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1999-03-16 Info Packet
CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET March 5, 1999 MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS IP1 Memorandum from City Manager: Madison Realty - Purchase of Old Capitol Mall IP2 Letter from John Haefner to City Manager: Response to Spring Leaf Collection IP3 Letter from Diane Martin (IC Human Rights Commission) to Arthur Vincent: Resignation from the Iowa City Human Rights Commission ,^ .. r,^.+,.,~ ('n~,nnil nf FIrlF, re~' T ..... · ........ r+,-, ~,., Illl; s_,.,.~, ,,v~rl duuy ~,,,c~pp,~,, ~ ..... _ _ .... '~ -- ^ .... "" "' ..... ' "'nlnndqr] IP5 Memorandum from Senior Center Coordinator: Space and Parking Issues IP6 Letter from Dale Yocom to Senior Center Commission: IP7 IP8 IP9 IPIO IPll IP12 IP13 IP14 Memorandum from Funding Library Director to City Manager: IP15 Iowa Avenue Parking Facility Council Bluff Public Library Letter from Solid Waste Management Planner to Jonathan Jordahl (JC Board of Supervisors): Waste Tire Collection Program Memorandum from Dianna Furman: Utility Discount Program Statistics by Month - January 1998 and Fiscal Year 1999 Letter from R. Edwin Hartin (United States Department of Agriculture) to City Manager: Cancellation of Cooperative Service Agreement (CSA) [Response from City Manager included] 1999 Deer-Vehicle Collision Report [March 2, 1999] Release: Storage of Vehicles During Spring Break Release: Spring Fire Hydrant Flushing to Begin Release: Lead in Drinking Water Agendas: March 4 JC Board of Supervisors City Council Meeting Schedule and Tentative Work Session Agendas. City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: To: From: Re: March 4, 1999 City Council City Manager Madison Realty - Purchase of Old Capitol Mall Attached is a copy of correspondence from Madison Realty of Pittsburgh and my response. I recognize that there may be various items with which you disagree and others that you may feel we need to support more so than indicated in my letter. It is my impression that Madison Realty is anxious to put together a financial package in order to allow them to purchase the Old Capitol Mall and begin their work immediately. What I hoped to have achieved is to demonstrate to them that we are anxious to be supportive of their purchase, particularly since they are retail mall managers and incorporate what plans they have for physical and other operational improvements to Old Capitol Mall into our overall downtown policy. IndexbcVnemos\3-2SA.doc February 5, 1999 Mr. Steve Atkins City Manager City of Iowa City 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1826 Via facsimile transmission and overnight courier RE: Old Capitol Mall Dear Mr. Atkins: As you are aware, Madison Realty Group, Inc. has been working assiduously to close the sale of Old Capitol Mall for quite some time. Unfortunately, we have been faced with several significant barriers related to bank financing that have delayed closing the transaction. Our lenders have had a great deal of difficulty traderwriting the loan due to the inherent risks of market forces related the mall, most notably deteriorating tenant sales as a result of the J. C. Penney anchor vacancy and formidable competition from Coral Ridge Mall. With that said, Madison still remains very committed to closing the subject transaction. In fact, we have made enough progress with a Chicago-based lender that a closing of the sale is likely to transpire within 30 days. Though we commend the Seller for being patient during this extended due diligence period, their reason (as they have conveyed) is based on the belief that Madison is the right buyer and has the most viable repositioning plan for the center. Noting the inherent risks enumerated in the first paragraph above and the tightening capital markets, we are now faced with less favorable terms on a bank loan, particularly a requirement that our company provide a greater equity component. We, however, are prepared to absorb some of these new parameters, but respectfully ask for your assistance to help bridge the financing gap that has evolved. From our end, Madison will provide a substantial equity contribution towards the purchase of the mall and fund an additional $4,000,000 towards capital improvements to attract the quality lifestyle tenants that are necessary to re-energize the mall. In support of this, we therefore seek your assistance with the following to ensure the long-term viability of Old Capitol: A low interest rate loan of $750,000 secured by partnership interests in the ownership of the mall. Terms requested are a 10-year loan at 5.0% interest-only for the first 3 years and a 25-year amortization commencing year 4. > An equity contribution of $750,000 with a preferred annual return of 8% to the City. ,/ > A grant of $280,000 for fagade renovation identified for the Clinton Street side of the Mall. Ten year real estate tax abatement. Capital improvements to the parking garage including widening and improving the existing entrance into the mall and an upgraded lighting package (estimated cost $125,000). MADISON REALTY GROUP, INC. Frick Building, Suite 1600 · 437 Grant Street · Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (412) 281-1880 · Fax (412) 281-5772 Mr. Steve Atkins RE: Old Capitol Page 2 Commitment to work with Madison on a new entrance into the mall from the parking garage to accommodate a new anchor tenant. ~ Pylon sign in front of the mall and off-site directional signage package (estimated cost $125,000). Movement of the timing of Iowa City' s streetscape phase bordering Old Capitol from Phase III to Phase II and an allowance for slam parking on Clinton Street. We view the City's assistance as vital to ensuring the long-term success of the mall and, consequently, its positive economic impact on the city of Iowa City. Timing is also very important. While we recognize that there is a defined process of approval involving several entities, it is important that we have an answer from the City prior to our closing date projected for March 2, 1999. This will ensure that all the proper funding pieces are in place to move the project forward. Our vision for Old Capitol, as we have shared with you in great detail, extends well beyond re-tenanting and integrating the faqade into the City's ongoing streetscape project. We plan to improve and revitalize all deficient components of the center to optimize its valuable role in the fabric of the Iowa City community. Thank you very much for your consideration of this matter, and I look forward to your response. Sincerely . R. o Group, Inc. ers Bernard T. Reilly Blaise V. Larkin March 5, 1999 Mr. Dale Greco Madison Realty Group 437 Grant St., Suite 1600 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 CITY OF I0 WA CITY Dear Dale: The purpose of this letter is to respond to your February 5 correspondence and also relate what I believe to be the substance of our February 22 telephone conversation with Blaise Larkin and Joe Fowler. I will answer each point as indicated in your February 5 letter. Your request for a low interest rate loan secured by partnership interest as well as an equity contribution, I cannot recommend. Under Iowa law any bond sale of $700,000 or more notably for the purpose identified in your letter is subject to referendum requirements. I believe that this proposal would meet those specific requirements. Those bond sales, less than $700,000, are subject to a reverse referendum requirement, substantially being a petition to the City Council. It is my judgment that we cannot provide for the level of assistance/ownership you request from our operating reserves without jeopardizing our operating financial position. Assuming we could get past the 60 day reverse referendum requirement it would appear to be far too long for you or your lenders to wait in order to finalize you financial package. Therefore based on timeliness alone I do not believe we can provide the level of financial partnership you have suggested. Your request for a facade renovation assistance is something I believe we can discuss in more detail. As I indicated to you in our telephone conversation I believe that Clinton Street between Burlington and Washington presents an opportunity to create one of the key entrance points into our downtown. It is critical for such an entranceway to represent the high quality business and shopping environment we believe our downtown can represent. This would certainly serve our interests as well as those of Old Capitol Mall. As you indicated to us it is your plan to do exterior renovation on the Clinton Street side of the Old Capitol Mall. I believe we can pursue a low interest loan for such assistance as long as it is tied directly to the overall downtown policy initiatives of the City Council. As I also mentioned I have asked our Department of Parking and Transit staff to consider how we might carry the theme of the Old Capitol Mall along the eastern fascia of our parking garage to Burlington Street. The Parking and Transit staff will do sketches and prepare preliminary cost estimates in order to help us determine whether a fascia improvement along the parking garage is helpful to the overall theme of the downtown. I cannot recommend your request for a real estate tax abatement. We have had other such requests and have always been cautious about granting such in that the property tax is our primary source of general fund operating income. The property tax also provides the support for our capital plan and the financing of those investments, which you know, are substantial with respect to downtown improvements. We briefly mentioned tax increment financing and I would certainly pursue such an idea. The difficulty as I believe we both acknowledged was creating satisfactory increase in value to justify TIF financing. 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET ® IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240-1826 , (319) 356-5000 ® FAX (319) 356-:~009 2 The widening and improving of the existing entrance to the parking garage is something we would entertain. You have indicated an upgrade in lighting in the garage would also be helpful. The work that you have suggested, I believe, would help to welcome folks to the downtown and the Old Capitol Mall. Your further ideas will be helpful to us in order to do some preliminary sketches to determine how best to satisfy those mutual interests. A proposed entrance from the parking garage and into Old Capitol Mall in order to accommodate a new anchor tenant is also something we would consider. As you know we have a small entrance near the elevators and into a corridor to the Old Capitol Mall. Expanding such an entrance point not only into the Old Capitol Mall but to the new anchor tenant I believe could be an attractive feature for our parking garage. As you are aware fire and building codes would need to be addressed. I cannot recommend the request for a pylon sign in front of the Mall. We have specifically avoided such signing in our downtown area. The request for the development of off-site directional signing is something that is mutually beneficial. Signing is helpful in directing traffic to our downtown and can be beneficial to our overall downtown policy as well as the Old Capitol Mall. We have undertaken some such efforts in the past but, due to restrictions placed upon us by the Iowa Department of Transportation, they have been limited. The design of signing and other details would need to be developed as we look to provide for a high quality and competitive downtown shopping environment. Our downtown streetscape project is proceeding and a $2,000,000+ contract was awarded on Tuesday, March 2. We have postponed the Clinton Street and Linn Street components of the streetscape project. I explained to the Council it would seem to be in the overall interest of the City and your prospective purchase of the Old Capitol Mall. Your request for additional angle parking on Clinton Street is something that will need further review. To date such angle parking on Clinton Street has been contrary to the recommendations of our traffic engineering staff due to public safety concerns. However as you indicated if we can incorporate some of the existing sidewalk in order to provide for a safer and I would hope more attractive angle parking along Clinton Street it should be explored. We will keep you advised and if there is any other scheduling or timing issues given your plans with respect to closing on the purchase, please let me know. Sincerely, ' S te/~p J .Af~/~//f'/(/¢4''~''"~ ' City Manager cc: Joe Fowler, Director, Parking and Transit Jeff Davidson, Transportation Planner Karin Franklin, Director, Planning and Community Development Chuck Schmadeke, Director, Public Works Rick Fosse, City Engineer Don Yucuis, Finance Director Im%ltAsa2-24.doc 03-05-99 John H. Haefner 1425 Burry Drive Iowa City, Iowa 522~4/f~'~ City Manager Steven J. Atkins Civic Center, 410 E. Washington St Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Dear Mr. Atkins: Thank you very much for your prompt reply to my letter of February 2. I would, of course, have preferred to get an affirmative reply to my suggestion. The reasons for not recommending spring leaf collection were credible, and the concerned tone of your letter disarmed me. The biblical admonition does work: "A soft answer turns away wrath". I had a further pleasant bonus -- I received a telephone call from one of your assistants (whose name, unfortunately, I did not ask her to repeat). She expressed concern about my leaf problem and made a very useful suggestion for how I might recruit the help I need. Her call was what good public relations are all about. She merits special appredation and commendation. Very sincerely yours, John H. Haefner IOWA CITY HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION HUMAN RIGHTS- A HUMAN ISSUE 03,-05-99 IP3 CITY OF IOWA CITY March 3, 1999 Mr. Arthur J. Vincent Jr. 906 N. Dodge St., Apt. 2 Iowa City, IA 52245 Re: Resignation from the Iowa City Human Rights Commission Dear Art: This letter will acknowledge receipt of your March 3, 1999 e-mail message, which states, "1 hereby resign as a member of the Iowa City Human Rights Commission, effective immediately." I shall accept your resignation as of this date and I shall forward this communication to the Human Rights Commissioners and the Iowa City City Council. I wish you the best in your future endeavors. Sincerely, Diane Martin Chairperson Iowa City Human Rights Commission CC: Human Rights Commission Human Rights Coordinator Iowa City City Council CIVIC CENTER · 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET · IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240 · (319) 356-5022 Heather Shank From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Art Vincent [a~_vincent_99@hotmail.com] March 03, 1999 12:37 PM diane-martin@uiowa.edu Heather_Shank@iowa-city.org Letter of resignation I hereby resign as a member of the Iowa City Human Rights Commission, effective immediately. Arthur J. Vincent, Jr. Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Senior Center Memorandum TO: From: Re: Date: Members of the City Council of Iowa City and Johnson County Board of Supervisors; Steve Atkins, City Manager; Tom Miskimen, Director Heritage Area Agency on Aging; Beverlee Clearman, Nutrition Advisory Committee Chair; Mike Foster, Senior Dining Director; Jean Mann, Elderly Services Agency Director, Mary Johnson, Visiting Nurse Association; Lillian Harbison, AARP; Kit Crane, Senior Peer Counseling Linda Kopping, Senior Center Coordinator . ~ Senior Center Commission Space Review Co 1 March 1999 At the February meeting of the Senior Center Commission, a subcommittee was formed to investigate recurrent space and parking issues affecting Senior Center operations. Following investigation, committee members plan to formulate recommendations and present them to the entire commission for approval. Members of this committee include Mary Kathryn Wallace, William Kelly, and Jay Honohan. Committee members are interested in obtaining information related to space and parking needs of all in-house agencies. Please contact me (356- 5225) if you, or another representative from your agency, are interested in discussing these matters with the committee. Meetings will be scheduled sometime during the next two months at mutually convenient times. CITY MANAGFR'S OFFICE owa City Public Library 123 South I_inn · Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1820 Susan Craig, Director · Information (319) 356-5200 * Business (319) 356-5206 · Fax (319) 356-5494 D.FEB 2 2 19'99 CITY M ,NA!IER'$ OFF!Ill TO: FROM: DATE: Steve Atkins, City Manager Susan Craig, Library Director 2/19/99 Council Bluff Public Library Funding I have followed up on your question about the funding for construction of the new library in Council Bluffs. Here is what I know. Total capital cost of the new building was $12.5 million. Approximately half, $6.2 million, was a girl from the Iowa West Foundation which is supported by the local gambling industry--2 boats, 1 casino/dog track. $2.25 million from the city of Council Bluffs was provided from gambling taxes. County gambling taxes were the source of an additional $150,000. Hope this answers your question. Johnson County Coc :il of Go rnments 410 E ~V~shr~ton St Iow~ CiE~,: iovvo 52240 March 4, 1999 Jonathan Jordahl, Chairperson Johnson County Board of Supervisors 913 S. Dubuque Street P.O. Box 1350 Iowa City, Iowa 52244 Dear Jonathan: At your request, I spoke with the Iowa City Landfill Superintendent about moving the date of the Johnson County waste tire collection program from the month of April to mid-May through mid-June in order to better coordinate with the County's cleanup program scheduled for the first week of June. He did not have a problem with the move, so the landfill will plan on delaying the tire collection program starting date until May 15. The amnesty event will then run through June 12, 1999. I will contact the waste tire contractor to discuss the specifics of the program and the change in date. I will also get publicity organized for the event. If you have any questions or comments, please give me a call at 356-5235. Sincerely, Brad A. Neumann Solid Waste Management Planner cc: ,/l~owa City City Council Jeff Davidson, JCCOG Dave Elias, Iowa City Landfill Superintendent indexlm\ltr~bn3-3.doc Date: 1 -Mar-99 Treasury Division Memorandum To: From: City Manager and City Council Dianna Furman/~.~~'~" Subj: Utility Discount Program Statistics by Month - January,1998 and Fiscal Year 1999 Water Sewer Refuse Total Accounts Recyling Water Sewer on Discount Water Sewer Month Discounts Discounts Program Discount Tax Discount Discount Refuse Recycling Discount Discount Total Discounts FY98 Jan 173 60 233 1,192.96 58.25 1,253.54 Feb 182 65 247 1,218.56 59.52 1,280.44 Mar 179 73 252 1,141.65 57.15 1,144.88 Apr 180 77 257 621.27 31.26 623.04 May 178 76 254 923.94 46.27 926.56 J u n 174 75 249 899.16 45.15 901.70 1,134.88 363.30 4,002.93 1,161.12 371.70 4,091.34 1,659.68 531.30 4,534.66 721.60 231.00 2,228.17 1,210.33 387.45 3,494.55 1,174.24 375.90 3,396.15 Total 1066 426 1492 5,997.54 297.60 6,130.16 7,061.85 2,260.65 21,747.80 FY99 Jul 109 59 168 * 431.88 21.61 433.10 Aug 115 59 174 612.42 30,70 614.16 Sept 120 62 182 631.89 31.67 633.68 Od 117 57 174 654.90 32.80 656.76 Nov 119 62 181 633.66 31,72 635.45 Dec 117 65 182 649.59 32.52 651.43 Jan 124 66 190 651.36 32.74 653.20 Feb 134 67 201 700.92 35.12 702.90 478.88 153.30 1,518.77 728.16 233.10 2,218.54 780.64 249.90 2,327.78 806.88 258.30 2,409.64 780.64 249.90 2,331.37 783.93 250.95 2,368.42 780.94 249.90 2,367.84 852.80 273.00 2,564.74 Totals 955 497 1452 4,966.62 248.88 4,980.68 5,992.87 1918.35 18,107,10 *Renewal for verification of eligibility status were sent April, 1998 and due back in Treasury June 30, 1998. Customers who did not respond were remove from the discount program in July. utildis.xls3/1/991:34 PM USDA United States Depadment of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services 2407 Industrial Drive Columbia, MO 65202-1280 (573) 446-1862 (513) 446-1942 (fax) Steve Atkins City Manager 410 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA 52240-1826 February 26, 1999 Dear Mr. Atkins, This letter is in follow-up to my phone conservation today with Dennis Mitchell discussing the status of our Cooperative Service Agreement (CSA). Pursuant to Article 7 of the CSA between Iowa City and Wildlife Services, we are hereby notifying you that we are canceling this agreement. This is due to the Temporary Restraining Order issued by the Federal Court in Washington, D.C. preventing WS from performing its agreements under the CSA before March 20, 1999. Since the Iowa Department of Natural Resources only gave permission to shoot deer in Iowa City until March 20, 1999, WS cannot perform its agreements for the duration of the CSA. We are sorry for any inconvenience that this has caused the city. Sincerely, Wildlife Services R. Edwin Hartin State Director MOaA/MN cc: Bill Clay Gary Larson February 26, 1999 Mr. R. Edwin Hartin State Director USDA Wildlife Services 2407 Industrial Drive Columbia, MO 65202-1280 Dear Mr. Hartin: This letter is to confirm receipt of your letter notifying the City of Iowa City that, pursuant to Article 7 of the Cooperative Service Agreement between Iowa City and Wildlife Services, the US Department of Agriculture is canceling the agreement. Sincerely yours, City Manager c: ..- City Council Dennis Mitchell Lisa Mollenhauer 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET · IO~,A CITY, IOWA 52240-182,6 , (319) 356-5CI00 , FAX (319) 356-5009 REFERENCE A B IOWA CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT 1999 DEER-VEHICLE COLLISION REPORT DATE TIME LOCATION DAMAGE 01-15-99 5:49 p.m. Foster Road 9500 01-19-99 6:32p.m. Rochester & Mt. Vernon Unknown C 01-24-99 6:27p.m. Dubuque St. near Taft 9300 D 01-20-99 9:40p.m. E.B. Off Ramp 1-80 @ Dubuque 91200 E 02-01-99 lO:01p.m Hickory Tr. East of 1st Ave. Unknown F 02-03-99 6:50pm Foster Road at Laura Dr. 91200 *G 03-01-99 Unk Terrill Mill Park Unknown 3/2/99 COMMENTS Deer not located Deer destroyed-Vehicle involved gone on arrival Deer killed by impact. Deer not located Deer destroyed-Unspecified minor damage to car, owner did not want to make report. Deer killer by impact. Two deer reported killed by unknown vehicle or vehicles-Carcasses found next to roadway. Accident took place sometime in the previous ten hours. /- * Indicates that an accident report was not taken and there were no other reasons, such as an injured animal, for an officer to be sent to the scene. MEDIA RELEASE Spring Break/Street Storage Contact: City Manager's Office (356-501 O) March 2, 1999 Iowa City residents are reminded of the City ordinance which prohibits the storage of vehicles on the streets for longer than a 48-hour period. This is especially important during Spring Break when many residents leave the City and City crews will be sweeping the streets in the near downtown area. The street storage prohibition is enforced routinely when complaints are received. However, when sweeping is planned, the streets are posted for "no parking." If vehicles are left on the street while residents are out of town, they run the risk of being towed. The City wishes to avoid residents returning from vacation to face a hefty towing and storage fine. 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET ., IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240-1826 · (319) 356-5000 · FAX (319) 356-5009 PRESS RELEASE Spring Sweeping Schedule - 1999 Contact Person: Bud Stockman, Supt. Streets Phone: 356-5181 Februav/09, 1999 The following schedule will be used by the City of iowa City Street Division for sweeping certain streets with continuous parking dudrig the Univemity of Iowa's 1999 spring break. · Posting Thumday, March 11, 1999 for sweeping operations beginning Tuesday. Marcl~ 16, 1999 at 8:00 a.m.: ' On Clinton, from Market St. to Church St. (east side only); On Iowa Ave., from Van Buren to Muscatine Ave. (south side only); On Washington St., from Van Buren to Muscatine Ave. (north side only); On College St., from Van Buren to Summit SL (south side only); On Bloomington St., 100 block between Clinton & Dubuque St. (north side only); Posting Friday, March 12, 1999 for sweeping operations beginning Wednesday, March 17. 1999 at 8:00 a.m.: On Clinton, from Market St. to Church St. (west side only); On Jefferson St., from Gilbert St. to Evans (south side only); On Iowa Ave.. from Van Buren to Muscatine Ave. (north side only); On Washington St., from Van Buren to Pearl St. (south side only); On College St., from Van Buren to Summit St. (north side only); On Dodge St., from Burlington to Bowery (west side only); On Lucas St., from Buffington south to dead end at railread (west side only); On Pead St., north of College St. (east side only); This scl~edule is used to take aclvantege of there being less vehicles in these areas dudng spdng break and thus attempt to alleviate any additional inconvenience. The Iowa City Street ~vision uses this program for the publids best interest and will continue to do so on an annual basis. Parking ~11 be prohibited and enforced as posted on these dates in the respective areas, Violators will be towed with no exceptions. "No Palking" signs "Due To Maintenance" are posled at least 48 hours in advance of any necessary work to be done and are checked and rechecked as necessary to alert vehicle owners. This coincides with the City of Iowa City 48 hour vehicle storage ordinance continually in effect. Vehicles parked on City of Iowa City streets should be checked early every other day at a minimum. This sweeping operation project is scheduled to be completed by Thursday, March 18, 1999, weather permitting. Iowa City Water Division 410 E Washington St. Iowa City, IA 52240 Spring Fire Hydrant Flushing to Begin For Immediate Release Thursday, March 4, 1999 Contact: Carol Sweeting 356-5164 or 358-7119 Fire hydrants are installed essentially for emergency use and have a regularly scheduled maintenance program. Hydrants are particularly vulnerable to damage and failure because they are exposed to the weather. The Iowa City Water Division checks and flushes the hydrants in the spring and in the fall to make sure they are in good working order. We will start flushing on Wednesday, March 10, 1999 (weather permitting). During the time that we are in your area, you may notice rusty colored water. This is due to the water flows and should clear in a short time. water is safe at all times. The Iowa City Water Division 410 E Washington St. Iowa City, IA 52240 Lead in Drinking Water Little risk in Iowa City For Immediate Release Thursday, March 4, 1999 Contact: Ed Moreno Water Superintendent 356-5160 or 331-7629 Iowa City Water has been testing for lead content in drinking water since 1992 when regulations prompted utilities to test at residences in their communities. Because of the chemistry of Iowa City's water and the treatment process being used to process the drinking water we have been identified as a low risk commtmity. Your drinking water from the Iowa City Water supply is basically lead flee. If there is lead in the water, it is from pipes, soldered pipe joints, and fixtures in the building or from the service line, not from the community water supply or pipes in the streets. The longer the water stands in household pipes and fixtures containing lead, the more likely the water will contain lead. Here are some steps you can take to reduce this source of lead in your drinking water; Do not use hot water from the faucet for drinking and cooking, especially when making formula, cereal or any other beverage or food for infants and children. If hot water is needed, heat it on the stove. If you haven't used a faucet for six or more hours, mn the water until it feels as cold as possible before using it for drinking or preparing foods. Water not used for drinking or preparing food can safely be used for washing or watering plants. Also, once it runs cold fill a bottle with water to keep in the refrigerator for later use. This will help conserve water. On December 13, 1994 the Iowa Department of Natural Resources notified Iowa City that because of the low lead levels, determined by sampling residences, required testing was changed to reduced monitoring on the lead sampling schedule If you are concerned about lead in your homes water, test kits can be obtained by calling the University Hygienic laboratory at 356-4500. 83/83/99 89:83:43 319-354-4213 -> 319356581i9 IOIJ~ CITV CLP, RR Page Johnson County l IOWA ~ X,_ Jonathan Jordahl, Chair Charles D. Duffy Michael E. Lehman Sally StuBman Carol Thompson BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Agenda Boardroom - 2nd Floor Johnson County Administration Building 913 South Dubuque Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 March 4, 1999 1. Call to order 9:00 a.m. 2. Action re: 3. Action re: FORMAL MEETING claims formal minutes of February 25th 4. Action re: payroll authorizations 5. Business from the County Auditor a) Action re: permits b) Action re: reports c) Other Business from Cheryl Whitney, Area Administrator for Department of Human Services re: approval of Fiscal Agreement between Johnson County and Iowa Department of Human Services for Diversion Program. discussion/action Business from the County Attorney a) Other 913 SOUTH DUBUQUE ST. P.O. BOX 1350 IOWA CITY, IOWA 52244-1350 TEL: (319) 356-6000 FAX: (319) 356-6086 83/83/99 89:84:09 919-354-4213 -> 31~35fi5089 IOUA CITY CLEBE Page 882 Agenda 3-4-99 Page 2 8. Presentation of the FY2000 proposed budget. discussion a) Discussion/action re: letter from Compensation Board regarding salary recommendations for Elected Officials. b) Discussion/action re: resolution adopting the FY2000 county budget. c) Other 9. Business from the Board of Supervisors 10. a) Motion authorizing Chairperson to sign the contract and contraetor's bond with L.L. Pelling Co., Inc. for bid received for Johnson County Asphalt Cement Concrete Paving Projects STP-S-52(48)--5E-52 (IWV Road from Black Hawk Avenue west approximately 1.9 miles to Iowa County), FM-52(50)--55-52 (140th Street from Ely Road east approximately 2.6 miles to Highway #1 ), and Asphalt Cement Concrete Resurfacing Project STP-S-52(49)--5E-52 (Wapsi Avenue from 520th St. south approximately 4.0 miles to Highway #22) in the amount of $1,540,805.22. b) Motion authorizing the Secondary Road Department to sell a hammer, leads, and two following caps (used for driving bridge piling) to Van Buren County for $4,000.00. c) Action re: County Farm Lease Agreement. d) Motion declaring equipment as surplus property that is no longer of use to the county and authorize it to be sold at auction. -- ~ e) Discussion/action re: Proclamation designating the month o~arc 1999, as Mental Retardation Awareness. · c-:, ....~ Other Adjourn to informal meeting a) b) c) d) e) Discussion re: Voluntary Annexations from the City of Tiffm submitted on February 17, 1999. Business from Tim and Angle Madsen re: problem of wolves being housed in the county. discussion Reports and inquiries from the County Attomey Inquiries and reports from the public Reports and inquiries from the members of the Board of Supervisors Other 11. Adjournment I March 29 6:30p City Council Meeting Schedule and Tentative Work Session Agendas SPECIAL COUNCIL WORK SESSION (Rescheduled from March 22) March 5, 1999 Monday Council Chambers I March 30 7:00p SPECIAL FORMAL COUNCIL MEETING (Rescheduled from March 23) Tuesday Council Chambers IApril 5 6:30p COUNCIL WORK SESSION Monday Council Chambers IApril 6 7:00p FORMAL COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday Council Chambers IApril 19 6:30p COUNCIL WORK SESSION Monday Council Chambers )April 20 7:00p FORMAL COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday Council Chambers I May 3 6:30p COUNCIL WORK SESSION Monday Council Chambers IMay 4 7:00p FORMAL COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday Council Chambers Transit Interchange Goosetown Traffic Calming Northeast District Planning Meeting dates/times subject to change FUTURE WORK SESSION ITEMS Chutes and Vaults Transit Route Study Police Citizens Review Board CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET March 12, 1999 IPl MARCH 30 FORMAL MEETING ITEMS Memorandum from Associate Planner Kugler: REZ98-0019. Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship Rezoning Request for Property Located at the Northeast Corner of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive [Council requested these materials be distributed early] IP2 IP3 IP4 IP5 IP6 IP7 IP8 IP9 IP10 IPll IP12 IP13 IP14 IP15 IP16 IP17 IP18 IP19 IP20 MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS Memorandum from City Manager: Competitive Bidding Process Memorandum from City Manager to Directors of Finance, Public Works, Planning; Assistant City Manager, and Chief of Police: Memorandum from City Attorney: Issues Geographic Information System Wastewater Treatment Plant NPDES Permit Compliance Memorandum from Denny Gannon: WooIf Avenue Bridge Memorandum from City Clerk: Start Time for March 29 Work Session Memorandum from City Clerk: Census 2000 Committee Update Memorandum from City Clerk: February 22 Work Session Memorandum from Parks and Recreation Director: New Pedestrian Bridge - West Side Drive Area Memorandum from Airport Manager: Airport Projects Memorandum from Finance Director: Rating of General Obligation Debt of $9,000,000, Series 1999 Letter from Catharine Eisenhofer: Notice: Purchase of Equipment Memorandum from Associate Planner: Northeast District Plan Letter from Leah Cohen (PCRB) to City Attorney: Appreciation Iowa City Police Department Use of Force - February 1999 Letter from Iris Frost (U of I Associate Professor, School of Journalism) to Police Captain Harney: Appreciation Letter from Jim Larew (Iowa City Area Science Center): Visit of Therese Andrade Iowa City Civic Center Expansion Project Millennium Phase Article: Daily lowan - Where Eagles Won't Soar--Soon [Atkins] Agendas: March 8, 9, 10, and 11 JC Board of Supervisors Information Packet March 12, 1999 page 2 Letter from City Manager to Editor of Press-Citizen regarding water and wastewater article. Civic Center Expansion Project Millennium Phase (3rd floor Civic Center; 2nd floor - Police). Northeast Planning District Plan, copy of report. City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: To: From: Re: March 5, 1999 City Council Scott Kugler, Associate Planner ~. Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship Rezoning Request for Property Located at the Northeast Corner of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive At your request, attached please find information pertaining to the above referenced rezoning request, which is scheduled for public hearing at your March 30 meeting. Included is the staff report presented at the January 7 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission, a follow-up memo presented at the Commission's January 21 meeting, minutes from the January 7 and 21 Commission meetings, protest petitions submitted by neighboring property owners within 200 feet of the subject property, and letters submitted by concerned neighbors. I would note that the property represented by the formal protest petitions exceeds the 20 percent threshold established by State law, requiring a super- majority vote (6 of 7) on the part of the Council to approve the rezoning request. As noted on Page 11 of the minutes from the January 21 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, staff recommended approval of the rezoning request subject to the approval of a grading plan prior to Council consideration of the rezoning and preliminary sensitive areas development plan. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial of the application. If you have any questions regarding the above information, please feel free to call me at 356-5243. Attachments STAFF REPORT To: Planning and Zoning Commission Item: REZ98-O019. GICHF NW Rorhret Road & Duck Creek Drive GENERAL INFORMATION: Applicant: Contact person: Requested action: Purpose: Location: Size: Existing land use and zoning: Surrounding land use and zoning: Comprehensive Plan: Applicable Code requirements: Prepared by: Scott Kugler Date: January 7, 1999 Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship PO box 1402 Iowa City, Iowa 52244 Phone: 358-9212 Robert Burns Burns & Burns Architects 319 E. Washington Street PO Box 1226 Iowa City, IA 52244 Phone: 338-7699 Approval of a rezoning from RS-5, Low Density Single-Family Residential, to OPDH-5, Planned Development Housing Overlay. To permit the construction of 14 townhouse dwelling units within three buildings on the site. Northeast corner of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive. 2.78 acres Vacant, RS-5 North: Highway 218; East: Highway 218; South: Residential, RR-1; West: Residential, RS-5. Residential, 2-8 dwelling units per acre 14-6J-2 - Planned Development Housing Overlay Zone (OPDH) File date: November 25, 1998 45-day limitation period: January 9, 1999 BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The applicant, Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship, is requesting the rezoning of approximately 2.78 acres of property located at the northeast corner of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive from RS-5, Low Density Single-Family Residential, to OPDH-5, Planned Development Housing Overlay/Low Density Residential, and approval of a preliminary OPDH plan to allow 14 dwelling units to be located on the property. A total of three buildings are proposed containing three and four bedroom attached townhouse style dwellings. ANALYSIS: The purpose of the Planned Development Housing Overlay Zone is 'to permit flexibility in the development of land in situations where conventional development may not be reasonable or appropriate, and where modifications to the requirements of the underlying zone will be consistent with the intent of the Comprehensive Plan and result in development that is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. In this instance, the modifications from the underlying zone that are being requested include a waiver of the limitation of the RS-5 zone that allows only one detached single-family dwelling per lot, on individual lots of 8,000 square feet or more. The proposed plan would result in over 8,000 square feet of lot area per dwelling unit, but the development is to consist of attached townhouse style dwelling units that would be located in three buildings, all on the same parcel. Given this property's location, adjacent to a limited access highway and an arterial street, its size and shape, and very limited access along a small frontage on Duck Creek Drive, it is reasonable to consider an alternative to detached single-family homes on individual lots. As mentioned above, this application should be evaluated in terms of its compliance with the Comprehensive Plan and the compatibility of the proposed development with the surrounding neighborhood. The ability of the existing infrastructure to accommodate the proposed use of the property should also be considered. Comprehensive Plan: The Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map suggests residential development at 2 to 8 dwelling units per acre for this area of the city. The proposed density of slightly more than 5 units per acre falls within this recommendation. Housing strategies contained in the Plan call for providing housing opportunities for households of all sizes, incomes, ages, and special needs. The Plan also promotes a mix of housing styles within neighborhoods. While there are some townhouse and multi-family housing types within this vicinity, there are few, if any, located west of Highway 218, which has been developed as exclusively single-family residential to this point. In terms of compliance with these policies, staff feels that the proposed development would move toward achieving some diversity within this neighborhood, provided that the development is designed to be compatible with, in scale with, and integrated into the surrounding neighborhood. OPDH Plan/Neighborhood Compatibility: The proposed OPDH plan illustrates a total of 14 townhouse style dwelling units to be located within three buildings on the property. Two of the buildings, containing five units each, would be facing Rohret Road along the south side of the site. Vehicular access to the buildings would come from a driveway off of Duck Creek 3 Drive leading to attached garages at the rear of the buildings. Staff feels that this is a positive element of the proposed plan, as it will allow for the buildings to front on Rohret Road, providing an attractive appearance from the street, with the access to the site being limited to Duck Creek Drive rather than an additional curb cut on the arterial street. It is the City's policy to minimize the number of access points along arterial streets. Because Rohret Road is an arterial street, a 40-foot setback for residential structures must be maintained. The plan provides for this setback. The third building, containing four units, is to be located to the north near the middle of the site. The building is similar to the others proposed for this site, with parking in attached garages to the rear of the building served by an access drive. However, staff questions why this building is located where it is on the site. Locating the building closer to the west property line would move the residences farther from Highway 218, allow for a larger area of useable open space on the site, and result in a building that addresses the street and becomes part of the neighborhood. Staff feels the integration of this development into the fabric of the surrounding neighborhood is a critical issue. The current plan gives the appearance of an attempt to achieve a certain density on the property with no regard to how the building fits within the neighborhood. Moving the building to the west to more closely front on Duck Creek Drive would incorporate those dwellings as part of the streetscape. While the dwelling units each contain a separate entry at the front of the building in typical townhouse fashion, the roofline and other details of the building tend to lend an institutional appearance to the buildings (see attached building elevations). The slightly offset side gable roof form does little to help blend these buildings into the neighborhood streetscape. Although this is intended to be a development that provides affordable housing, and there is an affordability issue to be dealt with, staff feels that it is important to ensure that any new buildings fit architecturally within the neighborhood. Staff feels that this concern can be addressed by varying the roofline to break up the length of the building and considering more carefully the design details of the building. The building elevations submitted with the original application are attached. However, the applicant has hired a consultant to address the neighborhood compatibility issue and revised elevations are expected prior to the January 7 meeting. At this point, staff is not convinced that this development will be compatible with the surrounding neighborhood in terms of its mass, scale, architectural details, and integration into the streetscape along Duck Creek Drive. A reduction in the setback of the four-unit building on the north portion of the site and revised building elevations could help to address these concerns. Staff recommends deferral to allow the applicant to address these items prior to the Commission's next meeting on January 21. A waiver of the 45-day limitation period will be needed if this item is to be deferred. Infrastructure: Sanitary sewer and water service are available to this site. The existing public sanitary sewer line along Duck Creek Drive will have to be extended to the south and onto the property, at which point private service lines can be extended to each of the buildings. An easement will be needed for the portion of the public sewer line that is to be located on the subject property. Also, as currently drawn, an easement from adjacent property owners along the west side of Duck Creek Drive may also be needed to allow for the sewer extension adjacent to the street, unless the sewer line can be routed such that there is sufficient room within the right-of-way to construct and maintain the sewer. Rohret Road has recently been upgraded to a City arterial street standard. It has sufficient capacity to accommodate additional traffic. The traffic generated by fourteen dwelling units should have little impact on the capacity of this roadway. Because it is located near the terminus of Duck Creek Drive and Rohret Road, there should be little impact on the amount of traffic using the neighborhood street system. An eight-foot wide sidewalk was constructed along Rohret Road when the arterial street improvements were made. This sidewalk has been maintained by the City· Upon development of the property, maintenance responsibilities should be turned over to the developer or a homeowners' association. The applicant has indicated that they will be responsible for the future maintenance of the sidewalk. A water main extension fee of $395 per acre is required with the development of this property. In addition, a West Side Trunk Sewer tap-on fee of approximately 8737.18 per acre may be required. These fees will be incorporated into legal papers associated with the final OPDH plan for this property if this application is approved. Neighborhood Open Space: The Neighborhood Open Space Ordinance requires a total of .6 acres of dedicated open space as a result of this development, or an equivalent amount in fees in lieu of the actual dedication of land. Given the location and limited access to the parcel in question, staff recommends that fees be required in lieu of the dedication of land in this case. The Parks and Recreation Commission will review the plan prior to City Council consideration of the rezoning. Sensitive Areas Ordinance: Shortly before the finalization of this report, staff became aware of the existence of 33% slopes along the northeast line of this property. A 33% slope would fall under the critical slope category of the Sensitive Areas Ordinance. However, staff believes this to be a man-made slope created with the construction of Highway 218, which may be exempt from the requirements of the Sensitive Areas Ordinance. If, however, it is determined that these slopes are regulated under the Sensitive Areas Ordinance, this application will have to be amended to a Sensitive Areas Overlay/Low Density Single-Family Residential (OSA-5) rezoning, and more information will be needed on the plan. Staff will have this clarified prior to the January 21 meeting. Regardless of the requirements of the Sensitive Areas Ordinance, a grading plan will be required as a result of the slopes, and must be approved prior to City Council consideration of the rezoning request. