HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-04-25 Public hearingNOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Notice is hereby given that a public hearing
will be held by the City Council of Iowa City,
Iowa, at 7:30 p.m. on the 11th day of April,
1995, in the Civic Center Council Chambers,
410 E. Washington Street, Iowa City, Iowa; at
which hearing the Council will consider:
1. An ordinance conditionally amending
the use regulations of approximately
34.21 acres located west of Taft Ave-
nue along Court Street extended from
RS-5 to CN-1 (6.93 acres), RM-12 (12
acres), and RS-8 (8.14 and 7.14
2~., acres).
An ordinance amending City Code Title
14, Chapter 5, Article H, entitled "Site
Plan Review," by adopting design stan-
dards for exterior stairwells and exterior
corridors on multi-family residential
buildings.
3. An ordinance amending City Code Title
14, Chapter 6, entitled "Zoning," Arti-
cle N, entitled "Off-Street Parking and
Loading," to reduce the amount of off-
street parking spaces required and
amend the parking area design stan-
dards in the CN-1, Neighborhood Com-
mercial Zone.
Copies of the proposed ordinances are on file
for public examination in the office of the City
Clerk, Civic Center, Iowa City, Iowa. Persons
wishing to make their views known for Council
consideration are encouraged to appear at the
above-mentioned time and place.
MARIAN K. KARR, CITY CLERK
City of Iowa City
MEMORANDUM
Date: April 21, 1995
To: City Council
From:
Robert Miklo, Senior Planner
Re:
Exterior Stairwells and Corridors
Staff has obtained additional information regarding the proposed amendments to the site plan
ordinance regarding exterior stairwells and corridors. We spoke with several lumber dealers in
Iowa City who have indicated that it is possible to paint or stain wolmanized lumber. All of the
lumber dealers indicated that if the lumber was recently treated, it may need to be dried for a
period of weeks or months prior to painting, but in many instances it can be painted or stained
upon installation, The attached brochure from a wolmanized lumber manufacturer outlines the
requirements for painting or staining wolmanized lumber,
Also attached is a memorandum from the Fire Marehal indicating a preference for exterior
stairwells. The Fire Marshal was consulted during the drafting of the of the proposed
amendments. It should be noted that the proposed amendments before the Council do not
prohibit exterior stairwells and therefore are not counter to the Fire Marshal's concerns.
Glenn Siders had indicated that he would submit alternative ordinance language for the Council's
consideration. Staff has not received Mr, Siders' proposal at this time.
Attachments
CCA Pressun /[ -cmcd
t rash coll~ ~'~ion or burial q~eatod '
f~n,s or in stovc,~ fi~'places or
tlal ]~dle~ l~cau,~. toxic chemicals
may I~. pnutuced as parl of the smoke
and ash&~ ~ated w~s.I thm~ commer-
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commercial dr indusl~al ineii~eratom
or l.~ilem in ac~>rdance with s~tte
and ~d~-ral
o ~void f~'qu(ml or p.dm~cd inhala-
lion of',~x~'dusl t~h~ ln,ah'd w~.
%%lhl'!l ,~Willg and machining
w~.L wear a dusl ma~k. Whenever
l~'~brnwd outd~h}~ to av~;id ind~}r
accumulations ofairl.)rne ,qtwdust
e %V?,n t~mcr~wing and maq, hining.
flying Padi('h.,~ ' '
o &tier working with the w(~l. and
t.,fi)n, (u~tin~ drinking. and u,~' of
t h(m~t~hly. '
I I' pn-,,~,n'ativ~,s
laws on clolh(,s. lam.h,r Ir'tbn,
i roje t against
Wo/manized' pressure-treated wood
has long-lasting resistance to termites
to help protect ,rs surface against
season checks, twisting and splinters.
try RasnOoat" water repellent
RalltCoat'
Water Repellentt
(;()NSUMER
I NFORMNIION
StlEET
'l'il~ l)n the Salb l ;.,~'
landling l)f %%bhnan
Pressure-Treated Lumber
Pressure-Treated Lumber
Pressure -Treeted I.urats~
Thank you fi~r purchasi~ B'~bmmizod
pr¢ ssure-treateL~ lmn~r. As thou~mls o~
u~.~ have aln~adv di~x~ven~d, vou will
tind it to ~' a prak:tlc~ and
investmenL
~ ~fdtnttt~d w<~t is an idea] con-
struction p~uct ~br exlerior,
weathe~x~d appli~tions when-
~Slfi~H~e [o ~rlnltes and d~.av is
desi~d. h is al~ suitable for sdch
interior applications as
and sills whe~ the~ is a the-at of
~rnfite or d~ay da~
s When painti~ or s~ini~, the paint
stain m~nthctu~r's ~:dmmefida-
tions should M. tblloweaL As with
unt~ lum~r, the w~ should ~-
ch~ and _~, ~th on the ~hee
ime~]y. ~you have p~c~
B'fdm~m~d w~ ~at w~ d~ed aaer
t~ent (this will ~ smm~d on the
lum!~rL you may ~aint or ~in it
immedia~ly, p~-~¢%~ the weather is
stumble. If your w~i was not dr~t d
aiier t~enL allow .~ve~al weeks tbr
the w~l to air ~t~ and then wail fi~r
cl~ weather. We ~mmend
~oimon W¢~ S~m~ Avmlable m
~lh ~lid and ~mi-t~anspanmt colo~
they a~ aikyd-ba~t which pn~vides
quicker d~i~ rout ~tter coqor n'ten-
t~on lhan conventional hn~ed od
~ tm.~d fommlation~
%Vhcn nailing clo,~. to the end of a
board, whclher usin~ ~}ressur~tn'ated
or ttlltl't ated w~M, pn'qlnll the nad
hole.~ this helps to avoid splitting.
