Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-09-23 Bd Comm minutesS' 4b 1 MINUTES APPROVED 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 Iowa City Public Art Advisory Committee Minutes August 7, 2008 Page 5 Public Art Advisory Committee Attendance Record 2008 Name Term Ex Tres 1/17 2/7 3/6 4/3 5/15 6/5 8/7 Annadora Khan O1/O1/11 -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X X Barbara Nicknish O1/O1/11 X -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- DaLa ne Williamson 01/01/09 X O/E X X X X X Jan Finla son O1/O1/11 X X O/E X X X O/E Mark Seabold O1/O1/10 X X X X X O/E O/E Patrick Carne 01/01/09 X X X X X X X Rick Fosse X X X X X O/E X Terr Trueblood X O/E X X O/E X X Key: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused 4b 2 MINUTES Approved 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: 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 fa0ade. 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 zoning 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 wilt 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 4"' 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 151 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"' 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 151 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"'. 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 rea- 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. P-ahutnik 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 it-egal 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 14-5B, 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 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 extensioh 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 8 Zoning Commission Attendance Record 2008 Gr1DMAI MFFTIWr: Name Term Ex ices 112 1/17 3120 413 4/17 511 5115 6/5 8H9 713 7117 817 8121 J. Busard 05/11 -- -- -- -- - -- -- -- -- --- -- ~ -- -- -- -- X O/E X O/E 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 0/E M. Pa ne 05/10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- O/E W Plahutnik 05/10 X X X X X OIE X O/E X X X X X 7. Weitzel 05/13 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X X x X x X X X IdIFADMAI MFFTINr: Name Term Ex Tres ~ 2121 4/74 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 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 = Absent/Excused 4b 3 MINUTES Approved 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 3.87 acres of property south of Dodge Street, west of Scott Boulevard. The 45-day limitation period ends September 14, 2008. Kuecker stated that the 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 far 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 allow 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 CZA. 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 Staffs 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 21St 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 14-5B, 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 1 S`, 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 Cr1DMAI MFFTIN(: Name Term Ex ires 112 1117 3120 4!3 4/17 511 5115 615 6119 713 7117 817 J. Busard 05111 -- -- - - -- -- -- -- -- --- - -- - - -- - 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 IM1ICAGMAI MFFTIIJ(_ Name Term Ex ires 2/7 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 O/E X X X X 0/E X T. Weitzel 05/13 -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X X 0/E Key. X =Present 0 =Absent O/E = AbsenUExcused FINAL/APPROVED POLICE CITIZENS REVIEW BOARD MINUTES -August 19, 2008 CALL TO ORDER: MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: OTHERS PRESENT: Chair Michael Larson called the meeting to order at 5:36 p.m. Elizabeth Engel, Loren Horton, and Donald King Greg Roth Legal Counsel Catherine Pugh and Staff Kellie Tuttle Captain Richard Wyss and Officer David Schwindt of the ICPD; and public, Dean Abel RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL 4b 4 None. CONSENT CALENDAR Motion by Horton and seconded by King to adopt the consent calendar as presented or amended. • Minutes of the meeting on 07/01/08 • ICPD General Order 91-04 (Report Form Development and Control) • ICPD General Order 00-05 (Off-Duty Conduct: Powers of Arrest) • ICPD General Order 08-01 (Conducted Energy Devices) • ICPD SOG 08-01 (Taser Issuance) • ICPD Memorandum (Quarterly/Summary Report (2~d quarter)- IAIR/PCRB, 2008) Motion carried, 4/0, Roth absent. OLD BUSINESS Future Forums -The Board reviewed the final draft of the Forum notice, agenda, and sign in sheet. They also agreed to have the Forum taped by the cable department so it could possibly be run later on the City Channel. NEW BUSINESS None. PUBLIC DISCUSSION Abel inquired how the Board would be publicizing the Forum. Tuttle responded that the information would be posted on the City website's home page, news releases would be done, the information was forwarded to the neighborhood associations to be included in their newsletter if they had one going out, postings in City buildings, and if the paper does not contact the Board after the news releases and postings, the Board would contact them. Abel also asked if the new Board members had been appointed by Council. Tuttle informed him that the appointments would possibly be made at the August 26th Council meeting and that the deadline to file an application was Wednesday, August 20tH BOARD INFORMATION None. STAFF INFORMATION None. PCRB August 19, 2008 Page 2 EXECUTIVE SESSION REGULAR SESSION Motion by King and seconded by Engel to adjourn into Executive Session based on Section 21.5(1)(a) of the Code of Iowa to review or discuss records which are required or authorized by state or federal law to be kept confidential or to be kept confidential as a condition for that government body's possession or continued receipt of federal funds, and 22.7(11) personal information in confidential personnel records of public bodies including but not limited to cities, boards of supervisors and school districts, and 22-7(5) police officer investigative reports, except where disclosure is authorized elsewhere in the Code; and 22.7(18) Communications not required by law, rule or procedure that are made to a government body or to any of its employees by identified persons outside of government, to the extent that the government body receiving those communications from such persons outside of government could reasonably believe that those persons would be discouraged from making them to that government body if they were available for general public examination. Motion carried, 4/0, Roth absent. Open session adjourned at 5:42 P.M. Returned to open session at 6:15 P.M. Motion by King, seconded by Horton to set the level of review for PCRB Complaint #08-04 and #08-05 to 8-8-7 (B)(1)(a), On the record with no additional investigation. Motion carried, 4/0, Roth absent. Motion by Horton, seconded by Engel to request 30 day extension for PCRB Complaint #08-04 due to timelines and scheduling. Motion carried, 4/0, Roth absent. TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE and FUTURE AGENDAS (subject to change) • September 9, 2008, 5:30 P.M., Lobby Conference Room • September 16, 2008, 7:30 P.M., Emma J. Harvat Hall -Community Forum • October 14, 2008, 5:30 P.M., Lobby Conference Room • November 11, 2008, 5:30 P.M., Lobby Conference Room ADJOURNMENT Motion for adjournment by King and seconded by Engel. Motion carried, 4/0, Roth absent. Meeting adjourned at 6:17 P.M. ~~O~C ii u u n u o c ~ co ~ ~~apa ~ ~a ~ ~ y ~ ~ a d a r~ o~ ~~ ~ ~ 7y xr s~ ~ r~~ ~~ ~ ~ va ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ o 0 0 o b~ ~C yC ~ ~ ~ o y F1 yy la ~ ~ 7 ~ N N w ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ W ~ ~ ~ x ~ o k k k ~ ~ >C yC O yC >C '~ r~ .~.i b O r ~n H~ H n ~ ~ H ~ y 1Nl'J' n ~ NrrJ~ O O C 00 4b 5 MINUTES APPROVED HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2008 EMMA J. HARVAT HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Thomas Baldridge, Lindsay Bunting Eubanks, William Downing, Pam Michaud, Ginalie Swaim, Frank Wagner MEMBERS ABSENT: Esther Baker, Jim Ponto, Viktor Tichy, Alicia Trimble STAFF PRESENT: Christina Kuecker OTHERS PRESENT: Scott Cappos CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Bunting Eubanks called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. CONSENT AGENDA: 328 Brown Street. She said that this project is for the replacement of porch steps and construction of new handrails. Kuecker said that the owners want to replace the porch steps with new wooden steps. She said that the handrail will come down both sides and use custom turned spindles to match the spindles that are on the porch. Kuecker said the bottom ends posts would match the post on the porch. She said that staff recommends approval as submitted in the application. MOTION: Swaim moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 328 Brown Street, as proposed. Baldridge seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS: 515 Oakland Avenue. Kuecker said this application is for an addition to the rear of the house, which is in the Longfellow Historic District. She stated that the house is a foursquare-esque, prairie style house, and there are several with the same floor plan and configuration in the City. Kuecker said that most of them were likely clad with stucco, and when the stucco failed, it was replaced with the metal siding fairly early in the history of the house. Kuecker said the applicants propose a 14' by 