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that REZ98-O019 be deferred pending the review of revised building elevations (waiver needed). DEFICIENCIE~ AND DISCREPANCIES: Easements are needed for any public sewer or water line located on private property. They should be shown on the plan. Since the sewer line on the property will be servicing more than one building, it must be a public line. Likewise, if the buildings will be serviced off of the water line leading to the fire hydrant this line must be public and an easement shown on the plan. The water services should be shown on the plan. The existing water main easement on the northeast property line is not shown on the plan. Trees shown in this area should be relocated so that they do not encroach into this easement. The plan should be labeled as a "Preliminary OPDH Plan" rather than or in addition to its current title of "Sanitary Sewer Plan and Profile and Water Service Plan." Parking requirements need to be detailed on the plan. The Fire Department has indicated that a turnaround will be needed along each leg of the private drive. The private drive must also be a minimum of 20 feet in width and turning radii increased to accommodate emergency vehicles. Storm water management is required on this property. The applicant asserts that storm water management requirements have been satisfied for this property with the construction of a basin located within the Walden Hills development east of Highway 218, but information must be submitted to Public Works to verify that this is the case. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Location map. 2. Preliminary OPDH plan. 3. Proposed building elevations. 4. Applicant's statement in support of the rezoning request. Approved by: f Planning and Community Development 9a. ~;TATEMENT OF INTENT Page I of 2 Affordable housing for large families has been identified as a HIGH priority in the City Steps Consolidated Plan. Our intent is to provide affordable rental housing to these families in the greater Iowa City area. The fourteen townhouses will enable lower income large families to be able to afford housing for their families. All units will be offered to households with incomes at or below 60% of the area median household income. The Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship and Robert P. Burns are committed to providing affordable housing that is desirable, conveniently located and conducive to family housing. A market study of the Iowa City area was completed Seotember 1998. bv The Danter Co. The following is a summary of the major findings. DISTRIBUTION OF CONVENTIONAL MARKET-RATE APARTMENTS AND VACANCY RATE IOWA CITY, IOWA SITE EFFECTIVE MARKET AREA SEPTEMBER 1999 MARKET-RATE UNITS UNIT TYPE NUMBER PERCENT VACANCY RATE STUDIO 56 1.9% 0.0% ONE-BEDROOM 850 28.3% 1.3% TWO-BEDROOM 1,932 64.3% 0.7% THREE-BEDROOM 166 5.5% 0.0% TOTAL 3,004 100.0% 0.8% · At 0.8%, the overall vacancy rate is extremely low in the market area, and the market appears limited by supply rather than demand. The Site EMA apartment base contains a disproportionately low percentage of three- bedroom units, 5.5% of the total. In well-developed markets, three-bedroom product typically represents 8% to 12% of the overall apartment base. The apartment base is old with over half the units (54.5%) located among developments opened prior to 1970. Only three developments containing a combined total of 130 units have opened in the 1990's. The 102-unit Coral Ridge opened in 1991. There are no vacancies and the property currently operates with a waiting list (10 applicants waiting for a two-bedroom and 20 applicants waiting for a three-bedroom). In addition to its aesthetic value, landscaping (when properly used) also affects the potential tenant's perception of unit density. Although modern development should strive to maintain the lowest-possible density, our research indicates that tenants are more aware of the appearance of low density than actual units per acre. Therefore, special attention should be given to those design components (such as entrances,Lo variable roof lines, and landscaping) that can increase the perception of Io~wer den~:ty. 9a. ~;TATEMENT OF INTENT cont. Page 2 of 2 Housing Market Analysis and Demand E~timates for the Iowa City Url~an Area was oreDared for the City of Iowa City. January, 1998, by Maxfield Research INC. Recommendations for short-term development through 2005 in Iowa City include 600 single-family and 550 multi- family units. City Steos 1995-2000. Iowa Citv's Con~olidal~qd Plan for HOuSing, JObs and ServicqS for LQw-ln~Qmq Residents was completed in April of 1995. The following is a summary of the major findings. Population: In the last decade, Iowa City experienced an unanticipated population growth of 18 percent. This significant increase has resulted in additional and continuous stress on the housing market as it strains to meet the housing needs. Rent Over-burden: Data show that there are 111 large family renter households between 0-30 percent of median income, Of these, 69% experience some type of housing problem, 59% have a cost burden greater than 30% of their gross income and 37% have a cost burden greater than 50% of their gross income. Figures also show that another 76 large family renter households between 31-50 percent of median income. Of these 79% experience some type of housing problem, 49% have a cost burden greater than 30% of their gross income and 7% have a cost burden greater than 50% of their gross income. Last, data show that there are 17 large family households between 51-80 percent of median income. Of these, 65% experience some type of housing problem, 59% have a cost burden greater than 30% of their gross income In conclusion, the City Steps Consolidated Plan lists the development of affordable housing for large families as a HIGH priority. City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: To: From: Re: January 15, 1999 Planning and Zoning Commission Scott Kugler, Associate Planner BEZ~j~. Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship Rezoning at Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive. This item was discussed at the January 7 meeting, at which revised building elevations were submitted by the applicant and information regarding other similar developments was requested by the Commission. Staff also noted that the issue of storm water management and the applicability of the Sensitive Areas Ordinance were also in question. The staff report presented at that meeting contained no recommendation for approval or denial. Rather, it indicated that in staff's opinion, the issue of neighborhood compatibility was not adequately addressed by the applicant, and included a recommendation for deferral to allow the applicant to address this issue. Discussion of these items and a staff recommendation are provided below. Staff feels the revised building elevations submitted at the January 7 meeting are much improved over those submitted with the original application. The addition of dormers and gables help to make the individual units more discernable along the facade and add a more attractive appearance to the buildings. As discussed at the previous meeting, the five-unit building could use a more varied roofline, more so than the small dormers shown on the plan. The applicant has indicated that they will look at revising that elevation. A revised site plan has been submitted which moves the northern building on the site closer to Duck Creek Drive, creating a larger area of useable open space on the site. The applicant has also attempted to address the open space and fencing concerns raised by a number of neighborhood residents. Staff was asked to provide information about other similar recent developments in which access is provided at the rear of the buildings via a rear lane or drive. Attached please find site plans for two recent developments in which this concept is utilized, Lot 51 of Walden Hills, and Washington Square Condominiums. Lot 51 of Walden Hills included 25 dwelling units on a 2.9 acre parcel, with open space provided at the rear of the site. Washington Square Condominiums included 16 dwelling units on a 2.04 acre parcel along an arterial street. In both cases, the rear drives are rather unattractive and will be lined with garage doors. However, that is essentially their intent, to get these features off of the street elevations of the buildings. As noted at the January 7 meeting, staff feels that this general concept is supported by the neighborhood design principles contained in the Comprehensive Plan, and is a good alternative to double-frontage single-family homes that back up on the arterial street. Storm water management requirements for this property were satisfied with the construction of the storm water basins located within the Walden Hills development to the east of Highway 218. Storm water from this development would flow from this site through a culvert under Highway 218, and into the basin located at the north end of Lot 53 of Walden Hills, which was sized to accommodate the run off from this property at the time it was developed. Staff has noted that critical slopes (over 25%) are present along the embankment leading down to Highway 218. The applicant is proposing a small amount of grading into this area as a result of the construction of the driveway on the property. Therefore, this application has been amended to rezone the property to OSA-5, Sensitive Areas Overlay/Low Density Residential. The Sensitive Areas Ordinance permits the disturbance of critical slopes where avoidance is difficult or not possible. In this case, the 40-foot setback requirement for the residential units along Rorhet Road has resulted in this drive encroaching into the slope. Given the fact that this is not a natural slope (it was created by the construction of Highway 218 and more recent filling of the property), staff feels that maintaining the setback along the arterial street should take precedence over protection of the slope. Erosion control measures will have to be closely reviewed prior to the approval of a grading plan for this property. The most recent revision to the site plan for this application is still being reviewed by staff to ensure technical compliance with the City Code. It is anticipated that this review will be completed prior to the January 21 meeting. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that REZ98-O019 be deferred pending staff review of the most recent revision to the proposed preliminary sensitive area development plan for this property. Upon the completion of this review and the correction of any remaining deficiencies, staff recommends that the request to rezone 2.78 acres located at the northeast corner of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive from RSo5 to PDH-5 be approved, subject to the approval of a grading plan prior to City Council consideration of the rezoning and sentitive areas development plan. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Revised site plan. 2. Lot 51, Walden Hills, site plan. 3. Washington Square Condominiums site plan. Approved by: Jeff( Davidson, Assistant Director Department of Planning and Community Development /gichfrnern.doc 0 Z r~ ,,~ L~ ,/ i WILLOW CREEK PARK WAY WILLOW CREEK TRAIL 25 LOT 51 WALDEN HIL POND OI,.-51A 1.22 LoT,~51 47 46 _~"1 · I11111~1 Q WASHIN ET c~ \ s , Planning and Zomng Comrrussion Minutes January 7. 1999 Page 9 private property owner. Holecek said if one is talking about making that particular boundary or setback area accessible to the public, then one has removed the idea to be exclusively private property, which has been determined to be a taking. She said it depends upon the level of regulation and is a case by case factual analysis. REZONING ITEM: SUB98o0033/REZ98-0019. Public discussion of an application submitted by GICHF Limited Partnership for a rezoning of 2.78 acres from Low Density Single-Family Residential (RS-5) to Planned Development Housing (PDH-5) to permit a 14-unit residential development on property located at the northeast corner of Duck Creek Drive and Rohret Road. (45-day limitation pedod expires January 9, 1999) Kugler said the Planned Development Oveday zone is generally intended to permit flexibility in the development of land in situations where conventional development may not be reasonable or appropriate and where modifications to the requirements of the underlying zone will be consistent with the intent of the Comprehensive Plan and result in development that is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. He said given this property's location adjacent to a limited access highway and an artedai street, its unusual size and shape, and its very limited access, staff feels it is reasonable to consider an alternative to single-family housing on individual lots on this property. Kugler said what is being proposed by the applicant is a development that is consistent with the density requirements of the RS-5 zone, but it would not have the individual detached residential units on individual lots. He said in reviewing such an application, staff looks at its consistency with the Comprehensive Plan, its compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood, and the ability of the infrastructure in place to handle the development. Kugler stated that the Comprehensive Plan land use map suggests residential development for this area at two to eight dwelling units per acre. He said the proposed development would meet the density requirements of the Comprehensive Plan. In addition, Kugler said there are housing strategies in the Comprehensive Plan that have goals of providing housing opportunities for households of all sizes, incomes, ages, and special needs and promoting a mix of housing styles within individual neighborhoods. He said staff feels that considering some alternative here to single-family housing would be a step towards meeting those goals. Kugler said staff feels this proposal is in conformance with the goals and policies of the Comprehensive Plan. Regarding the OPDH plan, Kugler said the proposal is for fourteen townhouse units in three buildings, two buildings parallel with Rohret Road with five units each and a third building farther north on the site with four units. He said the plan has been revised slightly as recommended by staff to place the four-unit building closer to Duck Creek Drive, making it more a part of the streetscape. He said staff is currently examining that revised plan. - Kugler said questions were raised at the informal meeting about the appearance of the development for people entedng the Site, and comments were made that if the drive were considered a street, the long rows of garage doors and relatively uninteresting architecture would be a harsh environment for the people living there. He said staff sees that drive as more of an alley, providing access to these units, with the fronts of the buildings actually fronting out onto the public streets. Kugler said the Comprehensive Plan, in addressing neighborhood design concepts, contains a number of statements about the aesthetics along artedal streets in terms of building designs and not having backyards of dwelling units back up onto arterial streets, which often results in fences along artedals. He said one of the solutions to that problem cited in the plan is having some alternative land use there such as townhouses, which can front Planning and Zoning Commiss~on Minutes January 7, 1999 Page 10 on the arterial street while being set back somewhat and provide for a nice streetscape along the arterial street where from 70 to 80% of the traffic in Iowa City is driving. Kugler said staff has some concerns about the design of the exterior ol= the buildings. He said staff felt the architecture was not in conformance with the rest of the neighborhood and therefore staff had yet to make a recommendation. Kugler said he expected the applicant to submit revised elevations, and staff would need time to study them before making a recommendation. Regarding the infrastructure, Kugler said Rohret Road is an arterial street that has been recently constructed, and it can accommodate the additional traffic this development would generate. In terms of sanitary sewer and water service, he said both are available to the site. although there are some technical details that need to be resolved in terms of actually getting that service to the site, but staff feels that can be accomplished. Kugler stated that a total of .6 acres of open space is required as a result of this development, but, given the limited access to this parcel, staff is recommending that be handled through the payment of fees in lieu of actual land dedication. He said the Parks and Recreation Commission would be reviewing that question and would provide a recommendation to the City Council. In terms of the Sensitive Areas Ordinance, Kugler said there are some cdtical slopes on the property adjacent to Highway 218. He said staff believes those slopes were created when Highway 218 was cut through this area, but staff still needs to look at the Sensitive Areas Ordinance in such a case. Kugler said staff is waiting for the applicant to submit information indicating his grading limits in order to determine whether or not he would be encroaching into those cdtical slope areas. He said if the applicant is not encroaching, there will simply need to be a sensitive areas site plan that identifies those areas and indicates how they will be protected. Kugler said if the developer intends to encroach into those slopes, this application will have to be amended to be a sensitive areas oreday rezoning, essentially not changing the process, but changing the information that needs to be shown on the plan. He said staff is currently recommending deferral of this item, and the applicant has submitted a letter indicating his willingness to defer consideration of this application to January 21. Gibson asked where staff envisions the backyards for these units. Kugler said that, similar to other townhouse developments, each unit does not necessarily have a backyard, but there is an area of shared open space. Gibson asked what staff sees as the front yard. Kugler said the front of the units along the streets would constitute the front yard. He added that residents might be .- inclined to use the front yards, as there is an eight-foot sidewalk along the front as well as a school approximately ~ mile to the west and a bus line to the east. Gibson said that at Walden Hills, the street is in front of the house. Kugler stated that Lot 51 of Walden Hills, which is on a corner lot similar to this one, has a pdvate drive behind the units providing access to the garages. He agreed that the public street is in front of the houses. Gibson said the difference is that there is no street at the fronts of these houses, only sidewalks, and the back is straight garage, no green grass, and all pavement with a supposed back door off the street. Kugler responded that the streets are Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive, just like Walden Hills is fronting on Shannon Drive, a collector street. Gibson asked if someone could park their car on the streets for this proposed development. Kugler said one could park on Duck Creek Drive but not on Rohret Road. Regarding the resubdivision of Lot 53 of Walden Hills, Gibson said the backyards have a driveway to provide access to garages and asked if there is any green space there. Kugler said there is an area of open space on the larger lot and some patches of green grass, with about ten feet between driveways. Gibson said he would like to compare that development to this Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes January 7, 1999 Page 11 proposal, because at Walden Hills, there is a clear perception of what the fronts of those units are, and one can park on the street in front and walk into the public front side without a sea of concrete and wall of garages almost obscuring the houses. Gibson said this current proposal would not result in a good living environment, Kugler said his own arguments were not necessarily specifically related to this development. He said staff feels this is a good concept for developing land along arterial streets anywhere in the City. Kugler said this is an alternative to backyards with fences along arterials and this alternative has been done successfully in other areas, such as along Scott Boulevard. Gibson asked if fences could be built here. and Miklo responded that there is a four foot height limit for fences placed in the front yard. Bovbjerg said this is similar to the rows of townhouses along Rohret Road and Mormon Trek. She said she is concemed about whether, if these are family homes, there is anything designated for and fiat enough for a playground area. Bovbjerg said she was also concemed about houses essentially backing onto an interstate. She wanted to know if there is anything planned for buffers. Kugler said the applicant has shown some evergreen planrings on the plan. He said that is another reason staff has recommended that the four-unit building be pulled as far west as possible, in order to provide some separation between the dwellings and the highway. Kugler said there is some usable open space on the plan to the north and there may be other small areas. Chait asked if the proposed buildings would be similar to the townhouse units on Scott Boulevard. Miklo said they are similar to the buildings on the comer of Scott Boulevard and Washington Street. Chait said the argument could be made that it would be oppressive to have to ddve down that alley every night to 9et home; however, if the Commission wanted the alley to be in front and have the units turned around, there is no way the Commission would allow those garages to face Rohret Road or Duck Creek Ddve. He said the choice is either one way or the other. Chait said, regarding the elevations, he had concerns about the size and look of the buildings. He talked about the Deerfield Commons townhouses in Village Green and said that if this area looked like that from that street, he would really like the appearance. Schintler said her husband and his brothers are owners of a few remaining lots in Hunters Run. She said she discussed this with legal counsel, and they felt that it would not be a conflict of interest for her to vote on this application. Holecek noted that the lots owned are on the far western edge of Hunters Run, which is one of the last platted areas. Schintler said she was concerned that this development would be dght in the backyard of the property to the northwest of this Wand. Public discussion: I~ob Burns. 319 East Washington Street, said he is the developer for this project, although he has no ownership interest in this property. He said this property is owned solely by the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship. Burns said in response to staff's comments, he is trying to put the best portion of the building facing the streets and have the utilitarian portion, the access drive and the garages, in the rear of the building. He said he limited the access to the site to a single point off Duck Creek Ddve. Burns said he is sensitive to the design and making it compatible with the neighborhood, and therefore hired a national design firm, Bloodgood, Sharp, and Buster of Des Moines, to be the design architect. He showed elevations of the four-plex and ~ve-plex to the Commission. Bums said he could not get elevations prepared in time to be distributed to Commission members, so Plann,ng and Zoning Commission Minutes Janua~ 7.1999 Page 12 what members received were basic study elevations based on the floor plan and the site plan. He also showed a diagram of the new site plan for the area. Burns said he took photographs of most of the houses in the subdivision off of Duck Creek Road and sent them to the design architect. He asked for input from Commission members in order to produce a successful development and said he wanted to make this compatible with the neighborhood. Chair suggested that might not be the best idea. He asked if it would be possible to have the units look more individual with different bricks and different sidings, in order to break up the appearance, without raising costs a great deal. Burns said it is possible, but he would like something that will work in terms of this neighborhood. He added that Deerfield Commons is the only building like that in the City. Burns said he could vary the color of bdck and siding and would rather do something like that, rather than making every unit different. Chait said he did not necessarily want this to look like Deerfield Commons but would like to see different siding, bricks, and shingles used so that the buildings look like nine different units and not two big buildings. He said he did not think the increased cost of these changes would be too high if three different colors of bdck were used and something similar was done with siding. Chait said the design was acceptable, but he thought the scale of it was a bit much. He said he would prefer for each individual unit to have some identity. Burns said he would ask the design architects to study the possibilities. Ehrhardt said Bums' statement of intent discussed paying special attention to a number of things, including vadable roofiines, She said she likes the roofiine on the four-plex, but the five- plex appears to contain one straight roofiine. She added that like any plan, the Commission has to look at the future potential of these units. Ehrhardt said even. though it is planned for family housing, there is the possibility of these units being rented out to students, and the Commission has to consider that possibility. Miklo said the only time the Commission can get involved in terms of who lives in a particular development is when eldedy housing is concerned. Bovbjerg said the Commission has sometimes been given special projects and told not to look at the specialness, but the specialness turns out to be very important to what is done with the land. She cautioned the Commission to look at whether this is the dght way to use the land and not think about who might or who might not be able to live there. Kugler said that if there are different housing requirements for a certain group, e.g. different parking requirements for a senior housing project, that needs to be considered. He said this should be looked at as a residential development, and not as a residential development for any particular group. Burns said the applicant has identified the sensitive areas slopes that were manmade dudn9 the construction of Highway 218 and has been staying out of those areas except for a tiny corner of the southern portion, which he showed on the map. He said the applicant does plan to provide playground equipment on the site. Burns said the plan submitted did satisfy all issues raised by other City departments, including Public Works and the Fire Department, and the plan has been reviewed by staff fairly extensively. Charlie Eastham. 1152 East Court Street. said he is the current President of the Board of Trustees of the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship (GICHF), a non°profit corporation and the applicant for this rezoning. He said the mission of his organization is to provide affordable housing, and it has been in operation in Iowa City since 1991. Eastham said.the GICHF presently owns and operates over 65 rental units scattered throughout the community. He said the GICHF has an interest in this project not only because it will add to the number of affordable rental housing units available in the community for working families, but will also fulfill the stated goals of the Comprehensive Plan to provide housing for all ranges of income throughout the community. Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes January 7,1999 Page 13 Eastham said the GICHF is an open corporation governed by a board o1' directors. He said the GICHF holds very public, open meetings every month to which everyone is invited, and everyone is invited to apply for a seat on the board of directors. Eastham said these units would not be available for groups of non-related students throughout the period of time they are owned by GICHF, which would be over their useful life. He said the GICHF does not buy or build housing for short-term uses. Patrick Gugliano 1106 Duck Creek Drive, said he felt this was his first opportunity to address this development and appreciated the opportunity to be heard. Regarding the Comprehensive Plan, he said he appreciated the need for diversity, but as the plan says, the development is to be "...designed to be compatible with, in scale with, and integrated into the surrounding community." Gugliano said he believes that non-detached housing units like this would not fit into this particular community and would decrease adjacent housing property values. Gugliano said he agreed that the Commission has to examine the needs of the entire community over the needs of a small group of people, but this case involves 14 units versus the more than 100 homeowners of Hunters Runs Subdivision and the surrounding homeowners. Gugliano said the slope that was discussed was created by the construction of Highway 218. He said this past year, there has been some fill work done there to help create some of that slope. Gugliano said the evergreen trees shown on the plan as a barrier probably will not provide a barTier for some time with that type of elevation. He added that moving the north building closer to Duck Creek Ddve would move the building closer to the backyard of the adjacent property owner. Supple said she believed the reason for moving that building was to get the view of those buildings out of the neighbor's backyard. Margaret Hopwood. 3263 Rohret Road, said she lives a little bit southwest of this particular view, but does have a very commanding view of this particular parcel. She said she had two major concems about this application. Hopwood said she was concerned about safety in this area if multi-family housing were located here. She said this is a busy freeway that is becoming busier, and she felt children could be at considerable dsk in this type of setting. Hopwood said she also had concems about the appearance of the buildings, given that she would have to look at them on a daily basis. She stated that she would appreciate anything that could be done to make the appearance more palatable. Laurie Wilson Ihry. 1243 Duck Creek Ddve, said she lives very close to this parcel of land. She said the Commission needs to step back and look at the big picture. Wilson Ihry said she did not believe that 14 additional units would have any more positive social or environmental impact on this community than would having a couple of single-family houses in this area. She said she was disturbed because it sounds like this rezoning is a done deal and will just move forward when the rezoning goes through. Wilson Ihry said she does not see the impact of this project being beneficial to anyone except perhaps the developer. Wilson Ihry asked about the notification process for the meetings. She said she received her notification in the mail on Monday, but some of her neighbors were not notified at all. Kugler said the notification policies were just recently changed. He stated that when an application is filed, a sign is placed on the property within a couple of days. Kugler said letters are immediately mailed out to those owning property within 300 feet informing them of the application and the potential first meeting date. He said property owners are encouraged to call the Planning and Community Development Office to verify the date, and when they call, they are asked if they would like to be placed on a mailing list to receive an agenda when the item is Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes January 7. 1999 Page 14 actually placed on the Commission's agenda for its consideration. Kugler said that unfortunately the agendas are generally not finalized until the Thursday or Friday before the meetings, at which time they are mailed out. He added that the Commission generally holds two public hearings on any rezoning item so that anyone who cannot attend the first meeting gets a chance to speak at the second meeting. Ehrhardt said the notification process is better than it used to be. She added that this certainly is not a done deal. Ehrhardt said the Commission listens to the applicant and all of the speakers and also considers staffs recommendation before making a decision. Chait said the density being requested in this rezoning is not different than that for a single- family home. He said one of the concessions the developer makes in requesting the PDH rezoning is that the Commission then has an opportunity to have some input into what the end result will look like; not only the site plan but the actual architecture as well. Chait said requesting the different zoning is placing an additional burden on the developer to get what he wants in consideration for the City getting something it wants. Peg Gugliano. 1106 Duck Creek Ddve, said she asked to be put on the mailing list in December, but never received notification of this meeting. She stated that others who had asked to be on the mailing list said they did not receive any notification whatsoever. Gugliano said she and her neighbors have purchased their homes with the understanding that this particular tract of land would be developed in the same fashion as the rest of the homes in the neighborhood, as single-family homes with yards. She said she would like to see that done with this tract of land if at all possible. Nancy Askew. 3224 Rohret Road, said the people who live in these units will have a lot of noise from both Highway 218 and Rohret Road. She said she has lived in the area for a long time and like the other people who face Rohret Road, has given up a lot. Askew said when she first lived there it was nice and quiet, but before long the City took some of the land to widen the road, took some of the trees, and installed a sidewalk. She said the quality of life there has really gone down with all the traffic and noise and fourteen more families will just contribute to more traffic. Askew said there is a lot of housing construction going on on both sides, and the City should see what the impact is from that before doing something with this little piece of land. Dave Amelon. 919 Duck Creek Drive, said the first plan of the area did not show much parking and asked what size of garages these units would have and where people would park. He said he is against putting these buildings on the site. Richard Loan. 1204 Deerfield Ddve, asked where children would play if this is to be family housing. He said that since there is virtually no backyard, they may end up playing in the front on Rohret Road, or kids may congregate in the small area on the north side and potentially intrude on the present homeowner's property. Loan said this neighborhood currently does not have multi-family complexes like this. He said that Highway 218 is the introduction to the neighborhood when one drives across the bridge, and this will be the first thing one sees when entering the neighborhood. Loan said he is concerned about the appearance of this project. He added that the only place to park now is on Duck Creek Drive, which will create another safety hazard for children, as the only place for them to play is on the corner of Rohret Road or up on Duck Creek Drive. Loan urged the Commission not to recommend this rezoning. Ptanmng and Zomng Commission Minutes January 7.1999 Page 15 James Choi. 1237 Deerfield Drive, said he has lived in this area for a year. He said he did not see how 14 units can be crammed onto land that is designed for only two or three units. Choi said the grade going down to the highway is very steep, and children will find a way to go down the slopes, even with a concrete barrier. He said that leaves the only place for children to play to be on the north side next to the private property, which may not be a good idea. Choi asked the Commission to leave the zoning as it is instead of allowing these multi-family units. Public discussion closed. MOTION: Chait moved to defer SUB98-0033/REZ98-0019, an application submitted by GICHF Limited Partnership for a rezoning of 2.78 acres from Low Density Single-Family Residential (RS-5) to Planned Development Housing (PDH-5) to permit a 14-unit residential development on property located at the northeast corner of Duck Creek Drive and Rohret Road, to the January 21, 1999 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Bovbjerg seconded the motion. Chait encouraged the members of the audience to obtain a copy of the Iowa City Zoning Ordinance. He said one of the Commission's missions is to interpret the ordinance and allow for it to be implemented in a functional way. Chait said the technical component is what the Commission is reviewing, and a lot of the concems regarding the location and amount of parking are all addressed in that standard that the applicant is being held to and will happen the way that the zoning ordinance requires. Chait said a lot of what he is headng is "not in my neighborhood." He said this type of housing could cost $60,000 to $80,000 per unit. Chait said the same type of development could be done at a cost of $200,000 with lots of design features but without increasing the square footage that much. He asked if that would make a difference should that kind of project be the end result. Chait said the Commission cannot determine who lives where and how much they spend. He said the zoning ordinance and the Comprehensive Plan encourage diversity of housing types. Chait said the way that the ordinance is wdtten, the developer of this type of parcel can apply for this type of zoning. He said when that happens, the City then has the authority to tell the applicant how he can do what he wants to do. Chait said that a single-family house would not come under the Commission's review the way this project does. He said the Commission is not the bad guy here in interpreting an ordinance that applies to the entire City and a standard to which everyone is held. Chait said a lot of the concerns are not valid if they are just "not in my neighborhood". He said the standard is bigger than this project and applies to the whole City in terms of the zoning. Bovbjerg said she had two questions about this project. She said one question is whether this is the best use of this land for this land topographically and this neighborhood. Bovbjerg said she also had a concern about a design that is tentative and then modified according to the perception of how the Commission would like it to look, and whether, if it looks that way, the Commission should automatically approve it. She said the Commission has to look at the land and the neighborhood with the traffic patterns as they are and how they might occur and also what kind of design, if any, would fit here and look good here. Gibson said he appreciated the difficulty in finding a site for this kind of housing. He said these are three and four-bedroom homes intended for low-income families, which frequently translates to younger people with children. Gibson questioned where young children would play in this area since there cannot be a fence in the front yard and there is no backyard. He said this is not good planning for this kind of housing, and that is probably a function of the site. Gibson said the site is really too small for this number of units. He suggested that it would be suitable for single-family detached housing. Gibson said he wondered what was going on here in terms of Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes Janua~ 7,1999 Page 16 economics, development options, etc., that says that the dght thing to do to get the price down for these units is to shoehorn these houses into this site in an unacceptable, aesthetically-poor manner. He said the people using this housing have a dght to a certain standard of living and a certain set of expectations, and he did not think they would get them here. Gibson said the Commission should look hard at whether it is appropriate to rezone this land for an OPDH or whether it would be best to leave it RS-5. He urged the developer and the owner to look at some of these issues. Gibson said the whole thing just does not work well for him, because he does not think this will be a very successful development of this parcel. Thq motion to defer carried on a vote of 7-0. CONSIDERATION OF THE DECEMBER 17. 1998 PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES: Ehrhardt said she had revisions of typographical errors in the December 17, 1998 minutes to submit to staff. MOTION: Chait moved to approve the minutes of the December 17, 1998 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, subject to revisions as submitted by Ehrhardt. Shannon seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 7-0. PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION INFORMATION: Miklo distributed a rotation schedule for upcoming City Council meetings. Ehrhardt said she had had a conversation with David Forkenbrock about the Northeast District Plan. Gibson said he also had a conversation with Forkenbrock. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 10:02 p.m. Pam Ehrhardt, Secretary Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte Planning and Zon,ng Com January 21. 1999 Page 10 s~on Minutes REZONING ITEM: E~,~3_8.:_O_QZ~. Public discussion of an application submitted by GICHF Limited Partnership for a rezoning of 2.78 acres from Low Density Single-Family Residential (RS-5) to Planned Development Housing (PDH-5) to permit a 14-unit residential development on property located at the northeast corner of Duck Creek Drive and Rohret Road. (45-day limitation: waived to January_ 21. 