HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-11-18 Bd Comm minutes
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Iowa City Airport Comm
October 1, 2008
Page 1 of 3
MINUTES FINAL
Iowa City Airport Commission
October 1, 2008
Iowa City Airport Terminal - 5:45 PM
Members Present: Howard Horan, Chair; Randy Hartwig; Greg Farris; Janelle Rettig;
John Staley
Members Absent:
Staff Present: Michael Tharp, Deb Mansfield
Others Present:
DETERMINE QUORUM:
The meeting was called to order at 5:55 P.M. by Chairperson Farris.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION:
Budget Work Session -Farris introduced Deb Mansfield and set the meeting
schedule. Mansfield presented the commission with information regarding
schedules for the budget and how the worksheets are compiled.
Mansfield described the different forms and how they were used to put the
final numbers into the budget. Members asked questions regarding the
schedules to which Mansfield responded. Horan Arrived at 6:10pm
Mansfield also discussed the Aviation Commerce park loan, Tharp asked
via email regarding the payment of the loan principle. Mansfield
responded that in years there are no sales, there was some negative
amortization which increased the overall loan cost. Rettig asked
questions regarding current hangar loans and Mansfield responded.
Rettig asked about how the state grants get put into the books since those
only appear on a yearly basis out of the city budget cycle. Members
discussed how to plan state grants similar to federal grants which operate
on a longer planning cycle. Staley arrived at 6:30pm. Members discussed
the possible funding methods and the time frame to use the grant.
Members asked about the general levy fund and how some of the
changes in the fund levels were being changed after the commission had
been submitting it. Mansfield related that some of the grant match funds
were coming from the general levy instead of bonds, and that when they
did that, those were being reflected in the general levy account to show
they were being used for airport project. Those funds were being used
primarily for the state grants which were occurring off the normal budget
cycle. This then changed the overall summary account which was
reflected in the general levy contributions to the airport. Mansfield
Iowa City Airport Commission
October 1, 2008
Page 2 of 3
discussed the funding issue regarding the proposed corporate hangar.
The airport commission received a grant offer for FY2009, however the
local share isn't programmed until FY2011. Rettig left meeting at 7:00
Members asked about setting up a reserve fund to help cover major
repairs which otherwise aren't being budgeted for. Mansfield described
the issues with trying to set up a reserve fund in different scenarios as
they related to the city levy accounts.
Farris discussed the FY2010 budget that he, Rettig, and Tharp had
developed. He stated they had come up with a status quo budget to
maintain current levels with the exception of personnel. Farris stated that
they were budgeting fora 75% Operations Specialist position. Farris
stated that this would make the position exempt to stabilize the budget
numbers.
Horan moved to approve the FY2010 budget as developed and
presented by the Chair, seconded by Hartwig. Motion Approved 4-0
Rettig Absent
ADJOURN:
Meeting adjourned at 7:55 P.M.
CHAIRPERSON
DATE
2
Iowa City Airport Commission
October 1, 2008
Page 3 of 3
Airport Commission
ATTENDANCE RECORD
YEAR 2008
(Mnatina TlatPC1
NAME TERM
EXP. 1/10 2/14 3/6 3/13vv~ 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 Meeting
cancelled
Greg Farris 3/1/13 X X X X X X X X X X X Meeting
cancelled
John Staley 3/1/10 X X X X X X X O/E O/E X X Meeting
cancelled
Howard Horan 3/1/14 X X --- X X X X X X X X Meeting
cancelled
Janelle Rettig 3/1/12 X X X X X X X O/E X X X Meeting
cancelled
(CONT.)
TERM.
EXP. 8/14 9/11 10/1
Randy Hartwig 3/1/09 X X X
Greg Farris 3/1/13 O/E X X
John Staley 3/1/10 X X X
Howard Horan 3/1/14 X X X
Janelle Rettig 3/1/12 X X X
KEY; X =Present
O =Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
NM = No meeting
--- = Not a Member
3b 2
MINUTES FINAL
Iowa City Airport Commission
September 11, 2008
Iowa City Airport Terminal - 5:45 PM
Members Present: Greg Farris, Janelle Rettig, Howard Horan, Randy Hartwig, John
Staley
Staff Present: Sue Dulek, Michael Tharp
Others Present: David Hughes, Phillip Woolford, Dave Larson, Harrel Timmons,
Minnetta Gardinier, Diane Lamb, Jeff Graham, John Shive, Brian
Douglas
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL:
DETERMINE QUORUM:
The meeting was called to order at 5:49 P.M.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE AUGUST 14, 2008 MEETINGS:
Farris asked if anyone had any comments or changes to the August 14 minutes. Hartwig
stated that he had a couple items. He asked if the name shouldn't be "Mike Hall" on the
minutes, instead of "Hull." He also pointed out under Public Discussion, where the topic
was about the activities of the crop dusters, that it is not illegal for them to not have
radios. He didn't feel that this was clear here. Hartwig also noted on page 4, paragraph
F, Runway 7/25, that he would like to clarify this, as well. He believes there is some
information out there that the runway would be done by the first football game. He
wanted to highlight that the date is for October. Dulek asked Tharp to check the
recording from the meeting to see what date was stated, in order to correct the minutes as
discussed. Hartwig also noted on page 3, where it states that Dane introduced Larson,
that it was the other way around. Horan moved to approve the minutes of the August
14, 2008 meeting as amended; seconded by Staley. Carried 3-0; Farris abstaining
and Rettig not present.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION:
None.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION:
Iowa City Airport Commission
September 11, 2008
Page 2 of 9
a. Aviation Commerce Park -Tharp reported that he spoke to Peggy Slaughter
earlier today. She did not have any updates for the Commission, but did relay
that she is going back to some of the larger developers who had shown
interest. Hartwig stated that the ITC building is coming along nicely, and he
believes they take possession soon.
b. Request for permission to sublease Hangar #16 -Farris noted that Members
should have a letter regarding this sublease request. Hartwig noted that he
appreciates that Forrest Holly asked. permission from the Commission. He
added that he has no problem with the request, but added that he would like to
make sure that the person who will be subleasing knows that if Forrest Holly
does not continue his lease, once it expires it would go to the next person on
the waiting list, and not the subleasee. Horan and Staley both agreed with
this. Staley moved to approve the sublease as presented, seconded by
Horan. Carried 4-0, Rettig absent.
Hartwig moved to discuss Item 4.c. until after Item 4.f.; Staley seconded. Carried 4-
0, Rettig absent. Tharp noted that he had received a phone call earlier from Mr. Larson,
stating that he would be at tonight's meeting.
c. Dane/Carson Land Sale Request -
(Rettig arrived at the meeting.)
d. University of Iowa Aircare Facility -Staley noted for the record that he would
recuse himself from this item due to a conflict of interest. He then introduced
Diane Lamb, Nurse Manager for Aircare. Lamb introduced Jeff Graham,
Aviation Site Manager and Lead Mechanic, and John Shive, Lead Mechanic.
She began with a review of what Aircare is, noting that it was the first
hospital-based program in the State. Their first flight was April 1 of 1979. In
1988, a second helicopter was added to the program, and is housed in
Waterloo. An average of 1,000 patient transports are performed each year.
The majority of them terminate here in Iowa City, according to Lamb. Lamb
further explained what aircraft they currently use, noting that she put some
information in the handout for the Members' review on this. She noted that
she also included some maps, showing Members the response area that they
cover. Lamb stated that presently their hangar facility is located on the
Oakdale Campus of the University.
Lamb continued her presentation, stating that what they would be looking for
in a new hangar would be more floor space, one that could handle three
helicopters, would be optimal. They also need some storage room for parts, as
all of the maintenance is performed here. An office area and crew quarters are
also a necessity. Emergency power was also noted as being very important, as
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Iowa City Airport Commission
September 11, 2008
Page 3 of 9
are security and fire protection. Lamb continued, stating that in bringing this
presentation to the Commission, they hope to open some discussion about
bringing such a hangar to the Airport and working with the Commission to get
to this goal.
Tharp asked what the timeline is for this, and Lamb stated it would be two
years, that there is a lot of construction going on at the Oakdale Campus, and
things are beginning to move rapidly. Therefore, it is important that they get
this issue resolved soon. Rettig asked Lamb for some clarification on their
operations. Members then began a discussion, stating that location would be
the most likely starting point, and they would need to see what is feasible.
Lamb stated that everything is open at this point, whether the University
would own or lease, and items such as this. Rettig explained how the FAA
grants and funding play into the Airport's operations and how they would
most likely need to handle something like this. She added that for the Airport
to be able to build such a hangar within two years would be problematic, in
her view, as they would have to borrow the money in order to build.
The discussion turned to the cost of an 80 X 80 building, which is estimated to
be around $750,000 (without any extras such as an office), and would easily
be in the million dollar range with added amenities, such as fuel storage, crew
quarters, emergency power, etc. Horan stated that he understands what Rettig
is saying, but he questions the City putting something like this in their bond
process with a 12-year payback. He believes having this operation at the
Airport would be a great idea.
Hartwig stated that he believes they should identify areas within the Airport
that would work well for such a hangar. Members agreed that having the
Aircare operation at the Airport would be a great idea, and they noted that
they need to find out the best way to go about achieving this goal. Hartwig
suggested a subcommittee be formed to begin this process. Farris noted that
location and funding are definitely major beginning points, and he agreed that
a subcommittee should be formed. Horan and Hartwig both volunteered to be
on the subcommittee, and will work with Tharp on this. Members continued
to discuss the best way to begin on this endeavor. Horan suggested that
Aircare also come up with some sort of package to present, now that the
discussion has started. Rettig pondered if the two different departments at the
University couldn't come up with a way to share hangar space, some way to
achieve what both need.
e. Airport Safety -Traffic Pattern Operations -Hartwig spoke to this item,
stating that he believes they need to discuss this thoroughly so they get
everyone's input. The net effect of this would be that there would be as much
traffic as possible to the south of the Airport, versus being over the heavier
populated areas. Farris brought up that Burlington has a pattern like this.
