HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-08-29 Bd Comm minutesMINUTES
IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION
THURSDAY JULY 20, 2000 - 5:45 P.M.
IOWA CITY AIRPORT TERMINAL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Alan Ellis, Kick Mascari, Howard Horan, Mark Anderson, Tom
Bender
STAFF PRESENT: Andy Matthews, Sue Dulek, Ron O'Neil
CALL TO ORDER:
Chairperson Mascari called the meeting to order at 5:45 p.m.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
The minutes of the June 8, 2000, Commission meeting were approved as submitted.
AUTHORI/ATION OF EXPENDITURES:
Anderson made a motion to approve the bills. Ellis seconded the motion and the bills were
approved 4 - 0.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION - ITEMS NOT ON AGENDA:
Mascari welcomed the Airport's new attorney, Sue Dulek.
PUBLIC HEARING-PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS-NEW FUEL SITE:
Mascari opened the public hearing at 5:46 p .m. There were no comments from the public.
Mascari closed the public hearing at 5:47 p.m.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION:
a. Fuel site- Dick Blum, from H.R. Green, presented information on the plans and
specifications. There was discussion on how the fuel would be dispersed from the tanks.
There is a top loading method and a bottom loading method. The cost to the Airport to go
either way is minimal. Blum said this is not a decision that would have to be made now but
would have to be decided before the Commission is ready to go out to bids for the tanks.
Mascari said he didn't want to put any more of a burden on the FBO to have to convert their
trucks to bottom loading. Bender said he thought the bottom loading is safer and would
prefer to set the tanks up with bottom loading. It may cost the current FBO to convert one of
their trucks to bottom loading but the Commission should require whomever the FBO is in
2002 to use bottom loading trucks.
Because the site work and the tanks are to be treated as two separate bids, there was
discussion on when the deadline for delivery of the tanks should be. Mascari suggested
having the tanks delivered as late in 2001 as possible unless an agreement is negotiated with
ICFS.
Bender made a motion to accept the plans and specifications for the fuel site. Anderson
seconded the motion and at roll call vote, it passed 4 - 0, with Heran being absent.
H.R. Green will put together the bid package and develop a construction schedule. Blum will
have a bid and construction schedule for the next Commission meeting.
b. Master Plan update- Jerry Seade, from Snyder & Associates, introduced Harry Miller. He
was a new employee of Snyder and would be assisting in completing the Iowa City Master
Plan update. Seade presented information about the Master Plan update. He circulated
information from Airsys on their analysis of installation of an ILS at Iowa City. Them are
some obstruction issues that will need to be addressed whether a precision or a non-precision
approach is installed.
Seade said about 700 feet of drainage ditch would have to be buried in the NCA in order to
meet the siting criteria for an ILS. He said it would be beneficial to go to Kansas City and
discuss the Master Plan and siting a precision approach. He said it is important to get an ALP
on file that shows the Airport protecting for a 1000-foot primary surface.
O 'Neil said he would coordinate with Seade to schedule a meeting with the FAA in Kansas
City. Anderson said he would get some letters of support for the Airport from people who
use the Airport to give to the FAA officials. Seafie said the Commission might want to invite
the new state director of aviation to go to Kansas City with them.
c. Noah Commercial area
1. Council/Commission agreement - O'Neil said he was waiting for the appraisal update
from Casey Cook. The City Manager was going to draR an agreement based on the
discussions from the last Council/Commission subcommittee meeting. O 'Neil said he
discussed this with Atkins and the draft agreement will be completed after the appraisal
update is completed.
2. Other issues- Jeff Edberg, from Coldwell Banker, started to discuss how CB would
market the property. O'Neil suggested that the issue of how and who would market the
property be formally decided before any detailed plan is discussed. Mascari asked
Matthews and Dulek what the Commission needed to do to proceed. He said he thought
the Commission was in agreement that Coldwell Banker would be the firm to market the
property.
Matthews said the City Attorney's staff had discussed this and it was their
recommendation that the Commission get competitive bids. Them is also the question of
whether Bender's association with Coldwell Banker would prohibit CB from being
considered as candidate.
Heran asked that if the Commission were to develop an PiP, what would be their
advertising range? Should they stay locally, statewide or national? The Commission said
they would like to stay as local as possible to have a company that has a local interest
and knows the local community. Matthews said an RFP should have public notice.
Matthews said there is still the issue of conflict of interest. He said that when he made a
statement that it might not be a conflict to hire Coldwell Banker with Bender on the
Commission, he did not know that Bender had more than 5% controlling interest in the
company. He said that if Bender does own more than 5%, the law is clear there is a
conflict of interest. Mascari asked Matthews if he would review the conflict of interest
with the City Attomey to get a consensus opinion.
Bender said he would like to stay on the Commission but he believed Coldwell Banker
was the best company to market the NCA and he would resign if that was what it would
take to keep the project moving.
3. Science Center- Jim Larew, representing the Science Center, said he is ready to apply
for a grant to start working on the Science Center and he wanted a finn commitment from
the Commission on locating at the Airport. He said he has been having the same
discussion with the Commission the last couple of years. Although the Commission has
been responsive to his requests, he said he wants to get to the next level of commitment
so he can move forward with his fund raising.
Mascari said the Commission has been trying to move forward on the NCA. He said it is
frustrating at times because of the speed at which government works. Heran said that the
tenants in the United hangar office would like out of their lease. He said it is all a matter
of money. If the Science Center wants to sublease from SEATS and the Science Center
and the Commission can come to terms on a land lease, everyone should be able to move
forward.
Lare. v said if the United hangar is to be used as part of the Science Center, there will
have t~ be a lot of work done to the building. If the Science Center is sure they will get
the building and have a place to move it, work could began at any time. Larew said he
thought the Commission had approved a lease for the property in the NCA for $1.00 per
year for five years. Heran said he remembers some discussion on rent but was not certain
any formal lease had been approved. None of the other Commission members could
remember passing a resolution approving a lease. 0'Neil will research the minutes and
report to the Commission at the next meeting.
Larew emphasized that the he would like to see the Commission move forward with the
NCA and make a firm commitment to the Science Center. Mascari said that the
Commission is very interested in developing the NCA but it is a joint venture with
the Council and the Commission can not control the entire progress of the development.
He said that it seemed as though as soon as one problem was resolved, another one
developed. He said the Commission is committed to developing the NCA.
Mascaxi said that in the Council/Commission subcommittee meeting, the question was
asked if there was Council support to reduce the amount the Commission needed to repay
for the infrastructure in exchange for a reduced lease for the Science Center. No financial
support from the Council was indicated. Larew said he would address Council directly if
the Commission thought that would help.
d. Building K project- O'Neil circulated a letter from Selzer Werderitsch with the schedule for
delivering the building and when the building would be completed. The building is to be
delivered the week of August 28. Construction back to the pre-collapse status will be done
by September 19. The revised completion date is November 17, 2000.
Because SWA delayed almost a month before reorderrag the building after they had been
notified that the insurance issue was resolved, the Commission said that 30 days would be
deducted from the 96 days SWA were allocated in the original contract.
SWA also requested that the warranty for the concrete begin on July 1, 2000 and that most of
the retainage be paid. The Commission agreed that the retainage would be paid and the
wananty would begin when they received and accepted a completed project. O'Neil will
send a letter to SWA continning this.
e. lowa City School District lease- O'Neit said the school district leases a small parcel of land
for equipment and vehicle parking in the northeast comer of the Airport. This is an annual
lease. The amount of the lease is $ 3663. Horan made a motion for a resolution to approve
the lease. Bender seconded the motion and it was passed 5 - 0.
f. Hangar lease - #32 - (Mark Anderson leec the room for this discussion.) Anderson made a
proposal to lease hangar #32 for $135 per month until the new hangar building was completed.
He is on the list to lease one of the new hangars. O'Neil said the hangar had been renting for
$ 536.00 per month, which included a small office. He had advertised the hangar for rent but
only had one inquiry. That person was already located on the Airport and was waiting for one of
the new hangars to bring his other plane to Iowa City. O'Neil offered the hangar to him for
$ 500.00, excluding the office. He was not interested at that price.
Mascari said that because it would only be for a short time, he thought the hangar should be
leased to Anderson. He thought the $135 per month was too low and suggested $175 per month.
The hangar rent would increase to $ 500 per month if Anderson wanted to stay after the new
building was completed. O'Neil reminded the Commission ofthei~ obligation to charge fair
market value. Mascari said because it was for only a short time, he did not think there would be a
problem not charging the $ 500 per month.
EHis made a motion to enter into a lease with Mark Anderson and Justin Fishbaugh. Bender
seconded the motion and it was passed, 4 - 0, with Anderson being absent.
g. ACSG project - Amendment # 10 - O'Neil said this was an amendment to ACSG's
contract for items not covered in the original contract. It included items such as the update of the
appraisal on the Ruppert property. The total of the amendment was a not to exceed amount of
$ 9150.00. Anderson made a motion to approve amendment #10. Bender seconded the motion
and it was approved 5 - 0.
h. Gordon lease- Ellis made a motion to set a public hearing for August 10, 2000 at 5:45 p.m.
on the lease with Gordon Aircraft. Anderson seconded the motion and it passed 5 - 0.
CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT:
Mascari said he was sorry he had to miss the meeting last month.
COMMISSION MEMBERS' REPORTS:
Horan passed around pictures he had taken of the Sanyo blimp.
Anderson asked for an update on the beacon tower painting project. O'Neil said the bid package
was out and that he will have information at the next meeting as to when the project will be
completed.
Bender said he enjoys working on the Commission and hopes there can be a resolution on the
conflict of interest issue for the North Commercial area that will allow him to continue service on
the Commission.
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT:
O 'Nell said a letter was sent to the Planning Department, reminding them that their land lease in
the NCA as on a month to month basis.
A letter was sent to ICFS reminding them that the minimum standards required two rental aircrai'c
to be based in Iowa City. The Commission directed O 'Nell to send a letter asking ICFS for a
specific date of when they would have a second plane available.
There were two projects needed to complete the Terminal Building. The additions to the exterior
second floor railing would cost about $1490 and the cost for Larew to add humidity sensors to
the air handlers would be $1900. The Commission directed O'Neil to contact HLM and invite
them to the next meeting to discuss the costs of the design errors.
A letter from SEATS to the Council concerning their lease was included in the Commission
packet.
The annual report for FY 2000 was in the Commission packet.
The Commission had requested a copy of the Airport Manager's job description. O'Neil said he
included a copy of the description but that it was not very up to date.
The USAR is thinking about building an additional storage building. O 'Neil said he advised
them to send the Commission a copy of the proposed building when they had completed the
plans.
Gary Sharp, f~om WFI, inquired if the Commission would be interested in siting a
communications tower on the Airport. The Commission said it would not meet height restrictions
for the safety protection zones and the new primary surface.
The Iowa Aviation Conference is September 20 and 21 in Ames. O 'Neil said he hoped to have
registration information available at the August Commission meeting.
O'Neil received a letter from the Johnson County 4-H director, inviting someone from the
Commission to the 4-H Fair to present the award the Commission sponsored. Ellis will contact
the director to see what is involved.
SET NEXT MEETING:
The next regular Airport Commission meeting is scheduled for August 10, 2000,at 5:45 p.m.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting was adjoumed at 9:07 p.m.
Rick Maseari, Chairperson
APPR0YE7
IOWA CITY BOARD OF APPEALS
MONDAY, 2ULY 10, 2000, 4:30 PM
CIVIC CENTER LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM
MEMBERS PRESENT: Anna Buss, Wayne Maas, Tom Werderitsch, John Roffman, Doug
DuCharme
MEMBERS ABSENT: Tim Fehr, Gary Haman
STAFF PRESENT: Tim Hennes (Sr. Building Inspector), Andy Rocca (Fire Chief)
OTHERS PRESENT: Ben Moore, Bob Burns, Irvan Pfab
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL:
Recommended on a vote of 5-0 to not form an advisory committee for people with disabilities
stating disability issues should be addressed at the design phase of construction.
CALL TO ORDER:
Chairperson Roffman called the meeting to order at 4:41 p.m.
CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES:
Meeting minutes were reviewed from the June 5, 2000, meeting.
MOTION: Buss motioned to approve with a second by Maas. Motion carried by a 5-0 vote.
REQUEST FOR MODIFICATION OF SECTION 709.5, NONSYMMETRICAL WALL
CONSTRUCTION, OF THE UNIFORM BUILDING CODE. (1259 Shannon Drive)
Hennes began by explaining that this structure is a three-story multi-family dwelling unit that
was reviewed under the 1997 Uniform Building Code. The non-symmetrical wall construction for
this request is OSB sheathing on the outside face of the stud with 5/8" drywall on the inside face
of the stud. The adopted code requires both sides of the wall be exposed to the furnace for
testing when non-symmetrical construction is used and the assigned fire resistive rating will be
the shortest duration of the two tests conducted. He said the appellant is not arguing this point;
however, the appellant requested to use alternate methods and materials for construction based
on the 2000 International Building Code, which staff and the Board will be reviewing for adoption
at a later date. Section 704.5 of the 2000 International Code states:
The fire-resistance rating of exterior walls with a fire separation distance of greater than
5 feet shall be rated for exposure to fire from the inside. The fire-resistance rating of
exterior walls with a fire separation distance of 5 feet or less shall be rated for exposure
to fire from both sides.