1999.) Supple announced that the neighbors had a mailing campaign. All commissioners and staff have copies of the letters. Kugler said the item was discussed at the January 7 meeting, at which revised building elevations were presented by the applicant. He said the Commission requested information regarding other similar developments. He said this information appears in the staff memo in the meeting packet. He said in addition, there were questions regarding storm water management and the applicability of the Sensitive Areas Ordinance. Staff feels that the revised building elevations are much improved over those that were originally submitted. As pointed out by a couple of Commission members at the last meeting, the five-unit building could use more variation in its roof line. Kugler said that recommendation has been passed on to the applicant, however, staff has not yet seen any revised elevations for that building plan. A revised site plan has been submitted and Kugler displayed this and pointed out that the plan moves the northern building closer to Duck Creek Ddve as recommended by staff. This provides a larger area of usable open space, the building becomes part of the streetscape on Duck Creek Ddve, and the building becomes less intrusive to the more usable part of the neighboring property. Kugler said staff was asked to provide information about similar developments where access is provided at the rear of the buildings, with the fronts facing the adjoining streets. He presented an illustration of Lot 51 of Walden Hills, which is directly across Highway 218 from the site. The approved plan was for 25-dwelling units on a 2.9-acre parcel. The site has detached townhouses that face the public street. Access is provided by an alley at the rear of the property. Kugler presented another overhead of Washington Square Condominiums located at the corner of Washington Street and Scott Boulevard. The fronts of the units face the public street and access is provided at the rear of the units. In both cases, the rear ddves are relatively unattractive. Kugler noted, however, that the point of having rear alleys is to get the garages and such off of the street, thus providing a more attractive view from the street. He said staff . feels this concept is supported in general by the design principles listed in the Comprehensive Plan. Regarding the storm water management requirements, Kugler said Public Works has indicated that storm water management will not be required for this specific development, because it was provided for within the Walden Hills development across Highway 218. Kugler pointed out that there is a 24-inch diameter culvert that would take water from the property across Highway 218 and into a basin within the Walden Hills property that has been sized to accommodate development on this property. Kugler said he looked at the site with one of the engineers from Public Works and it appears the water from the site will drain into the culvert rather than go further north, as one of the members of the public had been concerned about. As part of the approval of this project, a grading plan would be required. Regarding the Sensitive Areas Ordinance, Kugler said there are critical slopes (over 25 percent) on this site and the plan proposes a small amount of grading within that area. He said the Sensitive Areas Ordinance permits the disturbance of critical slopes as long as they do not exceed 40 percent. The 40-foot setback along Rohret Road caused the disturbance of the Planmng and Zoning Cor. January 21.1999 Page 11 ssion Minutes critical slope area. Given the fact that these are not natural slopes, he said staff feels that maintaining the setback for the residential units along the artedal street should take precedence over the protection of the slope. He said the plan has been reviewed and staff found that the plan is in compliance with the City's ordinances. He said, staff recommends approval, pending. the approval of a grading plan prior to City Council consideration of the rezoning and sensitive areas development plan. Kugler added that because of the cdtical slopes on the property, this is a sensitive areas overlay rezoning rather than just a planned development rezoning. The process is still the same. Kugler said before the meeting, he had distributed to Commission members copies of the letters he had received. Supple said she thought this originally was an OPDH rezoning request. Kugler said because of the presence of cdtical slopes on the property and the fact that those critical slopes are going to be disturbed, the City's ordinance requires that it be a sensitive areas overlay rezoning. He said this does not affect the layout of the plan or the approval process, it simply affects some of the information the applicant is required to place on the plan. It is essentially a planned development where the City is looking at the slopes more closely. Gibson asked about the contour lines shown on the overhead. Kugler said the lines shown are the current contour lines. The proposed wall is parallel with the contours. Ehrhardt stated that she noticed many of the letters from neighboring property owners were concerned about the lack of an emergency turnaround. Kugler responded that the fire department has recommended a turnaround on both sides. Ehrhardt asked if there would be room for parking along both sides. Kugler said there is a two- . car garege for each unit, some ddveway space, and there could be some spillover parking on Duck Creek Drive. He noted that other collector streets around town also have parking on them. Schintler asked if there were any other subdivisions with single-family housing where there is no street dividing where the other types of homes are. Kugler said they certainly have this type of situation where the dwellings are across the street from each other. He said they have situations where there are townhouses across the street from single-family homes. Miklo said another area where they have townhouses and single-family homes in the same vicinity would be Village Green. Ehrhardt pointed out that it is unusual to have multi-family units next to single-family homes. Kugler said that is true, but the new Comprehensive Plan is calling for more integretion of housing types. Schintler stated she visited the area and thought it looked like there is already high-density housing in the area and questioned why they would need more. Kugler said that is a decision that must be made by the Commission. He said staff sees Rohret Road as an arterial street, appropriate for higher density development, and Highway 218 as a division between that neighborhood and the area to the east. Public discussion: Bob Bums. 318 North Gilbert Street, said he is the architect and developer on the project. He stated that he was in attendance to speak for the applicant. He said he wished to remind everyone that the Comprehensive Plan calls for residential neighborhoods with diverse housing types and diverse income levels. This development fits that goal. There were two issues raised at the last meetin9 about density and design. Regarding density, Bums said there are three OPDH developments in close proximity to this neighborhood: the proposed development by the Planning and Zoning Comn January 21.1999 Page 12 on Minutes GICHF, the existing Walden Hills, and the existing Mormon Trek Village. He said Mormon Trek Village has a density of eight units per acre (approximately 29-acre development), Walden Hills has a density of seven and a half units per acre (approximately 40-acre development), and the GICHF is designed at five units per acre. He said to maintain the economic feasibility of the project, the density needs to stay at five units per acre. He added that the five units per acre is within the density limits of the RS-5 district. He stated that the two examples in the Commissioners' meeting packets were both small developments. Lot 51 in Walden Hills is 25 dwelling units on 2.9 acres (8.6 units per acre) and Washington Square Condominiums has 16 units on 2.04 acres (7.8 units per acre). He said the density of this proposed development is lower than the two neighboring existing OPDH developments by 50 percent. Regarding the design, Burns showed the Commission the site plan for Mormon Trek Village. He said there are 8 four-plexes along Mormon Trek and Robrot Road. He showed elevations of the buildings and noted that the 8 four-plexes change the variations of roof lines and the color of the bdck and the siding. All have asphalt shingle roofs. At the rear of the elevation, there is total concrete paving and the rear entrance to the building is through the garage. If someone were to visit the resident, they would need to walk around to the front of the building. Bums then showed the Commission the similarities between the 8 buildings. He contrasted this design with the four- plex design of the proposed GICHF development. He showed the front elevation which has bdck at the ground-floor level, siding at the second-floor level, asphalt shingles, and vaded roof lines. The rear elevation is compatible with the front because the second floor level uses similar material. The ground floor level has garages and public entrances from the driveway. A visitor could park at the rear and enter the building without having to go through the garage. He said they revised the five-plex by adding a double-gable in the center and changing the roof lines. Bums pointed out that, as shown on the site plan, they have enlarged the play area and open space to approximately 8,000 square feet and, with the Commission's approval, are proposing a picket fence along Rohret Road and along the side yard on Duck Creek Ddve. He also pointed out that the rear elevation is not a sea of concrete paving; there are patios next to the driveways and covered porches. They have also added five parking spaces over and above the required parking for visitors. He added that the Fellowship would not have any objection to restricting some of the parking on Duck Creek Ddve if the Commission chose to do so. Ehrhardt said the letters she read made it sound like the developer had requested paying a fee in lieu of open space. Kugler said that was actually the recommendation of staff in looking at the amount of open space that would be required as part of this development and where the site is located. Staff did not see much public benefit to acquiring land in this location; however this would need to be looked at by the Parks and Recreation Commission. Beth Schenkel. 1252 Duck Creek Drive, said she did not see any sort of a buffer zone in the plan. She agrees that the housing would blend in well with Mormon Trek Village; however, Mormon Trek Village is not in sight from that area. She thought what would work well in the area would be a small cul-de-sac with small homes on smaller lots. She noted that small homes would blend in beautifully with the neighborhood and that small homes are being built on the opposite side of Highway 218. In addition, she stated that because of the building's position, she would have four front doors opening onto her yard. With five parking spaces, any visitors could use her yard as public access. She did not think this is right or fair. She said that the sidewalk from the front doors meanders along and through the development. This would cause her to put a six to eight foot fence along her side yard. The brick on the building would be hidden by a fence but this is what she would have to do to protect her yard. She said she thinks this is a huge mistake. Planrang and Zoning Com, ..ss~on Minutes January 21. 1999 Page 13 Schenkel noted that another problem with the density is that a right turn cannot fit on the road. The first couple of units on either side would have to back out of their driveways onto the street while trying to watch out for children and traff~c that cannot be seen from straight on. Because of the increased traffic and decreased visibility from cars parking on the street, she believes driving will be a mess. Schenkel said that a lot of thought and planning has gone into making this development financially viable, but if this is the type of housing needed to make it financially viable, the lot was overpriced in the first place. She said the lot was purchased in 1996 for $75,000 and is now being sold for $150,000. She does not know anyone in the neighborhood who has seen that kind of increase in property values. Jerry_ L. Williams. 1232 Duck Creek Ddve, said he is a neighbor of Schenkel's. He thanked the Planning and Zoning Commission for providing the opportunity to express their views. He said that he met at the local school with many of the people attending the meeting to discuss this issue. The consensus of the neighbors was not against low-income housing and in fact, they believe they already have this type of housing at Walden Hills, which is at the bottom of the hill from where they live. As he leaves his neighborhood, all he can see is multi-family housing. He is concerned about having a development with this density in an area where there are no condominiums without any transition point. As for density, Williams said the county assessor recognizes 2.1 acres versus the 2.78 acres listed by the applicant. He wonders what the use of green space is if children are standing on a 33 percent slope. He said the applicant discusses 14 units to create a density of five units per acre. Two of the units are four-bedroom and the rest are three-bedroom. He said this would equate to 42-60 people living there (or 30 people per acre) and 8-10 people per acre living dght across the street. He said there would be no transition in the density. Williams said safety is also an obvious concern. He noted that GICHF's own matedal states that the majodty of their clients are children. He questioned where the children would play because the Interstate borders one side of the development, Duck Creek Ddve borders another side, and Rohret Road borders the other side. There are paved streets on three sides of the property. In addition, he said the Interstate drops off on one side and would be a danger to children who want to explore. He said there are no parks within walking distance and it would be difficult to confine children to the small play area. Many of the children may play on the bddge over the Interstate. Williams also noted that the Fellowship owns four four-plexes off of Mormon Trek that they consider to be a part of their neighborhood. The neighborhood believes that there are at least 41 low-cost housing units dght at the bottom of their hill in their neighborhood. In summary, the neighborhood understands that they cannot decide about building in this space even with the safety, the density, the transition, green space, on-street parking, and all of the concerns they have been discussing. He said the Commission has the choice and the neighborhood requests that they not approve the rezoning. Margaret Gugliano. 1106 Duck Creek Ddve, said she thinks this proposal by GICHF is not within the realm of the right use of the land and should not be granted. Regarding the density issue, she said if the land is in fact 2.78 acres, it is not all useable acreage. She said the other examples shown at the meeting, like Walden Hills, all have useable acreage. In this application, more of the units are crowded on less space. She said the odginal applicant plan had eight parking spaces. She said now with only five spaces, there will be overflow onto Duck Creek Drive. She read a passage from the 1994 Uniform Fire Code, Section 902 and stated that if the Planrang and Zoning Comn. January 21.1999 Page' 14 ,on Minutes additional fire lane is constructed as it should be, there will problems for those living on Duck Creek Drive in the event of an emergency. She said emergency safety vehicles will have to find an alternative route or wait until cars are towed or move the cars out of the way, which will increase the amount of critical time in getting to someone who needs assistance. Gugliano said although there is a play area, it appears that it is on the critical slope over the drainage pipe. She said she looked at the area and noticed that the drainage pipe appears to be blocked up. This may cause some problems with water and she would hope that if there is development in the area, they would make sure that the water would be able to drain. Regarding Highway 218 as a dividing line, Gugliano said the neighborhood disagrees with this estimation, because the houses west of Mormon Trek to the city limits have long been considered "the neighborhood" and the residents on the east side of Highway 218 have children attending the same grade school as those on the west side of Highway 218. She believes that this type of housing already exists in the neighborhood and meets the requirements of the Comprehensive Plan. She noted that the storm water management plan as presented in the staff report bddges the highway gap. Conceming the transition problem, Gugliano said the existing neighborhood has approximately 2.5 units per acre and the applicant's plans are not gradual in development in order to be compatible and integrated within the neighborhood. She noted the example of Walden Hills where extensive planning has helped to coordinate and transition from single-family homes, to duplexes, to townhouses, and back out. Gugliano stated that fences in the front yard are not in the covenants of the existing neighborhood and therefore are not in harmony with the neighborhood. In summary, she stated that they believe the application is not the appropriate use of land and that the applicant's designs have valid safety concerns, parking problems, play space problems, cdtical slope problems (which could encompass water retention problems), and valid transitional zoning problems. She said the property is not in harmony with the neighborhood and is not a gradual transition of housing styles. She added that neady 100 percent of the property owners within the 200-foot rule have petitioned against the rezoning of the property. Jacki Brennan. 1106 Pheasant Valley, read a statement that was being submitted by the Weber Elementary School PTA. She read, "The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) as a local, state and national organization has as its chief concern the safety and well-being of children. The Weber Elementary School PTA is especially concerned therefore about the inadequate safe play space in the plans submitted for development of the property at Rohret Road and Duck Creek Ddve. No building, even with a fence that stands so close to the roads, can effectively protect its underage occupants from the dangers of vehicular traffic in such close proximity. In this case, the situation is exacerbated with the presence of three busy thoroughfares--Rohret Road, Duck Creek Drive, and Highway 218. The proposed four to five-foot wall at the slope area at the edge of the green space which would also serve as a playground for potentially 20-40 children seems to be a dangerous solution to a cdtical slope issue. If the proposed buildings are going to house families, the City is laying the groundwork for sedous injury and/or possibly the death of a child; a tragedy that could be prevented if the number of dwellings is reduced to provide adequate green space away from the roadways. The Weber PTA therefore pleads with the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City of Iowa City to reject the proposal as submitted." Mike Maktabi. 20 Hunter's Place, said he lives about two blocks west of this development. He read a statement from Margaret Hopwood, 3263 Rohret Road, who was not able to attend due to illness. It read, "You have received my letters which have addressed a number of concerns which undoubtedly will be raised today. I would like to state again that I'm concerned with the Planning and Zoning Con. January 21.1999 Page 15 ssion Minutes quality of life, safety, and environmental issues that are inadequately addressed to this point in the Fellowship's proposal. I would urge you again to look closely at the property in question and at the proposal to see if this is the best possible use for this property.'" On his part, Maktabi stated that he lived in apartments all of his life and has two children that lived in apartments during part of their lives as well. He said that as a child he did not have access to green space or playgrounds, nor did his children during the first years of their lives. Based on his experience, he believes this development is asking for trouble from the children's perspective. He said if a child does not have enough playing ground, they will get into trouble. He commented that at the intersection of Duck Creek Drive and Rohret Road, there is reduced visibility and he has had some "close calls" there. Although he understands that Mr. Bums is concerned about the economic viability of the site, he said that 14 units with 28 kids and no playgrounds does not make sense. Mr. Maktabi said he believes a nine-unit proposal would make more sense, but may not make economic sense to Mr. Bums. David Wilder. 8 Hunters Glerl, said an issue regarding the safety of the children playing in the green space occurred to him at this meeting. He said the highway provides a tremendous source of constant noise. In his opinion, the "L" shape of the building will tend to act as a reflector of the sound, concentrating it in the only obvious play area for the children. Mike Mullinnix. 1242 Duck Creek Ddve, said he wanted to bring up one thing about safety and children. He said there were two instances dudng the last calendar year when people rang his doorbell because they were having car trouble. One of these people was a seven- or eight-year old boy asking for a can of gas. The child's dad was waiting with the truck that was heading north on Highway 218. The boy had crossed both sides of Highway 218 and climbed a barb- wire fence to get to Mullinnix's house. Mullinnix said he was alarmed that it was so easy for this boy to get to his property. He noted that if it was that easy for this boy, it will be easy for any child. Mullinnix said this is something the Council will definitely want to consider. Kevin Houlahan. 1215 Hunters Run, said the point was made by Mr. Bums that there would be rear entrances for guests. He said that he does not generally go to the back door when he visits people and envisions cars parking on Duck Creek Ddve and Rohret Road. He noted that this will make traffic more dangerous. Ted Garrett. 34 Hunters Place, said she wanted to read something she had just wdtten because it came from her heart. She read, "You all need to know who we are. To you, we might seem just like one more group coming to you with the attitude of 'not in my backyard." That is not who we are at all. We are the community of Irving B. Weber Elementary School. The philosophies Of our school permeate our neighborhoods. We are a community of learners. We are diversity. We cherish our students from Hawkeye Court. When other schools are afraid of overcrowding, we're more afraid of losing our Hawkeye Court kids. Therefore, if you knew us, you would know that we see ourselves as culturally and socioeconomically diverse. My point is this: we do not come to you as a 'not in my backyard' neighborhood. We come to you as a diverse neighborhood whose main concern you've heard tonight. One of the concerns is the disparity between single- family homes and 14 townhomes on a small piece of land. Our concem is not low-income housing, and if you knew us, you would know this to be true." Jack Young. 1275 Deerfield Drive, said his home faces this property. He said he obviously supports all of the things that have been said. He agrees that the highway poses a danger and that there seems to have been an attempt to subvert ordinances with the slope, with the water drainage, and with the green space by paying a fine now and forever having the problem. He said he believed the ordinance for green space was written for a reason and paying a fine to overcome the problem should not happen. He said that the developments this has been Plann,ng and Zoning Comn January 21. 1999 Page 16 .on Minutes compared to are 3040 acre lots that were designed for this type of density, but this area was not. He said one of the reasons he chose to build a home in the area 10 years ago was because he took assurance from the zoning ordinance that similar houses would be in the neighborhood. He noted that Rohret Road is the only road that goes to his house. He noted that his neighborhood cannot avoid going through the neighborhoods on the east side of Highway 218 and cannot avoid having those neighborhoods as a part of their property. He said he does not believe they have addressed the effect of this property on Weber Elementary School. He said the City has been looking at a lot of high-density units for the area. This property will add many more children. Regarding blending into the neighborhood, Young said this will be a virtually continuous building. He said people will see an almost, unbroken fiat front when they ddve into the neighborhood. He said that he does not agree with the idea of "forcing' a large number of units onto a property to make it financially viable. He said it seems that they are trying to force 14 units into a space that will not accommodate it, will not fit into the neighborhood, and is not appropriate. He asked to Commission to please vote against the proposal. Chait wished to state for the record that there are no ordinances that are being "subverted." He said there is no fine concerning open space. The provision is for a fee in lieu of open space. He believes the intention of the fee is to acquire green space elsewhere in the neighborhood. He noted that he is not defending the ordinance, he is simply stating facts for the record. Young said he apologized for the characterization, but he wanted the Commission to think about what affect this will have on the value of the property in 50 years if the fee is paid in order to overcome the lack of green space. He noted that the rest of the neighborhood is already developed, unlike Walden Place. He said people who purchase property at Walden Place know exactly what they are getting. Young said he also believed most of this property in the proposal may be rented rather than owned, which would bdng a different characterization to the neighborhood as well. Terd Larson. 1321 Goldenrod Ddve, said she has been attempting to research having a development like this in Iowa City. She said it was mentioned that there really are only two developments that are similar-the Washington Square Condominiums that were discussed eadier in the meeting and the proposed Walden Hills development. She commented that part of the Comprehensive Plan is to integrate neighborhoods. She does not believe this development will be in compliance with the integration plan given that the neighborhood feels they already are . integrated. She reiterated that the neighborhood does not see Highway 218 as the dividing line, rather Rohret Road is their neighborhood. She said this is the only place in Iowa City where a dwelling like this will be bordered by single-family homes. Mike Maktabi. 20 Hunter's Place, said he believes that the upper legal limit of minorities in Weber School will be exceeded with this development and asked if someone would look into this. City Attorney Holecek stated that the Commission looks only at land use issues, not who the inhabitants of the property will be. In addition, she stated that the question is not relevant at all. (~eth Schenkel. 1252 Duck Creek Drive, said she understands that there is a 20-foot setback on the front and from the side there is a five-foot setback. She said she does not understand how the front doors can face Duck Creek Drive and be called the side. Kugler said technically in applying the setbacks, the street frontages would be required to have a front yard setback of 20 feet. The setback is 22 feet on the plan. In applying the terms of the zoning ordinance. they would have a 40-foot setback along Rohret Road and a 20-foot along Planning and Zoning Com~,nssion Minutes Janua~ 21,1999 Page 17 Duck Creek Drive, Schenkel asked how far back that wound be from her property line. Kugler said the actual setback from her property line to the proposed building is 22 feet. Schenkel asked if this has been done before where a yard is sandwiched between front doors and the street. Kugler responded that this is an unusual parcel. Bob Burns. 318 North Gilbert Street, said he wished to clear up a couple of points about visitors walking across the neighbor's property. He pointed out that there is a four-foot high picket fence that is planned. Ehrhardt said it appears the fence ends at the last house and if she were a child, she would go around the fence and go across the yards. Burns said they would not be opposed to continuing a fence back to the property line if that is a concern. He said they have not ignored that issue. Regarding the size of the tract, he said the 2.78 acres is from a survey completed by MMS consultants. He also pointed out that in addition to the two parking spaces in the garages, there are two parking spaces in front of the garages. Bums also asked Kugler to point out the two small sensitive areas on the slope. He said the only infringement is a tiny comer on the lower sensitive area. Initially, the City thought they may not come under the ordinance because this was a man-made slope from the construction of Highway 218. Later research showed that it did not matter if it was man-made or natural. Schintler asked about the fill that was used last summer for Walden Hills and questioned whether any of the buildings would be on that fill. Bums said the filling was done before they purchased the property. Schintler also asked about the triangle-shaped play area. She looked at another plan for a house built in Hunter's Run to see how the size of it corresponded to this play area. She visited the site and wondered on what part of the land the play area would be. Bums stated that the slopes in the play area are very gradual. He said that compared to Lot 51, they have just as much space if not more. Schintler said that does not make it dght. Bums said he hopes this application is not turned down because it is family housing. Mary_ Ann Dennis. Greater Iowa City_ Housing Fellowship, stated that their title is often confused. She said it was mentioned that they have 16 lots across Highway 218. She stated that this is not the case. The Iowa City Housing Authority has an owner-occupied project in Walden Hills. GICHF does not have 16 lots across Highway 218. GICHF owns 16 rental units on Clearwater Court. Patti Willlares. 1357 Goldenrod Ddve. stated that the neighborhood did not want the proposal to be turned down because it is family housing, but because they feel that it is unsafe family housing. Charlie Eastham. 1152 East Court Street, said he is President of the Board of Trustees of the GICHF. He said they are interested in the comments people have made about this development. He said they would be happy to meet with people from the neighborhood and discuss the vadous issues. He said he believes everything can be reasonably addressed if they all work together. His main concern is the notion that the Housing Fellowship would be involved in something that would be unsafe for children. He said they have not done that in the past or present, and will not do so in the future. He said he believes all of these issues can be addressed. He stated that his children have done some unreasonable things in the past, but by and large act decently and safely no matter where they are. He would expect the children living in this development to act just as his children do, and would not have any concerns about his children living in this development or any other unit owned by the Housing Fellowship. He reiterated that they would be happy to meet with anyone from the neighborhood to talk about these issues. Ehrhardt said she had talked to Eastham pdor to the meeting. She said she strongly supports the goals of the Fellowship and her call was to try to figure out if there was some compromise Planmng and Zonmg Comr. January 21,1999 Page 18 ,ion Minutes between what the neighbors needed and what the Fellowship needed. She understands a lower number of units may not be financially feasible. She asked him to explain what other options they might have for the site. Eastham said they are trying to achieve affordable housing throughout the community and would be happy to meet with anyone from the neighborhood to look at options. He said they would appreciate some guidance from the Commission on what they should look at. He said the number of units is a difficult thing to decrease and yet keep at the target rent prices that the Fellowship has to meet and wants to meet. If they can come to an agreement that the neighborhood would feel comfortable with, they would be happy to do that. Erin Lederhaus. 1324 Goldenrod, said the main problem she has with the proposal is the fact that all of the problems they have discussed appear on this parcel of land in close proximity to three busy streets. In addition, she disagrees with a proposal that does not conform to the gradual integration and promotion of diversity by allowing single-family for-purchase homes to be immediately next to rental property. In the neighborhood's opinion, their neighborhood encompasses all of the homes in the Weber School District. Therefore, they do have representation of this type of housing. Public discussion closed. MOTION: Schintler moved to approve j~, an application submitted by GICHF Limited Partnership for a rezoning of 2.78 acres from Low Density Single-Family Residential (RS-5) to Sensitive Areas Overlay (OSA-5) to permit a 14-unit residential development on property located at the northeast corner of Duck Creek Drive and Rohret Road. Shannon seconded the motion. Gibson asked if the applicant would be willing to defer. Chait asked what information the Commission still needs. Ehrhardt stated that if the developer would be willing to talk with the homeowners and they deferred this, it would save the applicant a $300 application fee. Chait said he believed they had enough information. Gibson stated that he did not have enough information. Supple asked Mr. Bums and Mr. Eastham if they would be willing to waive the 45- day limitation period to the February 4, 1999 meeting. Bums and Eastham stated they had no objection to that. MOTION: Gibson moved for an amendment to the motion to defer ~$,7,~, an application submitted by GICHF Limited Partnership for a rezoning of 2.78 acres from Low Density Single-Family Residential (RS-5) to Planned Development Housing (PDH-5) to permit a 14-unit residential development on property located at the northeast corner of Duck Creek Drive and Rohret Road. Chait seconded the motion. Gibson stated that his only motivation for deferring this was to find out if the Commission was ready to vote on the proposal. He added that if the Commission is ready to vote, they should do SO. Bovbjerg stated that she is not sure how many of the Commissioners do not have their decision made, but because this is an important vote, if there's any doubt in anyone's mind, it would be better to defer the vote, Holecek asked if the deferral is going forward, does the Commission have any direction for staff or the applicant with respect to what they wish to see develop between now and the next meeting. She said this way the Commission will not feel that they are covedng the same ground because there will be new ground to address with respect to this application. Bovbjerg expressed concern that the Commission would give the impression that if one thing or Planning and Zoning Corn,..,,sion Minutes January 21, 1999 Page 19 another were changed, the Commission would vote in favor of the proposal. She thought there might be a problem with giving direction. Holecek stated that she thought there were a number of applications in the past where the Commission has given feedback to the developer with respect to concerns that they had and which were subsequently addressed. She said that she does not believe they have ever boxed themselves into a position where if the applicant tweaked the density, tweaked the open space, etc. that the Commission would be forced to support it. She said the Commission has always maintained assessment of the proposal on its merits in each instance. She said the Commission has gone through several stages with applications where they have been modified until they have become acceptable. Schintler stated that she believes she knows this preperty well because she sees it often. She feels that it would be helpful if other Commissioners were to look at the preperty. Gibson said that he did go look at the property and did not notice anything extraordinarily unusual other than its location. He stated that the slopes do not seem tremendous, but quite gradual, He said on numerous occasions they will accept in the calculation of density undevelopable land. It is figured into the acreage that goes into the density calculation. He believes this is a good piece of developable property. He reiterated that if six people are ready to vote, they should vote. If not, they should wait. Supple stated that she disagrees. She said if someone will be certain after further discussion, they should wait. Ehrhardt stated that she would vote against this. However, if there is the possibility of a compromise, she would be very interested in that and would want a deferral. Chait stated that most of the neighborhood folks have not seen the entire process. He said the process is exciting to him, listening to the concerns of the community, etc. He noted that as a Commissioner, he is grateful for the opportunity to serve the City. He stated that the kinds of concerns they often hear are "this is great for the community, but not in my neighborhood." He believes that this is not where this neighborhood is coming from and that their hearts are in the right place. He said he is also grateful that he is only one person on the Commission, because his vote cannot sway anything. Frem his perspective, he feels that this project is much better than the project on the other side of Highway 218. He said a lot of the technical criteria are met - in a superior way compared to other projects the Commission has seen. This is not to say that the project does not have problems. However, he believes there may be room for compromise and would encourage the neighbors to be solution-oriented. Shannon said this looks like a good project and he goes along with the idea of having diversity in housing. He said one place that comes to mind is the Peninsula which is currently being planned and anyone that moves there knows what they are going to get. He said he is familiar with this neighborhood and believes that everyone knew what the ground rules were when they moved there. He said he moved to a nice neighborhood on the east side with a nice play area, yet the kids are playing in the creek down the street. He said children will go where they want to. He said he too is also concerned about the transition between rental property and single-family homes. He thinks this is a good project, but would have to vote against it because of these problems. Gibson said he can appreciate what Shannon said about how the project does not fit into the neighborhood well. He said he is anxious to support diversity and low-cost housing, but this proposal does not fit well. He believes the whole thing can be reconfigured in a manner that is Planning and Zoning Comn Januar'/21.1999 Page 20 ,on Minutes more compatible with the neighborhood. He said he would not be comfortable voting against this, because he too wants to see the City creating diversity of housing; however, he does not see how the compromise can happen. Bovbjerg said irs important to remember that if irs the right use of the land, irs the right use of land regardless of whether it rents or sells, what it looks like, or who's living in it. She said it is easy to get off on the periphery of who "they" are, who "we" are, but this is actually square footage, buildings, and acres. She said this is where their focus has to be. Chait added that he does not believe that they have the authority to look at the economic value of what happens. Nor do they have the authority in terms of planning and zoning issues to look at whether it is owner-occupied or rented. Holecek agreed and said that is not a valid consideration. Chait also said he does not believe a lesser number of units would make any difference. He does not think that they could make it less units and still do this. Ehrhardt said that she cannot object to the density, but she does object to jumping to RS-5 multi-family houses. The density fits, but they need to change the compatibility in terms of the major jump in types of housing. Supple said compatibility is her issue too. She said it does matter how the building looks, because the configuration of the building does fail to blend into the neighborhood as a gentle change phasing from one type of housing to another. She said she is not opposed to the density. She said staff in the past presented designs that looked like large houses and she believes these may fit well in the neighborhood. This type of building may be more pleasant than the townhouse style building. Gibson withdrew the motion to defer and Chait concurred. Supple said the motion on the floor was to approve ~. The main motion failed on a vote of 1-6, with Schintler, Shannon, Bovbjerg, Supple, Ehrhardt and Gibson voting no. REZONING ITEM: REZ98-0018/SUB98-0031. Public discussion of an application submitted by South Pointe Partners for a preliminary plat of South Pointe Addition, Part 7, an 8.08, 40-lot residential . subdivision, and a rezoning from Medium Density Single-Family Residential (RS-8) to Planned Development Housing Overlay/Medium Density Single-Family Residential (OPDH-8) for property located at the western terminus of Langenberg Avenue and Hemmingway Lane. (45- day limitation period: waived to January 21, 1999.) Kugler said this is a request to rezone approximately eight acres located at the west terminus of Langenberg Avenue and Hemmingway Lane from RS-8 to OPDH-8 and for the approval of a preliminary plat to establish South Pointe Addition, Part 7. The plan would include 40 building lots, many of which are arranged around a commonly held courtyard rather than a public street. It would replace portions of Parts 2 and 3 of the South Pointe Addition that were previously platted. He showed the 37 lots that were previously approved. The proposed development would be for a total of 40 lots. He said this is a request for rezoning and a preliminary plat. Without the approval of the rezoning, the preliminary plat cannot be approved as some of the modifications that are being requested would not be permitted in the underlying RS-8 zone. Therefore if the rezoning is not approved, the plat cannot be approved. Kugler said evaluating the rezoning request deals with compliance with the Comprehensive TO: PROTEST OF REZONING HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL IOWA CITY, IOWA JAN 19 1999 Clll MAHAGER'$ OFFICE We, the undersigned, being Ihe owners of twenty percent or more of the area of the property Included In the proposed zoning change, or Ihe owners of twenty percent or more of {he property which Is located within two hundred feet Of the exterior boundaries of the propert,/for which the zoning change Is proposed, do hereby protest the rezonlng of the following property: This petition Is signed and acknowledged by each of us with the Inlenllon that such rezonlng shall not become effective except by the favorable vote of at least three-fourths of all the members of the council, all In accordance with §414.5 of the Code of Iowa. owne~(s) of Property Address STATE OF IOWA JOHNSON COUNTY On this ~5 day of '~,.,,4 , 19 ¢~, before me. the undersigned, e Notary Public In and for said"C;3unty and ~tate. plersonally appeared .5"~'v~')J ~. Q ,4 ~-<¢,~J and to me known to be the Identical persons named In end who executed the within and foregoing Instrument and acknowledged that they executed the same as their voluntary act end deed. NOtary Pubfie In and for the State of iowa/O --.~/'~'~ By: Owner(s) of Property Address STATE OF IOWA ) ) JOHNSON"COUNTY ) 99: On this day of , 19 . before me, the underslgned, a Notan/Public In and for said County and State~ [jersonally appeared and to me known to be the Identical persons named In and who executed the wllhln and foregoing Instrument and acknowledged that they executed the Same as their voluntary act and deed. Notary Public In and for the State of IOWa PROTEST OF REZONING TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL >' r~ "~ IOWA CrTY, IOWA We, the undersigned, being the owners of twenty percent or more of the are p~'rty ro Included In the proposed zoning change, or the owners of twenty percent~br mo~e of the property which Is located within two hundred feet of the exterior boundaries of the property for which the zoning change Is proposed, do hereby protest the rezonlng of the following property: This petition Is signed and acknowledged by each of us with the Intention that such rezonlng shall not become effective except by the favorable vote of at least three-fourths of all the membe~~__~f..nc~rdance with §414.5 of the Code of Iowa. By: P-. ~-+ .. Owner(s) of Property Address STATE OF. JOW/~ ) UNTY) as: ) On this ~'~day of 19~,., before , ~e undersigned, a Nota~ Pubtic In ~d for said C unN and~nal~ appeared ~Y~} ~a~C~ and ~ to me known to be ~e Ide~Cal~s ~amed In and who execute ~hln and foregoing Ins~ment and ackno~edged fiat the xe~ted the same Nofa~ Public In end for ~e $tsle of~ Owner(s) of Property Address A R. tZa ~A ~C~UUNTY ) as: On this ~._~ay of ~ ,19~, before e, th u derslgned, ota~ Public In and execute~ ih~ ~llhln and foregoing Instrument and acknowledged lhat they executed Ihe game as their volun~ a~ and deed. '.,, Nota~ Public In and for t~ Slale of~ TOz PROTEST OF REZONING HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL IOWA CITY, IOWA We, the undersigned, being the owners of twenty percent or more of the area of the property included in the proposed zoning change, or the owners of twenty percent or more of the property which Is located within two hundred feet of the extedor boundaries of the property for which the zoning change Is proposed. do hereby protest the rezonlng of the following property: (_~ C~ HF FEere; Iy HDub( This petition Is signed and acknowledged by each of us with the Intention that such rezonlng shall not become effective except by the favorable vote of at least three-fourths of all the members of the coundl, all In accordance with §414.5 of the Code of Iowa. Owner(s) of Property Address STATE OF IOWA ) ) as: JOHNSON COUNTY ) On this J~day of ~ .19f¢)' , before me, the undersigned, a Notary Public In and executed ~e ~ffiln ~d foregoing Ins~ment and ackno~edged ~at ~ exerted the same as their volunt~ a~ and deed. · ~ ~/~o~ mo ~ ~/~ By: Owner(s) of Property Address STATE OF IOWA ) ) JOHNSON COUNTY ) as: On this day of ,19 , before me. the undersigned, a Notary Public in and for said County and State, personally appeared and to me known to be the Identical persons named in and who executed the within and foregoing instrument and acknowledged that they executed the ~ame as their voluntary act and deed. Notary Public In and for the State:"or!'lo,;~: J. .--. r',,,3 TO: PROTEST OF REZONING HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL IOWA CITY, IOWA --Ec-> We, the undersigned. being the owners of twenty percent or more of the area of the property included in the proposed zoning change. or the owners of twenty percent or more of the property which Is located within two hundred feet of the extedor boundaries of the property for which the zoning change Is proposed. do hereby protest the rezonlng of the following property: This petition Is signed and acknowledged by each of us with the intention that such rezonlng shall not become effective except by the favorable vote of at least three-fourths of all the members of the council, all In accordance with §414.5 of the Code of Iowa. By: Owner(s) of Property Address By: STATE OF IOWA ) ) as: JOHNSON COUNTY' } On this ~2(.) day of --~',,,'~ ,19_.~... before me. the undersigned, a Notary Public In and for said County and State, ersonally appeared ~ c .,._. ~ }~ and to me known to be the identical persons named in and who executed the within and foregoing Instrument and acknowledged that they executed the same as their voluntary act and deed. Nota"h/4~lic In~~'~'\~'~nd'~f~r e~S~ate Of Iowa Owner(s) Property Address STATE OF IOWA ) ) JOHNSON COUNTY ) aS: On this day of ...... 19 , before me, the undersigned, a Notary Public in and for said County and State. personally appeared and to me known to be the Identical persons named in and who executed the within and foregoing instrument and acknowledged that they executed the same as their voluntary act and deed. Notary Public in and for the State of Iowa TO: PROTEST OF REZONING HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL IOWA CITY, IOWA We, the undersigned, being the owners of twenty percent or more of the area of thfproperty Included In the proposed zoning change, or the owners of twenty percent or more of the property which Is located within two hundred feet of the extedor boundaries of the property fo,' which the zoning change Is proposed, do hereby protest the rezonlng of the following property: -F~,~u~cE. ?4~-EL- oF LAuD B0.~JO/~ _-r',,,'r~Ta--Te. '?-tO, This petition Is signed end acknowledged by each of us with the Intention that such rezonlng shall not become effective except by the favorable vote of at least three-fourths of ell the members of the council, all In accordance with §414.5 of the Code of lows. By: Owne r(s). of PropertyAddress STATE OF IOWA ) ) Ss: JOHNSON COUNTY ) On this II'Hnday of 3'A-/~PHf-V'. lg~q, before me, the undersigned, a Notary Public In and for said County end State, personally appeared ~ L/H//:I/~XT~' and to me known to be the Identical persons named In and who executed the within end foregoing Instrument and acknowledged that they executed the same as their voluntaP/act end deed. ~ NotaFy Pubjr'o/In end for the StaTe'of Iowa By: Owner(s) of Property Address STATE OF IOWA ) ) JOHNSON COUNTY ) as: On this day of , 19 , before me, the undersigned, a Notary Public In and for said COunty and State, personally appeared and to me known to be the Identical persons named In end who executed the within end foregoing Instrument and acknowledged that they executed the game as their voluntary act and deed. Notary Public In and for the State of Iowa TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL IOWA CITY', IOWA :-<r" We, the undersigned. being the owners of twenty percent or more of the ~a of t~ property included In the proposed zoning change, or the owners of twenty percent or fP~re of the property which le located within two hundred feet ot the axledot boundaries of the property for which the zoning change Is proposed, do hereby protest the rezoning of the following properly: G-IC:fiF Fa, nqik/Housinc/ COrncrof: 'F--,ahre,-I-'P-.:L. ~ 'b ~cL E-t~eLjb". This petition is signed and acknowledged by each of us with the Intention that such rezonlng shall not become effective except by the favorable vote of at least three-fourths of ell the members of the coundl, all In accordance with §41 4.5 of the Code of Iowa. By: Owner(s) of Property Address STATE OF IOWA ) ) JOHNSON COUNTY ) as: On this day of ,19 , before me, the undersigned. a Notary Public In and lor said County and State, personally appeared end to me known to be the Identical persons named In and who executed the within and foregoing Instrument and acknowledged that they executed the same as their voluntary act and deed. Notary Public In end for the State of Iowa w~s) of STATE OF IOWA JOHNSON COUNTY Property Address On this 15 day of ,..