Wear gloves to help avoid splinte~
dam~t tm}m ~rnntes and dec~ty.
help p~tect i~ ap~amnee ~nst the
water n'~dlen~ It will ~du¢'e check-
ing, t~]istin,, and splinte~
tn-at~ d an~unt~ated w~.
}[~dmani~,d w~ shavh~s or chips
should not ta~ u~M for m~nnal
or lilter.
Fbr mort' defiled information and
mo~~ building tip~ consnh the
~dnutn '~d w~ constmiction ~k-
lets available t~m your dealen
CollStllller
hdbrmation
This w'(~al has been pn'~m'ed
sU.,~. treatment with hn
la sticid~ conmini~ ehnmmte~ t op~r
ainulate (( :CA ) topD}tect it thm~ termite
at~ek and decay. ~{~l tm'ated with
{~1 :A Mnmht Is' u,a~d only where sm'h
p~teetion is in~l~r~nL
{ :1 :A penetrates deeply into and n'mains
time. Exl~sun~ to CCA may
( ermin h~a~ q henrione, the following
pn'cautions sht~,~ld ta' ~kcn ~th when
nanditch)he t~ateM w(~i and in
determining where to u~ or dis~>a~ of
the tramted w~.
W~t ~'~u~-~-ated wi~
P .
p~-~'at~ves may t~. u~ inside
dem-(s as 1o~ as all ~w'dust and con-
strutrich debris an- cleaned up rant
dis~.~ d of after construction.
1~ not u~ t~ted w~ under
cmns~ncc~ whe~. the p~m'ative
may ~comc a com~}nent of f~ or
anim~ feed. E.~mpt'-cs of such
wouhl ~ structu~s or con~h~e~
lb) not u~ tmat~i w~ tbr cutth~-
lamnts or counte~op~
Only ~ted w~ that is visibly clean
and'I~e ofsu~aee residue shodhi
u~d fi~r patio~ decks and walkway~
Do not u~ t~t~ w~ for construc-
tion oftho~ ~ions of~hiv(~ w~eh
may come into conMet Mth the hone3;
'lh~al~ w~ should not ~ u~t
whe~ it may come into dimel or
indin.cl contact wilh Eubiic drh~i~}g
waten ex(.ei)t tbr u.q's ~nvolvi~ imq-
den~i contact such as d~'ks and
hri(~e~
MEMORANDUM
Iowa City Fire Department
Date: April 20, 1995
To:
Bob Miklo, Senior Planner
From:
Andy Rocca, Fire Marshal
Re;
Screening Exterior Stairs
This memorandum is written to clarify my position on the proposal to screen/enclose exterior
stairs.
At a recent City Council meeting an individual advised the Council that the Iowa City Fire
Department is on record as opposing screening/enclosing exterior stairs. The original
discussion that was referred to took place at a Board of Appeals meeting on April 3, 1995.
As I recall the meeting, a member of the Board of Appeals brought this issue up for discussion
as related to building costs and affordable housing. My opinion was, and still is, that I would
rather see additional building costs expended on fire and life safety devices than on building
aesthetics. This opinion is shared by Chief Pumfrey. In addition, I stated this opinion at a
recent joint staff meeting when this issue was discussed.
From an operational standpoint, my preference is for open exterior stairs. First, fire crews
have fewer doors to maneuver hose lines through to initiate a fire attack. Second, smoke
removal is facilitated. Third, removing patients from a building on a medical emergency call
can be improved due to the open stair design. My preference is based on first-hand
experience and discussion with emergency response personnel.
I hope this memorandum has clarified my comments and position on this issue. If you would
like to discuss this matter further or have additional questions, do not hesitate to call.
cc: Chief Pumfrey
C. JOSEPH HOLLAND
Attorney at Law
300 Brewery Square
123 Nodh Linn Street
P.O. Box 2820
Iowa City, IA 52244
April 10, 1995
319~354-0331
FAX354-0559
Ms. Susan Horowitz
Mayor, City of Iowa City
1129 Kirkwood Avenue
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
City Council Members
City of Iowa City
410 E. Washington Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
RE: Exterior Stalrwell Zoning Amendment
Dear Mayor and Council Members,
Some months ago I brought to the City staff and Council's
attention short comings in the parking requirements in multi-family
housing units. You may recall the discussions on that issue which
ultimately led to what I see as a positive change in the Zoning
Ordinance.
