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Home My WebLink About1997-04-21 TranscriptionApril 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 1 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session 7:00 PM Council: Nov, Kubby, Lehman, Norton, Thornberry, Vanderhoef. Absent: Baker. Staff: Atkins, Helling, Woito, Karr, Miklo, Franklin, Yapp, Davidson, Fosse, McClure, Rocca, Jensen, Boothroy, Boose, Dollman, Craig, Mitchell, Yucuis, Schoon. Tapes: 97-60 Side 2; 97-64, all; 97-65, all; 97-66, all. Review Zonim, Matters 97-60 S2 a. Consider a motion setting a public heating for May 6 on a resolution amending the Comprehensive Plan to increase the density from 2-8 dwelling units per acre to 8-16 dwelling units per acre for an approximate 2.38 acre area located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Scott Boulevard and Lower West Branch Road. Miklo/a. and b. are ...setting a p.h .... and also a Zoning Ordinance change .... You will be getting the staff reports in your next packet on that. b. Consider a motion setting a public hearing for May 6 on an ordinance amending the Zoning Chapter by changing the use regulations from RS-5, Low Density Single-Family Residential, to OPDH-12, Planned Development Housing Overlay, for a 2.38 acre property located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Scott Boulevard and Lower West Branch Road to permit a 37 unit multi-family building for elderly housing. (REZ97- 0002) c. Public hearing on an ordinance amending Title 14, Chapter 6, entitled "Zoning," to provide elderly housing alternatives. Miklo/Several amendments to the Zoning Ordinance regarding the provision of elderly housing .....There is quite a bit of information here. The real pertinent information ....what is being amended is highlighted in the boxes .... Nov/Are you going to refer back to it tonight? Miklo/ ....In the event that there are any questions .... Nov/Is it okay to ask questions then? Miklo/Sure. Just a couple of highlights first. Most of these amendments update sections of the Zoning Ordinance that we already have in place regarding elderly This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 2 housing ..... also clarify sections .... The most substantial amendments deal with congregate housing for the elderly. There are three basic components to that: congregate housing in the lower density zones by special exception ..... Also .... congregate housing in the medium density multi-family zones .... Then the higher density multi-family zones there is no density bonus ....no requirement for special exception .... Nov/I had two questions. One on parking because we are changing this to 55... have more people driving. I was a little concerned that you hadn't allowed enough parking. Norton/Other people think it is too much .... Miklo/There were amendments made by P/Z to base the parking on the number of bedrooms. So it is slightly higher than what was originally proposed .... Nov/Is it the same as any other apartment? Miklo/No, it is not. Norton/Could you review .... on elderly congregate. Does that now stand in the ordinance for one spot for one or two bedroom units? Miklo/April 16 memo to the council. It is in the ordinance itself, too .... There is an explanation of it .... easier to follow in the memo. Vanderhoef/You have ...second page of the attachment .... I am presuming... when you get to where it talks about elder housing... group housing... family housing... then you get to just plain elderly housing. I presume you are talking congregate housing ..... page 2 of the attachment. Miklo/I believe the attachment is what is currently in place. Vanderhoef/ Miklo/That is all changing ....the attachment specifies what is in place now in the Zoning Ordinance today. Norton/Page 8 is the current one .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 3 Miklo/The amendments specify or spell it out in the two memos and also in the draft ordinance .... changes to that attachment .... April 16 memo, page 2, #9 and #10 deal with parking. Kubby/What was the rational behind the tandem parking being allowed? Miklo/To allow more flexibility on the way it is placed on the site and to allow less paving. Kubby/I can see some problems stemming from that .... having to move cars around ..... Thomberry/What was the rational behind moving from 60 to 55? Miklo/It is a trend nationally... age at 55 .....developers... say most of their tenants are going to be older .... Nov/ .... I don't know that this is terribly realistic in terms of parking allowances .... I am concerned about the numbers because I am meeting people all over the place that are still driving at 80 ..... they are living healthier and longer. Norton/Actuarial fact. Nov/That is why I am saying you are not allowing enough parking spaces. Miklo/One of the observations that Melody Rockwell .... more active elderly tend not to move into these group environments. It is generally the more frail elderly... This provides the option for someone in their late 50's or early 60's if they choose .... Kubby/Maybe there is someone who fits that age requirement... health difficulty... still can live independently .... Thornberry/Why 55 instead of 60 if everybody is living longer and driving until they are 80? Lehman/...national trend. Thornberry/I just can't understand if everybody is living longer... I have got the same concern that Karen raised... parking behind the other ....get out to go to the grocery store. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 4 Kubby/ Thornberry/Somebody could have their car parked there and be gone... And their car is there and can't be moved and somebody needs to get out .....It is going to make for some problems. Miklo/In terms of where that is allowed, that is allowed for elder family homes where people are living together and also the congregate units. It is not allowed in the strict el&fly multi-family .... Thornberry/ Norton/You would think elder group homes would require less parking ..... Vanderhoet7 Norton/Less for the group homes .... Vanderhoef/It is the other way though. The family home has more parking. Thornberry/I could see elderly housing having fewer parking requirements. Norton/ Vanderhoef/The group home doesn't need near the parking that the family home. Miklo/Is there a sense of the council that you would like to remove the tandem option? Kubby/For the congregate housing more so than the elderly family homes. Vanderhoef/The one place where it would work in congregate .... in the apartment kind of congregate and there are two people there and there are two cars .... Kubby/ Vanderhoef/ Kubby/ ....I would like to take it out of the congregate housing, the tandem. Norton/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 5 Nov/Tandem doesn't bother me .... Kubby/Does anybody else want to change the issue of tandem parking for either congregate?... Have their own individual units ..... Nov/I don't know if Ecumenical Towers has any shared dining? .... Congregate housing should really allow extra spaces ..... Miklo/In terms of congregate housing, Ecumenical Housing is not a good example. That is an elderly housing apartment house .... congregate is going to be smaller scale .... Kubby/If people that have their own separate apartments .... Norton/ Thomberry/ .... If they are living in their own apartment, they shouldn't have anybody blocking them. I think if it is two bedroom, I think they only need to have one parking place. I don't think it needs to be by bedroom ..... Miklo/...If you have a two bedroom unit, you only have to have one parking space. Thornberry/I don't like the idea of one apartment parking behind another apartment's space. Norton/...Congregate housing there will be separate housing .... Miklo/This is tomorrow, the p.h. Do you want to give the tandem issue some thought? ..... Nov/Yeah .... What is this 5% that is over in the right hand column? Miklo/That is the requirement for bicycle parking. Nov/Somewhere on this page it should say the word bicycle. Thornberry/ Nov/ Council/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 6 Kubby/In the RNC zones, both 12 and 20, will this end up increasing density? Miklo/The congregate units are not proposed in the RNC zones. The elder group homes and elder family homes are permitted in RNC-12 zones and RNC-20 zone but that is the case today .... Nov/Think about this density in terms of the lot area required because it appears to me that an RS-12 has a smaller lot area than a RM-12 and I don't understand why. Miklo/That is because there is a cap on a number of units that you can put in in RS-12 zone .... most you could put is ten units and you also require a special exception. In the RM-12 zone the number of units per acre is less but there is no special exception process and there is no cap. Nov/If the number of units per acre allowed is not limited, why are you saying you need 2,178 square feet of lot per unit? Miklo/The number of units per acre is limited but depending on the size of your lot... can do more than ten units ....In s.f. zone you are limited to maximum of 10 units per any one lot .... Nov/I don't understand. Vanderhoef/I don't either .... Nov/Look for page 9. Tell me why the lot area per unit is so much different between one and another? Miklo/ The feeling was that in RS-8 and RS-12 zone, they should be fairly small buildings .... compatible with lower density zones that they are in. In order to make these viable or economical, there had to be some bonus provision and this is based on the research... one person per housing unit in congregate housing .... In the multi-family zone, because there is no cap on the number of units, we are not restricting these to fairly small buildings. We felt that we should give a bonus density but it shouldn't be as high .... The 2178 square feet represents 25% bonus density .... in RM-12 zone .... Your right, per acre, it is a lower density than the RS- 12 zone but you have a cap. Nov/...it should line up somehow. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 7 Miklo/We aren't allowing 12 units per acre. In reality .... Kubby/Maybe we should get a memo. Miklo/This is one we can do some illustrations to show how this would work. Nov/All right ..... Thornberry/Are all units in elderly housing building required to be handicapped accessible? Miklo/In elderly apartment building? Yes .... they would be. Thornberry/I don't agree with that .... I think it is unreasonable to require all units, all apartment units to be handicapped accessible... Nov/Are you saying just put it on the first floor? Thornberry/Someone that is elderly ....second floor does not need to be handicapped accessible. Norton/...lift situation. Thornberry/...It gets overly burdensome economically .... Why should you have to require all units to be handicapped accessible? Norton/There ought to be some flexibility of some sort. Thornberry/ ....very expensive to put in an elevator. Nov/...usable for persons with disabilities or adaptable to be useable. Miklo/Current version,//6, page 2... April 16 memo, top of page 2 ..... This is a change that the P/Z Commission requested. Kubby/...facilities have to be such .... Norton/Every single unit, that is what the problem is .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session Thornberry/ Kubby/Did P/Z speak to that issue? ..... Miklo/I don't remember that they talked about the economics of it but I do recall that they requested that this be added. Norton/It is not cited in their minutes very vigorously. Miklo/Is this another issue that you would like to come back to and devote more time? Council (Yes). Kubby/I guess there is this whole issue of, especially for the accessory apartments or things in a lower density zone... How do we monitor overtime to insure that these allowances are for elders and for people with disabilities? .... Miklo/For accessory apartments I believe there is an annual requirement for an affidavit. For the group homes there is a requirement for a rental inspection every three years. For the congregate facilities, there is the special exception but after that there would be limited city review. If they are rentals, there will be a rental inspection. Kubby/But those inspections don't have anything to do with the age of the tenants .... Miklo/It may be that if neighbors notice .... Vanderhoef/Accessory... allow for young people ..... major use of an accessory apartment .... Norton/One thing I need .... a summary on the parking .... some kind of summary of that would be very helpful .... Thornberry/Is there a 20% requirement for common space... quite a bit...? Miklo/Based on our research, it was fairly conservative. Thornberry/...20% of all living space... page 8 This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 9 Miklo/It is based on square footage of the building .... We found the projects that we looked at, it was 30% or more. So we felt that 20% was reasonable. Thornberry/ Miklo/... Walden Hills... did speak with several developers .... Thornberry/...If you have your own apartment, a two bedroom .... You have a complete unit... take 20% of that unit and give to common area and every unit in the place...same thing .... Miklo/That is based on the definition of congregate housing. Living as a group and sharing facilities .... Norton/Is there a common space requirement in the others? In a group home? Miklo/I don't think we have a percentage spelled out. Nov/It is assumed there is some common space. Kubby/ Thornberry/ Nov/There are people who really want to live that way ..... central... way to socialize .... Kubby/Gives you a nice balance between public space and private space .... Norton/ ....Whether there should be ...specified in other zones ..... Nov/Others are designed... more like large houses .... Norton/ Kubby/So the issues we have are parking, number and tandem parking. Nov/And some explanation of why the lots ... difference. Norton/I want to think over this social one ..... