Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-11-03 Info Packet� = 1 ' IM CITY OF IOWA CITY www.icgov.org CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION PACKET MISCELLANEOUS November 3, 2011 IP1 Council Meetings and Work Session Agenaa IP2 Letter from Traffic Engineering Planner to residents of Brookside Drive from Willow Street to Friendship: Traffic Calming Program IP3 Letter from Senator Harkin: Concerns on Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO's) IP4 Letter from Acting Human Services Coordinator to Shelter House and Community Mental Path Program: Distribution of funds from Iowa City Donation Stations IP5 Letter from Transportation Planner to IDOT District 6 Engineer: Iowa City LED School Zone Speed Study IP6 Email from Linda Schreiber: 2011 Fall Plant Report - Final IP7 Email invitation from Johnson County Empowerment Board of Directors: Legislative Reception IP8 Memo from City Clerk: KXIC Radio Show IP9 The Planner — November 2011 DRAFT MINUTES IP10 Airport Commission: October 11, 2011 IP11 Airport Commission: October 25, 2011 IP12 Human Rights Commission: October 18, 2011 IP13 Planning & Zoning Commission: October 17, 2011 IP14 Planning & Zoning Commission: October 20, 2011 I z 1 --rl-- City Council Meeting Schedule and IP1 - •...rte CITY OF IOWA CITY Work Session Agendas November 3, 2011 www.icgov.org TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE ♦ MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21 5:30p Special Work Session ♦ TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22 7:00p Special Formal Council Meeting Emma J. Harvat Hall Emma J. Harvat Hall ♦ TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29 Beckwith Boathouse 1:00P -5:00P Special Work Session — Strategic Planning Session Terrill Mill Park 5:00p -7:00p Orientation (current and incoming Council) ♦ WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30 IC School District 4:00p Joint Meeting Administrative Offices ♦ MONDAY, DECEMBER 5 Emma J. Harvat Hall 3:15p -6:30p Special Work Session — Strategic Planning Session ♦ TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6 Emma J. Harvat Hall 4:30 -6:00p Reception for outgoing Council Members Lobby Conf. Room 6:00p Special Work Session 7:00p Regular Formal Council Meeting (continue work session if necessary) October 28th, 2011 Residents of Brookside Drive from Willow Street to Friendship Street Re: Meeting to discuss traffic calming on Brookside Drive Dear Resident: N 'P IP2 CITY OF IOWA CITY 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1826 (3 19) 356 -5000 (3 19) 3S6 -5009 FAX www.icgov.org The City has received a petition from residents of Brookside Drive between Willow Street and Friendship Street to have this section of roadway considered for Iowa City's Traffic Calming Program. The City completed a traffic study and determined that traffic volumes exceed the minimum levels of traffic required for the program and the 85th- percentile speeds of traffic are 5 mph over the posted speed limit of 25 mph. A neighborhood meeting was held on October 19th, 2011 to discuss traffic concerns and possible options to address them including on- street parking changes, speed humps, additional warning signage, traffic circles, and radar feedback signs. It was the consensus of the group to install "curve warning" signs with a 15 mph advisory speed near the sharp corner on Brookside Drive between Alpine Drive and Clover Street. These signs will be installed in the upcoming weeks, weather permitting. In the spring, a follow up traffic study will be completed and the results will be provided to the neighborhood. If the neighborhood wishes, we can reconvene to discuss traffic calming options at that time. Please feel free to contact me with your comments or questions at 356 -5254 or darian- nagle- gamm @iowa- city.org. ncerely, agle -Gamm Traffic Engineering Planner cc: Tom Markus, City Manager Jeff Davidson; Planning and Community Development John Yapp; Planning and Community Development Rick Fosse; Public Works Ron Knoche; Engineering Bud Stockman; Streets John Sobaski; Streets Jim Steffen; Police Marcia Bollinger; Planning and Community Development S:\JCCOG \TRANS \Traffic Studies \Traffic Calming \Brookside Dr - Ju111 TOM HARKIN IOWA 'United Mates senate WASHINGTON, DC 20510-1502 September 20, 2011 Mayor Matthew Hayek City of Iowa City 410 E Washington St Iowa City, IA 52240 -1825 Dear Mayor Hayek: (202)224 -3254 ' �]� FAX: (202)224 -9369 i� TTY (2021224 -4633 http: / /harkin,senate.gov COMMITTEES: AGRICULTURE APPROPRIATIONS HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS SMALL BUSINESS Thank you for sharing with me your concerns regarding proposals to lift the population threshold designation for metropolitan planning organizations (MPO) in the upcoming reauthorization of surface transportation legislation. I share your concerns about this proposal and the impact that it would have on transportation planning in much of Iowa. MPOs are mandated by the Federal Government to improve planning and in doing so assume a variety of critical roles, including: ensuring that scarce transportation dollars are spent wisely; helping regions plan for and develop a shared vision of the future; and facilitating collaboration among all parties and forge consensus on new projects. Eliminating funding for MPOs in more sparsely populated areas would make effective planning much more difficult. I believe that the current threshold designation for MPO funding should be retained in the surface transportation reauthorization bill. Rest assured that I will your thoughts in mind as the process moves forward here in the Senate. Thanks for getting touch. Please contact me in the future with any other questions or concerns. Sincerely, 0 Tom Harkin United States Senator TH/nah 150 FIRST AVENUE, NE 210 WALNUT STREET 1606 BRADY STREET 350 WEST 6TH STREET 320 6TH STREET SUITE 370 733 FEDERAL BUILDING SUITE 323 315 FEDERAL BUILDING 110 FEDERAL BUILDING CEDAR RAPIDS, IA 52401 DES MOINES, IA 50309 DAVENPORT, IA 52803 DUBUQUE, IA 52001 SIOUX CITY, IA 51101 (319) 365 -4504 (515)284 -4574 (563)322 -1338 (563) 582 -2130 (712) 252 -1550 CO r t°1 Thank you for sharing with me your concerns regarding proposals to lift the population threshold designation for metropolitan planning organizations (MPO) in the upcoming reauthorization of surface transportation legislation. I share your concerns about this proposal and the impact that it would have on transportation planning in much of Iowa. MPOs are mandated by the Federal Government to improve planning and in doing so assume a variety of critical roles, including: ensuring that scarce transportation dollars are spent wisely; helping regions plan for and develop a shared vision of the future; and facilitating collaboration among all parties and forge consensus on new projects. Eliminating funding for MPOs in more sparsely populated areas would make effective planning much more difficult. I believe that the current threshold designation for MPO funding should be retained in the surface transportation reauthorization bill. Rest assured that I will your thoughts in mind as the process moves forward here in the Senate. Thanks for getting touch. Please contact me in the future with any other questions or concerns. Sincerely, 0 Tom Harkin United States Senator TH/nah 150 FIRST AVENUE, NE 210 WALNUT STREET 1606 BRADY STREET 350 WEST 6TH STREET 320 6TH STREET SUITE 370 733 FEDERAL BUILDING SUITE 323 315 FEDERAL BUILDING 110 FEDERAL BUILDING CEDAR RAPIDS, IA 52401 DES MOINES, IA 50309 DAVENPORT, IA 52803 DUBUQUE, IA 52001 SIOUX CITY, IA 51101 (319) 365 -4504 (515)284 -4574 (563)322 -1338 (563) 582 -2130 (712) 252 -1550 r CITY OF IOWA CITY IP4 10Z MEMORANDUM Date: October 28, 2011 To: Shelter House of Iowa City From: John Yapp, Acting Human Services Coordinator 7y -/Y-- Re: Distribution of funds from Iowa City Donation Stations You are receiving this check due to your agency's work with the homeless or those at risk of becoming homeless. The funds secured by the enclosed check are from the Iowa City Donation Station program. This program utilizes parking meters specially painted and installed in the downtown area, signed and designed to collect donations from downtown pedestrians. Please consider this check a donation to your agency. Thank you for your ongoing work in our community. Feel free to contact me at 356 -5252 with any questions. cc: Tom Markus, City Manager Jeff Davidson, Director; Department of Planning & Community Development ppdadm /mem /d onationstation 102811. doc ��00. 