14' one-story addition to the rear of the house, of which she showed a photograph. She said that the small bay would not be disturbed with the addition, except for possibly the very edge of the roof. Kuecker said that the two windows to be on the addition would be relocated windows that are currently on the rear of the house. She added that one new window is being proposed for the south elevation. Kuecker said the addition would have a hip roof similar to the hip roof on the existing house. She said the foundation would be poured concrete of a color to match the existing brick foundation. Kuecker said the trim is proposed to match the existing trim, and the applicant proposes to use metal siding to match the existing siding on the house. Historic Preservation Commission August 28, 2008 Page 2 Kuecker said the guidelines allow for an addition, provided the addition is compatible with the existing structure. She said that in staff's opinion, the addition would be compatible. Kuecker said the guidelines recommend that foundations on additions appear similar to the historic foundation in color, texture, unit size, and joint profiles. She said however, there is an exception for additions on the rear of historic properties that allows the owner to match the color of the foundation rather than the exact materials. Kuecker said the guidelines state that siding on an addition should be compatible with or similar to the siding on the existing house. She said the intent there was probably for the addition to have wood siding as would be found on the house. Kuecker said that since this house has metal siding and it is not likely that stucco would be restored on the house, metal siding is probably an appropriate solution for this addition. Kuecker said the guidelines also state that an addition should be distinguished from the original house and state that a setback may be appropriate. She said, however, that with the configuration of this house and the size of the proposed addition, a setback may not be necessary. Kuecker said that staff believes a vertical trim board between the addition and the house may be more appropriate in this situation. Kuecker said the question has been raised as to what makes this addition different from the addition on the house on Summit Street for which the Commission required a setback. She commented that the setback was more important on that Summit Street house, because that was astreet-facing facade that would be visible to everyone driving by. Kuecker said that this house is fairly close to the neighboring property and is hardly visible to someone passing by on the street. Kuecker said that staff recommends approval of this application with the condition that there be a vertical trim board between the house and the addition and that the new wood window pattern beaten over one pattern to match the existing windows. She stated that the applicant has the option of using true divided lights or creating simulated divided lights that adhere to both sides of the glass but not by using snap-in muntin bars. Kuecker showed photographs of the property and a site plan showing the house and the addition. Michaud said she was concerned about the trim work on the interior. Kuecker said the Commission does not have purview over the interior of a house. Cappos, one of the owners of the property, stated that the houses are very close together and are probably only five feet apart. He said that there are lilac bushes along the side of the house so that it is virtually impossible to see this side of the house. Kuecker said the guidelines state that for additions on front-facing facades, there must be an 18-inch setback. She said that because this is not on the front of this building, that setback is not a requirement. Wagner asked if the metal siding would be steel or aluminum. Cappos said that he doesn't think it would be aluminum siding and thinks it would be steel. Kuecker said that the current siding has a grain in it. Cappos said that his contractor knows exactly what the current siding is and knows everything about it. Kuecker said that the site inventory form mentions that the only alteration that had occurred with relation to this property was the metal siding. She said the form notes that the siding does not detract from the historic quality of the structure, because it has such a narrow profile. Michaud asked, because the windows are being relocated . in the back, if any of the wood trim would be retained. Cappos said he would try to retain all of the wood trim, especially on the inside. Michaud asked if the contractor will be able to impress faux brick. Cappos said he thought the contractor was going to try to put a stamped brick on the concrete. Historic Preservation Commission August 28, 2008 Page 3 Baldridge asked if the window in the front of the house is two over two. Cappos said there is a storm window on the inside, one quarter of the way out, so that is why it looks different, although they are all the same. MOTION: Swaim moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 515 Oakland Avenue, with the condition that there be a vertical trim board between the original house and the addition and with the new wood window being aten-over-one pattern to match the existing windows and with the option of the owner using true divided lights or creating simulated divided lights by using muntin bars that are adhered to both sides of the glass but not by using snap-in muntin bars. Michaud seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR AUGUST 14, 2008. MOTION: Baldridge moved to approve the minutes of the Commission's August 14, 2008 meeting, as written. Swaim seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. OTHER: Statewide Historic Preservation Conference Kuecker referred to information she had sent out about a Statewide Historic Preservation Conference to be held in Sioux City on September 19-20`h. She said she is planning to go and would be willing to have any Commission members come along. Kuecker said that Bob Yapp, who had a show on National Public Television regarding historic homes, is one of the speakers. Kuecker said that Yapp is also giving a presentation about Iowa City's recovery after the tornado. She stated that she would be leaving Thursday evening, and the City could sponsor at least one commission member fully for hotel, meals, and registration or could split the costs between two commissioners. Friends Press Release and Historic Preservation Awards. Kuecker said that Helen Burford of Friends of Historic Preservation asked her to pass on information from a press release regarding some of the work the salvage barn has done to help out flood victims. Kuecker stated that Burford also asked her to remind the Commission to let Kuecker know of any properties on which the owners have done work in the past year that might qualify for historic preservation awards. Kuecker said she provided the Commission with a list of what has already been nominated. She said that any listing in italics designates a property that has received a certificate of appropriateness, although she was unsure if the work was completed. Kuecker said that some of the properties that were nominated this year were recognized last year in the award given out for properties that had done work after the tornado. She said she did not think it would necessarily be appropriate to give awards to those properties unless more work has been done since then. Bunting Eubanks asked how the awards process works. Kuecker said the Commission will first nominate properties. She said that then the Johnson County Historic Preservation Commission Chair, a Friends of Historic Preservation representative, the Historic Preservation Commission Chair and herself will get together and determine who should win awards. 803 East Colle eg Street. Kuecker stated that the appeal for 803 East College Street was held on Tuesday at the City Council meeting. She said that after the Commission's four-four vote, she asked the City Attorney as to the status of the motion. Kuecker said that the City Attorney informed her that a motion would fail on a tie vote. Historic Preservation Commission August 28, 2008 Page 4 Kuecker said the applicant then appealed the decision to City Council, which did not reverse the decision as it determined that the Commission had upheld its guidelines. She said the applicant will therefore have to return the roof back to the way it was. Kuecker said that she would work out a timeline with the owner as to when the work needs to be completed. She said that if the work is not completed by the agreed upon timeline, the owner will incur municipal infractions and citations. Baldridge asked if that means the fascia and brackets will go back to the way they were. Kuecker confirmed this. Swaim stated that the Commission had discussed how to get information to contractors and owners before they start work like this. Wagner said that there is a local builders association. Kuecker said that she found out from the building official that for amulti-family building, which is considered a commercial structure, a building permit is needed even for re-shingling. She said the owner was therefore required to get a permit from the very beginning. Swaim said the Commission will want to talk more about getting the information about the process out there. Bunting Eubanks said that a letter is to be sent to local contractors and realtors containing main points of the guidelines. She added that if