that day and that she plans on being at the Commission meeting but cannot guarantee it. The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m. Iowa City Planning & Zoning Commission Attendance Record 2008 Cl1DMA1 MFFTIN(: Name Term Ex ires 112 1117 3120 4/3 M17 511 5115 615 6119 713 7117 817 J. Busard 05/11 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - - -- -- -- -- X O/E x O/E C. Eastham 05/11 X X X X X X X X X X X X A. Freerks 05/13 X X X X X X X X X X X X E. Ko es 05/12 X X X X X X X X X X X X M. Pa ne 05/10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - - -- -- -- -- -- -- W Plahutnik 05/10 X X X X X O/E X O/E X X X X T. Weitzel 05/13 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X X x X X IAICADMAI MFFTINr: Name Term Ex ires ~ 2/21 4/14 5112 6/2 6/30 7/14 8/18 J. Busard 05/11 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X C. Eastham 05/11 X X X X X X X X A. Freerks 05/13 X X X X X X X X E. Ko es 05/12 X X X. X X X 0/E X M. Pa ne 05/10 -- - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X W. Plahutnik 05/10 O/E O/E X X X X O/E X T. Weitzel 05/13 -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X X O/E Key: X =Present O =Absent O/E = AbsenUExcused