Since 1259 Shannon Drive was reviewed with the 1997 Uniform Building Code, Hennes felt that
this issue needed to come before the Board.
DuCharme inquired if there is a UL rating on this type of wall. Hennes confirmed that there is,
and that the appellant, Bob Burns, submitted the factory mutual rating for the wall, showing the
fire test from the inside only.
Buss inquired how far the building sat from the property line. Burns explained that the property
line is eleven feet with a significant retention area.
Iowa City Board of Appeals Minutes
July 10, 2000
Page 2
Hennes went on to bring up the issue of B-BQ grills being used at the exterior of the structure
and parked cars along the exterior of the building. Maas brought up the issue of grass fires. All
of these are potential fire starters. However, this building has a brick veneer around the entire
first story with no exterior decks for grilling or nearby parking for cars.
Moore explained that this was an oversight in building the structure. It would cost $13-15K to
install exterior gypsum board at this point.
Werderitsch confirmed that the structure met Section 704.5 of the 2000 International Building
Code.
MOTION: Werderitsch moved to that the alternative system is in conformance with the
2000 International Building Code, Section 704.5, and that it be approved to be used at
1259 Shannon D~'ive. Buss seconded the motion. The motion carried on a 5-0 vote.
DISCUSSIONS TO SET TIME, DATE AND PLACE TO CONSIDER THE HEARING
EXAMINERS REPORT AND PROPOSED DECISION (426 BAYARD STREET)
Roffman explained that the committee held the hearing with the appropriate parties and will
present its findings at the August 15, 2000 Board Meeting.
OTHER BUSINESS:
Buss did not have anything to report on the carbon monoxide issue.
ADJOURNMENT
Buss moved to adjourn the meeting with a second by Werderitsch. The meeting adjourned at
5:12PM.
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MINUTES
IOWA CITY CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION
CIVIC CENTER, CITY MANAGER'S CONFERENCE ROOM
August 9, 2000
MEMBERS PRESENT: Mike Kennedy, Lyra Dickerson
STAFF PRESENT: Sylvia Mejia, Karen Jennings, R.J. Winkelhake, Andy Rocca
OTHERS PRESENT: None
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY MANAGER AND STAFF: Commissioners instructed
staff to conduct the promotional process for Police Lieutenant and Police Captain.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL: Commissioners recommend that Council
accept the certified list for the position of Firefighter.
SUMMARY OF RELEVANT DISCUSSION:
Chairperson Kennedy called the meeting to order at 8:20AM. The first order of
business was the certified list for the position of Firefighter. Mejia briefly summarized
additional efforts to draw female and minority applicants, including recruitment efforts by
Personnel and Fire department staff. Mejia noted that 2 practice sessions were
conducted to provide all applicants the opportunity to become familiar with the physical
agility test stations and practice at each station. Mejia reported that 197 applications for
Firefighter were received. 140 applicants took the written test, 67 applicants
participated in the physical agility test, and 63 applicants were interviewed, resulting in
a certified list of 22.
Kennedy moved and Dickerson seconded a motion to approve the certified list for
Firefighter. Motion carried.
The second order of business was the promotional process for the positions of Police
Lieutenant and Police Captain. Mejia explained the need to certify new promotional
lists for the positions of Police Lieutenant and Police Captain and recommended that
the process described in the memo sent to Commissioners and used in the past be
repeated. Dickerson inquired as to the availability of minorities and females of the
appropriate rank in other police departments to participate on the Police interview
panel. Winkelhake explained that there is a limited pool of females and minorities of
the appropriate rank in other departments but assured the Commission that efforts are
made to find a diverse interview panel. Mejia agreed that the City will attempt to find
females and/or minorities of the appropriate rank to sit on the interview panel.
Kennedy moved and Dickerson seconded a motion to approve the promotional process
for Police Lieutenant and Police Captain.
Mejia notified the Commission that a request for a recommendation on the promotional
processes for the Fire Department will be forthcoming. It is anticipated that Fire
promotionals will be conducted in the near future.
Kennedy moved and Dickerson seconded the motion to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at
8:40AM.
IOWA CITY HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
IOWA CITY CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
July 25, 2000-7:00 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Diane Martin, Charles Major,. Joan Jehle, Mettie Thompulos, Mary Larew,
Janice Simmons-Welburn, Maureen Howe
MEMBERS ABSENT: Rick Spooner, Jan Warren
STAFF MEMBERS: Heather Shank
1. CALL TO ORDER:
Vice Chairperson Thomopulos called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m.
2, APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:
MOTION: Howe made a motion to approve the minutes of the public meeting. Diane Martin
seconded the motion. The motion was carried by a vote of 7-0.
The Commission considered the minutes from the closed session.
MOTION: Simmons-Welburn moved that the minutes from the closed meeting be
approved. Larew seconded the motion. The motion was carried by a vote of 7-0.
3. RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: None
4. COMMISSION TO CONSIDER A MOTION TO VOTE TO ISSUE AND CAUSE TO BE
SERVED A WRITTEN NOTICE TO THE PARTIES IN THE CASE #10-31-9626-HRO§ 2-4-
6:
Thompulos read from the Human Rights Ordinance, "Is there a motion that the commission
shall issue and cause to be served a written notice which will: 1. Specify the charges in the
complaint, as they have been amended. And 2. Require the respondent to answer the
charges of the complaint at a hearing before the Commission, or a person designated by
the Commission to conduct the hearing."
MOTION: Martin made a motion to approve. Major seconded the motion.
There was a voice vote to approve the motion. The motion was approved 7-0 with two
Commissioners absent.
Shank indicated that the Commission members are not required by law to attend the public
hearing. It is the responsibility of the Commission members that were not involved in the
probable cause decision or conciliation, to review the ALJ°s opinion and approve it or not.
Martin asked' about Eleanor Dilkes' role. Shank explained that Dilkes represents the
Commission's probable cause determination. The ALJ will determine whether the evidence
substantiates the conclusion reached by the Commission.
After official notice to the parties is served Shank can provide a copy of the case to both
parties. Martin asked if it is possible for the parties to settle prior to the public hearing.
Shank said she believed it was.
5. NEW BUSINESS:
Consider revision of HRO to remove age from public accommodation section.
Shank indicated that she and Eleanor had discussed this possible revision several times and
this was the first time it actually made it into the packet. She explained that as it stands now,
senior citizens discounts and special pricing for children could potentially be illegal under the
public accommodation category of the HRO. Shank said that the federal and state law does
not include age for the very reasons she stated.
Larew asked whether all children would have to pay the same as adults if the Ordinance was
changed. Martin and Shank explained that the revision would decrease the chances of this.
Simmons-Welburn explained that by having age in the public accommodation section of the
HRO, someone could allege senior citizens discounts are discriminatory. Simmons-Welburn
explained she thought age should be removed from the HRO under public accommodation.
Martin asked if anyone could think of a situation where the HRC would not want age removed
from public accommodation as a protected category. Simmons-Welburn stated that the things
that she could think of, like employment, were not applicable.
Major asked whether a landlord could prohibit children at a rental property. Shank answered
no. The revision only pertained to age in the public accommodation section of the HRO.
Larew asked about keeping children out of bars. Shank and Simmons-Welburn explained that
there was a legal drinking age and state law controls.
Major asked about private clubs and whether or not they could restrict people to a certain age.
Shank explained that a private club is not a public accommodation under the law. Major asked
whether the VFW Hall could vote to prohibit anyone younger than 25. Shank explained that a
private club can determine its membership because it is private. However, if the VFW can be
defined as a public accommodation, then under the law as it stands now, the law couldn't
prohibit access or services because of age. Major inquired as to main reason for the
suggested revision. He wondered if it was because it was not backed up state or federal law.
Martin explained that the suggestion was because senior citizen discounts are, by definition, a
violation of the HRO.
Martin asked if a restaurant could prohibit anyone over the age of 65 if age was removed as a
protected category under public accommodation. Shank said yes but it was highly unlikely.
Martin said she was just trying to figure out the downside of the revision. Martin said it would
be more likely that a restaurant would decide not to let children in and they could do that.
Shank said that the Commission members should ponder this issue. Revising the Ordinance
was just a suggestion. Martin said that the state and federal didn't include age in its public
accommodation law but she wondered about Ordinances in other Iowa cities. Shank indicated
she would engage in some research.
6. OLD BUSINESS
Breakfast
Shank indicated that she received a call from Janusz Bardach today and that he told her the
name of his speech. in addition, the Daily lowan printed a great story about the breakfast.
Shank said that Jehle did not need to go to the radio stations with the announcement because
letters have been drafted making this request. However, he would like Jehle to go to the
Chamber of Commerce and talk to Jane Murphy to see if they would print notice in their
newsletter. Howe agreed to talk to the Chamber of Commerce because she is an active
member. Other suggestions included contacting the Iowa League of Woman Voters and NOW.
Jehle said that last year she got the City to put a notice in with the water bill. Shank said she
has taken care of this.
Posters/Ribbons
Shank reported that the posters printed by Benson & Hepker Design are available. Posters
were handed out at the HARRT meeting but there were many left for distribution. The diversity
poster and the breakfast poster will be sent to each commissioner along with the list
designating the posting sites.
Shank said she would have a community service volunteer help her with the posters. Martin
suggested sending the volunteer to the churches because the church secretaries are not
available during the evenings and weekends.
Martin said the Commission needed to talk about the poster distribution because they had
been guilty in the past of receiving their posters and not putting them up. Simmons-Welburn
said she wondered how long they stayed up because she has gone back to places and hers
have been down. Martin agreed this had happened to her as well. Simmons-Welburn said she
never asked anyone to put them up. Shank said the Commissioners should ask permission to
post or the poster may be removed. Larew said she always gave hers to the manager.
Simmons-Welburn suggested the churches advertise the breakfast in their church bulletin.
Martin also thought other organizations with a newsletter should be encouraged to add the
breakfast information. This request could be included next year when the invitations are
mailed.
Shank mentioned that the diversity posters state, "please wear a ribbon to show your support."
She acknowledged it would be a challenge to convince business owners to put up the poster
as well as keep the ribbons available. She thought people might go out and purchase a ribbon.
A discussion ensured regarding options for distributing ribbons for the diversity poster.
Simmons-Welburn suggested the ribbons and posters be available at the breakfast, a poster at
every seat. Everyone agreed that was a nice idea. Shank mentioned that when Jan was
giving her talk she could say something about the posters. Martin asked if that meant they
were to hold off on distributing the posters. Shank answered no.
Information about Ravi Nair
Shank reminded the Commission that they received information regarding Ravi Nair at the
previous meeting. Professor Nair is an educator on children's rights who is coming here in
October from India. Krishna Das who works at the College of Education asked if the
Commission wanted to have Professor Nair present a community lecture. Professor Nair is
also going to give a public lecture at Shambaugh.
Simmons-Welburn suggested maybe co-sponsorship instead of trying to promote something
separate. She asked if the University's program was going to be in the daytime or evening.
Shank said that the Shambaugh lecture was in the evening, but that he was also doing several
smaller lectures while he was here. Simmons-Welburn said she thinks it would be better to
have the University sponsor the Shambaugh lecture and the Commission will help to promote
the event. She has noticed that persons not associated with the U of I have attended the
University lectures. She believes that if a program is well publicized community members will
attend.
Martin asked if the Commission would like Shank to call Krishna Das and express an interest in
cosponsoring just the one evening lecture. Jehle said she thought so. Simmons-Welburn said
that with the Breakfast in October it would be difficult for the Commission to plan a community
lecture.
Inquiry re: question previously submitted to the HRC
Major asked whether Eleanor Dilkes, the City Attorney, had had an opportunity to research the
remaining issue raised by Janelie Rettig during her address to the HRC. Shank said the City
Attorney has been very busy and understaffed but Shank would talk to her about Major's
collcern.
6. REPORTS OF COMMISSIONERS
Howe said she went to the Iowa Civil Rights training. She was able to meet the director of
human rights commissions from Cedar Rapids and Davenport. Mary Cowdrey, Asst. Attorney
General with the ICRC provided the training. Howe said it seems like there's always more to
learn. She said that Mary gave out some good information, but that she left it in another folder
and would bring it to the next meeting. Howe said there was also a conference scheduled but
she didn't have the specifics with her. Shank did have a handout concerning this commission
training session. She had a packet for everyone and said anyone interested should contact
her.
Larew found an article in the paper about a woman who was removed as a Commissioner from
the City of Clinton's Human Rights Commission. The Commissioner was removed because
she was taping the Commission meetings. The woman was asking a judge to decide on this
because Iowa law allows taping of open meetings.
Major went to the Disability Celebration. Information was provided at booths. Major said there
is still a lot more to be accomplished, but he came away from it pretty excited. He found it very
interesting.
Jehle reported that the Hate Acts Rapid Response Team met today and they have a new
brochure, which she handed out. She asked that the Commissioners distribute them, put them
up at work etc. She said the Southern Poverty Law Center has a new national campaign for
tolerance. Morris Dees and Rosa Parks are the co-chairs. She passed around the
organization's citizens' action kit. She said she was going to order some for HARRT and ask
for permission to reproduce some of the information.
7. STATUS OF CASES
Shank reported that two complaints were delivered to legal this week. She also reported that
there was a request for an appeal on the sex discrimination case with Team B. An appeal
requires the Complainant to appear before the Commission team with new or corroborating
evidence of discrimination. Pittman will schedule the appeal.
