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2019-07-18 Info Packet
I 1 12 go -III IP owl CITY OE IOWA CITY wwuv.icgov.org City Council Information Packet IP1. Council Tentative Meeting Schedule July 24 Work Session July 18, 2019 IP2. Work Session Agenda IP3. Memo from Senior Planner: Joint City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission Work Session Miscellaneous IP4. Article from Assistant City Manager: 2020 Census Update: A Final Answer on the Citizenship Question IPS. Invitation: Iowa CARE ACT Celebration Draft Minutes IP6. Historic Preservation Commission: June 13 IP7. Telecommunications Commission: June 24 July 18, 2019 City of Iowa City Page 1 Item Number: 1. jr ;;rw®J� CITY OC IOWA CITY www.icgov.org July 18, 2019 Council Tentative Meeting Schedule ATTACHMENTS: Description Council Tentative Meeting Schedule r City Council Tentative Meeting Schedule .rlMaa""a� Subject to change CI F IOWA CITY July 18, 2019 Date Time Meeting Location Wednesday, July 24, 2019 5:00 PM Joint meeting with Planning & Zoning Emma J. Harvat Hall Tuesday, August 6, 2019 4:00 PM Executive Session Emma J. Harvat Hall 5:00 PM Work Session 7:00 PM Formal Meeting Tuesday, August 20, 2019 5:00 PM Work Session Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00 PM Formal Meeting Tuesday, September 3, 2019 5:00 PM Work Session Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00 PM Formal Meeting Tuesday, September 17, 2019 5:00 PM Work Session Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00 PM Formal Meeting Tuesday, October 1, 2019 5:00 PM Work Session Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00 PM Formal Meeting Tuesday, October 15, 2019 5:00 PM Work Session Emma J. Harvat Hall 7:00 PM Formal Meeting jr ;;rw®J� CITY OC IOWA CITY www.icgov.org July 18, 2019 Work Session Agenda ATTACHMENTS: Description Work Session Agenda Item Number: 2. 1 � i Its ffl MEW- =1®i CITY OF I©UVA CITY 410 Fast Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 5 2240-1 826 (3 19) 356-5000 (31 9) 356-5009 FAX Invw-ICgo W, org Joint Meeting with the Planning & Zoning Commission City Council Work Session Agenda Wednesday, July 24, 2019 Emma J. Harvat Hall - City Hall 5:00 PM • Update on the South District Form Based Code • Overview of the Review of the Riverfront Crossings Form Based Code • Review of Ronalds Street Missing Middle Housing Concepts • Discussion on the Development Review Process July 18, 2019 Memo from Senior Planner: Joint City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission Work Session iI_Td:Pil:1l1k&I Description Memo from Senior Planner: Joint City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission Work Session r CITY OF IOWA CITY 0 ! MEMORANDUM DATE: July 18, 2019 TO: Geoff Fruin, City Manager FROM: Anne Russett, Senior Planner RE: Joint City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission Work Session Introduction At the City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission joint work session on July 24, Opticos Design will present an update on the development of form -based zoning regulations for an area in the South District. Opticos will also discuss its assessment of the Riverfront Crossings form - based code and concepts developed for the city -owned property on Ronalds Street. The primary purpose for this work session is to begin a discussion on the land development process, which Opticos will also lead. The City Council requested that staff explore the current land development process and report back in the summer 2019. Opticos's presentation will allow the City Council to start this conversation. Staff will continue this discussion with City Council during a work session in August where Iowa City's process will specifically be discussed. Opticos Design's Scope of Work Earlier this year the City entered into a consultant agreement with Opticos Design for the development of form -based zoning regulations for an area in the South District. In addition to the development of the form -based regulations, Opticos is also assessing the Riverfront Crossings form -based code, conducting a residential market analysis to better understand market demands for housing development in the South District, developing concepts for potential development on the city -owned Ronalds Street property, and outlining recommendations for addressing community concerns related to larger -scale single-family infill development. Lastly, staff is also working on an amendment to this contract to include additional stakeholder outreach and a parking analysis for the Northside Market Place. Overview of the South District Form -Based Code Project This planning project builds on and is an extension of previous planning work in the community: • South District Plan: Adopted in 2015, the South District Plan outlines the vision for this area. Over the course of many months, staff worked with the community on the development of this vision. • Project Direction Report and Form -based Code Analysis: Most recently, representatives of Opticos Design and City staff worked with the community to assess the feasibility of implementing a form -based code for undeveloped areas in the South District. Completed in August 2017, the project direction report includes a summary of interviews with stakeholders, a community workshop, and the results of a visual preference exercise. With the adoption of the South District Plan and the completion of the project direction report, Opticos Design is now working with City staff to develop new zoning regulations for the area identified in Figure 1. The project focuses on the creation of development standards that will regulate future development projects. Zoning is the main tool to implement the City's comprehensive plan, including the South District Plan. Zoning provides the rules for how land can be developed. It outlines what structures can be July 18, 2019 Page 2 built and where and how they will be used. Conventional zoning dictates the number of dwelling units allowed, maximum heights, lot coverage, and minimum on-site parking. The City is working with Opticos to develop form -based zoning regulations, which is different than the conventional approach to zoning. Form -based zoning focuses less on land use (e.g. single- family v. multi -family) and more on the scale (e.g. bulk and height) of the development and its relationship to the street and the public realm. The new standards will encourage and help to achieve the following goals: • Neighborhoods that are safe for pedestrians and encourage walking • Preservation of important environmental resources • A connected network of streets and paths • Allowance of a variety of housing types • Ability to apply these regulations to other areas of the city 3 s�r L� July 18, 2019 Page 3 The City kicked off the project in April 2019. The anticipated timeline is outlined below. Anticipated Date Task April, 2019 Project Kick-off July, 2019 Residential Market Analysis November, 2019 Public Review Draft Form -based Code Stakeholder Input on Draft Form -based Code January, 2020 Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting City Council Public Hearin Item Number: 4. CITY OC IOWA CITY www.icgov.org July 18, 2019 Article from Assistant City Manager: 2020 Census Update: A Final Answer on the Citizenship Question Description Article from Assistant City Manager: 2020 Census Update: A Final Answer on the Citizenship Question A Final Answer on the Citizenship Question — CitiesSpeak Page 1 of 4 From Assistant City Manager Monroe CitiesSpeak kA EQUITY POLICY HOUSING ENVIRONMENT FINANCE HEALTH LOVE MY CITY YOUTH A Final Answer on the Citizenship Question 1033M By Brian Egan on July 12, 2019 Since December 2017, Census advocates have remained a in state of limbo as to whether or not a question of citizenship would appear on the 2020 Census. Now, after 19 months of advocacy and several federal court cases, we have a final answer: it will not. https: //citiesspeak. org/2019/07/ 12/a-final-answer-on-the-citizenship-question/?