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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1975-11-04 Correspondence• (r' • DAVID A, SMITiMS 536 1A WK= DRIVE OCT 81975 IOWA CITY,` IOWA 52240 . S F STOLFUS crn CLERK CITY COUNCIL CIVIC CENTER IOtdA CITY, IOWA 52240 Dear Councilpersons: I wish to commentain part on the recommendation against closure of Madison Street -as-reported in'the -Saturday `Press -Citizen, This is not to take'paticular issue'.with the ,position of: -the Public Works Department who undoubtedly had empirical evidence based on traffic counts to justify its conclusions that traffic diversion' would hinder the urban renewal area. What I take issue with is the hypothesis purported that inertia would prevent reopening of the street if it were temporarily closed, which -seems outside of the competance`of the :professional - to judge`, That "extremely difficult -process",-I am afraid bears resemblance to the political:process,: probably, extremely difficult -to the administrator but -important to the concept _of _popular participation in municipal undertakings. Secondly,` while traffic counts and other empirical evidence are finer,eany_scientific evaluation of policy outcome should rest on direct experimentation where it -"is feasible. Street closings ' of a temporary nature are probably.the'easiest policy decisions tootest as to monetary and practical constraints. :There is'no reason why :the City Council cannot comnetantly carry on an experiiaental street closing with the University of Iowa. Also, there is a, certain bias in conclusion of any administrative orgainsation, especially one whose concern is construction_ and maintenance of, public works, It is the duty of the City Council to see this natural' organisational bias and not become -susceptible'_ itself to it. Onebiasis traffic counts. Traffic counts only measure what is, not what could or -ought to be. _Street `closings, do not anymore simply divert,existing traffic than does an urban interstate improve the _flow `of existing; traffic. The latter has the unfortunate side cost of actually encouraging more traffic; the former has the potential of reducing traffic by introducing an inconvenience .to the motorist. It is then, whether. the Council is 'going to support the reduction1,-­'1_.,o of motoring in the downtown and promote.more dependence on public:_ transit and pedestrian safety,,:that.is'the substantive issue, ` question that is before you, Specifically, I want to comment on the possible street closing itself. I think that the safety of pedestrians would be greatly improved by the elimination of dangerous lovela'of traffic that encounter pedestrian crossings at''the corners near theUniversity Library and the Student Union. The motorists ignore -the signs proclaiming pedestrian crossings even mor?Q than the pr vii �us Stop for Pedestrians in Crosswalk" signs Dubuque and �fadicson). ____ • 2_ • FROM THE NEW ,YORK.TIMES OF SEPTEMBER 2321975 ;Page 10-1 `r "U.S.'PLANS TO TEST AUTO -FREE ZONES" • "VlashingtonoSept.22(UPI) Expirimental automobile free zones. will be established in several cities next year with an eye toward keeping cars out of`large downtown districts'forever;the Federal Highway Administrator said today. 'I think that it will work' said the of£icialpNorbert T Tiemann who made he announcementt' in a spgech at the annual meeting of the iternational BridgerTunnelr and Turnpike Association in Paris. A transcript of the talk was made public here.. Mr. Tieman said that such zones would be feasible in a variety of urban settings --commercials residentialfhistoric and institutional. He added--'Certainly-it would be unpopular politically.. But I think it is an idea whose idea must come soon.• He said his agency would conduct w'one-year study on the " -' experimewlu.'Special forms _of convenience' such as jitneys or minibuses- might be allowed in the auto -free zones. - • The Highway administration's urban planning division chief, Kevin Heanue, said here that the experiment would begin next year in perhaps/ six cities none of which has:-been.chosen`yet. A six -to - 10 block area might be chosenshe said and only delivery trucks and some autos --perhaps those paying fees --would he permitted: to enter." - _ - . I do not kneel. Your mind passes from ,*f thcsc things to The work takes tw long and it is the worst part of the the other and as it touches on each otic the pain there day; the time gots r cry and you want to escape. That is .increases;_ the others fade but do not disappear. when I would occasionally see new pcop)c„ usually the - i But it is important to understand that the character younger ones, fall into their cars and dive off wit' -out even waiting to collect their money at the end of