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 10 Miklo/We will be able to provide a table that clearly shows the parking... density question ..... Thornberry/ d. Consider an ordinance amending the Zoning Chapter by changing the use regulations on a 3.74 acre tract located on Mall Drive from Community Commercial (CC-2) to General Industrial (I-l). (REZ97-0001) (First consideration) Miklo/First consideration ....rezoning.. Oral B property .... e. Consider an 'ordinance amending Title 14, Chapter 6, entitled "Zoning," Article N, entitled "Off-Street Parking and Loading," Section 1, entitled "Off-Street Parking Requirements," to allow existing fraternity/sorority houses to be converted to rooming houses without having to provide additional parking. (First consideration) Miklo/Amendment of the off-street parking requirements to allow fraternities and sororities to be converted to rooming houses without providing additional parking. Norton/Anybody interested in seeing that deferred? .... Thornberry/I got some more calls today. Norton/Some of them... John Fitzpatrick .... Kubby/ Norton/ Nov/I want to be sure that I understand... If a fraternity now has enough parking to be convened to a rooming house, they don't need any permission. Correct? .... Miklo/That is right. Nov/The zoning would apply ..... Board of Adjustment? ..... Miklo/No ..... Thornberry/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 11 Miklo/Rooming house requires more parking spaces than a fraternity .... Vanderhoef/Have you explored the option to go to a special exception? ..... Total occupancy... I think we still need to leave the occupancy .... in a house... If you need to do some remodeling within the house to keep that occupancy so you can afford to buy the house and rent it ..... Miklo/That was our intent was to leave the occupancy what it was, not increase it either. Vanderhoef/ Miklo/You had suggested removing the terms sleeping rooms and adding the allowed occupancy. You had asked if staff had looked at a special exception... felt that that was a process that probably is unnecessary... research showed... rooming houses required... occupants had less cars .... Our research .... lower parking generation .... In 1983 the city reduced the parking requirement for fraternities and sororities and that is part of the reason we are having this difficulty. Vanderhoef/...grandfathered in ...... One of the concerns that I have with this whole ordinance, it isn't specifically for the project that is before us ..... We have a possibility in a lot of neighborhoods, 2-3 houses .... If you start making them into full occupancy, the possibility .... parking... may be even more desperate .... I would like to explore this whole ordinance .... Kubby/In terms of occupancy... River City Housing Coop .... decreased it .....fairly typical. Vanderhoef/ .... If your intent is to save these houses, you are going to have to allow an occupancy level that is affordable for someone to buy this, rehab it .....Experience of some of the houses... open living spaces are so huge .... Norton/ Vanderhoef/What I am afraid of, depending on the house, you may have to make special exceptions all the way .... Council/ Norton/Looks to me there is a tendency here to create an ordinance that is specially tailored to a special circumstance... not altogether happy with that ..... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 12 Nov/I still don't understand... they could not go for a special exception to change the number of parking places .... Miklo/ In fact they did apply for that... you can only reduce up to 50% of the required spaces. In this case, the fraternity is required to have 12 spaces, it has 2. It is non- conforming. The rooming house had to have 30 some spaces... and if you reduce that by 50%, you still have to provide 15 spaces... impossible in this location .... Kubby/The fraternity that is currently for sale on corner of College and Summit has zero parking spaces .... no choice but to demolish .... Have to provide parking .... Norton/...buy a little piece off of neighboring property ..... Nov/ Thornberry/...you know there are going to be cars ..... argument fewer cars in a rooming house .... economic factors .... rooming house, they may not have cars .... transportation is nice .... The people living in ..... chances are they are not going to be as nice as car .... They may not even run as well .... Some of them don't run too well .... VW buses out there .... Some of these cars don't run and they are parked on the street .... abandon vehicles .... Kubby/ Thornberry/This has happened .... lady talked to me at length about this problem... It is happening. Kubby/ Thornberry/...I don't think there is enough parking requirements for fraternities and sororities .... Miklo/One possibility would be to amend the ordinance and require the same amount of parking for fraternities and sororities as we do for rooming houses ..... Nov/That would apply to any new construction .... Thornberry/...change of use .... Vanderhoef/ This represents only a reasonably accurate trauscription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 13 Thornberry/ Norton/ Thornberry/I don't think it should be made any fewer .... Miklo/ ....a rooming house with same number of units could go in .... Thornberry/ Norton/ Kubby/... By letting a fraternity or sorority convert to a rooming house an not increase the parking doesn't make it worse ..... going to have... fewer people... fewer cars Thornberry/...some of them aren't full .... Norton/I hate to see this particular site with the number of parking it has on it... terrible mess. Nov/I would also hate to see it torn down. Kubby/I am ready to vote on this tomorrow night, Norton/ Vanderhoef/I would like to defer and look at special exception. Woito/Were we going to still change the language of allowed occupancy instead of the bedrooms, Bob? Kubby/ Vanderhoef/It is already set by the city right now, what the occupancy can be .... Kubby/ Vanderhoef/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session Norton/If we make that change, any virtues to go to a special exception? Nov/...decrease by no more than 50% and you can't get there. Miklo/What is being proposed is that this amendment go forward but it requires special exceptions. The Board of Adjustment would have to approve it. Vanderhoef/Send it back to P/Z- Miklo/Would you also like us to look at increasing requirement for fraternities and sororities and bring them the same?... Council/ Nov/Having the same requirement is the easiest way to do this. Thornberry/Make them the same. Nov/ CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 97-64 SIDE 1 Thornberry/Got a building with so many people occupancy, make that so many parking places ..... Kubby/ Vanderhoef/ Miklo/There may be some opposition from fraternities and sororities because it would make it difficult for them to add on or expand. Nov/That would be the general idea. Thornberry/... It is ridicules to have a fraternity house with no parking. page 14 Kubby/I would prefer if people want to look at options to go that route instead of the special exception .... That seems like adding things to the process instead of having it be part of the Code. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 15 Nov/I think the same parking requirement makes sense .... Miklo/You realize, this particular property that we have been talking about ....results will be the same .... Thornberry/While we are at it, let's make it right. Miklo/There is also a time table... Dubuque Street is working under .... Vanderhoef/ Nov/I would vote on this one... historic building... It would be not an overwhelming change... I still want to require the same number of parking spaces in fraternities and rooming houses .... Kubby/ Nov/We could do it later... concurrently... That this is applying only to older buildings means that it is not going to make a huge difference .... Thornberry/What makes a building 50 years old so special'?. Norton/ Thornberry/ Lehman/It says in the ordinance fraternity and or sorority houses. It doesn't say older building .... Norton/Before a certain date. Council/ Lehman/... house on Summit Street .... Miklo/Not zoned... except for a portion of Summit Street near Burlington, it is not zoned to allow fraternities or sororities. Lehman/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session Miklo/You would have to comply with the rooming house parking requirements. Kubby/Unless you were a fraternity or sorority already ....not just the zoning but the USe .... Vanderhoeff The only ones that are going to come into this are the ones that have been grandfathered in for lesser parking .... Nov/ Vanderhoef/ Norton/We ought to deal with this one... then go back to the general issue again .... Vanderhoef/I think we are going to have the same problem with every single neighborhood .... Lehman/Are we talking about only buildings that have grand£ather clauses back from- Kubby/Maybe be a few other homes that were grandfathered in. This is very specific. Miklo/The difficulty only arises because fraternity and sororities require less parking than rooming houses. Nov/ Norton/We ought to try to proceed tomorrow .... Nov/This is not going to change the number of cars in this neighborhood ..... there will continue to be lots of cars on the street. I don't believe that this change is going to make the difference. Miklo/If you like to vote on this tomorrow night and then we can do the research for the other change suggested. f. Consider an ordinance vacating the portion of the alley located south of Lot 2 of the A.E. Strohm Addition, generally located south of Bowery Street between Governor and Lucas Streets. (VAC97-0001) (Second consideration) Miklo/Second consideration of ally vacation... between Governor and Lucas Streets. p~e16 This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 17 Nov/Is the neighborhood interested in expediting that one? Miklo/They haven't indicated that. g. Consider an ordinance amending Title 14, Chapter 6, entitled "Zoning," City Code, by revising Article N, entitled Off-Street Parking and Loading," to change the required number of off-street parking spaces for commercial uses in the CB-5 zone. (Second consideration) Miklo/g. and h. are second consideration of the parking requirements in CB-5 and parking impact fee requirements in CB-5. Norton/Should those be expedited? Thomberry/Can't because of Larry. Nov/There is no rush on that. h. Consider an ordinance amending Title 14, "Unified Development Code" of the City Code by amending Chapter 9, Article A, entitled "Parking Facility Impact Fee" to exclude commercial development. (Second consideration) i. Consider an ordinance amending the Zoning Chapter by conditionally changing the use regulations of approximately 140.5 acres of property located on the east side of Scott Boulevard, north of Highway 6, from County M1, Light Industrial, to CI-1, Intensive Commercial (38.93 acres), and I-1, General Industrial (101.57 acres). (REZ96-0021) (Pass and adopt) Miklo/Pass and adopt of the rezoning of Streb Industrial Park at Scott Blvd. Thornberry/Why did Pam Erhardt vote against that? Miklo/She stated that she felt the commercial zoning wasn't appropriate. Kubby/She wanted it all industry. Thomberry/ Norton/I noticed there is still some controversy about that access off of Heinz Road. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 18 Miklo/We are reviewing the plat and that will be before you hopefully at the next meeting and that is where you would address that situation with the subdivision plat. Norton/ j. Consider a resolution approving the preliminary and final plat of a Resubdivision of a Portion of Lot 3, West Side Park subdivision, a 1.24 acre, 2-lot residential subdivision located on West' Side Drive. (SUB97-0008) Miklo/Re-subdivision of Lot 3 of West Side Park.. creating two residential lots .... application before P/Z that may come before you .... option of continued multi- family on that property. k. Consider a resolution approving the final plat of Court Park Subdivision, a 1.69 acre, 6- lot residential subdivision located at 2729 Court Street. (SUB97-0009) Miklo/Final Plat of C0urt Park Subdivision... six lots on Court Street. Vanderhoef/The water swails on the back of the lots there. Are they in combination with the utility easements or are those two things separate? Miklo/I believe in portions of the easement for the swail coincides with the easement for utilities in the back here. Vanderhoef/ Miklo/I believe that utility easement is- The sanitary sewer and storm sewer are on the front of the property and that would not be a .difficulty digging into this... gentle channel in the back .... as long as it is re-graded back to the way it was .... Vanderhoef/Every time you dig into it .... flooding down below .... 1. Consider a resolution approving the amended preliminary plat of Windsor Ridge - Parts Seven and Eight~ a 22.05 acre, 41-lot residential subdivision located north of American Legion Road and west of Taft Avenue. (SUB96-0011) Miklo/Items 1. and m. are Windsor Ridge. There is a re-subdivision of Part 8 (refers to map). There is one additional lot being added in this area and another here for a total of two lots. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 19 Nov/How about making it a little bit bigger? Miklo/(Refers to map) .... access easement .... Norton/How much were lots narrowed and how many were narrowed? Miklo/(Refers to map). These lots were all narrowed .... all of these exceed the RS-5 zoning requirements .... m. Consider a resolution approving the final plat of Windsor Ridge - Part Eight, a 13.31 acre, 25-1ot residential subdivision located on the north extension of Barrington Road. (SUB97-0007) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 20 First Avenue Extension - ACT/Press Citizeu 97-64 SI Jeff Davidson/When we met two weeks ago and discussed the proposed extension of First Avenue, you heard some comments fi'om the Iowa City Press Citizen .... and directed staff to look at an alternative alignment for this extension which in this area right here (refers to map) would more evenly distribute the property that we need for the street extension between the Gatens property .... and the Press Citizen property (refers to map). We have done that .... You have this same drawing in the materials that you received ..... A couple of things you asked us to look at .... l.