the builders' association ever meets, that would be a venue at which the Commission could make a presentation. Swaim said people will pay more attention to the fact that there are penalties, such as having to undo work. Wagner said he believes that the people who already know about the guidelines are not the ones who are causing the problems. Baldridge said this application may have been complicated by the fact that the roofer was from Kalona. Kuecker stated that in fact that roofer does a lot of work in Iowa City and should know what does and does not need a building permit. She said it is a constant problem for the people in the Building Department that people don't want to apply for a building permit because the work will go on the records for their house, and the tax assessment will go up. Kuecker said it is not just a historic preservation problem. Baldridge said the Commission's task is to convince the owners that historic designation is a feather in their caps rather than a penalty. He said owners see it as a fiscal penalty. Bunting Eubanks said the City Council suggested that it is more difficult to convince landlords that this is something they have to invest in than it is to convince homeowners. Consultant for Manville Heights Surve Kuecker said that the RFPs were sent out, and the deadline to apply was August 20`h. She stated that she only received a proposal from Marlys Svendsen. Kuecker said Svendsen's budget met all the points, and she has done a lot of other work in Iowa City. Kuecker said that Svendsen's proposal is for the whole Manville Heights area as identified in the Historic Preservation Plan. She said there may be two or three possible districts in the area. Kuecker said the proposal does not include the nomination of a district but takes any potential districts to that point so that there will then be an indication from the neighborhood as to whether or not they want their area to be a district. Kuecker said it has already been brought to her attention that one resident of Manville Heights is completely opposed to the idea of historic preservation altogether. She said the City Attorney has indicated that until there is a rezoning on the table, there isn't anything for that resident to bring a petition against. Kuecker said there will not likely be a lot of opposition to the survey. She said that it is the actual district formation that will garner opposition. Michaud asked how much the survey will cost. Kuecker said that she would a-mail Svendsen's proposal to everyone the next day. Historic Preservation Commission August 28, 2008 Page 5 Swaim asked if the survey includes volunteers. Kuecker said that it does. Swaim said that is an opportunity to get people interested. Kuecker said that Svendsen sees that as part of her job, to get people excited about historic preservation. Kuecker said that the budget for this is around $28,000, and the grant approval was for $30,000. MOTION: Baldridge moved to accept the bid proposal by Marlys Svendsen for the survey of the Manville Heights area. Swaim seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. Wagner said that when he was in Washington working for the German government, they started a program called Everywhere You Look, and it was a walking tour of the neighborhood of German architecture. He said that it included a number of 19"' century buildings. Wagner said that it was used as a tool and a template was developed to get other communities to use it. He added that high school students and other volunteers are provided with the template to do walking tours of their neighborhoods. Wagner said he would find out if the template would be available for local use. Baldridge said that it could be a good tool to use in Manville Heights. He said that when Svendsen did the survey of the Melrose Neighborhood, she had great interest in people who had lived in the houses and their status in the course of history. Wagner said that if Commission members are interested in getting information, the website is www.goethe.de/washington. Bunting Eubanks said she would be willing to help if Wagner is able to get use of the template. Baldridge said that the Urban and Regional Planning Department at the University might be interested in this as a project for its students. Bunting Eubanks said the University might be interested in creating its own walking tours for visitors. Bunting Eubanks suggested people bring contact information for those who might be interested in this project to the next meeting. She said she is willing to call interested parties. Swaim said that the houses for which survey forms have been completed already have the available information. Bunting Eubanks introduced Wagner as the Commission's new at-large representative. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 6:55 p.m Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte s/pcd/mins/hpc/2008/hpc8-28-OS.doc Historic Preservation Commission Attendance Record 2008 Name Term Expires 1/10 2/28 3/13 4/10 518 5122 6112 7110 7/24 8114 8/28 Baldrid a 3/29/11 -- -- -- -- -- -- X O/E X X X X X X Baker 3/29/09 X X X O/E X X X X X X O/E Brennan 3129108 X O/E O/E -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Downin 3/29/10 X X X O/E X X O/E O/E X X X Eubanks 3/29/11 O/E X X X X X X O/E X X X Michaud 3129/09 X X X X O/E 0/E X X X X X Ponto 3/29/10 X X O/E X X X X X 0/E X O/E Swaim 3/29/09 X O/E X O/E X O/E O/E X X X X Tich 3129/11 -- -- -- -- -- -- O/E X O/E 0/E O/E O/E 0/E O/E Toome 3/29/09 X O/E X X X X X -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Trimble 3/29/10 x O/E X X X X O/E X X X O/E Weitzel 3/29/08 O/E X X -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Key: X =Present O =Absent O/E = Absent/Excused 4b 6 MINUTES APPROVED IOWA CITY BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT AUGUST 13, 2008 - 5:00 PM EMMA J. HARVAT HALL Members Present: Karen Leigh, Michelle Payne, Caroline Sheerin, Edgar Thornton, Ned Wood Members Excused: None Staff Present: Sarah Walz, Doug Ongie, Sara Greenwood-Hektoen Others Present: Melissa Gillund, Burghend Shoenfeld RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL: NONE. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Ned Wood at 5:06 p.m. An opening statement was read by the Chair outlining the role and purpose of the Board and the procedures governing the proceedings. ROLL CALL: Leigh, Payne, Sheerin, Thornton and Wood were present. CONSIDERATION OF THE JULY 9, 2008: Payne motioned to accept the July 9, 2008 minutes with corrections noted for the record. Leigh seconded. The motion carried 5-0. SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS: EXC08-00014: Discussion of an application submitted by ALPA for a special exception to reduce the number of required off-street parking spaces for property located in the I1 zone at 2309 and 2278 Heinz Road. Sarah Walz introduced Doug Ongie, an intern in the Planning Department, to the Board. Ongie had prepared the staff report for this special exception and presented it to the Board. Iowa City Board of Adjustment August 13, 2008 Page 2 Ongie called the Board's attention to a letter he had distributed from Tru Art that supported the special exception applied for by ALPA. Ongie noted that his office had also received a call from Lyle Miller in support of this application. Ongie said that the applicant is proposing to construct two warehouses and a production facility at 2278 and 2309 Heinz Road. To do this, the zoning code would require ALPLA to provide 119 parking spaces. ALPLA would like to reduce the number of required parking spaces from 119 to 84. The area for the additional 35 parking spaces required by code would be left as open, green space in the event that parking spaces were needed in the future. Ongie said that one warehouse has been completed, and the second warehouse and production facility are currently under construction. During this period of construction, ALPLA has been parking temporarily on the drive, something which is not allowed. Ongie said that the applicant has agreed to eliminate the temporary parking as soon as the improvements are complete. Ongie stated that the specific approval criterion for this special exception is as follows (14-SA- 4F-5): Where it can be demonstrated that a specific use has unique characteristics such that the number of parking or stacking spaces required is excessive, the Board of Adjustment may grant a special exception to reduce the number of required parking or stacking spaces up to 50%. Ongie stated that the applicant has provided Staff with an analysis of their parking needs, which shows the greatest need for parking taking place during the transition from first to second shift at 4:00 p.m. At that time, Ongie said, a total of 66 spaces are necessary for all employees: 14 spaces for office employees, 26 spaces for first shift workers leaving the site, and 26 spaces for second shift workers arriving at the site. If the parking requirement was reduced to 84, this would leave an additional 18 spaces for visitor parking. Ongie outlined the General Standards (14-4B-3, Special Exception Review Requirements) as they pertained to this application. The site plan has been approved, Ongie said, so all utilities, setbacks, drainage issues access roads, etc., have been taken care of. The applicant has shown that the number of parking spaces required by code is excessive in this case and will not endanger the public or adversely affect the property values of neighboring properties. Ongie said