the da of this complex of pain depends a great deal on whether After my last, day I went back into Bakersfield, got the pay is good or bad. With a good crop, like grapes, dean, had a good meal and started walking back'to my; , strawberries or, lettuce, the hardship of the afternoon room. i had met a guy the day before in the little lobby: ; i becomes something to lest yourself; against, to endure. who was sure I could get on with him chopping cotton. I EJ. ach hour is something to overcome, and when you finish wasn't feeling completelysatisfied and wanted something -- you know absolutely that you have won, you have the spoils sweet. i went into a liquor store, I picked up a Hershey bar in your dirty hand; you feel tired but good. and then as a minor treat got another.' The clerk said it A bad crop, like onions, cats your: strength. You don't was 30 cents. i put the mins down, he. moved his. hand to seem able to do anything but hurt and be hot. You spend take them, and then I saw that I had just thrown about 70 ; more and more time looking around and feeling disgusted. -pounds of filthy onions onto the counter.- - ` O i STREETS WITHOUT CARS , ©00 r100� 1 n THS CET Sw : FIILLIAT4 J. DEAN and SIMON ^.REI?;MS twenty-eight, has the highest carbon monoxide lc -,cls, ands' In Greek mythology, Zeus condemns Ixion to Hades, there Corpus Christi, ranked first, the lowest. Other rankirgs arc Washington, D.C., 12; Phoenix, 13; San Francism' i to revolve on a perpetually rolling wheel. By allowing the 14 Philadelphia, 16; Boston, 17, St Louis, 18; Atlantal automobile to penetrate every crack and crevice of our 20, Los Angeles, 21t Miami, -24:. -and Chicago, 26. I' cities, we have inflicted the same fate on ourselves. The1 timehat mtpCtn end the an[mmnhile'c itnminatinn { Federal standards call an area hazard ous and unhealthy i ' of pit y 1-ijr` _ if it is subjected to more than nine parts per million of car- bon monoxide. during an eight-hour period at )east IFtce a ' 1 Since 1899, when the first American was killed by a car "Central year, or thirty-five parts per million for two or e near Park in New -York, a blood bath has been mo one-hour periods during a year. During traffic jams, ]eve s - .t underway. Ile city's Traffic Department reports read like ' along the street commonly exceed 100 ppm. In New Yo -k ' ° = battlefield communiques. Casualties in 1974: 712 killed, . City ambient air quality standards for vehicular 'Pollution 'i'j,-'`. 111.156 injured. Street crimes claim far fewer victims. Traffic in urban centers produces noise levels with, peaks are met only at Christmas and on especially windy- days "What New classified as deafening, the man-made equivalent of York City needs," wryly comments an - environment official, "are big fans in New Jett• ' thunder. Decibel counts at the Place de"I'Opera in Paris VVL�h�`Ny�r1� exceed those of Niagara FaIisl The economic cos o it fare increase 35 to 50 teats o_�6 gestion—in time New -York's subways an asses -can only cxar•:bate t e ons. a social cost includes IMnp� under enntinn+l ress r m intimidation are ast OEM ic, environment an �' s 'he EPA estimates t a Dare, inease 'transit harmony wt t crc,surroundi s. Motor vehicles ;spew ' will res••'` ir, a n c� rship reduction' of'10 tier cent an 95,000__ additional fort ons o carbon monoxide gas a day into New York' - v in centering Manhattan cach'wccKif'ay., , cw York City's air. To try to stem this outpouring, the city and state - City is already a disaster situation," in the view of Brian I in 1973 proposed a transportation controls plan, approved - Ketcham; author of the 1973 transportation controls plan by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for the city, and now vice president of Citizens for Clean calling for a 50 per cent reduction in passenger car travel Air, an activist group. by July 1, 1975, for Manhattan below 60th Street.- The To date efforts to clean, the air have largely been j target date has come and gone; vehicular travel and pollu- directed at making cars cleaner and smaller„ but Henry, f tion levels continue to rise. rd If has himself written: "Notieof these than " w' 11 do High carbon monoxide levels are not ani ue to N mut to rrflr •- t a air * - ; j • -• n a ist o tw•eoty-eig trifles comps c y the ar 'tie all its xibility the cpr is aot the i Council on Municipal `Performance, a research' group est possible wa to Pet to or move around in very ousv analyzing problems common to major urban centers in the with President Fords proposal to freeze emission United States, it ranks eleventh on the basis of a sampling ' standards at their present levels for the. next five years, average for: 1968 to 1973. °Baltimore, with a ranking of cn attem is at makin cars cleaner seem - m