- possibly relocating this access point to the highway here in order to bring the road closer to this property line between the Press Citizen and the Gatens. We are not recommending you do that .... However, if you want to change the alignment of this road so that it does more evenly take property from each property owner in this area, it can be done .... The one concern... was the possible restriction of access in this area (refers to map)... large ravines .... severe this area .... There is some high ground right through here .... shrinks down that access... down to 30 to 50 feet. The Press Citizen has indicated that as long as there is an adequate access from this area to their property, they prefer the alternative alignment... to the old one. Mr. Gatens contacted me this morning and indicated... does prefer the old alignment, C+ ....I guess the bottomline from staff on this is that we can do either one .... Vanderhoef/In property acquisition with either alignment, whatever land that was severed from the Press Citizen major property... would the city be required to purchase that? Davidson/I will defer to the City Attorney. My understanding... if property is acquired for the road that results in remnant property that has... lost its economic value as something you can build on, the city would be required to acquire it ....Typically we make it available to the adjacent property owner .... Woito/ The first part yes. The second part is just generally a policy question. It doesn't always happen that way. We would pay for the uneconomic remnant,.. remainder damages. Kubby/Seems like the remnant is bigger with the C+ .... in either case we have a remnant to buy. Davidson/Yes, it is smaller with the new alignment. Vanderhoef/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 21 Norton/C++... that would move the interchange between the east-west arterial and Dubuque Road itself..,, Davidson/ Vanderhoef/ Davidson/To their existing driveway there is some length... possibility that this property could be redeveloped at some time in the future and that access possibly adjusted .... Lehman/...You basically do not recommend the C++? Davidson/... We feel that either can be constructed ....minimal difference between the two... feel it is a wash... Lehman/ Davidson/That was the relocation of this intersection. That is the only thing we are not recommending .... We are recommending you use the same access point (refers to map) .... Lehman/What is the difference in cost between the two? Davidson/(Refers to map)... we haven't designed this yet, negligible. Vanderhoef/The only cost is the difference in land acquisition... more equitable,.. Davidson/Not so sure there is going to be much difference in the land acquisition cost to the city because we are requiring about the same amount of property .... Norton/...re-thought the split .... Nov/Eventually you will have a lot of ACT traffic existing down south .... Norton/I am leaning towards C+ .... Nov/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 22 Davidson/Is there a majority one way or the other? C+. Okay. So a majority in favor of the original one .... The tentative schedule will be get the thing designed this summer, property acquisition this fall, let it this winter, ready to go first thing in the spring .... We did meet with Bluffwood Neighborhood Association .... had a real good meeting with them last week .... general acceptance ....sidewalk... main concern ..... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 23 Iowa River Corridor Trail Project Burlington to Stur~,is/Naooleon 97-64 SI Davidson/You have a memo from staff detailing a request you made about a month ago .... When we discussed the River Corridor Trail Project from Burlington Street south, there was some interest in looking at a couple of other possible alignments and we have done that. You have some information from us and a map similar to this .... Staff has taken a look at four alternative alignments .... input from... Friends of Iowa PAver Scenic Trail, the Riverfront and Natural Areas Commission and the JCCOG Regional Trails and Bicycling Committee .... correspondence... Summarize .... We will be designing this... behind the Master Muffler and Dairy Queen .... acceptance of the trail going in .... The JCCOG Urbanized Area Policy Board did reallocate some funds from Melrose West .... You have the total amount of federal funds summarized... We do believe that with the green and blue alignments .... (refers to map)... some significant issues... physically getting the trail through there. Staff is of the opinion that the Napoleon 2 alignment... is really the appropriate place for the trail... most expensive... led us to recommend... implement the yellow alignment .... and then have a second project to extend across the river here (refers to map) ....down to Napoleon Park ....staff and advocacy groups completely endorse doing this all at once .... $500,000 to $600,000 more than is currently budgeted... fiscal constraints.. suggested you possibly break it into two sections .... Thornberry/ Norton/ Davidson/ .... You have heard from FIRST and Riverfront Commission that they are recommending to you that if you decided... need to do this in phases, to construct a portion here and then construct a portion here, leaving a gap in the middle .... At the staff level we are concerned about that because with a gap like that, people will still attempt to use the entire corridor (refers to map) .....concerned about children and that trying to compete in the gap here .... Thornberry/... does that go between the pond and the river? Davidson/Yes .... (refers to map) .... Lehman/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 24 Davidson/We would bridge from the riverbank on the west side to that spit of land between the pond and take that all the way down until the pond ends .... A group of us went out and walked that... wonderful for the trail ..... Norton/... ferry ....could be done. Davidson/The bridge here is about a $330- item at a minimum... $330,000. Thornberry/Point to where Master Muffler is? Davidson/(Refers to map) .... Norton/How do you cross Hwy 6... south? Davidson/Underneath the bridge. Norton/ Davidson/We have an easement through this area here (refers to map) .... And we have discussed this with the remaining property owners ..... behind Ground Round and the Shoe store .....bar manager... said bring it right through the bar ....not worried about that one ....Any thought...which one of these .... Vanderhoeff I am really concerned about getting that bridge across there in the near future .... get Napoleon Park part started ..... jump with D or combination of green D and blue. I would like to get across the river. Nov/ Vanderhoef/D can work without the industrial. Kubby/Staff'is recommending that we do a straight shot .... Vanderhoef/I am concerned that we won't get that bridge. Kubby/ Thornberry/ Davidson/...bridge would not be part of the federal aid project .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 25 Norton/People can get off this trail on Benton Street ....ferry.. in the interim .... Vanderhoef/Other thing.. important... get that route underneath Hwy 6 coming from the north .... I think we are going to have citizens using the east side of the river anyway and they aren't going to have the trail available to them through under Hwy 6 .... Norton/ ....kids are starting to ride down Sand Road .... Davidson/As a destination for bicyclists we all prefer Napoleon Park to Sturgis Ferry Park .... would be a place for people to park .... then ride the River Corridor Trail .... Kubby/As well as there is a lot of housing south of there .... Norton/Might be a Science Center .... Davidson/ .... to construct this next year, we are under a very tight time frame .... have to have this in for letting... need some permits.. Need to get to work right away on this .... Kubby/I like staWs recommendation of A and C and doing the first part first .... Davidson/(Refers to map) .... You would construct the yellow route down to the bridge crossing... (refers to map) .... Vanderhoef/Wouldn't that be more expensive .... Kubby/ Lehman/How would you get access to the south? Davidson/(Refers to map) .... Council/ Kubby/ Lehman/If you are coming up from Napoleon Park .... How do you get to that trail? .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session Kubby/ ....forces us to make sure that we complete that for next year .... Nov/There are some houses east of the trail .... Norton/The extra money to follow the yellow line all the way down .... Davidson/... Big deal on the west side... retaining walls... Norton/Can we realistically think about getting the bridge across the river? ..... Davidson/Just a matter of paying for it, Dee. Thornberry/ Vanderhoef/What about getting at least the trail part under Hwy 6? .... that leg is real important right now .... on east side of river ..... We need to take care of getting under Hwy 6 on east side of the river ..... Davidson/The only appealing thing about the blue or green alternatives here is that it pays for the bridge... Benton Street Bridge .... negative things associated with this industrial area ....We just felt that if, you have invested a lot of money in the River Corridor Trail ....let's do it the most pleasing way possible .... Nov/ Thornberry/ Davidson/...electrical switching station, power poles and an outflow pipe. Those are the things that are in the way. Council/ Davidson/And the City Carton owner has also opposed. Norton/Is there a sidewalk on the Hwy 6 By-Pass Bridge? Davidson/No. p~e26 Norton/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 27 Lehman/Jeff, that bridge belongs to the DOT. Is there anyway to attach our bridge to that? Davidson/We looked at that and our Engineering staff determined that there was really not any advantage to doing that financially... you would then have to bridge Ralston Creek on the east side of the river .... (refers to map). Thornberry/... Is Hwy 6 bridge sitting on piles down there or is it attached to piles? Davidson/It is on piers. Thornberry/Is it sitting on it or is it attached to it? Council/ Fosse/There is some attachment 'there to protect it from buoyancy in extreme events... called hinge connections .... Thornberry/What about the Park bridge? Is it attached to those pilings or is it just sitting on pilings? Fosse/That one I think is attached. Thornberry/ ....high water it could possibly float that. Davidson/ Council/ Norton/If they move the railroads, you ought to think about the railroad bridge. Davidson/We have a pretty long span .... to get across the river. Nov/Do we go with the staff recommendation? Thornberry/I think so. Norton/I think so. Kubby/Casey ..... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 28 Casey Cook/ .... I don't know that the meeting .... was well represented... both advocacy groups concurred with Dee Vanderhoef's solution... green route... bang for the buck by going along with the green route, you can get almost more than twice as much trail for basically the same amount of money .....I am trying to represent interests of Riverfront Natural Areas Commission .... What we want.,. is to get the most trail the soonest ..... green route saves us .... $150,000 .... saves us a hell of a lot of money versus the red route... don't want to wait... With the green route we think we can do that whole thing basically in one year .... cost per linear foot .... Kubby/Do you think people will go through the industrial area to get south? Cook/...what is does is it picks up Ralston Creek .... There is no way to move the sewage treatment plant .... It is a factor... The County Administration Building is right there .... and extension from there .... to downtown .... utility to that loop .... We have been trying to enroll the business community .... Also addresses concerns the Engineering Department has raised about putting the trail on the sewage treatment plant .... Norton/ Cook/The Sturgis Ferry Corner... Phase 2 .... Could serve a lot of people much sooner .... Norton/ Cook/It goes right around the sewage treatment plant and picks up again right underneath the bridge and goes south .... Thornberry/ Cook/...goes are considerably lower for going that route .... John Yapp/...It is a less expensive route overall and staff does have concerns with the number of driveways .... negatives ... driveway curb-cuts,.. large amount of truck traffic .... esthetically it is not as pretty route either or odorwise .... Davidson/We will be happy to proceed as soon as possible with designing whichever one you want to do if you want to indicate which one that is. Nov/I am neutral .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 29 Norton/ Nov/I would prefer not to be in the industrial area but I am not a bicyclist. Norton/ Lehman/ ..... I think you do it right the first time .... a lot of things count... expediency is probably not as important as getting it done in the fashion that we believe will best serve the people 10 or 15 or 20 years from now. Vanderhoef/The reality.,. have both sides... And if we can get one side completed right now and achieve our goal of reaching Napoleon Park ..... I think we are still going to need that connection underneath Hwy 6 .... Kubby/Do we all share that goal of having something on both sides? .... Vanderhoef/That is my goal eventually .... Kubby/Check in with other people about that .... Nov/When are we going to put in sidewalks along Hwy 6? Davidson/It is in the CIP- CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 97-64 SIDE 2 Davidson/We broke it down into three projects and I am recalling 2000, 2001, 2002 .... Nov/It would be a long time .... Davidson/We would probably begin designing that project in about a year or so .... Nov/Construction is down the road a ways. Davidson/ ....It does not come down this far south. Nov/If we could take it from Gilbert Street to Napoleon Park Trail .... Davidson/That is a very logical connection. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 30 Norton/If we go with the green one in order to get somewhere earlier... worst ... that one loop .... Davidson/... make sure we have adequate sidewalks .... Norton/Only part that would be new construction .... going under the bridge on the east side .... Davidson/The big cost savings are all the retaining walls on the west side of the river south of Benton Street. Those go away .... Nov/ Kubby/ Davidson/You will be on the sidewalks, Benton and Capitol or Clinton .... bridge to the Animal Shelter .... Kubby/The economic argument is pretty strong. It is strong enough to do the loop as long as the group is saying that we have a commitment to doing both sides .... Davidson/We are going to get this thing designed, starting as soon as possible .... Kubby/There is three for Dee .... Nov/ Davidson/So there are four votes for the green alternative... Okay. Nov/I hear four .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 'Council Work Session page 31 Shamrock/Friendship Creek Channel Improvement Proiect 97-64 S2 Fosse/This has the potential to be brief.... To organize our thoughts, we put together a memo summarizing what we believe your direction was last time. We just want to confirm that tonight. Kubby/Do it. Norton/Do it. Council/ Fosse/Thank you. Nov/Are you leaving? .... Fosse/I will be around for the next item as well. Nov/I have a question about an item that isn't on the agenda .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcriptiou of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 32 Home Builder Codes 97-64 S2 Boothroy/Tonight we have some members of the Homebuilders Association and also Andy, Ron and Rick are here to answer any questions about the information that was sent out to you regarding the Homebuilders Association Comments and staff' s comments. One of the things... look at three different categories .... UBC... policy .... and then... Public Work's standards. Look at them in those three categories ..... deal with some of the concerns. The UBC issues... staff in memo .... indicated on two of those items that being the venting of laundry areas and the Energy Code that we agree that those are good ideas ..... proceed with amendments to the UBC... work out a process... There may some comments but I will move on if you think that is a good idea and don't really have any more questions about those particular two issues. Norton/I had one about the laundry code and that is is there anyway that that could be, in certain circumstances where there is a small total space, that you don't need the vending? ..... Curious whether there could be any situation where it is so small that you think a vent might be vital? Ron Boose/There are probably two extremes where it isn't that vital. That is when it is so small it is in a closet ..... One of the Iowa officials has been trying to get that changed on the National level for several years and has failed. The other one is when it is so large. These two extremes it is practically unnecessary .... Norton/Even in a small space, okay. Nov/Is this the venting of the dryer heat? Fosse/Requirement for either natural or mechanical ventilation. Under the UBC, if you don't have a window in the room, you are required to put in a vent fan ..... Nov/... Can you explain to me why it is there in the laundry room if the dryer already has an outside vent? Fosse/For humidity .... Thornberry/Does a outside door take the place of a window? Fosse/To the exterior, it would have to be open. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 33 Nov/ Norton/That is one they agree they don't need to worry about ..... Boothroy/Other two issues in the UBC which are much more complicated in terms of understanding .... One is the sprinkler system which is the first item and the other is the foundation walls. I think you will probably want to get comments on this tonight. My recommendation would be if you are interested in proceeding with amending these two particular procedures, that you refer it back to the Board of Appeals for their re-consideration .... They spent on the sprinkler system quite some time studying it .... as well as with the foundation walls. It is a good idea for them to at least have another shot at dealing with your concerns ....if those two provisions need to be changed .... The other questions in the memo deal with policy and there are two policy questions. One is the erosion control procedures .... 1980 we were having a difficult time getting streets cleaned up and the council directed me to develop an ordinance that would deal with that issue ..... We have not really had any problem with mud, dirt and debris being on the street for any length of period of time since we have put those provisions in affect. I think they are affective .... is an incentive for cooperation with the contractor on the site ..... Since we have had this ordinance we have gotten a lot of cooperation and I think it has been affective. Vanderhoef/Do you earn interest on the escrow money? Boothroy/ Woito/No, they don't. Ordinarily they take out the CD... many of them are cash... roll them over from one project to the other .... Vanderhoef/ Boothroy/We don't keep the money. Norton/ Vanderhoef/What I am saying is a home builder who borrows money to do a whole project and he puts money into escrow, is he or is he not getting interest back on his escrow money? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 34 Woito/If he has a CD, he is getting it according to the CD, other wise no. We prefer cash. Vanderhoef/ Woito/ Boothroy/Bottomline is it is effective, why change it .... Thornberry/You can change things to make them easier .... Norton/Getting it done in a timely way .... Thornberry/There are other ways of getting the money... lien on the property .... Kubby/There is that timeline in there. Nov/ Boothroy/Sometimes we like to have it cleaned up in a very short time .... It can be within an hour or two. Nov/...plenty of dirt on park road. Boothroy/I don't know the project. Woito/University project. Boothroy/They would not have an escrow .... Thornberry/City doesn't have an escrow account either .... Boothroy/The other policy question in this particular memo is .... council policy issues, the erosion control .... Other one is speed in which plan reviews are done in terms of whether or not it is possible to do over counter or on demand plan reviews. We recommend that that not be done because we feel the plan reviews won't be as thorough .... When you look at our numbers during the non-construction season... winter... Our plan reviews for s.f. residential usually is 2-3 day turn around. When we get in construction season, we get up to 5 days .... When we have people in the office to do plan reviews, we get them done more quickly ..... It is strictly related to the amount of time to do those plan reviews. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 35 Kubby/Is it possible to reconfigure how people are spending their time?... balance between the speed of inspection on site .... checklist ..... Boothroy/We do have to have a checklist .... Kubby/ Boothroy/I think the over the counter one bothers me... what that says is that person that comes in that particular day takes that plan review away from somebody who has been standing in line ....As plans come in they are all numbered... as your turn comes up .... Kubby/Have a two tiered thing... two first come first serve lines ....one for complete .... one that is a little slower .... Boothroy/You give me another staff person, we can do some of these things you are talking about ....I am not so sure that a three day turn around is a problem ....even a five day turn around. This is a planning issue .....that can be scheduled ....We continue to look at ways in order to make those processes go more smoothly ..... We are getting faster with lots of different kinds of plans ....Some building plans you have to review the design and that does take time. Nov/I am not crazy about the idea of having somebody walk in and get preference over somebody else who drops the plan off yesterday .... Does it make sense to say a person will be sitting their and reviewing plans continually and not doing inspections rather than have several people do both? Boothroy/We have only two people who are trained to do plan reviews .... Nov/One person trained to do plan reviews does not go out in the field .... Boothroy/That is a luxury we can't afibrd ..... We have a service to provide... get complaints on the other side saying why isn't somebody out here to look at my project .... Kubby/ ....I want them to know what is really happening out there .... Thornberry/If I bring in a plan for a deck .....wait ..... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 36 Council/ Thornberry/You are saying five days? I don't believe that ...... Nov/He said three to five days ..... Boose/Just a couple of comments .... If we pull out a set of plans and it is not adequate, we call the applicant and tell him .... we are not going to look at them .... Kubby/ Boose/We have gotten a little more strict about the accuracy of the plans. The other thing as far as decks and houses... If there is a deck sitting here... we don't make the deck wait .... We try to get those small projects and work them in as we can .... We do have two plan reviewers .... try to have one of them in all of the time .... inspections ..... they got to be done .... Thornberry/I have no problem with the five to seven day... approval .... Boose/During buslet times of the year .... June and July .... Thornberry/Can they do anything to that property before they get their permit? Boose/With the s.f. dwelling, they can do site work excavation at their own risk. They cannot pour the footings. Lehman/How would you compare the cost to a builder having to wait an extra day... to the cost of a builder waiting for an inspection on site? Boose/I guess I don't have anything to base that comparison on .... Thornberry/You have no way of adding people during the busy period to do anything? Boose/We do have a... temporary through the summer... weed complaints .... some of the complaints that don't take any construction expertise ..... training takes too long .... Thornberry/ Boose/We have six inspectors... two of those review building plans. One does site plan reviews .... I am including the development regulations specialist .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 37 Thornberry/Are you one of the six? Boose/No. Thornberry/What do you do? .... How many in the whole department? Boose/In the Division? ....with me, seven in the Building Inspection Division. Thornberry/... How many secretaries? .... All right, you have eight people in the winter time when we are doing very very little ..... This is not efficient .... one temp. Kubby/ Thornberry/ Nov/Sometimes they can put something off.... Norton/Encourage people to submit plans in the winter. Boose/Not to confuse the Housing Inspection with the Building Inspection. They are different ....We do spend a lot of time in the winter just catching up on paperwork ....working on training... keep ourselves up to date on new codes... construction material .... Norton/Reduce fees in the winter. Boothroy/The other issue that was raised is the issue of Public Works standards for rolled curbed .... I guess if we want to get back to the UBC standards concerning sprinkler and foundation walls, whether or not that is something you want to refer back ....get some direction ....Do you want the Board of appeals to look at it again? .... Thornberry/We talked about the sprinklers .... my comment... afraid of fire...buiid it like a shower... I am not personally convinced that sprinklers save lives .... Kubby/...need to increase sooner the number of fire fighters we need .....A way of making property owners more responsible for prevention .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 . Council Work Session page 38 Thornberry/Sprinklers go off with heat .....Not going to help save lives. It is going to help to save property. Norton/Is the UBC for sprinkler systems for apartment buildings with three floors or more? Is that a UBC requirement? Andy Rocca/This is in the UBC amendments, that is right. Boose/The UBC requirement is three stories or more ..... definition of stories. Norton/...basically UBC ....somebody must of thought that sprinklers were sensible in the UBC. Nov/We can change the wording.. three levels .... Thornberry/ Rocca/Egress is certainly a component of that, yes... We have taken essentially a three level building and lowered it into the ground .... We are going to use the same ladder .... Code... as you build a taller building, sprinklers aren't a choice. They become a requirement .... We have demonstrated a need in multi-occupant buildings where they tax the local resources of our fire services. Thornberry/ Rocca/Can I share with you the background of the diagram .... outline four different scenarios for you .... no automatic systems .... smoke detectors .... smoke detectors and an automatic fire alarm ....and the last one is smoke detectors, automatic fire alarms and sprinkler system ....element of time ....Obviously a significant of total time with no systems .... passerby to become aware .... My point is is that as these arrows disappear, the element of time is reduced. So if you have smoke detectors .... smaller window of time .... Third scenario we are automatically notified of the fire conditions .... The last scenario .... one arrow .... suppression takes place .... fire is held in check of controlled .... Point being here is technology is there. You have early warning, detection, notification and built in fire suppression .... Norton/ ....Anybody know does this requirement affect insurance rates...? Rocca/It does to a certain degree ....10% on annual premiums .