~Gr~!.~.O.('/. 19q ?. befors me the undersigned. a Notary Pubtic In and for said County and State, personally appeared ~Y'~,f~P,_ U-,) .' ~Cc~x ~ ~ to me kno~ to be the Identical persons named In and who executed ~e ~ffiin and foregoing Instrument and acknowledged that they executed the same as their volunta~ a~ and deed. Nota~ Public In and for ~e State of Iowa TO: PROTEST OF REZONING HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL IOWA CITY, IOWA 0 We. the u.ders,g.ed, bal.O .",e owner. o, twe.ty percant or ,'.ore of theth, ro included in the proposed zoning change, or the owners of twenty percen~m.c~, o~e CT~C HF ~-u'~i lv P~u6ir~ Cornr~r nF1;btn r~'P-d.~ t~L Creel :br. This petition is signed and acknowledged by each of us with the Intention that such rezonlng shall not become effective except by the favorable vote of at least three-fourths of all the members of the council, all In accordance with §414.5 of the Code of Iowa, 'Ov~er(a} of STATE OF ~OWA ) ) aS: JOHNSON COUNTY ) On this// day of --~d./tu._Gfq.-, 19 ~, before me, the undersl ned, a Notary Public In and for 'd nty and State, pellsonally appeared Z~/~/rf,~ ~.~'/~d)? ~rb and '~~ f ~_ to me known to be the Identical persons name~_' in and who exi~;uted the within .~d foregoing Instrument and acknowledged that they execdted the same as their voluntan/act and deed. Note~'y Public In and for the StaI~ of lowe Owner(s) of Property Address STATE OF 10WA ) ) JOHNSON COUNTY ) On this day of ,19 , before me, the undersigned, a Notary Public in and for said County and State, personally appeared and to me known to be the identical persons named in and who executed the within and foregoing Instrument and acknowledged that they executed the same as their voluntary act and deed. Notary Public in and for the State of Iowa 1243 Duck Creek Dr. Iowa City, IA 52246-8615 Janua~ 10,1999 To whom it may concern: We live wilhin 200 feet of the area under consideration for rezoning from RS-5 to PDH-5. We feel strongly that this would be a big mistake for the citizens of Iowa City, as well as for our neighborhood. To begin, the lot cannot suppod higher density housing without severely cornpromising the residents' safety and the immediate environment. Access from and parking along Duck Creek Dr. will create blind turns onto the street from Rohret Rd. in an area frequented by schoolchildren and pedestrians. The small, irregularly shaped parcel in question slopes toward Highway 218 and encompasses two environmentally sensitive areas; high density housing will require a lot of concrete and little yard, raising environmental and quality of life concerns. Economically, high density housing will not add significant tax revenue or any other substantial value to the community. Indeed, single family dwellings have the potential to add more to the tax coffers. Finally, the number of units which likely would be built adds minimal, if any, value to the quality and livability of the surrounding neighborhoods and the city at large. Any incremental benefits are more than offset by the safety and environmental compromises required. When we purchased our home, we asked and were told that the parcel was zoned for single family dwellings. We also leaned that a church, day care center, or similar project which would add true value to many citizens of Iowa City (and not just to the landowners, developers, and a small number of residents) could also be built. For these reasons, we believe that it would be a serious and costly mistake for all concerned to fezone this parcel. Robed D. Ihry TO: PROTEST OF REZONING HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL IOWA CITY, IOWA We, the undersigned, being the owners of twenty percent or more of the area of the property included In the proposed zoning change, or the owners of twenty percent or more of the property which is located within two hundred feet of the extedor boundaries of the property for which the zoning change Is proposed, do hereby protest the rezoning of the following property: Pc,K. AJeCi~'~rK,,d /r i>e>~ r~iA,J ,;~ This petition Is signed and acknowledged by each of us with the Intention that such rezonlng shall not become effective except by the favorable vote of at least three-fourths of all the members of the council, all In accordance with §414.5 of the Code of Iowa. Ow~e~~of I.L ~ Property Address CO C::) =.-. ,--- m "'i"t STATE OF IOWA ) ) ss: JOHNSON COUNTY ) -_~ On this j~day of ~, 19 if' , before me, the undersigned, a NOtary F~bllc in and for said County and State, personally appeared Y · It -zz-t/~,c~ :~' ~-- and ~ ----- to me known to be the Identical persons named in and who executed the within and foregoing Instrument and acknowledged that they executed the same as their voluntary act and deed. Notary Public In and for the State of Iowa By: Owner(s) of Property Address STATE OF IOWA ) ) JOHNSON COUNTY ) SS: On this day of ,19 , before me, the undersigned, a Notary Public in and for said County and State, personally appeared and to me known to be the identical persons named in and who executed the within and foregoing instrument and acknowledged that they executed the same as their voluntary act and deed. Notary Public in and for the State of Io~va TO: PROTEST OF REZONING HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL IOWA CITY, IOWA We, the undersigned, being the owners of twenty percent or more of the ~ea of ~ee property included in the proposed zoning change, or the owners of twenty percent or more of the property which Is located within two hundred feet of the extedor boundaries of the property for which the zoning change is proposed, do hereby protest the rezoning of the following property: This petition is signed and acknowledged by each of us with the Intention that such rezoning shall not become effective except by the favorable vote of at least three-fourths of all the members of the council, all In accordance with §414.5 of the Code of Iowa. Ov~er(s~ ,,o -~ t< W '~STA~ ~ Property Address ) as: JOHNSON COUNTY ) On this /& day of '~rr~/~_AJ. 19 ~?, before me, the undersigned, a Notary Public in and for said coanty and State, personally appeared ~ ~ and to me known to be the identical persons named in and who executed the within and foregoing Instrument and acknowledged that they executed the same as their voluntary act and deed. Owner(s) of By: Notary PubIraf in and f~ the State ~f Iowa Prope~ Address STATE OF IOWA ) ) ss: JOHNSON COUNTY ) On this \~'~"'day of .~'~.c ,-,-,-~-, 19 ~,S , before me, the undersigned, a Notary Public in and for said County and State, personally appeared ~ ~.,-, c. ~ .Q~,,-~.,,,,,,j and -- tO me known to be the Id;~;~cal p~rsons named in and who executed the within and foregoing Instrument and acknowledged that they executed the same as their voluntary act and deed. No't~/-B~c in and fo~ the St~e of lo~,a c ~ The following materials regarding this item were submitted by neighboring property owners or other interested persons. 1018 Pheasant Valley Street Iowa City, IA 52246-8621 January 18, 1999 Mr. Benjamin Chait 452 North Seventh Avenue Iowa City, IA 52245 Dear Mr. Chait: This letter expresses our concerns regarding a proposal by the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship to re-zone property at the corner of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive to allow the building of 14 townhouse-style dwelling units. We believe the points that follow merit careful consideration: Proposed Density -- Additional residents and the resulting number of vehicles going in and out of the proposed area will create serious congestion at the intersection. Even of more concern would be parking, both within the property area and on-street. Transition -- Rather than a gradual transition toward and blending with the existing area of single-family dwellings, construction of 14 townhouse-style dwelling units could well be considered jarring and precipitous. Green Space -- Has the GICHF considered a play area for children who will be living in this area? It would seem their willingness to pay a fee in lieu of providing a proper play area runs counter to their stated purpose regarding green space. The close proximity to Highway 218 surely will not contribute to the safety of children without the space they need and deserve. Water Retention -- It appears that a satisfactory water drainage system is not a part of the proposal. Lack of a Buffer Zone -- The architectural style of the proposed neighborhood appears abrupt and largely incompatible with the existing style of dwellings in the Hunters Run Subdivision. Thank you. Sincerely, Dean D. Carrington 1138 Hunters Run Iowa City, Iowa 52246 January 18,1999 Benjamin Chait 452 N. 7th Avenue Iowa City, Iowa 52245 Re: Re-zoning Rohret Road/Duck Creek Dear Zoning Commission Member: Please consider the following items during your deliberations regarding matter, and then reject the proposed request for change: · Parking and traffic problems that result from the higher density housing. · Esthetic incompatibility of townhouses so near to single family housing. · Lack of green-space. Thank you for your consideration. Very tr o~rs, n the above Iowa City... Iowa 52246-86 17 Januat'y 18, 1999 Benjamin Chair 452 North Seventh Avenue Iowa City, Iowa 52245 RE: The proposal to rezone !and at the corner of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive Dear Planning and Zoning Commission Member: We are writing to express our concerns regarding tile proposal to rezone the property at tile comer of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive in order to accommodate the proposed development by the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship: TIffs property was not originally developed to accommodate a l~gh density development. The streets were not designed to accommodate the level of traffic and street parking the proposed development would bring. The property is currently zoned appropriately for its design. The insertion of a townhouse development is inconsistent with the properties immediately adjacent. A number of higher density developments already exist east of Highway 2 18, which serves as a natural border to the existing single family development to the west. The current proposal provides no oppormmty for transition to the existing homes and neighborhoods. It is my understanding that the developer anticipates housing a high percentage of children, yet does not plan to incorporate green space or a play area. That decision, combined with the immediate proximity with Highway 2 18 and the increasingly busy Rohret Roach creates a significant safety risk for the very children this proposal intends to serve. We urge you to carefully consider these concerns in making your decision on this rezoning request. It is our belief that the property is zoned appropriately and that no change is warranted at this time. Sincerely, January 18, 1999 TO: Benjamin Chait, Commissioner Iowa City Planning & Zoning Commission RE: Proposed Rezoning at the corner of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive I am writing to you to express my concern over the proposed rezoning of property at the northeast corner of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive. My wife and I reside and own the property at 3207 Rohret Road, which is at the southwest corner of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive. I, personally, have lived on Rohret Road for over 40 years and have witnessed the development of the entire neighborhood. The most significant change to the neighborhood was the construction of Highway 218 in the mid 1980's. The highway cut directly though my neighborhood. The upgrade of Rohret Road from blacktop to pavement along with the construction of caged pedestrian bridges has significantly helped tie the two portions of the neighborhood back together by permitting more pedestrian and bicycle traffic throughout the area. From my prospective I have the following concems about the rezoning of property to OPDH-5 which could allow the construction of 14 townhouse dwelling units in the middle of the neighborhood: I have seen the original and revised elevations of the proposed townhouses and I feel that those designs, although attempting to incorporate architectural elements of the surrounding neighborhood, are too harsh. The attempt to offer breaks in the roof lines was not successful. The repetitive nature of the fronts and backs of the dwellings and the long roof lines simply do not fit into the existing neighborhood. There needs to be more variety and diversity in the design of the townhouses. Something needs to be done to soften the design and provide a more appealing view. The scope of the project is too large for the existing property. Although within the zoned density of the existing neighborhood, I would feel more comfortable with this project if it were adjacent to a large public open-space such as a school or a city park. This would provide more space for the occupants of the proposed project, specifically children, to play and recreate. I do not often witness the current residents of the neighborhood with backyards open to the highway using those backyards. The highway is noisy and obtrusive. This area will have the same visual and audio relationship to Highway 218. The proposed play area or "back yard" for the project will be open to the highway and the atmosphere that goes with it. There needs to be a more gradual transition in density between the proposed townhouse project and the adjacent residential density. I am aware that Hunter's Run could have been developed at a greater density, but the fact remains that the adjacent density is established. It may be two or three houses per acre instead of five. Perhaps cutting the townhouse project back to 8 units in two buildings would be an alternative. Or, designing the project with the use of fewer zero-lot line units spread evenly over the site may be a more acceptable choice. I believe there are better sites within the neighborhood for a development project of this nature. Consider the space between Walden Road, Walden Court and Mormon Trek Blvd. There are already townhouses in that part of the neighborhood. The proposed townhouse project would be less of a change to the surrounding residential density. It is removed from the problems associated with the highway. It is closer to a large developed city park. Municipal bus service is already provided to the area. It would be a good fit. We already have diversity of residential housing within the neighborhood. A glance at the zoning map of the area cleady demonstrates that fact. RS 5, PDH 5, RR 1, OSA-8, OPDH 8, RS 8 and PDH 12 are labels on the site location map for the proposed rezoning. Highway 218, which cuts through the center of the neighborhood, also provides a reasonable transition area from the higher to lower density portions of the neighborhood. I believe that the concerns that I have listed all fall within the bounds of reasonableness. Please consider these concerns when you determine what might be the best use for the property located at the northeast comer of Rohret Road and Duck 'Creek Drive. Regards, Steve Carson 3207 Rohret Road Iowa City, IA 52246 Tt): Planning and Zoning Commission Members From: Lea Supple Ann Bovbjerg Benjamin Chait Richard Gibson Marilyn Schintler Dean Shannon Pan Earhardt Kara and Ron Logsden, 3627 Foxana Drive, Iowa City IA , Re: Development at the Corner of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive Date: January 18.1999 We have strong objections to the proposed plan by the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship (GICHF) at the corner of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive. Please consider each of the points listed below when considering any zoning change requests for this parcel of land: Buffer Zone: The buffer zone does not provide for adequate transition from the adjacent single- family homes to the proposed project. The higher density homes are located on the other side of the interstate, and are not contiguous from a functional nor a visual point of view. With no buffer zone, the architectural style of the neighborhood is incompatible with what is proposed and does little to blend into the neighborhood. Proposed Density: Again, the higher density homes are not contiguous to this parcel. This also violates the Transition Zone -- gradual transition into the existing density of the neighborhood, as stated as acceptable zoning principle in Allan Vestal's Iowa Land Use Zoning Law, section 3.21(1). This density raises several other issues: Parking - both within the planned development and on-street. Cars will use both planned and on-street parking. Duck Creek was not planned to accommodate this type of parking. This will increase congestion at the intersection of Duck Creek and Rohret Road and raises many safety issues. Emergency Vehicle Clearance: The proposal does not allow room for emergency vehicle turnaround. Green Space: ~'aymg a fi:e in lieu of providing a play area ti3r children is not acceptable. Based on · information provided by the applicant, GICHF, they currently house 173 people - the majority of which are children. With 218 South and Rohret Road (35 mph speed limit and busy) for backyard playgrounds, we believe extreme consideration should be given not only for the safety of the children living within the proposed units, but also to the traffic using 218 South and Rohret Road. Water Retention: The water retention system within this proposal is not acceptable. If the water is not properly channeled, we question the erosion of the east bank onto 218 South or the flow of water into the storm sewer system, which empties at the bottom of Duck Creek Road at Willow Creek. The water retention system in our neighborhood is already compromised and the storm sewer, from recent storms, appears to be at maximum capacity. Thank you tbr your attention to our concerns with the proposed development at Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive. Along with many of our neighbors, we believe this is not an appropriate use of this parcel of land. To: Lea Supple, Ann Boubjerg, Benjamin Chit, Richard Gibson, Marilyn Schintler, Dean Shannon, Pare Ehrhardt From: Terri Larson, licensed real estate agent, writer for the Press-Citizen Writer's Group, Home Address - 1321 Goldenrod Drive Date: January 20, 1999 RE: Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship I'm writing in response to the proposal regarding the comer lot of Duck Creek Drive and Rohret Road. The proposal now before Planning and Zoning is not a good one. On several different levels I'd like to address why. From a real estate agent standpoint, this lot was not suitable for anyone looking to build a single family home. The lot is surrounded on three sides by roads - one of which is a four-lane highway. Safety would be a major, major consideration for anyone with children, and it doesn't matter how many fences you install. Roads and children have never mixed well, and you're seRing up the people living in this complex with roads on three sides. Those people looking to build an expensive home have never considered this an appropriate parcel because of those big three real estate words - location location location This 2.78-acre (is it?) parcel was not even priced for consideration of building a single family home on it. You have derided several members of the neighborhood for stating that they do not want 14 townhouse rental units dropped into the middle of their neighborhood. You have accused them of suffering from NIMBY syndrome, and lauded the efforts of the GICHF for wanting to provide affordable housing to those in need. If you carry this "Christian" thought process through, however, you'll arrive at an even worse realization that what you're really saying is EVEN THOUGH THIS LAND ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH FOR AN EXPENSIVE SINGLE FAMILY HOME, IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR SOMEONE WHO HASN'T MANY RESOURCES. So the safety of a child from a lower socio-economic background isn't important to you? No matter how you would explain that away, no matter how high your fences, it is the message you would be conveying. Again, from a real estate agent's standpoint, putting a 14-unit townhouse development right in the middle of a single-family neighborhood will have an adverse affect on property values. (Whether you like this or want to hear this won't change this.) When I tried to think of an example that I could research, I had trouble coming up with any. There are apartment buildings on 1 st Avenue going north in Iowa City, which is a predominantly single-family home neighborhood. Underground parking is available to them, and they are all brick umts. They are very attractive in appearance. But I can't really think of any other location where there are townhouse units such as the proposal describes that are located in an area such as Duck Creek Drive. Facts and Figures - Six homes have sold on Duck Creek Drive in the last three years. The prices ranged from a low of $140,000 to a high of $280,000. The median price was $172,000. All of these homes were on the interstate side of Duck Creek. It would be safe to say that the other side of Duck Creek is the more preferable side since there is a beautiful gully filled with trees behind the houses. Taking into account condition, floor plans, etc., those homes on the park side of Duck Creek would probably sell for a bit more. If you put a 14 unit townhouse complex on the comer lot, there would be less market appeal for any home on Duck Creek. If you were conservative and said a 3% decline in market value, for the 46 homes at a median price of $175,0000 you'd be looking at a property value decrease averaging $5250 per household. Taken times 46 households, you'd see a potential decrease of $241,500 for just those residents living along Duck Creek Drive. Of course, the more expensive the home, the bigger the decrease. (A $200,000 home would look at a $6,000 hit.) And that's conservative. What if it ended up being more like a 10% decrease in value? You'd be looking at over 3/~ of a million dollars on just this street alone. Will there be a dumpster for all the trash, or will there be 28 trash cans and 14 recycling bins lined up along Duck Creek every Monday? Ifthere's a dumpster, you're starting to look a lot like Hawkeye Drive apartments. Now, there is nothing wrong with Hawkeye Drive and Hawkeye Court. I lived there for 4.5 years. But I moved out and into this neighborhood. Selling and listing real estate is my profession. Put yourself in the position of a prospective buyer. How attractive would Duck Creek Drive be to you when the entrance and street is crammed with cars and kids, and on Mondays, possibly a lot of trash cans? You, just like anyone else, would tell me to keep driving and you'd look a little further away. If you do pass the rezoning and permit this unit to be built, you will hurt many people, whether monetarily, emotionally, or value-wise. Who will be responsible when property values decrease? And despite what Mr. Chait alleged it would not matter if these 14-units were each worth $200,000. It's too many units tucked into a small space. The question worth asking yourselves is this: If we don't pass this rezoning, whom do we hurt? The developers? The landowners? Is their stake as important or equal to what's at stake for the immediate neighbors? The fact remains - this parcel of land is an awkward piece of land. It was divided from the rest of the 55-acre Cole estate when Highway 218 went through. It's basically a little chunk of land without much use. Now I realize they're not making anymore land, and it causes many hands to itch when land within the city limits is just sitting idly by. Your task at hand is difficult. Even though this proposal is an option for this chunk of land, I do not think it is making the best use of this land because of the havoc you will create for the homeowners living by it. This 2.78-acre parcel is not an island, nor is it a continuation of three blocks of townhouses. It was previously stated that we needed to accept this proposal because we needed to integrate "our neighborhood." Whether you agree or disagree, those of us who live out here do not see Highway 218 as a dividing line. All of Rohret Road and its off streets are part of our neighborhood. To say we're not integrated is laughable. We are a community because of Weber School, and if you lived here and saw how things operate, you'd understand. While this Item 5 might seem to be a contradiction to Item 4, it's not. All of Rohret Road is one community. But within this community are many different units. Mormon Trek Village is one. Walden Court is another. Walden Road, Coil Drive, Irving, Jensen. Walden Hills is another. Hunter's Run, Wild Prairie Part I & II. Southwest Estates. Kessler Subdivision (I don't know if it has another name). All the homes on the south side of Rohret Road which have larger, country-type lots. We have a church, a retirement complex, and elementary school. In taking a broad view, you'll find we've been a very open area to change and differences. But the 14-unit rental townhouses do not fit on that parcel. It just doesn't mesh. In closing, I ask that you base your decision on what's right for the neighborhood, not what's right because there's a purchase agreement and someone with money is waiting for the go ahead. Even though it's hard to turn down a bird in hand, there has to be a better-suited purpose and use for this land that won't have an adverse affect on those already there. January 21, 1999 Plstming taxi Zonin~ Commiuee Iowz City, IA To who it nuty concenx: I am writing you regarding my concern about the request for rezonin~ of the property on th~ corner of Rohret Rosl and Duck Creek Drive in Iowa City. It is my undentsnding that this propezty is presenly zotzd for single family dwelling, s~ud th~ propaty owners s~ re~tue~ting rezoning of ~e land zo g-commo~te multi-unit houxing. My buSbrad and I own property alou$ Rohx~'t Road z~ w~ll, and we are adaman~y ag=in~ th~ c. ons~-u~on of any multi-unit dwellings on the w~t sid~ of law, rstaw 1-380. First of all, I do not undastsnd why ~ would buy prope~y in a residenti~ area knowing full well it is zoned ss r~'idential single family, with their only intent being to bm'ld multi-unit hottsiag, likely fur low-income families, This is in~oasid~ofexis~x~ property owners in this entire m not too xnm~aa th~ fact that it it incredibly ~ on their lit. developneat to oaan- ~ axis mghlmxt~. To approve this would be comple~y itsamsidn'~ of erAs~g prol~ own~s. who have purdmsed their hots~ in sn area thst wss zos~ for ~ fmnily housing. This would saso hsv~ sn effect on the wlue of property in flat area, especially those ~ along Rohm Road ~ bordering this ~om~ ~ is alRady many multi-unit housing areas, u weJl u high demity housing, on the east ~ of liner. tare I-]80. ~ shou/d well meff the nests of this area, without needing to begin high-demity s~o~_~i_'pg hilh-dsnsRy housing. Thee is NO NEF~ to begin developm~t of high-d~ty o~ multi-unit buildings in an exisfinE residenthi ndghbods~d. We have on~ of the nL_,~_ n~gh_~othoods in ~ City, ~ this ~posal would cergsinly be s~ mxwe[/.c,~.~- addition to ~ mbdivi$iOn. We want our neighbor'hoods px~L_,~:~.__ from individuals who ax~ not considering the best intmst of the nsighboxhood, but ag only considering ~ persons1 gain. As prope~ owners and tax-paysts d Iowa othetwiseistol~adslesdingtocutrentpropenyownen, who~ychogtoiMzrchs~ln'olgxtysmd h~musbas~nthekn~w~edge~fztming."itispres~y~T~d~ther0~ist~agaiastt~sp~snsf~r zoning that wet~ pregnt and in plsce wh~ this aru was developed. h was zoned this way for a reas~ benasefissiswhxismnsism~wRhthssm-mmsdinShomss. Tochss~sdssismclzanpdmoompl~z layou~ and plan ofthis m. In coneluaion. ~ is nora need forthis tylz ofzoning in thia area. Thn~are already my, many high- dmsity housing mmplexes yet to be built on the east sid, of tim oveapss off of Rohn:t Road. Pedaps what ahould truly be considsmi is a tnoratorium on m, dri-tmit, high density devel.opms,t. The interstin overpass provid~ a njc. e division between the development of high density and sing~B ~mily homes, which is how it s~muld x~nain. Finally, I ask thax you consider whaz is best for ttz entire sulxfivkann. and nt~ just ou~ property owner attempting to build on a lot that thst is dearly zonal for ~ t, mi~y hom~__. I ssk thS you consid~ whaz dm zsx-payin~ property ownas of ~ s~a wsm, and tim you my with rise plan that exi~n; property ownas w~re we, ll-informsd of wla~n ~ daos~ to pun~ns~ lhsir home: the same plan t. hz% the property ownn~ of this lot were informed of when they purchased this property. Carole Winter 3618 Foxana Dr. Iowa City, IA 52246 January 26, 1999 Lea Supple 2010 Grantwood St. Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear Mr. Supple, I am writing because of my concern about changing the zoning of the comer of Deer Creek and Rohret Rd in the Hunter's Run development. I feel it should not be changed. I believe it is totally unfair to all the residents of the Hunter's Run development - which is single family homes- to change the zoning now to something else. To change the zoning to multiple family units will also open the development of the same type units to the property across the street - which is now farmland. There is plenty of this type housing on the other side of the highway, with more constantly being built. Sincerely yours, Carole Winter 3262 Rohmt Road Iowa City, IA 52246-9474 January 16, 1999 Lea Supple Planning and Zoning Commission City of Iowa City 410 East Washington S[ Iowa City, IA 52240 Dear Ms. Supple: I have strong objections to the proposed plan by the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship (GICHF) to develop the property on the comer of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive for the following reasons: Proposed Density - The higher number of residents raises several issues. a) Parking both within the development and on the street. We believe that cars will be using Duck Creek even with the llaxmed parking in the devolopment This wfil create congestion since Duck Creek was not made to accommodate this type of parking The Duck Creek intersection with Rohret Road will be extremely congested because of increased traffic and the entrance into the proposed development. b) The proposal shows no provision for emergency vehicle turnaround. , Transition Zone - The proposal of 14 townhouse style dwelling units is precipitous, rather than a transition into the existing style of housing in the neighborhood as stated as an acceptable zoning principle from the Iowa Land Use and Zoning Law by Allan Vestal, section 3.21(A). Green Space - Paying a fee in lieu of providing a suitable play area for chilCu~ea is contrary to the stated propose of the GICHF. Based on information provided by GICHF, the applicant, they currenfiy house 173 persons, the majority of whom are children. The stated mission of providing suitable housing is not in keeping with paying a fee in lieu of green space. With Highway 218 South as a backyard to this property, we feel great consideration should be given not only to the safety of the child~ea living within the units but also to the tntffic utilizing Hwy 218 and Rohret Road. , Water Retention - There is no satisfactory water retention system within this proposal. If the water is not properly channeled, we are concerned about the erosion of the east bank onto Hwy 218 and about the flow of water into the storm sewer system, which empties at the bottom of Duck Creek Road at Willow Creek. The storm sewer, as noted during recent storms, appears to be at maximum capacity. , Buffer Zone - The buffer zone is not sufficient to provide for an adequate Wansition from the adjacent single family homes to the proposed project. With no buffer zone, the architectural style of the neighborhood is inco~ble with the institutional appearance of what is being proposed and does not blend into the Please consider each of these points carefully when considering any zoning change requests for the parcel of land at the comer of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive. If you have not already done so, please drive out to view the land. I believe you will better understand our concerns if you do so. Thank you for your due consideration of my concerns. Cordially, Margaret B. Hopwood F:rorn: Benjamin Chait F~rr~jan~Zer~C, off~-~Metrt~ Martin and Jean Hill 1223 Duck Creek Ddve Date: 01/16/99 We have strong objections to the proposed plan by the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship (GICHF) for the following reasons: o ° Proposed Density: This higher number of residents will raise several issues: A. Parking-both within and on-street. We feel that cars will be using Duck Creek even with the planned parking with the parcel, which will create congestion since Duck Creek was not made to accommodate this type of parking. The Duck Creek intersection with Rohret Road will be extremely congested because of increased traffic and the entrance into the proposed area. B.The proposal shows there is no room for emergency vehicle tumaround. Transition Zone: The proposal of 14 townhouse style dwelling units is precipitous, not a gradual transition, into the existing density of the neighborhood as stated as an acceptable zoning principle from the Iowa Land Use and Zoning Law by Allan Vestal, section 3.21(A). Green Space: Paying a fee in lieu of providing a play area for children is contrary to their stated purpose. Based on information provided by the applicant, GICHF, they currently house 173 people the majority of which are children. This stated mission is not in keeping with waiving green space and paying a fee. With 218 South as a backyard playground, we feel extreme consideration should be given for not only the safety of the children living within the units, but also to the traffic utilizing 218 South and Rohret Road. Currently, the east bank slopes to the lowest point along that area to 218 South. Provisions need to be included for providing and maintainin2 a safe barrier compatible with the rest of the neighborhood. Water Retention: There is no satisfactory water retention system within this proposal. lfthe water is not properly channeled, we question the erosion of the east bank onto 218 South or the flow of water into the storm sewer system, which empties at the bottom of Duck Creek Road at Willow Creek. The storm sewer, from recent storms, appears to be at maximum capacity. Buffer Zone: The buffer zone is not sufficient to provide for adequate transition from the adjacent single-family homes to the proposed project. With no buffer zone, the architectural style of the neighborhood is incompatible with the institutional appearance of what is being proposed, which does little to blend into the neighborhood. Please consider each of these points carefully when considering any zoning change requests for the parcel of land at the comer of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive. January 16, 1999 Benjamin Chait 452 N 7th Ave Iowa City, IA 52245 Dear Mr Chait: As a homeowner in the Hunters' Run subdivision in Iowa City, I am writing to you and the other Planning and Zoning Commission Members to voice my strong objection to the proposal to rezone the property at the comer of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive. As you know, the rezoning of this property will allow the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship (GICHF) to build 14 townhouse style dwelling units on the 2.7 acres of property which adjoin highway 218. I have strong objections to the rezoning proposal and the GICHF proposal for development of the area (as it has been explained to me) for the following reasons: Problems due to increased Population Density. The proposed number and style of units will result in a population density on that property which is much higher than that of the surrounding neighborhood. This will create parking difficulties both within the complex and on the street. Duck Creek Drive was not planned to accommodate this level of traffic. The entrance to the property will be on Duck Creek Drive and will result in a significant number of cars pulling out onto Duck - Creek Drive and waiting at that intersection.. A significant increase in the number of cars that use that intersection will create a considerable traffic hazard especially at busy times of the day and in the momings when the sun from the east makes it more difficult to see westbound cars coming over the 218 bridge. Additionally, the proposal does not provide room for emergency vehicle turn around, thereby creating another hazard for residents. Lack of Green Space. The GICHF proposal for this property includes paying a fee in lieu of providing green space for occupants of the complex. Based on the information provided by GICHF, the majority of the people they provide housing for are children. It would seem that if they were to provide quality housing for children, they must provide adequate green space for the children to play. Since the property adjoins two busy thoroughfares (highway 218 and Rohret Road) the lack of green space for children to play creates a dangerous environment not only for children living in the proposed complex (who would have to walk over a half a mile to reach the nearest park) but also for the motorists who travel these roads. Additionally, waving green space for a fee is not in keeping with the stated mission of the GICHF. 3 Transition Zone violation. The proposal to build 14 townhouse style dwelling units provides a precipitous. not a gradual transition into the existing density of the neighborhood as stated as an acceptable zoning principle from the Iowa Land Use and Zoning Law written by Alan Vestal, section 3.2 1 (A). 4 Lack of a Buffer Zone. The buffer zone is not sufficient to provide for adequate transition from the adjacent single family homes to the proposed project. With no buffer zone, the institutional appearance of the proposed project is incompatible with the architectural style of the existing neighborhood. With nothing (such as a significant green space around the complex) to act as a buffer zone the proposed plan does nothing to blend into the existing neighborhood. 5 Water Retention Problems. The GICHF proposal contains no satisfactory water retention system to deal with runoff water from the complex. If runoff water from the complex is not properly channeled and is allowed to drain into the existing storm drains, the storm sewer system at the bottom of Duck Creek Road is very likely to overflow. Residents who live near Willow Creek where the storm sewer system drains are already threatened by high water levels during the heavy rainstorms which are typical in Iowa during the spring and summer. Increasing the water runoff in this area is likely to create significant flooding problems for the residents of this portion of Duck Creek Drive. As a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, it is your duty to take into account the potential detrimental effects of any zoning change on the current homeowners in the area of the proposed change. If zoning changes are made without regard to the current inhabitants of an area, then why bother to have zoning or a zoning commission at all? I purchased property in this area in good faith that the single family residential style of the area would be maintained because of the zoning of the entire area. As you can see from the points above, I feel that the proposed project will have a significant detrimental effect on me and on my neighbors. I therefore urge you to consider each of the above points carefully when considering zoning changes for the parcel of land at the intersection of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive. Thank you for your attention to this matter. 37 Hunters' Place Iowa City January 16, 1999 Mr. Benjamin Chair 452 N. Th Avenue Iowa City, IA 52245 Dear Mr. Chait: 1025 Pheasant Valley Street Iowa City, IA 52246-8622 We are writing to voice our strong objection to the proposed plan by the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship (GICHF) to build 14 townhouse style dwelling units on the parcel of land on the comer of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive for the following reasons: Green space: Based on the information provided by GICHF in their application, they propose to pay a fee in lieu of providing for a play area for children within the property. We feel that this proposal is not in keeping with their stated mission since they currently house 173 people, many of whom are children. With Hwy 218 South in the backyard of the parcel, we feel that serious consideration should be given not only for the safety of children who will be living in the units but also to traffic utilizing Hwy 218 South and Rohret Road. , Transition zone: The proposal to build 14 townhouse style dwellings will result in a precipitous rather than a gradual transition into the existing density of the neighborhood as stated as an acceptable zoning principle in the Iowa Land Use and Zoning Law by Alan Vestal, section 3.21(A) Buffer zone: There will be no buffer zone to provide a gradual transition from the existing single-family homes to the proposed project. With no buffer zone, we feel that the architectural style of the proposed construction will do little to blend into the neighborhood. , Water retention: There does not appear to be a plan for a satisfactory water retention system within the proposal. We are concerned that water if not properly channeled could result in erosion of the east bank on to Hwy 218 South or may flow into the storm sewer system which empties at the bottom of Duck Creek Road and appears to be already at maximum capacity from recent storms. -2- 5. Proposed density: The planned construction will result in a higher number of residents in the area which raises several issues: A. Parking, both within the property and on street: We feel that although parking is planned within the parcel, cars will be using and creating congestion on Duck Creek Drive. In addition, the intersection of Duck Creek and Rohret will become very congested because of increased traffic and the entrance into the proposed property. B. Furthermore, the proposal does not show room for emergency vehicle turnaround. We would be grateful if you could please consider each of these points carefully when considering the zoning change request for the parcel of land on the comer of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive. Sincerely, Muralikrishna S. Golconda, M.D. Sunita M. Golconda. JOSEPH J. V'ARRIANO, M.D. 3708 Foxana Drive Iowa City, IA 52246 IOANNE G. VARRIANO, P.T. January 16, 1999 Ms. Lea Supple 20 10 Grantwood St. Iowa City. IA 52240 Re: Proposed Rezoning/Development Rohret Road & Duck Creek Drive We have strong objections to the proposed rezoning and new construction plan by the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship, henceforth referred to as GICHF. Proposed Density - This higher number of residents will raise several issues. a. Parking -- The amount of expected automobile traffic within and around the cumplex will likely result in cars parking along Duck Creek. The increased congestion will overload the street and the intersection of Duck Creek and Rohret Road. b. Emergency Vehicle Access -- The proposed plan does not provide for emergency vehicle turnaround. o , Transition Zone - The proposal of 14 townhouse style dwelling units is precipitous, not a gradual transition into the existing density of the neighborhood as stated as an acceptable zoning principle from the Iowa Land Use and Zoning Law by Allan Vestal, section 3.21 (A). Green Space - There is no provision for a green space. The proposal to pay a fee in lieu of providing a play area for children is contrary to the stated purpose for the development. Based on information provided by GICHF they currently house 173 people, the majority of who are children. There seems to be a conflict here involving waving green space and paying a fee instead. The children would have choices of highway 218 as a backyard playground, Rohret Road or the overly congested Duck Creek as front yard playgrounds. Add to this the distractions to the traffic by small children and their toys entering the roadways. Water Retention - The water retention system included in the proposal does not seem adequate. If the channeling is inadequate there is a strong possibility for erosion of the east bank of highway 218 or flow into the existing storm sewer that empties into Willow Creek with resultant overflow and resulting environmental damage. Buffer Zone - The buffer zone does not provide adequate transition from the adjacent single family homes to the proposed project. The existing architectural style of the neighborhood is not compatible with the institutional appearance of the proposed development and does not blend with the neighborhood. Please consider each of these points carefully when considering any zoning change requests for the parcel of land at the comer of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive. Thank you for your consideration and your time. Please contact us if you need additional information or if you have any questions. Sincerely yours, --._ .V " Joanne G. Varriano January l7, 1999 Mr. Benjamin Chait 452 North 7th Avenue Iowa City, Iowa 52245 Dear Mr. Benjamin Chait, We strongly object to the proposed plan by the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship (GICHF) for the following reasons: When we purchased our home we expected that single family residences would surround our home. We do not support changing the zoning of individual lots or areas after subdivisions have been established. 