The initial comment about the use of exterior stairwells came
from a citizen after reading about this parking issue in the paper.
Unfortunately, I didn't know the person and didn't keep a copy of
the letter. However, that person mentioned the parking issue nd
also the nature of construction which he or she likened to 1950's
motel construction.
While I did not raise this issue originally, I did follow-up
on it because I believe that the cOmmlents in that letter wers well
taken. I'm writing to urge you to amend your ordinances to
prohibit or restrict exterior stairwells.
Those exterior staircases are aesthetic disasters. All you
need to do is to look at two buildings constructed on Burlington
Street behind The Mansion. The use of treated, unfinished wood,
only adds to the aesthetic disaster of these buildings.
I think there are a number of other reasons why interior entry
hallways are a better design concept. I'm relatively confident
they are more energy efficient, as apartments opening into a comaion
hallway do not lose as much heat or cool air as apartments opening
directly to the exterior. This is the very reason why many public
buildings have air locks or vestibules. Examples include the
Page Two
Mayor of Iowa City / City Council
April 11, 1995
Johnson County Courthouse, Old Capitol Center, the Johnson County
Administration Building, grocery stores, etc.
Interior stairwells also shield residents from light and noise
to a greater degree than exposed exterior stairways. The same
holds true for auto exhaust from parking lots and odors from over-
ripe dumpsters.
I have heard it said that exterior stairwells are safer. I
find that highly questionable and probably a red herring in this
debate. A highly flammable treated wood exterior stairwell is
probably less safe than an interior stairway which has a one hour
fire rating, or greater, as required by code. I don't agree with
the argument that an immediate exit to the outside is any more
likely to save lives than entry into a hallway. One could easily
stumble out of a door and fall over or down an exterior stairway.
The best line of defense against fires in apartment buildings is to
have smoke detectors provided and adequately maintained.
Exterior stairs are frequently cluttered with bicycles, kegs,
and barbecue grills. In fact, these grills may present a fire
danger when used on wood staircases. If that staircase is on fire,
the only exit may be impassable. I think it is far less likely
that people will do their barbecuing in an interior stairwell.
I think there are good health and safety reasons, as well as
aesthetic reasons, to prohibit exposed stairwells. I recognize
that this is a cost issue for apartment builders. However, it
seems that everything comes with a cost and those exterior
stairwells are exacting a cost from our community in both an
aesthetic sense and quality of life and safety for the building
occupants.
My own opinion is that the proposed amendments do not go far
enough and are a compromise. Even with that said, I hope you will
approve the changes.
Department of Planning and P~Lg~,a~-'~evelopmen,'.t3!.
CJH/arv :"
"
HOME EBUILE)ERS ASSOCIATION OF IOWA OITY
April 25, 1995
P. O , B o x :3 3 9 6
Iowa Ciby, Iowa 52244
Phone:(:~l 9) 3.~1 -5E)33
Fax: (:~19)337-9823
Ms. Susan Horowitz
Mayor, City of Iowa City
410 East Washington Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
RE: Exterior Stairwells and Corridors
Dear Mayor Horowitz:
Thank you for allowing tile Home Builders of Iowa City to discuss the above referenced
ordinance at tile April 10, 1(}95, informal work sessiou. As agreed at that meeting, we will
outline our comments and concerns as briefly as possible in this correspondence.
We are not opposed to regulatiag or prohibiting exterior stairwells and corridors to be seen
from public view. We interpret public view as the front yard or view from the street. We
are opposed to regulating the view from the back yard and alley.
HBA of IC opposes gnidelines as proposed in this ordinance. These gaidelines will not adapt
to every situation. Instead of imposing guidelines, allow for variations in the design with city
approval. The objective is to screen or hide the staip,vell or corridor from view and make the
screening pan of the design. At times, enclosnres mid roofs may be the only option.
Language for an ordinance that may accomplish this goal might be as follows:
Exterior stairwells, corridors and lifts which provide access to residential
buildiugs containing three (3) or more dwelling refits or units located above
commercial property shall be screened from public view.
The method of screening sitall be architecturally intergrated into the design of
the overall structure throogh the use of similar materials and style, and
approved by tile Director of Planning and Commrmity Development. This
subsection does not apply to existing buildings titat are required to provide
secondary egress for the purpose of fire safety.
We would encourage yoa and the Council to reconsider this ordinance. Establishing a
committee of staff, council members, design review, home builder members and life safety
personnel to review the ordinance, determine the ultimate goal and re-draft language
appropriate to the situation would be beneficial to the City.
affiliated with
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS
& HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF IOWA
Page 2.
Mayor Susan Horowitz
April 25, 1995
Should you have any questions or would like to discuss this issue, please do not hesitate to
contact me or Glenn Siders, a representative of our Local Government Affairs Committee.