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Iowa City Airport Commission
September 11, 2008
Page 4 of 9
Hartwig noted that Ames does, as well. Jet Air spoke to this item, as well,
giving their perspective on a right turn departure. Rettig asked how they
would go about changing this pattern, and Tharp responded with the FAA's
regulations. The discussion continued, with Members raising their concerns.
Graham spoke about the air traffic around the U of I Hospitals and the need to
make this as safe as possible, too. Rettig stated that she would like to give
patrons of the Airport a chance to speak to this before they make any final
decisions. Tharp explained the steps that they would follow if they decide to
go through a public input process on a pattern change. Staley asked if
someone could point out on the map what the exact change would be, and
Tharp did this for those present. Farris suggested that Tharp look into this
issue further and put together a schedule of steps they would need to take.
Rettig moved to begin the process of considering aright-turn departure,
seconded by Horan. Carried 5-0.
£ FAA/IDOT Projects -Earth Tech -David Hughes
i. Runway 7/25 -Hughes stated that this project is going well. They
have two more lanes to pave, and hope to have this done mid- to
late next week, depending on weather. After the concrete cures,
they can do the asphalt-filling portion of the project. October 20tH
is the projected completion date for this. The FAA was in town
yesterday, and did a site visit with Hughes on the project.
ii. South Aviation Development Study -Hughes stated that they have
received comments from the FAA on this. They are reviewing
these, and Hughes hopes to discuss these in more detail at a
conference next week. He noted that there is a presentation with
City staff on the 18t'' at 1:30 to go over these comments. He
further explained what they would need to get done before
anything could take place in the South Aviation area. Hartwig
asked Hughes when the upcoming FAA conference is in Kansas
City. Hughes responded that next Tuesday and Wednesday are the
conference dates.
iii. South Taxilane Rehab -Hughes stated that they do have a
contractor for this, and he is awaiting parts before he can start.
This will tie the drainage into the storm sewer system.
iv. 2008 Pavement Rehab (North Taxilanes)- Hughes stated that they
did receive three bids, one for asphalt and two for concrete. The
low bid was higher than the engineer's estimate. In talking to the
State, however, Hughes stated they might be able to obtain more
funds for this. Hartwig asked what the timeframe is for this, noting
his concern for the construction season ending if the weather gets
bad. He asked if the State would agree to a springtime start, but
Dulek noted that they couldn't award a contract now and have the
job done next year. Discussion continued, with Hughes stating
what the numbers are: project application $175,050, with the grant
4
Iowa City Airport Commission
September 11, 2008
Page 5 of 9
being 40% of this. This requires $12,000 plus from the State, in
order to complete this. The City then needs to have 15% or around
$3,000. Members continued to discuss their options on this matter,
and it was noted they could award this contingent on the financing.
Rettig moved to Consider Resolution #A08-30 Accepting Bids
and Awarding Contract, Contingent Upon Financing;
seconded by Horan. Carried 5-0. Hartwig suggested that Tharp.
put something together for the tenants so they know what is going
on, as well.
v. Jet A Fuel System / AvGas Upgrade -Hughes stated they are
awaiting some final OEM manuals on this, and once received, they
should be ready to close this out.
vi. Terminal Apron Rehab -All closeout documents have been
received, and Hughes is recommending approval of accepting this
work. Rettig moved to Consider Resolution #A08-31 Accepting
the Terminal Apron Rehab Work, seconded by Hartwig.
Carried 5-0.
vii. Obstruction Mitigation -Hughes stated the contractor is behind on
his contract days with the hangar removal. He has been notified of
this. Horan asked further about this, and Hughes responded.
Hughes added that MidAmerican is still working on their
relocation efforts.
viii. Building H -Hughes stated that they spoke with some electrical
contractors, and they do not feel they should put this out to bid
again quite yet. Rettig noted that she wants to be clear in regards
to an email she received, that she feels they have done everything
they can to build this hangar. Due to the current conditions,
however, and the University's cap on what they can pay, there is
no way that the Airport can proceed with the bid they received.
Rettig noted that she would like to see them stay at the Airport, but
she again stated that the bids were too high and they had to reject
them for that reason. Hughes suggested getting this project under
contract sometime in February.
(Item 4. c. Dane/Carson Land Sale Request)
Tharp stated that he does not have any further information on this, but he
thought Mr. Larson might. Mr. Larson stated that he has nothing further for
the Commission. Tharp noted they still need FAA release before they can do
this, and would need a full proposal in order to do this. Rettig asked if there
are any safety concerns for this area, and Hughes replied. Discussion
continued, with Members agreeing that a current appraisal needs to be done.
There is a May 2007 appraisal available, and Dulek noted that they could
check with the FAA to see if they can use this.
5
Iowa City Airport Commission
September 11, 2008
Page 6 of 9
g. Airport "Operations"; Strategic Plan-Implementation; Budget; Management -
Rettig asked Tharp about a couple line items, and he explained what the
charges were for. She noted that she believes they need to have a monthly
mechanical budget to cover these types of things. Tharp stated that City staff
is willing to meet with them in a work type session to explain these types of
things, and to allow Members to ask whatever questions they may have.
Tharp asked if Members would like for him to do this. He then asked that
Members email him as soon as possible so that he can set up a meeting with
City staff to cover budget questions. The discussion turned to the FY10
budget packets, which are due by October 2°d. Farris noted that they can
either review this at a working session, or they can have a subcommittee go
through and report to the Commission as a whole. Members decided to set up
a subcommittee to review the budget. Rettig and Farris volunteered to take on
this task with Tharp. Rettig stated that if others have capitol improvement
issues to let them know before they do the budget review so they can keep
these things in mind. Rettig noted some of the differences from budgeted to
final in the budget numbers.
h. Engineering Consultant Selection -Tharp stated that they need to have a new
contract in place for the next Federal grant cycle. They either do a 5-year
plan, or they do this process for every FAA project, each year. After some
discussion, Tharp noted that the FAA is agreeable to the 5-year plan being
discussed. Hartwig noted that he believes there is a benefit to the 5-year,
versus a yearly. Tharp added that they could either set up a subcommittee to
review this, or have the entire Commission review for this consultant
selection. Hartwig stated that he would be in favor of Tharp and Farris doing
a review. Rettig spoke about a scoring method on these qualifications, and
whether the FAA has this sort of thing. Tharp noted that under Selection
Process, Item #2, there is a list of 20 or so selection criteria they can work
from. Members continued to discuss how they would like to proceed with this
and what specifications they may have. Tharp noted that they need to have
something in place by the end of November for a recommendation. Horan
moved to approve the process for Request for Qualifications, seconded by
Rettig. Carried 5-0. The subcommittee will consist of Hartwig, as well as
City staff.
FBO Staff Report -Timmons addressed Members, stating that once again the
Iowa City Airport is going to be on the national horizon. It is the 90th year of
the U.S. Air Routes and the U.S. Post Office and a large group out of
California have put together a group of the old original airplanes that actually
flew these routes. They are flying from New York to San Francisco, and are
stopping at selected routes along the way. Possibly due to the connection with
the Stearman group, the Iowa City Airport is one of the stops. At each stop, a
lot of news media have shown up, and tomorrow, he stated, they plan to be in
Iowa City, weather permitting. Timmons stated that they have started to see
6
Iowa City Airport Commission
September 11, 2008
Page 7 of 9
an increase in business, though things are still down from where they had
been. Additionally, he briefly addressed the Building H issue, and also the
importance of fuel sales at the Airport. The University Aircare issue was
discussed too at some length with respect to fuel sales.
Subcommittees' Reports -Farris noted the various subcommittees that they
set up this evening. He also addressed the viewing area, noting that the shelter
is up and shingled. He stated that they hope to address the concrete pad and
sidewalk needs with other concrete projects at the Airport. Farris then talked
about the "Take Flight" exhibit at the Children's' Museum, and a possible
partnership with them on a special project.
k. Commission Members' Reports -Hartwig spoke to the Air Mail flights. He
also mentioned the biplanes over the weekend, and noted that there were a lot
of people going up for flights. Hartwig also spoke to the runway completion
and having some kind of official opening ceremony for this. Farris asked if
anyone wanted to volunteer to plan this. Hartwig suggested they think about
the first take off and first landing too. Rettig noted that the Natural Resources
Commission was in Bellevue today, and several attendees flew in on a Cessna.
She also noted that today is September 1 lth, and that there are still security
risks in general aviation and that awareness should continue to be maintained.
Horan stated that the pancake breakfast enjoyed a beautiful day. Farris
apologized for missing last month's meeting and thanked Rettig for chairing
the meeting. He also thanked Horan for the meeting he participated in. Farris
noted that he was at the City Council meeting this past Tuesday and he spoke
to them about the Airport's projects. He spoke about the AIP tour yesterday,
and stated it was mostly a cursory review.
1. Staff Report -Tharp spoke to the meeting that he and Horan took part in with
the State. He hopes to have a final report soon. Rettig then asked about the
roofing projects, and Tharp stated that he did obtain a second bid on this. The
final cost is right now about half of what they originally estimated. However,
he has been made aware of a couple spots that need some repair still. The
Hertz roof has been completed, and the drywall will be repaired next,
according to Tharp.
Iowa City Airport Commission
September 11, 2008
Page 8 of 9
SET NEXT REGULAR MEETING FOR: October 9, 2008 at 5:45 P.M. Rettig noted
that she might not make this meeting due to a prior engagement.