0 p • all sCO�l,CG- ti�v.2� �" t- �.c_..— r �24_ -4 CITY OF IOWA CITY jk.;;Ma10 "�N 4�*7v - : 2 E 0%, rt, M E M 0 RA N D 11 M Date: October 28, 2011 To: Community Mental Health Program; PATH Program From: John Yapp, Acting Human Services Coordinator _7.44 P-- Re: Distribution of funds from Iowa City Donation Stations You are receiving this check due to your agency's work with the homeless or those at risk of becoming homeless. The funds secured by the enclosed check are from the Iowa City Donation Station program. This program utilizes parking meters specially painted and installed in the downtown area, signed and designed to collect donations from downtown pedestrians. Please consider this check a donation to your agency. Thank you for your ongoing work in our community. Feel free to contact me at 356 -5252 with any questions. cc: Tom Markus, City Manager Jeff Davidson, Director; Department of Planning & Community Development ppdadm /mem /donationstation 102811.doc October 28, 2011 Kent Ellis, District 6 Local Systems Engineer 430 16th Avenue SW Cedar Rapids, IA 52404 Re: Iowa City LED School Zone Speed Study; transmittal letter Dear Kent: _I r IP5 ' ►. M CITY OF IOWA CITY 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1826 (3 19) 356 -5000 (3 19) 356 -5009 FAX www.icgov.org It is with pleasure I am sending you the results of our study of LED school zone signs implemented in Iowa City. These signs were funded with a $12,595 Iowa DOT Traffic Safety Improvement Grant (CS -TSF- 3715(647)- 85 -52) in order to evaluate the effectiveness of such signs at established school zones with poor compliance of the school zone speed limit. Our study found the LED school zone signs were effective in reducing 85th percentile speeds within school zones in four of the six locations studied. 85th percentile speeds, however, continue to be well above the school zone speed limit. We intend to conduct an additional speed study in 2012 to gauge the long -term effectiveness of the LED school zone signs and to see if more targeted use of the flashing LED lights (targeted to peak pedestrian times for before and after school pedestrian traffic) is more effective. Feel free to contact me at 356 -5252 or john -yapp @iowa- city.org or Kris Ackerson at 356 -5247 or kris- ackerson @iowa- city.org with any questions. Sincerely, John Yapp Transportation Planner cc: Ron Knoche, City Engineer Tom Markus, City Manager Jeff Davidson, Director of Planning & Community Development Kris Ackerson, Assistant Transportation Planner Enclosure ppdadm /ltr /schoolzone- LEDstudy. doc LED School Speed Zone Study Submitted to: Iowa Department of Transportation Prepared by: Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, IA 52240 www.mpo7c.org (319) 356 -5230 August 2011 MPG: Introduction This memorandum documents a speed study for three school zones in Iowa City. The impetus for this study was the procurement of a grant from the State of Iowa that provided funding for installing light- emitting diode (LED) school speed zone signs in order to determine their effectiveness at slowing down motorists in school zones. This information was then compared to historic data when no LED signs were present. Existing Conditions Benton Street is a two -lane road that is functionally classified as an arterial street. Arterial streets serve to carry longer- distance flows between important centers of activity'. Horn and Roosevelt schools are both located on Benton Street. Weber Elementary is located on Rohert Road, which is also classified as an arterial street. The posted speed limit outside the school zones are 25 mph on Benton Street and 35 mph on Rohert Road. The LED school speed zone signs (Figure 1) were posted in place of the previous signs that did not have LEDs. The school speed zone for Roosevelt School on Benton Street exists between Hudson Avenue and Greenwood Drive (Figure 2). For Ernest Horn Elementary, the school speed zone exists between Sunset Street and Denbigh Drive (Figure 3) and the Irving Weber Elementary school speed zone exists between Goldenrod Drive and Wild Prairie Drive (Figure 4). Speed Analysis Figure 1 (S5 -1, MUTCD 2009) nSPEED 1201 'NHEN FLASHING 1— A speed study was completed at each school zone that received an LED sign. Speed studies were also completed in 2007 before the LED signs were installed. Therefore, it was possible to compare the before and after speeds to determine if the LED signs were effective. The results are located in the appendix, while the summary is described below. Roosevelt Elementary- MPOJC placed four traffic speed counters on Benton Street near Roosevelt Elementary to record daily traffic volumes and speeds over a 72 hour period from 11:00 AM on 9/18/2007 to 11:00 AM on 9/21/2007 and over a 48 hour period from 11:00 AM on 4/27/11 to 11:00 AM on 4/29/11. The posted speed limit in the school zone is currently 20 mph between 8 AM and 5 PM. The results of the study are shown in Table 1. Table 1: Roosevelt Elementary Horn Elementary- MPOJC placed four traffic speed counters on Benton Street near Horn Elementary to record daily traffic volumes and speeds over a 72 hours period from 11:00 AM on 9/18/2007 to 11:00 AM on 9/21/2007 and from 3:00 PM on 5/17/2011 to 3:00 PM on 5/20/2011. The posted speed limit in the school zone is currently 20 mph between 8 AM and 5 PM. The results of the study are shown in Table 2. 1 Neuman, Timothy R (1992). Institute of Traffic Engineers. ed. Traffic Engineering Handbook. Prentice Hall. p. 155. C:1Documents and settingsl TDvorak.CIVIC.0021Desktop\Tyler Dvorak 2007 2011 Change 85 Percentile Westbound Speeds 33.6 29.9 -11% 85 Percentile Eastbound Speeds 33.7 34.4 2.1% Average AADT 5,643 5,502 -2.5% Horn Elementary- MPOJC placed four traffic speed counters on Benton Street near Horn Elementary to record daily traffic volumes and speeds over a 72 hours period from 11:00 AM on 9/18/2007 to 11:00 AM on 9/21/2007 and from 3:00 PM on 5/17/2011 to 3:00 PM on 5/20/2011. The posted speed limit in the school zone is currently 20 mph between 8 AM and 5 PM. The results of the study are shown in Table 2. 1 Neuman, Timothy R (1992). Institute of Traffic Engineers. ed. Traffic Engineering Handbook. Prentice Hall. p. 155. C:1Documents and settingsl TDvorak.CIVIC.0021Desktop\Tyler Dvorak 2 Table 2: Horn Elementary Weber Elementary- MPOJC placed four traffic speed counters on Rohert Road near Weber Elementary to record daily traffic volumes and speeds over a 48 hours period from 11:00 AM on 9/26/2007 to 11:00 AM on 9/28/2007 and from 11:00 AM on 4/27/2011 to 11:00 AM on 4/29/2011. The posted speed limit in the school zone is currently 20 mph between 8 AM and 5 PM. The results of the study are shown in Table 3. Table 3: Weber Elementary 2007 2011 Change 85 th Percentile Westbound Speeds 30.3 29.4 -3.0% 85 In Percentile Eastbound Speeds 31.8 32.0 0.6% Average AADT 4,065 3,938 -3.1% Weber Elementary- MPOJC placed four traffic speed counters on Rohert Road near Weber Elementary to record daily traffic volumes and speeds over a 48 hours period from 11:00 AM on 9/26/2007 to 11:00 AM on 9/28/2007 and from 11:00 AM on 4/27/2011 to 11:00 AM on 4/29/2011. The posted speed limit in the school zone is currently 20 mph between 8 AM and 5 PM. The results of the study are shown in Table 3. Table 3: Weber Elementary Conclusions The speed study results show that the LED signs have been somewhat effective in slowing down traffic in school zones. The ADT counts for each zone were very similar (less than 5% difference), while the 85th percentile speeds changed very little and continued to be well above the posted speed limit. Therefore, it may be necessary to review the timing of the illumination of the LED signs. We recommend further study to determine if the illumination should be targeted to the peak pedestrian times in school speed zones, between 7am and 9am and 2pm and 5pm (ICCSD starts at 8:30 and ends at 3). CADocuments and Settingsl TDvorak.CIVIC.0021Desktop\Tyler