_zs--tiI6X&... 7/13/2019 A Final Answer on the Citizenship Question — CitiesSpeak Page 2 of 4 Didn't the Supreme Court already rule on this? Yes, sort of. Justice Roberts' opinion upheld the Administration's right to add questions, including one on citizenship. But, the majority also determined the provided rationale for adding the question was insufficient and capricious. Specifically, it stated "we do not hold that the agency [Commerce Department / Census Bureau] decision here was substantively invalid. But agencies must pursue their goals reasonably. Reasoned decision-making under the Administrative Procedure Act calls for an explanation for agency action. What was provided here was more of a distraction." Read more about the ruling here. What's the most current news? On Thursday, July ii, the President announced he would not pursue further legal action. In addition, he signed an executive order that compels relevant agencies to share records on citizenship data with the Census Bureau. The goal of this order would be to allow the Census Bureau to use administrative records to match and piece together data on citizenship for census respondents without asking them directly on the questionnaire. While this may produce new data on citizenship, it remains unclear why this action would be necessary given that the federal government continues to obtain and report reliable survey data on citizenship at various geographic levels from the American Community Survey (ACS). Why is this a big deal? Yesterday's announcement was a partial victory for census advocates who feared the real threats posed by the question. There was little doubt among experts that introducing a question of citizenship into the 2020 Census decennial environment this late in the process would reduce self -reporting, balloon the cost of the census, produce inaccurate data and risk the accuracy of final counts. Preliminary testing also supported https://citiesspeak.org/2019/07/ 12/a-final-answer-on-the-citizenship-question/?_zs=tiI6X&... 7/13/2019 A Final Answer on the Citizenship Question — CitiesSpeak Page 3 of 4 this conclusion. Even minor inaccuracies in final counts could have major implications for municipal governments' ability to plan and operate in the future. It is important to note that these risks existed in a larger context of an all-time high degree of mistrust in government and a heightened climate of fear among many populations. While adding a question may seem like a minor change, even a "simple addition" posed real risks to census participation, and ultimately census data integrity. Why is this only a partial victory for local leaders? The rhetoric surrounding the debate to add a question has already damaged trust in the census. Community leaders will need to continue their work to build trust in the process and undue some of that damage. The goal of every community has not changed. Every city, town and village needs to be counted fairly and accurately. Local leaders serve an invaluable role in making sure that happens by partnering with the Census Bureau and convening trusted voices to serve as champions. What is the National League of Cities Doing? The National League of Cities (NLC) continues to serve as a resource to help municipal governments prepare for the 2020 Census. Just this week, NLC joined the Harvard Kennedy School in convening more than 30 city census coordinators for a two-day seminar and peer learning network meeting. We will also continue to produce and share tools and resources to help communities of all types get ready to be counted next year. Get started and learn more about our work at www.nlc.org/census. About the Author: Brian Egan is NLC's Principal - Associate for Finance, Administration and https:Hcitiesspeak.org/2019/07/ 12/a-final-answer-on-the-citizenship-question/?_zs=tiI6X&... 7/13/2019 A Final Answer on the Citizenship Question — CitiesSpeak It Share this: Tweet SHARE What You Need to Know About the Supreme Court Census Ruling Intergovernmental Relations. Follow him on Twitter @BeegleME. `I 1 htoo . -AU-S6 tv"IL F +fie At ' ► _ Why the Census is Headed To SCOTUS Page 4 of 4 Stern e', Supreme Court to Review Census Citizenship Question https: Hcitie sspeak. org/2019/07/ 12/a-final-answer-on-the-citizenship-question/?_zs--tiI6X&... 7/13/2019 Item Number: 5. jr ;;rw®J� CITY OC IOWA CITY www.icgov.org July 18, 2019 Invitation: Iowa CARE ACT Celebration ATTACHMENTS: Description Invitation: Iowa CARE ACT Celebration Kellie Fruehling From: Bruce Teague <bruce.teague@caringhandsandmore.com> Sent: Friday, July 12, 2019 12:23 PM To: Kellie Fruehling Cc: Council Subject: Iowa CARE ACT Celebration Hello Kellie, I wanted to share this invite with the public and council. The CARE ACT Celebration and informational event will take place on Monday, July 29 12;30 PM —1;45 PM at the Coralville Public Library. NOTE; Lunch will be served at 12:30. Johnson County Task Force On Aging is glad to partner with AARP IOWA and the Caregiver Action Team of Johnson County Liable Community to educate the public about the new Iowa CARE Act, effective a July 1, 2019. This event will celebrate partners who helped get the CARE Act passed and explain how the CARE Act will help Iowa family caregivers and their loved ones as they return home for care after a hospital stay. Register today! AARP.CVENT.COM/CARECORALVILLE29 OR CALL TOLL FREE 1-877-926-8300 You can also register to bring others with you. Bob Welsh says: "Please make this a priority on your calendar. Please share this invitation . We need to lift up caregivers - your help is needed!" Bruce Teague CORALVI LLE PUBLIC LI BRARY JULY 29TH 112:30 FSM , 1:45 PQM A CELEBRATION OF THE CARE ACT Presented by: AARP Iowa I Johnson County► Livable Community I Johnson County Task Force on Aging •il .v.l 011 T Item Number: `.gym. July 18, 2019 Historic Preservation Commission: June 13 ATTACHMENTS: Description Historic Preservation Commission: June 13 MINUTES PRELIMINARY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION EMMA J. HARVAT HALL June 13, 2019 MEMBERS PRESENT: Thomas Agran, Kevin Boyd, Zach Builta, Helen Burford, G. T. Karr, Quentin Pitzen MEMBERS ABSENT: Gosia Clore, Sharon DeGraw, Cecile Kuenzli, Lee Shope STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow OTHERS PRESENT: Tim Weitzel RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: By a vote of 5-1 (Builta, nay) the Commission recommends approval of the local landmark designation for het property at 225 North Gilbert Street. By a vote of 5-1 (Builta, nay) the Commission recommends approval of the local landmark designation for het property at 229 North Gilbert Street. CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Boyd called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. PUBLIC HEARING LOCAL LANDMARK DESIGNATION: Hohenschuh-Hervert House, 225 North Gilbert Street Bristow said both local landmark applications are City -owned properties. They were properties that had come up during the discussions for moving the Sanxay-Gilmore House. City Council directed the City to purchase the two properties from Mercy Hospital in order to save them from