cnng wi is au omo t e won t solve the problem, we need Yld iJldunrmtrab ed Tat 4f 1 William Dean ii a lawyer and Simon Breiner an architect. They are :ea -authors -of The Pedestrian - Revolution: Streets- Without - ` Cats (Wastage Boois). s2. C T4 1 t� iTesigned to [lava at a mile a minute and taster, the auto- - --_� mobile operates best on a reasonably clear, uninterrupted HE NAnoNISeprrmber 27,-1973 ' 271 ' ' • road. Street intersections, Al. battsignals, the crush of vehicles -7i Earth Week carbon monoxide levels dropped from and o cr TEs c tctenty ramatically. n ur an ccn crs, w ere average speeds drop a normal twenty-two paraper, million to about seven-two - parts per million better to mics per. hour or less, it is'a sh out of water. than the federal air quality standard. Ketcham points oat that in congested midtown an attan passenger cars achieve an overall operating efficiency- of With no damaging vehicles and no vehicular. pollution ; trees would have a chance to survive. Dc_corativcpavement, only 7 per cent; more than 90 per cent of the latent energy more `congenial wld-rc lace oncrc in gasoline is thrown away as waste heat; and as air sa phalt•cnchcs could be introduced for relaxation. pollution. an—La:; outdoor cafes to a setting free of the noise t` Cities with decentes- - ans ortation s have the po uJon o ., any proposal to create pedestrian areas in a downtown i o ortum to restrain nut mo t e us gh business district raises an'mevitablc,qucs ton:, di c creation o auto- rce c cslnan areas. Pedestrian' vcrtcd vehicles brio traffic to a cermg 7an begin moes y- oug . William : H. Whyte, author of The Organisation Man, and founder of. standstill el�- Pedestrian areas will be oocn o emer encu vehiclerarall ' �mcs + i the Street Life Project, a group which proposes better uses - Still, cncripheral congestion is inevitable > for; urban open spaces, has a project underway in New York City along Lexington Avenue between 57th 60th nit will case as rivers am,�.0 to the alternate routes ' `and and Streets. Whyte describes the arca as "The most horrible, fewer can'appcar(on tint s rcets. iust`as additional v icular facilities congested, fascinating urban space in the world." The ¢cnerat�norc�rafiic, reducing on r- .` t region includes two of the city's largest department stores,' Bloomingdale's and Alexander s; a vehicular, approach to ,dolt. <fr ,. ormF nveniencc: : motorists will begin to shift to other, more efficient means of j the Quccnsboro Bridge over the Fast River; seven subway transportation. Thcy may regret the loss of their cars; but the benefits of cleaner air, greater entrances and exits; a Howard Johnson lunch counter; four safety and improved amenities for hundreds of thousands of pedestrians must t pizzerias; a hair palace; boutiques: a'-florist; . street be balanced against the disgruntlement of a much ' peddlers, etc. Only two blocks to the east, on 59th Street and Second Avenue, are recorded some of the highest = smaller number"of motorists. 4 e, �,, r carbon monoxide levels in the city. - ka w 1:14o While traffic congestion and pollution are es ezaie The Lexington Avenue roadway is 50 feet wide with five in downtown business areas, the p lanes of traffic. Each of the two sidewalks is 12 feet wide, residential Pedestrian engineering having been narrowed some years ago to speed the Flow of vehicles. Armed with a 16mm ' ` makes good sense in the home environment as well. Closed movie camera, Whyte moni- tors pedestrian and vehicular movements. He ., to parking and through traffic, except for emergency and' - calculates that from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. the cast sidewalk, which at one ' service vehicles,` a residential pedestrian strcct' can ' be as short as one block or several blocks long. Sidewalk curbs spot narrows to 4 feet, accommodates 24,000 people. Another 23,000 pedestrians crowd the west would be removed and the roadbed filled in, thus tuning ' sidewalk. All told 6 nt of the the entire street from building to building, into a pedes-: Per wheel. trian area with'shadc-producing trees and benches. et pedestrians ire retruatrd to1`cc it o - o thrr fes! Pe "d Children and cars are a lethal mix, (In New York City in P PI - Whyte plans to propose to city officials that at least 1974, sixty-two children, 14 years or younger, were killed one traffic lane be eliminated to permit widening of the side- ' while ,crossing -streets, and nearly 5,000 were injured.) Eliminating vehicular traffic from walks. A modest, proposal, but what a boon to the 47,000 streets where young ` f ; children play will relieve parents of constant janxiety. pede_trans who travel through this part of the city each dayl No longer will they need to fight for foot room the