Dvorak 2007 2011 Change 85th Percentile Westbound Speeds 38.4 36.9 -3.9% 85 th Percentile Eastbound Speeds 40.7 39.3 -3.4% Average AADT 1,167 1,232 5.6% Conclusions The speed study results show that the LED signs have been somewhat effective in slowing down traffic in school zones. The ADT counts for each zone were very similar (less than 5% difference), while the 85th percentile speeds changed very little and continued to be well above the posted speed limit. Therefore, it may be necessary to review the timing of the illumination of the LED signs. We recommend further study to determine if the illumination should be targeted to the peak pedestrian times in school speed zones, between 7am and 9am and 2pm and 5pm (ICCSD starts at 8:30 and ends at 3). CADocuments and Settingsl TDvorak.CIVIC.0021Desktop\Tyler Dvorak Appendix CMocuments and Settingsl TDvorak.CIVIC.0021DesktoplTyler Dvorak CADocuments and Settings lTDvorak.CIVIC.0020esktoplTyler Dvorak IP6 Wendv Ford From: L Schreiber <Inschreiber @gmail.com> Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 201110:39 AM To: Dale Helling; Wendy Ford; Nancy Quellhorst; Leah Cohen; Geoff Wilming; Diane Allen; Sheri Thomas; Terry Robinson; Carol Sweeting; Nick Arnold; Joni Schrup Subject: 2011 fall plant report - final Attachments: 149239- R1- 11- 10Ajpg; 149239- R1- 25 -24A jpg Hi all - Fall planting and clean up is complete for this year ... every season gardeners question "could I have done more ?" And, the answer is yes, I wish I could have done more ... the project slowed down in October so as to not further strain an old injury ... Iowa City crews have done a fabulous getting planters ready for winter. Yesterday, I removed the sweet potato vines ... lots of roots, but not many potatoes to plant in the spring. As I worked, pedestrians commented how much they enjoyed the blooming flowers ... I always say thanks and remind them "city crews are responsible - they do a great job!" The downtown was beautiful in bloom and this natural, growing environment gives Iowa City a positive edge. Since the last update, I had a conversation with Brothers Bar & Grill manager. We've talked before, and, as before, he was initially very defensive, which is not my intent. Brothers does have the best outdoor seating arrangement and I always compliment this facet of their business. As we continued the discussion we agreed spring, after the University of Iowa graduation, would be the best time to try replanting. I will continue to work with the bar's managers to see if we can't accomplish a long -term solution in this area. (I related the following story to the manager: Prior to Gabe's sale to the Yacht Club, on Wednesdays, Gabe's offered an underage performance when I would see customers lined up at 5:30 p.m. - no pushing, shoving just standing in line to enter. Perhaps because many of the customers for those days were high schoolers, who are accustomed to a line formation, that planter boxes were never damaged. And, suggested Brothers customers could be encouraged to demonstrate restrain and respect ... time will tell. More on that later.) City staff have connected the plant project with the Community Development Neighborhood staff, and we will attempt to assist with a neighborhood planting in next spring. My apologies to all on this message because totals reported last time were incorrect. To date, we've planted: combined total of 2,750 (400 in 2008; 1,531 in 2009 with help from Community Corrections); 350 in 2010; and 464 in 2011). This November, Project GREEN is helping coordinate decorating a planter box on Washington Street near Discerning Eye. These efforts include Project GREEN volunteers and chairs, Iowa City staff, Sheri / Terry, Discerning Eye owner Joni Schrup (included on this message), and Downtown Association Executive Director Nick Arnold. Our efforts will be to create a natural decor (see attached example). Volunteers will remove and recycle decorations at an appropriate time. Thanks to all for cooperation to green up the downtown. As I often do in these updates, I wish to thank the Iowa City staff - Sheri & Terry and their summer crews - who are all great. And, a big special thanks to Dale Helling for the opportunity. I'll miss him at City Hall. Thank you - Linda Marian Karr IP7 From: Joshua Sabin <jossabin @iowa northern. com> Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2011 3:50 PM To: 'robert.dvorsky @leg is. state. ia.us'; ' joe.bolkcom @legis.state.ia.us'; 'james.hahn @leg is. state. ia.us'; 'sand ra .greiner @legis. state. ia.us'; 'nate.willems @leg is. state. ia.us'; ' david .jacoby @legis. state. ia.us'; Imary.mascher @leg is. state. ia.us'; 'vicki . lensing @leg is. state. ia.us'; 'jeff. kaufman n @leg is. state. ia.us'; ' Jarad. Klein @legis. state. ia.us'; 'jrettig @co.johnson.ia.us'; 'tneuzil @co.johnson.ia.us'; 'pharney @co.johnson.ia.us'; 'sstutsma @co.johnson.ia.us'; 'rsullivan @co.johnson.ia.us'; 'jfausett @ci.coralville.ia.us'; 'tgill @ci.coralville.ia.us'; mgross @ci.coralville.ia.us'; 'bhoeft @ci.coralville.ia.us'; 'jlundell @ci.coralville.ia.us'; 'jweihe@ci.coralville.ia.us'; 'cityhills@netins. net'; Matt Hayek; Regenia Bailey; Mike Wright; Ross Wilburn; Susan Mims; Council; 'ricklogren @gmail.com'; 'sbrown6 @aol.com'; 'kice @iowatelecom.net'; 'mamahappy @aol.com'; 'alycoppinger @yahoo.com'; Ielidalemley @hotmail.com'; ' gerry.kuhl @northlibertyiowa.org'; 'hoffmanchris5 @gmail.com; 'brian.wayson @north I i bertyiowa. org'; 'hzhonor @att.net'; 'tasalm @terracon.com'; 'iccoleen @southslope.net'; ' oxfordcityhall @southslope.net'; 'swisher2 @south slope. net'; rick.jedlicka @solon - iowa.com'; 'seballantyne @aol.com'; 'mark- krall @uiowa.edu'; razm @mchsi.com'; 'ku n kelj b@south slope. net'; 'stevestange @southslope.net'; 'louise- from @university- heights.org'; ' mike- haverkamp @university - heights.org'; Tosanne- hopson @university - heights.org'; 'stan- laverman @university - heights.org'; 'brennan- mcgrath @university - heights.org'; ' pat -yeggy @university - heights.org'; shueyville @southslope.net'; 'rdemuth @tiffin- iowa.org' Cc: 'eddie.eigenvalue @ gmail.com'; 'Susan Gray'; 'Jill Dodds'; 'Corey Watt'; 'Lily French'; 'Laurie Nash'; 'Joshua Sabin (jossabin @iowanorthern.com)' Subject: Johnson County Empowerment Legislative Reception Dear Johnson County Elected Officials: On behalf of Johnson County Empowerment / Early Childhood Iowa, we would like to invite you to an upcoming legislative reception planned for either Wednesday, December 7 or Wednesday, December 14 at Coralville's North Ridge Pavilion, just north of Interstate 80. With this event, we hope to have some informal, yet informative discussions with our state and local leaders on the current condition of the welfare and support of our county's children and families as well as share a bit with you on what Empowerment and our partner agencies are doing to support our residents. Please respond to Ms. Laurie Nash via the contact information below with your preferred date, or if you are unable to attend either date, and look for a formal invitation in the coming weeks with a final date. For more information on the Johnson County Empowerment, please visit http: / /icempowerment.org or feel free to contact one of us directly with any questions or concerns. Laurie Nash Early Childhood Specialist 855 S. Dubuque St., Suite 2028 Iowa City, IA 52240 339 -6179 Fax 688 -5711 Empower@JCEmpowerment.com Thank you kindly for your time and attention. Sincerely, The Johnson County Empowerment Board of Directors — Public Awareness Committee Corey watt, Josh Koine, Lily French, Jill Dodds, and Joshua Sabin htt,o:ljjcempowerment.com/­Current-board-membe rs/ �'� It ~® CITY OF IOWA CITY 1P8 MEMORANDUM Date: November 2, 2011 To: Mayor and City Council From: Marian K. Karr, City Clerk Re: KXIC Radio Show At your November 1 work session meeting Council Members revised the schedule for the last two weeks* of November as follows: November 2 - Hayek November 9 - Dickens November 16 -Mims November 23 - Wright November 30 -Champion* U:radioshowappts.doc DEPARTMENT DIVISIONS • Community Development • Economic Development • Historic Preservation • Housing Rehabilitation • MPOJC (Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County) • Neighborhood Services • Public Art • Urban Planning STAFF CONTACTS Contact information for PCD staff appears on the back page. TO SUBSCRIBE TO THIS NEWSLETTER Visit www.icgov.org /subscribe To view previous issues, visit www.icgov.org/theplanner INSIDE THIS ISSUE MPOJC Community Connections ... 