ADJOURN: Hartwig moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:18 P.M., seconded by
Rettig. Carried 5-0.
CHAIRPERSON
DATE
Iowa City Airport Commission
September 11, 2008
Page 9 of 9
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 Meeting
cancelled
Greg Farris 3/1/13 X X X X X X X X X X X Meeting
cancelled
John Staley 3/1/10 X X X X X X X O/E O/E X X Meeting
cancelled
Howard Horan 3/1/14 X X --- X X X X X X X X Meeting
cancelled
Janelle Rettig 3/1/12 X X X X X X X O/E X X X Meeting
cancelled
(CONT.)
TERM.
EXP. 8/14 9/11
Randy Hartwig 3/1/09 X X
Greg Farris 3/1/13 O/E X
John Staley 3/1/10 X X
Howard Horan 3/1/14 X X
Janelle Rettig 3/1/12 X X
KEY: X =Present
O =Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
NM = No meeting
--- = Not a Member
9
3b 3
MINUTES
Youth Advisory Commission
September 15, 2008
Harvat Hall, City Hall, 7:30PM
Members Present: Diamitani, Green, Han, Nelson
Members Absent: Malatek
Others Present: City Council Liaison Wilburn, City Clerk Karr
Recommendations to Council: Adopt revised By-Laws.
Call to Order: Motioned by Nelson, seconded by Han. Approved 4-0. 7:35PM
FINAL
Approve minutes: Green moved to approve the minutes. Han seconded. The minutes were approved 4-0.
Introduction of new Member: Patrick Diamitani introduced himself to all present and begins his term as
a member.
Election of new Secretary: In resignation of Weeks, there was an election for a new secretary. Green
nominated Han for the position, and the motion was seconded by Nelson. Han was elected 4-0.
Review and approve annual report: Nelson moved to approve the report. Han seconded. The annual
report was approved 4-0.
Update on website: Karr asked that members submit updates for the website as needed. Nelson then
discussed the face book advertisements and pointed out the upward trends in the total number of clicks
and impressions made and asked if the traffic in the Youth Advisory Commission website could be
checked as well. He added that because of a drastic jump in the cost of the advertisements, however, it
would be advisable to cut spending in face book.
Youth Empowerment Grant: Members suggested new ways for the Youth Empowerment Grant to be
used that would increase participation of local youth including: holding a public discussion meeting
where there would be active participation from interested youth in the area; a political event where
students could discuss current politics. Karr and Wilburn reminded the commission that the above
mentioned items were not included in the agenda and should be added to the next meeting agenda for
further discussion.
Diamitani suggested that he would ask the West High Student Senate members if any students would be
interested. He also mentioned that he would encourage members to apply for the Youth Empowerment
Grant, adding that ongoing projects with a sponsor could also apply for aid. Karr will provide
information on the grant to Diamitani.
Make up of 2008-09 Subcommittees: With Segar's resignation and with the addition of a new member,
there were changes made to the make up of the subcommittees. Diamitani and Green volunteered to join
the Summer of the Arts committee. Green also said she would be able to help with the Recruitment
Committee. No other changes were made.
Public Discussion: none
Youth Advisory Commission
September 15, 2008
Page 2
Continued Review of present By-Laws: Members agreed that the changes made to Article III,
Membership that clarified the eligibility of future commission members were satisfactory. Han noted that
Article V, Section A, outlining the election of officers should also be modified to fit the new schedule as
well. Karr voiced that the two most logical choices for the changed date for the elections of new officers
would be either the end of the calendar year or late in the school year. Han suggested the month of March,
and majority agreed. No other suggestions concerning further review of the By-laws were made. The By-
laws will be forwarded to the City Council for approval.
Goals and Plannins for 2008: Discussion continued from the brief discussion from the Youth
Empowerment Grant. It was agreed that a heading of Youth Input would be added to the agenda for the
next meeting. Green also suggested that organization of a discussion session about the election or current
politics in general for interested youth could also be discussed during that time.
Student Citizenship Awards: Diamitani asked for clarification on exactly what the Student Citizenship
Awards were. Karr gave a brief explanation on what it was and what commission members would be
doing at the presentation of the awards. Karr added that it would be best to have at least two members -
one primary and one back up -who would be present at the presentation of the awards to ensure that there
would be a commission member present. The following 2008 schedule was agreed upon:
Roosevelt Elementary -October 6 -Nelson
Weber Elementary -October 21 - Diamitani/Nelson
Mark Twain Elementary -November 3 -Green/Han
Shimek Elementary -November 18 - Green/Han
Lincoln Elementary -December 2 - Han/Nelson
Horace Mann Elementary -December 16 -OPEN
It was agreed to wait until further appointments are made to the Commission to discuss 2009 dates.
Staff Update: Council Liaison Wilburn reported on a session at the State League of Cities meeting on
Youth involvement and a booklet entitled "Building Effective Youth Councils" distributed at the session.
City Clerk Karr will include copies of the publication in the next packet. Wilburn also shared an
invitation from a Council Member in Davenport to have a joint meet of Iowa City and Davenport Youth
Commissions.
Announcements/Invitations/Events/Opportunities: None
Meeting Schedule: Green suggested that a meeting before the usual one month period should be held to
allow for further planning of a youth input meeting and other possible programs for further participation
from youth. It was suggested that a meeting be scheduled Wednesday, September 24, at 7:30 PM or
Monday, September 29, at 7:30 PM for further discussion of a youth forum. Nelson may participate via
phone for the September meeting. A potential youth forum date of October 7 was mentioned.
Meeting adjourned 8:50 PM.
Prepared by Han
YOUTH ADVISORY COMMISSION
ATTENDANCE RECORD
YEAR 2008
(Meeting Date)
NAME TERM
EXP. 1/16 2/25 3/24 4/21 5/14 6/26 7/7 7/8 8/20 9/15
Hannah
Green 12/31/09 O/E O/E NM O/E X NM NM X NM X
Michelle
Han 12/31/09 X X NM O/E O/E NM NM X NM X
Michael
Nelson 12/31/08 X X NM X X NM NM O/E NM X
David
Sc ar 12/31/08 X X NM X O/E NM NM O/E NM ---
Lin Weeks 12/31/08 X X NM X X NM NM X NM ---
Danielle
Malatek 12/31/09 --- --- NM X X NM NM X NM O/E
Patrick
Diamitani 12/31/09 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -"- X
KEY: X =Present
O =Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
NM = No meeting
--- = Not a Member
3b 4
MINUTES APPROVED
PUBLIC ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2008
LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM -CITY HALL
Members Present: Patrick Carney, Annadora Khan, Terry Trueblood, Rick Fosse,
Mark Seabold, Jan Finlayson
Members Absent: DaLayne Williamson
Staff Present: Marcia Klingaman, Nate Kabat
Public Present: University of Iowa Journalism Students: Robert Lotzer, Kelsey
Richards, Erin Fey, Brandon Bearbower, Brittney Wichtendahl,
Tina Lee; Dan Kinney, Tate High School Art Teacher
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL
Recommend approval of contributing $500 for a mural to be painted on the
Wetherby Park shelter by students of Tate High School, Grant Wood Elementray
School and Mark Twain Elementary School. Moved by Finlayson. Seconded by
Trueblood. Motion passed 6:0.
CALL TO ORDER
Seabold called the meeting to order at 3:04 PM.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA
None
CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE JUNE 5. 2008 MEETING
MOTION: Finlayson moved to approve the minutes; Fosse seconded. The motion
passed 6:0.
COMMUNITY INITIATED ART PROPOSAL - TATE HIGH SCHOOL/WETHERBY PARK
Dan Kinney, an art teacher at Tate High School, presented his proposal for a mural
project to be done in the Wetherby Park shelter. Kinney had contacted Klingaman about
3 weeks prior to the meeting to discuss the proposal. Klingaman explained the project is
in line with other community initiated efforts that have lead up to the shelter's current
state.
Kinney explained the mural would be painted on the ceiling and main wall on the interior
of the shelter. Kinney explained the practical purpose of the project would be to
counteract the large amount of graffiti being painted on the shelter. Kinney is modeling
this anti-graffiti effort after similar mural projects in Minneapolis that worked to deter
illegal graffiti. Kinney thought this type of project would be positive for his students at
Tate, who he explained are kids who don't fit well into the general education system and
Iowa City Public Art Advisory Committee Minutes
September 4, 2008
Page 2
considered to be at risk and in need of extra assistance in school. Kinney showed the
committee that he has done other mural projects before in Mexico, New York City, and
Minneapolis.
Kinney said the objective of the project would be to incorporate the current planet Earth
theme of the shelter adding Iowa City symbols to convey a sense of unity and
community. Kinney explained he, along with his Tate High School students, would take
the lead on the project while incorporating efforts of students at Mark Twain and Grant
Wood Elementary Schools as well. Klingaman noted the involvement of all these
students would lead to neighborhood involvement and ownership. The general design
concept is to paint the ceiling of the shelter as half day and half night time sky. The main
wall would display a cornfield with a neighborhood growing from it symbolizing Iowa City
community growth. The forefront of the mural would incorporate a rainbow, symbolizing
diversity; a nature scene, symbolizing connectedness to nature; and prominent figures of
Iowa City's past like Mr. Wetherby, Elizabeth Tate, and Irving Weber.
Kinney told the committee he was asking for about $423.40 to cover the cost of plywood
and surface safe, which would seal the mural to ensure longevity. The plywood would be
used to create a painting surface for the ceiling portion of the mural. Seabold suggested
Kinney look at the Habitat Restore for discounted plywood. Klingaman said Nagle
Lumber might be willing to donate or discount supplies as well. Klingaman asked Kinney
for a high figure. Kinney said $500 would be the highest amount he would need. More
than that would offset costs being covered by Iowa City Community School District.