Adults too, especially the elderly, wRI benefit. rIfaiiy iive ly on __ narrow sidewalk.only far from parks.; With cleaner air, trees and a place to relax Sidewalk widening is one form of pedestrian engineer. = a few feet from their homes, they need spend less time ` sitting indoors, often alone. .r•i any streets are not required for vehicular use twcnty-four hours a day, What is to be done about cars denied access to residen- tial streets? Allowing for fire hydrants, curb cuts and " 365 days a year. Two are needepart- to create pedestrian streetm thinly, p occa- ,tonal bus stops, the average residential city block' hastime owntown business area, or anywhere else: initiative and a traffic barrier reading, parking space for about fifteen can along each curb, or - all. "Street Closed to otor a to es. thirty cars in inmost cases, these fes ,paces arc' not'- successful sufficient for all the automobiles owned by residents.' Orly pa - 1me s rcec cTlosins can` lead to the creation of a a lucky or resourceful few manage to reach the curb 0:1- - me- c estnarstr ..Thc case and - economy with w tc time.:This means that entire streets are despoiled forth '. t a street can oe temporarily closed ems- convenience of a sma num er o cam* naT° -� -- -e(] ra P •IPrIR1Pn}ptinn• .This chance to experiment is _ 7."_ e c on P77."_::,nr tv.Pn -�V� unique to pedestrian engineering. Unlike most plans to im- urban life, which arc so be :r , If custom has established certain parking =f the vast az to intimidating, planning for pedestrians can be undertaken pragmatically municipality may 'wish to assume the bvrdea of zd altcrnatc and parkid facilitirs or car rJarx �+• ,-. Street closings will revolsttion!ze urban life, The human ux a private garage a: some othe. Iccaz on.'Tms oufd . put them to added expense and inconvenience, but voice wi rep ace an acoustically harsh s dscape. When Madison Avenue was cars the decisionon-wUl r or not to create a pedestrian street is r closed to at midday- during one for all the residents o e strce lm—=---=-' t'I •" .:272 t 'rte 'r ,,' NA=)NJSeptemher'27 J975 Widened sidewalks and downtown and -residential tion costs in Rome of $53 million and m Tokyo of 560 im wo pedestrian areas provide their own justification but when million. lity ' several of them can be linked together M a u s aiLd _ et r eh n++nmv maxlYettiavor c am o tra re- ree wa t resu is a frinmph-°£; the creation of a estnan areas. Street closings require a on, _ _ pc estrian engineering. ave a u a mo est capita outlay. For example, the conversion _of,a :nt. vs cm. and w s urban pedestrian areas grew in size, mint -vehicles four -block stretch of Mulberry Street in Little Italy on New and j would be introduced. Electric -powered tra r rams are SSU 000,pbe at sur East m is virtually e into a "re ession prestrian loofS' nithe oise i; noiseless, nonpo u mg and m euverable to suit the words of New irork Times architectural editor, Ada Louise wording ways of pcdcstriansr The are faster than- walking, wn but slower than conventional vehicles. They are intended to the looHuxtakout for popular but inexpensive projects.e. City officials, desperately short of ey are on m- ( mingle with, not mangle the pedestrian. pedestrianism will not arrive without cont Some req Tractor -trains will cruise through pedestrian areas on, always e closing of a street, t all regular schedules, with major pick-up and drop-off points- no pc8pmattehowcongested, 'inconvenient or. unhealthy un, close to garages and bus stops at the auto•free zone's vehicular traffic may be. Property owners have an instinc gin- �` periphery. and near subway stations within the pedestrian tive fear of change. Shopkeepers foresee a drop in sales utes area. Tractor -train cars will also be designed to transport and some business, leaders regard traffic congestion as in oval goods to the buildings and shops in the pedestrian area. indica{or of: economic vitality -"It's good for: ust" Their per- - While foot power and mint -vehicles make movement within h pedestrian district feasible, * ^��+�^ concerns, justified or not, cannot be ignored. Close consul -.- While istri Fit •fir ration with hese groups and the experimental process cans system is n which permits testing pedestrian proposals, before any final tec:nc roll i, .., f•+ iii i < Declared decisions are made,cagdo much to meet theirobjections cars, i e t e an Ll:itiPiJtatt"'- `.. t1s,Y t _ _. .: oved Streets that attraM numerous pedestrians will be safe New York's Mayor Fiorello cc s to at is must f cad as ships'' by again cnn a11er r Lit Guardia in 1935, t s lik snot er s ron ar ument to avoi o pe estnan streets. ' ar oston and an -Francisco have placed large New York City's, sporadic moves to restrain the auto - or en for air-conditioned electric trolle Economy is a enormous rate crises for ar in trollehes stem ir new ran e' from 54nrnillion�t0 S8 weekn etend ban ng ofle have met ttcarsfromparks, for the benefitf t left ' { p ... Y Y S roved to be the most popular "gig mi,lion a mile, compared with per -mile subway construe- pedestrians and bicyclists, p oscd p `` 77 and 2. be a5{� \`fir curbs ! t i i 1 , JfL�� "I l ' urnin c t %c t ; g j L i �n vt pedes- i j` t `: ^ F =•� i , . '\ -%%/`- F q ' tt- City in killed f 1 jured.) 