2 Urban Planning Historic Preservation .......... 3 Riverfront Crossings and Downtown charrette ........ 4 -5 Community Development Energy Efficiency Program..6 Neighborhood Services Grant Wood Markets ........... 7 Holiday schedules, meetings ... 7 IP9 T�e NOVEMBER 2011 PLANNER E- newsletter for the City of Iowa City Planning and Community Development Department Mayor serves as panelist at passenger rail session Iowa City Mayor Matt Hayek was one of three panelists invited to speak at an information session on passenger rail in Iowa, held in Des Moines on October 24. The Mayor was joined on the panel by Wayne Schmidt, Republican State Representative from Michigan, and Chris Koos, the Mayor of Normal, Illinois, for the "Passenger Rail: Investing in Iowa's Future," ses- sion.The event, sponsored by the Transit 2030 Task Force, a group of Des Moines business and community leaders who are addressing the future transportation needs for the Des Moines metropolitan area, was designed specifically for business and government leaders. For the past four years, Mayor Hayek and other Iowa City staff and civ- ic leaders have been working with the Iowa and Illinois Departments of Transportation to develop a passenger rail service linking Chicago to the Quad Cities and on to Iowa City, with plans to eventually extend the ser- vice westward to Des Moines, western Iowa, and Omaha. The project was awarded a $230 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation last year, but Governor Terry Branstad and the Iowa legislature have not continued on next page Iowa City Mayor Matt Hayek addresses attendees at passenger rail conference. The Planner, November 2011 — page 2 METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION OF JOHNSON COUNTY rte. , ,� . '' V p[��► I Nw,. Day Sponsors and partners of this event include CO„a�luni onne Wi s D p City oflowaCity l L Human Rights Commission, Each year, the week before Thanksgiving, "National Hunger and Homelessness Senior Center, and Housing Authority Awareness Week" is observed to promote education, action, and awareness Metropolitan Planning Organization o(Johnson County (MPOJC) about issues of hunger and homelessness in the United States. For the past _ Carr Chiropractic three years,several nonprofit organizations, advocates, government offices, busi- City ofCoralville nesses, and individuals in the Iowa City area have combined efforts to offer a Community Mental Health Center "Community Connections Day," a one -day event that offers resources, referrals, Domesticviolence Intervention Program support, and services for people who are homeless, low- income, or otherwise in Free Lunch Program need.The event not only helps bring awareness about hunger and homelessness #4 Free Medical clinic to the local forefront, but also provides an opportunity for different segments Gloria Dei Lutheran Church of the community to work together to help those who are less fortunate. The HACAP Hai rpo rt event has been hugely successful, not only because of the services that are of- Hy -Vee fered, but also because of the easy access it provides to people in need, who CARE are able to get the information and resources in one stop, and at one location. Iowa City Comma nits School District - r�„ Homeless Liaison This year, Community Connections Day will be held on Wednesday, November Iowa Legal ad 16 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the lower level of Gloria Del Lutheran Church at Johnson County Crisis Center 123 E. Market Street in Iowa City. The event, organized by the Johnson County Johnson County Ceneral Assistance, Public Health, and Homeless Coordinating Board, provides information, resources, and referrals Local Homeless Coordinating Board on subjects ranging from mental health, HIV and Hepatitis C testing, substance Licensed Massage Therapists: abuse, and diabetic care, to educational rights, legal information, and victims' Laura Claps and Friend safety and dignity. In addition, personal services that are not often available to MECCA people who are experiencing homelessness, such as haircuts, oral health screen- • NSDAR, Pilgrim Chapter and Nathanial Fellows Chapter ings,wellness checks,spinal health screenings,and massages,will be offered. This RVAP is a drop -in service — no registration or appointments are necessary. Shelter House UI College of Nursing, For more information, contact Mary Palmberg at icfreelunch @gmail.com or call Community Nurse Clinician Students 319.400.0388. United Action (or Youth .y United Way of Johnson County s F VA. Medical Center Passenger rail continued from cover yet determined whether to accept the funds. Governor Branstad has ordered a study on ridership and operational costs of the Chicago to Omaha passenger rail route proposal, which would include Iowa City and Des Moines, and will decide whether or not to accept the DOT grant funds based on the results of the study. If the proposal moves forward, Iowa City would be interested in purchasing and re- furbishing the old depot on Lafayette Street, (pictured at left), Mayor Hayek said. Studies on the Chicago -to -Iowa City route have pro- jected ridership of 246,800 people per year. Representative Schmidt and Mayor Kees each credited Amtrak service with helping to spur economic development in their state or community, and urged attendees at the Des Moines session to continue to press lawmak- ers to approve new passenger rail routes in Iowa. The Planner, November 2011 — page 3 URBAN PLANNING HISTORIC PRESERVATION AWARDS The 29th annual ceremony for the Historic Preservation Recognition Program is scheduled to be held Fri- day, November 18 in Meeting Room A of the Iowa City Public Library, 123 S. Linn Street.The event will be- gin at 5:30 p.m. Each year the City's Historic Preser- vation Commission and the Friends of Historic Preservation recog- nize property owners, contractors, craftspersons and consultants, as well as community organizations, for preservation efforts and recently completed historically appropriate projects. Properties will be recog- nized for Paint and Exterior Finish- es, Rehabilitation, Stewardship, and Additions and New Construction. The Johnson County Historic Pres- ervation Commission will also pres- ent several awards at the ceremony. "The Historic Preservation Awards are an opportunity to recognize those individuals who are dedicated to building strong communities in Johnson County by maintaining and improving on some of our oldest treasures," said Alicia Trimble, Chair of the Historic Preservation Com- mission. The event is sponsored by Mid - westOne Bank, and is free and open to the public. For more information contact Senior Planner Bob Mildo at 319.356.5240 or e-mail bob- miklo@ iowa- city.org. - HISTORIC PRESERVATION - BEFORE • DURING • AFTER Fiji 110 This home at 838 Dearborn Street in Iowa City won a Historic Preservation Award in 2009 in the Residential Addition / New Con- struction category, demonstrating what a significant change a his- toric preservation project can bring to the appearance of a home as well as to a neighborhood. Old siding (top left) was removed, reveal- ing the original wood shingles (left). A front porch that had been re- moved in the 1950s was rebuilt, restoring the original design of the home and enhancing the structure's architectural features (above). The Planner, November 2011 — page 4 URBAN PLANNING PUBLIC INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN DESIGN CHARRETTE FOR RIVERFRONT CROSSINGS AND DOWNTOWN PROJECTS TURNING IDEAS INTO DESIGNS After gathering input from the public for the broad vision and goals for Downtown Iowa City and the Riverfront Crossings District, the City is ready to transform that vision into a de- tailed framework plan for these areas. The public is invited to join a team of urban designers and plan- ners from HDR from November 29 through December I to partici- pate in a process called a "design charrette" in which ideas are trans- formed into concrete