Trueblood asked how the plywood would be attached to the ceiling. Kinney said he
would take care of installation using screws to secure the boards with the help of
volunteers from the neighborhood. The plywood would be 4x8 sheets cut into a
trapezoidal shape to fit. Klingaman explained the inside of the shelter ceiling is currently
exposed beams, so the plywood would be needed to create a flat painting surface.
Carney asked if the project would be permanent, Kinney said it would be. Seabold
asked about possibly painting the back of the shelter wall. Kinney said that might be a
future project, but for now the project focused on the interior portion of the shelter.
Trueblood asked if the mural would include the bathroom doors. Kinney said it would.
Trueblood explained the original shelter was built with donated funds, and a plaque is
displayed for that purpose. Trueblood believed it would be ok to move the plaque
though, but asked that the bathroom signs be incorporated into the mural. Fosse
suggested a test panel be made to ensure the graffiti sealer would work. Klingaman said
she would ask Park and Rec if the sealer is compatible with their needs.
The committee expressed interest in supporting the project. Kinney hoped to begin on
September 8, 2008. Seabold suggested notifying the neighborhood of the project.
Trueblood suggested notifying the Police Department. Kinney suggested posting a sign
to explain the project.
MOTION: Finlayson moved to recommend approval of $500 to purchase the plywood
and anti-graffiti sealant needed for the Wetherby Park mural project to be painted in the
shelter. Seconded by Trueblood. Motion passed 6:0.
Iowa City Public Art Advisory Committee Minutes
September 4, 2008
Page 3
CONTINUED DISCUSSION REGARDING FUTURE WATERWORKS PRAIRIE PARK
ARTWORK
Klingaman reminded the committee about past discussions to begin an art project at the
Waterworks Park in either the pond area or the planned amphitheater. Since the last
meeting Kahn and Klingman had gone through the artist database and selected viable
artist options for the project. Klingaman suggested the committee think about whether
they want to look outside of Iowa for an artist. Klingaman proceeded to show the
committee websites of the artists she and Kahn had selected as possibilities. Artists
viewed included: Judy Baffles, Liberty Iron Works, Tom Newport, John Mishler, Rob
Lorenson, Ruberstein Studios, Kenneth Thompson, and Peter Busby.
Fosse said he likes a project Liberty Iron Works had done of corrugated pipe designed to
look like fish. Seabold asked if a fountain would be possible, Fosse said he would rather
not due to the energy needs of a fountain. Klingaman expressed interest in Liberty Iron
Works because they are a local artist who does large scale projects and the price is
reasonable. Finlayson and Seabold agreed that their product seemed to be in line with
the committee's vision.
Fosse questioned the idea of doing a project on the amphitheater. He thought it might
not be the optimal location due to lack of general visibility. Fosse suggested other areas
of the park might be more accessible for displaying artwork.
Finlayson asked what the next step would be after selecting an artist. Klingaman
suggested it would be best to give the artist an ideal budget to avoid the escalating costs
that happened with the pool project. Trueblood added it would be good to give the artist
a general description of the committee's vision for the project. Klingaman said the
general description should include parameters like scale, theme and location.
Klingaman asked the committee about location. Seabold asked if the pond is accessible
to canoeing or kayaking. Trueblood said it wouldn't be illegal for someone to canoe or
kayak, but it would be hard to get into the pond due to steep slopes. Trueblood didn't
believe anyone ever uses the pond for that purpose. Trueblood and Fosse told the
committee anything in the pond would need to withstand rising waters and be secured,
in case of another flood, so the piece wouldn't wind up downstream. The committee
agreed the pond, the amphitheater, and the proposed pedestrian bridge should be
considered for the project.
Seabold liked the organic nature of the Liberty Iron Works pieces. Kahn also liked the
idea of an organic shape. Fosse expressed interest in a fish piece he had seen from
Liberty Iron Works. The committee agreed Liberty Iron Works should be contacted and
asked to give a proposal at the next meeting scheduled for November.
COMMITTEE TIME/UPDATES
Klingaman reminded the committee about the BJ Katz dedication to take place on
September 18tH
Iowa City Public Art Advisory Committee Minutes
September 4, 2008
Page 4
ADJOURNMENT
Fosse motioned to adjourn; Everyone seconded. Meeting adjourned at 4:17 pm. Next
meeting scheduled for November 6, 2008.
Minutes submitted by Nate Kabat
Iowa City Public Art Advisory Committee Minutes
September 4, 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
9/4
Annadora Khan O1/O1/11 -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X X X
Barbara Nicknish O1/O1/11 X -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ' -- -- -- -- -- --
DaLa ne Williamson 01/01/09 X O/E X X X X X O/E
Jan Finla son O1/O1/11 X X O/E X X X O/E X
Mark Seabold O1/O1/10 X X X X X O/E O/E X
Patrick Carne 01/01/09 X X X X X X X X
Rick Fosse X X X X X O/E X X
Terr Trueblood X O/E X X O/E X X X
Key:
X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
3b 5
MINUTES APPROVED
PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION
OCTOBER 16, 2008 - 7:30 PM -FORMAL
CITY HALL, EMMA J. HARVAT HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Ann Freerks, Josh Busard, Charlie Eastham, Elizabeth Koppes,
Tim Weitzel, Michelle Payne
MEMBERS EXCUSED: Wally Plahutnik
STAFF PRESENT: Karen Howard, Bob Miklo, Christina Kuecker, Sarah Greenvvood-
Hektoen
OTHERS PRESENT: None
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL:
The Commission voted 6-0 to approve amending the Zoning Code, Title 14, to establish a
minimum parking requirement for Household Living Uses in the Central Business (CB-10) zone; to
apply the Near Southside Parking Facility District regulations to any new CB-10 developments in
the Near Southside Neighborhood; and to amend the definition of "household" in the Community
Commercial (CC-2), Central Business Service (CB-2), Central Business Support (CB-5) and Central
Business (CB-10) zones to include not more than three unrelated persons.
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.
ZONING CODE ITEM:
Discussion of amendments to the Zoning Code Article 1'4-5A, Off-Street Parking and Loading
Standards, to include minimum parking requirements for Household Living Uses in the Central
Business (CB-10) zone, and Article 14-9A, Definitions, to amend the definition of a household in
the Community Commercial (CC-2), Central Business Service (CB-2), Central Business Support
(CB-5) and Central Business (CB-10) zones to include not more than three unrelated persons.
Howard stated that as was discussed at the informal meeting on Monday, October 13th, this zoning code
item is largely an effort to begin the process of looking at the standards in the Central Business District.
Howard said that during several zoning cases over the last few years, there has been a lot of discussion
about whether the standards for the Central Business District are keeping up with the goals for that area.
One of the concerns that has come up numerous times is the question of whether there is a good mix of
residential development in the downtown to support the kind of commercial area desired for the center of
the city. Howard said that in those discussions there appears to be a consensus that there is a desire to
maintain the historic pedestrian-friendly, storefront commercial character of the downtown. Howard said
that while residential uses in the downtown help to support businesses, the proximity of the University to
the area creates a high demand for housing for students and an incentive to maximize residential density
and occupancy and minimize commercial space within new buildings. There is a question whether this
tendency to create token commercial space is conducive to healthy downtown business growth over the
Planning and Zoning Commission
October 16, 2008 -Formal
Page 2
long term. Howard said that while there seems to be general agreement that a good mix of residential
housing is best for the downtown, the preponderance of recent building requests have been for four and
five bedroom apartments downtown, which are the maximum size allowed in the zoning code, which are
designed primarily for student renters. To bring better balance of housing choices to the downtown and
promote healthier living environments and attractive options for those wishing to make downtown their
permanent residence, Staff recommends limiting the number of unrelated persons living in an apartment
to three (down from its current five). This, Howard said, would likely result in development of more one,
two and three bedroom apartments, which would be suitable for a wider variety of residents. An
important aspect of these discussions is that the central business zones are intended for commercial
development, and that there is a danger of having buildings with residential living as its primary function,
and merely token commercial on the first floors. Howard said that it is important to keep a balance
between commercial and residential in the city's commercial areas.
Howard reiterated that the proposal is to reduce unrelated occupancy from five to three in the CB-5, CB-
2, CB-10 and CC-2 zones.
A related proposal is to require parking for new apartment buildings downtown. Howard said that there
has been concern that large apartment buildings downtown with no parking are not attractive to the long-
term residents that the City is trying to attract to the area. A minimum amount of parking provided would
serve to encourage long-term residents and alleviate concerns about on-street parking congestion that
arise as more and more requests for high-density developments are made.
Howard summarized that the proposal before the Commission seeks to establish a parking requirement in
the CB-10 zone for residential parking at the same rate as is required in the CB-5 zone. Howard shared a
spreadsheet with the Commission that showed the apartment balance of buildings built in the downtown
area over the last ten years. Howard also noted some slight language changes that had been made to
the code for the purposes of better clarification. One change amends the purpose statement for the
Central Business zone to be more consistent with the nature of the current discussions. Howard said that
Staff also needed to make the parking requirements in the Near Southside Parking Facility District
consistent with the CB-5 and the CB-10. Staff wanted to avoid having a discrepancy between CB-5
projects and CB-10 projects for any requests received for new CB-10 rezoning in the Near Southside in
the future. With this change parking requirements for any future requests for rezoning to CB-10 in the
Near Southside will be consistent with what has been done for other recent projects. Howard noted that
this does not change or extend the parking impact fees to the whole downtown area; this is just to make it
consistent in the Near Southside. If there is a desire to extend the parking impact fee to other areas of
the downtown, there would need to be a more in depth examination of the policy implications and how
this would be implemented. That is beyond the scope of what is proposed here.