demolition, with the intention of local landmark designation. Bristow said Tim Weitzel was hired as an architectural historian consultant to research the history of the properties beyond the information found on the existing site inventory forms. This was necessary to determine if either property was eligible for landmark designation and exhibited the appropriate historic integrity. Weitzel performed a study of the two properties, further developing the site inventory forms for each one and including a report on the process and eligibility. Based on this report, it was determined they were eligible to bring before the Commission for local landmark designation. Weitzel presented the properties and began by noting Iowa City adopted a local ordinance allowing designation of local districts and landmarks. He said the process to determine eligibility for the local designation is similar to the National Register process, but the local designation allows a higher level of review and regulation than provided for the National program. Since the two are very similar, it has been established that local designations follow the National Register criteria process. This has an added advantage that a future effort toward listing the property for National Register has been evaluated. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 13, 2019 Page 2 of 12 Because the two properties had initially been linked in their historic context, they were called the Clara and Christian Hohenschuh House and the Hohenschuh second house. Because of this, the report followed the format of a multiple property document. Weitzel said he did not find a connection between the two establishing them as of the same context. So, they are being recommended separately as two separate landmarks rather than a historic district. For 225 North Gilbert Street, which was built in 1904 by Charles Mentzer, is called the Hohenschuh-Hervert House. This house retains historic integrity and possesses historic significance in the areas of Criterion A for association with patterns of events and trends in local history, and Criterion C as an example of a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction. Under Criterion A the building derives significance from the associations with second generation immigrant families in the northside neighborhood of Iowa City, as well as the local tradition of architectural salvage and reuse. There are secondary associations with the Spanish flu. Weitzel said he did not really develop those further because it's just one event — Christian's death in the house. Under Criterion C, the building represents two distinct periods of time in construction trends in Iowa City and has historic alterations which are more than 50 years old. This house serves as a well-preserved example of local designer -builder craftsmanship, especially for architectural salvage, remodeling work, and meets Criterion C. Weitzel said the level of skill in the modifications to the building are quite extraordinary. Weitzel said when he looks at the building, the house retains a high degree of historic integrity, as seen from the exterior. In particular, the condition of the weatherboard and the millwork is excellent. The exterior trim and millwork consist of typical cottage treatment of the period in Iowa City with wall units covered in weatherboard, framed in band boards and corner boards with quarter round pieces in the angle between the two corner boards. It was a typical trend. The lower band board is capped with a water table. The upper band board has a bed mold at the top. The window trim is an architrave type and the gable soffits terminate in a decorative piece, something else you also see around town. The brackets are located under the cantilevered portion of the bay -and -gable. A slide of the interior shows a high degree of skill is exhibited in the interior trim work around the doorway. It is architrave type with very tall base blocks. They have a floral motif carved in them. On another interior image, the trim work is carried on through an uncased arched doorway. Weitzel noted an uncased arched doorway is not right for the time period of a 1904 house. It was much later, something you see in cottages following WWI. The trim flows right through that doorway, indicating the fact that the house was altered by somebody who knew what they were doing. Weitzel said the trim work isn't really something you would find in a house of this type; it is much more elaborate, indicating it was salvaged. Another slide showed more of the trim work inside, how it follows around the room and the finials in the corners. While possible it was built with the house, Weitzel's interpretation was that it was not, again, because they somehow managed to find salvage enough to go through that arched doorway, which Mentzer would have been building. The other indications are the lack of a fireplace in this room. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 13, 2019 Page 3 of 12 On Slide 5 Weitzel pointed out a projection into the existing kitchen where a fireplace might have been. This is also known from inference from the basement where there is a foundation for a fireplace. He said these all indicate alterations to the property, but they were done very well, using older material. Bristow said Weitzel's report indicates that he found the property eligible for the National Register. The Commission needs to determine if each property meets Criteria A and B, with Criterion A being significant to American and/or Iowa City history, architecture, archeology, and culture, and Criterion B, possessing an integrity of location, design, setting, materials, and workmanship. She said for this property it would be related to not only the events that Weitzel outlined in his report, but also the people and the craftsmanship and skill exhibited in the architecture. Bristow said the property needs to meet at least one of Criteria C, D, E, or F. Staff recommends it meets both C and D. Criterion C is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history such as the history of craftsmanship and salvaging, but also the issue with the Spanish flu. Criterion D, associated with the lives of persons significant in our past, the Hohenschuhs who were active in Iowa City society. Boyd opened and closed the public hearing with no comments. Builta thought this application was stretching the idea of historic versus old. He felt it was an old house and wanted to know what made the residents historic. He thought every house at some point had immigrants. He did not believe the remodeling had historic value. Bristow noted the relationships between the immigrant families and how they were intermarrying between the Germans and the Czech and there was this intermingling that was also related to the breweries in that area. It was not only those connections, but also the fact that this was an enclave of a specific group of Czech and German immigrants who were related to the beer trade, related to things like the Foxhead Tavern. She said it's not like the family from the Hohenschuh Mortuary that's on the National Register right now, but they were so well known in society that their comings and goings and daily activities appeared in the paper regularly. While we, looking back at history, might not see them as the most standout people like we would some of the other builders and some of those types of people, at that time they were well known enough to be society figures. Their local fame within our community and the ties to the buildings in that area, along with the fact that this building has an integrity of construction and design that, while it has changed over time, had achieved historic significance. Weitzel's report and site inventory forms fully developed the argument for this significance and presented it in detail. Boyd thought landmarking this building, is appropriate in part because its owner would like us to do so and also because it fit the criteria. Bristow said the City contracted with an independent consultant who had professional qualifications to further investigate and prove that the property met the requirements and was eligible. Bristow said the City requests the designation in order to protect the properties from demolition or inappropriate future remodel retaining the integrity of at least these two houses in this historic neighborhood. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 13, 2019 Page 4 of 12 Karr stated he shared some of the concerns that had been brought up. He was trying to figure out the City's motivation. Boyd said the City was already in negotiations with people to buy these houses as landmarks. Bristow said last fall, before the consultant was hired, the City put out a request for proposals to seek people interested in purchasing and using both houses for commercial properties, not residential. A number of proposals were put in and the City has been in talks with various groups. Since then, the consultant was hired and he has done his work determining their landmark eligibility. When the timing was discussed, the potential owners always knew that the properties would come up for landmark designation if eligible. Bristow said it was always the City's intention to landmark the properties. Boyd said the folks that have interest in them are nonprofits. The idea, from the City's perspective, was to buy them, help make a transition from more heavily commercial districts into neighborhoods by preserving the buildings that were there and think of a different use for them. They had a lot of interest from a lot of different nonprofits. The idea was to help support nonprofits. It wasn't just to purchase them as historic landmarks. There was a bunch of other priorities. Agran thought it was helpful to remember this isn't just being approved solely on one of those criteria. It is meeting multiple criteria. He said if you are searching for our City's story and our City's history, you will find it in a structure that is 120-130 years old. Agran noted a consultant has said that it meets those qualifications and there happen to be other benefits, which are outside the scope of this organization. Is this the most notable house in Iowa City? No, but it is really well preserved. It meets the criteria. Agran did not believe that landmarking a property would somehow make it less marketable or relevant. He said those who submitted the RFls for these properties were interested in having them as historic properties and celebrating them. Builta said he was concerned that the designation was no longer about the historic worth to the community. Boyd said some of the conversation taking place was about the larger context of other things happening with these properties, but the Commission's task was to decide if they meet enough of the criteria to landmark them. Burford said she was willing to talk about the larger scope. She said historic buildings have had difficulty in Iowa City working with zoning to permit the use of a residence for a more creative use. There has been a lot of resistance to that. She thought in this case they are trying to break down that barrier and find a way to demonstrate how an historic structure or a residence can be used creatively. Part of that, fortunately, is that both buildings do demonstrate they have significant enough historic value and integrity to support that concept. Bristow explained Iowa City historic districts encapsulate neighborhoods that includes properties that are individually eligible for landmark status, whether on National Register or locally. Then we have properties that just contribute to the district. We have properties that do not contribute because either they were built in an inconsistent era, depending on the district, or they have been altered significantly. Then we have non -historic buildings. Within our districts there are HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 13, 2019 Page 5 of 12 contributing buildings that we would never locally landmark, even if the owner came to us. We would not say it is eligible because it is just contributing to the district. It contributes to the story of the neighborhood, but it does not have enough significance individually. At the same time, if a property owner outside of a district came to us and wanted to locally landmark their property, we would have to look at it, just like we did with these. If you had a private owner who wanted to locally landmark their property somewhere in town and it was eligible, it would be hard for the Commission to say no to that owner. Pitzen asked what craftsmanship was in the trim and why it was assumed to have been salvaged. He thought it looked like something that could have been bought from a millwork factory. Regarding the craftsmanship, Weitzel said the trim was installed very well. It goes through every closet. It goes through every doorway. There is no fireplace in the main room. In 1904 you would have had a fireplace in this size of house and given the status and wealth of the family. The footing, again, is there for the fireplace so it's been sealed over. It's gone, but there's no break in the trim across the front of that fireplace, so it's been installed later. Weitzel said Frank Hervert worked for a couple different firms that did brand new development. They also specialized in remodeling houses and updating them. He would have had a ready supply of trim work pulled out of old houses that people were updating to make them more modern, which would make it less historic in those cases. But in this case, he salvaged that trim and he's put it in a very skilled way, into his own house. Pitzen said he was a bit conflicted but believed he would say yea. Karr said he was still completely on the fence because he could see both sides of this. He understood the criteria to vote on. Boyd asked if he would feel differently if the owner wasn't the City. Karr thought partly yes. He said he loved the idea of a nonprofit and said he would love to have his office in a landmark. He also loved the idea of buffering the north side. He said he would be completely on board and not conflicted at all if it was privately owned and that person said I want it. Agran said he has only lived in Iowa City during a relatively stable time of demolition. Since he has lived here, the houses that house businesses and provide that buffer to downtown, whether it's the workers' cottages, whether it's the three houses that were demolished on Washington Street, whether it's any number of other ones, those places and those buffers that we so closely associate with the identity of Iowa City are very few and far between. He said this is a party that is interested in landmarking. They are selling to parties that are interested in being in a house like this. Agran said when reading the report, it meets the criteria. If the property owner said we really, really do not want to landmark this, and of course sometimes we still do, you must make a stronger case to get that super majority from Council, but that's not the situation here. I think that does set it apart, in addition to the greater context of what we're preserving in terms of the buffers to the neighborhoods in Iowa City. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 13, 2019 Page 6 of 12 MOTION: Burford moved to approve the designation of the Hohenschuh-Hervert House at 225 North Gilbert Street, as an Iowa City Historic Landmark based on the following criteria for local designation: criteria A, B, C, and D. Agran seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 5-1 (nay Builta). PUBLIC HEARING LOCAL LANDMARK DESIGNATION: Christian and Clara Dostal Hohenschuh House, 229 North Gilbert Street. Weitzel this property is not eligible for Criterion C, which is architectural significance, because of the vinyl siding. He said Clara Dostal married Christian Hohenschuh. Christian's brother was William Hohenschuh, associated with the historic mortuary on Linn Street. He was the county coroner. Christian served as deputy coroner for a couple years. Both were well known. They hired Jacob Hotz, who is a builder of many buildings in Iowa City, to build this house. The Christian and Clara Dostal Hohenschuh House at 229 North Gilbert Street retains historic integrity and possess historic significance under criterion A for association with events related to broad patterns of our local history. He said the photos will illustrate the historic integrity of the building. Weitzel presented and discussed a series of slides. Slide 1: Exterior of the house. As second - generation immigrants, Christian and Clara Hohenschuh were part of the northside neighborhood immigrant community. Christian was a German -American Catholic and Clara's family was Czech -American Catholic. Their daughter also married a member of the northside Czech immigrant community, and he happened to be the nephew of Emma Harvat, who this hall is named for. Their daughter Loretta married an American -born man from Cedar Rapids who was a postal carrier, so there was some assimilation. Christian and Clara were frequently the subject of society columns and other items in the newspaper. Christian worked at the St. James Hotel on Clinton Street where he had a shop with Carrie Wieneke. When his health got bad, he sold his share, but he continued to work there the rest of his life until he was too ill to work. As a result, he was part of the University community. People came there and shopped at his store. He was always in the society columns for something, often his health. They entertained visitors in their homes and appeared to have been well known and well liked. There was one event in the paper where they had a card game and 400 people in their house. Slide 2 showed the interior stairway. Both families appear to have been fairly wealthy. Christian grew up in a merchant's home across the street from his adult home at 229 Gilbert Street. Clara was the daughter of a skilled artisan and merchant in the brewery business. They held other property prior to purchasing the north third of lot 1, block 58, which is the same property the Wentz house is on, so all three of these properties were on lot 1, block 58. They hired the firm of Jacob J. Hotz to construct the house in 1898. Slide 3: Hotz, who was invested in numerous businesses, as well as being an alderman and county clerk, also circulated in the northside German immigrant community. Though he was from New York, he was a second -generation German American. His family had immigrated from Germany before he was born. It is unproven, but likely his influence helped get the house published in a promotional publication featuring Iowa City businesses. The building appeared on one page with several other buildings built by Hotz's company around 1898. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 13, 2019 Page 7 of 12 The next slide showed an illustration in what's called The Commercial Magazine, volume 1, number 1, was for Iowa City, IA. Weitzel was not able to find any other versions of it. This lithograph -filled publication is available at the historical society. Following an early retirement due to Christian's health, the Hohenschuh family left their home for Denver, where Clara's family had retired. Dostal was the owner of the Iowa Brewing Company, which is where Bluebird is now. When they returned, they built a second home adjacent to the first home, as we just discussed, but one that was still on one level for Chris' health apparently. When Christian died of influenza outbreak in 1918, Clara returned to 229 North Gilbert Street and lived there with her daughter. Slide 4: Clara eventually sold the house to Mary, who fairly quickly divested of it to a long-term tenant who was Mary Keating. Mary Keating was a second -generation Irish immigrant, prominent in the history of Veterans' Administration Hospital. Weitzel again pointed out the high level of historic integrity in the interior of this building. At this time, it is not possible to make a recommendation regarding Criterion C because of the vinyl siding on the outside. At the point the vinyl siding is removed, it could be re-evaluated for architecture under Criterion C. Weitzel said he spoke with the State Historic Preservation Office about that assessment and they agreed that the integrity on the inside is superb. The exterior, unfortunately, has vinyl siding and that would generally not warrant Criterion C evaluation, but they do list properties that are criterion A without consideration of the siding on the outside when you have a high level of context and also integrity on the interior. Weitzel said at this time, only Criterion A can be recommended despite being a very good interior of the house. Karr wondered how much siding needed to be removed to determine Criterion C eligibility Weitzel said only couple pieces. He said the goal would be to establish that the wood is there. Sometimes people work too hard and they take the wood siding off before they put on the vinyl siding. Bristow said Staff was confident the wood siding is still under there. While not included, Staff feels that it meets E, because if you look at even the photograph of it with the vinyl siding and compare it to the published image, there is a high chance that nothing has changed on this house. You can see detailing such as the curve that's in the gable front window that's in the published image that still exists now. Some of those details would be so much easier to square off and simplify and cover with vinyl, so since they still show Staff is confident that E is met here at least enough for us at the local level. The National Register always has a little bit more stringent qualifications than we would with any property. In this case, the Commission could decide it meets E and Staff would agree with that. The vinyl siding is the only thing that would cause a problem at the National Register level. Pitzen asked if the windows were wrapped with anything Weitzel said they had been wrapped in aluminum. Karr noted they looked recessed from the picture. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 13, 2019 Page 8 of 12 Builta said this does not meet requirement A at all. He did not believe the people to have historical value, even if they were great people. Boyd opened and closed the public hearing. MOTION: Burford moved to approve the designation of the Christian and Clara Dostal Hohenschuh House, 229 North Gilbert Street, as an Iowa Historic Landmark based on the following criteria for local designation: Criteria A, B, and C. Agran seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 5-1 (nay Builta). CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS: 219 South Summit Street — College Hill Conservation District (garage demolition). Bristow explained this is a difficult case because the work has already been completed and the Commission must review it as if it is not yet complete. This is a contributing house in the College Hill Conservation District. Bristow shared an image from 2017, as well as a current picture. She received a great number of calls about the roof on this property because it was recently covered in agricultural metal roofing. Bristow said roofs are not regulated in conservation districts, if they were this type of roof would not be appropriate on an historic property and is the reason why we do regulate roofs in Historic districts. Bristow said that the reason this house is before the Commission is that the garage, originally built with the house, had been demolished, work completed without a permit. She shared Assessor photos from 2009 and 2012 showing the garage in good condition. In 2010 the Housing inspector said the garage and house needed to be painted. This work was completed. Photos from 2017 show portions of the garage that did not exhibit deterioration. The application for the demolition that the owners recently submitted claimed that they sought approval of demolition based on deterioration of the garage. Bristow said that while we do not have photos of the garage immediately prior to the demolition, past photos did not show evidence of deterioration. She said Housing inspectors visit this property as often as they visit any other rental property and had only pointed out a need for painting that one time. Nothing else was ever mentioned about the garage. Bristow noted things that typically would indicate deterioration of a garage, including cracking slabs, settling where the garage becomes out of plumb and water can get in, and deterioration of the door. She noted some waviness of the remaining retaining wall, but it wasn't certain if that happened during demolition or not. She noted there was a curb where the door met the concrete to protect it from moisture. Despite this, if the door had deteriorated, they could have sought approval to replace the door. Bristow said it is not known why they removed the garage. It could have been so they can create an extra parking pad. It was a small garage. They claim it was 9 x 10. If it was 9 x 10 and the Commission denied their application, they could be required to reconstruct it because that HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 13, 2019 Page 9of12 doesn't need setbacks. It was actually a 10 x 20 garage so zoning code will not allow this garage to be reconstructed. She said the Commission needs to decide if they would have approved the demolition of this garage. Approval of demolition of a significant outbuilding needs to be based on the fact that it is structurally unsound. If the Commission would approve it, then the vote should be to approve their application and they would be sent a certificate of appropriateness. They would apply for a demolition permit, pay the fee, and we would be done. If the Commission determines they cannot approve this, we send them a denial of certificate of appropriateness, they receive a citation for doing a demolition within an historic district and pay court costs. Since it is a rental property, it is a citation that goes against their record. It might be the only one they have, but that's the extent of what happens here. Staff has not found any sign that this garage has ever been deteriorated beyond needing painting, and that was done the following year. Boyd noted the only thing the Commission should consider is the application for demolition of the garage. The Commission should not take into consideration any possible consequences since it is already down. Burford asked if the owner was aware of the review. Bristow said the owner was told she needed to put in an application for a demolition permit and she was sent a copy of the Staff report. She knew she wasn't supposed to take down the garage. Bristow spoke with the owner this morning. Historic preservation regulations and housing and building permit regulations do not allow lack of knowledge or ignorance as an excuse to not meet requirements. MOTION: Agran moved to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness for the garage demolition project at 219 South Summit Street as presented in the application. Karr seconded the motion. The motion failed on a vote of 0-6. REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF Certificate of No Material Effect — Chair and Staff Review. 409 Grant Street — Longfellow Historic District (retaining wall reconstruction). This property is noncontributing. It is an infill property that needed review because the retaining walls are attached to the house, related to the architecture of the house, and necessary in order to have a garage on the house - historically always there. The contractor hopes to tie them back with pins and plates, but that might not happen or solve the problem, so they sought approval to reconstruct if needed. Minor Review — Staff Review. 1121 Sevmour Avenue — Longfellow Historic District (roof shingle replacement). Bristow said this was not a certificate of no material effect solely because they had inappropriate three -tab shingles and they are putting on appropriate architectural shingles. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 13, 2019 Page 10 of 12 412 North Linn Street — Northside Historic District (roof shingle replacement on bay) Bristow explained that for 412 North Linn Street the contractor put in an application to replace the original cedar shingles on the tiny little bump -out. The application was approved even though it will remove some of the only original material still left on this house. Even so, Bristow noted this house could be contributing if it had its porch reconstructed. 718 North Johnson Street — Brown Street Historic District (site stair railing installation). Bristow noted this property is in a little row of very well cared for houses. The owner wanted to put in a handrail to help her personal accessibility at her site stairs. When Staff reviewed the site and the neighboring properties, everybody had a slightly elaborate little black handrail, so Staff did approve her to have a little more craftsman detailing than typical because it fit in with the neighborhood and it is in an historic district. 919 East Washington Street — College Hill Conservation District (site stair and railing replacement). The property management company for this property and the neighboring property, 923 East Washington Street, is replacing the concrete site stairs and the handrails on both with a simple black metal rail. 923 East Washington Street — College Hill Conservation District (site stair and railing replacement). 426 North Gilbert Street — Northside Historic District (garage roof shingle replacement) Bristow said this application is just to replace the shingles on the garage. They are putting on the proper shingles so, once the house needs to be reshingled, it will match the garage. 701 East College Street — College Green Historic District (house and garage roof shingle replacement). This is a key property in the College Green Historic District. This house has been having some work done over the past couple years, including recent painting and picking out a little bit of the detailing about the windows. Now it is reroofed. The garage is being reshingled, as well. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR MAY 9. 2019 MOTION: Karr moved to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's May 9, 2019 meeting. Agran seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR MAY 23. 