Sincerely,
Emie Galer
President
Home Builders Association of Iowa City
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Notice is hereby given that a public hearing
will be held on Tuesday, April 25, 1995, at
7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers, Civic
Center, 410 E. Washington Street, Iowa City,
Iowa. 403A.28, State Code of Iowa, requires
this Public Hearing prior to undertaking these
housing projects. The iowa City Housing
Authority intends to apply for a total of 46
units Section 8 Existing Housing certificates
and vouchers and 9 Section 8 Portability
Vouchers and Certificates. If epproved, these
units will be an extension of the prssel~t
Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments
Program now administered by the Iowa City
Housing Authority. Funds for the Housing
Assistance Payments will be provided by the
Department of Housing and Urban
Development. The specific dollar amount is not
known at this time.
For additional information, contact the
Housing Administrator at 356-5400.
Published by order of the Iowa City Council
this 7th dayof April ,1995.
MARIAN K. KARR, CITY CLERK
hisasst~3-25secS.nph
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Th~ City Council will be holding e Public
Hearing to receive comments on Iowa City's
Consolidated Plan {a.k.a. CITY STEPS) on
April 11, 1995, at 7:30 p.m. This Public
Hearing will be held at the Civic Center,
Council Chambers, located at 410 E.
Washington Street, Iowa City, Iowa.
Summaries of the CITY STEPS Plan are
availal~e from the Department of Planning
and CommuniW Development or by calling
Steven Nasby at 355-5248.
City of Iowa City
MEMORANDUM
TO: City Council and City Manager
FROM: Marianne Milkman, Community Development Coordinator
Steven Nasby, Associate Planne~o,~
DATE: April 21, 1995
RE: CITY STEPS/Consolidated Plan Revisions
The CITY STEPS Plan you.received at your last meeting was a "draft" and we have made a
number of changes to the text since then, mostly correcting typos/graramar and clarifying some
items. We have also made a few more substantive changes which are itemized below.
1. The Executive Summary has been completed.
2. Page 5: Comments on the Plan relating to specific issues were added along with our
responses. Comments were made on the following:
a. include a definition of self-sufficiency
b. need more information on rental unit costs
c. what is the definition of a living wage
d. emphasis on funding living skills programs
3. Page 40: Paragraph added regardlag the cost of rental housing in Iowa City.
4. Page 44: Paragraph on rental unit characteristics was added to the text.
5. Page 112: A section on monitoring was added,
All of the changes are attached to this memo. If you have any questions on the Consolidated Plan
(CITY STEPS) or the revisions please call me at 356-5244 or Steven Nasby at 3 56-5248.
Because there were relatively few substantive changes we decided not to reprint the whole
document at this time. Once HUD has reviewed and approved the Consolidated Plan we will
provide you with a final version.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This CITY STEPS document lays out the City's policies related to the planning and provision
of assistance to iowa City's low-income population over the next five years. (Low-income
means any household whose income is below 80% of the median income for Iowa City). The
document identifies the needs of low-income persons, and sets priorities and develops strategies
to meet these needs through federal, state and local funding programs. The goal of CITY
STEPS is to encourage and support families and individuals in achieving their highest
degree of self-sufficiency.
A series of public meetings were conducted throughout the community concerning the needs
of low-income households. These meetings focused on affordable housing, homelesshess, and
the needs of low-income households in the m'eas of economic development, public facilities
and public services. These meetings brought to light an assortment of interrelated needs and
problems. To arrange and prioritize these needs a committee of citizens, representing citizen
boards and the business community, met to discuss the community's needs and the information
gathered at the public meetings. This group, the Priorities and Strategies Committee, prioritiz-
ed the identified needs (a listing of the priorities can be found on Table IV.1 on p. 77). These
priorities will be used by the City in determining funding allocations for the Community
Development Block Grant program (CDBG), the HOME program, and other federal, state and
local resources over the next five years.
Information from the public meetings and other sources resulted in the identification of four
main areas of need as follows: 1) housing that is decent and affordable; 2) homeless facilities
and services; 3) public facilities and services; and 4) economic development. Within each of
these broad areas there are strategies for meeting the needs and specific objectives to be
accomplished in the next five years.
Iowa City's housing needs are identified in Section II of this document (p. 6). At all of the
public meetings the need for decent, affordable housing was mentioned as one of the primary
needs within the community. This need is especially apparent from the data in Table II.l (p.
9), which shows approximately 2,140 low-income, related or elderly renter households are
paying over 30% of their gross income for housing costs. As we know, Iowa City's housing
market is greatly influenced by the University of Imva, other major employers and the influx
of people into the community. Due to the increasing demands for both rental and owner-
occupied units, the cost of housing has increased steadily. Data on Iowa City and the sur-
roundlug area housing market is in Section lll (p. 36).
Providiug housing and services for homeless families and individuals is also a high priority
need. A one-night count and survey of the sheltered and unsheltered homeless in Iowa City
(October 1994) showed that there were 114 persons in shelters and six persons on the streets.