Howard asked if there were any questions from the Commission.
Busard asked for more information on Hieronymus Square and its history. Miklo pointed out on the map
where Hieronymus Square is located in the CB-10 zone south of Burlington Street. Miklo said that this
was rezoned in 2007 from CB-5 to CB-10. Miklo said the project is a mixed use project with commercial
on up to the first three floors, with residential above that. The proposed building would be twelve stories
with 80 parking spaces below grade. During the rezoning process there was quite a bit of discussion
about whether it was appropriate to extend the CB-10 zone south of Burlington Street. One of the
concerns, Miklo said, was the types of apartments that would be built there and the number of bedrooms
they would have. A Conditional Zoning Agreement (CZA) was created requiring that there be no more
than three bedrooms per apartment and that there be a mix in which no more than 30% of the units could
be three-bedrooms with the rest of the units being one and two-bedrooms. Parking was also required
based on the CB-5 standards, as was payment of a parking impact fee for anything that was not provided
on-site. Busard said he was just wondering why it was repeatedly referred to. Payne asked if it was
correct that the Hieronymus Square project was the first CB-10 south of Burlington Street, and Miklo said
that this was correct. Howard said that two other requests for CB-10 developments were received after
that. One of the requests was for development on the next property east of Hieronymus along Burlington
Street. That request was ultimately withdrawn, although the same discussions occurred. The Big Ten
Rentals project was the other request received, and also led to extended discussions about keeping a
Planning and Zoning Commission
October 16, 2008 -Formal
Page 3
balance and a mix of residential apartments in the downtown commercial zones. Eastham asked if the
request for the other bui-ding on Burlington had actually been withdrawn or if it was on hold. Miklo said
that it was on hold. Eastham asked if it could still be acted upon without coming back to the Commission.
Miklo said that it could. Eastham asked if the changes being discussed would apply to both parcels if the
changes were adopted by Council and Miklo said that they would.
Koppes asked why there is still a parking requirement listed in the code for 4 and 5-bedroom apartments.
Howard explained that the wording in question was left in because there would continue to be a large
number of four and five bedroom apartments downtown that are grandfathered in. The wording would
address parking requirements for those non-conforming buildings.
Koppes asked what the notification procedure would be for affected properties. Miklo said that when
changes to the zoning code are made, individual property owners are not generally notified. In this case,
Miklo said, a notice has been printed in the newspaper, the agenda for the meeting has been published,
and there has been some contact with newspaper reporters, which may or may not result in an article
about the subject before it goes to City Council. Koppes asked if the Homebuilders Association had been
contacted. Miklo said that the Homebuilders Association has requested and receives all agendas for the
Planning and Zoning Commission. Eastham asked if the Downtown Association would have received an
agenda and Miklo replied that he did not know if the Downtown Association was on Planning's list to
receive agendas or not.
Eastham asked Miklo to repeat the Staffs rationale for including the CC-2 zone in these changes.
Howard said that the thinking was that it would keep the regulations for the retail commercial zones
consistent. If one of the reasons for the changes downtown were that it would help to keep the
commercial zones more commercial, then it stands to reason that doing the same in the CC-2 zone,
which is primarily commercial, would serve the same purpose. Consistency was the primary reason.
Eastham clarified that the definition of household would remain as five unrelated persons in the RM-44
and PRM zones, and four unrelated persons in the medium density multi-family zones. Howard confirmed
that it would.
Freerks asked if there were more questions for Staff. As there were none, the public hearing was
opened.
No one wished to comment and the public hearing was closed.
Freerks asked if there was a motion.
Eastham motioned to defer the item until the next meeting.
There was no second for the motion and the motion died
(19:24) Weitrel moved to approve amending the Zoning Code, Title 14, to establish a minimum
parking requirement for Household Living Uses in the Central Business (CB-10) zone; to apply the
Near Southside Parking Facility District regulations to any new CB-10 developments in the Near
Southside Neighborhood; and to amend the definition of "household" in the Community
Commercial (CC-2), Central Business Service (CB-2), Central Business Support (CB-5) and Central
Business (CB-10) zones to include not more than three unrelated persons.
Koppes seconded.
Freerks invited discussion from the Commission.
Busard asked how the grandfather clause would be applied to those projects that had already applied for
rezoning but are on hold. Miklo said that such projects would not fall under this ordinance. He said they
become vested once they have invested in actually implementing the project. Howard noted that there is
one project located in the CB-5 Zone, which contains 4- and 5-bedroom apartments that is in the pipeline
for which there has already been asite-plan review. So as not to affect its application, for which there has
Planning and Zoning Commission
October 16, 2008 -Formal
Page 4
been considerable investment in site and building design work, the August 25, 2008, date has been
selected as the effective date of the change. This effectively grandfathers in any project that is already in
the works. Freerks noted that such an accommodation is typical in these types of code changes.
Koppes asked for clarification on what a "Group Household" is. Howard said that they include various
types of group homes for which definitions are established by the State of Iowa.
Eastham said that the proposed changes to the occupancy requirements are consistent in a broad way
with the Comprehensive Plan and the Central District Plan. He said that in general he supports both of
the proposed changes. However, he said that he does have some reservations because the Commission
has not heard any comments at all from builders or developers. He said that he assumed that such
discussions would take place at the Council level. He said that this lack of input is why he made the
motion to defer; to provide for adequate opportunity for the Commission to hear from all sides.
Eastham stated that he thinks the change in occupancy is a good step toward trying to increase the
amount of housing downtown that is open to everyone. He said he is not quite convinced that the
changes will be sufficient in and of themselves to achieve that end, but he does believe they are good
steps to take.
Freerks said that she intended to support the changes. She said that she is surprised that no one was
present to give public comment. She said that the changes have been talked about in the community for
many years. Freerks said the measures would support the pure nature and intent of the Central Business
Zones as commercial, which would be better than the direction in which the city seemed to be going.
Freerks said the changes will offer a variety of living experiences for a greater variety of people. She said
it is definitely a step in the right direction to support a very strong commercial district. She said she
believes the parking requirements go hand in hand with the goal of attracting a more diverse population to
downtown living.
Busard said he thought the parking requirements and occupancy reduction would force developers to
actually come up with projects that will be good for business downtown. He said it would curb the drive to
have buildings where all of the money is made from the four and five bedroom units above and the
commercial on the first floor is a mere token.
Payne asked if it was possible that developers build the buildings in the way that they do because it is the
only way that it is economically feasible to do it. Freerks said she did not think that was the case, and if it
was, she would not support the measure. Payne said the Commission obviously did not want to stunt the
growth of the downtown. Freerks acknowledged that it might be the way to make the maximum amount
of money with the smallest amount of investment, but that her decision on the direction of downtown Iowa
City would not be based on that sole consideration. Payne said that the whole point is that the downtown
is supposed to be business oriented; however, residents must also live there in order to support the
businesses. She said she was concerned with the possibility that these changes could stunt growth.
Freerks said that the Commission is just giving direction to the type of housing they want attached to the
commercial buildings that are built. Payne noted that if someone wants to build five bedroom apartments
they could still do so in another zone.
Weitzel said there are already buildings built that have five bedroom apartments and his opinion is that
this is a good option for some balance. Both the reduction in occupancy and the parking requirements
will enhance the commercial opportunities as well as the variety of occupants downtown. He said he
believes this is key to retaining downtown's vibrancy. What is currently happening is a trend toward
dorm-style apartments and acampus-town sort of development. This trend has concerned members of
both the University community and the wider community who wish to see downtown continue as more of
a cultural center than just a student housing center.
Eastham said that Payne raises a point of concern for him. Eastham said the Commission is in a way
trying to surmise what the motive is for investors to build the kind of buildings they have been building in
the downtown area. It may be, Eastham said, that the current trend is simply the least risky way to
maximize profits. It also could be, Eastham said, that investors and developers see this as the only way
Planning and Zoning Commission
October 16, 2008 -Formal
Page 5
to build downtown in an economically viable way. Eastham said that this idea seems to have been
countered in recent years in that there have been successful apartment buildings downtown of much
smaller bedroom size, like Plaza Towers. However, he said that he still feels like he is proceeding on
inadequate data. He then rephrased to say that he would prefer that the data with which he proceeded
was more extensive.
Freerks invited further comments. There were none.
A vote was taken and the vote carried unanimously, 6-0.
CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 8~ SEPTMEBER 18, 2008:
Busard motioned to accept the minutes.
Weitzel seconded.
The minutes were approved on a vote of 6-0.
OTHER:
• Update on Redevelopment and Revitalization of the Towncrest Area:
Miklo said that a workshop was held in the Towncrest commercial area a couple of weeks ago. The
Towncrest commercial area is located near the intersection of First Avenue and Muscatine Avenue. The
most notable buildings there are probably the Hy-Vee and the Walgreen's, and then there are medical
offices on the south side of Muscatine. These medical offices were the start of Towncrest and the
origination of the area's name; the original developer was named Towner, and the offices were located at
the crest of a hill. For a number of years, the area served as a center for medical offices. In the last ten
to fifteen years, there has been some decline in the area as some medical offices have sought newer
facilities in other areas of the city.
Miklo said that the City has been approached by one of the primary property owners of the remaining
offices about the possibility of a TIF/urban renewal designation for the area, which would provide some
tax abatement to help make improvements in the area. Miklo said that the City conducted this citizen
workshop as the first step in gathering input from the property owners and area residents. Miklo said that
Planning proposed the idea of a TIF designation to the City Council Economic Development Committee,
who said to go ahead and put together an urban renewal plan and bring it back for consideration. The
area is in the Southeast District, Miklo said, and Staff sees this as perhaps a way of kicking off the
Southeast District Plan process.