2. It will put a strain on Weber School by increasing enrollment. Proposed Density- The higher number of residents will raise several issues: Parking both within and on street. We feel that cars will be using Duck Creek even with the planned parking with the parcel, which will create congestion since Duck Creek was not made to accommodate this type of parking. The Duck Creek intersection with Rohret Road will be extremely congested because of increased traffic and the entrance into the proposed area. The proposal also shows there is no room for emergency vehicle turnaround. Transition Zone- The proposal of 14 townhouse style dwelling units is precipitous, not gradual transition into the existing density of the neighborhood as stated as an acceptable zoning principal from the Iowa Land Use and Zoning Law by Allan Vestal, section 3.21 (A). Green Space- Paying a fee in lieu of providing a play area for children is contrary to their stated purpose. Based on information provided by the applicant, GICI-IZF, they currently house 173 people the majority of which are children. This stated mission is not in keeping with waving green space and paying a fee. With I-218 South as a backyard playground we feel extreme consideration should be given for not only the safety of the children living within the units, but also to the traffic utilizing 1-218 South and Rohret Road. Water Retention- There is no satisfactory water retention system within this proposal. If the water is not properly channeled, we question the erosion of the east bank onto I- 218 South or the flow of water into the storm sewer system which empties at the bottom of Duck Creek Road at Willow Creek. The storm sewer, from recent storms appears to be at maximum capacity. Buffer Zone- The buffer zone is not sufficient to provide for adequate transition from the adjacent single family homes to the proposed project. With no buffer zone, the architectural style of the neighborhood is incompatible with the institutional appeareance of what is being proposed, and does little to blend into the neighborhood. 8. Please consider these points carefully when considering any zoning change requests for the parcel land at the comer of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Road. in , /i, a Beussink 049 Pheasant Valley Street January, 17, 1999 Benjamin Chait Planning and Zoning Commission 452 N. 7th Ave. Iowa City, tA 52245 Dear Benjamin Chait, We have objections to the proposed plan by the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship (GICHF) to rezone land at the corner of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive. The following issues are of concern to us as homeowners in the Hunters Run Subdivision. 1. The lack of planned green space in the proposed plan is not in the interest of the children who will undoubtedly be living in the units. There are no parks close by and the 2 18 overpass and Rohret Road are not suitable playgrounds for children. 2. The increased density of residents on this land parcel will cause traffic and parking congestion along Rohret Rd. and Duck Creek Dr. along with emergency vehicle accessibility issues in the entrance and parking areas of the units. 3. The neighborhoods surrounding the area are single family homes. There is not a gradual transition into this higher density multiple family area as stated in acceptable zoning principles from the Iowa Land Use and Zoning Law. Smaller single family homes or zero-lot line dwellings would be more suitable for the neighborhood. 4. There is not a buffer zone to provide transition from the single family homes to this proposed high density, multi-family area as is commonly practiced. 5. Water run-off created by new development. The water retention areas in the neighborhood are at capacity as seen during recent rains. The lack of planning for this additional water will cause problems with Willow Creek and those homes surrounding the retention area. We feel these concerns must be considered carefully before any rezoning of our neighborhood. We hope your decision will reflect what is best and appropriate for our neighborhood. Sincerely, Tird~y'?q5 'Brennan 1106 Pheasant Valley St. Iowa City, IA 522 46 339-1487 "~~'queline R. Brennan ( This statement is being read on behalf of Margaret Hopwood of 3263 Rohret Road, who is unable to attend due to illness. You have received my letters, which have addressed a number of concerns. I would like to state again that I am concerned with quality of life, safety and environmental issues that are inadequately addressed to this point in the Fellowship's proposal. I would urge you again to look closely at the property in question and at the proposal to see if this is the best possible use for this property. Mike Streb 3315 Rohret Rcl. Iowa City, IA 52246 January ll, 1999 ATTN: Lea Supple Iowa City, Planning & Zoning Commission Civic Center 410 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA 52240 Re: Rezoning Request, Rohret Rd. at Duck Creek Dr. Dear Lea: I will be out of town during the next P & Z meeting, so I am submitting my comments pertaining to the rezoning request in writing. I do not like to see any developer shot down for a rezoning request over frivolous matters. I can understand why a property owner would be hesitant to build single family homes on the parcel in question, considering its proximity to a four lane highway. I do not care about the color of the siding, or whether the site is fenced and has a swing set. The area roads arc designed to handle extra traffic. The schools always seem to accomodate new students. I am not opposed to the land being rezoned and developed, per se. To be blunt, my objection is to having publicly subsidized housing in a nice neighborhood. I am at odds with the City's goal of having "diversified" housing in neighborhoods. When publicly subsidized housing is the tool, neighborhood diversity takes the form of crime, drugs, unkept property and junk cars dotting the roadside. We have seen the results of the City's housing program in southeast Iowa City. That neighborhood has been destroyed as a direct result of subsidized housing. Obviously, my gripes are beyond the scope of the Planning & Zoning Commission. It bothers me when nonsubsidized affordable housing is discouraged(e.g. the two applications for mobile homes on the East side recently shot down)while the City pushes for subsidized housing. Re: Rohret RcL Rezoning Pg. 2 Iowa City has done more than its share to provide affordable housing via federal subsidies. Rather than solve housing problems, we are simply attracting trouble from out of town. A City staff dnmk with federal money is a detriment to the community. Do not allow the Planning & Zoning Commission to become a tool for the Citys so~:ial engineering efforts. Sincerely, Mike Streb c~: P & Z Commission members January 15, 1999 Benjamin Chait Planning and Zoning Commission 452 N. 7th Avenue Iowa City, IA 52245 Dear Mr. Chait: We are writing you to strongly object to the proposed rezoning application RF. Z98o0019. This, as you are aware, pertains to the parcel at the comer of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive. We live close by in the Hunter's Run development on Foxana Drive. We oppose many of the basic premises of the staff report dated January 7, 1999. One of these premises is that this parcel would be difficult to develop as single-family housing, presumably because of the proximity to the highway and slope of the land. This assumption is clearly flawed, given that there must be at least 20 homes lining the east side of Duck Creek already, close to the highway on land just as sloped. In addition, our quadrant of the city has sustained a great deal of the share of the recent increase in housing density, both in the Mormon Trek Village development and Walden Hills--both are located within 0.3 miles from our development. We believe there is plenty of diversity in housing within this half-mile or so square area. We also don't think an apology is needed from families like ours that move to a development because it consists of single family homes. We think such an abrupt transition is completely inappropriate for this area. Why bother with zoning at all if people choose an area of the city in which to live and then become surprised to find that its Planning and Zoning Commission disregard the neighborhood's view of its future in the name of "development"? We agree with your staff repon's following comment: "...staff is not convinced that this development will be compatible with the surrounding neighborhood in terms of mass, scale, architectural details, and integration into the streetscape along Duck Creek Drive." We believe that minor changes in elevation, building placement on the lot, and other small details in revising the proposal miss the point: There is not a sufficient buffer zone to allow a transition from this proposed development density to the rest of our neighborhood. There are other specific objections we have that we hope will encourage you to vote "No" on the proposed rezoning: 1. The Iowa Land Use and Zoning Law, by Allan Vestal, in section 3.2 I(A) states that a gradual transition into the existing density of the neighborhood should be a principle that a community should adhere to. The proposal before you creates a precipitous transition. 2. Water retention is not addressed in the proposal. Given the slope of the parcel, there is a high risk of erosion onto Highway 218, and possible overflow of the storm sewer at the lowest elevation of Duck Creek Road at Willow Creek which, from watching the basin area fill after recent storms, appears to be at maximum capacity. 3. The proposed high-density creates a potential traffic and on-street parking problems on nearby Duck Creek Road. Duck Creek was not designed to accommodate the type of parking proposed. Additionally, there is no room for emergency vehicle turnaround. 4. The applicant, GICHF, states as part of its mission, that the well-being of children is very important. How does the absence of green space account for this? We have two young children of our own, and wonder where the children living in such units will play, given the lack of green space and proximity to the highway and Rohret Road. A fee in lieu of green space seems inappropriate and contradictory. We do not object to a land-owner's basic right to develop his or her land. However, we believe zoning rules and laws exist for situations exactly like this one, where proposed development and rezoning are inappropriate, and existing residents of a neighborhood are faced with a density change which are precipitous and out-of-place. We believe this is a valuable parcel, and could be developed in alternative fashion. Allow us to close by clearly stating that our objections to the project have to do with the density and lack of transition, and not the mission proposed by the applicant or its goals. Iowa City sorely lacks this type of housing. Our objections would be identical if the proposal were for any type oftown-homes or condominiums. It is our sincere hope that you will consider each of our objections carefully and independently. At~er doing so, we hope you will opt not to rezone this parcel of land. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, January 17, 1999 Benjamin Chait 452 N. 7th Ave. Iowa City, IA 52245 Dear Mr. Chait: I am writing you regarding the proposed plans by the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship for the corner of Duck Creek Dr. and Rohret Road. I hope that you will consider the following points as you consider how you will vote on this proposal. The proposal of building multi unit townhouse style units in an exclusively single-family housing neighborhood is extremely precipitous. This is contrary to the existing zoning pdndple as stated in the Iowa Land Use and Zoning Law, section 3.21 (a). If changes in density are to be considered these changes should be made gradually. The lack of green space in the proposal is raises beth safety and quality of life issues that are particularly conceming as the majodty of the occupants of these units will be young children. The proximity to highway 218 makes these safety concems of utmost importance. 3. The architectural elements of the project do not blend into the current neighborhood. This is important particularly for this parcel of land as it is the "gateway" to the development. 4. The proposal does not plan for an adequate water retention system. The developers predicate the need for this project in their statement of intent was brought on by an unanticipated growth in the population of Iowa City. In point of fact, this finding was not berne out in the special census conducted in 1996. The pdodty of this neighborhood is to finish the building on the other single-family parcels. This proposed project will make the process of finishing the neighborhood more difficult as the neighborhood will be significantly less attractive to potential buyers. 7. The admittedly late notification by your commission has not left adequate time for the neighborhood members to discuss the project and potential aitematives. 8. The neighborhood should have a role in deriding what happens to that parcel. go Lastly, I call in to question the reasonableness of using this parcel of to further the Comprehensive Plan for Land Use. The voting community of Iowa City has not been offered the opportunity to endorse this plan for radically diversified housing types within neighborhoods. This again, contradicts the dictates of the Iowa Land Use and Zoning Law, section 3. While the goals of ensuring that ghettos are not developed, altemative methods for achieving this goal must be considered when the community does not support the current plan. Please consider these issues carefully over the coming days, Karen Dunn Lopaz 1001 Pheasant Valley St. Iowa City, IA 52246 January 15, 1999 Benjamin Chait 452 N 7th Avenue Iowa City, IA 52245 Re: Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship request to rezone property located at the Northeast comer of Rohret Rd & Duck Creek Drive. Dear Benjamin: On January 7, 1999 you received an application from the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship to rezone property located at the Northeast comer of Rohret Rd & Duck Creek Drive from RS-5 Low Density Single-Family Residential, to PHD-5, Planned Development Housing to Overlay/Low Density Residential. The request presented, asked for approval for the construction of 14 dwelling units on that 2.79 acre parcel. I am writing this letter to ask that you not approve the request as submitted. While you staff analysis indicates that this development is compatible with surrounding neighborhoods, it does have several characteristics that are not consistent with the surrounding neighborhood. 1. The comprehensive plan land use map, suggests residential development at 2-8 dwelling units per acre, for this area of the city. The development as presented, proposes a density of 5.03 units per acre, which does fall within the zoning of the property, but which is not consistent with the density of the adjacent neighborhood. A quick check with city staff indicates that the present Hunters Run Development is developed at a density of approximately 2 units per acre. 2. One of the goals of the neighborhood open space ordinance requires a total of .6 acres of dedicated open space as a result of this development, or an equivalent of amount of fees instead of the actual dedication of land. The staff has recommended that fees be required instead of the dedication of land in this case. This recommendation is not consistent with recommendation created in the Hunters Run Subdivision of providing open space and parks. The present development of Hunters Run appears even less dense than the two units per acre because of the large open green spaces which are provided in the development. Because the proposed Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship will be used by families, it would appear that the open space for the use of those families would be important. 3. The staff requirements for infrastructure appear to be satisfied as currently drawn; however, I would point out that the traffic generated by 14 dwelling units will have a major impact on the capacity of the intersection located near Duck Creek Drive and Rohret Road. Even though city requirements state that a driveway can be within 20 ft of an intersection, the entrance to this 14 unit development will cause congestion. Because the access will be used by vehicles from 14 units, it should be viewed as a street rather than a driveway. 4. The original plan, presented by the developer, was rejected by your staff because it did not architecturally fit within the neighborhood. The re-drawn plans provided on the night of January 7 were much more acceptable; however, still appear as an attempt to achieve a certain density on the property rather than address how the buildings fit on the property or within the neighborhood. For the reasons stated above, I would request that you not approve the plan as submitted. Thanks for taking the time to fully review this request. I appreciate the time and energy that you give to our city. Sincerely, Brad Langguth 1253 Duck Creek Drive Iowa City, IA 52246 (319) 337-2312 i 1 have strong objections to the proposed plmt by ate Grcatcr iowa City Housing Fellowship (G1CHF) for Ihc following rca~ns: 1. Pro~d ~nsity -T~s hiker num~r of residCnls will rai~ ~vcral issues: A. Parking - ~th wil~n and on-slrccl. We feel I~1 ~rs will ~ using Duck Creek ~;cn wilh the ~anncd N~ng wilh the ~r~l, which will ~tc congcslion since Duck C~ck was nol nmde Io accon~m~le I~s ~ of Nrking. ~c Duck C~k inle~clion wilh Rohrcl Road will ~ cxt~mcly congesled ~u~ of incr~d traffic and the entrance inlo the pro~d area. B. ~c propel ~ows Iherc is no r~m for emergency vehicle tubround. Transition Zone -The proposal of 14 townhouse style dwclling units is prccipilous, not a gradual transit ion inlo thc existing density or thc neighborhood as slalcd as an acccplabic zoning principle front the Iowa/,and Use and Zoning Law by Allan Vcslal, section 3.2 I(A). , Green Space - Paying a fee in lieu of providing a play area for children is couu'a~.' to theif stated purpose. Based on i~ffonnation provided by the applicant. GICHF. U!ey currently house 173 people the majority of which are children. This stated mission is not in keeping wi~t waving green space and paying a fee. WiU~ 218 South as a backyard playground. xve feel extreme cousidcration should be given for not only ~e safety of the childreu living wi~fin the units. but also to fl~e traffic utilizh~g 2 18 South mid Rohrct Road. Water Retention - There is no satisfactory watcr retention system within fi~is proposal. If file water is not properly chmlneled. we question rite erosion of file east bank onto 218 Soufit or ate flow of ~vater into the storm sewer system which empties at the bottom of Duck Creek Road. atWillow Creek. The storm sewer, from reccnl storms, appears to be al nmximun~ capacity. Buffer Zone - The buffer zone is nol su~cicnt to provide for adequalc transilion From Ihc adjacent single family homes to the proposed pro. jeer. With no buffer zone, the architectural style of the neighborhood is incompatible wilh Ihc inslitulional appearance of what is being propused, and does litlie to blend into the neighborhood. Please consider each of Ihcse poinls carcfully when considcring any zoning change rcqucsls for lhc parcel of land al Ihc comer of Rohrcl Road and Duck Creek Drive. Sincerely, ! have strong objections to the proposed plaa by the Greater iowa City Housing Fellowship (GICFIF) for the lollowing reasons: Proposed Density -This higJ~cr number of residehis will raisc several issues: A. Parking - hoth willtin and on-strecl. We feci thai cars ~11 be using Duck Creek cvcn wilh Ihe plarmcd parking with thc parcel, which will create congestion since Duck Creek was not nmde Io accommoctate this Type of porking. The Duck Creek inlerseclion with Rohret Road will be exlTemcly congcsted because of incseased IrnfTic and the e~trance inlo ihc proposed area. B. The proposal shows there is no room for emergency vehicle turnaround. Transilion Zone - The proposal of i 4 townhouse style dwelling orals is ptectpitous, not a graduat transition into the existing densily of the neighborhood as st~led us an accelNnble zomng prinoiple from the/own l, and Use and Zoning l.mt'by Allan Vestal, sealion 3.21(A). Green Space - Paying a fee in lieu of providing a play area for chiklren is contran..' to their stated purpose. Based on information provided by. the al:~li~aIL GICHF. they currnudy house 173 people the majority of which are children. This slated mission is not in keeping with ~ving green space and paying a fee. With 218 Somh as a backyard playground. we feel cxtren~e oonsidetation should be given for not only fl~e safety of U!c chil~eu living within the refits. but also ~o the traffic ulil/zing 2 18 South mgl Rohret Road. Water Retcnlion - Tt~cre is no saLtsfactor' water retenlion system within this proposal. If the water is not p'opcrly chan,~eled. we question the erosion of fiN: east bank onto 218 Souill or the flow of water into the stonn sewer ~'stem which croptics at the bottom of Duck Creek Road. atWillow Creek. The storm sev,'er, from recem storms, appears to be at pmxintum capacity. Buffer Zone - The buffer zone is not sufficient to provide for adequate transition from the ac!j'acent single fnnUiy hones to the proposed project. With no buffcr zone, the nrchiloclural style of the neighborhood is inc, ompatiblc v, ilh the institutional appearance of what is being proposed, and does little to blend into the neighborhood. Please consicier each of these points carefully ~hen considering an)' zoning change requests for the parcel of land at the comer of Rohtet Road and Duck Creek Drive. J d Milan. Sonka 1257 Deerfield Dr. Iowa City [A 52246 phone: (319)-338-1533 J~muary 18, 1999 I have sirefag objections to dtc proposed plau b}' life Grcntcr Io~va City I[ot~si~g Fellox~'ship (GICI-IF) for Ihc following reasons: ['reposed Dcllsi!}' -This higher Ilunlbcr of rcsidcnls ~vill raise several isstfcs: A. RIrking - bolh ~'rilhin and o~t-slrccl. Wc [ccl li1,11 c~rs ~ill be rising Dtlck Creek ctcn ~'ilh Ihc planned p,~rking wilh Ihe F~rccl, ~'hich ~ill crcalc con~csliotl since Dt~ck Creek was nol nf~dc Io ~ccommodale lhis I)'pc of parking. The Dtlck Creek inlcrscclion wilh Rohrcl Rend will be cxlrcmcly con/~cslcd because of incrcnscd IralTic nnd Ihc calmnee inlo Ihc proposed area. B. The prorx~sal sho~,,'s there is tie room for cmcr/~cncy vchiclc lum:lround. Transilion Zo~lc - Thc proposal of 14 Io~tffiotasc sl)'lc dwclli~,g t~nils is prccipilous, nol a gradt~nl Iransilion i~lo Ihc c×isli~g dcnsjly of ihc nci/~hborhood ns sinled as nn acccplablc zoning principle front the lefrn [,nnd ~'.~' nnrl Zonin~ Law b}' Allan Vcslal, sccljon .3.2 I(A). Grcc~ Space - Pa.fing a fee it~ lict~ of providi,g a play arc.1 for childrc~ is conlrj~' !o their slated parpose. Based ot~ il~fom~alio,~ provided b.v Ihe appi..l~nt. GICI IF. Utc.~' ct~rrcnlly house 17.3 people Utc majorit.v or which are childrc~. Tills slated missiot~ Is qot it~ kceping with ~'aving grcctt space and i.'ya.fittg a fec. Wiffi 218 South as a back.Yard pla.,~'grot~n~ t~'e fccl c.,~trcme considcrado~ shotdd be gi'vclt For nol olll.v die safcl}' o1' the childrest lifing ~fithi~! the units. but also to Ihc traffic utilizing 218 South and Rohrct Road. Water P, ctc~tio~i - There is tie s,'~tis facton.' ~'atcr fete,lion s~sl ~l ~,illli~ this proD o.~,a l. if the water is not fn'opcrl.v chane~clcd. ~'~'c qtfcstiolt tile crosio~t of Ihe cast b~nk oftto 21 ~ SoHth or the Row of walcr into the slonn se~'ver s.vstcm which cml'xics at the bol. tom o1' Dt~ck Creek Road. atWilio~v Crcck. The sierra scwcr, fron~ rcccnl sierras. :tplx:ars Io be al magiritual cai-~cily. Buffer Zonc - The bu[i'cr zonc is nol sul'l~cicnl Io providc For adcql~alc Irnnsil ion From Ihc ,~d. jncct~i single fan~il), homes Io lhc propo,~cd pro. jeer. Wilh t~o bulTcr zone, Ihc archilcclural slZ)'!c oF Ihc neighborhood is incoml~liblc ~s'ilh Ihc insliluliortrd,,ar'4:~'~rancc el'silent is being l~roposcd, and does illtic Io blend inlo Ihe,ncighborhood. Ple.~se consider each of Ihcsc poinls mrcfully ~'llcn considcring any zoning change requests for the parcel of land al Ihc corner of Rohrcl Road and Duck Creek Dri~.'c. Sincerely, I t "i [ have SU'Ong objections to file prol~sed pl~ by the ~reatcv Iowa City ~ousiug Vcllowship (~IC~ the following Proposed Density -This higher number or residents %~ill raise sc~'cral issues: A. Parking - both within and on-strccl. Wc reel that cars xxili bo using Duck Creek c~'cn with Ihc planned parking with the parcel, which will create congestion since Duck Creek was not nmdc to accommodalc this type of parking. The Duck Creek intersection wilh Rohrct Road will be extremely congcstcd because or increased traffic and the entrance into the proposed area. B. The proposal shows there is no room for emergency vehicle turnaround. Transition Zone - The proposal of 14 townhouse style chveiling units is precipitous, not a gradual transition into the existing density of the neighborhood as stated as an acceptable zoning principle from the Iowa Land Use and Zoning Law by Allan Vestal, section 3.2 I(A). Green Space - Pa.~ng a fee in lieu of providing a play area for dfildren is contrary to their slated purpose. Based on information provided b.v the applicant. GICHF. they curren~y house 173 people the majority of which are cldldren. This stated mission is not in keepbig with waving green space and paying a fee. With 2 18 Soufit as a backyard playground. we feel extreme consideration should be given for not only the safety of the children living within the traits. but also to die traffic utilizing 218 Sou~l and Rohret Road. Water Retention - There is no satisfactory water retention system within this proposal. If the water is not properly channeled. we question die erosion of ~e east bank onto 2 18 South or the flow of w~ter into the storm se~r system which empties at the butman of Duck Creek Road. atWillow Creek. The storm sewer, from recent stomps, appears to be at nmxinumt calmcity. Buffer Zone - The buffer zone is not sufficient to provide for adequate transition from the adjacent single fanill}, homes to the proposed project. With no buffer zone, the architectural style of the neighborhood is incompatible with the institutional appearance of what is being proposed, and does litlie to blend into the neighborhood. Please consider each of these points carefully when considering any zoning change requests for the parcel of land at the comer of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive. David G. Wilder Kathleen H. Wilder 8 Hunters (jlen Iowa City, Iowa 52246 16 January 1999 Mr. Benjamin Chait 452 N. 70, Ave. Iowa City, Iowa 52245 H: 338-03 14; W: 338-0354 I have strong objections to the proposed plan by the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship (GICHF) for the follo~ving reasons: Proposed Density -This highcr numbcr or rcsidcnts will raisc scvcral issues: A. Parking - both within and on-strecl. We fccl that cars will be using Duck Creek cven wilh the planned parking with the parcel. ~,hich will create congestion sincc Duck Creek was nol made to accomnRxtale this type of parking. The Duck Crock intersection with Rohrcl Road will be ox-lremely congcstcd bccausc of increased traffic and the entrance into the proposed area. B. The proposal shows there is no room for emergency vehicle turnaround. Transition Zone -The proposal of 14 Iownhousc style dwclling unils is prccipilous. not a gradual transilion inlo Ihc cxisting densily of the neighborhood as stated as an acccptabic zoning principlc from the h~u.a Land Use and Zoning Law by Allan Vcslal, see|ion 3.21(A). Green Space - Paying a fee in lieu of providing a play arca for children is contrary to their stated purpose. Based on information provided by the applicalU. GICHF. they currently house 173 people tile majority of which are children. This slatcd mission is not ill keeping with waving grccn space and paying a fee. With 21S South as a backyard playground. wc feel cxtrclne consideration should be given for not only the safety of the children living within the mitts. but also to the tmflic utilizing 218 SouIll and Rohret Road. Water Rclcntion - There is no satisfactory.' water retention systcm within this proposal. If the watcr is not propcrly clmnnclcd. we qucstion thc erosion of tlu: cast bank oilto 218 South or the flow of water illtO thC slonn scwCr sT,. 'stcm which emptics at file bottom of Duck Creek Road. atWillow Creek. The storm sewer. from recent storms, appears to be at nmximanl capacity. o Buffcr Zone -Thc buffcr zone is not sufficicnt to provide for adcquatc transilion from the adjaccnl single famih' homcs to Ihc proposcd projccl. With no buffcr zone, thc archileclural slylc of lhc neighborhood is incompatible with Ihc inslitulional appearance ofwhal is being proposed, and does litllc to blcnd into thc ncighborhood. Please consider each of lhcse points carefully when considcring an)' zoning clmngc requcsts for tile parcel of !and at ~c corner of Rohrcl Road and Duck Creek Drive. Kathleen H. Wilder Telephone: 351-9267; Fax: 358-0061 Dear I have strong objectionis to die proposcd plan by thc Greater Iowa City Housiug Fellowship (GICHF) for Ihe following reasons: Proposed Densit},-This higher number of residenls will raise several issues: A. Parking - bolh wilhin and on-slrcct. We feel Ihal Mrs xvill be using Duck Creek even with Ihe planned parking wilh the parcel, which will ereale congeslion since Duck Creek was nol madc Io accommodalc this i)T~ of parking. The Duck Creek inlcrseclion wilh Rohrcl Road will be extremely congosled because of increased Iraflic and ihe enlmnce inlo Ihe proposed area. B. The proposal shows there is no room for emergency vchiclc turnaround. Transition Zone -The proposal oF 14 townhouse sl~,le dwelling unils is precipitous, nol a gradual Iransilion inlo the exisling density of the neighborhood as staled as an acceptable zoning principle From the Iowa Land Use and Zoning Law by Allan Vestal, seelion 3.21{A). Grccn Space - Paying a fee in lien or providing a pla.v area for children is conlrdr)' IO their stated pitpose. Based on information provided by the applicant. GICHF. fl~c.v currently house 173 people file majorit.v of which are children. This slated mission is not in keeping wiffi waving green space and paying a fee. With 218 Soulh as a backyard playground. wc feel extreme consideration should be given for not onlv ~c safct.v of the chiidrcn living wiffiin file mitts. bul also to lhc traffic ulilizing 218 South and Rohrct Road. Water Retention - There is no satisfacto~' water relention systc~n within flits proposal. if ffic walcr is not propcrl.v channeled. wc qnestion the erosion of ~c cast bank onto 2 18 Souill or die flow of waler inlo the storm sewer ~'stc~n which cmlXjes at file bottom or Duck Creek Road. atWillow Creek. The storm sewer, from rcccnl slotins, appears Io be al maximum capacily. BulTcr Zone - The bulTcr zone is not sufficient to provide For adcqnalc Iransilion From Ihc ad. jaccnl single ranlily homes Io Ihe proposed prqjccl. Wilh no bulTcr zone, the archilcclural sl)'ic or ih¢ neighborhood is incompalibic wilh the inslilulional appearance of whal is being proposed, and does Illtic Io blend into Ihc neighborhood. Please consider each of these points carefully when considering an), zoning changc requests for Ihc parcci of land at Ihe comer of Rohrel Road and Duck Creek Drive. ~,,, ~,~..~. . I have strong objections to the proposed plan by file Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship (GICHF) for thc rollowing reasons: Proposed Density -This higher number of residcnts will raise several issues: A. Parking - bolh within and on-slrecl. We fecl Ihal c~rs will be using Duck Creek even with Ihe planned parking wilh ihc I~rccl, which will ereale congeslion since Duck Creek was nol made Io acconlnlodalc Ibis lypo of p~rking. The Duck Creek intcrseclion xvilh Rohrcl Road will be extremely congosled because of increased Iraffic and Ihe enlrnnce inlo Ihe proposed area. B. The proposal shows there is no room for cmcrgcncy vehicle turnarotmd. Trnnsilion Zone - The proposal of 14 Ioxvnhouse style dwelling units is precipitous. nol n gradual transition into Ihe exisling density of the neighborhood as stated as nn acceptable zoning principle From Ihe Iowa Land Use and Zoning Law by Allan Vestal, section 3.21(A). Green Space = Paying a fee in lieu of providing a play area for children is cosnrary to fi~eir slated purpose. Based ou ilffonnation provided by the applicant. GICHF. they curren~y house 173 people snajority of which are children. This stated mission is not in keeping with waving green space and paying a fee. With 218 South as a backyard playground. we feel extreme consideration should be given for not only the safety of the children living wilhin ~e refits. but also 1o ~e traffic utilizing 218 South m~d Rohrel Road. Water Retention - 'Fixere is no satisfactory. water retention syste~n within this proposal. !f ~e water is not properly channeled. we question the erosion of tile east ba$~ onto 2 18 South or d~e flow of water into d~e stonn sewer system which cml~ics at the bottom of Duck Creek Road. atWillow Creek. The storm sewer, from recent storms, appears to be al maximum capacity. Buffer Zone - The buffer zone is nol sufficient Io prox;idc for adequate Iransition from the adjacenl single family homes to Ihe proposed project. With no buffer zone, the architectural slyle of the neighborhood is incompatible xvilh the institutional appearance of whal is being propused, and does little to blend into Ihe neighborhood. Please consider each of thcse poinls carefully xvhcn considering any zoning change requests for the parcel of land at the comer of Rohrel Road and Duck Creek Drive. Sincerely, Dca~ BENJAMIN I hare stro,g objcclio.s Io dtc proposcd plait by Ihc Grcalcr Iowa City I Io,sing Fellowship (GIC|!F) for Ihc rollroving rcasons: Proposed Dcnsily -This higJtcr number of reside,is B'ill raise se..'cral issnes: A. Parking - bolh ~,vilhin and o,-slrccl. Wc rccl Ihal c:1~ ~,'ill be ,sing Duck Creek c~:cn ~vilh Ihc plan,cd p.qrking ~vilh Ihc lr~qrccl, ~'hich B'ill crculc congcslion since Duck Crcck was hal made Io accommodale Ibis I)Te or parking. The Dick Creek inlcrscclion ~vilh Rohrcl Ro,qd will be cxlrcmcly congcstcd because or incrc;~scd (ralTic and Ihc cnlr:mcc inlo Ihc propo~d arcm B. The proposal sho~vs Ihcrc is no rootit for cmcrgcncy vehicle lum=~round. Transilion Zone -The proposal of 14 Iot, fflouse sl)'lc d~'clling unils is precipilous, hal a gradnnl Iransilion inlo Ihc cxisling dcnsily or |he ,mighbodtood ns sinled as .qn acccplablc zoning principle Front Ihc lt~,'a Land [7.~e and Zoning La,' by Allan Vcslal, section 3.21(A). Grcc, Spacc - Paying a fcc ill lieas or pmvidi,g a play area For childrc. is conIron.' to thcir slalcd parpose. Based o, informalion provided by ~c aiq~lica,t. GICI IE ~cy currc, lly house 173 people majority of which are children. Titis slated mission is ,ol in kccping with waving grccn space and Faylag a Fee. With 2111 South as a backyard playgrotmd. ~'e Feel c.xlrcmc co,sideratio, should be given For ,or only dtc sarcty of thc children living ~'idfi, the units. but also to Ihe traffic utilizing 2 South a,d Rohrct Road. Water Retention - Thcre is no satisFaclor).' water rcle.tioit sySlel. willtin !his propor, al. If ~c water is not properly channeled. we question Ihc crosio, of Ihc cast bnnk onlo 2111 Soulh or Ihc Ilow of water into the storm sc~%'cr system which cmlxics at die batlore of Dick Crcck Road. atWillo:w Creek. The slornl sewer, from rcccnl slorms. appears Io be al nla,~intunt cal~cily. Buffer Zone - The bulTcr zone is ,ol salfficicnl Io providc For ;~dcqlmlc Ir.qnsilion From Ihc ad. jnccnl single Family homes Io Ihc proposed pro. jeff. Wilh no bulTcr zone, Ihc archilcclural s[) 'lc or Ihc nciBhborhood is incomrxllihlc %vilh Ihc inslilulimml .q!T~carancc o/' Bhal is being proposed. and does It!lie Io blcnd inlo !he neighborhood. Plcasc consider each or Ihcsc painIs ~rcrully n'hcn considering any zoning changc rcqucsls for Ihc parccl or !and al |he corner of Rohrcl Road and Duck Creek Drive. Sincerely, BOB AND LAURIE IHRY Dear Benjamin Chait, I have strong objections to the proposed plan by the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship (GICHY) for the following reasons: Proposed Density - This high number of residents will raise several issues: A. Parking - both within and on-street. We feel that cars will be using Duck Creek even with the planned parking with the parcel, which will create congestion since Duck Creek was not made to accommodate this type of parking The Duck Creek intersection with Rohret Road will be extremely congested because of increased traffic and the entrance into the proposed area. B. The proposal shows there is no room for emergency vehicle turnaround. Transition zone - The proposal of 14 townhouse style dwelling umts is precipitous, not a gradual transition into the existing density of the neighborhood as stated as an acceptable zoning principle from the Iowa Land Use and Zoning Law by Allan Vestal, section 3.21(A). Green Space - Paying a fee in lieu of providing a play area for children is contrary to their stated purpose. Based on information provided by the applicant, GICHF, they currently house 173 people the majority of which are children. This stated mission is not in keeping with waving green space and paying a fee. With 218 south as a backyard playground, we feel extreme consideration should be given for not only the safety of the children living within the units, but also to the traffic utilizing 218 Sought and Rohret Road. Water Retention - There is no satisfactory water retention system within this proposal. ff the water is not properly channeled, we question the erosion of the east bank onto 218 Sough of the flow of water into the storm sewer system which empties at the bottom of Duck Creek Road, at Willow Creek The storm sewer, from recent storms, appears to be at maximum capacity. Buffer Zone - The buffer zone is not sufficient to provide for adequate transition from the adjacent single family homes to the proposed project. With no buffer zone, the architectural style of the neighborhood is incompatible with the institutional appearance of what is being proposed, and does little to blend into the neighborhood. Please consider each of these points carefully when considering any zoning change requests for the parcel of land at the comer of Rohret Road and Duck Creek Drive. Sincerely, h I have stro,tB objeclions to the proposed plan by the Greater Iowa City I!ousiilg Fellowship (GICHF) For thc rollowing reasons: Proposed DentsilT -This higJscr aunther or rcsidcnls will raise several issues: A. Parking - bolh wilhin and on-slrecl. We feel Ihal Qqr.,; ~,,ill be using Dtnck Creek even wilh Ihc plnn,cd parking ~,'ilh Ihc parcel, which ~t,,ili creale congeslion since Duck [:reck was nol madc Io acconmtodale Ibis I)1)c or parking. Tire Duck Creek inlcrseclion wilh Rohrel Road will be cxlrcmcly con[~csled because or increased Irnll'ic and ihc culmncc inlo Ihe proposed are~L B. The proposal shows Ihcrc is no room for emergency vehicle luremound Transilion Zone -The proposal or 14 lawnhouse sl)'le dwelling unils is precipilous, nol a gradual Iransilion iulo Ihc exisling dcnsil), or Ihc neighborhood as staled as an acccplablc zoning principle tram [hc lon'n Land Use andZonin~ Lnu' by Allan Vcslal, seclion .3.2 i(A). Greca Space - Paying a rce in lieu or providing a play arca tar childrcn~ is coalran.' to their staled parpose. Based on information Fovidcd by lhc applicant. GIC! IF. they carreally house 17,1 people majority of which are children. This slalcd ntission is not in keeping with waving green space and paying a fcc. With 2 1~ South as a backyard playground. wc rccl c.xtrcnnc consideration should be given for not only dte safcty of thc children living u'ithin Use units but also to ~e u'affic utilizing 2 I South and Rohrct Road. Water Rctcn(ion -There is no satisractor).' waler rele,ffion syslem willfin this proposal. If ~c water is not properly channeled. wc qucslion Ihc crosion of the east bank oulo 2 18 Sonlh or the flow or waler into the storm sewer system which empties at Ute bottom of Duck Creek Road. atWi!low Creek. The slorm sewer, from reccnl slorms, appears Io be al maxintun~ carIcily. Eluffcr Zone - The buffer zonc is hal snllicicnl Io provide for adcqnalc Iransilion from Ihc adjnccnl single Family homes Io Ihc proposed prqjccl. Wilh no buffer zone, the nrchilcclural slylc or Ihc neighborhood is incomlmliblc ~vilh Ihc inslilulional appear;race or whal is being proposed, and does Illlie Io blend inlo |he neighborhood. Please consider each of Ihcsc points ~rcfully ~vhcn considering any zoning changc requcsls for Ihc parcel rand al Ihc corner of Rolucl Road and Duck Creek Drive. Sincerely, Dear I have strong objections to the proposed plan by the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship (GICHF) for the following reasons: Proposed Density -This higher number ofmsidcnls will raise several issues: A. Parking- boih within and on-slrcct. Wc fccl that cars will bc using Duck Creek ~,cn with the planned padring with the parcel, which will create congeslion since Duck Creek t~;s not made Io accommodate this b'pc of parking. The Duck Creek intersection with Rohrcl Road will be cx-trcmcly congesled because of increased Iraffic and Ihe enlmnce into Ihe proposed area. B. The proposal sho~s there is no room for emergency vehicle turnaround. Transilion Zone ~ The proposal of 14 townhouse styic dwelling units is prccipitous~ nol a gradual !tonsilion into the cxisling densily of the neighborhood as stated as an acceptable zoning principle from the Iowa l~nd Use and Zoning Law by Allan Vestal, seelion 3.21(A). Green Space - Pa.~ing a fec in lieu of providing a play area for children is contra~.' to their s~ated purpose. Based on information provided by the applicank GICHF. dley currcn~y house 173 people the majorit.,,' of which arc children. This stated mission is not in keeping with waving green space and paying a fec. With 218 South as a backyard playground. xt~: fccl extreme consideration should be given for ~mt only the said>' of the childrcJi living within die units. but also to the traffic utilizing 218 Soud~ and Rohrct Road. Water Retention - There is no satisfactory. water retention ~-stcm within ~~s proposal. if the ~watcr is not proporly cha~meled. we question the erosion of the cast bank onto 218 South or the flow of water into the storm sewer ~'stem which em~ies at die bottom of Duck Creek Road. atWiilow Creek The storm sewer, front recent slomts, appears to bo at nmximun~ capacity. Buffer Zone - The butter zone is not sufficient to provide for adcquatc transition from the adjacent single family homes to the proposed project. With no buffer zone, the architectural slyle of the neighborhood is incompaliblc with the institutional appearance of what is being proposed, and does littic to blend into the neighborhood. Please consider each of these points carefully when considering an:), zoning change requcsls for the parcel of land at the comer of Rohrcl Road and Duck Creek Drive. I havc strong objections to the proposed pl;m by file Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship (GICHF) for Ihe following reasons: Proposed Density -This higher number of residents ~11 raise several issues: A. Parking - beth within and on-slrecl. We reel that cars will Ix: using Duck Creek cvcn ~vilh the planned parking with the parcel, which ~viil create congestion since Duck Creek was not made Io acconm~odate Ihis t)T}c of parking. The Duck Creek intersection with Rohrct Road will bc extremely congesled because of increased Iraflit and lhe entrance into the proposed area. B. The proposal shorts there is no room for emergency vehicle turnaround. Transilion Zone -The proposal of 14 townhouse style dwelling unils is precipitous, not a gradual transition into the existing density of the neighborhood as stated as an acceptable zoning principle from the Iowa land Use and Zoning Lcm, by Allan Vestal, section 3.2 I(A). , Green Space - Pa.