Annually, there are approximately 1,100 homeless persons passing through the City's shelters.
The problems facing the City's shelters are many. In particular, the Emergency Housing
Project (EHP) gets very heavy use and is continually overcrowded and in need of rehabilita-
tion, the Domestic Violence Intervention Program (DVIP) houses abused women and children
but does not have the staff to operate at full capacity, and the Youth Homes shelter is at
capacity and has a waiting list.
'[he survey showed that most of the homeless persons interviewed intended on staying in Iowa
City, and many of them were employed but could not afford housing. This helps to exacerbate
the overcrowding problem in the homeless shelters. Transitional housing that provides housing
support services is the next step for many leaving the shelters, ho~vever, there are currently
only eight such units in the community. In response, the CITY STEPS plan identifies
transitional housing as a high priority need.
Public facilities and services are community-wide needs that help many low-income persons.
The services identified in this plan are targeted toward helping persons to achieve their greatest
degree of self-sufficiency. The most often mentioned needs were for dependent care (particu-
larly child care), transportation and health services (prevention, nutrition, medical care, etc.).
High priorities were given to these and other items (see p. 78). Assistance with Living skills,
such as budgeting, retaining housing, being a good neighbor, etc., was another need mentioned
by many agencies and subsequently given a high priority.
The need for ecooomic development has become a priority need for the community as the link
between jobs, housing and services becomes more apparent for helping low-income persons.
Iowa City has a large number of persons who are employed but do not make a "living wage",
receive no benefits or are "temporary" employees. The Priorities and Strategies committee
discussion and many public comments suggested that all economic development activities, from
job training to industrial expansion, should focus on creating jobs with benefits, which pay at
least a living wage.
Since this is a five-year plan, all four of the general needs categories are designed to allow for
a variety of activities that may be undertaken by conununity organizations, human service
agencies, developers, or the City to address the many specific needs and meet the objectives
outlined in the Strategic Plan (p. 71). Within the Strategic Plan, there are two tables that show
the number of units and dollars needed to totally meet the existing needs in the community
over the next five years. The information on table IV.2 (p. 80) shows what federal resources
Iowa City expects to receive over the next five years and the types of activities that may be
funded.
A one-year action plan, in Section V, lists the projects to be undertaken in fiscal year 1996
(July 1, 1995 to June 30, 1996) and their funding levels (p. 119). This action plan shows the
projects that receive federal funds through one or more of these programs: Community Devel-
opment Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership (HOME), and Emergency Shelter
Grant (ESG). Also included in this section are individual project descriptions that higldight
the projects to be undertaken, who is to benefit from the project, project funding and project
location. Each year the one-year action plan will be updated to reflect current activities and
funding levels.
CITY STEPS is intended to provide citizens, organizations and public agencies with a usable,
comprehensive view of Iowa City's plan frbr meeting the needs of low-income persons.
Overall, the plan attempts to use the resources that are available to bring together housing, jobs
and services to help low-income persons attain their highest degree of self-snfficiency. As
needs change the plan will be amended accordingly.
3. Summary of Public Comments
Comments from Public Hearings January 1995 and April 1995:
NEEDS, STRATEGIES, OBJECTIVES and PRIORITIES OUTLINE
COMMENT
Mention specific programs and agencies.
Point-in-time count (HUD 1) seems to
under-count homeless.
Need to include youth transitional housing
in discussion.
Need to provide a narrative discussion of
the ranking system - especially No Such
Need.
Review inclusion of needs of persons with
substance abuse problems.
Review inclusion of adaptation of facilities
for persons with disabilities.
Use care in language describing persons
with disabilities and special needs.
Grammar and style suggestions.
Definition of self-sufficiency
Information on rental housing costs
Definition of "Living wage"
Emphasis on Living Skills
ppdcdbg~citystep\process
Page 5
RESPONSE
Avoided in order to make Plan flexible and
accessible to all users.
For this reason, narrative uses mostly annu-
alized data.
Included in final document,
Included in final document.
Reviewed and incorporated.
Reviewed and incorporated.
Reviewed and incorporated.
Reviewed and incorporated.
Included in "definitions" section.
Researched and incorporated.
Research this issue. Estimate in document
is based on HUD FMR's.
Included in final document.
Other homebuyers come from the West or East coasts, where they sold their homes and need
to reinvest that money to avoid tax liabilities. Still others are families already established in
the community move up to a larger home. Another trend is parents of college students are buying
homes (often condominiums) for one or more of their children to live in while attending the
University. Despite continuous construction of single-family homes and rental units, them continues
to be a need for lower-cost units for both markets.
The demand for both rental and owner-occupied housing has driven up the cost significantly
over the last few years. Information from many souroes suggest that the cost of owner-occupied
units has increased at a nearly the same rate than rental units. However, the new water and sewer
rates will have a disproportionate affect on rental rates, may be increasing rents by an additional
$10-$20/per month.