1 ,young _. ! �`- ti _' t nxiety. _ At live to azi /�! \wit ess � � 1 I� 4 t resider' Ock has curb. o: an not curb on � � t---�- � ! (:. i _ r = -� ^ • - i q _ t. d for the host: cars 1 :•�'�,� I Irk j7i'� J i.i ��i . _ t .. t ..__r S 2 way. - t is COUId __;_�_ - _ _ •.— '. �.—•�- �< - Simon Breinc% but the n strtet. is St. Andrews Plaza, Near City llal! In Lower Manhattan. Until Recently the Area Was ✓ Juniale l with fbookfyrt firldpe :Vehicular Traffic. 273 rr '17, 1975 TME vAnov/.Srptemher 77, 1973 t decision of former Mayor Jo•Lin(Isay's eight-year i administration. The Sunday closing of 52nd Street from river -to river. this, past summer attracted` hundreds of thousands of people, as have closings of Madison, Fifth and Ninth Avenues. A five -block sarctch of Nassau Street in the city's financial distriot is now barred to cars and trucks each weekday from 1 I A.M. to 2 P.M. So successful - has it been that plans arc being drawn to -change Nassau Street into a full-time pedestrian street. The second stage in its development might never have been reached had not part-timeclosings' established the value of a pedestrian arca in this highly congested section of the city. The reaction to these initiatives on behalf of people afoot S uggests t e presenc o n.cv =tat. tvbuTd u oir 3'1SiSfiubhc lie to restrict automobile use c or ity.t is slivulu WHIC as nu sur- pnse. Census figures reveal that, citywide, 57.5•percent of the households do not even own a car. In Manhattan the figure rises to - an astonishing 78.5 per cent.- Yet to accommodate a minority of residents and commuters from u E tUL 741HE EDELHART Knoxville Crashes by marijuana -laden Army surplus -planes into rural hills in Tennessee and Georgia have brought to light i – a'major airborne, southern,pot-smuggling network. One estimate claims that as many as 150 smuggling flights pass over the southern United States cvcry_day;=carrying grass from Mexico, Jamaica and Colombia. But so hard to detect and control is this marijuana airlift that public awareness of its existence has come not from arrests and indictments but from the smugglers themselves, when they have miscal- culated and crashed with their cargoes., In the first six months of this year, forty -eight -pot planes came to grief in. the southern states. Southern pot airlifting is not a crime primarily of the --young or the. discontented or even. of organized crime. The ` smugglers tend to be professional fliers in their 30s and early 40s: commercial and military trained pilots whose skills have gone begging in the tight economy, teamed with businessmen who put up the thousands of dollars of front money needed to get; into the trade. I if southern air smuggling is a growing problem, and law-enforcement officials readily admitthat it is, the - reason`isthe same as that for any-otherenterprise: -the market is growing.. "I hesitate to say it,"- said Ken Copeland, senior agent in charge of narcotics for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. "But I'm afraid that's the reason. It just boils down to supply and demand. Mari- juana use is on the increase. There's a big demand for it so somebody comes up with the supply." The vital elements of the southern smuggling oper- ation are the big discarded planes of World War II: Lockheed Lodestars, B -25s and Constellations. These planes can be bought as surplus for as little as 510,000 and i -:.- 274 outside, virtual all of the city's 6.123 -mile street System is given over to the automobile. -Lil(e'nnv other Vj-,+-�e1.7.,H-rhanor in nor cnr:oty !