8. ADJOURNMENT:
MOTION: Jehle moved to adjourn the meeting. Simmons-Welburn seconded the motion. The
motion was carried by a vote of 7-0 and the meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m.
Agenda Item 3A
MINUTES
IOWA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
REGULAR MEETING
2nd FLOOR ADMINISTRATIVE CONFERENCE ROOM
Thursday, July 27, 2000 5:00 PM
Members Present: Linda Dellsperger, Shaner Magalhaes, Mark Martin, Mary McMurray,
Lisa Parker, Jesse Singerman, Jim Swaim
Members Absent: Winston Barclay, Linda Prybil
Staff Present: Barbara Black, Maeve Clark, Susan Craig, Beth Daly, Larry Eckholt,
Debb Green, Heidi Lauritzen, Kara Logsden, Liz Nichols
CALL TO ORDER - President Martin called the meeting to order at 5:01 PM.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION - NONE
APPROVAL OF MINUTES - Minutes of June 22, 2000 were approved, Swaim/Parker.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. Building Project - The Parking Report prepared by committee was included in the packet and
reviewed by Magalhaes. Upon discussion of angle parking previously installed (and funded)
by the City at other locations, it was suggested that the Library ask the City Council to pay
for angle parking at the Library.
Craig projected that the Iowa Avenue Parking Ramp, due to open in the spring of 2001, will
relieve some of the congestion at the Dubuque Street Ramp. This would make it more
feasible to request Library permit parking in the Dubuque Street Ramp. Permit parking
would reserve the spaces for Library users, who would pay the same rate as people parking
on other levels.
A motion was approved to draft a memo to the City Council based on the Parking Committee
report, removing the statement that the Library share the cost of angled parking,
Swaim/Dellsperger.
The Board discussed the problem of reaching people during Office Hours in the Library.
Members agreed that most Library users needed to be approached before they would ask
about the building project. It was suggested that a way to reach more people would be to
have an information table at the Friday Night Concert Series, with copies of the WINDOW,
information on Library programs and events, as well as information about the proposed
expansion.
ICPL BOARD OF TRUSTEES
July 27, 2000
Page 2
The Concert Series runs every Friday evening in the summer on the pedestrian mall and the
Board could arrange for a presence from August 18 to September 8, 2000. The music starts
at 6:30 pm. A Library table would be set up 6:30-8 pm.
Eckholt mentioned that the rides for Irving Weber Day (Saturday, August 11) would be in
place on Friday, August 10, during the concert. This may attract more people interested in
the Library and might be a boost to the number of people stopping at the Library table.
The Board directed Craig to apply for a permit for a table at the Friday Night Concert Series
and have Lubaroff solicit volunteers for the table, as she has for other office hours.
The Board spent a few minutes brainstorming for other ways to inform people about the
proposed expansion. The Board will contact the Iowa City Community School District to
see if we can include an informational letter in one of the packets kids bring home to parents.
Craig will draft the letter, which we hope to go in a packet soon after the "Parent Letter" sent
each year by the Children' s Room, welcoming families to use the Library and informing
them of our collection policy.
Dellsperger will investigate the possibility of putting the referendum on the Kids Vote ballot
for grade schools. The vote itself wouldn't have much of an impact, but the kids
participating in Kids Vote are asked to discuss the candidates and issues with their parents.
b. Approve Board Annual Report - The draft of the Board Annual Report was approved,
Singerman/Swaim.
NEW BUSINESS
a. FY00 Planning Review - The Board was pleased to see how much the Library accomplished
over the last fiscal year.
Logsden clarified a point about Adult programming. The Lunch at the Library series has
been better attended than evening programs or Sunday afternoon programs. Co-sponsored
events draw a bigger crowd. Any program featuring dogs is guaranteed to fill the house.
Book discussions led by real authors tend to attract a larger audience. This year' s Towns
Reading series will be limited to two sessions at ICPL and 2 sessions at Coralville PL, with
all four being led by members of the UI Writer's Workshop.
In response to a question about raising the temporary pay scale, Craig explained that to stay
competitive, the beginning wage for shelvers is $6.50 per hour. Maintenance staff starts at
$8.00. We do get a fair number of applicants for those jobs at those wages.
ICPL BOARD OF TRUSTEES
July 27, 2000
Page 3
b. FY01 Plan - Craig explained that this plan was approved last year, and the aim at this
meeting is to approve changes recommended by staff.
The Board questioned the timing of adding a DVD collection, and remodeling the Circ desk.
Would the public see the changes and think we don't need more space?
Craig explained that the Circ desk under consideration was the return desk, and recon~guring
the space would considerably streamline the materials return process. DVDs were more of
an issue because staff will have to find a place to hold the collection. Craig suggested that
with such a popular format, we would be lucky to see 50 titles on the shelf at a time.
The consensus was that, as the number one priority in the plan is Collections, and because so
many people are requesting DVDs, that the Library should start the collection and not wait
for the referendum.
Black explained that the standards for replacement of materials would help staff to streamline
the repair/replacement cycle. For example, AV staff could use the standard to decide if a
video was ready to be withdrawn without sending the tape to the selector.
A computer for Meeting Room A would be available for presentations, such as Powerpoint.
Meeting Room D, the ICN room, has this capability, but at the present it is not available to
the general public. Also, groups requesting a computer usually expect bigger groups than
Room D will hold.
Asked about considering expanded hours, Craig reported that her preference to expand hours
would be first, Sunday 12-6, then Friday 10-9, then weekdays, 9am to 9pm. She said that a
user survey would clarify what the public would prefer, and then the Board could consider
the budget implications.
The objective of collaborate with schools was narrowed to grade school only and moved to
FY02. Swaim objected to dropping the young adult part of the goal, and suggested that a task
force of young people from United Action for Youth could evaluate young adult programs at
the Library.
Logsden explained that the Consumer Health Information Center would be an area set aside
for people looking for information on health. It would include a dedicated terminal and an
expanded collection. The staff has applied for a grant to pay for part of this effort. The
timing is good since the State Library is training librarians in this area.
Craig explained that due to the closing of the Regional Reference Office, there is be space
available to convert to space for word processing, a much-requested service.
The FYO 1 plan was approved as drafted, with the change that "collaborate with schools and
other organizations that work with youth" be reinstated, Singerman/Swaim.
ICPL BOARD OF TRUSTEES
July 27, 2000
Page 4
c. FY02 New Plan
Library jargon was explained: "NF" means "non-fiction," and "FOCD" means "Fiction on
Compact Disc."
Improving bookdrop accessibility would include adding another bookdrop site. It was
suggested that a new bookdrop be at the same site as the kiosk, the Sycamore Mall.
On a side note, Clark explained that kiosk use has steadily increased, even as traffic in
Sycamore Mall has decreased. Also, other libraries with kiosks at grocery stores have about
the same amount of use as we have at the mall.
The option of adding table of contents and cover picture to the catalog is offered by the
Innovative company. This would change the look of our catalog to more closely resemble
web pages of some of the on-line booksellers. At this time, the proposal is to study the
option of purchasing the and adding this type of information.
There was some discussion about the difficulty of moving several times during the
construction phase of the proposed expansion. Craig explained that the objective to "Inform
citizens and staff of the construction planning" is intended to help smooth out the transitions
and keep people informed during the six phases of the move.
The Board suggested that the Fiscal Year 2002 plan might be too ambitious, if we are trying
to accomplish all of the goals during construction. Craig agreed, and explained that the
Library must submit a budget in October without knowing if the November referendum
passes or fails. She suggested that there would be significant changes to the plan, depending
on the outcome of the vote, but the staff needs something to use when the budget is prepared.
The FY02 plan was approved, Dellsperger/Parker.
d. Adopt FY01 NOBU Budget - Craig mentioned that the Enrich Iowa Funds are added to the
NOBU funds this year, although we don't know the exact amount we will receive. Craig
also explained that the Board could change the NOBU budget at any time, if needed.
Nichols explained that JCCN stands for "Johnson County Community Network," a group of
web sites for the City, County, Schools, and other agencies. This organization does work
that supports the information needs of the community.
The NOBU Budget was amended, with the change that $4,000 be set aside for Park 'n' Read,
if needed, Building Project be reduced by $4,000, the Art Purchase Prize be increased to
$1,500, and the Staff Reserve be reduced by $500, Swairn/Singerman.
The NOBU Budget was approved as amended, Parker, Magalhaes.
ICPL BOARD OF TRUSTEES
July 27, 2000
Page 5
e. Appointments to the Library Arts Advisory Committee - The appointments to the Art
Advisory Committee were approved as submitted, Parker/Singerman.
STAFF REPORTS
a. Revised Naming Policy - The Board confirmed that the changes had been made according to
their instructions.
b. Harry Potter Report - ICPL was prominently mentioned in a recent Press Citizen article
about the recent popular book, HARRY POTFER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE. Not only
is the book setting records in book sales and book-on-tape sales, but it is also setting records
in ICPL for the most number of holds on a single title. At the time of the meeting, there were
93 holds for 27 copies. Green mentioned that we have been getting gift copies of the book
after people read it. Craig commented that it was so much nicer to hear news about kids
reading rather than news about kids getting in trouble.
c. State Task Force - Craig expressed relief at not being asked to be on the State Task Force,
convened by the Iowa Commission of Libraries, to study the delivery of library services in
Iowa. The article from the State Library Newsletter explains what they are trying to
accomplish. The members have a big job to complete in a fairly short time to have a report
ready before the new legislative session.
d. The Development Office Report was included in the packet and reviewed by Eckholt.
Eckholt alerted the Library Board to the fact that a special meeting of the Friends Foundation
corporate members will be held at the September 28 Board Meeting for the purpose of
electing two new Foundation Board members for full three-year terms.
Eckholt passed out copies of the "Donor Bill of Rights," which the Friends Foundation
Board plans to adopt.
Eckholt announced that the Development Office has hired Gayle Warner to the position of
Office Assistant.
Martin offered hearty congratulations to Eckholt and the Development Office for exceeding
the Annual Fund goal this year.
e. Miscellaneous readings were included in the packet.
f. Staff reported that the Johnson County Library Booth at the 4-H Fair has been better attended
this year than in previous years, and that the volunteers ran out of the brightly colored rulers
which had been made to give away at the fair. Each Board Member was given one of the
rulers.
ICPL BOARD OF TRUSTEES
July 27, 2000
Page 6
PRESIDENT' S REPORT - Martin joked that since he wasn't present at the meeting when
officers were elected, he was not sure if he was still the president. Nichols was able to find the
minutes from the April 27 meeting and confirm that yes, Manin is indeed the duly elected
president of the Library Board.
ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM MEMBERS - Martin questioned whether it was worth the time
and trouble for staff to include parking passes in the board packet, since no one on the Board
seems to use them. Craig will investigate before the next packet is mailed.
COMMITTEE REPORTS - NONE
COMMUNICATIONS - Lily Lau of the East Central Regional Library wrote a very nice letter,
regretting the closing of the Regional Reference Office at ICPL and expressing thanks for nine
years of partnership.
DISBURSEMENTS
a. The Visa expenditures for June 2000 were reviewed.
b. The disbursements for June 2000 were reviewed and approved, Singerman, Dellsperger.
SET AGENDA FOR JULY MEETING
ADJOURNMENT - The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 pm.
Notes taken by Beth Daly
MINUTES ' ' ' ---.
AUGUST 3, 2000 - 7:30 P.M.
CIVIC CENTER COUNCIL CHAMBERS -'
MEMBER8 PRESENT: Ann Bovbjerg, Benjamin Chait, Pam Ehrhardt, Jer~ Hansen,
MarilynSchintler, Dean Shannon
MEMBER8 ABSENT: Norm Osland
STAFF PRESENT: Sarah Holecek, 8co~ Kugler, Bob Miklo, David Schoon, John
Yapp
OTHERS PRESENT: Glenn Siders, Ma~in Gassell, Kaveh Mostafavi, Oindy Parsons,
Osha Davidson, Steve Robe~s, Philip Lutgendoff, Glenn Ehrstine,
Michelle Scherer, Hilla~ Sale, Ghris Chapman, Mike Ce~antez,
John Phipps, Sarah Rynes Weller, Karen Robeds, Scott Kading,
Denny Henderson, Steve Kohli, Ralph Stoffer
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL:
Recommended approval, by a vote of 6-0, of REZOO-OOO518UBO0-O016, an application
submitted by Walden Wood Associates II, LLP, for a revised Sensitive Areas Development Plan
and a prelimina~ plat of a resubdivision of Lot 52, Walden Hills, a 4.89 acre, 19-lot residential
subdivision located on the west side of Shannon Drive, subject to compliance with all provisions
of the 1997 Conditional Zoning Agreement that applied to Lot 52 of Walden Hills, the retention
of evergreen trees planted along Highway 218, and approval of a revised grading plan prior to
City Council consideration of the plat.
Recommended approval, by a vote of 6-0, of REZ00-0019, an application submitted by 8co~
Kading to designate properly located at 13 South Linn Street as an Iowa City Historic
Landmark.
Recommended approval, by a vote of 6-0, of SUB00-0017, a final plat of South Point Addition,
Part 7, an 8.08 acre, 25-1ot residential subdivision with two outlots located at the west end of
Langenberg Avenue and Hemingway Lane, subject to approval of construction drawings and
legal papers prior to City Council consideration of the plat.
Recommended, by a vote of 5-0, that the Sycamore and First Avenue Urban Renewal Plan
conforms with the Iowa City Comprehensive Plan - 1997, which is the general plan for the
development of the City of Iowa City as a whole.