3. Condition of the Housing Stock
Housing conditions throughout the community are generally good to excellent. There are few
"pockets" where the housing is in extreme disrepair or blighted. In 1982, the City designated
five neighborhood improvement areas generally in the older parts of the conununity, and there
has been a concentrated effort to upgrade and maintain the housing stock in those areas.
Iowa City has been growing rapidly. Them are several areas of new housing construction (west
of Mormon Trek Boulevard, south of Highway 6 east of the Iowa river, and on the east side of
town in the Scott Boulevard area). Housing conditions in these sections of town are excellent
and are integrated well into the existing neighborhoods. Approximately 200 new single-family
and 250 rental units were permitted for construction within the last year.
Overall, the housing conditions of both rental units and owner-occupied units is very good. There
are a few sites scattered throughout the community that need attention, most being fairly isolated.
As stated above, the City has an active housing rehabilitation programs that helps maintain the
existing housing stock and prevent areas from becoming blighted. An effective rental housing
inspection program helps to maintain the rental housing stock.
4. Building Permits and Value of New Construction
The new housing market in Iowa City has been increasing; since 1983 there have been 1,525
permits issued for new single~family homes. Table Ili.2 shows the total number of new single-family
homes that have beenconstructed in Johnson County from 1983 through 1993. The building trend
has continued this year with 131 single-family dwelling unit permits issued by Iowa City in the
first half of 1994.
Page 40
Renters and homebuyers alike face this housing crisis. If the cost of housing is more than 30
percent of the households' monthly income, the household is considered by HUD to have a housing
problem. In Iowa City, 61 percent of all related households under 80% of median family income
of five or more members (renters or owners) have some housing problem. Fifty-nine percent
of all other renting households are in the same predicament. Overall, fourteen pement of homeowners
and 53 percent of renters encounter housing problems.
The cost of rental units in Iowa City (1993-1994) increased by an average of 6.45%, however,
the range of increase was from 10.44 % for efficiencies to 1.57 % for two-bedroom units (Carlson,
McClure & McWilliams, Inc. Apartment Survey - 1994). Data from this survey also showed
an average vacancy rate of 2.5 % for all units. The following shows the average market rents (1994)
listed in the survey:
Efficiency/1 BA $388 2 BR/2 BA $589
1 BR/1 BA $431 3 BPd3 BA $715
2 BPdl BA $514 3 BR/1.5 BA $796
2 BR/1.5 BA $606 3 BR/2 BA $677
Manufactured homes are some of the least costly homes to purchase in Iowa City. At present,
there are approximately 1,000 mobile homes in Iowa City. During the 1993 flooding, two mobile
home parks in the floodplain sustained damages. In addition, a park of approximately 70 homes
is CUITently being closed.
Table HI.5
SINGLE-FAMILY HOME SALES REPORT
JOHNSON COUNTY
January 1, 1993 to December 31, 1993
4 or More
2 or Less 3_ _4 Bedrooms
Price Class Bedrooms Bedrooms Bedrooms
$40,000 & Under 36 8 2 1
$40,000-$54,999 50 24 12 --
$55,000-$69,999 68 71 12 --
$70,000-$84,999 72 165 23 4
$85,000-$99,999 35 135 29 2
$100,000-$124,999 15 127 52 5
$125,000-$149,999 I1 69 28 6
$150,000-$199,999 3 57 40 7
$200,000-$249,000 I 10 24 6
$250,000 & Over I 8 23 6
Total 292 674 245 37
SOURCE: IOWA CITY BOARD OF REALTORS, FEB. 1994
Total
47
86
151
264
201
199
114
107
41
38
1248
Page 44
IV L. MONITORING STANDARDS AND ]PROCEDURES
The City acknowledges that monitoring the Consolidated Plan and the annual activities must be
carried out on a regular basis to ensure that statutory and regulatory requirements are being met
and that, where appropriate, information being submitted to HUD is correct and complete.
Iowa City's Community Development Division will be responsible for preparing documentation
and reports as required by HUD. Additionally, the Community Development Division staff
regularly conducts on-site monitoring visits for each of the projects. During this visit, staff checks
for compliance with regulatory requirements (procurement, accounting, etc.) and whether the
subrecipient is meeting the performance goals established within the CDBG or HOME
contract(s).
The City has traditionally sought citizen review of its CDBG activities. A citizen board, the
Committee on Community Needs (CCN), serves as an advisory body to the City Council on
community issues. CCN has the responsibility to review each yeads CDBG requests and make
recommendations on funding to the City Council. Once projects have been allocated CDBG
funds, CCN assigns eeeh of its members one or more projects to monitor. Each member
periodically reports to the committee on the progress of each project.
Iowa City became a Participating Jurisdiction (PJ) for the HOME program in FFY1994.
Requests for HOME funds are reviewed and evaluated by the Housing Commission, a citizen
advisory board to the City Council. Since there were only three HOME projects funded in
FFY1994, the Housing Commission monitors the progress of the projects through periodic staff
reports. Since the Consolidated Plan encourages coordination of activities and funding, the CCN
and Housing Commission are noxv discussing a merger.