� pcdestHans s -and bicvcbs e o a zc cvco Ideal support. Auto companies and .."r rivers recognized car y m ry's infancy the value of organization. A few small auto companies by themselves" could' not hope to fend: off persecution by ,the manu- facturers of anu-facturersof carriages or entrenchedinvestors in trolley -car ._ lines, but' an auto club could. When auto clubs asked the government to pave roads,.the politician who failed to heed 3 them did so at his peril. Those who seek to restrain auto- mobile use in urban centers can profit by this example. Streets are too important to be left to the domination of the automobile. They comprise one-third of a city's ground ' area. At the, present time most of our cities have little more than occasinal pedestrian refuges scattered: haphazardly.::, Many of them are one -day happenings—street fairs— rather than year-round amenities. Improve streets and you ': enrich the daily life of every urban resident. ❑` ' 1 t i - otfcr the prospective smuggler a host of enticing features. ' "The'plaacs have immense cargo' capacities; a>B-25 can carry several _tuns. -Their fuel capadties are large as well, and that is extremc!v important since it allows the smuggler to take off from some spot far from the U.S. r - border_ and reach:.his. destination. without refueling. In additign, the planes cruise faster than anything that is likely to chase them—well above 200 mph. That makes it hard for the FAA to find them in the air and even harder for patrol planes to trail them. Military planes could easily maintain surveillance on smuggling aircraft, but it is illegal for military planes to engage in such work. The smuggling aircraft can be outfitted with the most sophisticated radio _ and guidance equipment available, making elusive mancu- _ vers easy, and night, fog and ground -level flying possible. Properly equipped, such airplanes become formidable smuggling machines. In the hands of good pilots they can simply outlast and autfly anything the patrol forces have _. available. Many of the big-time smugglers, like other busi- nessmen, start out small and move up to their. dream of a big plane plowing the profits of early excursions back into 71 the business. When they've accumulated enough capital by '- running. -little missions_ either by boat- (the traditional <, method) or by small private planes, smugglers expand the 7 operation by picking up one of the big aircraft at a military , auction or from an antique plane collector. They spend still more money getting the plane fixed up and are then ready for the big time. William Flannigan was a World War I1 veteran a;jd ace pilot. He had -retired from Genal Moors reasons about a year before he crashed at Dawson G i, according to his brother, and had adequate income from Mike Edelhart L a reporter currently living in the Southeast.' THE NATioiilSeprember 27, 1975 1617 >lilson Street, Iowa City, Iowa, October 24, 197• To the I•embers cf the City Council: This is my, second appeal to you the Members of the City Council. Cn. Saotembar 27, 1975, I wrote the following letter regarding ad'ustr_ent inoursewer assessment on William White Blvd. To date i nave not received n reply. Tne letter read as_follows: In a telephone conversation Friday, September 26th, with I:r.-Daniel Boyle, Iowa City Attorney, I was informed that our names do not appear on the list of names with our neighbors, regarding the -reduction -of our sssess7ent of the ',•lilliao_Wn to Blvd. Sewer Proiect. Mr. Bogle told - _ ria is because we cid not •ai.cu. tneti�w,4ii anpcal .meeting. The lc+t Piit^en adys -i Au7unt, ivfj, my husband, Joe L. S'nima; onf3.ne& to..!;ar�y Hospital -.with a serious kidney. uuecti••n. Followinc nis release from the hosoit•_l he was taken to the Lantern Park rursin- Nome where ne spent the entiremonthof.`September -for further skilled nursin- care. ;'r. Boyle _told me the Council appeal meeting was held in - Cctober of 1973• If this is the case, we -no doubt received our notice of t:nis meeting while ry husband was in the nursing ,home. And, because of its terrible stnte of depression I spent most of my =days at the home with him. Consequently, _. date of this _eetine was overlooked or for-ctten b;, me because -, thou hts and worries :were with him. '4e have lived of 1617 Wilson -treat in; Iowa City since 1950 and we intend to continue 'our `residency here. As,. -taxpayers,; I_make this= - - appeal to ycu, t:ie.}*embers of the City Council, to give us, vour .Senior Citizens, t o sane consideretion. and leniency that you are Siving or will be giving to our neirnbors in adjusting the amount of our sewer =assessment. ;Toning tts t I may have a favorable reply from ycu some time -in the near future, I Sincerely, Fol L E, D@1 C T 2 8 1975 ABBIE STOLFUS CITY CLERK L L l�tl November 11--1975 Mrs.. Marie Shima . 1617 Wilson Street Iowa City, -Iowa 52240 ,y Dear Mrs. Shima: ` At the regular meeting of November 4, the City Council received --- and placed on file your letter regarding sewerimprovements on:William ' White Boulevard. This matter is: currently In the hands of the city attorney who will.be'contacting you In the near future. If I can be of any additional service to you, please do not hesitiate to give me a call. -- Sincerely yours. Neal G. Berlin :, .. City Manager ` rGa/sd cc:City Clerk ✓ City `Attorney ;� �. i � � ,r A %�r�,.�'' ,� .Y , err,;. rs�, L Agenda Planning and Zoning.Commission Iowa.City, Iowa - October 23, 1975 -- 4:00 p.m Council Chambers.