The whole idea behind the urban renewal is to provide some tax incentives and some public investment
in the area to encourage revitalization and some new private investment. The City has completed some
recent improvements in the area, Miklo said, including the new bike trail from Creekside Park to Court Hill
Park. Miklo stated that there are some properties in the area that need improvement. The topics that the
community was asked about at the meeting were: traffic flow, visibility, aesthetics, and business mix, and
then the meeting was opened for general discussion. Miklo shared some photographs of the area to
show how it has changed from the 1950's to present day. Miklo said that the point of the photographs is
to show that things do change, and that the City would like to plan for that change.
In terms of context of the Comprehensive Plan, the area is an important area in the Southeast District
Plan. The Comprehensive Plan does have some general guidance for the area in that it encourages
further redevelopment beyond the Hy-Vee and Walgreen's redevelopments. The Plan also encourages
economic development tools be used to improve the area.
Planning and Zoning Commission
October 16, 2008 -Formal
Page 6
Miklo said that approximately 40 people attended the meeting. He said that business owners were well
represented, with about 60% of those present being business people and the other 40% being residents
from surrounding neighborhoods. Miklo said there were some lively group discussions and that
participants worked in small groups to generate ideas and then reported back to the larger group. He
distributed a summary of the meeting to the Commission. He said there seemed to be a real desire on
the part of the people who lived and worked there to create a better sense of identity for the
neighborhood. One of the comments, Miklo said, was that the Towncrest identity for the area seems to
be slipping away. He said various ideas were offered by the public, including streetscape improvements
and some ideas about standard architectural or signage treatments to create a sense of entry into the
area. Miklo said interest was also expressed in creating mixed use buildings, with commercial on the
ground floor and residential above. Attracting housing for the elderly and those in need of assisted living
was also offered as a suggestion, given the medical offices and drug stores that are readily available in
the area. Miklo said there were some more short-term concerns about traffic and the perception of crime
in the area that people were looking to have addressed right away.
Miklo said the next step will be to hire a consultant to come in and help formulate a design plan for the
area based on the input given by the public. Miklo said that there would probably be another meeting or
two to get public input on that plan and provide more ideas before anything comes before the
Commission either as an urban renewal plan or as a component of the Southeast District Plan.
Freerks asked what the variety of underlying zones for the area were. Miklo said that most of it was
Community Commercial (CC-2) and Community Office (CO-1). Miklo said many of the offices had
transitioned away from medical services, although quite a number of medical offices and services remain.
The remainder of the area is residential. Miklo said the primary focus would be the commercial
properties, but that residential was included because they too are affected.
Eastham asked what the rationale for drawing the Towncrest area lines so that they include multi-family
apartment buildings. Miklo said the rationale was that the buildings were on the market and the condition
of some of the units was such that it was thought that reinvestment or redevelopment might be
appropriate. Freerks asked if that would involve changing the underlying zone, and Miklo replied that it
could be considered but was not necessary. Eastham asked if the residential zoning in the area is
currently RS-8. Miklo said that he believed it was RS-5. Eastham asked if the consultant would include
some sort of market analysis. Miklo replied that it might. Miklo said that Staff had concluded that while
the plans could be developed in-house, the sense of urgency on the part of some of the property owners
and businesses to get the concept plan done in a timely manner led Staff to the conclusion that it may be
necessary to hire a consultant. Payne, who attended the workshop, said that she had the sense that
people were excited about giving input, and that people were not negative, but happy to share their
thoughts and ideas for the area. Miklo said that there were real positives for this area; this crossroads
offers good location for business investment. The area has good access to schools and good solid
neighborhoods. There is open space; there are parks and connections to the trail system. Some of the
office buildings, however, are quite deteriorated and need some action.
There were no further questions or comments on this topic.
Eastham announced that on November 13, 2008, there would be a full-day workshop held out at the
fairgrounds entitled "Managing Floods in the Future."
ADJOURNMENT:
Weitzel motioned to adjourn.
Koppes seconded.
The meeting was adjourned on a 6-0 vote at 8:14 p.m.
Iowa City Planning 8 Zoning Commission
Attendance Record
2008
Cl1CMA1 MFFTIIJ(~
Name Term
Ex ices
112
1117
3120
4/3
4117
511
5115
615
6119
713
7/17
817
8121
914
9118
10116
J. Busard 05/11 - -- -- -- - - -- - -- -- -- ° -- -- -- -- X O/E x O/E X X X X
C. Eastham 05/11 X X X 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 X X X
E. Ko es 05/12 X X X X X X X X X X X X O/E X X X
M
Pa ne 05/10 -- -- -- -- - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- O/E X X X
.
W Plahutnik 05/10 X X X X X O/E X O/E X X X X X X X O/E
T. Weitzel 05/13 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X X x X x x X X X X X
AICrIOMAI MFFT11J f.
Name Term
Ex fires
~
2121
4/14
5/12
6/2
6/30
7/14
8/18
9/15
10/13
J. Busard 05/11 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X X X
C. Eastham 05/11 X X X X X X X X X X
A. Freerks 05/13 X X X X X X X X X X
E. Ko es 05/12 X X X X X X O/E X X X
M. Pa ne 05/10 -- - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X
W. Plahutnik 05/10 O/E O/E X X X X O/E X X X
T. Weitzel 05/13 -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X X O/E X X
Key:
X =Present
O =Absent
O/E = AbsenUExcused
3b 6
MINUTES APPROVED
PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION
OCTOBER 13, 2008 - 7:00 PM -INFORMAL
CITY HALL, EMMA J. HARVAT HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Josh Busard, Charlie Eastham, Ann Freerks, Elizabeth Koppes,
Wally Plahutnik, Michelle Payne, Tim Weitzel
MEMBERS EXCUSED: None
STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo, Karen Howard, Christina Kuecker,
Sarah Greenwood-Hektoen
OTHERS PRESENT: None
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m. by Chairperson Ann Freerks
ZONING CODE ITEM:
Discussion of amendments to the Zoning Code Article 14-5A, Off-Street Parking and Loading
Standards, to include minimum parking requirements for Household Living Uses in the Central
Business (CB-10) zone, and Article 14-9A, Definitions, to amend the definition of household in the
Community Commercial (CC-2), Central Business Service (CB-2), Central Business Support (CB-5)
and Central Business (CB-10) zones to include not more than 3 unrelated persons.
Howard shared maps outlining the zoning areas discussed in the amendments. The area associated with
the change to the occupancy standards includes all the Central Business Zones - CB-10, CB-5, and CB-2
and the Community Commercial Zone (CC-2). The proposed new parking requirements would apply in
the CB-10 Zone. Howard noted that the issue of dwellings with high numbers of unrelated occupants in
the downtown has come up a number of times in recent years. The question that the community must
ask itself, Howard said, is if it is appropriate to have four and five bedroom apartments downtown.
Howard noted that while there is no need to incentivize the development of student apartments downtown
because of high demand, there may be a need or desire to incentivize development targeting non-student
populations. Howard said that part of the question is whether Iowa City wishes to have downtown Iowa
City be welcoming just for college students or attractive to a wider variety of residents. Howard suggested
that requiring a mix of housing through the use of zoning regulations was one possible way to encourage
development that appealed to a wider audience. Most non-students wishing to live downtown want
smaller units. Howard said that because the demand for student apartments is so high in areas close to
the University, there is more profit in the residential portion of a building than in the commercial
storefronts, so not much thought or money is put into making the ground floor attractive to commercial
businesses. While we have made some recent code changes that establish minimum standards for these
commercial spaces, the idea behind this proposed zoning change is to reduce the number of unrelated
persons who can live together in one apartment from its present level of five to the proposed three.
Another issue that needs to be addressed to level the playing field is to address parking for new
residential uses. The CB-10 Zone is the only zone where there is no requirement for private off-street
parking for residential uses. However, as noted with several recent rezoning requests for CB-10 Zoning,
there does not seem to be enough parking downtown for the amount of housing that is being requested.
The City facilities are largely intended to meet the short term parking needs of local businesses. To
attract long term residents to live downtown, the demand for adequate parking needs to be addressed. If
no parking is offered a building is less likely to attract long term residents. The concept behind the
proposed amendment is to have new residential buildings in the CB-10 zone have the same parking
requirements as buildings in the CB-5 zone.
Planning and Zoning Commission
October 13, 2008 -Informal
Page 2
Howard noted that Greenwood-Hektoen had noticed a glitch in the proposed code language just prior to
the meeting. She noted that since parking would be required, that it should not have to go through a
special exception process for approval. Instead, the same standards would apply, but they would be
approved administratively. Eastham asked if alternative parking arrangements made by the owner (i.e.
leasing spaces from another property rather than building an underground facility) would still be required
to go through the special exception process if the language changes were made. She said that in the
case of a request for parking on a separate lot, the City could require them to get approval of a special
exception. She said that the idea behind the change in parking requirement is in part that shorter-term
renters are more willing to put up with a lack of off-street parking than long-term residents, and that if
parking was provided on site for residents, it may encourage long-term residents to consider downtown
as a living option.
Koppes asked what would happen if the landlord sells the parking. Payne noted that in the event that
parking is secured off-site a covenant is supposed to be entered into by the property owners. Howard
stated that parking off-site on a separate lot is not always foolproof and carries with it its own issues.
Freerks said she did not believe it would happen on a large scale. Howard noted that if buildings are
located near aCity-owned parking facility, parking could be leased from the City. Eastham asked if the
current language requires the builder to purchase parking permits on an alternative site. Howard said
that if the building was within 600 feet of a City parking facility spaces could be leased to satisfy the
parking requirement. If a neighboring building had more parking than was required they could choose to
lease out or give parking to the developing property; however, a covenant would then have to be placed
on that parking.