Io
Page 112
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON PLANS,
SPECIFICATIONS, FORM OF CONTRACT
AND ESTIMATED COST FOR
1995 ASPHALT RESURFAClNG PROJECT
IN THE CITY OF IOWA CITY, IOWA
TO ALL TAXPAYERS OF THE CITY OF IOWA
CITY, IOWA, AND TO OTHER INTERESTED
PERSONS:
Public notice is hereby given that the City
Council of the City of Iowa City, Iowa, will con-
duct a public headrig on plans, specifications,
form of contract and estimated cost for the con-
struction of the 1995 Asphalt Resurfacing Project
in said City at 7:30 p.m. on the 25th day of Apdl,
1995, said meeting to be held in the Council
Chambers in the Civic Center in said City.
Said plans, specifications, form of contract and
estimated cost are now on file in the office of the
City Clerk in the Civic Center in Iowa City, Iowa,
and may be inspected by any interested persons.
Any interested persons may appear at said
meeting of the Cily Council for the purpose of
making objections to and comments concerning
said plans, specifications, contract or the cost of
making said improvement.
This notice is given by order of the City Council
of the Cily of Iowa City, Iowa and as provided by
law.
MARIAN K. KARR, CITY CLERK
PH-1
City of Iowa City
MEMORANDUM
Date: April 19, 1995
To: City Council
From:
Rick Fosse, City Engineer
RE:
1995 Asphalt Resurfacing Project
The 1995 Asphalt Resurfacing Project consists of five divisions this year. They are as follows:
Division I
Iowa City Streets scheduled for asphalt'overlay
Governor Street
Riverside Drive
Dodge Street
Court Street
Friendship Street
Western Road
Alley east off Gilbert
Clinton Street
Iowa Avenue
From Market St. to Brown St.
From Park Rd to 100' south of Grove St.
From Burlington St. to Bowery St.
From Muscatine Ave. to 4th Ave
From Upland Ave. to 100" east of Norwood Circle
From Hollywood Blvd. to south end
between Washington St. and College St,
RR tracks soutl~ to Lafayette St.
Gilbert St. east to 100' in westbound lane
Division 11
Coralville Street
First Avenue
From Clear Creek to Fourth Street
Division III
Iowa City Streets scheduled for chip seal
Grove Street
Ridgeland Avenue
Richard Street
WooIf Avenue
Hutchinson
Taft Speedway
West of Belden
South of Grove
At east end
North of River Street
South of Park Road
Street between Taft Speedway and Foster
Conkiln Street
North Dodge Street Court
South St. Clements
North St. Clements
Hunter Road North of Rochester
Lower West Branch Road east of Scoff Blvd.
H Street West of Sixth Avenue
I Street East of Sixth Avenue
Fourth Avenue South of I Street
Nursery Lane SE
Alley north of Benton Street, east of Dubuque Road
Gilbert Court Nodh of Benton Street
Slothower Road
Camp Cardinal Road
Foster Read (double seal)
Old Dubuque Road (double seal)
Sycamore South of Bums (double seal)
South Riverside North and south of Trailer Court (double seal)
Landfill Road (double seal)
Division IV
Portions of the roadway at Oakland Cemetery
Division V
Iowa City Airport
The Engineer's estimate for the total project is $ 618,471.00. The airport portion is estimated
at $ 55,400.00 with funding through the use of an internal loan; the Cemetery portion is $
4,475.00 with funding from the General Fund. Coralville's share is approximately $ 77,865.50.
The remainder of the project ($ 480,730.00) will be funded from Road Use Funds.
2
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Notice is hereby given that a public hearing
will be held by the City Council of iowa City,
Iowa, at 7:30 p.m. on the 7th day of March,
1995, in the Civic Center Council Chambers,
410 E. Washington Street, Iowa City, Iowa, in
consideration of an ordinance establishing
regulations for sidewalk cafes.
A copy of the proposed ordinance amend-
ment is on file for public examination in the
Office of the City Clerk, Civic Center, 410 E.
Washington Street, Iowa City, Iowa. Persons
interested in expressing their views concerning
said item, either verbally or in writing, will be
given the opportunity to be heard at the above-
mentioned time and place.
MARIAN K. KARR, CITY CLERK
City of Iowa City
MEMORANDUM
Date: April 20, 1995
To: The Honorable Mayor and City Council
From: Linda Newman Woito, City Attorney ~
Marian K. Karr, City Clerk .~
Bey Ogren, Assistant Cily Attorney ~
Re: Sidewalk Cafes
A public hearing was held on April 11, 1995 regarding the proposed Sidewalk Cafe Ordinance.
Staff was directed to address a number of concerns. The following are suggested staff changes
for Council's consideration. If Council wishes to vote on these changes at the April 25 meeting,
a motion amending the ordinance should be made prior to the vote.