CALL TO ORDER:
Chairperson Bovbjerg called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA:
There was none.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF VACANCIES ON CITY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS:
Bovbjerg said this is a chance to help the City do the right thing by all its citizens. She said the
City truly does need citizens from all across the spectrum of the community. Bovbjerg
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 2
announced vacancies on the following bodies: Police Citizens Review Board, Public Art
Advisory Committee, Historic Preservation Commission, Housing and Community Development
Commission, and Solid Waste Advisory Commission. She said anyone with an interest in these
organizations who would like to learn more could get information from the City Clerk's Office.
FRINGE AREA AGREEMENT:
Public discussion of amendments to the Iowa City/Johnson County Fringe Area Agreement.
Miklo said there were copies of the proposed agreement in the back of the room for anyone
who would like to review it. He said the Commission would review this item again in two weeks
to give people an opportunity to study the agreement, if they do have some concerns about this
area.
Miklo said the Fringe Area is the area within two miles of Iowa City's corporate limits. He said in
this area the State government gives the City the opportunity to review subdivisions to ensure
that those areas that potentially could become part of the City some day are built to City
standards so that they are compatible with City infrastructure in terms of streets, water, sewer
lines, and, to some extent, zoning.
Miklo said' the City has entered into a Fringe Area Agreement with Johnson County to ensure
that the interests of both jurisdictions are addressed when development occurs within these
areas. He said the agreement is now being proposed for amendment and renewal for a period
of five years. Miklo said the agreement is very similar to the agreement that has been in place
over the past three years. He said the amendments are outlined in detail in the staff report.
Miklo said proposed changes include identifying areas for commercial and industrial
development in the unincorporated portions of Johnson County, specifically at the Herbert
Hoover Highway and Interstate 80 Interchange; a provision promoting the use of cluster
subdivisions in Fringe Area B east of Iowa City; a provision requiring that if the County and City
disagree, there would be a consultation before the County acted on a rezoning within the Fringe
Area; a provision to encourage the continued agricultural use of open space when there is a
cluster subdivision; a clarification in the map showing the boundary of the Fringe Area to have it
follow section lines rather than the exact two-mile line; and a mechanism to renew the
agreement. In the event the City or County both agree, the agreement would continue after five
years for another period of five years. Miklo said if either body felt the agreement was not being
adhered to, the agreement could cease to exist at the request of either of the entities.
Bovbjerg said clustering has already been part of Area A and is now being added to Area B,
and Miklo confirmed this. Bovbjerg said since the previous review of the Fringe Area
Agreement, the County has adopted a new land use plan, and Miklo said that is correct.
Ehrhardt asked if the 50% of the land set aside as a result of the clustering could later be
developed. Miklo replied that it could possibly be developed upon annexation into the city.
Ehrhardt asked what the process for that would involve. Miklo said it would be a subdivision and
zoning process under City jurisdiction. He said the intent of the 50% set aside is to minimize
development in the County and make it more rural in nature, but then once it is in the City, there
will be urban infrastructure, water, sewer, and City streets available, and therefore, the intensity
might be increased. Ehrhardt asked if that is considered in the design of the clustering where
there is an area that is likely to be annexed. Miklo said the agreement encourages that in all of
the areas, and staff would also look at the possibilities for the future at the time of a subdivision
review. Bovbjerg said the Commission would look at the subdivision so that the Commission
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 3
could look not only at the clustering but also look at, if and when the proper~y were annexed,
how it would fit into the city. Miklo agreed.
Public discussion:
There was none.
Public discussion closed.
MOTION: Shannon moved to defer a recommendation on amendments to the Iowa
City/Johnson County Fringe Area Agreement to the August 17, 2000 meeting of the
Planning and Zoning Commission. Hansen seconded the motion. The motion carried on
a vote of 6-0.
REZONING/DEVELOPMENT ITEMS:
REZ00/0005/SUB00-0016. Public discussion of an application submitted by Walden Wood
Associates II, LLP, for a revised Sensitive Areas Development Plan and a preliminary plat of a
resubdivision of Lot 52, Walden Hills, a 4.89 acre, 19-lot residential subdivision located on the
west side of Shannon Drive.
Kugler said this is the second of two meetings on this item. He said it is an application for a
revised development plan as well as a nineteen-lot subdivision. Kugler said staff recommends
approval subject to compliance with all provisions of the 1997 Conditional Zoning Agreement
that applied to Lot 52 of Walden Hills, the retention of evergreen trees planted along Highway
218, and approval of a revised grading plan prior to City Council consideration of the plat.
Bovbjerg said staff expressed a concern about the trees along Shannon Drive and along
Highway 218. Regarding the trees along Highway 218, Kugler said there will be an attempt
made to save those trees. He said the trees will likely be disturbed by grading; however, they
will be replaced with the same trees or with similar trees when the grading is done there. Kugler
said that will be spelled out in the legal papers.
Public discussion:
Glenn Siders, South.~ate Development, said he has no problems abiding by the earlier
subdivider's agreement. He said he would answer questions from the Commission.
Public discussion closed.
MOTION: Schintler moved to approve REZ00-0005/SUB00-0016, an application submitted
by Walden Wood Associates II, LLP, for a revised Sensitive Areas Development Plan and
a preliminary plat of a resubdivision of Lot 52, Walden Hills, a 4.89 acre, t9-1ot residential
subdivision located on the west side of Shannon Drive, subject to compliance with all
provisions of the 1997 Conditional Zoning Agreement that applied to Lot 62 of Walden
Hills, the retention of evergreen trees planted along Highway 218, and approval of a
revised grading plan prior to City Council consideration of the plat. Hansen seconded
the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0.
REZONING ITEMS:
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 4
REZ00-0018. Public discussion of an application submitted by Julie Cassell for a rezoning from
Low Density Multi-Family Residential Zone (RM-12) and Neighborhood Conservation
Residential Zone (RNC-20) to Medium Density Single-Family Residential Zone (RS-8), for
properties fronting on Washington Street between Muscatine Avenue and Governor Street, the
east side of Governor Street between Washington Street and Iowa Avenue, Muscatine Avenue
between Iowa Avenue and Washington Street, Summit Street between Washington Street and
Burlington Street, and a property on the south side of the 900 block of Iowa Avenue.
Yapp said the total rezoning area contains 43 individual properties, about 7.9 acres. Regarding
the current zoning, he said the two areas of property on the north side of Washington Street are
RM-12, Low Density, Multi-Family Residential. Yapp said south of Washington Street along
Summit Street and Washington Street is an RM-20 Neighborhood Conservation Zone. He
showed an overhead map that demonstrates the current makeup of the area, with the yellow
representing owner occupied properties, blue representing rental properties, and green
representing unoccupied or vacant properties. Yapp said 23 of the 43 properties are currently
single-family in use. He said the remainder are a mixture of two-unit, four-unit, one six-unit, one
seven-unit, and one nine-unit structures. Yapp said there are three rooming houses located at
the intersection of College and Summit.
Yapp said the applicant, with support from many people in the neighborhood, has requested
that the area be rezoned to RS-8, single family residential. He said the RS-8 zone allows single-
family and duplex structures as permitted uses. Yapp said the existing multi-family and rooming
house uses, if this were rezoned to RS-8, would be grandfathered in; however, they would
become non-conforming uses.
Yapp said staff analyzed this rezoning request in a number of different ways. He said staff
looked at the Comprehensive Plan and how that speaks to what is desired in the
neighborhoods close to downtown and campus. Yapp said the Comprehensive Plan land use
map shows this area as 16 to 24 dwelling units per acre, reflecting the existing zoning that does
allow for multi-family construction. He stated that, however, there are a number of statements in
the plan related to older neighborhoods: that the City should adopt policies to protect the
integrity of existing neighborhoods and that one of the big issues the City must face is the
encroachment of multi-family residential structures into formerly single-family neighborhoods.
Yapp stated that this neighborhood is a former single-family neighborhood, but it has had multi-
family uses for a number of years.
Yapp said the Historic Preservation Plan states that the City should re-examine zoning
designations in older neighborhoods to help protect single-family residences. He said most of
this area is not a designated historic district, although there are two properties that are within an
historic district. Yapp said however, that the area is surrounded by historic districts.
Yapp said if the entire 43 properties were rezoned to RS-8, 16 non-conforming properties would
be created. He said the property owner of a non-conforming property would be limited in what
he could do with the structure on that property. Yapp said general maintenance and upkeep is
permitted and encouraged for a non-conforming property. He said a non-conforming property is
not allowed to be expanded in any way, which would prohibit additions, porches, or converting
non-habitable space to habitable space and thereby increasing the non-conformity. Yapp said
generally the living area in the property cannot be increased, if it were designated as a non-
conforming property.
Yapp presented a table outlining the differences between the existing zones and the two zones
that are being proposed, the RS-8 zone and the RNC-12 zone proposed by staff for much of
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 5
the area. He said two differences are the minimum lot area per unit, which impacts how many
properties could be converted to duplexes in either zone, and also the number of roomers per
zone. Yapp said the number of roomers is not grandfathered in, so that if the entire area were
rezoned to RS-8, three unrelated people would be permitted per apartment unit or house. He
said there are two properties that would have an impact on: one six-unit, four-bedroom
apartment building and a four-bedroom house. Yapp said under the RNC-12, four unrelated
people per unit are permitted. He added that there are no five bedroom units in this area.
Yapp said the other major difference is that under the RNC-12 zoning, existing multi-family
uses would be considered legal, conforming uses and could therefore be expanded on their
property. He said that no new multi-family buildings or units could be constructed in the RNC-12
zone.
Regarding duplexes, Yapp said under the RS-8 zone, the minimum lot area per unit is 4,350
square feet, which translates to 8,700 square feet needed for a property to have a duplex. He
said under the RNC-12, 6,000 square feet would be needed for the property to have a duplex.
Looking at the entire area, Yapp said if this were rezoned to RS~8, two of the 23 existing single-
family uses could be converted to duplexes. He said under the RNC-12 zone, twelve of the
existing single-family residences could be converted to duplexes. Yapp said the RNC-12 zone
would therefore allow more of the properties to be converted to duplexes, assuming they have
enough area on the property for off-street parking and other considerations.
Yapp said staff is suggesting that most of the area be rezoned to RNC-12, as opposed to RS-8.
He said staff recommends a portion of the area on the north side of Washington Street and
everything south of Washington Street be rezoned to RNC-12. Yapp said one of the main
reasons for that recommendation is the number of non-conforming properties if it were rezoned
to RS-8. He said staff feels the effort here is to stabilize the neighborhood, not necessarily to
force its transition to a single-family neighborhood. Yapp said there are existing rooming
houses and multi-family uses that staff feels can continue to be viable and serve a need for the
population in the city, given the proximity of this area to downtown and the campus.
Yapp said the one area where staff concurs would be appropriate for RS-8, single family
zoning, is north of Washington Street just west of Muscatine Avenue. He said that is due to the
predominant single-family character of this area. Yapp said all of the properties in this area
except for one four-unit building are single-family in use. He said the four-unit building would
become non-conforming if this area were rezoned to RS-8.
Regarding off-street parking requirements, Yapp said if this area were rezoned, all the existing
off-street parking situations which are currently legal would be grandfathered in. He said as new
units are built however, the off-street parking requirements would need to be met. Yapp said
generally with higher density of bedrooms, more off-street parking is required.
Schintler asked about the one house in the triangular area that staff recommends for RS-8 that
would become non-conforming. Yapp said the house has four one-bedroom apartments, and
there could be up to three unrelated people in each of the one bedroom units if the rezoning is
approved.
Ehrhardt asked about the block on the corner of Iowa and Governor to the west. She said Yapp
had commented that it would be a section off by itself if rezoned to RS-8 and asked if there
were reasons other than that that staff would not recommend that piece for RS-8. Yapp said the
area in between the two parts of the proposed rezoning area is an RNC-20 zone with existing
multi-family structures on it. He said the other reason staff recommends it for the neighborhood
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 6
conservation zone is because of the non~conformities that would be created with two of the
properties. Ehrhardt asked how many bedrooms were in the two and four unit buildings and
whether being non-conforming would affect those properties because of the number of
bedrooms. Yapp said it would affect them because of the number of units, not because of the
number of bedrooms. Yapp said one of the properties has three one-bedroom units and one
three-bedroom unit, and the duplex there has one two-bedroom unit and one three-bedroom
unit. He said they would be grandfathered in and allowed to continue as they are but could not
expand in any way under RS-8. Ehrhardt asked why rezoning to RS-8 would be acceptable for
the property on the east block that would become non-conforming but not acceptable in this
part. Yapp said in looking at the block just west of Muscatine Avenue, staff found that the entire
east side of Muscatine Avenue is RS-8. He said that block is therefore, both in character and in
use, an extension of that single-family neighborhood. Yapp said that is why staff recommended
RNC-12 for the western area and stated that the RNC-12 zoning has nearly the same
stabilizing effect in that new uses could only be single-family or duplex.