that it should also be noted that transportation staff has received complaints of off- street parking off of Heinz Road.. Staff is aware that there have been issues with semi-trucks parked somewhere near the Heinz Road, Scott Boulevard and Highway 6 intersections, but did not witness this when Staff was on site. The parking issues are not related to ALPLA. Ongie said the applicant has agreed to provide additional parking if the site or the number of employees were ever expanded. Ongie stated that Staff finds the parking requirement to be excessive in this case and recommends approval of this special exception. Iowa City Board of Adjustment August 13, 2008 Page 3 Wood asked if there were any questions from the Board. Payne said that she had a question on the specific approval criteria. She questioned what exactly the term "unique" was intended to mean in this situation. Walz replied that the parking requirement is set using transportation models for what the norm is for a factory. Individual factories will differ from that norm. In this case, the number of employees per square foot of factory space is substantially less than that predicted by the transportation model. To a certain extent, Walz said, the applicant is "on their honor" in reporting their true parking needs. Walz noted that it would not serve the applicant well to create a situation for themselves in which they did not have enough parking. If the applicant's employment numbers ever go beyond a certain ratio of their current stated need, Walz explained, the City would require them to put in additional parking. Payne noted that a special exception is granted to a specific property, not to the. owner of a property. Payne asked what would happen if ALPLA was no longer there in ten years and the company to follow them had a much larger number of employees. Payne said that the way the special exception was written, it seemed as though the exception was being granted to the applicant rather than the property. Walz said that this exception would be tied to this specific use by their circumstances. She said that if another factory were to come in that employed greater numbers of employees, that factory would be required to provide more parking. Payne asked if instead of using the word "applicant," the language could be broadened to more clearly apply to the use of the property rather than the user. Walz agreed that this would be best. Thornton asked for clarification on the traffic complaints that Ongie had mentioned, and asked if the complaints were related to the temporary parking in the applicant's driveway. Walz clarified that the parking complaints were not related to ALPLA at all. Staff merely felt the Board should be aware of the situation and know that Staff was monitoring it. Thornton asked if there would be further communication between the City and the applicant if the special exception was granted. Specifically, if the applicant did greatly increase its employment numbers such that the additional parking requirements kicked in, how would the City know that? Walz said that the process would most likely be complaint-driven. If there came a time when cars were parked along the roadside and a complaint was received, Staff would investigate ALPLA's staffing levels. Additionally, Walz said, if ALPLA did anything on-site requiring a building permit, then parking requirements would automatically be reviewed as a part of that process. Thornton asked if there was no process in place for regular follow-up communication on such matters. Walz said that there is not. She again noted that it would not be in the applicant's best interest not to provide enough parking for its staff when the space was there and available. Sheerin asked how Staff would know that the problem was indeed one caused by ALPLA if Staff was acting only on complaints. Walz replied that a staff member would be sent out to observe and establish if those parking cars were then going to the ALPLA Iowa City Board of Adjustment August 13, 2008 Page 4 property or another property in the area. Payne observed that enforcement of the exception would be "reactive" in nature, rather than proactive. Walz agreed that this was the case. Payne asked Ongie if it was the small lot or the big lot depicted on the site plan that was being discussed. Ongie replied that it was the bigger lot. Wood asked to return to Payne's point in which she discussed tying the exception to the property rather than the applicant. Walz said that the special exception, as written, would be granted at a certain employment level and that it would be perfectly acceptable for the Board to tie that employment level in as a condition of the exception. The employment level would then apply to anyone using that property, not just this applicant. Walz said that this is how Staff interprets the current language, adding that if it makes the Board more comfortable to provide specific staffing levels in the exception then they should do that. Walz said her reading of the existing language is that the exception would be granted at a given staffing level and if that staffing level changed, then the unique characteristic upon which the exception had been based would no longer exist. Walz asked for Greenwood-Hektoen's comments on the matter. Greenwood-Hektoen said that she believed it would be better to more broadly state the exception and reference it to the staffing levels rather than leaving the language tied specifically to the applicant. Thornton asked if it would be improper for the Board to recommend to the City that it create some. sort of business-friendly process for following up on special exceptions such as this and inquiring once-yearly if their parking needs have changed. Greenwood-Hektoen said that the process would be more of acomplaint-driven one, as the City probably did not have the resources to monitor these types of situations. Greenwood-Hektoen said that a lot of the City's responses from department to department are complaint-based, and that this is out of necessity. Walz added that with any special exception there is a certain amount of self-enforcement in which the City assumes the applicant has enforced their end of the bargain until and unless it receives a complaint stating otherwise. Walz noted that special exceptions are often passed that require a certain level of landscaping. A few years after the exception has been granted, either a new property owner or the one granted the exception could remove that very landscape. The way Staff would know about this is if Staff happened by the property and noticed, if someone complained about the removal of the landscaping, or if the owner came in and applied for a building permit on the property. Walz said this is something that occurs once in awhile: either someone forgets or a new owner is unaware of the requirement and either a complaint or a permit application reveals the non-compliance. Leigh stated that she is all in favor of green space and believes that if something does not have to be paved, then it is good to leave it unpaved. That said, she also wanted a little more direction on how to word the special exception so that it applies regardless of the owner. Walz said she believed this could be done by basing the special exception on the current staffing levels presented by the applicant. Greenwood-Hektoen suggested spelling out what the current staffing levels are. Walz said that it could be stated such that if staffing levels went up by more than 20% the parking requirement would revert back to code. Greenwood-Hektoen suggested Iowa City Board of Adjustment August 13, 2008 Page 5 that the word "applicant" could be replaced with "owner, occupant, or successors in interest." Walz said that the applicant is presenting 66 as the maximum number of employees that would be at the site at one time. Payne said that she was uncomfortable with that because 20% of 66 is 13; if 13 people were added and scattered over three shifts it would not affect parking because they would only need three more spaces per shift. On the other hand, Payne noted, if the applicant added 13 people on one shift and none on the others, it would have a large impact on the parking situation. She said this did not seem fair to the applicant, as they already have 18 extra parking spaces. Payne explained that this formula would unduly and unnecessarily limit the applicant's ability to even nominally expand their employee numbers. After some discussion, Walz and Payne agreed that what they both had intended to express was that if there was an increase in anticipated use of more than 20% of the current use at peak shift-change times, then the parking requirements would revert back to those of the code. Walz said she would advise the Board to include at least four parking spaces for visitors or additional users, limiting the total number of possible employees at that peak time to 80. Thornton asked if the Board was potentially boxing itself in by setting a specific percentage for the applicant. Thornton suggested that perhaps Counsel and Staff might look at this in terms of what would be equitable for business as a whole. Thornton questioned whether or not the Board might be inadvertently creating a " 20% rule" to be concerned about with future applicants. Walz assured Thornton that the Board is in no way bound by past decisions, and need not be concerned that this decision will set a precedent. Each case is unique and individual as viewed by the Board of Adjustment. Requirements