Plahutnik asked if Staff had given thought to doing some kind of averaging as it pertains to units with
larger numbers of bedrooms. He acknowledged that there has been much concern about unsupervised,
dorm-style apartment-living downtown and its relatively transient occupants. However, he also
acknowledged that there is a market for four and five bedroom units. He wondered if an averaging
system that took into account a certain number of four and five bedroom units would have to be off-set by
a certain number of one and two bedroom units would be appropriate. Howard said that Staff had not
considered this idea as there are a lot of four and five bedroom apartments downtown already, which
would, of course, be grandfathered into the new zoning requirements. Plahutnik said that this was what
had tweaked his sense of fairness; that the Commission would be creating an instant monopoly for those
already owning four and five bedroom apartments downtown. Freerks noted that it is possible that there
will be just as great of a demand for one, two and three bedroom apartments if they were encouraged
downtown. Eastham stated that the central question is whether it is possible for builders to compete with
occupancy that is one household in a one, two or three bedroom apartment against occupancy with
multiple rent payers. Plahutnik said that he is not against the reduction in household size, but that his
sense of fairness requires him to bring the issue up. He joked that he believed the only way to get
developers on board with building smaller units was to threaten to rewrite the code to say that they cannot
build them. Howard said that the core issue is that these are commercial zones in which this residential
development is taking place. If the only thing that is lucrative in these zones are four and five bedroom
apartments, maybe it is best not to encourage rezoning to central business zoning or redevelop an
existing property until there is a real, viable market for the commercial space. This would serve to have
the commercial drive the development in true CB-10 types of buildings rather than the residential.
Freerks said the goal should be to consider what direction the Commission wants the community to go
over time; she said it is not necessarily about what is in a given space currently, but what the city wants
there in the future. She noted that high-occupancy apartments on the upper floors do direct what kind of
commercial is established on the lower floor. Plahutnik said his sense of fairness had been assuaged.
Eastham said he thought that the issue was less one of fairness than of having a zoning code that
presents economically viable options to developers. Miklo said that if a developer built three-bedroom
apartments this close to campus he did not think they would sit vacant. Freerks said she believed that
the issue was not just economic, but was also a question of livability, an issue frequently touched on by
the Commission over the years. Off-site dormitory style living with no supervision does not provide the
kind of quality living the community desires for the downtown area.
Payne asked if the restriction on unrelated occupants and the drive to lower the average numbers of
bedrooms per unit would tend to drive up rents. Kuecker said that she had done some general research
Planning and Zoning Commission
October 13, 2008 -Informal
Page 3
with local rental companies and had found that (with variations due to building age) the per bedroom rents
were very comparable between one-bedroom and three-bedroom units. Payne said that she wondered
because her daughter's rent is $100 less per month this year in her five-bedroom unit than it was last year
in her three-bedroom unit. Freerks said she believed price did vary depending on the age and location of
the building. Eastham said that he had no doubt that athree-bedroom rents higher per occupant than a
five-bedroom. Plahutnik said that this seemed a reasonable assumption, but that Kuecker's research had
not borne the theory out.
Howard noted that four unrelated occupants would still be allowed in the medium density multi-family
residential zones (RM-20, RNC-20) and that five unrelated occupants would still be allowed in high-
density multi-family residential (RM-44, PRM).
Freerks asked if there were further questions for Staff
Eastham said that he had something he did not understand about 14-4E-9, "Regulation of Nonconforming
Residential Occupancy." He said that as he understood the language, if an owner loses their rental
permit and then has it restored, their unrelated-occupancy would be limited to the current requirement of
three or less, and would not be restored to the previously grandfathered in level of 5 unrelated persons.
Eastham asked if this was a correct assessment of the language. Howard said that this was correct.
Eastham asked how often this occurred. Howard said that rental permits are transferable, so even if a
property is sold, the rental permit remains in effect. She said she did not believe it happens very often.
Miklo said he believed that that would be more of an issue with a converted single-family house that
changes hands or is converted back. He said he did not believe it would be an issue with an apartment
building where an owner would keep their permits up. Eastham asked if this provision would make it more
difficult to enforce the rules for rental permits, as rental inspectors may be hesitant to cite a property if the
consequences have such along-lasting financial effect. Freerks said that this is not a new part of the
regulation, and that this is the way it is currently. Eastham asked if losing a rental permit meant losing the
occupancy. Howard said that it could. She noted, however, that what is being discussed is new, large
apartment buildings. Freerks said that she could not think of one instance in the fifteen years she had
been paying attention to such matters in which this was an issue. Eastham asked if there were a large
number of apartment buildings in the four zones being discussed in which an owner could lose their rental
permit and have their occupancy be reduced from five unrelated occupants to three. Freerks noted that
this provision currently applies across the board to the whole community and is not particular to the zones
discussed in this amendment. Howard explained that this clause was put in when occupancy was
reduced under the new zoning code, and was written as a way of grandfathering five unrelated people as
allowable in the RM-20 and the RNS-20 zones, as they had been reduced to four unrelated occupants
allowed. Payne said she believed Eastham was talking less about homes that had been converted and
more about large buildings with five-bedroom apartments in them, and a concern that if the rental permit
should be lost on one of those buildings the consequences would be dire. Koppes pointed out that rental
permits are lost one unit at a time. Eastham asked if it was true that each unit in amulti-unit building has
a separate rental permit. Koppes said that she knew that this was the case with HACAP units. Freerks
said this was something that could be checked on. Weitzel said that permanent financial consequences
serve as a good disincentive for allowing wild behavior to go on in your units. Eastham said it could be
seen both ways: 1) as a real rental regulation tool and an incentive for compliance by landlords with the
rental ordinances, or 2) as a disincentive for rental inspectors to remove a rental permit because it would
have such drastic economic effects. Freerks said that she believes the rental inspections department
always takes its job seriously. Koppes said that the rental inspectors will do the job they are paid to do
and will not worry about the "why" involved in noncompliance; she said that if one looks at the cases in
which rental permits are revoked one will find that multiple warnings have always been issued. Weitzel
said that even if the economic consequences were dire he felt that anyone who was affected negatively
by this regulation had allowed it to happen, as they had been presented with the law and had chosen their
consequences. Plahutnik said that in all of his dealings with Housing Inspection Services (HIS) it has
always been his experiences that inspectors work diligently to cure the problem and in no way go out of
their way to "punish" violators.
Eastham said that his only other question was if the reduction in occupancy was consistent with the
Comprehensive Plan as a whole and the affected district plans in specific. Howard said that in general,
Planning and Zoning Commission
October 13, 2008 -Informal
Page 4
Planning and Zoning has received a lot of feedback in recent months regarding concerns with dorm-style
apartments. She said University officials, students and neighbors all came to meetings regarding the CB-
10zone and offered concerns about the safety, lack of on-site management, and quality of life offered by
dorm-style apartments. Eastham said that going from an occupancy level of five to three is a fairly sharp
jump in the CC-2 zone. Miklo said that in the CC-2 zones, which tend to be away from downtown and the
campus, it is rare to see a four or five bedroom apartment; in fact, Miklo said he did not know if there were
any at all presently. He noted that in those areas it is much more common to see one or two bedroom
units above commercial space. Miklo said he would check with the Building Department, but that he was
not aware of any buildings that would be affected by this in the CC-2 zone. Howard said that in fact,
planning often meets resistance from builders in these areas when suggesting that developers put
residential above the commercial property. The reason that CC-2 Zone was included was to make the
standard consistent for all our retail commercial zones.
Freerks asked for any information Staff had on other local areas that had recently implemented similar
occupancy restrictions. Kuecker said that many of the cities she contacted -Cedar Falls, Waterloo,
Champagne, Urbana-have a maximum unrelated occupancy level of three or four people that is applied
citywide. LaCrosse, Wisconsin, Kuecker said is similar to what Iowa City has in that it allows three
unrelated people in a residential zone, four in a medium density zone, and five in a high density zone. In
Ames, Kuecker said, the zoning code was changed in 2000 to allow a maximum of three unrelated people
in their single-family zones and their urban core. Kuecker noted that Ames also has a higher parking
requirement, mandating one and a quarter parking spaces per bedroom rather than one parking space
per bedroom as is required by Iowa City. This serves as an extra disincentive to develop larger
apartment buildings in the urban core and the university areas. Madison, Wisconsin, Kuecker said, has a
maximum occupancy of four unrelated persons that applies citywide, except for the residential zones
where a maximum of two unrelated persons are allowed. Miklo said that it tends to be college
communities that have the lower occupancy thresholds, as those communities are where the market for
five bedroom apartments exists.
Eastham asked about the effectiveness of enforcing over-occupancy through HIS. He asked how many
violations HIS cited per year for over-occupancy. Howard said that she could find this out, but that she
would guess that the apartments probably are not the primary culprits in over-occupancy. She said she
imagined that converted single-family homes were the primary problem, as they tended to have the extra
spaces that invite over-occupancy. Koppel noted that over-occupancy is very difficult to prove or
disprove. Howard said that when she had spoken with HIS regarding over-occupancy, they had told her
that however many rooms were in a house was the number of people a house tended to have in it. She
said typically people do not double-up in a bedroom in a house that is over-occupied, but will turn a living
room or pantry into a bedroom. Freerks noted that many landlords are as concerned about over-
occupancy as anyone. She said they do not want to have the additional wear and tear, utility costs and
hassles associated with over-occupancy.