design scenarios, illus- trated with maps and sketches. The charrette will fea- ture three separate public open house ses- sions, scheduled over a three -day period. The public is invited to stop in at any or all of the sessions to consider the proposed scenarios and sketches showing options for redevelop- ment, including pro- posed land use, building heights, residential den- sity, public street im- provements, and other topics.The open house sessions will be infor- mal and offer the public a chance to ask ques- tions and provide feed- Open house schedule Tuesday, November 29 — 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, November 30 — 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, December I —4:30 to 6:30 p.m. All sessions will be held in Harvat Hall (City Council Chambers) at City Hall, 410 E.Washington Street. back Consultants and City plan- ners will be on hand to guide members of the public through the process. Based on the public input re- ceived during the first two open houses, scheduled the evenings of Tuesday, November 29 and Wednesday, No- vember 30, the urban design team will work throughout the next day to fine -tune the scenarios and sketch- es to incorporate the feedback received. A final session, where the consultants will high- light the results of the charrette and summa- rize how plans evolved over the three -day pe- riod, will be held on Thursday, December I. A full meeting schedule appears in the green box on the top of this page. The plans that the public will review dur- ing the charrette have been developed based on input provided at previous planning ses- sions, during which the public was asked to help identify strengths, weaknesses, opportuni- ties, and threats for the continued on next page The Planner, November 2011 — page 5 URBAN PLANNING TURNING IDEAS INTO DESIGNS continued from previous page Riverfront Crossings District and Downtown Iowa City areas. The feedback was used by HDR, the consultants hired by the City for the project, to create plans that address community needs and reflect the public's vision for the areas. The first phase of the Riverfront Crossings plan, which addresses the area along the east side of the Iowa River that surrounds the City's North Wastewater Treat- ment Plant, was recently adopted by the City Council.The plan may be viewed at www.icgov.org /river- frontcrossings. The concept ren- derings that are featured on this page are excerpted from that plan. The results of the design charrette in late November will serve as the basis for a similar framework plan to guide future redevelopment in the larger Riverfront Cross- ings District and Downtown Iowa City. The City will also be devel- oping new zoning and economic development assistance tools to encourage and guide develop- ment. Public investment in im- provements to streets, parks, and public amenities will also enhance opportunities for private invest- ment in these important central city locations. The broad vision is to create a sustainable, mixed - use neighborhood in the heart of Iowa City. For more information, contact Karen Howard at 319.356.5251, e -mail karen- howard @iowa -city. org, or visit our website at www. icgov.org/riverfrontcrossings. Riverfront Crossings residential courtyard concept THE BROAD VISION IS TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE, MIXED -USE NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE HEART OF IOWA CITY. VI Concept drawing of Riverfront Crossings park 1y •� 1RRRRE�r ��1 1, Ma I I � j n xIE � F.J ti l _ - _._ �`�r�1.4�A I ' '11,1116•`` +I,�i'.�. i1 X1i�11 yll�ilil'�llw Riverfront Crossings residential courtyard concept THE BROAD VISION IS TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE, MIXED -USE NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE HEART OF IOWA CITY. VI Concept drawing of Riverfront Crossings park The Planner, November 2011 — page 6 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PREPARING FOR WINTER City's Energy Efficiency Program can assist income - eligible homeowners with energy improvements Last year, Iowa suffered its fourth straight year of a colder -than- normal winter — and this year, the State Climatologist predicts, will bring more of the same.To assist homeowners in buttoning up their houses for the winter, the City of Iowa City is offering low- interest loans of up to $4,000 to income - eligible homeowners through its Energy Efficiency Program. To qualify for the program, applicants must meet income guidelines established by HUD. For a one - person household, gross annual income must not exceed $44,350; for a household of three, no more than $57,050. Income guidelines for house- holds of other sizes may be found at www.icgov. org /housingrehab. In addition, homes must be sin- gle- family, owner - occupied residences located in Iowa City, and must have enough equity to cover the loan. For more information, or to fill out an application, visit www.icgov.org /housingrehab and click on the Energy Efficiency Program file, or contact Liz Os- borne at 319.356.5246 (liz- osborne @iowa -city. org) or Jeff Vanatter at 319.356.5128 (jell -vana- tter @iowa - city.org). The program runs through March 1, 2012. Assistance the program can provide The Energy Efficiency Program offers low- interest loans to help income - eligible homeowners purchase and install: ✓ NEW FURNACES OR UPGRADES TO HEATING SYSTEMS New furnaces must be at least 92% efficient. ✓ NEW WINDOWS New windows must be Energy Star - compliant. ✓ INSULATION ✓ WEATHERPROOFING The Planner, November 2011 — page 7 DEPARTMENT MEETINGS & OTHER EVENTS HOLIDAY SCHEDULE City offices will be closed three days in November for holi- days. On Friday, November 11, offices will be closed for Veterans Day. On Thursday, November 24 and Friday, No- vember 25, offices will be closed for Thanksgiving. MEETINGS & EVENTS This is a tentative schedule of upcoming meetings.To verify that the meeting will be held, check the calendar on the City website at www.icgov.org /calendar or call our office at 319.356.5230. Meetings will be held at City Hall at 410 E. Washington Street unless noted otherwise. Individual meeting rooms are listed with the information below. Thursday, November 3 Planning & Zoning Commission 7 p.m. — Emma Harvat Hall Wednesday, November 9 Board of Adjustment 5:15 p.m.— Emma Harvat Hall Thursday, November 10 Historic Preservation Commission 5:15 p.m.— Emma Harvat Hall Thursday, November 17 Housing & Community Development Commission 6:30 p.m.— Lobby Conference Room Planning & Zoning Commission 7 p.m. — Emma Harvat Hall Friday, November 18 Historic Preservation Recognition Program Public Library, Meeting Room A, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 29 Riverfront Crossings / Downtown Charrette and Public Open House, 6 -8 p.m., Emma Harvat Hall Wednesday, November 30 Riverfront Crossings / Downtown Charrette and Public Open House, 6 -8 p.m., Emma Harvat Hall Thursday, December I Public Art Advisory Committee 3:30 p.m.— Lobby Conference Room Riverfront Crossings / Downtown Charrette and Public Open House, 4:30 -6:30 p.m., Emma Harvat Hall AGENDAS, MEETING PACKETS Agendas and meeting packets are posted to the City's web - site at least 24 hours in advance. To view, go to www.ic- gov.org /calendar and click on the date of the meeting. Grant Wood Market Place winter markets to debut Patrons of the Iowa City Farm- ers Market saw the close of an- other season last weekend, but they don't have long to wait be- fore the next market comes up. It happens this weekend. Grant Wood Market Place, Iowa L�Lr%A%LWl City's new winter market, will kick off this Saturday, Noverr PUCE ber 5, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Grant Wood School Gym at 1930 Lakeside Drive. Many of your favorite vendors from the regular Farmers Market will participate, so be sure to stop by to purchase your favorite foods and products. Grant Wood Market Place winter markets will be held on the first and third Saturdays of every month from November 5 through April 21. Mark your calendars so you don't miss a single one! Holiday Markets scheduled November 12, December 10 The ever - popular Farmers Market Holiday Markets will double this year, with two mar- kets scheduled at the RobertA. Lee Recreation