Ehrhardt asked Yapp if this area has a diversity of residential uses as talked about in the
Comprehensive Plan and if it were a good mix. Yapp replied that it is difficult to answer that for
these 43 properties, since this is a very small area. He said it certainly does have a mix of
residential uses, and given its proximity to campus, it is a representative mix of other similar
neighborhoods that are this close to campus and downtown. Yapp said in the larger
neighborhood, everything east of the proposed rezoning area is currently zoned RS-8 for
single-family and duplex development. He said even further east, there is a much higher
percentage of single-family uses, and further west, closer to campus, there are higher
percentages of multi-family uses. Yapp said this is a transitional area on the edge between the
single-family and multi-family areas. He said the Comprehensive Plan aims at a mix of
residential uses but does not specify the percentage of certain units. Ehrhardt asked if the
RNC-12 zone is intended to keep this mix as it is. Yapp agreed that it would help preserve that
mix.
Public discussion:
Martin Cassell, 1002 East Washin.qton, said he and his wife made this application. He said he
has lived in the Washington Street property since 1991. Cassell said he wanted the
Commission to listen to three major points that were considered in making this application: why
they made the application, who they are and what support they have for this application, and
what benefits the rezoning would confer on Iowa City.
Regarding the issue of why they made the application, he said Yapp made many points, but
there are a couple of issues regarding stability and incentive to also be addressed. Cassell said
the current neighborhood does have an interesting mix of residential uses, and he agreed that
staff's recommendation would confer some stability. He said, however, that further rezoning of
the entire area to RS-8 provides not only long-term stability but is an incentive to people to
move into the neighborhood, which will further stabilize the whole area in the long-term.
Cassell said there are very few areas of Iowa City remaining that offer older single-family
dwellings, mostly the north side and east side; the west side and the south part have very little
of that type of accommodation available. Cassell said an effort needs to be made to stabilize
the area in the long-term and also to make it attractive for people to move into the area to
perhaps see a further progression toward a largely single-family domination in the area.
Cassell said the other issue is who the applicants are. He said one of the issues that is clearly
relevant to this discussion is the issue of neighborhood. Cassell said of all the single-family
Planning and Zoning Commission
August3,2000
Page 7
residences in the area, there has been unanimous support for the rezoning to RS-8. He said he
polled as many of the renters in the area as possible, and with one exception, every renter
agreed that the minimum should remain the same. Cassell said the lack of unanimity among
the landlords in the area, the rental property owners, is of concern to the applicants, who
appreciate that making properties non-conforming through this rezoning would be a strain, as
there is a potential loss of investment and loss of ability to develop the property further. He said
there are a number of rental property owners in the area who have express strong support for
the rezoning, including J.P. Nelson, who sent a letter of support, and LeAnne Thomas.
Cassell said he has also had discussions with people walking through the neighborhood, and
they also have expressed support. He said people in the surrounding districts find this to be an
area where they can walk comfortably and safely, and it is a beautiful neighborhood. Cassell
said the "we" in the issue that supports this is very strong.
Regarding the opposition, Cassell said the applicants are sensitive to their situation, and he
admires staff's attempt to reach a compromise here. Cassell said, however, that the property
owners who are in disagreement need to consider the long-term benefits for their property as a
result of having a stable neighborhood. He said they may suffer some loss and inconvenience,
but the long-term benefits of maintaining this area will be quite great for the rental property
owners.
Cassell said the third issue concerns the city as a whole. He said there have been reports about
downtown Iowa City declining and a comment in the newspaper from a business owner that
turning downtown into an entertainment zone is inevitable. Cassell said all the residents in this
area consider downtown to be their local shopping area. He said there are very few properties
for single-family in this area, single families who will maintain the diversity of downtown and
prevent a shift toward a predominantly entertainment zone there.
Cassell added that this has some characteristics of an old neighborhood, including old trees, six
of which are at least 100 years old. He said there are natural benefits to the area and a
considerable amount of wildlife in the area.
Cassell said he agrees that the staff's position does make sense, and as a compromise it is a
good plan. He asked the Commission though, to give serious consideration to rezoning this
entire area RS-8.
Kaveh Mostafavi, 801 Westside Drive, said his family owns the property at 1002 East College
Street. He said his property is basically an oddball in the neighborhood with six units of four
bedrooms each. Mostafavi said if the RS-8 passes, the building will only be allowed to have
three renters per unit, which not only would deplete his family's income but also depletes their
investment in the building.
Mostafavi said this same proposal was brought before the Council four years ago but was not
passed, and his family was allowed to build the building. [Editor's note: Although there were
objections expressed when the apartment building was built, no rezoning application
was submitted to the City.] He said it was done with a large investment, but if the property is
rezoned to RS-8, his family loses a good portion of their investment, not only in the building but
as a loss each month with less rental income.
Mostafavi said it is easier to say there will be a loss, as the previous speaker stated, than to
experience it. He said this is a family business that his family has invested a lot of time and
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 8
effort in. He said his family can currently pay taxes and expenses with the rental income, but if
this is rezoned to RS-8, his family will not have proper income to meet the current taxes and
expenses for the building.
Mostafavi said the University is expanding, and the more the University expands, the further out
apartments will need to be built. He said if the zoning is changed, there will be fewer places for
people to live. Mostafavi said his family sent a letter to the Commission, and he asked the
Commission to take into consideration all the points stated in the letter.
Cindv Parsons, 1131 East Washington, said she owns the rental property at 1032 East
Washington, the four-unit building that would become the one non-conforming property in the
block recommended for RS-8. She said she is against this application.
Parsons said she has lived at 1131 East Washington for 23 years and has great opportunity to
see that neighborhood. She said it really has been fairly stable over the years and maintained
the mix that it has had.
Parsons said she has three main reasons the application should be denied. First, she said the
timing is very bad, as the big changeover in rental property in Iowa City is August 1, and a lot of
landlords are still actively busy with that changeover. Parsons said with summer vacation, she
knows several property owners who could not attend the Commission's meeting because they
are out of town. She asked the Commission to consider holding the second public discussion
on this matter at the September meeting so more people could attend.
Parsons said the second reason she would like to see this rezoning denied is because she
does not really believe it is likely that multi-family development will occur in this zone, even if it
remains RM-12, because of the minimum lot area required and minimum per unit space. She
said there are not any rundown properties in this area, and by the time a developer considers
the cost of acquiring the property and developing a new multi-family property, the cost per unit
would be way too great. Parsons reminded the Commission that before the six-unit property on
College Street was developed, it was a really rundown fraternity house and not in the good
condition of about all of the houses in this area that is under discussion.
Parsons said as a third reason, the non-conforming use status is of great concern to her. She
said under the staff proposal, she would be the only non-conforming property if everything else
goes RNC-12 and the one block goes to RS-8. Parsons said there is an area between the two
areas to be rezoned, and most of that is rental property. She said that should be considered
when looking at the end of the block as well. Parsons said there is a pretty significant change in
elevation between the property on Washington Street and the property on Iowa Avenue. She
asked if the Iowa Avenue properties could be considered separately from the Washington
Street properties, since there are three rental properties in that little block that are being
recommended for RS-8.
Parsons said Mostafavi had concerns about his investment in the property. Parsons said she
bought her property as a four-unit building with all one bedroom units. She said she has no
plans to expand it and probably could not expand it under the existing usage. Parsons said it is
of great concern, however, if it were to become non-conforming. She said if it were substantially
damaged, then she would be unable to rebuild it as four units, which is how she purchased it.
Parsons said if the RS-8 is passed, some people might be less likely to maintain a property if
they know it is non-conforming. She said she opposes this application and would ask that the
zoning remain as it is or, in the alternative, make the entire area RNC-12 and not single out her
little end of the block as RS-8.
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 9
Ehrhardt asked Parsons if she did not object to the RNC-12 designation. Parsons responded
that she did not, and Mostafavi also responded that he did not object to the RNC-12
designation.
Bovbjerg said Parsons discussed how a non-conforming property could be rebuilt if it is
damaged. Yapp replied that a non-conforming property can be reinstated to what it was, to its
pre-existing density with the same number of roomers. Bovbjerg said even if it is non-
conforming, it would not lose any of its current use. Yapp confirmed this. He said the difficulty
for a house like this that is designed as an old home with apartment units converted in is in
meeting modern building code requirements. Yapp said however, that the building could be
rebuilt to its pre-existing density if it were damaged.
Parsons said she understood that was the case with RNC-12 but not with RS-8. Yapp said
under the RNC zoning, existing multi-family uses would be legal, conforming uses and their
floor area could be expanded and modified, though no new units could be added. He said with
a non-conforming property in an RS-8 zone, if it were damaged, it could be built back to it pre-
existing size and density. Holecek said that is correct. Bovbjerg said that concept was
described incorrectly in the local newspaper.
Osha Davidson, 14 South Governor, said he is in favor of the RS-8 zoning. He said he did not
understand all the ~ner points of the application, but it sounds as if RS-8 does a better job of
stabilizing the neighborhood and making it friendlier for families. Davidson said he has lived at
this location for nine years and really enjoys living close to downtown. He said downtown is his
family's shopping area.
Davidson said the compromise to RNC-12 makes some sense to him, but he would like to see it
go a little bit further to the RS-8. He said as a homeowner, he has a financial investment in the
home as well. He said he appreciated the Mostafavis' concern about their investment in their
property. Davidson said the homeowners also have investments in their property, and the
investment in part is in preserving the neighborhood as a pleasant place to live and where
families would want to stay.
Davidson said he agreed with the statement about the likelihood of expansion coming through
and people wanting to build more, but he does not think it would be a good thing in this area.
He said he owns a Queen Anne house from 1890. He said he has put a lot of money into it and
won an historic preservation award for it.
Davidson said it would make some sense as a homeowner for him to support maintaining the
area's zoning as it is, because he could probably make more money by tearing down the house
and putting a duplex there. He said, however, that is not a good way to go. He said it helps the
city as a whole to maintain areas that are suitable for families who want to have a somewhat
urban setting. Davidson said he feels the RS-8 designation does a better job of preserving that.
He said he would feel more comfortable staying here and maintaining his property if this is done
as an RS-8, although he feels the RNC-12 proposal is a step in the right direction.
Steve Roberts, 1015 Muscatine, said he has lived at this address since 1983. He said
neighborhoods change slowly when you watch them, like children, but over time, they really do
change. Roberts said in 1983 there were a lot more prisoners at the halfway house at 1005
Muscatine but no swingsets to be found in the neighborhood. He said things have changed
here and there are now many families living in the area.
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 10
Roberts said with all the money and effort that have gone into this area since 1980 in converting
rental properties into their original single-family configurations, the RM-12 zone is out of
character for this neighborhood, and it leaves the looming, potent wild card of high density
housing that could reverse this trend. He said rezoning this area to RS-8 would simply confirm
what has been happening to this block since 1980.
Roberrs said in the staff-proposed RS-8 area, the majority of the dwellings are now owner-
occupied single-family homes that house couples raising their children in the best neighborhood
they can provide. He said he is in favor of the RS-8 zoning to lock in this trend that he and his
neighbors have worked very hard on.
Bovbjerg asked Roberts if he has considered RNC-12 in light of his observations. Roberts
replied he has not considered it in-depth. He said he is a little concerned about Parsons' four-
plex - not about that building expanding but perhaps another property being purchased next
door and next door to that. Roberts said he would like to see RS-8 for the triangular area, as
recommended by staff.
Philip Lut.qendorf, 911 Iowa Avenue, said he has lived at his present house for 15 years. He
said he agreed with Davidson, although he also appreciates the merits of the compromise.
Lutgendorf said the mailing from the City did not include any description of the RNC-12 zone.
Yapp confirmed this. He said staff sends out the mailing when the City first receives the initial
application, and at that point, staff had not yet considered the RNC-12 zoning. Yapp said
anyone who would like a staff report for clarification should contact him.
Lutgendorf said when he bought his property, he was aware of a certain risk, as he was told by
people that this is a student neighborhood where he would not want to live. He said he and his
wife work for the University and like to be able to walk and bicycle to work and shop. Lutgendorf
said there are other people like him who also want to be close to downtown. He said he
certainly does not object to having some student housing as neighbors but would not want to
see the neighborhood shift further in the direction of multi-family housing.
Lutgendorf said he also favors the RS-8 designation as being more stabilizing in the direction of
families and single-family dwellings or duplexes.
Glenn Ehrstine, 228 South Summit, said he is in favor of the rezoning, in particular rezoning to
RS-8. He said he owns a co-op apartment in the Summit Apartment Cooperation located at 228
South Summit Street between Burlington and College. He said his building is not in the
rezoning area but directly borders on it.
Ehrstine said the area is surrounded by historic districts and pointed out that one recently
designated Iowa City historic landmark is located within the district. He said his building is also
a recently designated Iowa City historic landmark.
Ehrstine said he is on the board of directors for his building and that board composed a letter
for the Commission as follows: "Dear Commission members: The Board of Directors of the
Summit Apartment Cooperation wholeheartedly endorses the application to downzone
neighboring properties along Summit Street and nearby areas to medium density, single-family
residential zone, RS-8. As owner occupants of a recently designated Iowa City historic
landmark, we find such downzoning to be the next logical step in preserving the integrity and
historical character of our neighborhood." Ehrstine said the letter is signed by the seven
members of the board of directors, who speak for the majority of the fifteen building residents.
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 11
From a personal perspective, Ehrstine said he also works downtown, shops downtown and
walks downtown. He said the most cogent argument for preserving the residential, single-family
nature of this area is the economic incentive for businesses downtown. Ehrstine said if the City
is investing in a new parking ramp to attract drivers downtown, the City should not forget that
pedestrian consumers are also very important to the economic survival of downtown.