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 39 Thornberry/My insurance company has raised my rate now that I have a sprinkler system. Rocca/I can't believe it. Thornberry/...water damage .... Rocca/Sounds like a design problem... shouldn't be a problem. Thornberry/ Vanderhoef/ Rocca/Model codes... minimum requirements and they do reflect a national trend .... We have the opportunity at the local level to look at what is going on... fire fighting resources .... seeing further mandates .... regarding how we staff... response times... what we can do on arrival .... If we look at the scenarios and we can have built in fire suppression... maximizes our resources... less time on scene ....Have other units available for other emergencies. Thornberry/Andy I would be disappointed if you didn't do your job .... And you want every living space to be as safe from fire .... That is your job... to a point... economic standpoint that has got to be there, too ....affordable housing... being able to afford a place that is secure, fire retartant ....all of these things adding up add money to a project .... Kubby/If we don't keep this in and we see an increase in fires... then the community says you need more fire fighters .... also make it less affordable to live here ..... Thornberry/I am saying there is a level that you don't really need to go above and that is the UBC .... Norton/That is what we are following .... Rocca/We have amended it to three habitable levels ..... Thornberry/We have gone over and above .... Norton/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session Kubby/Reality... you still have the same situation .... Norton/ Rocca/...certainly a lot of choices here ....costs associated with building and fire protection .... Lehman/...frustration .... I don't think we enforce a single thing that isn't perhaps good .... We have seen things change .... I am not saying any of these things are bad things to enforce ..... Just seems that you have become so complex .... Just that the whole conglomeration gets bigger and bigger and bigger .... Kubby/ Lehman/I don't know that that is our decision. Thornberry/I am saying that we should not have a regulation more stringent than the State Code. Lehman/ Kubby/What we are trying to do here tonight... Homebuilders... specific suggestions on how to deal with some of these costs and it is up to us to say yea or nay .... explore some changes. Norton/ Nov/I have some other questions... Does Iowa City allow construction of floor beams that are made of wood chips? Boose/ .... re-manufactured lumber, sure .... There are a number of wood products that use scraps of wood that were previously thrown away .... Nov/These beams... glued together... fire .... Boose/In the type of construction we are talking about... they would be all covered with one hour fire dry wall... 5/8 inch sheet rock .... Nov/What about the floor? .... Where is your fire resistance? page 40 This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 41 Boose/I think it is very- One of the most popular ways of getting a one hour floor ceiling assembly is by using Gipcrete ....3/4 inch thick ....another method where you can use a double wood floor .... Nov/How many levels of building does it take to out in a fire resistant floor such as you have described? Boose/Two .... Any time you have a dwelling unit side by side or on top of each other, you have to put in that kind of protection. Nov/So why am I hearing about this floor being with glue and the glue melted and somebody fell through? Boose/I am not familiar with that situation. Nov/...injured fire fighter. Norton/ Nov/I think we should put in the sprinklers. Norton/... Should we leave it in the way it is? .... Thornberry/I would like to go with UBC, more than three floors. Boose/UBC says three stories. Glen Siders/(Can't hear). Nov/ Rocca/Ernie.... Codes and how they are reflected locally... look at smoke detector... 20-30 years ago it was unheard of... to have a smoke detector in your own residence and now .... grew to... on each level and every sleeping room. That is an example of the progression of these codes and this technology ..... Start to see the sprinkler codes reflect a change to where you are putting them in dwellings and residential occupancies ..... National or model codes are minimum requirements and we do need to look at them locally to see how they impact and how we enforce them and do business. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 42 Thornberry/It is different building materials, too .... Rocca/ Nov/ Rocca/Now you have the battery smoke detector, the hard wired .... battery back-up .... Nov/ Rocca/Any other questions? Thank you. Nov/Go through the whole thing .... Thornberry/Naomi has a problem with chip flooring .... Siders/(Can't hear). Boothroy/Other issue is the wall and maybe Ron can give you some more detail on that. ...effort to modify the Building Code to a lesser standard but a standard that would continue to protect walls from failure and we got some expertise from a structural engineer to come up with a standard ....adopted ....Costs a little bit more... wall was a better wall .... Vanderhoef/Reference...failure showing up in walk-out basements. Is this also true in totally underground basements? And is the code... just for walk-out basements? Okay. Thornberry/Would this change preclude poorer builder from having a solid wall? .... Does this problem solve the problem of a poorer builder doing this wall and not having it collapse? Boothroy/If you backfill too early, I think the wall would still have some problems... Boose/ ....It had to do with the popularity of walk-out basements ....A particular structural engineer approached the Board and said- CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 97-65 SIDE 1 This represents only a reasonably accnrate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 43 Boose/Yes, it does add to the cost of a house with a walk-out basement .... For the ones that were having problems, it saves money. Thornberry/ Boose/It is two different problems, a strength problem versus stability problem .... Norton/You have backed off from the UBC Code by not requiring an engineer for every basement wall? Boose/That is right .... Nov/... rolled curbs. Fosse/In a nutshell, the roll curbs will save you money on your driveways because of the different type of storm sewer you need to use for those types of streets... increase the lot cost so the savings may be fathom ....maintenance expense ....We recommend against it .... Nov/ Fosse/Future... curb cuts will be milled in .... ragged .... structura!ly you have a better product .... milling is you just take in a big grinding machine and you grind the curb off where you are going to put your driveway rather than sawing it out and replacing it with concrete .... Nov/ Glen Siders/Thank you .... I am legislative chair and spokesperson this evening for the Homebuilders Association of Iowa City. I am also the author of a February 27 letter .... in your packets .... A few things... one of those issues that there were many sections of the Code that we debated. There are still many sections of the Code that we don't necessarily agree with that we think are costly. Of the 22 issues that we originally started with, two of them were abandoned... city was actually in the process of amending the Code .... Three of them .... were unwarranted .... Ten of them we felt shouldn't be dealt with at a local level .... Leaves us with seven items that we discussed ..... Half of them are actual code items, a couple of them are policy items and ... one engineering standard .... frequent. But we did not investigate zoning regulations or engineering standards .... When we researched this information.. safety... We did not compromise life safety issues whatsoever... We This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 44 do not intend to do that this evening. We feel that the city has not justified the amendments that they have provided in the Building Code... sprinkler systems and the retaining wall .... We feel that they did not justify .... as a Building Code standard... this document is literally of comprised of thousands... officials .... engineers... architects .... citizens... thousand write this document. It is a national document... applied world wide .... It surpasses the other two building codes .... Thornberry/How often does that come out? Siders/Actually it comes out every year... whole book is re-codified and adopted every three years... updates and supplements .... annually .... We will talk about sprinkler systems. That is # 1 in our letter .... Your amendment has reduced the requirement for sprinkler systems from 16 units to 9 units .... You have almost cut that in half. The Code use to say three stories, it now talks about floor language .... We haven't circumvented anything. The Building Code .... basement... handicapped accessibility... light and ventilation requirement ..... fire egress .... Requires every level to be accessible .... there is no more fuel in that facility than the one that is on the ground .... The National Code came up with a 16 unit and three story as a cut off point. They had rationale ....The way we are building these 12 unit apartments is not unique to this area .....They build them all over... If it is a real hazard.. they would be reducing that requirement to nine units nationwide. This increases costs of almost $19,000 to add a sprinkler system to a 12 unit facility ..... annually you have to have those inspected ..... maintain that system... That costs money .... Insurance... you get $200 on 12 unit apartment complex per year break .... residential insurance is inexpensive in this area .... Norton/Did you say the Code is 16 unit, three stories? Siders/16 or more units and three stories .... Norton/And the local is 12 units and three floors. Siders/The amendment says 9 or more units and three .... reduce it 50%. Nov/Would you be willing to say three residential levels and 12 units? Siders/No .... This is a national standard but they had rationale for coming up with that number. In part of our research.. Stave Fire Marshall. He could not document that a 12 unit apartment was any more hazardous than a 9 unit apartment or really a 15 This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 45 unit apartment... The only documentation or justification that the city has provided is in the memo... which sites three fires .... We endorse sprinklers... Three fires... elderly buildings... fire and draft stop requirements... increased... Two of those facilities are rooming houses .... Third building is a six unit apartment. There is just no justification for adding $19,000 .... All I have to say about sprinklers .... Foundations .... City has adopted an amendment to Chapter 19 of UBC asking for reinforcement to concrete walls. We don't think the city adopted this with any kind of justification ....one engineer's complaint .....he could not document ....I seriously doubt that those walls failed because of inadequacies of reinforcement ....Chapter 18... foundation walls... has to be designed by engineer... basement walls don't necessarily need to be designed by an engineer. Chapter 18 tells you how to build them in this book... Chapter 16.. structural forces... a basement wall is not a ...retaining wall ..... basement wall... floor... footing... adds strengths... I have information here from the National Concrete and Masonry Foundation explains the difference between a foundation wall and a retaining wall .... There is a significant difference on the way you build them .... I would challenge the city that failures are a big problem due to inadequate reinforcement ..... The city should certainly get more than an opinion of one engineer. The Homebuilders would be willing to participate in an engineering program to resolve that issue. Laundry rooms we are not going to talk about. Roll curbs. Like I said, it was just an issue. We don't have real strong feelings. There is an opportunity to save money ....It is still, in my opinion, cost more money than it is to provide a roll curb .... Nov/ Siders/Cost savings... actual developer might get by putting in a roll curb in the whole subdivision .... We don't know what savings occurs to the development. Kubby/ Siders/You experience failure when you have a curb cut also where you have a joint right in the gutter line .... maintenance problems .... Kubby/I am thinking more of the asphalt resurfacing .... Siders/Not worth me wasting a lot more of your time about it .... cost saving device .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 46 Nov/ Siders/ $500 escrow... where the interest money goes .... When that escrow is paid... paid up front .... Contractor uses his money to build a house until he closes with his client. The client does pay for that .... Mud in the street is a problem.. alternative... $1000 per builder per year is a significant amount .... We think he can do that through certificates of occupancy, inspection processes .....It takes weeks to get your check back... more of a burden .... Nov/Why is it difficult? Woito/Because there are thousands of them ..... escrow accounts for erosion control. Nov/I don't understand .... Woito/Sometimes the CDs are rolled over .... sometimes cash... administratively difficult. Kubby/What would be your reaction to $1000 per builder per year, then they use that up before they can do more...? Siders/That is a policy .... Norton/What about the lag problem...9. Siders/Pdght now you have a $500 deposit .... Thornberry/Just like the sidewalk thing .... Nov/ Thomberry/ .... If they don't pay the bill.. the money is paid .... Nov/I hate to see city crews out there cleaning mud... all day. Thornberry/ Kubby/Change it... monitor it... change it back .