~jng a fee in lieu of providiug a play area for dtildren is contrary. to their stated purpose. Based on information providcd b.v the applicant, GICHF. they currently house 173 people rite majority of which arc children, Titis stated mission is not in keeping wi~t waviug green space and poying a fee. With 218 South as a backyard playground. ~ fccl extreme consideration should be given for not only the safety or the childreu livhtg within the rotits. but also to the traffic utilizing 218 Soufit and Rohrct Road, Water Retention -There is no satisfactory. water retention system within this proposal. If the water is not properly channeled. we question the erosion of rite east bank onto 218 Souat or the flow of water into the storm sewer system which empties at the bettom of Duck Creek Road. atWiilow Creek. The storm sewer, from recent slom~s, appears to be at maxintum capacity. Buffer Zone - The buffer zone is not sufficient to providc for adequate transition from the adjacent single fanfily homes to the proposed project. With no buffer zone, the architectural style of the neighbethood is incompatible vAlh the inslitutional appearance of what is being proposed, and does little to blend into thc neighborhood. Please consider each of these points carefully when considering any zoning change requcsts for the parcel of land at the comer of Rohrcl Road and Duck Creek Drive. Sincerely, I have strong objections to the proposed plm~ by the Greater Iowa City Housing Fellowship (GICHF) for the following reasons: Proposed Density -This higher number or residents will raise several issues: A. Parking - bolh within and on-slrcet. We feel litat cars will be using Duck Creek even with the planned parking with Ihc parcel, which will ereale congestion since Duck Creek was not made Io accon~modate this tyl~e of parking. The Duck Creek intcrscclion wilh Rohrct Road will be extremely congosled because of increased Iraffic and the enlmnce inlo the proposed area. B. The proposal shows there is no room for emergency vehicle turnaround. Transition Zone - The proposal of 14 townhouse style dwelling unils is precipitous, nol a gradual transition into the existing density of the neighborhood as stated as an acceptable zoning principle from the Iowa Land Use and Zoning Law by Allan Vestal, seelion 3.21 (A). Green Space - Paying a fee in lieu of providing a play area for children is contraO.' to their stated purpose. Based on itffonnation provided by the applicm!k GICHF. they currently house 173 people the majority of which are children. This slated mission is not in keeping with waving green space and paying a fee. With 2 i8 South as a backyard playground. we feel extreme consideration should be given for not only the safety of the children living within the rexits. but also to the traffic utilizing 2 18 South and Rohret Road. Water Retention - Tilere is no satisfacton.' water retenliou system within fl~is proposal. If fl~e water is not properly chmrneled. we question fire erosion of the east ba~c onto 218 Soufir or file flow of water into the storm sewer rv.'ste~n which empties at the bottom of Duck Creek Road. atWillow Creek The storm sewer, from recent storms, appears to be at nmximum capacity. Buffer Zone - The buffer zone is not sufficient to provide for adequate transition from the adjacent single fanlily homes to the proposed projecl. With no buffer zone, the archilecturai s~'!e of the neighborhood is incompatible wilh the institutional appearance of what is being proposed, and does liltle to blend into the neighborhood. Please consider each of these points carefully when considering any zoning change requests for the parcel of land at the comer of Rohtet Road and Duck Creek Drive. Sincerely, City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March9,1999 To: City Council From: City Manager Re: Competitive Bidding Process As you are aware we have a number of major construction projects planned for bidding in the near future. These include highway, water, sewer, paving and concrete structures, etc. Our recent experience has been to receive few and on occasion, only one bid on these larger scale projects. This could be due to market conditions as there are substantially more federal highway and bridge monies now available or pending, as well as demands created by the National Primary Drinking Water regulations on other communities throughout the State. It is our intent in the future, particularly concerning our large projects that when the City might only receive one bid and if that bid is substantially over the engineer's estimate, to do a detailed review to see if we can identify the cause. We would plan to secure, when we feel it to be appropriate, an engineering consultant to review, as a third party, our estimates and the contractor's bid. This would be done prior to recommendation to the City Council. Their review can consist of an evaluation of the market conditions and/or if there was something within the estimate which led to the substantial increase. ImVnern\sa3-4.doc City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 5, 1999 To: Director of Finance Director of Public Works Director of Planning Director of HIS Assistant City Manager Chief of Police From: City Manager Re: Geographic Information System In that we have appropriated significant monies to proceed with the development of GIS and a number of operating departments have expressed an interest in such a system, I believe we need to bring some direction and focus to how best to address the issue of GIS. Each of you will be appointed to a committee in order to, at the very least, decide some type of master plan, policy recommendations, feasibility, etc. as to how we should approach our GIS needs. You may serve or appoint a member from your department or both. In time if you feel others should be appointed, plan to do so as you see fit. I would expect the committee to select a chair and meet frequently enough in order to decide how we should proceed with GIS. The committee is effective immediately and for the purpose of calling an initial meeting I will request the Director of Finance and/or his appointee to call this meeting as soon as practical. I would like to have some idea where we are going with GIS within 60 days. If it is necessary to provide a budget to provide some general consulting or other related assistance, I would expect that such a recommendation would be made early. I believe we are all anxious to see GIS work for our organization and therefore as we discussed at our staff meeting this committee can go a long way in establishing priorities and hopefully addressing the wishes and general interest of all City departments. CC: Dept. Directors City Council jw/mem/sa-gis.doc City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: To: From: March 10, 1999 City Council Eleanor Dilkes, City Attorney Re: Wastewater Treatment Plant NPDES Permit Compliance Issues Since receipt of Mississippi River Revival's and Environmental Advocates' letter and notice regarding National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit compliance issues, City Staff has been gathering information and reviewing the factual basis of the claimed permit violations. Additionally, on March 10, 1999, Dave Elias, Superintendent, Wastewater Division, Chuck Schmadeke, Director of Public Works Department, and Andy Matthews, Assistant City Attorney met with A.L. Goldberg and Terry Jones, from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to discuss our findings and to address compliance resolution issues. We are now in the process of negotiating an Administrative Order with the IDNR which will address Mississippi River Revival's and Environmental Advocates' permit compliance concerns. We expect to respond to Mississippi River Revival's letter in the near future and will, of course, provide you with a copy of that response. If you have any questions, please feel free to call Andy or me. Cc: Sarah Holecek, First Assistant City Attorney Andy Matthews, Assistant City Attorney Steve Atkins, City Manager Marian Karr, City Clerk Chuck Schmadeke, Director of Public Works Dave Elias, Superintendent, Wastewater Division Eleanor\merno\npdes.doc City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 1 O, 1999 From: Re: Steve Atkins and City Council Denny Gannon WooIf Avenue Bridge The WooIf Avenue Bridge received the Quality Initiative Structures Award from the Associated General Contractors of Iowa on January 29, 1999. The structure has been rated as the best cast-in-place concrete slab bridge on the local road system constructed in the State of Iowa in 1998. The award is based on innovative design and construction techniques, complexity, quality, and aesthetics. Awards were presented to the contractor, Iowa Bridge and Culvert, Inc. of Washington, Iowa; the designer, NNW, Inc. of Iowa City; and the City of Iowa City. Feel free to see the plaque; it is in my office. tpl-3dg,doc City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM DATE: TO: FROM: RE: March 10, 1999 Mayor and City Council Marjan K. Karr, City Clerk ~ Start time for March 29 Work Session There are a number of issues that need to be addressed at this work session. It has been suggested that we start early. Take a look at the proposed schedule and let me hear your comments. PROPOSAL FOR MARCH 29 WORK SESSION 4:00-6:00 6:00-6:30 6:30-9:00 Work Session Dinner Provided Continued Work Session Unless I hear differently the schedule outlined above will be implemented. City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM DATE: March 11, 1999 TO.' Census Committee Members FROM: Marian K. Karr, City Clerk Census 2000 Committee Update Spring is in sight! My office is continuing with Federal Census 2000 administrative mandates and attending regional information workshops. Plans are to formally kick- off/activate our local Census 2000 Committee on April 19, 1999. I am anticipating the second phase of the of the federal administrative mandate which will allow verification of rural route and post office box addresses within Iowa City. According to the geographers in Kansas City, they expect the address review materials to start flowing within a couple of weeks. We should receive the maps first, followed by the address lists. I will keep you posted. On February 11, 1999 Jill Smith represented the City of Iowa City at the State Library of Iowa "Developing a Local Census 2000 Committee in Iowa" Workshop. The workshop offered practical guidance in local level Census preparation. Jill received copies of a Local Census 2000 Committee Manual. I will distribute copies of the Local Census 2000 Committee Manual at the April 19 meeting. I have scheduled a Census 2000 Committee 1999 kickoff meeting on April 19, 1999 at 8:30 AM. Come prepared to set the Census 2000 Committee's agenda and share ideas about informing, preparing and motivating Iowa City residents to participate in the Census. Please contact me if you are unable to attend the April 19 meeting. Call me at 356-5041. Thank you. CC: Ben Arzu City Council Interested JC entities City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: To: From: Re: March 12, 1999 Mayor and City Council Marian K. Karr, City Clerk Council Work Session, February 22, 1999- 4:35 p.m. in Council Chambers Council: Lehman, Champion, Kubby, Notion, O'Donnell, Thornberry, Vanderhoef. Staff: Atkins, Helling, Karr, Dilkes, Holecek, Franklin, Davidson, Klingaman, Kugler, Schmadeke, Winstead, Head, Logsden, Fowler, Brown, Mollenhauer, Doyle, Mitchell, Neumann. Tapes: Reel 99-28, side 2; Reel 99-29, all; Reel 99-30, all. A complete transcription is available in the City Clerk's office. JOINT MEETING WITH PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION Reel 99-28, Side 1 Planning & Zoning Commission: Supple, Bovbjerg, Chait, Ehrhardt. Asst. City Attorney Holecek, PCD Director Franklin, PCD Planner Kugler, and Developer Jim Miller presented information. A Council majority did not favor sending the request to rezone property located south of Whispering Meadows Drive (Saddlebrook) from RS-8 to RFBH back to Planning and Zoning Commission for another review. [Council Break/Conference Board Meeting] REVIEW ZONING ITEMS Reel 99-29, Side 1 Planning and Community Development Director Franklin presented the following Planning and Zoning items for discussion: MOTION SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR MARCH 23 ON AN ORDINANCE CHANGING THE ZONING DESIGNATION OF APPROXIMATELY 8.08 ACRES LOCATED AT THE WEST TERMINI OF LANGENBERG AVENUE AND HEMINGWAY LANE FROM MEDIUM DENSITY SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (RS-8) TO PLANNED DEVELOPMENT HOUSING OVERLAY/MEDIUM DENSITY SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (PDH-8). (SOUTHPOINTE, PART 7/REZ98o0018) B. CONDITIONALLY CHANGING THE ZONING DESIGNATION OF APPROXIMATELY 61.8 ACRES LOCATED SOUTH OF WHISPERING MEADOWS DRIVE FROM MEDIUM DENSITY SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (RS-8) TO FACTORY BUILT HOUSING RESIDENTIAL (RFBH - 59.25 ACRES) AND LOW DENSITY MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (RM-12 - 2.55 ACRES). (SADDLEBROOK/REZ98-0011 ) PUBLIC HEARING (CONTINUED FROM JANUARY 26) CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE (FIRST CONSIDERATION) Council Work Session February 22, 1999 Page 2 ORDINANCE CHANGING THE ZONING DESIGNATION OF 21.26 ACRES LOCATED ON THE EAST SIDE OF NAPLES AVENUE FROM INTENSIVE COMMERCIAL (C1-1) TO SENSITIVE AREAS OVERLAY ZONE-INTENSIVE COMMERCIAL (WB DEVELOPMENT/OSA-CI-1 ). (PASS AND ADOPT) REVIEW AGENDA ITEMS Reel 99-29, Side 1 (Agenda #13- RESOLUTION TO ADOPT AMENDED BY-LAWS FOR THE PUBLIC ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE ) In response to Kubby, Mayor Lehman explained the City Council Rules Committee recommended that at least two out of five appointments be art or design professionals to allow for more flexibility when making the appointments. Kubby inquired about absence policy. Norton explained the Rules Committee is working to simplify the absence policy for all boards and commissions. (Agenda #15- RESOLUTION AWARDING CONTRACT AND AUTHORIZING MAYOR TO SIGN AND CITY CLERK TO ATTEST CONTRACT FOR CONSTRUCTION OF SAND PIT PUMP STATION - LOWER TERMINUS PROJECT.) City Manager Atkins and Public Works Director Schmadeke summarized sand pit pump station bidding information and recommended approval of the contract. A Council majority favored awarding the bid as presented. (Agenda #16- RESOLUTION AWARDING CONTRACT AND AUTHORIZING MAYOR TO SIGN AND CITY CLERK TO ATTEST CONTRACT FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE COLLEGE STREET PEDESTRIAN MALL WATER MAIN REPLACEMENT PROJECT.) City Manager Arkins and Senior Engineer Winstead presented information about the Pedestrian Mall water replacement project and recommended deferral of bid acceptance until Council's March 2 meeting when Council would be considering bids on Phase II of the Downtown Streetscape project. A Council majority concurred. (Agenda #14- RESOLUTION APPROVING THE CALLS TO ARTISTS FOR TWO SCULPTURES IN THE DOWNTOWN PEDESTRIAN MALL.) In response to Vanderhoef, PCD Director Franklin explained the $250,000 was allocated for replacement of the downtown water fountain and the Art budget would pay for the incremental extra cost, $70,000, of the art component of the fountain. In response to Kubby, Franklin stated she can insert 'picture' or 'slide' into the statement, "...semi-finalists works will be displayed for public review." (Agenda ffg- AMENDMENT TO THE FY99 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN BUDGET WHICH IS A PART OF THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN AS MANDATED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT.) Community Housing Coordinator Head responded to questions about the amendment to the FY99 Annual Action Plan. (Agenda #5e(2)- RESOLUTION SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR MARCH 2 ON PLANS, SPECIFICATIONS, FORM OF CONTRACT, AND ESTIMATE OF COST FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE IOWA CITY TRANSIT FACILITY METHANE ABATEMENT PROJECT, PHASE I, DIRECTING CITY CLERK TO PUBLISH NOTICE OF SAID HEARING, AND DIRECTING THE CITY ENGINEER TO PLACE SAID PLANS ON FILE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION.) In response to Kubby, Parking and Transit Director Fowler explained the four options to be considered during Phase II are to dispense the methane into the air, to burn it off because of odor, to capture it and use it at the facility or to capture, sell. And transport to someone else. Phase I includes putting the piping underneath. Council Work Session February 22, 1999 Page 3 TRANSIT ROUTE STUDY Reel 99-29, Side 2 Parking and Transit Director Fowler, Transit Manager Logsden and Operations Supervisor O'Brien presented Transit Route Study summary. Fowler stated he will prepare a map showing present routes with an overlay of the proposed routes and estimation of loss of ridership figures for each route. Staff Action: Staff will prepare route maps and present them to Council on March 29, 1999 work session (Fowler). FY99 LANDFILL GRANT PROGRAM PROJECTS (IP6 in 2/19 packet) Reel 99-30, Side 1 Solid Waste Coordinator Neumann stated Council received his February 16, 1999 memo re: Staff Recommendations for Iowa City Landfill Grant Funding. Council majority supported recommendations as outlined. Staff Action: Staff will contact the grant recipients and work out the details of the grant contracts (Neumann). DEER MANAGEMENT UPDATE (IP7 in 2/19 packet) Reel 99-30, Side 1 City Attorney Dilkes, Asst. City Attorney Mitchell and Admin. Asst. Mollenhauer responded to Council comments. Council majority directed staff to reconvene the Deer Management Committee to formulate and recommend a plan for next year. Staff Action: Staff will convene the Committee in April and a representative from the U of I Animal Rights Coalition will be invited to speak with the Committee (Mollenhauer). APPOINTMENTS Reel 99-30, Side 1 Historic Preservation Commission: Brown Street - Marc Mills Moffitt Cottage - Doris Malkmus At Large - Lars Anderson & Susan Licht Broadband Telecommunication Commission - Terry Smith & Jim Pusack COUNCIL TIME Reel 99-30, Side 1 Thornberry referred to a Daily lowan article and raised concerns that PCRB Member Watson wants the police officer identification number prior to an investigation. City Attorney Dilkes responded to Council comments. Mayor Lehman noted that he has requested that PCRB Chair Cohen prepare a written statement for Council explaining the PCRB's reasons for wanting the police officer identification number prior to an investigation. (Consent Calendar Item #5g(7)) Kubby requested that correspondence received from the UI Environmental Coalition regarding multi-family recycling issues be forwarded to the Solid Waster Coordinator Neumann for a response. Council Work Session February 22, 1999 Page 4 3. In response to Kubby, Council Members agreed to the following Business Fair schedule: Saturday: Sunday: 10:00-12:00 Norton 10:00-12:00 12:00 - 3:00 Lehman & Thornberry 12:00 - 2:00 2:00 Vanderhoef 2:00 - 4:00 Champion Kubby O'Donnell & Thornberry 4. Norton noted that he will attend a meeting with Science Center developer Jim Larew regarding I-Works tomorrow morning 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM at the Holiday Inn. 5. Norton said he participated in the Iowa City Science Center Campaign train ride with Jim Larew. 6. Norton said he went with Coralville Engineer Holderness and City Planner Yapp on Wednesday to Rock Island for the passenger railroad meeting. 7. Norton noted the Rules Committee is considering board and commission absence policies. 8. (IP9 of 2/19 information packet) Lehman noted that City Staff prepared a very good response to the newspaper about the City's water and sewer projects. City Attorney Dilkes clarified statements made in PCRB's February 9 meeting minutes characterizing her opinions on the Board concerning receiving information about complaints filed with the Police Department, and guidelines for determining officer identification in a sustained complaint. Council requested she communicate her concerns to the Board. Adjourned: 8:50 PM. clerkJmin/0222-ws.doc CITY OF IOWA CITY PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM TO: City Manager /~~ FROM: Parks & Recreation Director ~ DATE: March 11, 1999 ~ RE: New pedestrian bridge - West Side Drive area As you know, for quite some time a number of residents in the West Side Drive area have been requesting a pedestrian bridge over Willow Creek, just downstream from Kiwanis Park, which would essentially connect the West Side Drive area and the Park West Subdivision (via the new Willow Creek Trail to be constructed this summer). We have not previously been able to accommodate this request because of the Willow Creek Interceptor sewer project. With this segment of the sewer project now complete, however, we are able to proceed. We purchased a 50-foot by 8-foot bridge from Continental Bridge Company at a cost of $15,618. It has been delivered and is now "resting" on city property along Teg Drive. We hired NNW, Inc. of Iowa City to design the bridge abutments, and will be receiving bids (informally) for this project on March 25. NNW's estimated cost is $8,200, and the projected completion date is May 31. There will be some other associated costs, most notably moving and setting the bridge on the abutments and extending (and possibly widening) an existing sidewalk from West Side Drive to the bridge. When the project is entirely complete I estimate the total costs incurred will be in the range of $28,000 to $30,000. Funding for this project is coming from the annual allocation for "park improvements" which includes items such as footbridges, intra-city bike trails, sidewalk replacements, parking lot improvements, accessibility projects, etc. Memo To: City Councilors From: Ron O'Neil, Airport ManagerQ~,, ~. Date: February25, 1999 Re: Airport projects Following is a brief update on some Airport projects. Airport entrance sign - The new entrance sign has been completed. The old sign was destroyed in the windstorm last June. The sign is the same design as the entrance signs to Iowa City on Melrose and North Dubuque. I have received several positive comments. Landscaping around the sign will be completed this summer. Land acquisition program - The Commission recently received a grant of $ 520,271 for the land acquisition project As you may recall, we received a grant of $1,021,898 in September of 1998. There should be at least an additional $ 300,000 grant in the second half of FY 99. We may also get some discretionary funding. The allocations for FY 2000 have not been announced yet. All of the residents have been relocated from Terrace Hill Mobile Home Park. (This was the mobile home park on Dane Road.) The mobile units have been sold and removed. There will be some clean up this spdng and the Fitzgarrald house will be sold at auction. Easement offers on the developed parcels in the RPZ's have been made on all but one parcel. Most owners are rejecting the easement offers. The FAA will not require us to condemn for easements. I have directed ACSG to complete the easement part of the project by the end of March. · Page 1 The Iowa City Mobile Home Park has been purchased and the relocation program has started. Initial interviews have been completed with all but one of the owners. ACSG is attempting to locate her and will complete the interview process as soon as possible. Some relocation packages have been offered. ACSG will have the IC Mobile Home Park residents relocated by June and the entire project is scheduled to be completed by August 1999. We should be closing on the Dyer property (Aidane Motel and triplex) in March. An offer has been made on the first of the two Dane/Larsen parcels. This parcel, located directly south of Mormon Trek, will be needed when Dane Road is relocated. ACSG has one appraisal on the other Dane/Larsen parcel and is waiting for the second appraisal. Southwest FBO hangar- The footings are completed and the building is being delivered today. It will take about six weeks to construct the 120' by 140' building. Unless there is a delay caused by the weather, this project will be completed by May. Iowa City Flying Service is leasing the entire building. Their lease is structured to repay the interdepartmental loan, including interest. North Commercial area - The project has been reviewed by the Planning staff and the Commission will discuss their suggestions at the March Commission meeting. Although the Council has derided not to fund the infrastructure at this time, the Commission will complete the design phase and have the project ready for bid if funding becomes available for all or part of the project. The Science Center is discussing how they could afford to locate in the North Commercial area. The Commission has identified a seven-acre parcel that will be reserved for a time, with the assumption the Sdence Center can raise the funding to build their buildings and a plan devised to provide infrastructure to the site. This issue will probably be a discussion item at a Coundl work session in the near future. Airport Terminal renovation - HLM has completed the conceptual plans for the building. Iowa City Flying Service, the Commission's main tenant, has been included in the discussions. Representatives of the Histodc Preservation Commission have also been invited to review and comment on the project. The Commission will hold a public headng on the plans and specifications at their March meeting and plan to meet with the Council on March 29a'. An elevator to accommodate ADA requirements for the second floor will be bid as an alternate. After discussion and comments from the Council, the Commission will be ready to go out to bid on the project. The schedule calls for bids to be received sometime in Apdl. Because the Commission is not meeting with the Council until late March, the bid opening will probably not be until mid-May. This will still allow for summer or eady fall construction. Because we are starting to have significant problems with the heating system, it is fortunate that replacement of the heating system is part of the project. Iowa City Airport Commission Steve Atkins, City Manager Dennis Mitchell, Assistant City Attomey · Page 2 City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 9, 1999 From: Re: City Council and City Manager I recently received a confirmation from Moody's Investors Service regarding their assigning a Aaa rating on the City of Iowa City general obligation bonds currently outstanding as well as the most recent $9,000,000 debt issue. I have attached the Moody's credit research report. I thought you might find this informative. Please call me at 356-5052 if you have any questions. tpl-4dy.doc New Issue Report Published 02/26/99 Iowa City (City of) IA Contacts Le Chen Thomas J. O'Donnell 212-553-7939 212-553-0575 Moody's Rating Issue General Obligation Bonds, Series 1999 Sale Amount $9,000,000.00 Expected Sale Date 03/02/99 Rating Description General Obligation Rating Aaa MOODY'S ASSIGNS Aaa RATING TO THE CITY OF IOWA CITY'S GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS, SERIES 1999 $50.70 MILLION OFDEBT AFFECTED Opinion Moody's Investors Service has assigned a Aaa rating, with a stable outlook, to the City of Iowa City's General Obligation Bonds, Series 1999. The highest quality rating and stable outlook are based on the city's long-term economic stability, strong financial management, and a moderate amount of rapidly retired debt. Moody's believes the city's credit factors will remain positive for the foreseeable future given the strengths provided by significant institutional-based economic activity, as well as managemenrs in-depth financial planning. Significant employment opportunities for more than 20,000 people at the University of Iowa and its medical center, as well as a mix of service and light manufacturing entities, result in strong city economic stability and continuing moderate economic growth. The University of Iowa is the flagship public institution in the state, with stable enrollment of about 23,200, Given these positive economic factors, the city's property tax base has been growing steadily, with assessed valuation increasing 3.9% annually from fiscal 1995 to fiscal 2000. Additionally, the city's wealth levels are strong, with median family income and per capita income levels equaling 124% and 107% of the state average, particularly given that half of the city's population consists of students. Unemployment at 2.0% (December 1998) is lower than both state and national levels. The city's strong financial management is evidenced by multi-year operating and capital planning, conservative budgeting and the continual goal of maintaining ample General Fund reserves. The city plans to maintain its undesignated General Fund balance at 20% of General Fund expenditures and will use any excess to fund one-time capital projects, As of June 30, 1998, the undesignated General Fund balance was at $10.6 million, or 38.7% of fund revenues or 39.3% of fund expenditures. In fiscal 1999, the city has budgeted for a $1.9 million drawdown in its General Fund balance to help fund capital projects; however, city officials indicate operations to date are better than originally budgeted. While the city's property tax base will be impacted by two state-mandated changes in property tax valuations, including the phase-out of machinery and equipment, as well as changing the basis of utility taxation to a tax on usage, these categories account for only about 2% and 3% of total valuation, respectively. Additionally, the city's three-year financial plan indicates the city can offset any losses by reducing non-personnel, primarily discretionary capital, expenditures. Given the city's reserve policy, management's ability to move some property tax levy components out of the General Fund levy into non-capped levies, and the ability to eliminate some discretionary expenditures, Moody's believes the city retains ample financial flexibility for the foreseeable future. The overall debt burden of 2.4% is moderate, and payout of 74.1% in ten years is rapid. The current issue will fund various capital improvements. Later this year, the city anticipates issuing $9 million in water revenue bonds and $10 million in parking revenue. Moody's expects debt burden to remain manageable for the foreseeable future given the city's currently moderate debt levels, expectation for continued tax base growth, and rapid bond payout. KEY STATISTICS 1996 population: 60,148 (estimated) 1989 population: 59,738 1989 per capita income: $13,277 1989 median housing value as % of state median: 172.1% 2000 full valuation: $2.4 billion Debt burden: 2.4% Payout of principal (10 years): 74.1% FY'98 General Fund balance: $10.6 million (38.7% of $27.3 million in General Fund revenues) © Copyright 1999 Moody's Investors Service CITY OF I0 WA CITY NOTICE: PURCHASE OF EQUIPMENT In accordance with Iowa Code Section 28E.20 JOINT PURCHASES OF EQUIPMENT, the City of Iowa City is giving notice of intent to purchase one or more items or accessories or attachments to equipment, the total cost of which is estimated to be $50,000 or more. The following political subdivisions have been contacted. City of Coralville-City Clerk Johnson County Board of Supervisors-Chair Iowa City Community School District-Business Office NOTICE WAS MAILED: March 5, 1999 EQUIPMENT TO BE PURCHASED: Three (3) One (1) ton cab & chassis trucks with utility and platform bodies. Catharine W. Eisenhofer, CPPO Purchasing Agent (319) 356-5075 cc: City Council 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET · IOWA CITY. IOWA :52240-1826 , (319) 356-5000 · FAX (319) 356-5009 City of Iowa City MEMORANDUM Date: March 12, 1999 To: Iowa City City Council From: Melody Rockwell, Associate Planner Re: Northeast District Plan A revised draft plan of the Northeast District is attached for your review. This plan represents the culmination of citizen planning workshops, interviews with major property owners, review and comments by neighborhood residents and associations, and City Commissions, including the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Riveffront and Natural Areas Commission and the Planning and Zoning Commission. At its February 4 meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of the Northeast District Plan, as revised, and forwarded the plan to the City Council for its consideration. The Council has set its public hearing on the Northeast District Plan for March 30. The planning process for the Northeast District was initiated early in 1998 with staff gathering background information on the district - the history, existing land uses, environmental features and property ownership, and meeting with neighborhood groups and owners of large properties. Over 100 people attended the citizen planning workshops in March/April 1998, and generated major planning principles that serve as the backbone of the Northeast District Plan: · Preserve natural features. · Provide pedestrian/bicyclist connections. · Build streets that enhance neighborhood quality. · Create & upgrade neighborhood parks. · Plan for commercial areas to function as neighborhood centers. The citizen planning teams also provided a number of interesting and worthwhile concepts that have been incorporated into the plan, including: · Alignment of Scott Boulevard along the tops of ridges, instead of through ravines · The design of the t-intersection of Krall Boulevard with Scott Boulevard · Preservation of the floodplains as natural stream corridors · Creation of a reservoir park at the confluence of two streams east of Scott Boulevard · Use of a green square as the focal point of the Lindemann Hills Neighborhood · Location of an arboretum along 1-80 to serve as a sound and visual buffer · Use of a park to create an offset of a street in the interior of a neighborhood The plan addresses concerns about the First Avenue extension, including traffic flow and safety issues and the buffering of Hickory Hill Park. On February 4, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended revisions to the plan, some of which were intended to augment the ways in which the plan addresses the First Avenue extension. The proposed revisions have been incorporated into the draft plan that is now before you. A summary discussion about the revisions can be referenced in the Planning and Zoning Commission's February 4 minutes. If you have any questions about the Northeast District Plan or the planning process, please call me at 356-5251. NORTHEAST PLANNING DISTRICT DEPARTMENT OF PIANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, CITY OF IOVFA CITY 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City Iowa · 52240 NORTHEAST DISTRICT PLAN The Northeast District is located south of Interstate 80 (I-80), east of Hickory Hill Park and First Avenue, and north of Court Street. The plan describes the history, current land uses, existing environmental features and potential, future land uses for the district. It presents a pattern for how residential, commercial, office park, recreational and institutional uses, and supporting public facilities, including streets, sewers, stormwater drainage, parks, trails and fire protection, will be encouraged to develop in the district. In the Northeast District, there are approximately 690 acres of vacant land zoned for residential development within the corporate limits, and 965 additional acres of vacant land outside Iowa City, but within the City's long-range planning area. The district extends east into the county about one-quarter to one-half mile east of TaR Avenue. It is anticipated that annexation of the unincor- porated properties will occur over several decades or longer. The new neighborhoods to be devel- oped in the district are encompassed within an area that can be served by gravity sanitary sewer service; an area that is likely to be developed in the future as part of Iowa City. (See Exhibit A: Northeast District Quadrants/Major Property Owners Map) The Northeast District Plan is the third in a series of district plans to be included in Iowa City's Comprehensive Plan, Iowa City: Beyond 2000. This district plan was developed in cooperation with citizens, who participated in property owner interviews, or became involved in planning workshops for the district in March and April 1998. People from both the city and the county, residents of the district and from the community-at-large, worked with city staff to identify positive features, address areas needing improvement, provide historical details and envision future plans for the district. A NEIGHBORHOOD FRAMEWORK Iowa City is a community of neighborhoods, where planning is at its best when it is accomplished on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis. The Northeast District is no exception to the neighborhood planning approach. In the Comprehen- sive Plan, arterial streets often form the boundaries for the individual planning districts in Iowa City. Arterial streets also generally mark the boundaries of neighborhoods. The Northeast District is bounded on the north by Interstate 80, on the east by Taft Avenue, on the south by Court Street, and on the west by portions of First Avenue. Rochester Avenue generally divides the district into north and south halves with the Bluffwood and Hunters Heights neighborhoods to the north and Pheasant Hill and Lindemann Hills to the south. Scott Boulevard generally divides the district into east and west halves. That is, arterial streets divide the Northeast District into quadrants, and in this plan, each quadrant is treated as a neighborhood. The arterial streets not only provide boundary identity and separation for each of the four neighborhoods, but are designed to carry the greater share of vehicular traffic at the edge of each neighborhood, instead of through the middle of a neighborhood. The four neighborhoods in the Northeast District are: BLUFFWOOD (NW) NEIGHBORHOOD -- The northwest quadrant (north of Rochester Avenue and west of Scott Boulevard) is also located entirely within the corporate limits, but due to its rugged terrain, stream corridors, secondary access restrictions and land owner preferences, this area has had limited development. Residential development has occurred in the southwest portion of the quadrant adjacent to the Ralston Creek stream corridor, and a few homes, the Press Citizen and the ACT campus are clustered along Dodge Street/Highway 1 in the northwest part of the quadrant. The majority of this quadrant contains farms with pastures on the rolling hills and some row crops, such as soybeans and alfalfa, on the higher, flatter terrain. [] HUNTER HEIGHTS (NE) NEIGHBORHOOD -- The northeast quadrant (north of Herbert Hoover Highway and east of Scott Boulevard), is located almost entirely within the unincorporated area of Johnson County. This quadrant contains gently rolling farmland with the north branch of Ralston Creek running diagonally through it from the northeast to the southwest. A seven-lot rural subdivision, a few farm residences, and Hi-Point, an 18-hole golf course, are located in the Hunter Heights Neighborhood. [] LINDEMANN HILLS (SE) NEIGHBORHOOD -- The western edge of the southeast quadrant (south of Herbert Hoover Highway and east of Scott Boulevard) is located within the city limits and is being developed with a mix of housing types, including an assisted living center for elderly or disabled persons. A portion of the southeast part of the quadrant has been annexed into the city as part of the Windsor Ridge development for a mix of housing types and a potential school site. A small salvage yard is located in the northwest corner of the quadrant. The remainder of the quadrant is located outside the city limits and contains rolling farmland, a few residences, including a small subdivision along Hummingbird Lane, and a nursing home, the Iowa City Cam Center. [] PHEASANT HILL (SW) NEIGHBORHOOD -- The southwest quadrant (south of Rochester Av- enue and west of Scott Boulevard) contains Lemme Elementary School and Pheasant Hill Park, and has neighborhood commercial zoning on the northwest and southeast corners of the quad- rant. This neighborhood is located entirely within the corporate limits of Iowa City and is nearly fully developed. 4 HISTORIC CONTEXT Planning for the district is to be accomplished with respect for its prehistoric and historic re- sources. The people of the Woodland prehistoric period (500 BC -AD 1000) constructed earthen burial mounds in this area of Iowa. The State Archeologist's Office has indicated that there are no known prehistoric or early settler burial mounds in the Northeast District, but has cautioned that there may be unrecorded burial sites. Two sites of early prehistoric and historic habitations were discoy- ered during a survey prior to improvements along Rochester Avenue. These sites, shown on Exhibit B: Northeast Planning District Recorded Archaeological Sites Map, are not considered significant sites in and of themselves, but may serve as indicators that other archaeological sites exist in the area. Farmsteads began to be established in this district in the mid-1800s, and agricultural uses continue to encompass the northern and eastern portions of the district. In 1976, Irving Weber, a local historian, cited six "century farms" in Scott TownShip, which makes up the eastern portion of the district. One of the "century farms" is the Hunter farm, located on the west edge of the Hunter Heights (NE) quadrant. The 1912 publication Leading Events in Johnson County' History' by Gilbert Irish notes that Adam Hunter arrived in Iowa City and settled in the area around 1850. The Hunter family has lived on and farmed the land ever since. The Lindemann families, who own land to the south, are descendents of Adam Hunter. Little has been written about other early settlers or events that may have occurred within the district, and few remnants from the early settlement remain. It is known that in 1839, Lyman Dillon plowed a furrow from Iowa City to Dubuque as a guide for pioneers. The furrow is said to have generally followed the current route of Highway 1, and so is likely to have traversed the northwest corner of the district, following the ridge top where Dubuque Road and the ACT entrance are currently located. According to a long time resident, a portion of a Rock Island railroad spur connected Iowa City with a small settlement northeast of Iowa City called Digby. This railroad spur generally followed the south branch of Ralston Creek out from Iowa City through what is now called Scott Park, and cut diagonally across the Lindemann Hills (SE) quadrant. Although the rail spur has been aban- doned and has virtually disappeared as agricultural uses displaced the line, a remnant of an original stone railroad bridge over Ralston Creek is still located on the Jerry Lindemann farm near Taft Avenue. Stone Railroad Bridge A few, older farm homes remain scattered through the district. A large stucco home once owned by Henry Peterson is located on Hawks Drive on the north side of Herbert Hoover Highway. This home appears to have been built in the mid-1800s and may warrant historic landmark status. Other older farm homes in the area may also be considered historic, and could be preserved within new neigh- borhoods as development begins to occur around them. One such structure known as "Bluffwood" was located until 1993 on land that is now occupied by the Rochester Hills development. The Gothic style home in a pastoral setting was the country home of prominent Iowa Citians, Emma and William Haddock. The Bluffwood Neighborhood Association is named after this once historic site. Peterson Home Bluffwood Cottage Development of the Northeast District began in the southwest corner of the district after World War II. Prior to 1942, none of the property within the district was located within the corporate limits of Iowa City, but by 1959, about 75 acres along First Avenue had been annexed. By 1967, most of the Pheasant Hill (SW) quadrant and the southwest portion of the Bluffwood (NW) area had been annexed. The largely undeveloped properties north of Ralston Creek in the Bluffwood area were incorporated into the city between 1967 and 1975, and a few parcels within the Lindemann Hills quadrant were annexed in the 1990s. ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES Protecting the environmental quality of the district is a high priority. The Comprehensive Plan encourages "development that occurs with consideration of ecological features, such as protecting critical wildlife habitats, natural terrain and future green space." It supports the "acquisition and management of watersheds, floodplains, wetlands and greenways," and "identification and preservation of environmentally sensitive areas." These environmental tenets of the Comprehensive Plan coincide with a guiding principle expressed in the citizen plan- ning workshops to plan so that development respects the integrity of the sensitive features. As shown on the Northeast District Sensitive Areas Map (Exhibit C), the district consists of upland woodlands, portions of land with highly erodible soil, and two major stream corridors, the north and south branches of Ralston Creek. Potential wetlands are located primarily along drainageways, and fully hydric (water saturated) soils are found mainly in the eastern half of the district. Historic and archaeological sites should continue to be identified, and where possible preserved as assets. The environmentally sensitive features affect the planning and development of new neighbor- hoods. Traditional neighborhoods with grid-patterned streets are not feasible in areas containing steep, wooded ravines and extensive wetlands. Conservation-design subdivisions are encouraged in these areas so that development is clustered on flatter, higher ground with wooded slopes, wetlands and floodplains as protected amenities. 8 NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING PRINCIPLES Citizen planning is instrumental in shaping desirable neighborhood development. The citizen-generated principles outlined below are the backbone of the Northeast District Plan, and are intended to be adhered to as guidelines for neighborhood development. The following neighborhood planning principles evolved from the Northeast District citizen workshops, which were held in March-April 1998: Preserve natural features. The citizen planning teams emphasized the importance of preserving the natural beauty of the Northeast District. To protect natural features, such as steep, wooded ravines, stream corridors and wetlands, the plan calls for: [] Providing green open space areas or buffers between urban development and sensitive features, such as woodlands, wetlands, and creeks. [] Incorporating and maintaining a green open space buffer between Hickory Hill Park and urban development to preserve the natural integrity of the park. [] Preserving the 100-year floodplain as a natural corridor. [] Integrating stormwater detention ponds within natural, drainage areas, such as creeks. [] Using conservation design principles to locate streets, utilities and structures in a way that minimizes disturbance of natural features. [] Treating environmentally sensitive areas as amenities. [] Encouraging the use of single-loaded streets (development on only one side of a street) when necessary to protect environmentally sensitive areas and create public vistas. ' :':, ". .:.. ";' Example of single-loaded street Provide pedestrian/bicyclist connections. The plan provides for a network of wide, accessible sidewalks and trails throughout the district by: Requiring sidewalks along all streets, public and private, and a minimum eight-foot wide sidewalk along at least one side of arterial streets, as essential elements of neighborhood development. Designing sidewalks and trail systems as an integral part of the transportation system to offer alternatives to automobile travel that provide reliable connections from the Northeast District to the downtown and University campus destinations, and to other major employment centers south along Scott Boulevard and north along Highway 1/Dodge Street. [] Locating recreational trails along waterways, around ponds and through parks, and where appropriate, adding educational, interpretive elements as part of the trail system. [] Incorporating trail connections at the ends of cul-de-sac streets. [] Planning for trail connections between major destinations, such as commercial areas, 'parks and schools Build streets that enhance neighborhood quality. The plan advocates a neighborhood street design that fosters reasonable traffic levels, calms traffic, and provides landscaped buffers along major roadways by: [] Developing an interconnected street system that disperses vehicular traffic by using multiple means of access into and out of a neighborhood. [] Designing collector streets so they are not continuous through streets, but are offset in the middle of the neighborhood, or separated by an intervening green square park, a school site or other neighborhood gathering place. Residential street with landscaped median [] Introducing green elements into the street system by Iooping streets around small neighbor- hood greens, planting medians, landscaping along streets, narrowing streets so street trees can extend in a canopy over the street, and providing single-loaded streets to open up scenic vistas and provide public access to preserved natural areas. 