2019 MOTION: Agran moved to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's May 23, 2019 meeting. Pitzen seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0. COMMISSION INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION: Retirinq Commissioner. Bristow thanked retiring Commissioner, Zach Builta, for his service, noting he was the first University student to serve on the Historic Preservation Commission in recent years. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 13, 2019 Page 11 of 12 Builta said he was happy to have participated. He said it was great to get to know the Commissioners and his community. He noted we all want the best for Iowa City. Clinton Street/Railroad Depot District. Bristow said all the property owners have decided to contest having their district listed on the National Register with the State, so it will be proceeding as a determination of eligibility only. It will go through the State review and the National Park Service review so they can make that determination of eligibility. Boyd and Bristow noted once eligibility is determined, if there were new property owners who purchased from the current property owners, they could go back and seek a National Register listing for that district. Special Meeting. Bristow said there would be no meeting on July 11th. She wanted to know if Commissioners would be available for a special meeting on July 25th, if needed. At the time of this meeting, no applications had been received needing urgent approval. Officers. Builta reminded the Commission they would need a new vice -chair. Bristow agreed an officer election was needed. She will check the by-laws to see if it must be done at their next meeting. ADJOURNMENT: Builta moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Agran. The meeting was adjourned at 6:50 p.m. Minutes submitted by Judy Jones HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION June 13, 2019 Page 12 of 12 HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2018-2019 TERM NAME EXP. 8/9 8/23 9/13 10/11 11/08 12/13 1/10 2/14 3/14 4/11 5/09 5/23 6/13 AGRAN, THOMAS 6/30/20 X X X O/E X X O/E O/E X O/E O/E X X BOYD, KEVIN 6/30/20 X X X X X X X X X X OE X BUILTA, ZACH 6/30/19 X X X X X X X X X X X X X BURFOD ,HELE 'HELEN N 6/30/21 X O/E X O/E X X X X O/E X X X CLORE, GOSIA 6/30/20 O/E O/E X O/E X X O/E X X X O/E X OE DEGRAW, SHARON 6/30/19 O/E X X X X X X O/E X X X X OE KARR, G. T 6/30/20 X X X X X X X X X X X X X KUENZLI, CECILE 6/30/19 X X X X X X O/E X X X X OE PITZEN, QUENTIN 6/30/21 X X X X X X X X X X X X X SHOPE, LEE 6/30/21 X X O/E X X O/E X X X X X OE Item Number: 7. jr ;;rw®J� CITY OC IOWA CITY www.icgov.org July 18, 2019 Telecommunications Commission: June 24 ATTACHMENTS: Description Telecommunications Commission: June 24 PRELIMINARY Iowa City Telecommunications Commission 06124/2019 Meeting Minutes Pagel of 5 Minutes Iowa City Telecommunications Commission June 24, 2019 — 5:30 P.M. City of Iowa City Cable TV Office, 10 S. Linn St. - Tower Place, Level 3A Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 5:37 P.M. Members Present: Matthew Brenton, Gina Reyes, Adam Stockman Members Absent: James Pierce Staff Present: Ty Coleman Others Present: Recommendations to Council: None AAgproval of Minutes: Stockman moved and Reyes seconded a motion to approve the June 24, 2019 minutes as presented. The motion passed unanimously. Announcements of Commissioners: None. Short Public Announcements: None. Post -franchise role of the Telecommunications Commission: Brenton referred to the draft proposal included in the meeting packet and asked if anyone had comments or questions. Brenton said the proposal is modeled after the Climate Action Advisory Board's proposal that was also included in the packet. Additionally, Brenton referred to the portion of the Iowa Code that identifies some restrictions and requirements for municipal broadband. He said that with this and the fact that another broadband provider is coming to Iowa City, it is possible that the City Council would not want to pursue municipal broadband. He said it was interesting that the Iowa Code stated that this part of the code does not apply to telecommunications services provided directly by a municipal airport and wasn't sure whether providing services through our airport would provide any opportunities to create a system with fewer restrictions. Brenton said the proposal wraps up with a comment stating that the Commission does not see a role for the current group other than being funneled into the proposed Municipal Broadband Advisory Board. He said that he did not include in the proposal a statement that the Advisory Board would be made up of the members of the Telecommunications Commission and said that members of the Commission could apply for the Advisory Board if they wished to participate in it. Brenton said the Municipal Broadband Advisory Board proposal calls for ten members, PRELIMINARY Iowa City Telecommunications Commission 06/24/2019 Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 5 including a chair and a secretary. He summarized that the makeup of the board would include those with a background in information technology and networking as well as municipal government. He said he pulled from the Climate Action Advisory Board proposal for other suggested areas of expertise. Brenton said he listed the duties according to what the Commission had discussed in past meetings as well as based on what he felt the Board would be able to help with. Duties listed in the proposal include gathering and presenting information about existing broadband deployments and noting what has worked and what hasn't. He said the Board would help to determine what existing infrastructure, if any, could be used for providing municipal broadband. He said the last duty listed is to present a recommendation and assist with drafting a request for proposal. Brenton noted that it is possible the recommendation would be to not pursue municipal broadband. Brenton listed elements of the mission of the proposed Municipal Broadband Advisory Board as identifying pros and cons, outlining requirements, finance recommendations and cost estimation, and achieving viewpoints that represent a diverse array of stakeholders. Stockman said that he noticed the Climate Action Advisory Board listed attendance expectations that required at least seventy-five percent attendance at monthly meetings and noted that the Telecommunications Commission's proposal did not include information about the frequency of meetings. Stockman said it would be beneficial to include attendance expectations if the group would be meeting for one year, noting that frequently missed meetings by a member could hinder the group. He said that, alternatively, those kinds of questions could be addressed by the Board once it is established. Brenton agreed and said a bullet point could be added that the Board would determine the frequency of the meetings. Brenton said the Board proposal doesn't have to state who would identify who will serve on the Board, but that it could include that the Telecommunications Commission would make the initial determination, knowing that City Council could, instead, choose to determine the members themselves. Stockman said it would be good if the Commission could take on the role of choosing members for the Board through an application process. Coleman said that it has been a challenge to keep the five spots within the Telecommunications Commission filled, but that a group with a more