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 47 Council/ Thomberry/What do we charge them to clean up a road? ..... Council/ Kubby/It means other work isn't being done. Norton/ Siders/Lastly, permit process. We think that 5 to 7 to 10 working days is too long .... We do expect is to re-think the permitting process and expedite the time from what it currently is .... Thornberry/It is 5 to 7. Siders/I am telling you when you go down during the permit season... two weeks. Thornberry/ Siders/ .... Approximately 650 permits... good average to use that the city issues every year. Half of those are for s.f. residential remodeling projects .... Your permit review is minimal. Your primary review is one of zoning... setbacks ....30 seconds. The only thing you do with a deck is the structural compatibility of it ....drawing of your deck... length of it .... proper support .... guard rail .... review time for a deck you are talking minimal. There is no reason those couldn't be issued over the counter .... Even for some s.f. building projects .... You don't waste time because you dispose of an issue .... It is done with .... You can get rid of it... It doesn't take that long for probably half of the permits. Nov/Okay, you have made your point .... We are getting tired here. Siders/So am I... couple more comments. There are some other suggestions that I didn't mention with the permitting .... You could contract services .... permit review people .... Energy Code, I don't know that there is a need to discuss that .... We are willing to participate to any level you want us to participate... Important... fire sprinkler and retaining wall .... We are not asking you to reduce anything. We are asking you to not make this standard more restrictive than what it is. This is a national standard .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 ' Council Work Session page 48 Nov/ ....thank you. Kubby/ Boose/ One issue... difference of opinion on is the requirement for reinforcing the foundation walls .... We can sit down and discuss that .... I disagree .... Other issues.,. I still contend that counter permits are bad policies .... Energy audit complaint.:. We will work with the Homebuilders .... Things on their initial list were already taken care of.... try to work with them. Nov/I think that the retaining wall... has a variety of causes ....I would like a little bit more discussion .... Boose/ Contention by Homebuilders due to improper installation at the beginning or premature backfill would not lead the problem five years up the road .... We are talking about two different problems .... Norton/ Nov/If you can work on that one .... Thornberry/ Boose/If you have some offsets in that wall, then it is not a problem. It is a matter of how long of a straight run ..... Kubby/ Boose/ Norton/Do some more research... Where do we stand on the sprinkler? Vanderhoef/ .... Energy Code. You said that you would work with him. My question is I suspect there is going to be a $75 cost no matter who does it? Boose/Not necessarily. Vanderhoef/... would this speed up .... energy audits. Would it speed up the process and therefore save money for the contractor to have them do it...? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 49 Boose/I don't see how the city could do it .... Calculations once you have the numbers are not that difficult to do .... computer program... very easy .... Once you get those numbers .... converting them .... standard form .... Come up with a standard form .... Norton/ Rocca/I will just call to your attention the history on the amendments surrounding the fire sprinklers... a lot of discussion did take place .... did further research... Board of Appeals there was some support .... We welcome any dialog with the Homebuilders Association regarding this .... These are minimum requirements... fire sprinklers certainly are life saving devices .... Other communities have adopted far more restrictive residential sprinkler ordinances than we have proposed here .... fire protection scenarios... suppression actually takes place .... Thank you. Vanderhoef/Are there any boundaries.,. standards for the amount of square footage? .... The change in pattern of the size of units ....talking about units of 4-5 ....How is this impacting the fire safety ..... Rocca/ Standpoint of fuel load .... more square footage, more fuel area .... look at the most common buildings that are being built... grading issues ....several issues here that need to be considered ..... Kubby/Can we go through one by one?.',,. Nov/In agreement except for the sprinklers .... Thornberry/Retaining walls .... if they are done by a lousy builder, they are going to fail .... The UBC is the bible for building. Why are we trying to tweak it with our infinite wisdom. Norton/..sprinkler... because... being bypassed. Nov/Concrete walls... an engineer said it is important and it is not being followed correctly. Thornberry/... one person said this... We got the UBC that is the bible for the United States .... Address it... adhere to the UBC. Nov/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of APril 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session Norton/I thought they were going to work that out and come back to us. Boothroy/If you want these two items, #1 & #2... to be revisited by the staff... Homebuilders Association... Board of Appeals.. We will go back. Kubby/In terms of the basement .... Thornberry/ Nov/We need a count .... If we have three levels of dwelling units, we ought to have sprinkler& Karen- Thornberry/ Kubby/Keeping it as it is. Nov/Three stories .... Norton/ Lehman/..re-visit it. Nov/...three for revisiting .... Boothroy/Revisit #1, revisit #2 .... resolved #3 because we are going to amend that. #4...not going to do anything of that .... Lehman/#5 .... I have no idea why it takes six months to get escrow money back. I think we ought to take a look at that Boothroy/Administration issue .... Siders/Probably 4-6 weeks to get back .... six months tied up in the building process .... Boothroy/4 to 6 weeks. We can re-visit this and find out if there is another alternative that might work. Thornberry/ Norton/Practice doing it the other way. page 50 This represents only a reasonably accurate trauscription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 51 Boothroy/So you are talking about repealing this section? Okay. Lehman/ Boothroy/It has been working. Nov/ Thomberry/If we can do it the same way as snow removal .... We can do this .... Lehman/It is far preferable to have the builder do the cleaning .... Thornberry/The builders would rather do the cleaning .... Lehman/if we have a $500 escrow, I don't have to call him .... Nov/ Thornberry/They are only going to do it on a complaint basis anyway .... Lehman/ Boothroy/If we don't know about it, we are not going to be calling anybody. The contractor may be out there doing it on their own because they understand that it is important .... If we get involved, it is usually on a complaint basis or we have gone by the site .... We contact the contractor .... Nov/ Boothroy/The money up front gives you the leverage to encourage cooperation .... If you do it a different way, you don't have quite the amount of leverage you normally have. Thornberry/You have got inspection power .... Norton/Let's go back and try it the other way and see what happens .... Thornberry/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session Nov/ Thornberry/Let's try it for a year .... Boothroy/Repealing it with some kind of sunset provision .... Nov/ Kubby/I would be willing to try it for a year and I am putting it in my Franklin to check on it. Nov/I hear four. Council/ Norton/I called in on First Avenue already. Thornberry/ Boothroy/#6 .... constantly looking at. I don't have any problem researching this more with the Homebuilders Association .... may be some .... Kubby/ ....see if there are any ideas that are practical ....bring it back to us .... Nov/ Boothroy/#7 proceeding with that ..... Nov/Thank you. Nov/ Boothroy/Streamlining makes a lot of sense .... Other item .... page 52 This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 53 Restaurant at 200 Scott Court 97-65 S1 Boothroy/..handout ....(Timeline Of Events Surrounding The Proposed Restaurant at 200 Scott Ct.) ....understand what happened with the restaurant out at 200 Scott Ct ..... May 8, 1996 the Board grants a special exception .... (refers to handout) .... November 13... extend special exception .... February 2 they submitted a site plan but there was no basement indicated .... February 14 application was finally filed... did include 1,000 square foot basement... not aware of... applicant was informed that the basement area... is defined as floor area .... Staff agreed to permit up to 300 square feet of basement area for a mechanical room .... CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 97-65 SIDE 2 Boothroy/Also agreed to permit an additional 40 square feet of building area .... in order to try and make this project go forward... Bottomline... we did try to work with the owner of the restaurant... did allow more .... in order to try and make this project work .... heard from the developer that if they can't have 1,000 square foot basement, they can't have a restaurant. I am not sure why ....I just wanted to lay that out for you. Kubby/It does seem like we tried everywhere. Thornberry/What is the square footage of the foot print? Boothroy/Approximately 40 feet more than 3,376 which was approved by the Board. Thornberry/What about the footprint' of the building excluding the walk-ins? Boothroy/I just don't have answers .... Thornberry/...who was the staff that agreed to permit 300 square foot of basement as a mechanical room? Boothroy/We did, Building. Thornberry/Who was the staff that agreed to permit up to 40 square foot of building to increase the ground floor .... ? Boothroy/Building. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 54 Thornberry/Why, with 300 square foot of basement... partial .... it would be easier to run the vents along the ceiling of a basement ..... Boothroy/An open basement, running it would be faster and easier .... Under the Zoning Code... using basement area for storage... it must be included as total floor area .... legal limits .... a standard... pretty large for a furnace and water heater .... Dean. I think ... that you have got a limitation in CN-1 Zone i_n terms of amount of square footage allowed ....basement... include that in total floor area for that use ....Can't ignore that law. Thornberry/If you unilaterally.. increase ....own decision... then you were in error in giving him any. Boothroy/Absolutely. Thornberry/And if it 300, then why not 1,000.9 Boothroy/The 300 the rationale was in the UBC. Thornberry/ ....he could say maybe 400 .... Boothroy/You have to draw the line .... Norton/They were trying to accommodate this thing. Kubby/Trying to be flexible... crossed a line that he wasn't comfortable with .... Thornberry/ Woito/Doug and I talked about this and I recommend clarification in the ordinance rather than putting Doug in a position of making judgment calls. Vanderhoef/ Woito/It seems to me to be formal re-substance to be that restrictive on basements .... have to have some supportive service for the restaurant .... I think P/Z should look. Boothroy/ Woito/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 55 Norton/Direct P/Z.., get it straightened out. Vanderhoef/I would like to revisit the CN- Boothroy/ ....300 became a benchmark .... rationale ....there is where I can make that line ....under UBC ....I thought it made sense... minor in terms of a whole footprint .... Lehman/ ....would have been screaming at you in high heaven .... Boothroy/ Thornberry/ Lehman/We need to re-look at the zone. Council/ Vanderhoef/Revisit specifically is basements that are not habitable other than for storage .... Woito/P/Z should take another look. Council/ Boothroy/Re-think the policy. Nov/All right .....going to re-visit the CN zone ....bottom of priority list for P/Z .... [Council Break 10:20 to 10:32 PM] This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WSO42197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 56 Non-Motorized Vehicles 97-65 S2 Nov/Non-motorized vehicles. Mitchell/Sounded like the last meeting you still had a couple of lingering issues. 1- Was providing an alternative place for skateboarders to go and 2- Was finding a place for people to play rollerblade hockey. With respect to the skateboarders, what I would like to do is set up a meeting between a representative group of skateboarders, both young and older skateboarders, to meet with Joe Fowler, Terry Trueblood and myself to see if we can come up with a better solution forum .... If you restrict skateboarding the Chauncey Swan on the lower level after 10:00 PM, I am not sure .... younger skateboarders would be able to even take advantage of that .... allowing people to skateboard over in the Civic Center parking lot after 6:00 PM ....looking into getting obstacles... come up with a better solution .... Kubby/Defer the ordinance? Mitchell/Yes, at least for a couple more weeks .... Nov/I am concerned ..... skateboard on Tuesday night ..... Mitchell/Limiting it to a certain night or restrict it to a certain portion ....sit down with them... report back to you. As far as rollerblade hockey, when the staff committee actually met, we were recommending that you allow them to continue to play rollerblade hockey on the top of Chauncey Swan Parking Ramp ..... something that goes across the low spots .... We could look into that to see what the cost would be of adding that additional railing. Kubby/Cable, fence or screening .... Council/ Mitchell/ Norton/Wonderful idea. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 57 Mitchell/They actually use a round plastic ball .... they also don't blade contact rollerblade hockey .... limited contact .... Hopefully I will have a memo for you a couple of weeks from now .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 58 Cultural Center/Library Project: Ballot Issue and Ooeratin~ Costs 97-65 S2 Arkins/This is going to take some time... step through in fairly deliberate fashion ....You should have summary ..... Members of the council are familiar with this document, Financial Trend Monitoring. We did this in December of '94. We are going to update it somewhat as we speak .... IfI happen to use a term that you don't understand .... familiar with terminology that we use. Our overall financial health as a community is ~neasured by many factors and not any particular one .... There are those that are more important than others .... I will just quickly list those for you. Local economy ..... local government's financial health, tax caps maximums .... tax rates, differing rates for differing issues .... growth of tax base ..... property tax .... extent of obligations that we have, our borrowing, our debt. The extent of local control that you have over your revenues .... Overlapping debt .... where the school district... county ..... retirement of debt, the speed in which we retire debt .... cash reserves ..... working capital .... We avoid borrowing because we use our own cash to meet our obligations. Through our property tax system, we are paid twice a year .... Finally, the management systems that a community has in place to manage their cash. I am going to focus on the contemplated project as well as our general financial health ..... It is a major commitment of our resources both from out debt and operating standpoint. There are five elements... keep in mind .... 