-- Civic Center A. Call to Order by Chairman B. Roll Call C. Consideration of minutes of regular meeting held on October 9, 1975. D. Zoning Item: P-7317. Creation of University Zone (U). Initiated, by PF,Z. E. Subdivision Items: 1. _'S-7521. Revision of preliminary and final plat of University Lake Apartments. Revision requested by developer: 10/21/75. 2. S-7522. B.D.I. First Addition, preliminary plat (Vic. corner of " Highway'6 Bypass and Heinz Road). 'Submittedby.Business _Develop- ment, Inc. -- Iowa City Chamber of Commerce. Date filed: 10/21/75. 45 -day limitation: 12/5/75. 3. S -7522A. B.D.I. ,First Addition, final plat.See S-7522 above. 4. S -7S23. Lot 3, B.D.I. First Addition." Preliminary and final plat of a Large Scale Non -Residential Development (LSNRD).- Submitted r by, George Nagle. Date filed: 10/21/75. ;45 -day limitation: -12/5/75. F. ' Other Business -- G. Adjournment Next regular meeting -- November 6,11975. STAFF REPORT • Planning and Zoning Commission October 23, 1975 SUBJECT: 5-7521. Revised preliminary and final Large Scale Residential Development plan of ,University I; LakeApartments located around the north side of Melrose Lake; date filed: 10/20/75; 45 -day limitation: 12/4/75. =; STAFF The subject combined preliminary ANALYSIS: and final LSRD plan is a revision of the preliminary LSRD,plan - approved by the Commission on September 9, 1975 and the final plan 'approved by the Commission on October 9, 1975. For the reasons stated in a letter dated October 17, 1975 from Mr. Kenneth Albrecht and attached hereto, approval of the modified plan is requested. The changes indicated are minor modifications which -do not alter the concept of the development. Each change has-been analyzed accordingly: 1. The relocation of:the most_westerly "building -co I mplex"- is proposed for two reasons: (a) to preserve existing natural vegetation along Melrose Lake, and (b) to physically allow the proposed sanitary sewer to the • south of said building complex to be extended westerly to the west boundary line for future service connection. This change is the only modification of the location of the existing buildings which is both essential and appropriate. 2. A reduction -of the width of the private street from 28 feet _to_25 feet . is essentially a financial consideration but also increases the amount ' of open space and provides for a uniform, width along'Woodside Drive. Since the design standards are equivalent to City specifications and no parking is proposed, ,the Staff sees no objection `to"reducing the width. Shifting the paving further=to the north,,,however,;is of - sane concern to the Staff, if snow removed from the street is piled over the adjacent bicycle path and/or walk. As -a condition upon the approval of the plan, it is (suggested that snow' be removed from the area and hauled to a disposal site elsewhere. 3. The bicycle path and/or walk previously shown around Melrose Lake has been deleted in the subject revised plan .This change also is primarily a financial consideration.` The deletion is of little concern to the Staff since it is of littlebenefitto the public'. 4. Other very minute changes are acceptable to the Staff, however, the --following-additions or -corrections should be made: a. Signatures of the registered land surveyor and representatives of the utility companies shor:d be provided. October 17, 1975 - ChairmanRobert Ogesen and Members of the Planning and Zoning Commission City of Iowa City Iowa City, Iowa - 52240 Re: University Lake Apartments Dear Mr. Ogesen:- Recent field work has indicated the necessity for making some revisions to the above referenced;development'as"shown on the Preliminary Site Plan dated September.9, 1975. We respectfully • request your consideration of the following revisions in light of the circumstances described:' 1), Relocation of the Building complex to the north is necessary to avoid destruction of four "existing White Fur trees that are; approximately 35 feet tall. These trees serve as an esthetic enhancement to the 'completed complex and are too -- large and have been established toolong;,to safely be relo- cated. Also, as originally planned, the westerly' building complex was too close to the lake "to'allow for construction of-the'proposed sanitary sewer to the Nest -property. line between the building and the lake. r= -2) Reconstruction of that portion of the existing 12 -inch = sanitary sewer along the north edge of the development to - a -grade sufficient -to provide-anracceptable depth of cover over the sewer at completion of the development. - 3) Changingthepaving width of the Woodside Drive Road Extension„. to 25 feet to match the existing Woodside Drive- r1ve which which