10 [] Using cul-de-sac streets on a limited basis, such as where topography or other sensitive features prevent practical street connections. [] Planting an arboretum along Interstate 80 with a variety of trees to create an aesthetic entranceway and noise buffer between the highway and residential development. Encourage a reasonable level of housing diversity. The predominant land use in the Northeast District neighborhoods will be detached, single-family housing, but the plan integrates a mix of housing types throughout the district by: [] Using traditional neighborhood design concepts to locate townhouses and small apartment houses in and adjacent to neighborhood commercial areas, at intersections of arterial and collector streets, along arterial streets, and near institutional facilities and parks. [] Avoiding large concentrations of apartments. [] Ensuring that apartment buildings and townhouses are compatible with neighborhood architec- ture in terms of design and scale. [] Preserving historic structures within the district by planning development that integrates in- stead of eliminates these historic elements. Create and upgrade neighborhood parks by: [~ Planning neighborhood parks, three to seven acres in size, that are centrally located, and interconnected with accessible trails, parking areas, play equipment and picnic shelters. [] Designing parks in association with trails, schools, neighborhood commercial centers, water- ways and wooded areas. [] Improving or expanding existing public parks and open space areas for neighborhood use. [] Increasing neighborhood opportunities for accessing open space by incorporating pocket parks and smaller public or private open space areas (play areas, neighborhood gardens) throughout the district. Plan for commercial areas to function as neighborhood centers by: [] Designing neighborhood commercial areas in a main street or town square style. [] Including green space within or adjacent to the neighborhood commercial center. [] Incorporating public services, such as a fire station, daycare (for children or elders), and civic spaces within or adjacent to a neighborhood commercial center. 11 Concept Plan for Commercial Area at Scott Boulevard and Rochester Avenue Main Street Commercial Design These neighborhood planning principles are integrated throughout the Northeast District Plan, and have been made an intentional part of the plan for each neighborhood. Neighborhood Planning To guide future growth and development in the Northeast Planning District, the plan focuses on the undeveloped portions of the Bluffwood (NW), Hunter Heights (NE), and Lindemann Hills (SE) quadrants. It encourages compatible extensions of existing residential development in the west and south portions of the district, located for the most part in the Pheasant Hill (SW) quadrant, and the area immediately northeast of the intersection of First Avenue and Rochester Avenue. The proposed extension of the Windsor Ridge development in the central portion of the Lindemann Hills (SE) area, the commercial and office park development on the edges of the district, and the natural, recreational resource of the nearly 200 acre Hickory Hill Park on the west edge of the district are also considered important elements of the plan. The land use scenario for each quadrant illustrates how the planning principles generated at the citizen workshops may be applied to development. When rezonings, planned developments and subdivisions are proposed within each Northeast District neighborhood, these planning/land use principles will assist the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council in evaluating development applications. They should also serve as a guide for developers and their engineering/ architectural consulting firms. The land use scenarios are intended to be general guides; an indication of how development may occur neighborhood by neighborhood. It is possible that specific land uses shown on the land use scenario may not develop in the exact locations depicted, but decisions regarding developments should adhere generally to the planning principles set forth in this plan. Traditional Neighborhood Development. The Comprehensive Plan for Iowa City and the prin- ciples developed at the citizen planning workshops for the Northeast District both support the implementation of traditional neighborhood development - the type of development that pro- motes social connections, identity of place, environmental conservation and traffic reduction within each neighborhood. Traditional neighborhood development tends to create village-like neighborhoods with housing for a diverse population, a mix of land uses, walkable streets, public space that is a focal point for the neighborhood, integrated civic and commercial centers and accessible open space. The plan recommends a pattern of traditional neighborhood development with its interconnected grid of streets in the flatter regions of the Hunter Heights (NE) and the 12 Bluffwood (NW) quadrants, and throughout the Lindemann Hills (SE) quadrant, a largely rural area. For the areas of the Hunter Heights and Bluffwood quadrants that are characterized by a topogra- phy of steep, wooded ravines, the plan recommends conservation patterns of development. Conventional Subdivision Design Traditional Neighborhood Design Conservation Neighborhood Design 13 Conservation Neighborhood Design. Conservation subdivision designs balance the protection of sensitive environmental features with the development rights of property owners. The density of development is clustered on the more buildable portion of the property -- leaving the balance to be protected as a nature preserve or open space. House sites are identified to take advantage of views of the preserved land, and streets are designed to access the house sites in a manner that minimizes disturbance of natural areas. The resulting subdivision has more compact areas of development, but less paving and more open space when compared to conventional development. Conservation subdivision designs are especially appropriate in areas containing steep slopes, woodlands and stream corridors - features that are prevalent in the Bluffwood (NW) area, and portions of the Hunter Heights (NE) quadrant. BLUFFWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD Bluffwood, the 940 acre northwest quadrant of the district, is characterized by highly erod- ible soils, steep, wooded slopes and a few wetlands. The north branch of Ralston Creek and several of its tributaries run through this quadrant, and Hickory Hill Park provides a wooded western boundary. Residential subdivisions have been developed in the southwest area of the district along Ralston Creek. Two major employment centers, the Press Citizen and ACT, are clustered near Highway 1, and a few farm homes are scattered throughout the rest of the quadrant. The majority of the property in the Bluffwood Neighborhood is farmland, approximately 200 acres of which is held by ACT for future development. The future land use scenario for the Bluffwood Neighborhood reflects the planning principles developed at the citizen workshops. It illustrates a largely single-family residential neighborhood with opportunities for duplex and zero lot line housing to be integrated throughout, and townhouses and small scale apartments located along arterial streets, adjacent to major open spaces, and in some areas along collector streets. The plan indicates the preservation of stream corridors, wooded ravines and wetlands and introduces greens within the streetscape and parks in conjunction with the sensitive natural areas. Interconnected streets are proposed where feasible. Due to topographic constraints, neighborhood commercial areas are not shown in a central location within the neigh- borhood, but are placed nearby in adjacent quadrants at the southeast, southwest and northeast edges of the Bluffwood Neighborhood. Preserve natural features. Conservation design of residential developments is a key feature of the future land use scenario for the Bluffwood Neighborhood. To preserve sensitive areas, cul-de-sac streets and single-loaded streets are proposed where appropriate. Open spaces are shown in areas containing wooded ravines and boggy, potential wetland areas; as a buffer along the east and north edges of Hickory Hill Park where it abuts the Larson tract; and encompassing the 100 year flood- plain along Ralston Creek and its tributaries. The pond on the Krall farm is featured as a focal point within a green space across from a small neighborhood commercial area at the intersection of Scott Boulevard (formerly known as Captain Irish Parkway) and a street that tees in from the north, which for the purposes of this plan is called "Krall BouleVard." Scott Boulevard is illustrated not only as a major thoroughfare for vehicular traffic, but also as a dam to pool and slow waters on its east side where two branches of Ralston Creek converge. This pond can be developed as an amenity within a neighbor- hood park as well as a stormwater detention basin. Keeping sensitive areas as natural green spaces will enhance erosion control and slow. stormwater runoff as this quadrant becomes more developed. It will ensu re the weaving of environ mental features th roughout the fabric of the neighborhood in a way that enhances the q ual ity of life of residents while mai ntai n ing natural corridors for trai Is. 15 Provide pedestrian/bicyclist connections. Pedestrian/bicycle trails help support pedestrian ori- ented neighborhood design by providing off-road connections between key neighborhood destina- tions. An interconnected sidewalk system augmented by a trail system will provide opportunities for people to walk, bike or jog to parks, employment centers, commercial areas, schools, and other destinations. Pedestrian ways should be connected into the trail and sidewalk system that is being developed city-wide to provide pedestrian/bicyclist access to other neighborhoods, the downtown and the University campus. Pedestrian connections between the Bluffwood Neighborhood and Hickory Hill Park should be enhanced, and a connection between Hickory Hill Park and the neighborhood park at the east end of Hickory Trail should be designated. Trail connections be- tween cul-de-sac streets and across natural areas will be important design elements in areas that rely on conservation development to preserve environmental features. Trails along the edges of creeks, wooded areas and wetland bogs will provide access to natural areas in the Bluffwood Neighborhood, while increasing recreational opportunities. Build streets that enhance neighborhood quality. Rochester Avenue and First Avenue are the principle streets that currently serve the existing residential development in the southwest part of the Bluffwood Neighborhood. Dodge Street/Highway I serves the ACT and Press Citizen employ- ment centers and a few homes in the northwest part of the district. Principle streets often become the defining boundaries for neighborhoods. These streets allow traffic from outside the neighbor- hood to move around the edges of the neighborhood, but not through its center. The extension of First Avenue has been the subject of much controversy in this area of the commu- nity. This plan incorporates First Avenue as a necessary link within the community arterial street system. A key to having successful traffic calming on local streets within neighborhoods is having an adequate arterial street system in place. To this end, the plan calls for the construction of the Scott Boulevard extension between Rochester Avenue and Dodge Street to be completed simultaneously with the completion of the First Avenue extension. With the completion of the arterial street connec- tions, traffic burdens will be reduced on local streets within the nearby North Side and Goosetown neighborhoods as well as for the Bluffwood Neighborhood streets, such as Hickory Trail. To make First Avenue more amenable to the neighborhood residents, this arterial street will be designed to ensure safe street crossings. An embargo of large trucks should be implemented on First Avenue from its connection with Scott Boulevard south to Muscatine Avenue. A small parking area may be considered on the west side of First Avenue to facilitate public access to Hickory Hill Park, particu- larly if no on-street parking is allowed on First Avenue in the vicinity of the park. A conservation residential design is proposed on the property between First Avenue and Hickory Hill Park to provide a buffer between the residential development and the park. In the Northeast District, the proposed extension of Scott Boulevard deviates from the standard grid pattern for streets in order to respect the topography of the area. The northwesterly extension of Scott Boulevard is shown as a series of curves that align with the tops of ridges in the Bluffwood Neighbor- hood, instead of cutting through environmentally sensitive ravines and stream corridors and con- tinuing north in a roller coaster fashion over the rugged terrain that the unpaved section of Scott Boulevard now traverses. The new portion of Scott Boulevard should be designed to promote the flow of vehicular traffic between Dodge Street (Highway 1 ) and the intersection of Rochester Avenue/Scott Boulevard. A new street, "Krall Boulevard," is shown connecting north across 1-80 from its t-intersection with Scott Boulevard. These street alignments take advantage of gentler topography, will result in tess environmental degradation, and will facilitate the flow of traffic more so than would be possible if a strict right-angle grid pattern were adhered to. With the construction of the Scott Boulevard connection between Dodge Street and Rochester Avenue, the extension of First Avenue north to connect with Scott Boulevard, and Amhurst Street being extended north from Rochester Avenue across the creek to intersect with streets that will connect north and east to Scott Boulevard, the framework of an interconnected, neighborhood street system will begin to take shape. The alignment shown for Scott Boulevard through ACT property varies slightly from the route agreed upon by the City and ACT. This can be adjusted as needed in the future. The extension of Amhurst Street across Ralston Creek may require public subsidy because of environmental conditions; the amount of development that is possible in this Bluffwood area is limited, but the stream crossing connection is a critical part of the neighborhood traffic circulation system. The complete street network will allow traffic to be more evenly distrib- uted on alternative routes and will provide for secondary access for emergency vehicles. The interior streets of the Bluffwood Neighborhood are designed so that they are not continuous through streets, but are arranged in an offset grid pattern. Green spaces have been incorporated into local streets through the use of green squares, neighborhood parks, loop streets and single-loaded streets. This creates a pleasant streetscape and serves to slow traffic and encourage pedestrian/bicycl ist activity within the neighborhood. Encourage a reasonable level of housing diversity. The predominant land use in the Bluffwood Neigh- borhood will be detached, single-family residential. In areas containing wooded ravines and stream corridors, a conservation design on cul-de-sac streets or single-loaded streets is encouraged. Duplexes and small-lot single-family housing have been integrated into the northeastern portion of the neighbor- hood, where there is flatter terrain and a grid pattern of streets and alleys is possible. With appropriate street connections and design, manufactured dwellings can be incorporated into the traditional neigh- borhood areas. Townhouses and small apartment houses are proposed at the edges of the neighbor- hood, where this slightly higher density housing can take advantage of being located near major arterial streets, such as First Avenue, Scott Boulevard and Rochester Avenue; within or adjacent to the proposed neighborhood commercial centers, or adjacent to open spaces such as parks. This will allow for a variety of housing without directing vehicular traffic through the neighborhood. Townhouses Small Apartments Where density increases occur or lot sizes are reduced, the design of both the streetscape and structures within a development should receive careful review to ensure compatibility in terms of appearance and scale. The Comprehensive Plan design guidelines for neighborhood development should 17 be used to address issues, such as the orientation of structures and parking to the street, building mass and articulation, the location of garages and driveways and the use of landscape buffers. Create and enhance neighborhood parks within the district. Natural Open Space/Buffer Areas. In the BI uffwood Neighborhood, the plan calls for buffering green space to be provided between Hickory Hill Park and residential development on the south and west portions of the Larson tract. One goal of this buffer is to minimize the visibility of residential develop- ment from the park. This can be accomplished by shifting density on the Larson property away from the park and aligning it in slightly higher densities (townhouses and small apartment houses) along the adjacent arterial streets. A larger buffer area for the park on the Larson tract may be possible if the property owner consents to a greater transfer in density or there is private and/or public purchase of a portion of the property. No direct vehicular access to the park or through streets adjacent to the park are proposed. Instead, the residential development nearest the park is shown on cul-de-sac streets and pedestrian access to Hickory Hill Park is encouraged.. Environmentally sensitive areas, such as flood- plain and wetlands along Rals. ton Creek and wooded ravines, are preserved as open space. Conserva- tion of these areas will enhance natural habitat, and flooding and erosion control. Trai Is for pedestrian/ bicyclist access are the only development contemplated within these environmentally sensitive areas. Neighborhood Parks. Improved pedestrian access on the east and north sides of Hickory Hill Park could offer some benefits of a neighborhood park to people living in the west part of the Bluffwood Neighborhood. A central lyqocated five to eight acre neighborhood park is proposed at the east end to Hickory Trail on the higher ground north of Ralston Creek. A one to two acre green square park has been incorporated as a centerpiece of the traditional neighborhood development shown south of Captain Irish Parkway. A green space around the Krall farm pond offers an open space/gathering place across from a new neighborhood commercial area. The plan also incorporates small areas of open space, for landscaping and recreational space within the interior of residential blocks or within street rights-of-way. 1-80 Buffer. A minimum buffer of 300 to 500 feet, about the length of a city block, between Interstate-80 and residential development will soften the effects of highway traffic noise and pol- lution. Citizen planners recommended that this area be planted as an arboretum, which could be used as an outdoor classroom as well as serving as a noise buffer and scenic enhancement for residents and motorists. Continued agricultural uses, including tree farming, are encouraged in the 1-80 buffer area. If appropriately designed, office and research park, and public or private recre- ational uses could also be considered as suitable uses. With adequate screening, low intensity storage and warehouse uses could also be designed to provide a suitable buffer between residential uses and 1-80. The Bluffwood land use scenario illustrates these potential uses. Plan for commercial areas that will function as neighborhood centers. At this time, the closest, existing neighborhood commercial area for the Bluffwood Neighborhood is located at First & Rochester in the Pheasant Hill Neighborhood. The relocation of the Hy-Vee grocery store creates an opportunity to upgrade this commercial area to include a mix of neighborhood scale busi- nesses, such as restaurants, a pharmacy and small grocery store to serve the adjacent neighbor- hoods. Pedestrian connections between stores and uses within this commercial area are encouraged. Other potential sites for commercial areas to serve the Bluffwood Neighborhood include a small com- mercial area at the t-intersection of Scott Boulevard and "Krall Boulevard," and a larger commercial area at the intersection of Rochester Avenue and Scott Boulevard. 18 Office Park Emplo~,ment Centers. Several hundred persons are employed at the American College Testing (ACT) offices located east of Dodge Street. Almost two hundred are employed at the Press Citizen newspaper also located in this area. ACT owns additional property that may be developed for more office uses. These offices, as well as others, such as National Computer Systems, that are located on the other side Dodge Street and Interstate 80 just outside of the Northeast District, make this area one of Iowa City's major employment centers. When "Krall Boulevard" is extended north across Inter- stateo80, an additional connection to the commercial area to the north (Highlander, Northgate) will be available. Office uses could serve as a buffer between the interstate and residential areas. The current zoning map shows approximately 275 acres of office research park zoning adjacent to the interstate. Given the past rate of development of such uses, this amount of land devoted to office park uses may be unrealistic. Alternative uses, such as residential or the buffer area uses mentioned above, should be considered in this area. Although some of the workers employed in this area live in the Northeast District, most commute from other parts of the community and even from beyond Johnson County. When development occurs to the east of the ACT campus, the plan proposes neighborhoods with a variety of housing types, so that employees can find housing close to work. Shorter commuting distances would cut down on the length of vehicle trips and would allow some employees to walk or bike to work. HUNTER HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD Most of the properties within the 590 acre Hunter Heights (NE) quadrant are located in the unincorporated area of Johnson County. in many respects, the west portion of this quadrant is likely to become an extension of the growth and development in the adjoining Bluffwood area. Tradi- tional neighborhood development will be possible on most of the properties within this quadrant. The 1-80 corridor, a golf course and farms form the land uses for the north and east portions of this neigh- borhood. Preserve natural features. The north branch of Ralston Creek and a tributary to the creek run diagonally from northeast to southwest across the quadrant. Approximately 25 acres of potential wetlands are clustered along Ralston Creek. The other sensitive features within this quadrant are located along Ralston Creek, and include 20 acres of upland woods, 11 acres of steep slopes, and 6 acres of fully hydric soils. As development occurs, these environmentally sensitive features should be incorporated as protected amenities. Development should occur in a way that mini- mizes flooding and soil erosion, and maximizes wildlife habitat, aquifer absorption and scenic preservation. The areas of fully hydric soils, which are likely to have a high water table, and may include wetlands, are best treated as environmental amenities within a development. Develop- ment of these properties can occur if there are no delineated wetlands, but may require special construction practices for streets, buildings and stormwater management facilities. The plan rec- ommends implementing a storm water retention dam where two branches of Ralston Creek meet. Captain Irish Parkway is shown as forming a dam for this basin, which would be used to control flooding that is being experienced downstream. Provide pedestrian/bicyclist connections. Trails should be developed along the Ralston Creek stream corridors that flow into the Bluffwood neighborhood, and eventually to Hickory Hill Park. A trail connected to the trail along Ralston Creek should run north-south, along the western edge of the Hi-Point golf course and into the Lindemann Hills neighborhood, to connect with a trail along the south branch of Ralston Creek. As land along Herbert Hoover Highway is annexed, a trail along the highway should be developed, while preserving the prairie plantings within the right-of-way. This 19 trail may extend to West Branch in the future. It is also possible to construct a trail within the buffer area along the south side of 1-80. An interconnected sidewalk system along all streets, and pedestrian con- nections between cul-de-sac streets and other areas, will also be important elements of creating a pedestrian-friend ly neigh borhood. Build streets that enhance neighborhood quafity. In areas with sensitive features, streets will need to "ride the ridge' and often will be single-loaded and/or cul-de-sac streets. interconnected street patterns are shown on the flatter, less sensitive areas of the Hunter Heights Neighborhood. The traffic-calming street design principles which are proposed for the Bluffwood neighborhood can also be applied to Hunter Heights. Encourage a reasonable level of housing diversity. As in the rest of the district, single-family residences will be the predominate form of housing in the Hunter Heights Neighborhood. Moder- ate density housing, such as townhouses and small apartments may be introduced along the arterial streets, near commercial areas and adjacent to the golf course and the storm water deten- tion basin park. Preservation of the older, historic farm houses, such as the Peterson home, is encouraged within the newly-developing neighborhood. Create neighborhood parks. The storm water detention area can become a park with the stormwater pond as an amenity. A linear greenway with trails can be introduced along the Ralston Creek. The Hi-Point golf course serves as a private recreation area that is easily accessible by the residents of the Hunter Heights Neighborhood. The 75 acre golf course will also buffer development within this quadrant from 1-80. As the properties adjacent to 1-80 are developed, appropriate buffers should be incorporated between the new development and the highway to lessen the effects of traffic noise on residential uses. The buffer area along 1-80 may be another area that could be used as a public or private recreation area. Plan for commercial areas in the district to function as neighborhood centers. A neighborhood commercial center is proposed to develop at the intersection of Krall Boulevard and Scott Boulevard. This commercial center should be smaller in scale than the commercial area being proposed at the intersection of Scott Boulevard and Rochester Avenue as it will serve a smaller geographical area and will likely draw fewer customers from outside of the neighborhood. The center shou Id be developed in a main street or town square design and have a pedestrian orientation. Although located along an arterial street, on-street parking should be incorporated into the design of the center to help minimize the amount of off-street parking. On the future land use scenario, "Krall Boulevard" is proposed to terminate into Scott Boulevard. Because traffic along "Krall Boulevard" would be moving more slowly in this area, on-street parking would not significantly impede the flow of traffic along the street, and could act as a traffic calming measure. Uses appropriate for this commercial center might include a convenience store, a small restaurant, small shops and service uses, or a day care facility. The plan incorporates a potential institutional use along Scott Boulevard, which could be a fire station, day care center or church. The existing pond to the south of th is intersection cou Id serve as the centerpiece of a park associated with the commercial center. The park would provide a visual terminus for "Kral l Boulevard" as one travels southwest on it toward Scott Boulevard. Residential dwellings on the upper floors of commercial buildings and in townhouses and small apartment buildings surrounding the commercial center should help provide a nearby population to support the businesses. 20 LINDEMANN HILLS NEIGHBORHOOD The 690 acre Lindemann Hills Neighborhood is located east of Scott Boulevard and south of .- Herbert Hoover Highway. Except for the Windsor Ridge (Arlington) property in the south part of the quadrant and land immediately east of Scott Boulevard, located within Iowa City, the majority of the properties in the Lindemann Hills area are farmland in Johnson County. In this largely agricultural area of gently rolling hills, the plan proposes traditional neighborhood devel- opment that has a central focal point - a two acre neighborhood green with streets radiating diagonally from this green center toward the edges of the quadrant. The design of radiating streets may be modified to resemble street patterns associated with other neighborhood squares in the community, such as College Green, without compromising the neighborhood development pat- tern proposed for the Lindemann Hills Neighborhood by the citizen planning workshops. The plan features a modified grid pattern that keys in on the green square as a neighborhood focal point, and has an emphasis on interconnected streets and walkways. The fairly compact design of the plan for the Lindemann Hills Neighborhood also depicts parks within three to four blocks of every resi- dence, protection of stream corridors, and the reservation of a potential school site. Preserve natural features. The south branch of Ralston Creek is located west of and roughly parallel to Taft Avenue in the east part of the quadrant. A tributary to the south branch runs north- south in the western portion of the district, where it joins Ralston Creek just outside the southwest corner of Lindemann Hills. This quadrant also contains small areas of woods (12 acres), hydric soils (12 acres), and potential wetlands (2 acres). The two wooded areas are located in the south- west part of the quadrant on residential lots, and near the northeast corner of the quadrant. The potential wetlands and hydric soils are primarily associated with Ralston Creek but are also found in the middle of the north half of Lindemann Hills, and in conjunction with the sewage lagoons for the Iowa City Care Facility. As development occurs in this quadrant, woodlands, wetlands, stream corridors and hydric soils should be incorporated into parks and open spaces to be used as outdoor classrooms and trail corridors, to provide wildlife habitat and natural scenic areas, and where appropriate, to serve as stormwater management areas. There may be opportunities for natural connections to the poten- tial elementary school site north of Court Street in the Windsor Ridge development, and to an expanded Scott Park along Ralston Creek south of Court Street. Development should integrate sensitive features, including groves of trees and wooded areas, as amenities, and where possible, make natural landscapes available for public access. For example, the plan depicts single-loaded streets adjacent to the Ralston Creek stream corridor. This will allow for the creek and greenway corridor to be open to the entire neighborhood, not just available to a small percentage of resi- dents, whose private yards might otherwise back onto the waterway. Provide pedestrian/bicyclist connections. The interconnected street and sidewalk system pro- posed for the Lindemann Hills Neighborhood will further the goal of having multiple pedestrian/ bicyclist connections, and having parks and neighborhood commercial areas that are accessible by foot or bike, as well as by car. Accessible pathways should be constructed within parks and the central green square. Where linear parks are created along drainageways, there will be opportuni- ties to provide recreational trails. These greenway trails should be designed to tie into the sidewalk system and to major destinations adjacent to the trail, such as the school site. The remnants of the historic stone rail road bridge over Ralston Creek could be incorporated into the trail system. Build streets that enhance neighborhood quality. In contrast to the rugged terrain that is prevalent in the Bluffwood Neighborhood and portions of the Hunter Heights N~ighborhood, the gentle rolling hills of the Lindemann Hills Neighborhood allow for a highly interconnected system of streets, alleys, and sidewalks. The central green neighborhood square has been located in the middle of Lower West Branch Road, a collector street, to slow vehicular traffic in the middle of the neighborhood, and emphasize the importance of this green focal point within the neighborhood. Traditional neighborhood development with a modified grid street system will help disperse ve- hicular traffic more evenly throughout the quadrant. The use of alleys will provide adequate access to utilities and parking while minimizing paved areas and extensive curb cuts in front of resi- dences. Alleys need not be used in cases where marked topographical changes exist or large lot development is proposed. .... ._4J ~ . :..:...... Encourage streetscapes that emphasize the residential appearance of homes rather than garages and paved front yards. To encourage pedestrian activity and neighborhood interaction, local streets should be enhanced by narrowing the pavement, introducing traffic calming measures, and providing trees and attrac- tive lighting along the streets. This type of local street design will discourage high traffic speeds and allow for a tree canopy to extend over the street. Sidewalks along all streets should tie into local trails. Green elements such as planted medians, landscaping, and small neighborhood greens should be designed to soften the appearance of the streets and enhance the quality of the neighbor- hood. Single-loaded streets along stream corridors and around parks should be considered wher- ever feasible. Encourage a reasonable level of housing diversity. The unincorporated portion of this largely rural quadrant currently contains a modest number of residences, such as farm homes, residential acreages, a county residential subdivision along Hummingbird Lane and a long-term care facility. In the city limits along the east side of Scott Boulevard, single-family housing and an assisted-living facility have been developed, and multi-family units are being proposed. The Windsor Ridge development in the south central area of the quadrant has proposed a mix of housing types. As in the other quadrants, future development of the Lindemann Hills Neighborhood is expected to be primarily, single-family housing. Estate homes, duplexes, live-work units, zero lot-line homes, small apartments, townhouses, manufactured housing and neighborhood-oriented commercial uses are also proposed to be integrated into the neighborhood. As in the other neighborhoods, townhouses and small apartment buildings should be located at major intersections, near commercial areas, and adjacent to parkland or open space areas. Apart- ment houses are intended to be small in scale and size, limited in number within any single area 25 design standards for an arterial street sidewalk. Also, safe crosswalks in commercial areas and near schools should be provided. In developing or redeveloping areas, pedestrian pathways should be incorporated into the design, and trail connections to other quadrants in the district and adjacent areas of the community should be considered. Build streets that enhance neighborhood quality. The street pattern is well-established in the Pheasant Hill quadrant, except for the Stevens property south of Rochester Avenue. Street access to this area will be from Westminster Street from the south, Lower West Branch Road from the east and possibly Green Mountain Drive from the west. A street access to Rochester Avenue might also be possible if it is designed to provide better circulation for neighborhood traffic without directing through traffic into the area. Traffic calming measures such as landscaped medians, may be con- sidered on Washington Street, an overly wide collector street that bisects this neighborhood. Encourage a reasonable level of housing diversity. Although most of the Pheasant Hill Neighbor- hood is developed, there are two sizable parcels where additional development is expected to occur. The largest is the 20 acre tract located on the south side of Rochester Avenue west of Amhurst Street. The area is currently zoned for low density single-family residential development, and contains a farm house and agricultural buildings. It is likely that this area will develop as a single-family residential subdivision similar to the housing patterns that surround it. A cluster style development might also be considered for a portion of the property if it is well designed according to the neighborhood concepts contained in the Comprehensive Plan. Clustering would allow for more open space and would add some variety to the housing styles in the neighborhood. Arbor Hill is a planned development for senior housing located at the northeast intersection of Green Mountain Drive and Washington Street. The original plan was for 66 units in 15 buildings Only six buildings with a total of 34 units have been built. Potentially, up to 30 additional units could be constructed on the property. These could be single-family homes or duplex residences, and with the approval of a planned housing development, a cluster of small apartments, townhouses or eider con- gregate residences could be accommodated on this property. Create and enhance neighborhood parks within the district. Because the Pheasant Hill neighbor- hood has a shortage of neighborhood open space, consideration should be given to requiring the dedication of parkland whenever further development occurs in the neighborhood. The Stevens' property south of Rochester Avenue provides a good, potential location for a three to five acre park. It contains some flat land that could be developed for active recreation as well as some natural areas that could be preserved for their scenic beauty. Access to the park could be provided off Westminster Street and new streets within the subdivision. Plan for commercial areas that will function as neighborhood centers. The Pheasant Hill neigh- borhood contains existing commercial areas at First and Rochester and at Scott Court. An oppor- tunity exists to upgrade the center at First and Rochester to include businesses that serve the needs of surrounding neighborhoods. The center at Scott Court is just starting to develop. It has several vacant lots, which provide opportunities for businesses and services that will cater to adjacent neighborhoods. Apartments on the upper floors of the commercial buildings will increase the variety of housing in the neighborhood and contribute to the market for the businesses. 26 NEIGHBORHOOD FACILITIES & SERVICES [] Transit. Currently the Rochester and Court Hill routes provide bus service to the existing residen- tial areas in Iowa City. There is potential for a loop route in the Bluffwood (NW) quadrant to North Dodge Street, if First Avenue is extended and development begins to build out and create enough demand for bus service. When sufficient density and employment centers locate in this area, other transit route extensions should be considered. Sanitar)/Sewer Service. The sanitary sewer system is not adequate at this time for full develop- ment of the district. Two hundred acres became sewerable in the south quadrants of the district with the completion of the Southeast Interceptor Sewer in the late 1980s. The remaining areas to be developed in the Pheasant Hill (SW) and Lindemann Hills (SE) quadrants will require the extension of additional trunk lines off the Southeast Interceptor before development can occur. In addition, an upgrade will be needed eventually between Court Hill Park and Scott Boulevard. The Hickory Hill Trunk Sewer will serve the majority of the north part of the district (Bluffwood (NW) and Hunters Heights (NE). Because of a capacity constraint in the downstream portion of the trunk sewer, further development of the area north of Rochester Avenue will require an upgrade to the Hickory Hill trunk line sanitary sewer between the Hickory Hill Park Stormwater Retention Facility and Glendale Avenue. Development north of Interstate 80, including the Highlander, discharges into this sewer, which further reduces available capacity within the trunk sewer line. Stormwater Management. The regional stormwater detention basin for the north branch of Ralston Creek is located in Hickory Hill Park. The south branch of Ralston Creek flows into the regional stormwater detention basin located east of Scott Boulevard in Scott Park. These regional basins are able to serve most of the Northeast District. Developers in this district are not required to provide on-site stormwater detention facilities as long as sufficient capacity remains within the two regional stormwater basins. Although a 100-year stormwater route needs to be provided through each property, not having to provide stormwater detention facilities on individual properties allows for more compact development to occur within the district. [] Water. There are existing flow rate and water pressure constraints in the Northeast District. These will be alleviated with a new feeder main to the Rochester Avenue Ground Storage Reservoir. This improvement is expected to be on line by 2002. Twelve inch water mains are in place along Rochester Avenue to Scott Boulevard and north of Court Street along Scott Boulevard to Roches- ter Avenue. Water lines need to be extended along the First Avenue alignment and connected to the north to create a functional loop. In Windsor Ridge and the south portion of Lindemann Hills (SE), water lines will be brought out along Court Street when it is extended. This will enable a loop to be created by connecting with the water line on American Legion Road. Eventually, a water line will be extended along Lower West Branch Road. A water storage tank will be needed at the corner of Court Street and Taft Avenue. [] Fire Protection. Fire Department response times for much of the Northeast District are less than optimal (ranging from six to ten minutes). Response times are a function of fire station Ioca- tions, the arterial street access to a particular location, and the capability of the first fire engine on arrival. The two closest stations to the Northeast District currently are Station #1 on Gilbert 27 Street and Station #3 on Lower Muscatine Road. To improve response times for fire and emer- gency response vehicles in the Northeast District, with the current street system, is to locate a fire station in the district. The fire station should be located at an arterial street intersection, such as at the intersection of Scott Boulevard and Rochester Avenue. Other parts of this plan call for the fire station to be associated with a neighborhood commercial area, which is likely to be located at an arterial street intersection. As this district develops, it will be necessary to locate a fire station in this area. An alternative way to improve response times without constructing a new fire station in the district, is to construct new arterial street connections. For example, the extension of First Avenue to Scott Boulevard will improve response times for the neighborhoods on both sides of Dodge Street. Arterial street connectivity is an important factor in fire and emergency vehicle response times. CONCLUSION The Northeast District Plan uses guidelines formulated by citizens at the March/April 1998 planning workshops to provide a framework for the City to use to shape the development of the northeast portion of the city. Although not absolutes, the principles contained in the plan will be used by the City when evaluating annexation, zoning and development proposals for properties within the district. The principles will also be used to guide the drafting of City codes needed to implement the policies of the plan. The City's decisions regarding the timing and development of infrastructure, such as arterial streets and sanitary sewer lines, will also influence the location and pace of private development within the district. ,It has been the City's policy to encourage development that is compact and contiguous to existing parts of the community. This avoids the added expense associated with providing services to scattered or leap frog development. The city/county Fringe Area policy for the two mile wide unincor- porated area located east of Iowa City discourages residential development, and works to reinforce the City's goal of creating a visible edge of urban development. For the Northeast District, these pol i- cies will logically shape the course of development so that the far eastern and northeastern portions of the district will not likely develop until areas closer to the existing city are built out. ppdadminxl~age~nedispla.p65 03-12-99 ' IP14 POLICE CITIZE~dS REVIEW BOARD A Board of the City of Iowa City 410 East Washington Street Iowa City IA 52240-1826 (319)356-5413 March 10, 1999 Ms. Eleanor Dilkes, City Attorney 410 E. Washington Street Iowa City IA 52240 Dear ELeanor: The PCRB would like to extend a very sincere thank you for all your help this past month. We feel comfortable with the Council's decisions and realize your support was necessary to reach these goals. The Board will continue to monitor and make suggestions as we feel necessary. This first year and a half has been a learning process for all of us. Your insights have helped make it possible for us to fulfill our duties under the ordinance. We thank you for your confidence and support. Sincerely, Leah Cohen, Chair Police Citizens Review Board CC: Steve Atkins, City Manager Ernie Lehman, Mayor R. J. Winkelhake, Chief of Police OFFICER 14 33 9O 94,46,44,20, 40,19, 33 24,42 54 11 IOWA CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT USE OF FORCE REPORT FEBRUARY, 1999 DATE CASE # INCIDENT 02-01 99900938 Injured Deer 02-06 02-07 02-07 02-12 02-12 99901067 Domestic Assault 99901099 Fight 99901113 FORCE USED A deer that was struck by a car was shot with the officer's sidearm. 