1. Operating expenditures, day to day. 2. Expenditures. The level of indebtedness and out ability to make debt payments .... 3. Our income or our revenue .... general fund and property tax. 4. The kind of revenues we might need with respect to making those debt payments. That will come from property tax, not revenue bonds... Our general obligation which is our full faith and credit. 5. What are the community expectations with respect to the project... political questions. What is the tax level, do we want to invest in downtown, are we prepared to expand the public service .... Can we finance this project successfully? I am going to start big and go small. The first schedule you have is the outstanding general obligation debt. (Schedule #1 Schedule of General Obligation Debt Outstanding) An important number to look at is FY97. That is our current position. We have $29.4 million of outstanding debt in the FY that began on July 1, 1996. I have added ..... expansion of that debt, the new indebtedness... involved two elements, not one. The first element is $20 million to meet a Library/Cultural Center Project. That is a 20 year debt .... also have planned $10.1 million in debt for other capital projects. Our debt position in FY97 is at $29 million. By the year 2000 it will be $59 million .... We This represents only a reasonably accurate trauscription of the Iowa City couucil meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 59 issue GO debt for water and sewer... parking. It does affect our overall debt position .... property tax is pledged but not necessarily used to pay off the debt. We have to show that as an obligation .... Schedule #2 (Schedule #2 Schedule of GO Debt Payable Each FY and Paid By Either Property Taxes or Other Funds) goes from the aggregate amount of debt. It breaks it down into annual obligations ....FY97, $29 million worth of debt ....corresponding increase in debt service. Traditionally we try to use short term ....For purposes of our analysis we used a 20 year debt. When you do 20 debt, fluctuates a little more .... longer debt... riskier .... net interest rate. The further you stretch that out, the riskier it becomes, thereby affecting your credit rating but also how you retire that particular debt .... '99, 2000, 2001, 2002...numbers begin to increase. I am going to call your attention to... You will notice in '99 we have $7 million, 2000 we have $5-, 2001, $4.5- Then $3.5- thereafter. Up to 2002, that debt ties out to the Capital Budget Plan you now have in place. We are continuing our program as you have approved it, the $20 million for the Library/Culture Center Project has been added to that. The $3.5 was merely for estimating purposes. If you look at our Capital Plan, '98, '99 and 2000 we are a little hefty .... They then decline substantially thereafter .... after year 2003 we have the unfunded projects ...... that is a best guess. Schedule #3 (Schedule #3 Schedule of Outstanding Debt as a Percentage of Allowable Debt Margin) .... translate that level of indebtedness and compare it against the state law... some local growth factors... better feel for what it all means locally .... Assessed value, not taxable .... According to the law .... allows you 5% of your assessed value for the purposes of General Obligation (GO) debt ..... allowable debt margin... You will see that we add $20 million and $10 million and others as shown earlier .... in FY98 it jumps to 51% of allowable margin. That is well within our ability to finance but it is substantially higher than our history ..... 25% average over those years .... numbers jump up... values projected to increase .... Looking at FY90 through FY98, these are actual numbers. During that period of time, our assessed value grew an average of 7.1% per year .... every other year re-assessment .... Every two years property is re-assessed .... We have to make projections... 10-3-10-3-10-3. We are reasonably comfortable with those numbers... average... annualizes at 6.5% ..... We felt historically that we could substantiate that. Remember this is the assessed value and not the taxable value. There are so many other factors that affect the taxable value .... Our level of indebtedness ..... $31,390,000. We don't get back to that level until around the year 2010 bases upon our projections ...... Schedule #4 (Schedule #4 Schedule of Debt Service Tax Levy as Percentage of the Total Levy) is an internal policy the city has made... Debt Service Levy as a This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 60 percentage of the total levy shall not exceed 25%. I will call your attention to '98 through '92 .....historically ....respect to the total levy.. during that period of time... averaged 12.825% .....The Debt Service Levy during that same period averaged 1.619%. Amd your average Debt Service Levy as a percentage of the total levy 12.7% .... Try to keep those averages to avoid the big glitches .... FY99 through FY2005 you are at or contrary to your existing policy .... In the year 2006 the tax rates .... we will be in a deficit cash position .... I will bring that to you... I will not let it hang .... Playing a numbers game from year 2005 and beyond. The next set of schedules (Schedule #5 Schedule of General Fund Expenditures by Major Category for FY 1992 Through 2010). This is our current expenditure history and budget. I will call your attention to a couple of items .... how our spending has gone. From FY92 through 2000, your spending increases have averaged 6.6% per year, total General Fund expenditures .... For the purposes of the budget plan that you recently adopted, '98, '99 and 2000, that average is 3.8% .... There are some aberrations in here .... Capital outlay under FY96 it goes from $1 million to $2.5- There is a reason... $1.3 million to buy the peninsula... You have spikes in there .... For the purposes of this chart, 2001 through 2010 we estimate that our expenses will grow at a rate of 3% a year, an important factor in that projection. In year 2002 we add four new positions .... This chart, current spending, no new positions for next ten years. Go to Schedule #6. Norton/... that last point. You are showing 2001 to 20107 Atkins/From 2001 to 2010 average about 3% each year and no new positions. Norton/Is that like a choice or a requirement? Atkins/That is by choice ..... Now we are moving to Schedule #6 (Schedule #6 Schedule of General Fund Expenditures by Major Category for FY1992 through 2010, includes adding in $350,000 in FY 2001 for new Library, Cultural Center and Mercer Park Aquatic Center Costs). Schedule #6 adds $350,000 in FY2001 ....in new spending for three factors: Library, Cultural Center and Mercer Park ....The Library we estimated about $150,000 for cost of that ....assuming $60,000 in new revenue, $90,000 out of pocket expense. Aquatic Center was also about $150,000. Based on 50% policy, $75,000 actual expense. And we picked a lump sum of $200,000 for the Cultural Center .... Important ..... is that in total expenditures .... historically... it is like a 1% increase ..... spending pattern is about the same, just a hair higher. So $350,000 is about a 1% operating expense .... This represents only a reasonably accurate trauscriptiou of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 61 Nov/Why is there such a low increase from one year to another on Personal Services? ..... Atkins/From year 2000 to year 2010 it only goes up 1.76% because in the year 2000 we have 27 pay periods and in the year 2001 we only have 26. So it spikes, drops back down again and then flattens out for us. We have used a 4% growth in wages .... Norton/What was big jump in '96-97? Atkins/27 pay periods only occurs every 8-9 years ....We will check that... suspect that is the six new police officers .... Schedule #7 (Schedule #7 General Fund Revenues by Major Category for FY 1992 through FY 2010). This gets a little stickier. We are now into revenues .... Reading down the column you have a debt service taxable assessed value .... The taxable assessed value is an important number. That is taxable value .... It is difficult to project out that taxable assessed value because who knows what the state is going to do next .... roll back .... Nov/It was going to level off. .... Atkins/For our projection purposes, we have leveled it off.... get a feel for taxable assessed value. For '93 through budget '98, those we have accurate numbers for, the taxable assessed value grew at a rate of 4.5%. Then from '99 through year 2010 we project it will grow at rate of 3.2%. Norton/Is this trying to be conservative? Atkins/There is a reason .... You can see what the property tax revenues is...transfers... Road Use Tax is a per capital .... State/Federal Funding and this one is particularly important. We project that state and federal funding, there is going to be some bumps ...... FY92 .... FY93 .... then it jumps to $1.325-. .... That is M&E Reimbursement. We have lost the tax base but the state has told us they will reimburse us .... So from '95 to '96 you see the increase. From '96 through 2001 we have projected that we will continue to receive M&E. CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 97-66 S1 Atkins/That is our problem year. You lose the tax base and you lose the reimbursement. We have a $400,000 hit that we take .... M&E reimbursement is gone. The tax base This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 62 is already gone .... Important thing is we lose that just about the time this big capital project comes on line. Norton/Did you make any assumption about reimbursement for homestead? Atkins/We have built in that those would not change substantially. I think we are okay on that ..... Kubby/ Atkins/If he were to sign that exemption bill, that is about $100,000 plus or minus for us. Kubby/ Atkins/Now let's go to the one that is the most difficult, our cash balance. Go back to the first year on that one. Our cash balance beginning in FY92... read those across... cash position in '92 .... year 2000. From '92 through '97 the average cash balance was $7.1 million. For the budget you just adopted, our cash balance projections are $6.7'million .... As a percentage of your expenditures, it is a declining position.'... Then we getto 2001 .... difficulties .... decline starts rather precipitously .... You are at a deficit cash position FY2006 and you can't let that happen .... That means you have no working capital and you are running a deficit budget if you continue doing everything you are doing right now. That is what that means. So bottom line is you can't let that happen. You have either got to find a new source of income or you are going to have to adjust expenditures .... That is almost five budget cycles away ....five years you know that you would be facing that in a three year plan. Kubby/What amount of money minimally do we need there to get through that-? Atkins/You need about the $5 million ..... What we also have to measure is for our credit worthiness. We try to stay at 20% ....helped our credit rating ....Our projections now have in FY2000 it would be 21%. FY2001 is when we lose reimbursement and M&E goes away .... Nov/We have a motion to approve March expenditures of $8 million .... normal ..... Atkins/You are also including water, sewer, parking, debt service payments... that is everything ....We have not had to borrow for operating expenses, short term cash needs .... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 63 Next chart Schedule #8 (Schedule #8 General Fund Revenues by Major Category For FY 1992 through F¥ 2010, includes adding $350,000 in FY 2001 for new Library, Cultural Center and Mercer Park Aquatic Center Costs.) Schedule #8 adds in the $350,000 .... because of adding the $350,000, you really don't notice it in the front end. When we get to 200 l, what the library project does is just simply move it up one year. So the cash position is not substantially changed by the additional of that operating expense. Kubby/We are in trouble with or without. Atkins/Yeah .... Please remember that these projections are just that .... things can change. I don't think they are going to change all that much .... Finally .... just is just kind of a summary one for you .... #9 (Schedule #9 Schedule of Assessed Valuation: 100% for Debt Levy aud For All Other Purposes; Property Tax Levy, Full Time Equivalent Employees and Property Tax Impact for FY1992 through 2010) .... I want you to note... This is history plus the three year plan .... Read down to Property Tax Levy Rates where it says general .... 8.10 is a tax cap. Transit from '92 to '93 we took full advantage, the law changed and we went from $.54 to $.95 ..... In FY93, Library Levy came on .... Tort Liability is a levy available to us that we have not used to date .... we recommend the Tort Liability of 0.132% in year 2000. That is a means to finance the six police officers that we hired under a federal grant when that grant would expire. Employee Benefits is just that .... separate levy not limited by the state .... Then Debt Service... change that occurs. Look at FY98 .... 1.615 .... You pass the bond issue and that is what it changes to .....For general information, we have used only the General Fund full time employees ....changes that have occurred historically with respect to increase in employment ....Then in 2001, take a look at that Debt Service Levy ....compare those numbers .... 2001 we added the four positions and none thereafter under full-time elnployment. Tax for debt reaches its peak in FY2002... Important number that we also have to note and that is 2004, 2005, 2006. 