Ehrstine said he is sympathetic to the economic hardship that any landlord might suffer from
this downzoning. He asked if a waiver could be made for an individual property. Yapp said the
number of roomers could not be waived. He said in the RS-8 zone, each apartment could only
be rented to three unrelated people. Yapp said the avenue to change that would be to amend
the City Code, but that would affect all RS-8 neighborhoods, not just this one.
Michelle Scherer, 1030 East Colle.qe Street, said she does not live in this area but nearby in the
College Street Historic District. She said she and her husband just bought their house in this
neighborhood a year and a half ago. Scherer said as a new homebuyer coming into the area, it
was a big selling point to see that the neighborhood has taken on an historic sense to it. She
said in terms of long-term planning for the City, it is critical to cultivate that atmosphere to get
people to settle in that area. Scherer said she is also a downtown shopper and feels strongly
about supporting downtown to keep a diverse business community there.
Scherer said in deciding whether or not to come to The University of Iowa, she and her
husband really thought about whether they could live in an area where they could walk to work.
She said there are very few colleges left now where that can be done, and when they were
debating about coming to The University of Iowa, that was a consideration. Scherer said that is
a factor in keeping the area attractive for the University's recruiting efforts.
Scherer said this is right on the edge of single-family homes and mixed, and this is really the
time to set the vision for what the area will be. She said Iowa City is fairly progressive in how
this is approached, and that needs to be kept in mind.
Scherer said she was not aware of the differences between RNC-12 and RS-8 before the
meeting. She asked about the impact on the other speakers. Yapp said the main impact is the
number of roomers, which is a function of the overall density of people living in the area. He
said under the RS-8, there could be three unrelated people per apartment unit, so that a four-
bedroom apartment would be restricted to three unrelated people. Yapp said the income from
the fourth bedroom would then be lost. He said under the RNC-12, there could be four
unrelated people per apartment or house.
Scherer asked how many units have four bedroom apartments. Yapp replied there are six four-
bedroom apartments owned by the Mostafavi family and one four-bedroom house at 117
Summit Street. Scherer asked if this motivated the RNC-12 recommendation, and Yapp
confirmed it was one factor.
Scherer said her feeling then is that people have invested in their properties, and she feels
staff's compromise seems reasonable. She said the City's vision also has to be considered,
however. Scherer said she thought the main concern is stopping more large development in the
area and multi-family units coming in.
Hillarv Sale, 1016 East Colle.~e Street, said she supports the proposal filed by Julie Cassell.
She said, as she understood staff's report, more than half of the homes in this neighborhood
are now single-family or duplex units. Sale said, in addition, this neighborhood has multi-family
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 12
units. Sale said even though staff is reluctant to say whether this fits within the Comprehensive
Plan, it is a diverse neighborhood, encompassing many different kinds of uses, something that
she likes, as a resident of the neighborhood.
Sale said she does not want to see more of the older homes in the neighborhood torn down or
destroyed for multi-family apartment buildings to be constructed. She stated although the staff
recommendation goes a long way toward protecting those goals, it does not go far enough.
Sale stressed the important of the Commission considering not just downzoning, but
downzoning to RS-8.
Sale said this is a neighborhood that has been changing over time to a more single-family or
renter neighborhood, which encompasses both students and other types of renters. She said
she has spoken to a lot of people in the neighborhood and has been stunned by the number of
renters who have said they want housing of the sort existing in this neighborhood and that what
is hard to find is in fact the kind of rental housing this neighborhood offers - older homes that
are not big apartment buildings. Sale stated if the City does not do something to protect that, it
will lose what it has.
Sale said the block she lives on is in a historic district. She said it is important to consider the
impact on a historic district of not protecting the surrounding streets. Sale said those in the
historic district who have spent a lot of money on their homes, care about their homes, and are
committed to living in the city cannot stay if everything around them converts to apartment
buildings. She stated it is almost pointless to designate an area a historic district if it is not
protected to some extent in the surrounding area.
Sale said in response to the survey done by the neighborhood, only one landlord responded
negatively, and since that time, two other protests have been filed, one of them by the
Mostafavi family. She said Mostafavi described his building as an oddball, and it is important for
the Commission to consider downzoning the entire area to RS-8, except for the oddball
property. Sale said if in fact this particular unit depends on a rental stream to protect itself, there
is no reason not to carve out that unit and make it an RNC-12. She said there may be staff
reasons and zoning practice reasons, but this may be the one case that is a good exception for
the Commission to consider.
Sale said Yapp mentioned one other house on Summit Street that might be affected by the
downzoning. She said two years ago when this neighborhood talked about downzoning, at that
time the landlord there indicated he did not have a problem with RS-8, although he could not be
reached regarding the current proposal.
Sale asked the Commission to consider carving out the Mostafavi property and zoning the rest
of the properties to RS-8. She said the downside of not doing that is actually significant in that
there are units that could be torn down and converted into modern-looking duplex buildings that
are not what this neighborhood is about,
Chris Chapman, 1012 East Washington, said his home was built in 1910. He said he feels the
RNC-12 does not go far enough to preserve the area, which is why he is in favor of RS-8.
Chapman said the neighborhood is all older homes with an older feel, almost a suburban feel.
Chapman said there are large AUR apartment buildings on Washington Street and a large
apartment complex on Iowa Avenue. He said he believes the City is in favor of in-fill
development or at least has been in the past. Chapman said the problem with that is it only
takes one or two properties like this to radically alter the character of the area. He said one or
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 13
two more will change the neighborhood. Chapman said this will never be like South Johnson
Street but one would lose a lot.
Regarding the property at 1002 College Street, Chapman said it is an oddball, sticks out like a
sore thumb, and does not fit with the neighborhood at all. He said all it takes is one or two more
structures like this to change the area totally.
Mike Cervantez, 918 East Washin.clton, said he is in favor of the rezoning to RS-8. He said
when he moved to Iowa City two years ago, he wanted to live in a neighborhood within walking
distance of the University and downtown. Cervantez said he found his house the weekend
before finals, during which time he walked the neighborhood throughout the night. He said he
thought if the student population bordering his property was going to be a problem, it would
happen the Saturday night before finals, but it was great, and he really likes it there.
Cervantez said he would hate to see more of the large units however, and asked the
Commission to rezone to the most protective state. He said he likes the alternative of leaving
the oddball property in a different zone.
John Phipps, 932 East Colleqe, said he had questions about the application. He said the map
differentiates between owner-occupied and rental properties, since some of the owner-occupied
properties are also rental properties, as his house is. Yapp said that is why Phipp's property has
an asterisk - because it is both a rental and owner-occupied property. Phipps asked if there
were a difference in how the zoning categories affect owner-occupied properties as opposed to
rental. Yapp said there is not a difference. He said the difference is that in a single-family zone,
multi-family units, which are rental, would become non-conforming; single-family units would not
become non-conforming.
Phipps asked why the corner of Governor and College Streets was not included in this
application. Yapp said the applicant would need to address that issue. Phipps said the original
mailing showed the co-op house on the southeast corner of Summit and College was included
in the rezoning application, and a previous speaker said it is not. Yapp said that speaker lives in
a different co-op house, not on that corner.
Regarding the apartment house at 1002 East College, Phipps said the City made a big mistake
in allowing that to be built. He said he does not want to see that mistake compounded by
allowing it to become a derelict property, as could happen with a rental property that is not
generating enough revenue to maintain the property. Phipps said the property is well taken care
of now, and at the very least he would like to see that property carved out to protect that
building. He said other than that, he is also in favor of protecting the neighborhood and not
allowing more things like that to happen.
Regarding the apartment building at the corner of College and Summit Streets, Yapp said
under the law and the way the property is zoned, that building is a legal construction. He said
the City had no discretion in that the City cannot tell someone an apartment building can or
cannot be built if it is permitted under the zone.
Ehrhardt said the City now has infill guidelines that were passed a month or so ago. She said if
that building at the 1002 East College address were proposed now, it would have to conform to
design guidelines for the exterior of the structure that are meant to encourage the structure to
be compatible with surrounding properties. Yapp said the guidelines speak to things such as
rooflines, types of windows, outside building materials, etc. He said the guidelines do not speak
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 14
to the density of the structure or the number of units a structure may have, but there are
requirements for the exterior design.
Sara Rynes Weller, 1041 Woodlawn, said if this would really change those buildings, she would
like to move this up farther on Iowa Avenue to the gray building that looks like a beach house.
She said she does not live in the affected district but is extremely close to it. Rynes Weller said
of everyone who spoke, her feelings are closest to those of Sales. Rynes Weller said when she
moved here her first priority was to purchase an old home. She said these are not simply
single-family homes but are irreplaceable single-family homes, the kind of homes that once
they come down don't come back. Rynes Weller said those dwindle all the time.
Rynes Weller said one of the competitive advantages Iowa City has over suburbia and
Coralville is that Iowa City has some lovely historic districts and neighborhoods. She said she
has lived here since 1990, and she believes eight of the ten homes on Woodlawn have been
restored very significantly. Rynes Weller said it was sad to see the apartment building go up at
1002 East College Street, although it is well maintained, as well as the multi-family building on
Iowa Avenue. She said she is in favor, with the exception of the oddball property, of the RS-8
zoning.
Karen Roberts, 1015 Muscatine Avenue, responded to the comment that this has been a stable
neighborhood. She said since her husband bought their property in 1983, the neighborhood has
changed dramatically. Roberts said in 1983, there were very few owner-occupied houses. She
said this transition has trickled into place, and the owners have invested a lot of time, money,
and energy into their properties and homes and would like to protect that.
Roberts said sometimes when landlords convert an older home into three or four units, there is
not always care taken to maintain the older home. She said to preserve the character of those
homes, we have to make sure those homes cannot be expanded beyond duplexes. Roberts
said she supports the RS-8 zoning, although she is concerned about the Mostafavis. She
agreed the building is out of character with the neighborhood, but given that they purchased the
property with the expectation of receiving income from it, she feels the zoning should allow the
property to continue to exist the way it is.
Ehrhardt said the Commission has been hearing that the trend is toward conversion of duplex
and multi-family back to the original single-family, either as rental properties or owner-occupied.
She asked if staff could look at what the actual trend is in this area in the last ten years. Yapp
said staff could look at building permit information for the last few years and the transition both
to and from single-family.
Regarding the infill guidelines, Hansen asked if a single-family home were destroyed and rebuilt
would it have to look like the neighboring properties. Yapp said not exactly. Yapp said the
guidelines apply to structures with three or more units. Hansen said then if a single-family
Victorian home in this area should burn down, even if it is rezoned to RS-8, it could be replaced
by a ranch home. Yapp said that is correct, as is true with anywhere else in the City.
Chait stated that it is important to understand that the examples cited at 1002 East College and
the property on Iowa Avenue were some of the driving forces behind the infill ordinance in an
effort to prevent those situations from happening again. He said the City and Commission have
taken action because of those buildings.
Martin Cassell said a speaker had asked why the sorority was not included. He said that is
actually a historic landmark already protected by the city.
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 15
Cassell said the overhead map gives a slightly misleading and truncated impression of the
overall span, which was another factor in including these areas. He said they considered areas
bordering on historic districts and discussed the area of transition where there would be a
natural boundary. Cassell said Governor Street seems to be a useful transition and a good
reason for considering the application for RS-8, particularly for those three properties along
Governor Street that staff is recommending for RNC-12. He said having Governor Street as a
distinct borderline there has an advantage, and there is an elegance in the overall mosaic of the
district in that regard.
Cassell asked if it would be possible to have a date set for the City Council hearing at this
meeting. Yapp stated that the effect of the City Council setting a date for a public hearing has
the effect of a moratorium on any new development that would not comply with one of the
proposed zones. He added that such a request would have to go to the City Council. Yapp said
ordinarily the City Council does not set a public hearing until it receives a recommendation from
the Commission, although it has happen'ed in the past.
Philip Lut.qendorf said he does not believe any of the homeowners in this area are in favor of
architectural sameness or uniformity. He said if they were, they probably would not live here,
because this area doesn't have it. Lutgendorf said the concern is not if a single-family home
burns down and is replaced by a steel and glass structure. He said the neighbors are
concerned with preserving the character of individually owned homes and the lots they are on.
Regarding the infill guidelines, Lutgendorf said it is a commendable effort. He said however, if
the units are as large as some of the apartment units in this area, he did not know how much
difference the appearance of the exterior makes in terms of actually protecting the character of
the area. Lutgendorf said the size of the units is of concern to homeowners.
Public discussion closed.
Bovbjerg said since this is the first time the Commission has reviewed this item, a rezoning
would almost automatically call for at least one more meeting. She said the point of the deferral
is to allow for the Commission to get more information and process what it has already heard.
MOTION: Chait moved to defer REZ00-0018, an application submitted by Julie Cassell
for a rezoning from Low Density Multi-Family Residential Zone (RM-12) and
Neighborhood Conservation Residential Zone (RNC-20) to Medium Density Single-Family
Residential Zone (RS-8), for properties fronting on Washington Street between
Muscatine Avenue and Governor Street, the east side of Governor Street between
Washington Street and Iowa Avenue, Muscatine Avenue between Iowa Avenue and
Washington Street, Summit Street between Washington Street and Burlington Street,
and a property on the south side of the 900 block of Iowa Avenue, to the August 17, 2000
meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Shannon seconded the motion.