are outlined in the code, which is what sets the "precedents." The Board of Adjustment, Walz said, has a role of granting relief (or not) for that requirement. Walz said that the Board is not setting a new standard requirement; rather it is granting relief from the requirement while acknowledging that there is some threshold at which the applicant must comply with the standard requirement in the code. Wood invited the applicant to address the Board. Melissa Gillund of Shive-Hattery spoke on behalf of ALPLA. Gillund said that for the past year ALPLA has been working with Staff on the site improvements. She said they had gone over parking requirements for the property and designed the grading, drainage, utilities for the property for the required 119 spaces. Those plans have been approved, and now ALPLA is asking for a reduction in the number of required spaces. Gillund said that she believed they had fairly shown that if a need for the additional parking arises in the future, ALPLA can pull out the existing plans and very easily implement them. ALPLA would prefer to see green space out there if they do not need that parking. ALPLA is also very willing to work with the City if employee numbers change. Gillund asked if the Board had any questions. Sheerin asked if the green space will be set aside for the purpose of parking should the need arise. Sheerin said that while that has been stated by the applicant, there is nothing in the application or the conditions discussed that specifically requires ALPLA to set aside that parcel of land. Walz confirmed that there is nothing outlining that this particular space need be reserved for future parking. She stated that if ALPLA came in for a building permit for that Iowa City Board of Adjustment August 13, 2008 Page 6 area, the expansion would trigger a reexamination of the parking issue, in which case ALPLA would need to either set aside parking for that area or find another suitable area on the property for additional parking.. Payne pointed out that if ALPLA wished to build another warehouse, then a new parking requirement would be implemented for ALPLA, and if ALPLA wished to have that requirement reduced, they would need to return to the Board of Adjustment. Walz stated that this was correct. She noted that the same would be true if the Board placed a condition on the number of employees as it pertains to the parking, if ALPLA's employee numbers grew and they wished not to raise the parking to the full 119, that too would have to come before the Board for a special exception. Thornton asked if the discrepancy between projected parking needs for a factory of this size as compared to the real parking needs was a result of technology, improved operations, or business climate. He asked because he wondered if the Board would be seeing ALPLA back again next year if the business climate improved and resulted in a need for more parking. Burghard Shoenfeld, the owner's representative, stated that ALPLA currently has too many parking spaces and that other than the area in the front, most of the spaces are never occupied. Schoenfeld said that if ALPLA adds more machines, it does not necessarily mean that they need more employees. Schoenfeld noted that ALPLA actually runs four shifts, and that even if 16 workers were added, only eight additional spaces would be needed. Schoenfeld added that those eight spaces could easily be covered with the surplus parking in their current 84 spaces. Wood stated that he wished to clarify that he believed everyone was happy not to have too much pavement in the area; however, he said, the concern is that if the property changes hands the Board wishes to ensure adequate parking is available for the next use. Schoenfeld pointed out that if the property changed hands the new owner would definitely be applying for a new building permit. Schoenfeld explained that even if the property was purchased by someone in the same industry, the set-up would have to be entirely different. Further, Schoenfeld said, in the almost 60-year history of the company, it has never sold one of its 120 sites. Wood said that he understood that, and that the Board simply wants to make sure it is consistent in what it does. Wood invited further questions. There were none. As there was no one else present, the public hearing was closed. Wood invited discussion from the Board. Payne said that she had come up with some wording she wished to share with the Board. She said that the exception could be granted "subject to the requirement that if the maximum number of parking spaces needed during a shift change exceeded 80 spaces, the number of spaces required by the zoning code will be provided." Walz read the wording back to Payne to make sure she had it correctly. Leigh pointed out that the code requires 119 spaces and that this was potentially much more than the applicant might need. Walz said that the applicant could request another special exception at that time if that was the case. Leigh asked if language requiring the "applicant or successor in interest" would also be included in the special exception. Payne said that it would not be necessary with her wording because the special exception is tied to 80 spaces, not the applicant. Iowa City Board of Adjustment August 13, 2008 Page 7 Payne moved that EXC08-00014, an application submitted by ALPLA for a special exception to reduce the number of required off-street parking spaces for property located in the I1 zone at 2309 and 2278 Heinz Road, be approved subject to the requirement that if the maximum number of parking spaces needed during a shift change exceeds 80 spaces, the number of spaces required by the zoning code will be provided. Sheerin seconded the motion. Wood invited findings of fact. Greenwood-Hektoen said that she had not heard Payne specify that the parking reduction was from 119 required parking spaces to 84. Payne noted that that language was not in the description on the agenda so she had mistakenly skipped over it. Payne stated that she wished to amend her motion to say: an application submitted by ALPLA for a special exception to reduce the number of required off-street parking spaces from 119 to 84 for property located in the I1 zone at 2309 and 2278 Heinz Road, be approved subject to the requirement that if the maximum number of parking spaces needed during a shift change exceeds 80 spaces, the number of spaces required by the zoning code will be provided. Sheerin seconded the amended motion. Wood invited findings of fact. Sheerin outlined the specific approval criteria for this special exception (14-SA-4F-5). Sheerin stated that for special exception EXCOS-00014 the findings are that it can be demonstrated that specific use has unique characteristics such that the Board may grant a special exception to reduce the number of required parking spaces up to 50% because during the peak parking period for this property there are a total of 66 spaces necessary to accommodate employees. Providing a total of 84 spaces leaves 18 spaces for visitor parking. Because of this, the required number of parking spaces is excessive. Sheerin went on to address the General Standards (14-4B-3). 1. The specific proposed exception will not be detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, comfort or general welfare. Sheerin said that the health, safety and welfare of the general public are not endangered by this special exception because the reduction would still provide an adequate number of parking spaces for employees and visitors. 2. The specific proposed exception will not be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other property in the immediate vicinity and will not substantially diminish or impair property values in the neighborhood. Iowa City Board of Adjustment August l3, 2008 Page 8 Sheerin maintained that the use would not be injurious to the use or enjoyment of the property in the neighborhood because allowing for a parking reduction still retains an adequate number of parking spaces for employees and visitors. 3. Establishment of the specific proposed exception will not impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of the surrounding property for uses permitted in the zone in which such property is located. The special exception will not impede development in the surrounding area because there are adequate setbacks, landscaping and screening, as illustrated on the site-plan, said Sheerin. 4. Adequate utilities, access roads, drainage and/or necessary facilities have been or are being provided. Sheerin noted that there are already adequate utilities, access roads and drainage for the subject property. 5. Adequate measures have been or will be taken to provide ingress or egress designed so as to minimize traffic congestion on public streets. Sheerin said that there is no issue with ingress or egress on the property because if the property was to expand or the number of employees was to increase in the future, the owner of the property will install additional parking spaces for the property. 