2004 is the last of our police and fire payment. We use that fund up and therefore we have to cover those pensions costs with new money ..... healthy jump in the Employee Benefits Levy. We make the assumption that we will prevail in the lawsuit .... Norton/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 64 Atkins/...employee benefits .... 2.591, 2.896. The difficulty .... M&E reimbursement goes away, M&E tax goes away. You have begin accommodating the Police Pension. It all peaks at just the wrong time. Kubby/ .....demands ..... Atkins/The thing that became obvious... all came together right in that one financial plan... difficulties .... We tried to interpret this as best we can under the $100,000 house thing which gets pretty old after a while .... If you read down at the bottom it says $775 in '99, that would increase to $1,013. That is debt service ....future years it begins to flatten out after that. Bottomline is that clearly the state changes .... as well as actions of our own have an accumulative affect. I don't see any changes from the state on the horizon .... The difficulty is that it makes any kind of an initiative almost impossible for you to do .... I think there are some very critical issues ..... Do we have sufficient capacity for debt and the answer is yes, we can sell the debt. Do we risk our AAA? I would give you a qualified yes .... Do we have the money to operate? I think the answer is yes but only if we make some changes in our service package as we now know it to be or .... we have got to seek another source of revenue. We are just simply going to run out of options .... I think we have put together good projections .... You have to ask yourself how much can we burden the property tax and how bad do we want to do some of the things we want to do .... Don deserves tons and tons of credit for this .... Nov/He is good at this .... Atkins/I think that you are going to have to... take some time when it is not midnight to.. think about this. Nov/Talk about this last page. Atkins/Oh, the last page is a summary page of our level of indebtedness (refers to Summary of General Obligation and Revenue Bonds Outstanding at 6-30-97 Includes a Proposed $11,000,000 May 1997 Sewer Revenue Bond Issue). What we have tried to do is show you some projections of where we are. That is going to increase .... A little summary for you ..... We can handle that because we have the burden spread throughout all of our operating funds. Nov/Tells us there isn't much in the way of general bonds that are expiring soon. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 65 Atkins/We have I think some notes that are coming due... That is in the numbers. Norton/Did you schedule in here a new ramp structure? Atkins/No, I don't think we have that in there. It would be a revenue bond ....have to analyze that at the time. Kubby/I just don't feel capable making decent decisions about .... in terms of the specific project tonight. Atkins/Thank you. Kubby/We had decided before .... no objections... Library to do the November 4 election date. I want to make sure I understand it .... goal... is to be able to explain how we are going to pay for operating costs to the public ....we have until June something to be able to vote on a resolution. Franklin/Marian and I went through this today in terms of when you need to make some decisions. Obviously one of the things that has come up with this whole project is how are we going to fund the operational costs... Steve's presentation... At some point you need to make a decision about what you wish to do in terms of how you approach what he gave you tonight. The Chamber of Commerce met last week .... It is clear... that the community also needs to know something about what the financial package is going to be that is going to be used to approach this project as the bond issue comes before the voters. You need to make a decision about when to set the election for the bond referendum. That- I would suggest that you defer your vote tomorrow night to June 17 and the reason I am giving you June 17 is because over this next month the CenterSpace folks, the Library people, myself- We are going to be putting together information about the whole project part of which will be how the cultural space and the performance auditorium are governed, managed and a financial package as to how we would approach funding those operational costs. Kubby/So that at the time that we even vote on the resolution to put this on the ballot, that those questions are solidified, the answers to those questions. Franklin/Yes and I think for some of you that is absolutely necessary .... We have the time to do that. In the meantime, while you are waiting for us to put this information together, you have information from Steve now that gives you a financial outlook This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session _ page 66 that you know that something needs to be done and you can then over this next month... May, deliberate ..... as to how you want to approach this issue, particularly if you wish to consider a new revenue stream ....when to put that on a ballot. Norton/How far ahead of an election date does that have to be? Franklin/60 days .... Nov/And the bond referendum is 47 days? Franklin/47 days. For the purposes of groups within the community being able to organize, I suppose either for or against these issues, I think you need to make your decisions well before the 47 days for the bond referendum and well before the 60 days for any kind of revenue stream. You do have_certain limitations in terms of when you can have elections for revenue stream .... Kubby/I prefer we have a separate meeting where this set of issues is the topic .... Norton/Yes .... Franklin/We got a date .... one of the dates... in terms of our having the information about the project would be June 10... Tuesday .... Lehman/I won't be here the 10th. Franklin/We thought you were. Lehman/5th through the 12th I think. Karr/You have given me the dates of the 30th through the 6th. Lehman/I changed it on you .... Karr/ Lehman/ Karr/So you are gone 6th through the 12th? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session Lehman/5th. Thornberry/You are going to miss Toxic Waste Clean Up Day. Lehman/I will be back evening of the 12th. Kubby/27th? Karr/27th I have two council members gone. Lehman/Make it three. Karr/... Only Saturday... 14th. Vanderhoef/No. Kubby/ Franklin/ Karr/Can't be Mondays .... Possibility of the... June 4th. Franklin/ ....convene tomorrow and see if we can find days. Kubby/During the day .... Franklin/Sundays? .... afternoon .... Nov/ Karr/Give me the dates before we leave... see if I have the updated information .....Karin and I can work on another scenario. Kubby/The other big piece of this... very useful... great if we could lock in the price. Franklin/We will have an RFP for you to review at your next council meeting, May 5 or 6 .... get that out by the end of May and to have it back by the beginning of August. We can't have it before you make your decisions .... get that qualified commitment... before it goes to the voters ....It depends upon approval of the bond issue .... page 67 This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 68 Norton/ Kubby/The other issue .... save the issue of the dollar amount for a later time? Franklin/Yes. There is not a real good reason to get into that particularly right now. Nov/Ought to at least get in some council time .... Karr/All let me know... early part of June .... Nov/4th looks fine, leave it there. Thornberry/ Karr/Will you be able to let me know tomorrow .... 4th during the evening ....tentative... firm it up tomorrow. Norton/ ....teleconferencing .... Council/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session Annointments 97-66 S1 Animal Control Advisory Board: Re-advertise Civil Service Commission: Re-advertise Historic Preservation Commission: Lars Anderson Planning and Zoning Commission: Wait for another application. page 69 This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 70 CouncilAeenda/Time 97-66 S1 1. Kubby/I wanted to bring up something... discussion about CDBG HOME moneys... in terms of River City Housing Collective... concerns about one of the projects .... Ernie had brought up a point .... facts... Wanted to make sure... JB is here tonight .... if you have questions that they get brought up tonight... One of Ernie's concerns is that the Collective was not paying property taxes... might be other things like that... If there are things about income verification or how far below fair market .... I guess I am really concerned that we are not asking every housing group those questions. If we are going to place more organizations up to that standard, we need to place all organizations getting CDBG or HOME funds to those standards. Nov/ Kubby/It is the kind of verification of income .... where people work... verification of income above and beyond what we ask other people ..... I want the process to be fair and consistent ..... treating people with an equal kind of process. Norton/...We know there is a big percentage of students... Kubby/Life isn't that simple .... As welfare reform gets instituted over longer periods of time .... qualified .... Look at those rents... include a whole bunch of other stuff that Jim Clark's rents don't accommodate .... I want to see what those other issues are .... Norton/We will have another discussion of this... another p.h .... Kubby/ Nov/ Franklin/There is a hearing on May 6 which is the CDBG HOME Plan which includes the budget. This will be scheduled for your May 5th work session. I think the issue here is that the River City Housing Cooperative has been raised as an issue that some of the councilors have questions about and it is an opportunity for them to find out what the issues are for you so they can address those .... It is an attempt to find out what the concerns are so they can respond... suggest that you get it into our office. We will get it to River City .... whatever it is that you have, either call myself or Maurice and we will get those so they can respond on the 5th at the work session. This represents only a reasonably accurate trauscription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 71 Nov/Thank you for staying so late. Council/ 2. Kubby/There are a couple of things about the PCRB ..... big issues. I had thought we were going to talk again before we put it out .... Nov/... We would talk about it before we had public comment on the 29th. Half city council discussion work session and then the other half public comment. Kubby/...discuss... ask for public input... make it clear to the public .... Nov/...agenda... press release .... Norton/Leave enough time for us ..... Nov/Have a reasonable starting point ....make small changes ....let's get the public comment .... Woito/You will have an ordinance draft tomorrow. Council/ Nov/Need to do it in an evening meeting... television .... Karr/This will begin at 7:00. A presentation by Linda first, then questions from council second and public input third. Lehman/I think we should start earlier than that ....own work session .... Norton/We start earlier .... Nov/We want her presentation on television for the whole world to see and then the discussion .... Kubby/...6:00. Norton/Couldn't council start right out ..... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session Nov/Do you want the council discussion to be without television? Norton/No. Woito/My presentation is just going to try and focus you all on each of the issues. Kubby/I think we need Linda's discussion. Woito/So I start out .... Council/ Nov/Suggest that we not get into a lot of presentation... of something that we have already read .... Norton/ Kubby/... also for the public to understand .... Nov/ Kubby/6:00 PM on 29th of April? Nov/I am not sure we need 6:00, Karr/Work session starting at 6:00 ..... Kubby/Presentation, council discussion and public input all televised. Council/ Woito/They can see the whole thing... replayed. Nov/Do the whole thing televised .... Woito/It will make more sense. 3. Norton/I just want to throw in... issues raised in P/R minutes about need for overall look at P/R system ....facilities and space ....Consider an outside firm to help them do a larger study ....take a look at their minutes and see what you think, page 72 This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 73 Nov/Having seen the budget, I think let's not. Norton/We do need to think that... what the overall picture is. 4. Thornberry/Question on this Iowa City Housing Authority Public Housing Tenant newsletter. There is now a hotline for maintenance emergencies... call 24 hours a day. Who handles the maintenance 24 hours a day. Atkins/It is an answering machine ....We don't have someone on standby .... 5. Thornberry/On some of these resolutions. Now these are not in the Consent Calendar? Nov/They are. Thornberry/I am going to have to vote against them .... the $399,984 ....HUD... Bob Burns .... Norton/I thought we agreed on that one. Thornberry/Don't we put money with that? Nov/ Norton/I thought we went through that one last year. Atkins/We did. Karr/We can delete it from the Consent Calendar for separate- Thornberry/#3. Are we going on a second note for $22,000? ..... We originally provided the money and then the bank took it over? CHANGE TAPE TO REEL 97-66 SIDE 2 Nov/Now they have refinanced them. So we still have the same loan. Thornberry/...second position .... Council/ This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197 April 21, 1997 Council Work Session page 74 Thornberry/On #5 the requested grant will require a local match... $8,615 ..... Does that mean- I don't understand .... Historic preservation activities...? Atkins/Take the staff person... keep books on how much time... also have a formula they use for volunteer time ....Most of our Historic Preservation things, the volunteer time is really important ....no new money ....That is a non-cash match ....in-kind match. Thornberry/Thank you. Adjourned: 12:00 Midnight This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City council meeting of April 21, 1997 WS042197