Schintler asked if the apartment building at 1002 East College could be removed from the
rezoning. Yapp said that would be an example of spot zoning, when one property is singled out
for a different zone than surrounding properties. He said under zoning and in making zoning
recommendations, staff does not look at individual properties and individual situations of
property owners but rather looks at the larger area. Yapp said if the Commission wanted to
separate out an area for a different zone, there would need to be a rationale for that and an
explanation of why that property or properties is different from surrounding properties at that
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 16
same intersection. He said the Commission may want to consider drawing the zoning line
differently than staff has recommended, but staff would not recommend that one property be
singled out.
Chait asked if that rationale also applies for leaving something the same and downzoning
everything around it. He said this it would be a little backwards in terms of downzoning in terms
of singling out in that this would be trying to leave it alone. Holecek said the rationale behind
avoiding spot zones also applies to downzoning. She said the whole concept of zoning is to
take the inherent characteristics of certain properties and by those inherent characteristics,
whether they're the same or different, draw zoning designations and plan a community based
on that. Holecek said to start singling out certain properties, whether on the front side or the
back side, defeats the whole concept of the zoning purpose. She agreed the Commission
needs to be able to articulate some rationale should it decide to make the zoning boundary
different than what has been requested and/or recommended. Holecek said the Commission
needs to be able to articulate the reason why certain properties should be in this zone and other
properties should be in a different or contrasting zone.
Miklo said in a situation like that, staff would advise not looking at only the one property on the
corner but possibly linking it somehow to the RNC-20 to perhaps do all four at the intersection
and somehow have some logic as to why a group of properties should remain RNC-20 or be
rezoned to RNC-12.
Chait said the last speaker made a good point about the character of the neighborhood not
being just the way it looks and the texture and the kind of concerns the Infill Committee dealt
with in coming up with that particular ordinance.
The motion carried on a vote of 6-0.
Bovbjerg asked Commission members if they would all be present at the next meeting in two
weeks, adding that she would not be present. The other five present Commission members
said they expected to be at the next meeting. Bovbjerg said a rezoning of this magnitude really
requires the entire Commission. She said if only four commissioners could attend and there
was a three to one vote, it would represent a majority that was actually not the majority of the
Commission.
Yapp said the applicant has agreed to defer this to August 17. He said one speaker asked to
hold off the vote until the September meeting. Yapp said for that to happen, the applicant would
have to agree to such a deferral. He said if it appears the Commission would like to discuss
this, he would discuss with the applicant whether that is agreeable to her. Ehrhardt asked if all
the speakers would be notified if the item is deferred to September, and Yapp confirmed this.
Schintler stated she thought it would be good to wait to vote until all seven Commission
members were at the meeting so that there would not be a three to three vote. Holecek
reiterated that the applicant would have to agree to a deferral because of the Commission's
obligation to vote within the 45-day limitation period. Bovbjerg thanked everyone for coming to
the meeting and speaking so eloquently on this issue. She said the Commission members
would consider all comments and would also review them in the minutes before the next
meeting.
REZ00-0019. Public discussion of an application submitted by Scott Kading to designate
property located at 13 South Linn Street as an Iowa City Historic Landmark.
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 17
Kugler said the Historic Preservation Commission has reviewed this nomination and found it to
meet the criteria for listing as an Iowa City Historic Landmark and has recommended approval.
He said the Planning and Zoning Commission's charge is to look at this nomination to
determine what effect it might have or if there are any conflicts between the application and the
Comprehensive Plan, the Zoning Ordinance, or any proposed public improvements or other
plans for the renewal of the area involved. Kugler said staff has looked into these issues and is
not aware of any conflicts this would create. He said the Comprehensive Plan actually
encourages the retention and protection of buildings that are deemed to be historically
significant. Kugler said there are a number of improvement projects going on downtown right
now, and staff feels the preservation and rehabilitation of historic buildings within the downtown
will complement the City's efforts to make these improvements. He said staff therefore
recommends approval of the Historic Landmark designation.
Kugler said the City received a report from the State Historical Society, and their staff concurs
with the Historic Preservation Commission that this building meets the requirements and the
nomination is sufficient.
Public discussion:
Scott Kadin.q, 165 East Dovetail, Coralville, said he is the owner of the building. He said his
initial motivation was that this would keep the building from being torn town, although he has
since found out that may not be the case. Kading said he still wants to go ahead with the
nomination.
Ehrhardt said she applauded Kading for his efforts. Kading said the only work he wants to do to
the building is to restore the front of it to exactly how it was built. He said it is close now but has
deteriorated a little over time. Kading said he has worked with Kugler in his efforts.
Public discussion closed.
MOTION: Ehrhardt moved to approve REZ00-0019, an application submitted by Scott
Kading to designate property located at 13 South Linn Street as an Iowa City Historic
Landmark. Chait seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0.
Ehrhardt asked if the project to survey downtown for other historic buildings that should have a
similar status was underway. Kugler said the project is ongoing right now and should be
finished in the fall.
DEVELOPMENT ITEMS:
SUB00-0015. Public discussion of an application from Lake Calvin Properties for a preliminary
and final plat of a resubdivision of Saddlebrook Addition, Part One, a 69.75 acre, 4-lot
residential subdivision and a manufactured housing site plan for 290 housing units located at
Paddock Blvd. and Heinz Road.
Miklo said since there were no members of the public left at the meeting other than the
applicant, he would not go into the same detail as at the informal meeting but would point out
some things to clarify some questions.
Miklo said the entire Saddlebrook Development was over 400 acres that were annexed in 1994.
He said there was a Conditional Zoning Agreement specifying that any development within this
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 18
area would be cognizant of the wetlands to the south in the area zoned RR-1 on the zoning
map. Miklo said the area is zoned RR-1 because that area has a large federal jurisdictional
wetland, and there is an effort with this development to restore that wetland and protect it from
stormwater runoff from the properties up the ridge.
Miklo said another feature includes plans for an east/west arterial to go from Sycamore Street
south of the existing apartment buildings and eventually intersect back with Scott Boulevard. He
said there would also be a river crossing, giving a link from Mormon Trek Boulevard all the way
to Scott Boulevard along the south side of the City.
In terms of this development, Miklo said the current application is for a manufactured housing
site plan and a preliminary and final plat. He said the existing approved manufactured housing
site plan would allow 222 units. Miklo said there is a slight redesign proposed: Heinz Road
would be moved slightly to the east, and the arterial street would be moved to the south. He
said staff believes the shift of the arterial to be a good design change, as it will remove the
arterial from the middle of the neighborhood to the edge of the neighborhood and allow the
arterial to have good views of the wetland preserve to the south.
Miklo said there are a number of outstanding issues in terms of the engineering technicalities.
He said staff received a new plan Wednesday evening, and the Public Works staff will be
reviewing that to hopefully have all those issues resolved by the next meeting.
Miklo said there are two issues the Commission will need to decide on in which the applicant is
either applying for a waiver of certain requirements or there is a disagreement between staff
and the applicant. Miklo said there is approximately one-half mile between Highway 6 and the
projected arterial street, and staff is suggesting at least two points of street access from Heinz
Road to the area to the east. He said initially staff suggested Paddock Boulevard be extended
to the east and also Mustang Lane. Miklo said the applicant is proposing a compromise by
putting a public street approximately halfway in between. He said staff feels that is better than
having it as initially proposed but would rather see two points of access. Miklo said it does meet
the minimum standard for 2,000 feet for block frontages, but the Comprehensive Plan calls for
multiple connections. He said this is not in compliance with that, and staff therefore
recommends that at least one other connection to the east be provided.
With regard to the other issue, Miklo said the City's subdivision regulations require a 31-foot
collector street. He said Heinz Road is a collector street, and the applicant is asking that the
requirement be waived down to 28 feet. Miklo said that would be up to the Commission to
decide. He said if it were narrowed down to 28 feet, staff would recommend that no parking be
allowed on that street. Miklo said parking is not allowed on the private streets in the mobile
home park.
Miklo said staff recommends deferral until the technical issues with the design of the plat and
the mitigation plan for the stormwater management in relationship to the wetlands is worked
out, and the Commission will need to decide on the applicanrs request to narrow the width of
Heinz Road and to allow only one access to the east.
Ehrhardt said she understood from the informal meeting that the extra lots do not increase the
density of the area because more land is being included. Miklo said that is correct. He said the
original 222 units were the northern approximately 2/3 of the site. Miklo said the additional 68
units are in an area that was reserved for future development at the time this was initially
zoned.
Planning and Zoning Commission
August3,2000
Page19
Ehrhardt asked if the proposed arterial encroaches into the wetlands in any way. Miklo said it
would not, as the right-of-way would be north of the conservation easement. Ehrhardt asked if
the grading for the arterial would affect the wetlands in any way. Miklo replied that it would be a
challenge. He said the City is likely to design and build the arterial street, unless the applicant
builds it for a secondary access first. Miklo said Public Works feels it will be a difficult task, but
there is a conservation easement that does not allow grading activities or disturbance. Bovbjerg
said the design and building of that road is actually more dependent upon the actual land and
conservation easement than it is on design of a subdivision in that the subdivision would have
to give way to the conservation easement and road building requirements. Miklo said that is
correct. He said with the subdivision, there is an 85 foot right-of-way being reserved, and all of
that right-of-way is outside of the conservation easement, so the applicant is providing land
outside the conservation easement for the street. Miklo said that normally the City requires 100-
foot wide arterial streets. He said that one of the difficulties is that when the zoning was
adopted and there was a Conditional Zoning Agreement, there was some negotiation with the
Planning and Zoning Commission at that time, and the Commission accepted an 85-foot right-
of-way. Miklo said the City therefore has to work within those boundaries.
Public discussion:
Dennv Henderson, 115 Dovetail, said he represents the owners of Lake Calvin Properties, Jim
Miller and Steve Bright. He said the applicant is looking to expand, and the expansion has
always been on the table.
Regarding the street going to the east along Heinz Road, Henderson said he feels the
compromise the applicant has come up with is justified. He said a second access to the
property to the east would be accessed off the parkway at the time the parkway is built.
Henderson said there is approximately 1,200 feet from the parkway to that street to the east;
there is 1,800 feet from that street to the north to Highway Six. He said there really is no good
place to put it to the north.
Henderson said he came up with this compromise because he was told that a public street onto
a private street becomes confusing for people. He said he then moved it from Mustang to the
north, and now it goes from public to public. Henderson said if the applicant had done as
suggested by using Paddock Boulevard, it would once again be going from public to private. He
said that is also earmarked for a daycare center, daycare playground, and a daycare private
drive.
Henderson asked that whatever can be done at this meeting be done. He said if this can be
approved pending engineering and legal, he would ask that be done.
Ehrhardt asked why the applicant would like to build Heinz Road at 28 feet versus 31 feet.
Henderson said within the development the streets are all 28 feet wide. He said the narrower
street will slow down the traffic traveling north and south on Heinz Road. Henderson said the
covenants state that there shall be no parking on the streets; therefore he would like to have
the 28-foot street to fall in line with those covenants. He said with the number of driveways
coming onto Heinz Road, with a 28-foot street, the 20-foot setbacks on the houses give ample
spacing from the house and the curb for a driver to look both north and south for easy access
onto the street.
Ehrhardt asked about the streets other than Heinz Road and if they were local. Henderson said
they are private streets. Ehrhardt stated that they serve as local, rather than collector streets,
and Heinz Road would be a collector. Henderson agreed.
Planning and Zoning Commission
August3,2000
Page 20
Public discussion closed.
Bovbjerg asked if the new information recently received is currently being reviewed by Public
Works. Miklo responded that the Engineering Office will review that between now and the next
meeting.
Bovbjerg said this is a subdivision and could be voted on after one meeting. Holecek noted that
it is a preliminary and final plat with deficiencies and discrepancies. Bovbjerg said since there
are seven items under deficiencies and discrepancies and Public Works has not reviewed the
new material, the wiser thing to do might be to defer.
MOTION: Schintler moved to defer SUB00-0015, an application from Lake Calvin
Properties for a preliminary and final plat of a resubdivision of Saddlebrook Addition,
Part One, a 69.75 acre, 4-lot residential subdivision and a manufactured housing site
plan for 290 housing units located at Paddock Boulevard and Heinz Road, to the August
17, 2000 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Chait seconded the motion.
Chait said he understood the request for a 28-foot width on Heinz Road, based on the fact that
all the other streets in this development are 28 feet. Miklo said he believed they are actually 24
feet. Chait said in any event, Heinz Road would be a public, collector street, and he feels it
should be consistent with 31 feet, not 28 feet. He said it is not in the development but is a public
right-of-way. Hansen said he feels the same way; if there is no parking allowed on the street, he
did not feel three feet of difference would slow cars down.
Henderson said the 28-foot street was discussed between Karin Franklin and Jim Miller and
negotiated to a 50-foot right-of-way with a 28-foot street. Henderson said it was his
understanding from Miller that was what was agreed upon. Miklo said there was discussion
about the street width. He said the applicant at one point did not want Heinz Road through this
development and submitted a design showing it continuing down on the Streb property. Miklo
said staff informed the applicant that was not acceptable, because the Streb property was not in
the city, and neither the city nor the applicant had control over that or assurance it would be
built. Miklo said the applicant felt the collector street would be difficult for him to absorb and
asked if he could do 28 feet as an alternative. He said staff informed the applicant he could
certainly offer that, and it would be considered it.
Miklo said staff has not taken a position on it, but Public Works is a concerned about it. He
added that staff gave no guarantees, because staff cannot approve something of this nature - a
reduction in street width would require the Commission's approval.