6. Except for the specific regulations and standards applicable to the exception being considered, the specific proposed exception, in all other respects, conforms to the applicable regulations or standards of the zone on which it is to be located. Sheerin said that all other applicable regulations have been complied with. 7. The proposed use will be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, as amended. The use is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, Sheerin explained, because the Plan does emphasize methods for dealing with storm-water runoff, and by reducing the amount of paved surfaces and maintaining permeable surfaces, the reduction is consistent with the stated goal of the Comprehensive Plan. Sheerin said that she would vote in favor of the special exception as stated in the wording provided by Payne. Payne said that she would add to the findings of fact that traffic is not changing on the lot so there will be no changes to ingress and egress. Payne said that if lot-traffic changes in the future, the owner at that time will have to deal with changes of ingress and egress. Payne said that she too intended to vote for the motion. Iowa City Board of Adjustment August 13, 2008 Page 9 Leigh stated that the general and specific standards had been well-covered by her colleagues, and that she too intended to vote in favor of the motion. Thornton said that he agreed that the issues have been well-covered and he intended to vote in favor of the motion. Wood said he would vote in favor of the motion and that the findings of fact had been very thoroughly covered. Wood called for a vote. The motion carried 5-0. Wood declared the motion approved and stated that anyone wishing to appeal this decision to a court of record may do so within thirty days of the decision being filed with the City Clerk's Office. OTHER: None. BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT INFORMATION: Walz noted that Michelle Payne would be leaving her position with the Board of Adjustment and would be filling a seat on the Planning and Zoning Commission beginning August 18, 2008. Walz thanked Payne for her exemplary and thoughtful performance as a Board member. ADJOURNMENT: Payne motioned to adjourn the meeting. Leigh seconded. The motion to adjourn carried on a 5-0 vote. The meeting was adjourned at 5:52 p.m. 0 r O C N d ~ N O °v m Q ~ o ~ -a C L ~ m ~ Q 0 N r N r r O O r O r 07 M X X X X X n X X X X X X ~ X X co X ~ X X X O X X X X O X 0 X X X M M ~ X X X X N ~ ~ ~ i r Z i Z Z Z Z N O O M O O O ` ~- ~ N ~ ~ ~ ~ r ` r r Q O r O r O r O O O ~ W O O O O O O ~ O ,~ ~_ .~ ~ c~ ~ 0 0 a~ ~ c~i U ~. c ._ '~ c m Z , ~ ~ ~ O ~, ~ y ~ op ~ a2S ~ G r r ~ ~ L ~ ~ RS '~ ~ L m ~ N ~ -a a. a~ a o r U C i J ~ ~ d ~ ~ L c~ U ~ ~ ~ 'a ~ ~ ~ ~ > > U ~ o Y ~ ~. Z ~ ...Q W '~ ~ ~ U X O C ~ W ~ ~ N ~ ,~ ~ ~ ~ 0 ~ ~p 0 ~ Q Q Z Z w g X O O Z ~- w Y 4b 7 MINUTES FINAL Iowa City Airport Commission August 14, 2008 Iowa City Airport Terminal - 5:45 PM Members Present: Janelle Rettig, Howard Horan, Randy Hartwig, John Staley Members Absent: Greg Farris Staff Present: Sue Dulek, Michael Tharp Others Present: Peggy Slaughter, David Hughes, Phillip Woolford, Jay Honeck, John Dane, Dave Larson, Jason Honea, Harrel Timmons, Mike Hull RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: Approve a proposed easement to MidAmerican Energy. DETERMINE QUORUM: In the absence of Chairperson Farris, Secretary Rettig called the meeting to order at 5:47 P.M. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE JULY 10 AND AUGUST 4, 2008 MEETINGS: Hartwig stated that he did not have any changes or corrections to the July 10, 2008 minutes. ,Rettig stated that she has a clarification on page 2, Item C.i -Hertz lease. She noted that Staley amended this, but that the language he amended this to is not present in the minutes. Staley stated that it basically was that the financial components of the new agreement would be rolled back to August 1. Hartwig moved to approve the minutes of the July 10, 2008 meeting as amended; seconded by Horan. Carried 4-0. Hartwig moved to accept the minutes of the August 4, 2008 meeting as submitted; seconded by Rettig. Carried 4-0. PUBLIC DISCUSSION: Honeck spoke to those present about the discussion going on with the Friends of Iowa City Airport regarding the near-misses with spray operators recently. He stated that he hoped the Commission might discuss this issue, and that in the future, he would like to see some discussion take place before something happens. Iowa City Airport Commission August 14, 2008 Page 2 of 8 He added that communication is the key when operating at an uncontrolled airport. Rettig noted that the Commission is unable to have a discussion about anything not on tonight's agenda; however, they can listen to concerns. Rettig asked Honeck to speak to this, and he noted the serious safety issue that needs to be addressed in this situation. He suggested that Stutsman, who hires these pilots, talk to the pilots and let them know that they need to talk on the radio when utilizing the Iowa City Airport. Horan asked if these pilots can't be reported, and Honeck responded to this issue. The group briefly talked about the importance of using radios and letting others know what is happening when these short-term situations occur. Rettig asked for clarification from Woolford regarding some of these pilots "camping" at the Airport. She noted that this would not be allowed, and that she will ask the FBO for further comment on this. Mike Hull with the University of Iowa Air Care addressed the group next. He stated that two months ago they had amid-air collision in Arizona where two helicopters collided. Seven people were killed in this accident. He noted that this has prompted a discussion of safety across the nation. Out of these discussions, there is a request of the Commission regarding changing the pattern at the Airport to south traffic only. He noted how busy the helipad is at the University Hospitals, and how a change like this would enhance the safety for all who fly in this area. Staley noted that he would propose that at their September meeting they review safety matters, such as this request, and make any needed changes at that time. Honeck noted that the 90th anniversary of the Airport is approaching, and he suggested having t-shirts commemorating this event for sale. Rettig suggested using this as a fundraiser for the viewing area. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION: a. Aviation Commerce Park -Peggy Slaughter addressed the group. She stated that she does not have any current offers, but that the interest in these properties is quite high. She has had several new requests from flood victims looking to relocate their businesses. A brief discussion ensued regarding the flood plain map for this area, in light of this year's flooding. Slaughter added that with the possibility of the new Wal-Mart store back in the spotlight, she has actually seen an increase in calls for this area. Rettig then brought up the topic of what is owed on the Aviation Commerce Park land. Tharp noted that in the original accounting paperwork there was an error that was not caught until year-end transactions took place. This is when Deb Mansfield caught the error. Therefore, $92,000 is still owed on the loan for infrastructure. Rettig asked Tharp if he agreed with these numbers, to which he stated he did. Horan asked if they could get a detailed explanation of some of these items so they can have a better understanding of issues such as this. Tharp asked if the Commission would like to have Deb Mansfield and 2 Iowa City Airport Commission August 14, 2008 Page 3 of 8 Kevin O'Malley meet with them. Members stated that they would be agreeable to this, and Tharp will check into setting up such a meeting. b. Hertz -Jason Honea of Hertz addressed the group. Tharp noted that they have an agreement worked out, and that Members should have received a copy of this. He added that if there are no further changes, this should be ready to go. Rettig noted the memo that they received on building repairs, and Tharp spoke to the roof repairs. He spoke to several contractors about this, but received only one bid on the job. Tharp added that he is comfortable with this contractor as the sold bid, but that ultimately it is up to the Commission. Rettig asked what is needed for this repair, and Tharp explained further. He noted that there is leaking in approximately four areas. The cost for this repair is approximately $6,500. A discussion then began on the various repairs and upgrades that are needed at the Hertz building. Rettig stated her concerns in achieving these repairs and also meeting budget restrictions. She added that if Tharp is unable to obtain another roofing bid, she believes they should move forward with the submitted bid. Horan moved to repair the roof as discussed; seconded by Staley. Carried 4-0. i. Consider a Resolution Approving Lease -Rettig noted that she has two items to discuss on the Hertz lease. One item is that the City requires non-discrimination language in leases, and secondly, she talked about the over-flow stalls in the parking item on the lease. Hertz spoke to this, stating that there must have been some miscommunication. Rettig also spoke to having overflow stalls by the JetAir building. Hartwig also spoke to the overflow stalls and Hertz clarified this issue. Dulek briefly brought up a couple of changes that need to be made to the lease, such as incorrect dates and typos. Hartwig moved to Consider Resolution A08-26 to Approve the Hertz Lease as Amended; seconded by Horan. Carried 4-0. c. Dane/Carson Land Sale Request -John Dane introduced Dave Larson to the Commission. The discussion began with a review on the map of the land in question. This sale encompasses a desire to purchase the easement, in addition to the land surrounding. Dane and Larson responded to Members' questions regarding this sale and what the future plans