Center down- town, and two scheduled at the Grant Wood School Gym at 1930 Lakeside Drive. The number of markets has been expanded to meet customer and vendor requests. XOVA CITY 1 CV +I HOLIDAY MARKETS Dates of the holiday markets are: Saturday, November 12. and Saturday, December 10. Markets will be held from 8 a.m. to I p.m. at both locations (Recreation Center and Grant Wood Gym). The Holiday Markets provide a wide variety of unique, hand - crafted, homemade items that will please many of the people on your gift list. Be sure to attend both Holiday Markets on both dates to view the many special gift ideas our vendors have to offer! PLANNING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATION Jeff Davidson Director 319.356.5232 jeff-davidson@iowa-city.org Janet Dvorsky Administrative Secretary 319.356.5230 janet-dvorsky@iowa-city.org Joy Bayshore Clerk 319.356.5230 joy-bayshore@iowa-city.org URBAN PLANNING Robert Miklo Senior Planner 319.356.5240 bob -miklo @iowa - city.org Urban Planners Karen Howard 319.356.5251 karen-howard@iowa-city.org Sarah Walz Board of Adjustment 319.356.5239 sarah-walz@iowa-city.org For Historic Preservation matters, please contact Robert Miklo, Senior Planner 319.356.5240 bob -miklo @iowa - city.org COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Steve Long Coordinator 319.356.5250 steve-long@iowa-city.org Community Development Planners Tracy Hightshoe 319.356.5244 tracy-hightshoe@iowa-city.org Doug Ongie 319.356.5479 doug -ongie @iowa - city.org David Purdy 319.356.5489 david-purdy@iowa-city.org Housing Rehabilitation Specialists David Powers 319.356.5233 david-powers@iowa-city.org Jeff Vanatter 319.356.5128 jeff-vanatter@iowa-city.org Liz Osborne Program Assistant 319.356.5246 liz- oborne @iowa - city.org ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Wendy Ford Coordinator 319.356.5248 wendy-ford@iowa-city.org MPOJC John Yapp Executive Director 319.356.5252 john -yapp @iowa - city.org Transportation Planners Brad Neumann 319.356.5235 brad- neumann @iowa - city.org Kent Ralston 319.356.5253 kent-ralston@iowa-city.org Kri stop her Ackerson 319.356.5247 kristopher- ackerson@ iowa - city.org Darian Nagle -Gamm 319.356.5254 darian - nagle -gamm@ iowa - city.org Human Services Planner Please contact John Yapp, 319.356.5252 john -yapp @iowa - city.org NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES & PUBLIC ART Marcia Bollinger Coordinator of Neighborhood Services & Iowa City Public Art Program 319.356.5237 marcia-bollinger@iowa-city.org Airport Commission IP10 October 11, 2011 Page 1 MINUTES DRAFT IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION OCTOBER 11, 2011 — 6:00 P.M. AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING Members Present: Jose Assouline, Minnetta Gardinier, Howard Horan, Rick Mascari Members Absent: Steve Crane Staff Present: Sue Dulek, Michael Tharp Others Present: Jeff Edberg, Matt Wolford, Mark Anderson RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council action): CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Gardinier called the meeting to order at 6:05 P.M. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES: Minutes of the September 15, 2011, meeting were reviewed. Assouline moved to approve the minutes of the September 15, 2011, meeting as submitted; seconded by Horan. Motion carried 4 -0; Crane absent. PUBLIC DISCUSSION: None. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION /ACTION: a. Airport Commerce Park — Jeff Edberg spoke to Members, stating that he has good news to share. There has been an offer on lot #17 to lease for 25 years, with a provision that the interested party will have the option to buy the lot during this term. The individual has opened several eateries in the area where he specializes in falafel. Lot #17, however, would be for another venture of his, restoring and selling automobiles. Edberg further discussed the elements of the lease that will need to be drawn up, and also responded to Members' questions. Mascari questioned what type of building can be put on this lot, bringing up issues of restrictions. Edberg noted that there will be approximately ten employees at this new business with an average annual income of $48,000. He then spoke to questions regarding this type of business, noting that the City's zoning codes will come into play here. i. Offer on Lot #17 — Dulek noted that Members will not be voting on this issue at this time. First there needs to be a public hearing and Council approval, as well as clarification of items such as requiring a deposit and having a build -out date. Members began to discuss these issues, asking how they can best serve the Airport's interests while agreeing to such a lease arrangement. Members did state that they would like to see some Airport Commission October 11, 2011 Page 2 financial information, to which Edberg stated that he would acquire this. The discussion continued, with Members stating their concerns over a lease versus selling the lot outright. They questioned what recourse they would have if the tenant left or did not pay the lease. Dulek noted that she can help in obtaining background information on the buyer, as well. Gardinier then asked Members if they are interested in pursuing a 25 -year lease or if they would want to lower this term. Members also discussed whether or not they should require six months of lease payments up front. Gardinier stated that first and last month's rent would be reasonable, to which others agreed. Assouline suggested they start with six months and go from there. Edberg stated that he could ask the buyer for six months payment up front, but that he questions this being done. He further explained why this is not typically done in commercial leases. Dulek will work on moving the lease issues forward, along with obtaining further information from Edberg. She did ask for further clarification from Members on the lease term and a possible purchase option. b. Corporate Hangar L — Tharp noted that he and Gardinier had a conversation with the State regarding doing this project in a couple of different phases. The State was supportive of this idea, according to Tharp, even though they cannot guarantee what programs and grants will be offered in the future. This would then allow the Airport to keep the grant money they currently have and to then apply for new grant money in the future. Members discussed this further, with Tharp giving them a handout that further explained possible scenarios. He then proceeded to clarify the details of each phase, noting that the basic dimensions would be 56 by 62, with a 55 -foot wide door that is 18 feet tall. This led to a discussion of which aircraft would fit best into this size of hangar. Tharp stated that if the Commission is in agreement on the phasing, he will go back and fine -tune the numbers. He also spoke to Members about a private party /individual who is interested in building a 100 by 100 hangar. The discussion turned to a possible private /Airport collaboration on such a project. Tharp noted that the State does not support private development. The Airport would have to be the owner and then lease space back to the private party. The discussion continued, with Members asking Tharp for clarification on several issues. Tharp told Members that if they give the go- ahead, he will put a plan set together, where those parts of the project that can be done without issuing any further debt would be done first. Members discussed the need to get infrastructure done in one phase, in order to keep costs under control. Mascari then asked if any other Members would be interested in paying down the Airport's debt faster, more specifically devoting the proceeds from the next lot sale to do this. Others agreed that this would be a good idea. c. Terminal Building Brick Repair — Tharp noted that he doesn't have much to update Members on with this project, but that he hopes to have some preliminary plans by the next meeting. Mascari asked if Tharp had checked with any local contractors on this project. Tharp noted that due to the dollar amount of this project, it will be done as a formal bid, giving anyone interested a chance at it. d. FAA/IDOT Projects: AECOM — i. Runway 7/25 & 12/3 — Tharp noted that David