99901211 Subject was a suspect in a domestic dispute and had been taken to hospital for a complaint of pain. Once at hospital began fighting with staff and had to be physically restrained and cuffed to bed. 99901213 Two people involved in a fight were exposed to OC when they would not stop fighting. Felony Traffic Stop Assault & Interference Subjects wanted on felony warrants and known to go armed were stopped in their vehicle. Officers had drawn sidearms until subjects were handcuffed and scene secure. Intox & Obstruction 02-13 99901246 Domestic Subject assaulted several people on pedestrian mall. When confronted by officer he fled. Was tackled by officer and handcuffed. 02-18 99901397 Public Intox. 02-21 Subject being escorted from bar by officers began to resist. Officers maintained grasp on subject and forced his arms behind his back to be cuffed. Subject reported to be armed with knife and holding it to victim's throat. Officer confronted subject in yard of residence with drawn sidearm. Subject complied with officer's commands and subject handcuffed without incident. Subject arrested for intoxication. While being patted down after being cuffed, subject tried to turn around at officer and made threats to him. Officer took his arm and directed him to hood of squad car. Subject then complied. 99901498 Report of shots fired Responded to Alexis Inn regarding shots fired call. Drew sidearm while securing room where incident took OFFICER 44,94,31 21 45,47 21 20,54 21,24,12 DATE 02-22 02-24 O2-26 02-26 02-26 02-27 CASE # 99901536 99901569 99901654 99901636 99901661 99901671 INCIDENT Involuntary Committal Public Intoxication Public Intox & Interference Assault Fight Public Intoxication & Obstructing FORCE USED place. No one present at scene. Subject determined to be threat to himself and others but refused to go to hospital with officers. Officers guided subject to ground when he resisted and was handcuffed. Subject taken to Univ. Hospital for treatment for prior incident. Once at the hospital he began struggling against officer who then placed subject on ground. Subject eventually calmed and became compliant with officer. Subject arrested for public intoxication after being involved in a fight. While being escorted to squad car by officers he straggled and tried to resist against officers who had to push and pull to get him to car. At the car the subject refused to get in. Officer used 4-5 knee strikes to subject's thigh to get legs bent and subject into car. Officers responded to apartment building where a fight had taken place. On arrival officer was informed that male subject was armed with a knife. Officer drew his sidearm when he went to suspect's apartment but kept it down at his side. When male was seen to be unarmed, officer reholstered. Officers responded to fight that involved 15-20 people. On arrival two people ran. Officer caught one subject and forced him to ground. Subject continued to resist and try to get away despite officer's commands to stop resisting. Officer then exposed subject to OC. Subject continued to resist and had to have his hands forced behind his back to be cuffed. When subject informed he was under arrest for intoxication he began to walk away from officers. He was detained and then began struggling against officers. Subject was placed against hood of squad car and had his arms forced behind his back to be cuffed. OFFICER DATE CASE # INCIDENT FORCE USED CC: Chief City Manager Captains Lieutenants Library City Clerk Hurd THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA March 4, 1999 Capt. Pat Harney Iowa City Police Dept. 410 E. Washington St. Iowa City, Iowa 52240 Dear Capt. Hamey, Thank you very much for organizing the ride-alongs last month for students in my class on "Coveting the Courts" in the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication. From the feedback, the experience was a big hit. Interestingly, as we told Sgt. Bill Campbell when he participated in a panel discussion with students after their fide, it was not the street "action" (or lack thereof) that made the experience worthwhile; it was merely the friendliness of the officers and their willingness to communicate about their jobs and responsibilities that left a lasting impression. Seeing the role of law enforcement first-hand helped these young journalists to identify some of the important issues about the police and the media. Thanks, again, for helping to make the class a great success. Iris Frost Adjunct Associate Professor School of Journalism and Mass Communication 205 Communications Ctr. Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1592 319/335-5821 FAX319/335-5210 E-mail:journ~ism-admin@uiowa.edu IOWA CITY AREA SCIENCE CENTER, INC. 504 E. Bloomington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52245 PHONE: 319-337-2007 FAX: 319-337-7082 03-12-99 ~ IP17 MAR 11 1999 CITY MANA R'S OFRC[ TO: FROM: RE: BOARD MEMBERS AND INTERESTED GUESTS JIM LAREW, PRESIDENT, ICASC VISIT OF THERESE ANDRADE, V.P. IMAX CORPORATION FRIDAY MORNING, MARCH 26, 1999 I HOPE THAT YOU CAN JOIN US FOR MEETINGS WITH THERESE ANDRADE, VICE PRESIDENT, IMAX CORPORATION, WHO IS MAKING AN "IOWA SWING," WITH VISITS IN DES MOINES, CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA CITY AND THE QUAD CITIES. HER VISIT TO IOWA CITY WILL OCCUR ON FRIDAY MORNING, MARCH 26. I WOULD LIKE YOU TO TAKE TIME TO ATYEND ONE OR TWO OF THE FOLLOWING MEETING: 7:30 A.M. TO 9:00 A.M. CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST / LAREW LAW OFFICE / AN INTRODUCTION TO IMAX THEATRES AND PRODUCI~ 12:00 NOON TO 1:30 P.M. BOARD REVIEW OF BUSINESS ISSUES RELATED TO IMAX THEATRE OPERATION IN THE MID-MORNING PERIOD I WILL BE INTRODUCING MS. ANDRADE TO THE IOWA CITY COMMUNITY AND SHOWING HER THE AIRPORT SITE. YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US FOR ANY PART OF THAT PERIOD AS WELL. SO THAT I CAN PLAN FOR NUMBERS, PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICE TO CONFIRM YOUR ATFENDANCE. How a pair of New York investment bankers plan to project a nifty piece of Canadian invention into the movie mainstream BY SHELDON GORDON When the Famous Players hi., Februar)' in Vauglaan, Ont., an afi]uent lx~droom communily north of Toronto, the 1,hemed even ts and outsidc, it looks li ke m~wie screens, the will be worthy ot' Hollywood: tbod, cocldails, music, roving spotlighls, all to lat~lc:h the Colosstts. From the a futttrislic spaceship; inside, besides i~s 18 {:onventional Colossus also boasts the first 3-D screen in Ontario. Thc highlight of the launt h will bc the screening of a %D adventtu v film, 'l:l~ex: Bat* lu Iht' Cn'latt,ott~. like mosl mm'ics ma{Ic fin' the' INI:XX g'ilu~t-scrccn Ibrnml, /his ore, lacks slill's, Ihtmgh it does have phn ,1' s~n'ls: a I~;d{'otm~h~gisl discovers lilt' egg {d' a tn'chislork' Tvranllosallrtls rex. and his daughlcr gels transporled J)ack 1i5 million years Io IIIC (:t'elaCeoIls Period. Ihnvcver. Sllll's illl{I SI()I'V the pMnl. The movic's visual clli.cts are its biggrsl sdl. Fans wilt wear special, light- wcighl. i~ohuiTcd glasses inside Ihc seat IMAX Ihvalrc. alu[ the 3-1) le{'JllloJ- ,~gy will inn a six-qorcv-lall T. rex (larger Ihan Ilu' m'iginall virmall)' in Iheir laps. Tlu' (idossus i, ore' d' I()m'w movie houses x~ith gimn ntl't,vils IJlat [211111()llS Pla)crs, the (:anadi;ul subsidiary of Via- corn Inc.. ;uld hllax (;{n'ptn'alion o[ Mis- siss;utga, Ore. Mll open by rlt'xl stlllllllcl* in m~dor mmkets across (:;ulitdil. {)ther venues inchde Richmond and La~gley, B.(:.. the X%i'st Edmomon M;dl, down- town 'lin'~mto an{I Mississaug'a, iu~d Nhm- treal. For hnax, the i'~ dl-outs arc i~iu't ~1' an anllfi~ous sil'ah?gy I() break away li'om the IllllSelllll, SCitlWt'~'ellll't' m~d Ihcmc-park circuit Illat ]las Iraclilionalh' sllowcilsc.(I its Ifig-scrcen lcclnu>h}g)' and lnovc inlt~ illovit' lllaillstl't'alll oJ' I]l('alr(' malls and inegal~]cxes. There arc ram' oxcr 17(i IMAX Iht'alrt.s ill 2'1 c~nlllll'it's, and olher 8{~phts Ihcatl'cs ~m ~n'dtn'. lint hn~g- Icglll sll'illeD' calls Ji)F Illall% 'TI&c IMAX lin'nmt is lhc bcsl Ihcalrc pl't%clllalioll ill Ihe Workl, bar tunivf Bruce ( )lson, prcsi{h'nt ,d' Marcus The- awes (in'l~. td' Mihvauk{'c, Wis., Milch lasl Ihll olx'ncd an IMAX 3-1) Ihcalrc (:ohunhtm, ()hio, a:ul will mon tqx'n all- ollwr in it sulmrl~ of (:hieago. "l'hc} hecn the king ol'lhe lalgc-scrt.cH lin'lnat instiluti~ms lllld IlllIS{'lllllS. }}Ill Iht'% ceF- lainIx ha% c Ihcir bcsl vcm's ahvad <d fiwn~." IM.\X had its gem.sis at l.xpo 67. (n';ten~c l,'crgnsml, a (:amtclian lihnmak- cr ~vho had w~u'kcd in Xcx~ Mn'k (:itv tin' a decade. It'Hlllc(I ul> with R~nnan 14d'~fitOr his brotheNn-hav, and Robert l.:crr Io cxpand the chlclllll screen with nmhil31c in'Qjcctions. "l'N'crv lime die all- clicnc'c could scc it show in which the' screen was dranmlk'alh' expandeel bc- VOlICl Ihc ('lnlvt?llliollal S(TCCll, they real- i> c~}'cd it," recalls Fcrgus(nl. h~pircd. hc arid his piu-lncrs welll on t~ design a i'a(licalh' iic'w itpl)roach Ihal uscd it singk'. powerful in'~icctor, rafi~cr thm~ the' mulliph'-pr~iccmr sysicnl, illl{I olxTalcd wifii a big, 7(Mmn lihn Ibrnml. 'l'ht' im~twi~ti~nl Ilia(It its dcl}ul at Expt~ 70 in ()saka, Japim. "~%~' ('allle up wilh the idc;t o1' gianl-scrvt.n I]lcall'es~nlt' lin' cverv c~mnnunit}C' says Ferguson. The lirsl I)t:l'lllilllt'lll ~111(, w;is Ihe Im'io Phlcc (:inesphere in Toronto, in- stalled in 1971, li~llm~ed Iw tim IN'I:~ Donlc in Siu~ Diego in 1973. Nh~st IMAX nmx'it-s arc documcn- huics; inilildl}, they wrrc sh~n'l I~atul'cs, though nm~ they ;u-e idit.ii lidl It:ngth. Rolling .Stoncs~4l the Max was the first ~dl-huig'lh IMAX remit, an 8{Mninutc 26 TIlt: FIN.XNCI.\I P<P,I NIX~,\ZINI.; Ft Fl,~t \1.~ 1999 conccrl lihl~ madc in 199[ with a USSIO- millicm in'odtKqi,n lindget. Min'c typical m'c fiK' educational IHms about space tntvcl (st,'h as ;~lLs.siml Io Mi~: 1997), dcrsc:t cxph,-:ui<,l (7¥laHit'a. 1992) geog'ral~hy ( S//rt,iv, l Ishmd, 1995). Financial I'Cllll'lls ol/Ihcsc movies have bccn mixed. While I~ol/iHg' .S'tom,.s look s,nle lilllc 1o l'ccotl]) ils costs, The Dream i.s Alive, i~art o1' a space Iriloh~', has grosscd USSI-18 milli,n since ils re'leas<' in 1985. (;rilical rcsl>~ msc has ahvavs bccn generally p,sitk<.. wifl~ TheFin'.s q'Kuwttil. a 1992 IMAX film al,n, Ihe ,il-wdl Ih'c's (Itn'ilt~ lhe (;ull Wm', ilolltillalc(I fi}r Oscar. By 1994. "XX~' were a in'city suc- ccssftd compmB', Iml smaller than wc warned Io he." sax's l:crguson. "~X~ fbh I~L. XX could IR. serving many hundreds of'llwalrcs, xvhcrcas ill tliat ptHnl, we had only n'achcd I(~(). X%~' had dcvchqx:d new hut wcrc limi,'d by a lack ,1' Ix'sotlrces." I~md. nvo XVall ~llx't'l. illvt'qlllcIII I~ankcs~ wh, had l~ccome fi-iends while working m zinc m~w-dcfimct th*m of Drcxd Burn- ham l.amber~ Inc. ~en they looked inlo [max, thcx ~cre impressed enough Iw ils i~olcntial fl~at they made a quick and d,'cisive play for the company. Backed hy die leveraged-buyotK special- isis Wasscrstcin Perella & (:,., il~c)' quircd il from the original owncrs in Mm'ch 199q fi,' a reported I:SSIO0 mil- li,n. then raised t :SS44 milli,n ilu'tHtgh an inilial iml~lic ,fibring on the NAS- l)AQcxchangc Ihc lOllowing.]role. A list- ing ~,l Ihc 'l~m,m~ Stock l':xchangt~ hnved six m,nlh~ lalcL Wcchslcr. c,-(~lC() and chairman Ira:ix (:t>rporae,n, ;.rod and vicc-chairman, ~llx' b.lh ~bl'k. Ilioltg]} tllcv'xc Illailitaincd Inlax's head oilice at Sheridan I':,'k in Missis- sauga. The twt~ i);u'lncrs hnax, with Wasserslcin Perella ,Iher 39~L. As the shm'cs havc risen Iheir USS13.50 issue price Io the equix:t- lent (Iblhnving a share split{ ~,1' t~SS34. Ihe two investmcnl bankcrs have a paix'r in'oth on Ihcir h,ldings USSI(} million each. "XVhcn Rich ;uKI 1 gol inx,lved ll]lll(>st {ix'c vcltl-h ;igo," silvs Wecltslc~ "lhcrc was c,nslanl chaltcr thai we wcrc New ~brk invcslors who wcrc here m ilip the c,mlxmy. 'Thcx'll onlx bc around lbr a yeal~' pcoph' said. When wc gel (llll' lS-v(.~il' pin. ~xill ing wc'l'c sl,n'HinwrsT' ( ',clibnd and X'X~'chslcr Inxnnghl Ihc labh' Ihan.it~st cal~ilal. Thcx immcdi- ;re.Iv sol ,tH Io cxpm ld Ihcir Ihcalrc Brad Wechsler, co-CEO and chair of Imax Corp., expects Everest to gross more than the first IMAX film to rack up the numbers Hollywood likes cncourag'e JiJl'lllll;ikcl':4 Io j)l'll(Jllc(. Ill<)ax' ]arge-lbrnlat illIlls. X'~llil¢' 5(it.j/,>r Inxax's revenues c.me lh,n leasing its jn'qjcclion allcl soHtl(J ~stcllls ll~ IJlcrilllX's, IIR' c'lHllj);i- ny is als. hc;Mly i.v.{x'cd in dislributing largc-ibrnlal tihns x~4th i~s cameras by indclx'mh'nt lihmnak- CFS. ]~l~ fillllllCes, iH' J)l'()(hlct's litllFi~Jll, II1;H illIllS I'ele~lscd UVtTV Vc;ll'. Since the acquisilion, J'(,v(.ilucs IIiIVC dotlb}cd to US$15H.5 mil{itnt in {997. whih' profiB increased I. t~SS21).7 mil- lion fi-om US$6.4 millkin nine months endt'd ScJ)i('lllJ)cl' tJlC colapiny cm'ncd U557C dih Hcd basis, coni{)arcd I. US-{-lc a shm'c hi Ihc s111]1¢' J]('l'ill(J }ysIs, trllchlllltcd J)v its 35~j ;tnini;ll growth in rcvcntws in rcccntyc;u's, h;wc gix'cn hnax C,n'p. two Ihmnl~s ulx lk'm', Slcm'ns &- ('.o. hie., the Xcw ~k.'k scctu'i- lic'N film, I';HttC/hll;lX ;1 Inty in Scptendx:r, wilh c';irnil~gs per share cslimalcs US9()¢ fi,' 1998, USSI.17 tbr 1999 and USS 1.5()tbr 200(l. Thc coml~any's expression plans ii,cl tile JnlJJisJl exJ)ectalions. A dcca(Je ti'om n,w. (;cllbnd expects there will be morc th;ui 50(J IMAX theaires all)lind the world. .kithough Ihat may nol seem like a large ntnnbcn the proclucfivity of the screens is p, kmtially much higher lhan tbr conven- tional cinemas. A t~l~ical INIAX fihn, tbr ex- ample. -nix runs fi,' al~out 40 minules, it has n, .x' sh.wings anti a longer run-liib Ill;In H1;Ihlsll'cant Hlovics. h also genct;ttc~ a Icyel of daytime tinIlk' that cltKlcs main- SIl't';llll tJie;m'es, JltT;itlsc it plays Io lilt)Ix' As a rcsuh. says (;ellkind, ihosc 500 thc- lilt'us wotdd bc Ihc ccluivalcnt of abotu .J.lJ(l() convcmiolial scvccns, which would ni;tkc il IJtc hu'gcsl Iht~alrc chain in the workl in ~crms of bringing people in. "A lot of Ihal growth will be in comm'ics thal m'c dovelolling rapidl). ~uch as (Zhina and India. Sot~th America and in Ihc Nliddlc Easl." hc conlitnw~. "~kn~'ll also scc INIAX mallx snlallcr nl;u'kcts world, as is slatting Io h;qk pen in North America. I scc i)lil' inlcrnationalization and migration to smaller ciiics h;tl~pening at a very ntl~id pace." AlJ lilt}st' IICXV SCIX'CIIS, [IOXVCVel; ct,Hinttous sttpply of content. In thi~ ;u'ca, ioo, (;cJfond ~tl~¢l X~%'chsJer Jl;tx¢' ambilious visions o1' in'oadcning INI:XX ~l'lbrings, pcndiug lhc fi~rthcr develop- IIICIll t~rlcc]ult~h~gics. "~bn could see livc In'¢ntdcasls in [N[.XX if digital-pr¢~jecli.n tcch{m]ogics reach Ih;tl slagc o{'devcloj~ nwnt," says (;cl[bnd. "Evcnls like rock C()IIC('I'JS, StlJ)tq'bt~WJS. Co~'J)ol';Ite ings ;~nd cducalionaJ st'nlinars cotlid st't'll live in IN[AX. ~i~n'll i)nfl~ably ha~c the ;dfi}itv I. lake 35-ram Ii{ms and bJow Ihcm up Io INIAX size, Io take 2-D lihn~ ~u~(J ccHIvct'l IJlt'nl Io 3-D." hnax ( :m'lL has inxcntcd a 3-D anim;h tion ,'chniquc ca]it'd SANDDE (Stcrt'~, .Xnim;tli,l~ Drawing Device), which ;tl- lows anim;n.rs m draw and color 3-1) t';u'll~¢Hls. I'aiHt Mi~bdulviH', Ihe Ih'sl ;mi- nlalcd short g¢'~cr;tled with the Icch- .iquc, pl;tycd in 1997. while Till I"IX projects using the technique are in de- velopment lbr release this year. Imax is even playing with the idea of developing its own cartoon characters. using them as the foundation for ancillary. markets for hMAX products, including TV series, x~deo releases and merchandising. In this respect, Wechsler and Gelfond seem to see the future of Imax as much more of an integrated entertainment company. Miramax Fihns, a unit of The Walt Disney Co., has reportedly been negotiating with hnax about investing in more than a dozen new [MAX films and taking a major equity position in the company, a deveh~lnneut that would certainly help establish the brand. "I think 10 years from uow, you'll see IlVbLX mentioned in the salne breath as Disney, Coke and Mc- Donald's in terms of branded entities anti how well people know them," Gel- fond predicts. Alone is Not Enoughl' He warned that screen size and technology are being wrongly emphasized over content in large- format cinema. He reminded his audi- ence that the three most important ingre- dients of any film "are story, story, story." Gelfond agrees that there is a chicken- and-egg problem: the theatre chicken must precede the film egg to convince Hollywood produce~ that the size of the market justifies making large-format pro- ductions (with expensive, star-quality ac- ton). Imax currently has 20 large-format films in its distribution pipeline, including four 3-D productions (Galapagos and Sieg~ied and Roy, tbr release nt;xl' summer; Cybenvorld, a $D animation, lbr late 1999; and Gulliver's 7}nvet~, another 3-D altima- lion, for 2000). Yi:t with the exception of Sony Pictures Entertailnnent and Disney the company hlks lhiled to make inroads with the big studios. '~Are have discussions theatre at Lincoln Square i. Manharbin. The boffo box office al fl~at IlVlAX the- atre is often cited by IMAX bollsterS as proof that lat~e-lbrmal {'incnm can stlt'- ceed commercially. But Ihcn the ljnctfin Square theatres have the highest grosses in the U.S. for all movies. and what Ilour- ishes in New Mn'k City may not sell else- where. James Skecn, lin' inslallt'c, a De- catre; Ga.-b~ed consuJ~ml who advises inslimtions and theatre chains on large- format systems, is unimpressed by the tr~c the commercial hig-screen the- a~es currc n dy generate, though he con- cedes it's mngh to draw conclnsions be- cause they are so Ilcw. In middle America, though, Mm'cus Theatres' Bruce ( )lson is ~ btdlish on Ihc I~ ou~ook as h c was wl ~en he invested in the stuck fin'co years agth the day after he had brcakli~sl with Ihc lirm's top exec- utives. His (~olumbus IMAX thcalre Despite Ihc rapid expansi.n ol' 1MAX theatres to date and il~e compauy's ambi- tious agenda, not everyone shares ~e un- qual~ed opfin~ism of Wechsler and Gel- tired. "How mnch is a wend and how nntch is a hd?" wonders Ch~s Reyna, presidem of the ~ge-Format Cinema ~ sociafion (I ~), a ~ouping of some 300 companies involved in the production, dis~bnti{m or exhibition of large-Kreen films. "It's a ~ough question to anger. I'm confinced it's a trend, but it remains to be proven to Wall Sweet, to many museums · in~ng about expanding and m m~n- s~eam thea~e circuiB that are now ex- perimenting wi~ large-format ~ea~es in ~eir me~plexes and mnl~plexes." At ff~'s last convention, Pemr Guber, chairman of Mandalay Enmrminment, a film prMucfion coinparty in Santo Moni- ca, Calif., presented a keyn~ ,.' ;tddre~ en- titled "Godzilla No~ithstanding, Size going on at tli~izrcnt levels about joint tihn projects with virtually every major stu- dio," insists Geltbnd. Tll:n nlay be u'ne, but will deals be cnt? There were repeated hints, for example, that Paramouut Stu- dios wotfid remake ,~ttlr )')'ek. in largc-lbr- mat 3-D, but negotiations are bogged down and the fihn nmy not be made. Guber also warned that the movie in- dustry as a whole faces increasingly tough competition fr.n~ in-home entertain- ment, which might make it tough to build a new theatre network. "Think about what a customer has to do to go and see a movie," he says. "The person at home just goes 'click, click, click, click."' Coming from Guber, such a caution is significant. While chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment from 1989 to 1995, be spearheaded the develop- ment tff the company's large-format busi- ness by launching the Sony IMAX 3-D opened last ()clo- ber, screening Everest, a 2-D fihn that tells the truc story of the ~tscel Jt of Mount Everest by three clinlbers in May 1996. The Behind the scenes and in front of the screen: a Sony IMAX projector (right) and a New York audi- ence wearing 3-D glasses film is the first large-format production to win both massive box-office and critical acclaim. 'The movie-going public was as- tounded by the size of the screen com- pared to traditional theatres," says Olson. "It's breathtaking in size and scope. But Everest was not only beautifiti, it was also a true-to-life story--a real tearderker," Wechsler agrees. "Everest is bringing more people to IMAX theatres for the first time and generating more publicity for IMAX than any other film in our his- tory," he says. He expects the film to gross more than US$100 million in two years, FEBRUARY 1999 TUE FINANCIAl, POST MAGAZINE 29 making it the first to rack up the kind of numbers that would impress Hollywood. Even if large-format cinema does flourish in second-tier theatre markets like Columbus, Imax will not be the only, or even the major, beneficiary. While the IMAX brand may be the best known in the big-screen market, there are com- petitors. Iwerks Entertainment Inc. of Burbank, Calif., and, more recently, MegaSystems Inc. of Wayne, Pa., are both nibbling at IMAX's market dominance, Their rivalry is based on competing technology--more specifically, on the size of the film being used. A frame of large-format fihn is 70 mm wide, twice as . wide as the 35-ram film used by main- stream cinema. But another key mea- surement is the frame's height, known as the "pert" because of the number of per- forations along the edges of the film strip. targc-forlnat film is p,'oduced in 15 perfs (often rcl~rred to as 15/70), 10 perfs (10/70), eight perfs (8/70) and five perfs (5/70). While IMAX equip- ment screens only 15/70, its competitors offer both 15/70 and 8/70. "We're find- ing clients extremely interested in 8/70," says Hilary Gtinker, CEO and president of MegaSystems. "All of our deals have been 8/70." The reason: her 8/70 system sells for US$400,000, compared to as ,nnch as US$795,000 for her 15/70 sys- tem. "It's still an excellent price, but you also have to consider the cost of the prints---for 8/70, it's about one-half that fbr 15/70 prints." This competition between formats isn't inconseqnentialmno one can afford to be on the losing side in a war of tech- nologies. James Hyder, editor and pub- lisher of the industry journal Maximage!, agrees that 15/70 is somewhat brigliter, clearer and sharper than 8/70. But he says the differences between the nvo for- mats are quickly diminishing, and the av- erage movie-goer won't notice them. Hyder, who used to manage the IMAX theatre at the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum and assisted in the pro- duction of several IMAX films, believes that 8/70 will grow faster than 15/70 be- cause many vennes cannot afford IMAX. For his part, consultant James Skeen says of Imax Corp., 'They're absolutely pal'a- noid about the [8/70] forlnat. For many installations, that would, conld and should be the format of oh,it:e, becanse it's much more cosl-effeclivc ill terms of buying hardware, in terms olI lihn prints, operating costs and all tile Ihings it takes to do a theatre opel~:.ion.' Gelfond, prcdicAahly, brushes off the Richard Gelfond, Imax co-CEO and vice-ct air: "1 tlqink 10 years from now, you'll see IMAX men- tioned in the same breath as Disney, Coke and McDonald's in terms of branding" competition. 'The 8/70 experience is not as good as the 15/70 cxperience. I don't believe the 8/70 picture provides the same quality as the 15/70 pictnre. People pay a preminm for Coca-Cola be- cause of the value of the brand. If tilere are two theatres across the street from each other, one called IMAX and the other called The Big Theatre, a lot more people will go to IMAX becanse of what the brand connotes." The emergence of new competitors, of course, could be taken as anothe, r sign that the big-format market has a bright fu- ture, and the intensity of the rivalties as a signal of how much the players think is at stake. Skeen contends that Imax, which enjoyed a virtual monopoly for the first 20 years of its existence, is viewed by insiders as the Microsoft of the large-format in- dustry--certainly respected, but not al- ways loved. There's more litignition flying around than you might expect in a fledg- ling indusu'y, with Imax the plaintiff or the defendant in a number of cases. One of the most important legal challenges has come from Iwerk~, which alleged in an an- titrust suit that h nax unfairly uses its over- whehning market position to control the large-for,nat business to the detriment of the marketplace. Iwerks lost on summary judgment, but is appealing. Iwerks CEO Chuck Goldwater remains bitter: 'The in- dustry is in its infancy, it has lots of room to grow,' he says. "But Imax would prefer that it be the only source of growth." Another accusation, this time by in- dependent filmmakers, holds that Imax has a stranglehold on the very few cam- eras available to fihn in hu'ge Ibrmat (20 for 2-D and only three fi,' 3-D), and il~- poses strict controls on their use. Wech- sler and Gelfond take these criticisms in stride, offering cotinter examples if asked to comment. In this inslanct!, (;clfond replies Ihal Ihc ('l)lnl)~lny has l~evcl' inq~oscd snch colistraints with its 2-1) can~ct'as and has only d.nc so o,K'e with a 3- l) nnit. lie c,mtcnds lh;ll the {irn~ has gone out of ils way .~ be hclplhl to inde- pendent producers. "We gave (;rcg MacGillivray [the independent producer of Everest] a royahy-fi'ee license to use [the 1MAX] name iu describing his movie," he says, "becanse he thougl ~t it would be in his interest." lt's likely the sometimes acrimonious charge and con.te~:charge will go on for as long as Ihe large-format movie in- dustry holds the kind of promise Wech- sler and Gelfond confidently predict. ~kcd whether he cares what the rest of the industry thinks of him, Wechsler repeats the question, pondeB it, then chooses his words carefully: "In general, I care what anybody thinks of me," he says. "I usnally care more about what my various constitncncies think: the the- atre owners, the shareholders, the con- sumers." At this stage of Im~'s devel- opment, the consumers are arguably the most important constituency. Their willingness to view I~ through po- larized glasses will, in the end, be criti- cal to bringing the company's ambi- tions into perspective. m 30 T~ IE FINANCIAl. Post MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 1999 IOWA CITY CIVIC CENTER EXPANSION PROJECT P MILL NNIUM HAS WPP ARCHITECTS IOWA CITY, IA. JOHN SHAW, AIA, PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT JAMES L. SCHOENFELDER, AIA, CITY ARCHITECT KUMI MORRIS, CITY INTERN ARCHITECT I I I ! I !1 I I I Iowa City Civic Center Expansion Planning began in 1988 for the long-term development of the Iowa City Civic Center. The plan was to optimize the use of the existing site and building to allow for growth through the turn of the century. The plan called for phased development starting with the immediate needs of the Police and Fire Departments for more space. This phase was completed in 1990 with the second floor addition and remodeling of the Fire Department and the first floor expansion and second floor unfinished space of the Police Department. The next phase completed in 1992 was the North Court Addition. This phase added approximately 16,500 square feet of space and allowed the department/divisions of Public Works and Engineering, Planning & Community Development and Cable TV to move from rented space back into the Civic Center. Although unbuilt in this phase the North Court Addition was designed to receive a third floor. The next two phases completed in 1993 and 1994 respectively were the remodeling of the Lower Level Civic Center East and the Lower Level Police Department. These remodelings significantly improved space use for Housing & Inspection Service, Document Services, the City Attorney and the Police Department. The final major phase is now ready for implementation. This phase includes the construction of the third floor of the North Addition and the finishing of the shelled in area of the second floor Police Department. This phase will add space for Housing and Inspection Services, Document Services, City Clerk, Personnel, Assisted Housing, Public Works/Engineering, Planning and Community Development and the Police Department. eneq]ylexpaproj .doc Environmental Concerns Since 1978 the City has provided community leadership in the demonstration and implementation of energy efficiency programs. Both state and national awards recognize this City's leadership role. All phases of design and construction of the Civic Center have included energy efficient equipment and systems which over the years have increased efficiency by 56%. Most of these are hidden from view and are unrecognized by the visiting public. This design and its altemative energy systems will dramatically demonstrate for all to see the City's commitment to a better environment. The Natural Energy Tower with its Millennium Beacon symbolizes that commitment. energy/millbeac.doc CIVIC CENTER EXPANSION PROJEC'~' NATURAL ENERGY TOWER CONCEPT The Daily Iowan Page I of 2 Fron~ Page Nation/World viewpola~s Spoz~s.. ~oh~es. Contact us Postgame · ('lassilicd.s ()nlinc . Letters to the Editor , Ad Info . ~ubscription Info . DI Staff Copyright )999 The Daily Iowa. Copyright 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewri~en or redistributed. The Daily Thursday, March 11, 1999 Page 0 Where eagles won't soar-- soon A Coralville construction project could force some bald eagles away from the area. By Julia Di Gangi The Daily lowan A winter stop for migrating bald eagles could be threatened by a planned pedestrian bridge in Coralville. The construction of the 10-foot wide walkway, set to begin in May behind the Iowa River Power Company, would disturb an area where bald eagles often come to feed or roost during winter months, said Coralville environmentalist Brian Gay. "The construction will threaten the eagles coming to our area," said Gay, who frequents the site near the restaurant five times a week to study the eagles. "They're such magnificent birds for us to watch, and (the city is) ruining their habitat so they won't come back to this area." The bridge will serve as a link to the west side of the Iowa River to bike trails on the east side. The project, which is a joint effort by Iowa City and Coralville, could take 18 months to complete and cost approximately $1.2 million, said Chuck Schmadeke, director of Public Works of Iowa City. "It's a renovation of the dam and there will be a pedestrian walkway over the dam," he said. "Right now there is a catwalk and it's in pretty bad shape." As many as 20 bald eagles roost in trees near the dam between December and March, said Iowa River Power Company manager Scott Lilly. While consideration of the birds did not weigh heavily into construction plans, Schmadeke said some restrictions have been imposed on construction to lessen the impact on the bald eagles. One such guideline would curtail work at certain times of the evening when the birds are roosting. Although bald eagles and their nesting habitats are protected by the Federal Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, there are no specific regulations that protect areas where the birds roost. http://128.255.60.56/cgi-bin/LivelQue.acgiSrec=2215?FrontPage 3/11/99 The Daily lowan Page 2 of 2 "We encourage people not to disturb (the eagles), but if they are just roosting it's not a crime. But when (the eagles) start to build a nest, it does become a crime," said Randy Edwards, assistant chief of law enforcement at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. However, he stressed that disturbing bald eagles while they are roosting will result in the birds not coming to the site. And one bird-lover said the prospect of losing the bald eagles outweighs the necessity of a walkway. "In my opinion, we don't need another bike path," said Reginald Williams, a producer at Public Access Television in Iowa City and an avid bird-watcher. 'Td much rather watch the eagles. Now that we have the fortune to see the beauty of a bird that is indigenous to the U.S., why would we do something to destroy that?" D1 reporter Julia Di Gangi can be reached at: jdigangi@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu [ Home I Search I Front I Metro & Iowa I Nation & World I Viewpoints Sports I Arts ] http://128.255.60.56/cgi-bin/LiveIQue.acgiSrec=2215?FrontPage 3/11/99 Johnson Count), -> 3193565BB9 IOgfi ClfV CLgRR Page 801 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS March 8, 1999 Agenda County-A-Day Program Des Moines, Iowa 03-12-99 IP20 1. Informal Work Session to discuss county related matters a) 9:30 a.m. - b) 11:45 a.m. - travel to Des Moines meet Johnson County legislators at Taste of Thailand, 215 East Walnut, Des Moines, Iowa c) 12:45 p.m. - open time to attend legislative committee meetings at the State Capitol and discuss legislative concerns with Iowa State Association of Counties legislative team. d) Return to Iowa City 2. Adjourn 913 SOUTH DUBUQUE ST. P.O. BOX 1350 IOWA CITY, IOWA 522444350 TEL: (319) 356-6000 FAX: (319) 356-6086 83/08/99 11:51:30 319-354-4213 -> 31935fi5089 lOWfi CITY CLERg Page 081 X_ Jonathan Jordahl, Chair Charles D. l)uffy Michael E. Lehman Sally Stutsman Carol Thompson BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CORRECTION Agenda Boardroom - 2nd Floor Johnson County Administration Building 913 South Dubuque Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 March 9, 1999 INFORMAL MEETING Call to order following the formal meeting 2. Review of the formal minutes of March 4th 3. Business from B. B. Ba!lantyne re: Senior Center update. discussion 4. Business from the Board of Supervisors a) Letter from Angela Williams, Planner for East Central Iowa Council of Governments re: Housing Preservation Grant funds. discussioNaction needed b) Letter from Made DeVries, East Central Iowa Council of Governments Solid Waste Planning Coordinator re: letter of support for the FY2000 Waste Tire Grant Application. discussion/action needed c) Letter authorizing Jane Murphy of the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce to sign the State of Iowa claim vouchers for Grant #99-CEF- 409. These vouchers are for the Iowa Department of Economic Development Rural Enterprise funds for Health Center USA gramt in the amount of $45,000.00. discussion/action needed 913 SOUTH DUBUQUE ST. P.O. BOX 1350 IOWA CITY, IOWA 52244-1350 TEL: (319) 356-6000 FAX: (319) 356-6086 83/88/99 11:52:82 319-354-4213 -> 3193565889 IOIJ~ CI1'V CLgRR Page 002 Agenda 3-9-99 Page 2 d) Discussion/action needed re: Township Trustee vacancies. e) Minutes received 1. Johnson County Council of Govemments Regional Trails and Bicycling Committee for January 12, 1999 2. Johnson County Board of Social Welfare/Cluster Board for February 8, 1999 3. Johnson County Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Planning Council for February 16, 1999 4. Johnson County Task Force Heritage Area Agency on Aging for February 22, 1999 f) Reports g) Other Work Session re: report/update on Strategic Planning. discussion/action needed 6. Discussion from the public 7. Business from the County Attorney a) Discussion/update re: Mall Drive purchase price (Executive Session). b) Other 8. Recess 83/88/99 12:28:16 319-354-4213 -> 3193565889 IOWfi CITY CLERK Page Johnaon Count.' IOWA X_ Jonathan Jordahl, Chair Charles P. Duffy Michael E. Lehman Sally Stutsman Carol Thompson BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Johnson County Board of Supervisors AGENDA JOINT INFORMAL MEETING OF THE JOHNSON COUNTY TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES, CLERKS, AND THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Location: Johnson County Fair Grounds - Montgomery Hall March 10, 1999 Wednesday - 7:00 P.M. 1. Call to order 7:00 p.m. by Chair, Jonathan Jordahl 2. Introductions 3. JeffZaeharakis-Jutz re: review of Township Trustees and Clerks duties 4. Comments from Johnson County Attorney, J. Patrick White 5. General discussion of policies, procedures, and mutual concerns 6. Adjourn 9:00 p.m. H:\1999\03-10 - TRUSTEES, CLERKS AND BOS 913 SOUTH DUBUQUE ST. SUITE #201 IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240-4207 TEL: (319) 356-6000 FAX: (319) 354-4213 8B~18/99 l~:18:E ~19-95~-~Z1~ -> ~1935650H9 I0~ CIIV CLF~K Pag~ 801 Johnson Cmmty ]IOWA X_ Jonathan Jordahl, Chair Charles D. Duffy Michael E. Lehman Sally StuBman Carol Thompson BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Agenda Boardroom - 2nd Floor Johnson County Administration Building 913 South Dubuque Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240 March 11, 1999 FORMAL MEETING 1. Call to order 5:30 p.m. C~ 2. Action re: 3. Action re: claims formal minutes of March 4th 4. Action re: payroll authorizations Business from Cheryl Whitney, Area Administrator for Department of Human Services re: approval of Fiscal Agreement between Johnson County and Iowa Department of Human Services for Diversion Program. discussion/action 6. Discussion/action re: Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Director selection/offer. 913 SOUTH DUBUQUE ST. P.O. BOX 1350 IOWA CITY, IOWA 52244-1350 TEL: (319) 356-6000 FAX: (319) 356-6086 B3tlB/99 14:18:37 319-354-4213 -> 3193565889 IOWA CITY CLF, IlK Page 80Z Agenda 3-11-99 Page 2 7. Business from the County Auditor a) Action re: permits b) Action re: reports c) Action re: Resolution 3-11-99-B1 Services Department. d) Other changing appropriation for Court 8. Business from the Planning and Zoning Administrator a) Motion setting public hearings for various zonings and plattings and Coralville Fringe Area Agreement. b) Other 6:00 p.m. - Public Hearing on Zoning, Platting and Conditional Permit applications: ::~.:. a) First and Second consideration of the following Zoning app~atio~.. 1. Application Z9833 of Mike Plotz, Swisher, Iowa, signed W~herSt Balster and Mike Plotz, requesting rezoning of 31.52 ~res lots) from A1 Rural to RS Suburban Residential and RS-3 Suburban Residential of certain property described as Lot B of Timber Lake Second Addition located in the SW ¼ of Section 16 and the SE ¼ of Section 17; Township 81 North; Range 7 West of the P.M. in Johnson County, Iowa (This property is located on the west side of Iowa State Highway 965 NW, south of Timber Lake Addition in Jefferson Twp.). Application Z9902 of Randy Kramer, Coralville, Iowa, requesting rezoning of 1.99 acres from A1 Rural to RS Suburban Residential of certain property described as being in the SE ¼ of Section 25; Township 77 North; Range 6 West of the 5th P.M. in Johnson County, Iowa (This property is located on the west end of Eden Farm Road SE, approximately 3A of a mile west of its intersection with Sioux Avenue SE and 670th Street SE in Fremont Twp.). B3/10/99 14:19:12 319-354-4213 -> 3193565889 ]OW~ C]IV CL~H Page BB3 Agenda 3-11-99 Page 3 3. Application Z9903 of William Lane, Swisher, Iowa, requesting rezonmg of 1.89 acres from RS Suburban Residential to A2 Resort of certain property described as Lot D and a portion of Lot C, Lindsey Estates, Part Two located in the Noah '~ of Section 15; Township 81 North; Range 7 West of the 5th P.M. in Johnson County, Iowa (This property is located west of Blue Ridge Court NE and Curtis Bridge Road NE in Jefferson Twp.). b) Discussion/action re: the following Platting applications: l. Application S9808 of James and Patricia Rohret, signed by James Rohret, requesting preliminary and fmal plat approval of Majestic Heights Addition, a subdivision described as being located in the NE 1/4 of Section 23; Township 79 North; Range 8 West of the 5th P.M. in Johnson County, Iowa (This is a l-lot, 3.12 acre, farmstead split, located on the south side of 400th Street SW, approximately 1/8 of a mile west of Cosgrove Road SW in Hardin Twp.). ~ 2. Application S9868 of Raelyn Netolicky requesting prelimin~ ~d final plat approval of Netolicky Acres, a subdivision descri_b~d as being located in the SW ¼ of the NE ¼ of Section 10; ToEhip 81 North; Range 8 West of the 5th P.M. in Johnson Count~_~wa (This is a 2-1ot, 39.66 acre, residential and fannstead~split subdivision, located on the east side of Derby Avenue NW, approximately ~ mile south of its intersection with 120th Street NW in Monroe Twp. ). Application S9901 of Larry Marak requesting preliminary and final plat approval of Timberwood Estates, Part II, a subdivision described as being located in the NE ¼ of the SE ¼ and the SE ¼ of the NE ¼ of Section 18; Township 81 North; Range 7 West of the 5th P.M. in Johnson County, Iowa (This is a 2-1ot, 10.97 acre, residential subdivision, located on the south side of Seneca Road NW, approximately ¼ of a mile east of its intersection with Blain Cemetery Road NW in Jefferson Twp.). 03/18/99 14:19:53 319-354-4213 -> 3193565889 IOg~ CITY CLERK Page 004 Agenda 3-11-99 Page 4 Application S9903 of Randy Kramer requesting preliminary and final plat approval of Kramer Subdivision, a subdivision described as being located in the NE ¼ of the SW ¼ and the NW ¼ of the SE ¼ and the SW ¼ of the SE ¼ of Section 25; Township 77 North; Range 6 West of the 5th P.M. in Johnson County, Iowa (This is a 1-lot, 18.16 acre, residential subdivision, located at the west end of Eden Farm Road SE, approximately 3/~ of a mile west of its intersection with Sioux Avenue SE and 670th Street SE in Fremont Twp.). c) Discussion/action re: the following Conditional Use Permit: Application CU9901 of Wendling Quarries, signed by John Tuthill, Dewitt, Iowa, requesting a Conditional Use Permit to expand an existing quarry located in the NE ¼ of Section 4; Township 81 North; Range 8 West of the 5th P.M. in Johnson County, Iowa (This property is located on the south side of Linn Johnson Road NW, approximately ~ miles east of its intersection with Calkins Avenue NW in Monroe Twp.). 10. Business from the County Attorney a) Other B3/10/99 H:ZB:23 3~9-354-4213 -> 3193565889 IDY~ CI~Y C~RRX hgc 885 Agenda 3-11-99 11. Business from the Board of Stipervisors Page 5 a) Letter of support for East Central Iowa Council of Governments re: Housing Preservation Grant funds. action b) Letter of support re: FY2000 Waste Tire Management County Grant Program. action c) Letter of support authorizing Jane Murphy of the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce to sign the State of Iowa claim vouchers for Grant #99-CEF-409. action d) Action re: County Farm Lease Agreement. e) Discussion/action re: Penn Township Trustee vacancy. f) Letter of intent re: Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant. action g) Discussion/action re: Grant Agreement between Iowa Department of Economic Development, Johnson County Board of Supervisors, and Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce. (Grant #99-CEF-409 in the amount of $45,000.00 for Health Center U.S.A. consortium.) h) Discussion/action re: letter of Agency with Teletron, Inc. i) Other 12. Adjourn to informal meeting a) Reports and inquiries from the County Attomey 1. Report on negotiated agreement to purchase Mall Drive real estate. b) Inquiries and reports from the public c) Reports and inquiries from the members of the Board of Supervisors d) Other 13. Adjournment March 11, 1999 Mr. Michael Beck Managing Editor Iowa City Press-Citizen North Dodge Street Iowa City, IA 52245 CITY OF I0 W,d CITY Dear Mike: I am directing this letter to your attention not only to padially reply to the February 27 editorial comments but also to express to you that I have no interest in prolonging our apparent debate. Candidly, you hold most of the cards with respect to what the public receives in the form of any response. In your capacity as a Managing Editor I am sure you want to defend the work of your subordinates. I find myself in a similar position. While I am not fully aware, nor could I ever be aware of the effort put forth with respect to your "well-researched" report, I do know and I will continue to believe unless proved otherwise there were errors in the January 30/31 report. We simply cannot come close to the financial conclusions you reached in that report. In your February 27 response you indicate "dozens of conversations with the various officials who are questioning our report". I have spoken with the people I am aware of who responded and we simply cannot verify "dozens of conversations". As an example Superintendent of our Water Division had three phone conversations and a chance meeting with your reporter. This is a person who would have knowledge about the construction and other engineering work associated with our water projects. Our Finance Director indicated he did talk on the phone, met, and did spend quite some time with your reporter to review an internal control report of water and wastewater projects. This is a one month snapshot not the detailed financial reports that might be found in, say our comprehensive financial report and/or a bond prospectus. We are unaware that your reporter reviewed these documents. You indicated that you and your staff worked off and on for three months for a clear and accurate picture. If that were the case it would seem that there would be mountains of evidence to substantiate your point and yet we were able to find clear, on-point mistakes in the report. However, as I indicated, I see no purpose prolonging this debate. I do have one personal concern. While we may have conflicts and disagreements that can result as each of us do "our jobs" your indication of "personal attacks" took me aback. I have reread our report and I recall my conversation with your reporter. At no time did I or from conversations with staff, did we deliberately or inadvertently issue any type of "personal attack". I have been in public life for many years and know the sting of personal attacks and therefore I am cautious and quite sensitive to any such accusation. Mike, the bottom line is we did not place a "spin" on this issue. We cannot substantiate the conclusions reached in your January 30-31 report and your~%ditorial comments of February 27 and therefore we simply disagree. ,..o Sincerely, City Manager mgrXlt~sa3-9.doc 410 EAST WASHINGTON STREET · IOWA CITY, IOWA 52240-1826 · (319) 356-5000 · FAX (319) 356-S0,09