are for this area. Dane stated that he would like to own the lane on his property, and would also like to open up his pasture more. Horan stated that he does not have any issues with this sale. Rettig stated that she feels she needs more information on this sale before making a decision. Dane further explained that the obstacle-free zone has changed and that this is what has prompted this desired sale. Dane stated that they need to know the Commission's decision by October, that they don't have to have an answer this evening. Larson noted that they do have a current appraisal on this. 3 Iowa City Airport Commission August 14, 2008 Page 4 of 8 d. Hangar #31 -Tharp noted that Members received a handout on this earlier this evening. He stated that this is a standard lease, with additional info on the no smoking regulations. Rettig asked Tharp for clarifications on this specific lease, to which he responded. i. Consider a Resolution Approving Lease with Interwest Equities - Staley moved to Consider Resolution A08-27 to Approve the Interwest Equities Lease; seconded by Horan. Carried 4-0. e. Consider a Motion to Adjourn to Executive Session to discuss strategy with Counsel in matters that are presently in litigation or where litigation is imminent where its disclosure would be likely to prejudice or disadvantage the position of the governmental body in that litigation. -Moved by Hartwig, seconded by Horan. Carried 4-0. (into Exec Session at 6:54 P.M, out at 7:09 P.M) £ FAA/IDOT Projects -Earth Tech -David Hughes i. Runway 7/25 -Hughes stated that they are pretty much on schedule with this project. Members asked questions of Hughes regarding the timeline changes. He noted the new date is October 24th. Horan noted that the lighting project was not completed within contract days, and Hughes agreed, stating that there are several things going on with this. Hughes gave further information to Members regarding the lighting portion of this project. Hughes stated that they are still awaiting further word from Qwest on their relocation portion of this. 1. Consider a Resolution Approving Supplemental Agreement No. 11 -Hartwig moved to Consider Resolution A08-28 Approving Supplemental Agreement No. 11; seconded by Staley. Carried 4-0. ii. South Aviation Development Study -Hughes stated that he has sent the final draft to the FAA for their comments. He contacted them earlier this week and was told that they should have the FAA's comments by next week. This will then enable them to close out the runway projects, among other things. Rettig asked questions of Hughes concerning her review of this study. iii. South Taxilane Rehab -Hughes briefly covered what is being proposed here. iv. 2008 Pavement Rehab (North Taxilanes) -Hughes noted that the plans and specs are out for this, with tonight being the public hearing. 1. Public Hearing -Rettig opened the public hearing. Hughes explained the type of pavement for this rehab project, and how it will hopefully spur some competition from contractors in the bidding process. Dulek noted that she made some minor changes to the bid notice, and she briefly explained these changes to Members. Rettig closed the public hearing. 4 Iowa City Airport Commission August 14, 2008 Page 5 of 8 2. Consider a Resolution Approving Plans, Specifications, Form of Contract, and Estimate on Cost for the Construction of 2008 Pavement Rehabilitation -Horan moved to Consider Resolution A08-29 Approving Plans, Specifications, as amended, Form of Contract, and Estimate on Cost for the Construction of 2008 Pavement Rehabilitation; seconded by Hartwig. Carried 4-0. v. Jet A Fuel System / AvGas Upgrade -Hughes noted that they have done some testing on the system, and a change was made to a filter in the system. This did make a positive change in the flow rate. vi. Terminal Apron Rehab -Hughes stated that they received part of the close-out paperwork from the contractor, but that there are still some missing pieces. Therefore, he asked that they delay this to the next meeting. vii. Obstruction Mitigation -Hughes stated that the contractor on the United hangar has been behind, but they are now about halfway through the project. MidAmerican has started their relocation work. Dulek addressed some of the problems they have run into with this relocation work. She explained what MidAmerican is wanting to do and how they will need an easement in order to proceed. The Members agreed that the Council should approve the requested easement. viii. Building H - U of I Hangar Expansion -Hughes stated that they have met with Tom's group and reviewed some cost-saving items. He stated that he has talked with several electrical contractors, and they are all very busy right now because of the flood-related work volume. He believes if they put this out to rebid, they could end up with an even higher bid amount. Hughes suggested they relook this project in a couple months, to see if they should then rebid. The bottom line is the project is too expense for all involved, at the current time. Hughes noted that the estimate was $354,000, and the bid came in at $479,000. Members agreed that more space is needed, and they continued to discuss how funding for this could be secured, and whether or not Tom could find a grant to help in this project. g. T-Hanger Contracts/Rates/Fees -Hartwig recused himself from this discussion due to a conflict of interest. The discussion began with Tharp noting that he has created three options: one being the $5.00 increment on B and C, as discussed previously; option two is a CPI inflator at 5 1/2%; and option three, a combination of the two. He explained his handout to the Members, giving specifics on how the increases would play out. Members discussed Tharp's proposals, asking for further clarification as they attempted to come to a consensus. Horan asked Tharp to clarify his proposal again. Iowa City Airport Commission August 14, 2008 Page 6 of 8 Tharp noted that his basic proposal was to increase hangars B and C by $5.00, which puts rates at $149 per month. Everybody else would stay at the same rate, according to Tharp. Rettig asked if they need a resolution in order to approve the lease, and Dulek responded. The discussion continued, with Members voicing their opinions on a rate increase. Rettig stated that they could use a smaller percentage of increase than the 5.53%. Staley suggested 3%, plus the $5.00 on B and C, rounding to the nearest dollar. Staley moved to Increase T-Hangar Rents by 3% Across the Board, Rounding to the Nearest Dollar, Using the Same T-Hangar Lease as Last Year, With the Addition of the Anti-Smoking Provision; seconded by Horan. Carried 3- 0 (Hartwig recused himself, and Farris absent). A brief discussion continued, with Members reviewing what the new rates will be. h. Airport "Operations"; Strategic Plan-Implementation; Budget; Management - Rettig spoke to page 3, local phone service, questioning the amount here. She also noted that they had had an informal discussion with JetAir regarding cleaning, and she asked if anything had been further decided here. Woolford stated that the current cleaning company is under contract until December. On page 4, fuel charge-back and vehicle repair and maintenance charge-back, Rettig asked why this amount is where it is. Tharp stated that most likely it's a timing issue. She also asked about the carryover amounts on page 6. Tharp stated there should be approximately $37,000 here. Rettig continued, asking for further clarification on items she has questions about. She asked about crack-sealing on the runway, and Tharp noted that this was originally part of the FAA grant, but that now they do not have enough money to fund this. Rettig then asked about the banners that are still up from Merschman Seeds, stating that she believes they should not still be up. She asked if Tharp had checked into this, and he noted that they put these up only when they have tours, which they had one today. He added that they have had quite a few events this summer. Rettig questioned the signage issue, stating that she believes they need to enforce this. Rettig stated that the City does have a sign ordinance, and she questions if these banners would be considered legal. FBO Staff Report -Woolford spoke to the Members, stating that he would like to comment briefly on the Merschman Seed issue. He noted that they have done a beautiful job in their set-up and he praised how nice it looks. He added that most agricultural plots located at airports are usually pretty mundane. He continued, stating that JetAir's charter business has suffered a big hit, now averaging around two trips per week. He stated that one factor is a lack of donors in the organ transplant system, which is due to less traffic and therefore less accidents. He also spoke about the decrease in traffic and decrease in speeds on the highways, and the fuel savings being seen because of this. He added that JetAir has sold around five jets since the first of the year, which has been a good thing in this economy. Woolford noted that the 6 Iowa City Airport Commission August 14, 2008 Page 7 of 8 Sertoma breakfast is coming up in a week and they have been preparing for this. Rettig spoke about an August 11th article from U.S.A. Today about security at small airports, and Woolford responded that they already do much of what was talked about in this article. Honeck added that Congress does not agree with this proposal, and that many Congressmen are proponents of the smaller airports. A brief