Eastham said that in trying to provide an economic alternative to higher occupancy and higher rent-loads,
reducing the number of bedrooms without effective occupancy controls accomplishes nothing. Plahutnik
said that if the goal is to promote a better quality of life in these areas, reducing occupancy gives HIS an
additional tool to do so. Plahutnik said that if eight people live in a house and they are quiet and their
keep their lawn nice and cause no problems, then neighbors are very, very happy and no calls to HIS are
made. If three people live there legally but they are noisy and they throw garbage on the lawn, the
neighbors are on the phone every morning. The nuisance calls and complaints are always what drive the
process, Plahutnik said. This is always aneighborhood-enforced issue, as HIS is not out knocking on
doors counting toothbrushes. With enough complaints, the process of determining over-occupancy can
be begun. If the house is found to be over-occupied, that is one hammer HIS has in its toolbox for the
owner and the tenants. To him, Plahutnik said, this is a good tool.
Eastham said his interest was in whether or not this tool was an effective way of getting to an attractive
option for downtown living for non-students. Freerks said she felt the phrase "token commercial" was a
pretty important one in the document, and that she believed that this was what the Commission
sometimes received proposals for. Weitzel said the possibility of losing one's ability to have five-bedroom
apartments rented at full capacity is an economic disincentive. Eastham asked if Weitzel felt the
Planning and Zoning Commission
October 13, 2008 -Informal
Page 5
enforcement of the measure would be effective. Weitzel said it would be as effective as it is anywhere
else; some people feel it is over-enforced and some under-enforced depending upon which side of the
issue they are on. Weitzel said it has been seen to work in neighborhoods where constant complaining
has resulted in property-owners selling out and better tenants moving in. Miklo said that in the case
where a developer is building a unit as a three bedroom unit, it will likely be self-policing as five or six
people will not wish to live in them. If five and six bedroom units are built, then at least five people will live
there. Eastham noted that the amendments as written do not prevent the building of four and five
bedroom apartments; they prevent occupancy,"not unit-size. Howard said that the idea is that developers
will be discouraged from building five bedroom units because they will be more difficult to rent out with the
occupancy limits in place. Freerks said that if a building permit was requested for a five bedroom unit in a
zone where only three unrelated persons are allowed, HIS would definitely keep an eye on it. Miklo said
HIS would be unlikely to even issue the building permit in that situation. He said that Doug Boothroy, HIS
Department Head, had explained to him long ago that when buildings are built in a way that seems to be
an attempt to get around the occupancy standards (i.e. a "den" or "study room" that would likely be
converted into an illegal bedroom was present in the plans) he simply would not issue a building permit
for that project.
Koppes asked if units destroyed by fire or natural disaster could rebuild with the grandfathered occupancy
standards or of they had to be converted to the three person maximum. She was told that occupancy
would be reduced to the standards in place at that point in time if the building was destroyed to more than
75% of its assessed value.
Eastham said that he would like to know the number of dwellings these changes would affect, and how
many would be grandfathered in. Miklo said he would try to get those numbers to the Commission.
Howard noted that the effective date of 8/25/2008 was determined because it is the issuing date of the
only building permit for four and five bedroom units that has not yet been completed.
Eastham asked if Hieronymus Towers would not be applicable in this case because it is governed by a
Conditional Zoning Agreement (CZA). He was told this was correct.
Payne said she had a question on page three of the staff report. Payne said she was confused by the
word "developments" at the end of the sentence in the second full paragraph, as to her a "development"
signified something that was being newly built. She asked if a better word choice might not be "areas,"
"zones," "buildings," or "properties." Staff noted the potential need for a change in wording, perhaps using
the words, rental units, or something similar would make it more clear.
Payne asked for clarification on the meaning of a specific sentence on page three of the staff report found
in the section entitled "Parking Requirements in the CB-10 Zone." The specific sentence in question said:
The absence of a parking requirement for residential uses in the CB-10 zone creates
another incentive to build apartments that are designed primarily for short term renters,
for whom the lack of a designated parking space is not enough of a disincentive to
outweigh the benefits of living close to campus, short term work opportunities, and/or
entertainment venues.
Howard explained that the sentence is intended to mean that short-term renters, particularly students,
tend to live downtown regardless of the inconvenience of not having a designated parking space. Such
renters are willing to live downtown without a parking space because their primary reason for living
downtown is to be close to campus. However, for those wishing to live downtown more permanently, the
lack of a dedicated parking space would be a disincentive to purchase or rent a unit downtown. Payne
said that the first and second parts of the sentence seem to her to conflict. Freerks noted that the
wording in the staff report is not the language being adopted by the Commission, but is there for
explanatory purposes. Eastham noted that he too had to read the sentence more than once before
discerning its meaning. Freerks said that as long as the concept itself is clear in Commissioners' minds
then the wording in the staff report is not an issue. Miklo said that what Staff is trying to say is that
students may be willing to live without a dedicated parking space; however, those investing in
Planning and Zoning Commission
October 13, 2008 -Informal
Page 6
condominiums or those renting long-term will probably require dedicated parking in or near their buildings.
Plahutnik noted that the key part of the sentence concerns changing the incentive to build apartments
designed primarily for short-term renters. Payne asked if the goal then was to give people an incentive to
build residential units downtown that are not geared toward students. Freerks said she did not
necessarily agree with that assessment. She said that the goal is to build residential units downtown that
appeal to a larger audience. Freerks said what is key to remember is that when five-bedroom units are
built, those units are geared toward one audience. When a variety of unit sizes are built, Freerks said,
the audience can vary. Payne said she somewhat disagreed with that statement as it pertained to
downtown, as there was no way she would choose to live there. Eastham pointed out that there are non-
student households living in the downtown area in apartments and condominiums; the waiting list for
those wanting to live in the Plaza Towers has clearly demonstrated a desire for that kind of living.
Freerks said that having commercial that is viable to a larger audience is also crucial to this vision of
downtown, and that having buildings with five-bedroom apartments above and pizza and liquor shops
below is not the vision the community wants for downtown Iowa City. Freerks said that no one wants to
see all of what is currently there go away, but that it is crucial to support variety. Howard said that she
understood Payne's point to be, essentially, just because the zoning is changed to encourage variety,
there is no guarantee that such housing will be built. Howard said that the proposed changes will allow a
wider variety and may level the playing field, but the zoning changes alone will likely not be enough to
solve all the problems downtown. She reiterated her earlier statement that the market for student housing
in Iowa City is not going to go away, nor does it need to be incentivized. If student housing was the only
thing the city wanted, then no changes would be necessary to the zoning code for the downtown area.
However, Howard said, if something other than student housing is what the city wants, then to get that,
something will have to be done to level the playing field a little bit. Things like reducing the occupancy
and requiring on-site parking are ways to encourage the developers who are willing to build something
different. Howard said that in speaking with Mark Moen, developer of Plaza Towers, it was clear that he
believed he could not have sold those condominiums if they had not had dedicated parking. Koppes
noted that even the University expressed a concern for the current development trends downtown and the
lack of on-site management in dorm style apartments. Freerks agreed, saying that concerns had been
expressed by University officials about the development that has occurred along Gilbert Street, and the
need to curb the growth of similar developments in the future. Weitzel said that the University had cited
similar development patterns in other cities and warned about the regulatory nightmare such sections of
town had become for other university towns.
Eastham asked if a developer can currently build on-site parking in the CB-10 zone. Howard said that a
special exception must be granted to do so. She noted that the Clarks were granted a special exception
for underground parking when developing the Takanami building on Iowa Avenue. Freerks recalled that
the developer had very much wanted parking under Takanami and that it was something that the
developer had had to really work to get; she said that this is evidence that developers too understand the
value of parking. Eastham said that requiring this may actually be something of a plus for residential
developers because they will no longer have to get a special exception to provide on-site parking.
Eastham asked if the parking impact fee ordinance would be applied in the CB-10 Zone. Howard said
that this was a more complicated issue. Staff had wanted to bring a couple of fairly simple fixes that
could be done right away to the table. She said that Staff believes there is still some work to be done on
the CB-10 zone, but that the remaining issues are a little more complicated. Miklo said Staff will also be
looking at the FAR (Floor to Area Ratio), where balconies are located, and that sort of thing, but that they
had wanted to get the more serious issues handled before a wave of new buildings began.
Freerks asked if there was an update on Towncrest. Miklo said that he hoped to have an overview of
what was trying to be accomplished at Towncrest on Thursday night's formal meeting.
The Commission agreed to keep the Informal Meetings at 6:00 p.m. for the time-being
The meeting was adjourned at 6:55 p.m.
Iowa City Planning 8 Zoning Commission
Attendance Record
2008
C l1OMA1 MCCTIIJ /':
Name Term
Ex ires
112
1117
3120
413
4117
511
5115
615
6119
713
7117
817
8121
914
9118
J. Busard 05/11 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --- -- -- -- -- -- -- X O/E X O/E X X X
C. Eastham 05/11 X X 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 X X
E. Ko es 05/12 X X X X X X X X X X X X 0/E X X
M. Pa ne 05/10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - -- O/E X X
W Plahutnik 05/10 X X X X X O/E X O/E X X X X X X X
T. Weitrel 05/13 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X X x X X X X X
INF(1RMA1 MFFTINr~
Name Term
Ex ires
217
2121
4/14
5/12
6/2
6/30
7114
8/18
9/15
10/13
J. Busard 05/11 -- -- -- - -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X X X
C. Eastham 05/11 X X X X X X X X X X
A. Freerks 05/13 X X X X X X X X X X
E. Ko es 05/12 X X X X X X O/E X X X
M. Pa ne 05/10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X
W. Plahutnik 05/10 O/E O/E X X X X O/E X X X
T. Weitrel 05/13 -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X X O/E X X
Key:
X =Present
O =Absent
0/E = Absent/Excused