is 25 feet wide. ,The paving will also be shifted three - feet to the north. These: changes w111 increase the size of the green area at the northwest corner of the development, which _ will be planted' to screen` the-development'.from that direction. The, situation in regard to snow -removal from the street will - he unchanged by these modifications since in either case snow — will have to be removed from the area andhauled to a disposal site elsewhere. . STAFF REPORT Planning &`.Zoning Commission October 23, 1975 SUBJECT: 5-7522. Preliminary plat-of-B6I - First Addition located north of Highway 6 Bypass and west -of Heinz Road; date filed: 10/21/75; 45 -day -limitation: =12/5/75. STAFF The subject plat submitted by ANALYSIS: _ Business Development Inc., a nonprofit organization sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, is -a four lot subdivision of32.02 acres located west -of -Heinz Road, "north of Highway 6 Bypass-, and south of the.CRI&P Railroad. The tract is zoned Ml for light industrial uses or any use except those expresslypermitted in the M2 -Heavy Industrial Zone. -Existing-land uses: adjacent -to the site include the H.J. Heinz distribution center warehouse to the east and.the H.P.-Smith Paper Company to the west. Land to the north of the tract is presently; undeveloped. The 'subject plat has been reviewed by the Planning and Engineer- ing Divisions and conforms with all the requirements of.Chapter ; 9.50 of the Municipal Code relative to the requirements for a-- . preliminary -plat with_the exception of the following discrepancies. 1. The actual acreage of the site was computed at 32.02 acres in lieu of 32.1 acres. 2. The Fire Chiefhasrequested that the -proposed water main extended to the subject addition be 10 inches in diameter.` A "proposed 10 inch water main should be labled on the plat. 3. Sanitary sewer service has not been extended.to the subdivi- sion._ The applicant has indicated that`ahere may not be a_' need for sanitary sewer service particularly if the lots `are - developed for warehouses. However, Section 9.50.5E of the Subdivision Code states that "the subdivider shall provide' the subdivision with -a complete sanitary sewer system, including stubs, for' each lot which shall connect with a' sanitary sewer outlet approved by, the City Manager". The staff would suggest, as a viable alternative to the -install- ation of sanitary sewers at this time, that the following' provisions be made: a. Preliminary; plans for the construction of sanitary sewers in accordance with City_ specifications be submit- ted -and approved -by the Engineering Division. The loca- tion and size of the sewer would be shown on the prelim- inary plat. • STAFF REPORT Planning & Zoning Commission - October 23,'_1975 SUBJECT: 5-7523. Preliminary -and Final Large; Scale Non Residential Development Plan -of -Nagle Mini - Warehouses;: -date filed: 10/21/75, 45 -day limitation: 12/5/75. STAFF Mr. George Nagle has submitted a ANALYSIS: combined preliminary and final LSNRD'plan to construct a total of 10 mini -warehouses (small warehouses for lease) on Lot 3 of BDI-First-Addition located west of Heinz Road. Since the lot is presently zoned Ml, any use except those expressly permitted in the`M2 Heavy industrial Zone are permitted including warehouses. According to 'Chapter 9.52 of the Municipal.Code,,whenever the owner or owners of a tract of land wishes to secure a building' permit for an office, commercial or industrial building on a tract of land on a seperate tract greater than two acres in area, • an-LSNRD plan must be submitted and approved by ,the Commission" and the City=Council. Since the subject lot consists of 4.32 acres, a_combined-preliminary"and final.LSNRD.plan has been sub- mitted for approval by the Commission and the City Council. The Planning and Engineering Divisions have reviewed the subject orms with all the.; requirements fora plan and findthatit conf plan with the exception of the follow - preliminary and final LSNRD ing'discrepancies: 1. As was indicated in a Staff Report dated October 23, 1975 in the analysis=of the -preliminary,_ plat of BDI First Addition, the proposed water main extension should be labeled "proposed -l0" water main extension". 2. A signature block for subsequent endorsement by the City Clerk certifying approval of the -plan should be provided. ------- 3. Parking facilities for the required number of parking spaces should be_indicated d area illus - 4. Complete design specifications for the _surface trated including driveway width and thickness, radii of ;the _-returns to Heinz Road, type ;of- paving, _a complete` description of the surfaced area includingradii, whether curbs are being • provided, etc. should be indicated on the plan. t� - z - t'