discussion ensued regarding security and how smaller airports tend to know everybody who uses the airport, and that strangers do tend to stand out. Hartwig asked how they will handle the taxi- ing back that will need to happen with the various activities going on, such as football games, Sertoma, etc., and the increase in air traffic. Woolford addressed this, stating that they have been looking into this very issue. j. Subcommittees' Reports -Hartwig brought up the presentation on the viewing area, and Tharp further noted about this. k. Commission Members' Reports -Staley stated that the U of I Hospitals and Clinics would be interested in exploring placement of an air care hangar at the Airport. He asked that at the next meeting they put this on the agenda for the Commission's review. The Director of the Emergency Treatment Center will address the Members on this proposal, according to Staley. Horan noted that he has been taking photos of the United hangar demolition, showing the progression. Staff Report -Tharp noted that Sertoma is August 24th, and also that the City Manager's tour had to be rescheduled. He added that it was a good tour, and that the City Manager sat down for a brief discussion with them, as well. Tharp also added that he has been approached about the piece of land on Gilbert that the Airport owns. There is an interested party who wants to buy or lease in this area. Rettig stated that she is very interested in making some money on this property, and feels they should talk further about this. SET NEXT REGULAR MEETING FOR: Rettig asked if everyone plans on attending next month's meeting as she may not be able to make it. Staley suggested they move the time to 7:00 P.M. Members stated that they are flexible, and will keep it at 5:45 for now and can adjust it if necessary. Next meeting is: September 11, 2008 at 5:45 P.M. ADJOURN: Meeting adjourned at 8:44 P.M. CHAIRPERSON DATE 7 Iowa City Airport Commission August 14, 2008 Page 8 of 8 Airport Commission ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2008 (Meetinu Datesl NAME TERM EXP. 1/10 2/14 3/6 3/13 4/10 4/28 5/8 5/22 6/9 6/13 7/10 7/24 Randy Hartwig 3/1/09 X X X X X X X X O/E X X Greg Farris 3/1/13 X X X X X X X X X X X John Staley 3/1/10 X X X X X X X O/E O/E X X Howard Horan 3/1/14 X X --- X X X X X X X X Janelle Rettig 3/1/12 X X X X X X X O/E X X X (CONT.) TERM. EXP. 8/14 9/11 Randy Hartwig 3/1/09 X Greg Farris 3/1/13 O/E John Staley 3/1/10 X Howard Horan 3/1/14 X Janelle Rettig 3/1/12 X KEY: X =Present O =Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting --- = Not a Member 4b 8 "No quorum was present for the June 26 meeting, re-scheduled to July 7. No quorum was present for the July 7, re-scheduled to July 8" MINUTES FINAL Youth Advisory Commission July 8, 2008 Lobby Conference Room, City Hall Members Present: Green, Han, Malatek, Weeks Members Absent: Segar, Nelson Others Present: City Council Liaison Wilburn, City Clerk Karr Recommendations to Council: Removing the Iowa City residency restriction and opening up the high school age positions for all those currently enrolled in West, City, Regina, and Tate. Call to Order: Nelson and Segar were absent. Green nominated Malatek as temporary chair, Han seconded. Approved 4-0. 8:05 P.M. Approve Minutes: Green moved to approve the minutes. Han seconded. The minutes were approved 4-0. Update on Website: Karr reminded the Commission to submit pictures and release forms for the website. Youth Empowerment Grant: There were no new applications for the Youth Empowerment Grant. Summer of the Arts Update: Weeks informed the Commission that the event had been a success. Han added that painting flags and writing hieroglyphics had been a popular activity, but mummy-making was not, most likely because of the heat and the wind. Wilburn apologized for not being able to make it to the booth. Karr stated that the excess toilet paper had been donated to the Salvation Army for flood relief, and added that the cost for the event was well under the allotted budget. Malatek suggested that in the future the Commission take pictures to document the event and post on the website. Make up of 2008 Subcommittees: Green joined the recruitment subcommittee. Planning for 2008: Item was skipped until a meeting with more Commission members present. Staff Update: Karr noted the usefulness of a phone tree, but added that putting out cell phone numbers created a public record, and voiced concerns. The Commission agreed to share contact information on their own, so as to have a way to contact each other, check meeting times, and ensure quorums. Karr wondered whether email was the most effective way to transmit information such as upcoming meeting notices and materials. The Commission agreed that it would be best for information to be sent both by mail and electronically. Malatek suggested amending the bylaws to include either an incentive for attendance or a consequence for absences. Green opined that it would be easier to attend meetings if there were a set time, i.e. the second Monday of each month. Wilburn agreed, adding that a set meeting time would allow people to check their schedules several months ahead, thus avoiding last minute cancellations. Youth Advisory Commission July 8, 2008 Page 2 Review of Present Bylaws: The Commission discussed suggestions submitted by Commission Member Weeks: Article III -Membership 1) Start terms at the beginning of the school year, rather than January first, in order to avoid the loss of Commission members to college or career half-way through their terms. Karr added that this would work well with 9-month terms with a three month hiatus, starting in September or October and going until May or June; and the end of the term could be the Global Village event. Karr noted that this change would require a change in the resolution establishing the Commission. 2) Changing the age requirements to grade requirements in order solidify the trend the Commission has taken with three college-age members and four high schoolers, and to make it easier to recruit new members from the schools. Han and Malatek pointed out that more exposure for the Commission at the school and community levels is still needed. 3) Requiring at least one high-school age Commission member from West High and City High in order to represent both (a balance) of the most common high school experiences. In response to questions Weeks clarified that Regina, Tate, and home schooled were left off the list because to guarantee them spots would lead to disproportionate representation of those experiences - Regina, Tate, and home school students would still be able to serve on the Commission, but would not be guaranteed spots. Majority suggested a revision to read as follows: Persons currently in Iowa City high schools or high school equivalent, with consideration given to the diversity between schools. 4) Removing the Iowa City residency restriction and opening up the high school age positions for all those currently enrolled in West, City, Regina, and Tate. The majority of the Commission felt: o that a resident of Coralville attending West High and a resident of Iowa City have much the same youth experience; o YAC is a unique Commission in the community; o to exclude uniquely qualified members based solely on a residency which they have no control over (as students) seems self-defeating; and o That home school students living in Coralville, North Liberty, Hills, etc, would still not meet requirements to be on the Commission, since their youth experience varies drastically from that of a student of an Iowa City-based school. Members expressed support for the proposal. Council Member Wilburn and City Clerk Karr reviewed the City policy to appoint Iowa City residents to City Boards and Commissions. After discussion, Council Member Wilburn offered to approach the City Council at their next meeting and get a feel of how they might feel about such a change, and report back to the Commission at their next meeting. 5) Having a quorum be the majority of filled positions, rather than a majority of all positions. The Commission was not in favor of this proposal. 6) Scheduling a regular meeting and an alternate time each month. City Clerk Karr outlined the procedure to amend the by-laws as follows: a) Commission action/recommendation to Council b) Council referral to the Council Rules Committee c) Formal action by City Council at formal meeting Youth Advisory Commission July 8, 2008 Page 3 The City Clerk was directed to prepare a mock up of the by-laws for further discussion at the next meeting. Public Discussion: None Announcements/Invitations: Wilburn suggested that he contact representatives from the schools to attend one of the Commissions upcoming meetings Meeting Schedule: The next meeting was scheduled for August 20th at 7:30 PM. Adjournment: Motioned by Han, seconded by Weeks. Approved 4-0. Meeting was adjourned at 9:17 pm. Minutes prepared by Weeks. YOUTH ADVISORY COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2008 (Meeting Date) NAME TERM 1/16 2/25 4/21 5/14 6/26 7/7 7/8 EXP. 12/31 /09 O/E O/E O/E X O/E X X Hannah Green 12/31 /09 X X O/E O/E X X X Michelle Han 12/31 /08 X X X X X O/E O/E Michael Nelson David Segar 12/31/08 X X X O/E O/E O O/E Lin Weeks 12/31/08 X X X X X X X Danielle 12/31/09 --- --- X X O O/E X Malatek 12/31 /09 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Vacant KEY: X =Present O =Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting --- = Not a Member