Shannon asked if Public Works has offered an opinion on the street width. Miklo replied that
Public Works would prefer to see the street width at 31 feet.
Chait said over the years this project has come through some pretty radical changes from what
was originally approved, at great distress and concern to previous Commission members, the
concern being that this is changing and changing and changing and getting away from what
was originally approved. He said it would be wise for the Commission to look very carefully at
the changes that continue to happen.
Chait said at one point this project showed Heinz Road as a divided boulevard. Miklo confirmed
that the original design proposed Heinz Road as a boulevard. Chait said in such a scenario, the
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 21
streets are narrow, since there are two of them divided and separate. He said the street width
needs to be looked at carefully.
Miklo said he has been somewhat silent on the issue of the 28-foot wide street. He said it is the
age-old discussion of the planners feeling there is some merit to looking at narrower streets as
they may have some traffic calming benefits, while the engineers feel that wider streets are
better, in many cases. Miklo said there is a divided opinion among staff so that he has tried not
to push one way or the other. He said in this case this issue will need to be decided by the
Commission.
Bovbjerg said number four under deficiencies and discrepancies lists the covenant regarding
the 416 unit limitation until secondary access can be provided. Miklo agreed that will need to be
contained in the legal papers.
The motion carried on a vote of 6-0.
SUB00-0017. Public discussion of an application from Steve Kohli Construction, L.C., for a final
plat of South Point Addition, Part 7, an 8.08 acre, 25-1ot residential subdivision with two outlots
located at the west end of Langenberg Avenue and Hemingway Lane.
Kugler said all deficiencies noted in the staff report have been addressed on the plat, and the
plat is now ready to be voted on. He said staff is recommending approval subject to the
approval of construction drawings and legal papers prior to City Council consideration of the
plat.
Bovbjerg said she has asked about stormwater runoff both in this and in the Saddlebrook
Addition and is very concerned that the water be collected and then go off gradually. Regarding
the outflow, Kugler showed the wetbottom detention basin and the control structure that
releases water at a certain rate. He said the water is then taken to the south by another
drainage tile, and the City is requiring an overflow route for excess water that cannot be
accommodated by the pipe. Kugler said there is an outflow structure with stone and riprap to
avoid erosion problems. He said the water then flows to an existing drainage ditch which flows
to the south and west. Kugler said he believed the City Engineer would recommend that the
riprap be extended further to the south to the property line.
Hansen asked who will be responsible for silt buildup in the wetbottom basin. Kugler said the
homeowners' association would be responsible. Ehrhardt asked what would happen should the
homeowners' association be legally dissolved. Holecek said the homeowners association would
still have obligations under the covenants; the maintenance obligations would not fall to the
City. Ehrhardt said the Longfellow Manor Homeowners' Association has apparently been legally
dissolved. Holecek said she did not know the effect of that.
Hansen said it is important to be certain that people know they are responsible for this
maintenance. Holecek said some disillusion may have stemmed from easements of 20 years
ago. She said agreements now have much better and clearer language, and this could be
called out in the subdivider's agreement, along with the stormwater management easement
agreement, which would both be part of everyone's abstract. Holecek said transactional
attorneys in the City are quite familiar that this is standard operating procedure.
Hansen asked if people to the north of this property would be partly responsible for the
maintenance of this. Kugler said the proposal listed on the plat and in draft legal papers
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 22
indicates that the residents of South Point Parts Four and Seven will have that responsibility. He
said South Point Part Four is directly to the north off Dickenson Lane, and he believes the
developer is just ready to start the construction of homes on Part Four.
Holecek asked Kohli if any building permits have been issued for Part Four and if persons in
Part Four will be aware of their responsibility toward the stormwater management basin on Part
Seven. Chait asked if that would not be in the abstract. Holecek said it would have to be a
recorded document that would put those persons in Part Four on notice. She said Part Four is
already platted, so all the documents regarding Part Four have been recorded as far as the City
is concerned. Holecek did not know if maintenance of the basin was part of the legal
documentation for Part Four. She said Parts One through Six were platted back in 1993.
Shannon asked how deep the wetbottom retention area would be. Kugler said the applicanrs
engineer may be able to answer that question; he did not have the information on hand.
Public discussion:
Steve Kohli, 3129 Dubuque Street N.E., said he is the applicant. He said as part of the
subdivider's agreement, he designates which portions pay for the management of the
stormwater detention basin, and Part Four will be part of that. Kohli said he owns all of those
lots, so he will have his attorney put that in.
Kohli said he is currently working on about four other projects in the area and has always had to
manage stormwater since he has been doing this. He said he isn't doing anything here that isn't
standard operating procedure regarding handling runoff. Kohli said the water comes in from the
north, with the 100-acre IDRS zone there providing most of the water running into this area, and
Parts Four and Seven are downhill from that.
Kohli said he would like to have everyone in South Point be a part of the homeowner's
association because everyone with a sump pump and street contributes to that. He said that
other parts have been sold, however, so it will be put on Parts Four and Seven to maintain that.
Kohli said he will make the maintenance responsibilities clear when the lots are marketed. He
said the attorney's title opinion will also include the fact that there is this responsibility. Holecek
said she would make sure something is recorded as part of title so that those who purchase lots
in Part Four understand their obligation in Part Seven.
Hansen said the drainage here is completely surrounded by home lots, and he assumes the
same thing will happen to the west. He asked if a provision will be made to get the necessary
equipment into the drainage basin to do maintenance work in the future.
Holecek said with regard to each stormwater management easement, there will be an
easement over Outlot A to allow the City to get in there to do maintenance on an emergency
basis. She said otherwise it is a private basin. Holecek said there is always an access
easement given to ensure the integrity of the improvement. Kugler showed the location of the
easements on the map.
Ralph Stoffer, 535 South.~ate Avenue, said addressing the outflow of this will follow fairly
standard operating procedure. He said at about 15 feet per second flow of the water, there has
to be attention paid to erosion. Stoffer said the outflow at the peak of the 100-year is about 9
feet per second, and in addition, the rock structure spreads the water out. He said a certain
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 23
volume comes in and there is a bigger area for it to go into. Stoffer said it is pretty direct with a
certain volume going in in a certain area. Stoffer said it goes in at a certain speed, but as soon
as it widens out, it slows down.
Stoffer said he has something called a hydraulic jump where the water comes out, hits the
ground, and at a certain point the friction of the ground around it results in the water losing an
enormous amount of energy. He said by the time it gets to the property line to the south, it will
go from nine feet per second to less than three. Stoffer said the minimum velocity is about two
feet per second.
Bovbjerg asked about the basin between the first pipe and the second pipe. Stoffer said that
actually allows the control structure to be accurate in terms of controlling the outflow. He said if
there were no ditch there, the two culverts would interact, and it would be difficult to calculate
exactly what is going on. Stoffer said the first ditch allows the control structure to work the way
it is supposed to in letting the water flow through at a certain quantity yet holding it back at a
certain quantity.
Public discussion closed.
MOTION: Hansen moved to approve SUB00-0017, a final plat of South Point Addition,
Part 7, an 8.08 acre, 25-1ot residential subdivision with two outlots located at the west
end of Langenberg Avenue and Hemingway Lane, subject to approval of construction
drawings and legal papers prior to City Council consideration of the plat. Shannon
seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6-0.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ITEM:
Consideration of a recommendation to the City Council that the Sycamore and First Avenue
Urban Renewal Plan conforms with the Iowa City Comprehensive Plan - 1997, which is the
general plan for the development of the City of Iowa City as a whole.
Chait said he would abstain from consideration of this item since he owns property in this area.
He left the meeting at this point.
Schoon said the Comprehensive Plan identifies this area for general commercial use, and the
activities called for in the urban renewal plan are to encourage general commercial activities to
occur. He said staff recommends the Commission send a recommendation to the City Council
that the plan does conform with the Comprehensive Plan.
Bovbjerg said the Commission is not concerned with tax rates or legalities but should determine
whether this land is proposed to be used in conformance with the Comprehensive Plan. Schoon
said that is correct, and the legal and tax information presented was to give the Commission an
idea of what the City has in mind for this area.
Ehrhardt said any other area would have had the same opportunity to petition the City Council
to identify it as an economic development area under urban renewal. Schoon confirmed this.
Bovbjerg asked about such a potential designation in a residential area. Schoon said an urban
renewal area could be designated to create low and moderate income housing, but this is a
renewal of what already exists in this area - commercial activity.
Planning and Zoning Commission
August 3, 2000
Page 24
Public discussion:
Therewas none.
Public discussion closed.
MOTION: Ehrhardt moved to recommend to the City Council that the Sycamore and First
Avenue Urban Renewal Plan conforms with the Iowa City Comprehensive Plan - f997,
which is the general plan for the development of the City of Iowa City as a whole.
Schintler seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 5-0.
CONSIDERATION OF THE JULY 6, 2000 PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION MEETING
MINUTES:
MOTION: Shannon moved to approve the minutes of the July 6, 2000 Planning and Zoning
Commission meeting, as written. Ehrhardt seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote
of 5-0.
OTHER:
Miklo said the meeting scheduled for the September 4 would be canceled because of the Labor
Day holiday, unless there were objections.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting was adjourned at 10:25 p.m.
Dean Shannon, Secretary
Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte
ppdadmin~rnins~p&z8-3-00.doc
MINUTES
SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION
TUESDAY, JULY 18, 2O00
MEMBERS PRESENT: Lod Benz, Jay Honohan, Bill Kelly, Allan Monsanto,
Chadty Rowley, Deborah Schoenfelder, Carol
Thompson
MEMBERS ABSENT: Joanne Hora and Mary Kathryn Wallace
STAFF PRESENT: Michelle Buhman, Linda Kopping, Susan Rogusky,
and Julie Seal.
GUESTS Jim Aliaire, Carol Horton, Stan Good, Linda Fisher,
Nancy Cogan
CALL TO ORDER
Honohan called the meeting to order at 3:15.
MINUTES
Motion: To approve the June minutes as distributed. The motion carded on a ~mte
of 6-0. KellylRowley
PUBLIC DISCUSSION
None.
PARKING FACILITY/SKYWALK STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE -Honohan
The Committee had several encouraging meetings with local businesses to discuss their
financial support of the skywalk. To date, $69,024.00 has been raised.
A meeting with Committee members, staff, Parking and Transit Director Joe Fowler, and
the skywalk architects took place eadier this week. A vadety of design options were
discussed.
ACCREDITATION REPORTS- Honohan; Hora; Wallace
Honohan reported the Senior Center Mission Statement, Goals, Objectives and Action
Statements 2001-2003 have been developed by Subcommittee #-3. They will be
submitted to the entire Accreditation Committee for approval at the July 25th meeting.
Seal, reporting for Hora, noted Subcommittee #2 finished the self-assessment for the
programming review and is working on the necessary action steps. A full report will be
given at the July 25th meeting.
Rogusky, reporting for Wallace, said Sub-committee #1 revised several areas of the
operational handbook as a result of their review of Administration and Human
Resources. Their recommendations will be submitted for approval at the July 25th
meeting.
NEW HORIZONS BAND REQUEST TO OPEN THE BUILDING EARLIER - Fisher
Linda Fisher, New Hodzons Band member, requested the building be opened at 7:45
a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This would allow band members some additional
time in which to set-up the Assembly room for large band practice and, as a result,
extend their scheduled practice time. Fisher also asked if the night maintenance
workers could facilitate the Tuesday and Thursday moming band set-up by moving the
MINUTES 2
SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION
TUESDAY, JULY18, 2000
tables out of the band practice area on Monday and Wednesday evening. Lastly, Fisher
noted access to the storage closet housing the percussion equipment was not always
immediately available on workweek afternoons and entirely unavailable on weekends.
She asked if it was possible for band members to be given weekend access and a key to
the closet. This would help avoid delays in beginning afternoon band practices and
allow the members to return their equipment to the storage area following weekend
performances.
Following discussion, Rowley, Honohan, Aliaire and Kopping were appointed to a
committee and asked to investigate the feasibility of Fishers requests. They will make a
recommendation to the Commission at the Aug. 15 meeting.
SENIOR CENTER UPDATE
Operations - Kopping
The building leakage problems continue with a new leak noted on the southwest comer
of the building. Repair work is budgeted for FY01 and the problem will be addressed as
soon as possible.
Pro.clrams - Seal
An update of August programs was presented.
Volunteers- Rogusky
The quilt raffle will be from July 24 through Aug. 6 with proceeds from the raffle going to
the skywalk fundraising effort. Rogusky continues to work on recruiting workers for the
Eidercraft Gift Shop.
COUNCIL OF ELDERS - Cogan
Following an overall report of the July Speakeasy. parking in the Iowa Avenue ramp
became the focal point of discussion. The council would like have some input in the
number of parking spaces and the cost. As a first step in developing a parking plan for
the new parking ramp, Council members were asked to develop a list of possible parking
suggestions and present them at the September 2000 Commission meeting.
Following discussion of the Council of Elders's parking suggestions at the Commission
meeting, Kopping will present the ideas for consideration at a City planning session(s).
At this meeting(s) several financially feasible parking alternatives will be developed and
submitted to the Senior Center Commission for their consideration and final
recommendation to the City Council.
CITY COUNCIL-
No report available.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS -
No report available.
MINUTES 3
SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION
TUESDAY, JULY18, 2000
Motion: To adjoum. Motion carded on a vote of 7-0. RowleylSchoenfelder
The meeting adjoumed at 4:40.