specific role such as the one being proposed would likely lead to greater interest by members of the community. Brenton said he knows people who would be willing to serve on a municipal broadband board, but were not interested in serving on the Telecommunications Commission. Reyes said that having a diverse list of areas of representation, rather than a focus on technology -related interests or expertise, will make it easier to find ten members. Reyes suggested that adding something in the duties section of the proposal along the lines of studying the current state of access to broadband across Iowa City. She said that it may help to determine priorities for where municipal broadband should be rolled out first. Brenton mentioned the local group that had visited the Commission in the past, informing them of their efforts to create access to broadband using wireless mesh networking. The group had been working with the school district in an attempt to distribute broadband to students in an area of increased need using point to point wireless. PRELIMINARY Iowa City Telecommunications Commission 06/24/2019 Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 5 Brenton said that if it would be stated the Telecommunications Commission would determine the members of the Municipal Broadband Advisory Board, then the final comments on the proposal should be changed to reflect that the group would remain a Commission until the City Council decides whether it agrees that an advisory board should be formed. At that time, either the Commission would help with the selection process or it would disband. Brenton said that while the Commission awaits a response from City Council, it would continue to meet, though it would not have a lot to act on. Coleman said he had inquired with Assistant City Manager Ashley Monroe about an estimated timeline for the process of working with Council to accept or decline the proposal. Coleman said Monroe indicated that once the Council has the proposal in its hands, it could be up to a few months before the Commission would be able to meet with Council at a work session, depending on the prioritization of all issues and discussions the Council is attending to. Brenton wondered if there was a way to give Council a heads up that a proposal would be coming soon. Coleman said that he could let the Assistant City Manager know, so that perhaps she could update the Council on the group's progress. He said that since the Council receives the Commission's meeting minutes, they likely have an awareness of what the group has been discussing. Coleman said that it could be possible for the group to agree on the minor changes and additions that were being suggested, and approve the draft of the proposal as amended. Stockman said that the suggested changes to the proposal were not extremely substantive, but could be classified as friendly amendments. Stockman and Brenton said the group could review the changes and vote right then and there. Brenton stated the changes to the drafted proposal as follows: 1. Add to the second bullet point that the Board would determine the frequency of the meetings. 2. Change the third bullet point to read "The Board shall consist of ten members appointed by City Council or the Telecommunications Commission." 3. In the duties section, add "Conduct access assessment across community to help prioritize planned roll-out." 4. Change final comments to say that the Telecommunications Commission would not disband until Council makes its decision. Stockman moved and Reyes seconded a motion to approve the proposal as amended. The motion passed unanimously. Brenton said he would finalize the changes in the proposal and send the document to Coleman for the next step of getting it to Council. Consumer Issues: Brenton referred to the Cable Complaints reports in the meeting packet and asked if the unresolved issue found in the April report involving an unburied cable had yet been resolved. Coleman said that he had received more cable burial complaints than usual in recent months, noting that the harsh winter and spring rain has likely created a backup. Coleman said the PRELIMINARY Iowa City Telecommunications Commission 06/24/2019 Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 5 resident reported that a CenturyLink technician had come out and got her service working again, but that on the same day, her neighbor had a cable replaced and was left with a cable laying on her lawn. The resident said the cable was in a place that required her to move it while mowing her own yard. Brenton asked if there was an update on the unresolved issue listed within the May report. Coleman said he heard back from Lee Grassley very soon after reaching out to him. He said Grassley was somewhat surprised to hear from him, given that the issue involved a person and business outside of Iowa City, but that Mediacom's records indicated technicians had measured the speeds around 900mbps. Coleman said the customer said that it is possible to have measured those speeds, but that once a device is connected to the network, the speeds drop significantly. Coleman said that since the issue was connected to an account outside of the Iowa City area, he informed the customer that he would need to step back from the issue and leave it for the customer and Mediacom to discuss. Coleman said that he didn't intend to overstep his bounds, but thought that if he could help someone to gain better insight into an issue by sending a couple of emails, he was happy to try. Mediacom Report: Coleman said he did not receive any information from Mediacom. Local Access Reports: Coleman said he included a report from PATV intended for the May packet but did not receive anything for the June packet. Brenton asked if PATV's director, Gerardo Sandoval, had said anything about continuing to attend the Telecommunications Commission meetings. Coleman said he would check in with Sandoval, but had the impression that he still had an interest in attending. City Cable TV Office Report: Coleman referred to the reports the Cable TV Office had submitted in the meeting packet. He noted that the City continues to produce its podcast, Iowa City Matters, and that the next episode, featuring a discussion on bicycling in Iowa City, would be released soon. Coleman said the following episode will focus on the Americans with Disabilities Act and the celebration of its anniversary coming in late July. Coleman remarked that the podcast has allowed for in-depth conversations on the topics presented. Adjournment: Stockman moved and Reyes seconded a motion to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously. Adjournment was at 6:17 p.m. PRELIMINARY Iowa City Telecommunications Commission 06/24/2099 Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 5 TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 12 -MONTH ATTENDANCE RECORD (x) = Present (o) = Absent (o/c) = Absent/Called (Excused) Gowder Bergus Brenton Johnk Pierce 07/23/2018 vacant vacant Meeting not held due to lack of quorum. 08/27/2018 vacant vacant Meeting not held due to lack of quorum. 9/24/2018 x vacant x vacant x Paterson 10/22/2018 x o x vacant x 11/2612018 vacant Meeting not held due to lack of quorum. 12/17/2018 x o x vacant x 01/22/2019 vacant Meeting not held due to inclement weather and lack of quorum. resignation Stockman 02/25/2019 x vacant x x o/c Reyes 03/25/2019 resignation o/c x x x 04/22/2019 vacant x x x o/c 06/03/2019 vacant Meeting not held due to lack of quorum. 06/24/2019 vacant x x x o (x) = Present (o) = Absent (o/c) = Absent/Called (Excused)