1) HOURS
10-3-3 (C)(3) could be expanded to read:
Sidewalk cafes shaft be set-up, operated, and restored to their normal condition, as a
pedestrian way, each day only between the hours of seven o'clock (7:00) A.M. and ten o'clock
(10:00) P.M. for establishments possessing'a current alcoholic beverage license, and between
the hours of seven o'clock (7:00) A.M. and midnight (12:00) for sidewalk cafes not possessing
a current alcoholic beverage license.
10-3-3 (C)(5) The sidewalk care committee recommended the following:
The sidewalk care must operate the same hours as the restaurant kitchen, but no earlier
or later than the hours set out in this section.
2) LITTER, CLEAN UP
10-3-3 (F)(9) could be expanded to read:
The sidewalk cafe shall be responsible for lrash removal and must maintain the area and
surrounding 5 feet in a clean and litter free manner during all hours of operation, and shall restore
the area and surrounding 5 feet to its normal condition as a pedestrian way and litter-free after
operation each day.
3) SUNSET CLAUSE
Section IV, Effective Date. would be changed to read:
This ordinance shall be in effect after its final passage, approval and publication, as
provided by law and shall be automatically repealed November 1, 1996 unless teenacted by
City Council.
4) DESIGN REVIEW
10-3-3 (E)(6) Removing the reference to Urban Renewal Area, Iowa R-14 would require all
sidewalk cafes to go through the review process and not just those located in the urban renewal
area and read:
Sidewalk cafes shall be subject to the design review process of Title 14, Chapter 4 of this
Code.
The remaining recommendations were suggested by the sidewalk committee at their March 29
meeting.
5) RESTAURANT DEFINITION
10-3-1 could be expanded to include the following, which mirrors the zoning code definition of
"restaurant."
G. Includes a care, cafeteria, coffee shop, delicatessen, ice cream shop, lunchroom,
tearoom, bar, cocktail lounge or tavern.
6) PLACEMENT OF TABLES AND CHAIRS ON CORNERS
10-3-3 (B)(2) The word "street" could be inserted for clarification and the section read:
No tables and chairs shall be placed in street comer areas defined by building lines
extended to the street, and no closer than ten feet (10~ from an alley.
7) NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE
10-3-3 (E)(2) Second sentence could be expanded to require additional notification of surrounding
properties and a posting of notice:
In addition, the application shall provide the name and address of the owners and tenants
of three properties on each side of the establishment. A notice will be posted in the window of
the applicant of their intent to establish a sidewalk care. Applications will be handled. ....
8) TRASH RECEPTACLES
10-3-3 (B)(4) Adds trash receptacles to the list of City furnished public amenities which may not
be utilized.
A sidewalk care may not utilize any public amenities such as benches, seats, tables or
trash receptacles.
In addition the sidewalk committee addressed issues for inclusion in the right-of-way agreement,
rather than the ordinance, and identified them as follows:
"Restrictions on drink specials.
· No increase in a restaurant's vehicular traffic should occur on the City Plaza as a result of set-
up or removal of fixtures for a sidewalk cafe.
· A provision stating the City would mark-off the sidewalk or Plaza area prior to opening of a
sidewalk cafe.
· A diagram of the proposed sidewalk care including the area for storage of the equipment.
City of Iowa City
MEMORANDUM
Date:April 20, 1995
To: Linda Newman Woito, City Attorney
From:Beverly Ogren, Assistant City Attorney ~.v--~
Re: Sidewalk Cafes "Contiguous" Areas
The proposed amendment to City Code §10-3-1, Definitions, states,
Sidewalk Cafe: An outdoor area located temporarily on a
public sidewalk, adjacent to, contiguous to or directly
in front of a restaurant. "
The sidewalk cafe committee explored the possibility of allowing
sidewalk cafes to be located in the middle area of the Plaza, thus
allowing pedestrians to walk along the store fronts and providing
shoppers easy access to the store entrances. The clear language of
the proposed ordinance allows a sidewalk cafe to be located
adjacent to or directly in front of the restaurant. Thus, it would
appear that a sidewalk cafe could be located in the middle area
directly in front of the restaurant should that be the intent of
the Council.
The issue of contiguity is primarily related to state licensing
requirements for the sale of alcoholic beverages. (See my April 11,
1995 Memo on "licensed premises") Only those establishments
intending to sell alcoholic beverages would be required by state
law to be contiguous to the restaurant. However, it is our
information that the state is not strictly enforcing this
requirement at the present time, and whether or not the state will
dee~ this an enforcement issue in the future is beyond our
knowledge.
It appears that the Council has these options:
1) Keep the language of the proposed ordinance as it is
and ban the sale of alcoholic beverages in any cafe,
2) Keep the language of the proposed ordinance as it is
and ban the sale of alcoholic beverages in any cafe not
contiguous to the restaurant.
3) Keep the language of the proposed ordinance as it is
and leave the alcoholic beverage licensing to the state.
cc:
City Council
City Clerk
City Mana9er
Assistant City Manager