Hughes is unable to make this evening's meeting; however, he did send an email for him to share. In regards to this completed project, Tharp noted that they are still awaiting the FAA's final report. Airport Commission October 11, 2011 Page 3 ii. Obstruction Mitigation — Tharp stated that a letter was sent to an owner of the car dealerships regarding some light poles that needed to be shorted or removed. iii. 7/25 Parallel Taxiway — Tharp noted that the closure last week went fairly quickly. Another closure will happen toward the end of October, first of November, according to Tharp. e. FAA Central Region Conference Report — Tharp shared with Members his experiences at this year's conference. He noted that there were several sessions on land revenue leases that were quite informative, as well as some on land acquisition. Tharp added that obstruction mitigation was a big topic, as well. f. FY2013 FAA Airport Improvement Program Application — Tharp stated that the call letter for applications has gone out, with a due date of January 12, 2012. Over the next three months, Tharp noted that they will be talking about the Airport's plans, including the Ruppert acquisition and how this fits into things. He asked that Members look at this over the next month so they can discuss it in more depth at the next meeting. g. Airport "Operations ": L Strategic Plan — Implementation — Tharp noted that a lot of this is being done under the subcommittees. Mascari noted that he expects to have something for next month's meeting. ii. Budget 1. FY2013 Budget — Tharp noted that the budget subcommittee met several times over the past few months. Members received a copy of this budget in their packets. Tharp briefly noted that the FY13 budget has essentially an overall income level of $394,000; with expenses before capital outlay of approximately $370,000, leaving about a $20,000 for other grounds keeping and maintenance. Tharp also noted that in the past, the Commission had wanted to relook the 10% portion the Airport pays toward the Economic Development Coordinator's salary. He suggested they approach the City Manager's office with this issue. Gardinier noted that she will put this in the letter that she is working on to upgrade Tharp's position to 100% time. Tharp then noted that he does need the Commission's approval this evening on the FY13 budget, so that he can move forward with submitting this. Assouline moved to approve the FY13budget as presented; seconded by Mascari. Motion carried 4 -0; Crane absent. 2. Brush Clearing — Tharp stated that the Willow Creek project is slated for this winter. As for the area by Gilbert Street, Tharp noted that he would need to spend $18,000 to clean this up. He showed Members what this would entail and responded to their concerns. Gardinier asked if they couldn't put rock down in this area or something that wouldn't require maintenance. Tharp stated that he would look into this further. iii. Management — 1. Airport Operations Specialist Position - Gardinier noted that she is almost done with the letter regarding the Specialist position. She asked if Members wanted to review it, and asked Dulek if she could email the letter to each of the Members. Mascari stated that he would like to see maintenance issues addressed as part of this position. He gave an example of having five maintenance issues Airport Commission October 11, 2011 Page 4 addressed and corrected each month. Gardinier added that she is suggesting a checklist of sorts that would be gone through on a regular basis. (Mascari left the meeting at this time.) h. Iowa City Trails Plan — Tharp noted that he put a copy of the City's trail plan in Members' packets, so they could see what the City has planned for the area. So far these projects are on the unfunded list. He then responded to Members' questions regarding the area's overall trail plans. i. FBO / Flight Training Reports — i. Jet Air / Air Care — Matt Wolford from Jet Air spoke to Members next. He noted that the report the Commission receives from Jet Air is typically on the previous month. However, he questioned if this should change. Continuing, Wolford noted that they have done some sheet metal repairs on hangars. He also noted some areas of asphalt that they have been cleaning up due to it crumbling. Wolford added that they had an auction last week and were able to sell quite a bit of stuff. He also invited the Commission to come to a reunion /party for Harrel at the Galesburg Airport next Saturday. Wolford then noted that they will be undertaking a fairly big project soon with replacing the bottom door seals on the hangars. ii. Iowa Flight Training — Tharp noted that Tim is unable to make this evening's meeting, but that he sent an update for Tharp to share. Tharp stated that IFT tried to hold a ground school at the Airport, but did not get enough interest. Student pilots, therefore, were sent up to Cedar Rapids for this class. iii. Whirlybird — Tharp stated that he has not seen any activity from them. They are behind in their rent, as well. j. Subcommittee Report — i. Community Liaison Subcommittee (Mascari, Assouline, Tharp) — Tharp noted that Josh Schamberger, President of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, will be out on Thursday for a tour. ii. For November: Events (Horan, Gardinier, Tharp) k. Commission Members' Reports — Gardinier noted to Wolford that while she was fueling up recently she noticed the grounding wire clamp was slipping off her exhaust pipe. I. Staff Report — Tharp noted that Dale Helling, Assistant City Manager, will be retiring after 36 years with the City. There is a reception in his honor on Tuesday, October 25. Tharp also noted that he received a call recently from the Iowa Aviation promotion group to see if Iowa City would be interested in hosting the 2013 "Fly Iowa." He added that he can add this to next month's agenda for a more in -depth discussion. Members briefly discussed their interest in such an endeavor. Tharp added that the group is willing to come and give a presentation to the Commission, to which Members agreed. SET NEXT REGULAR MEETING FOR: The next regular meeting will be Thursday, November 17, 2011, at 6:00 P.M. at the Airport Terminal building. Members then discussed when they can meet for a special meeting to set a public hearing. After some discussion, a special meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, October 25, 2011, at 12:30 P.M. Airport Commission October 11, 2011 Page 5 ADJOURN: The meeting adjourned at 8:40 P.M. Gardinier made the motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:40 P.M.; seconded by Horan. Motion carried 3 -0; Crane and Mascari absent. CHAIRPERSON DATE Airport Commission October 11, 2011 Page 6 Airport Commission ATTENDANCE RECORD 2011 Key: X = Present X/E = Present for Part of Meeting O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = Not a Member at this time TERM N w -N cn rn -4 w �? 0o m O O N O \ O � N N N \ rQ C\ C\ N NAME EXP. 03/01/13 X X X X X X X X X/E X X X X Rick Mascari 03/01/14 X X X X X X X X X X X X X Howard Horan Minnetta 03/01/15 X X X X X X X O/ X X X X X Gardinier E Jose 03/02/12 X X X X O/ O/ X X X X X X X Assouline E E Steve 03/02/14 O/ X X X X O/ X X X X X X O/E Crane E E Key: X = Present X/E = Present for Part of Meeting O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = Not a Member at this time Airport Commission _ _ October 25, 2011 IN Page 1 MINUTES DRAFT IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION OCTOBER 25, 2011 — 12:30 P.M. AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING Members Present: Jose Assouline, Minnetta Gardinier, Howard Horan, Rick Mascari Steve Crane Members Absent: Staff Present: Sue Dulek, Michael Tharp Others Present: RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council action): CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Gardinier called the meeting to order at 12:31 P.M. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION /ACTION: a. Airport Commerce Park — i. Consider a resolution setting public hearing on lease agreement with Affordable Auto LLC - Horan Moved, Mascari Seconded the resolution. Motion Carried 3 -0 (Crane, Assouline Absent) b. Pavement Rehabilitation Project — Crane and Assouline arrived. Tharp noted that he accidentally missed this item on the regular agenda at the last meeting. Tharp noted that he was working to prepare a pavement replacement project to be done before winter. Tharp noted there were several areas that were due to full pavement replacement work. Crane asked about the cost. Tharp noted the engineering estimate was $70,000 and that the funding would come from a state aviation grant for pavement rehabilitation work. Tharp noted that this work would finish out the funding in that grant. Members agreed to proceed with the work. ADJOURN: The meeting adjourned at 12:37 P.M CHAIRPERSON DATE Airport Commission October 11, 2011 Page 2 Airport Commission ATTENDANCE RECORD 2011 Key: X = Present X/E = Present for Part of Meeting O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = Not a Member at this time TERM N w \ is \ p \ cn \ rn 3 � \ w \ co \ m \ -� p O N O \ —1 O N N Cn Cn \ \ N Cn \ NAME EXP. .� .� \ \ \ 03/01/13 X X X X X X X X X/E X X X X X Rick Mascari 03/01/14 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Howard Horan Minnetta 03/01/15 X X X X X X X O/ X X X X X X Gardinier E Jose 03/02/12 X X X X O/ O/ X X X X X X X X Assouline E E Steve 03102/14 O/ X X X X O/ X X X X X X O/E X Crane E E Key: X = Present X/E = Present for Part of Meeting O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = Not a Member at this time MINUTES HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION October 18, 2011 Lobby Conference Room PRELIMINARY L IP12 M Members Present: Orville Townsend Sr., Dianne Day, David Brown, Diane Finnerty, Harry Olmstead, Wangui Gathua, Connie Goeb. Absent: Howard Cowen, Martha Lubaroff. Staff Present: Stefanie Bowers. RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: None. CALL TO ORDER Commission Chair Day called the meeting to order at 18:02. PUBLIC COMMENT OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE September 20, 2011 MEETING: Commissioner Olmstead moved to approve. Commissioner Townsend seconded. The motion passed 5 -0. ( Gathua, Finnerty not present for vote) DECEMBER MEETING DATE The Commission will plan to hold a meeting on December 20th. LIFE BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN The Commission decided to serve as a co- sponsor for this event (no financial contribution). Commissioner Olmstead moved to approve. Commissioner Goeb seconded. The motion passed 7 -0. LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF JOHNSON COUNTY CONSTITUTION SERIES The flier has been updated and the League is looking for speakers' knowledgably in constitutional law as well as immigration law. YOUTH AWARDS ADULT HONOREE Commissioners discussed whether to create an additional youth award for the annual ceremony. The proposed award would be conferred to an adult at the ceremony. Youth in the community would submit the name of persons they feel are worthy of the recognition. Commissioners also discussed whether it was necessary to create another award when they could easily fit a nomination into a preexisting human rights award. Commissioners decided to place this item on the November agenda and discuss in more detail at that time. HUMAN RIGHTS BREAKFAST Commissioner Olmstead went over the honorees. Bowers provided the details for the Breakfast. IMMIGRATION SUBCOMMITTEE Commissioner Finnerty expressed her disappointment in the fact the Commission has not heard back from the Council re: a letter they sent to Council in mid - October. Commissioners discussed what options they had to specifically ask the Council to respond. It was decided that the Commission would send another letter to the Council. The Commission also discussed setting up a time to speak with the new mayor in 2012. Commissioner Finnerty moved Commissioner Olmstead seconded. The motion passed 6 -0. (Brown not present for vote) Human Rights Commission October 18, 2011 Page 2 of 3 FACES OF IOWA CITY The speaker's manuals have been sent to presenters. Commissioners Gathua, Day and Goeb will discuss possible wording for the flier which will be sent out to advertise the series. JUVENILE JUSTICE Commissioner Finnerty and Commissioner Townsend will meet over the next few weeks and report back. STAFF REPORTS Bowers reported on a retirement celebration for Assistant City Manager, Dale Helling being held on the 25th. Commissioner Olmstead reported on the screening of the film Abused on the 27th. Commissioner Finnerty reminded everyone of a program on IPTV- -Lost in Detention on the 18th at 8pm. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Townsend moved to adjourn. Commissioner Finnerty seconded. The motion passed 6 -0 at 19:16. Human Rights Commission October 18, 2011 Page 3 of 3 Human Rights Commission ATTENDANCE RECORD 2011 IMeetina Date) NAME TER M EXP. 1/18 2/15 3/15 4/12 5/17 6/21 7/19 8116 9/20 10/18 11/15 12/20 Dianne Day 1/1/12 X X X X X X X X O/E X Wangui Gathua 1/1/12 O/E O/E O/E O/E X O/E X X X X Martha Lubaroff 1/1/12 O/E O/E X X X X X O/E X O/E Howard Cowen 1/1/13 X X X O/E O/E O/E X O/E X O/E Constance Goeb 1/1/13 X X X O/E X O/E X X X X Harry Olmstead (8 -1 -2010) 1/1/13 O/E X X X X X X X X X Orville Townsend, Sr. 1/1/14 X X X X X X X X X X Diane Finnerty 1/1/14 X X X X O/E X X X X X David B. Brown 1/1/14 X X X O/E O/E O/E X O/E X X i i I KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting /No Quorum R = Resigned - =Not a Member IP13 PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION PRELIMINARY OCTOBER 17, 2011 — 6:00 PM — INFORMAL LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Charlie Eastham, Ann Freerks, Elizabeth Koppes, Michelle Payne, Tim Weitzel, Carolyn Stewart Dyer MEMBERS ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo, Sara Hektoen OTHERS PRESENT: None CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 6:00 PM. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ITEMS: 1. Consider setting a public hearing for November 3, 2011 to amend the Comprehensive Plan to change the land use designation from Private Institutional to Low to Medium Density Multi- family Stabilization for property located at 602 E. Washington Street. Miklo stated that this item goes with item number three as well. He stated that on Thursday it would be a formality of setting the public hearing on November 3, 2011. There would be no public discussion needed. Discussion noted below under item REZ11 -00017 / VAC11- 00002. 2. Consider setting a public hearing for November 3, 2011 to amend the Comprehensive Plan to change the land use designation from Industrial to Commercial for property located on the east side of Commercial Drive north of 420th Street. Koppes noted that this item goes along with the rezoning item REZ11- 00015. Discussion noted below. REZONING ITEMS: REZ11- 00015: Discussion of an application submitted by Al Streb for a rezoning from Planning and Zoning Commission October 17, 2011 - Informal Page 2 of 7 General Industrial (1 -1) zone to Community Commercial (CC -2) zone for approximately 2.34 acres of property located on Commercial Drive. Miklo stated that this item was noted in the last staff report stating that the zoning didn't comply with the Comprehensive Plan. It was noted that if an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan did not get approved then the zoning should not as well. The Commission asked for further information and has laid out the possibility of amending the Comprehensive Plan. Miklo stated that the agenda would include setting up a public hearing for November 3, 2011. One of the questions that came up is about the current Comprehensive Plan it shows most of Scott 6 as industrial. The area has been identified as one of the few areas in Iowa City where industrial development can grow. The area has access to the rail, there are several users that ship and receive goods via rail. The City policy is to keep a corridor of industrial land reserved along Highway 6 and the railroad. The other important characteristic is that it is a relatively flat piece of land. Another factor is this area has good highway access to Highway 6 up to Scott Boulevard and the Interstate 80. Miklo stated that another Comprehensive Plan factor of the Southeast District Plan is trying to support the commercial zones that are already in the area. He stated that without getting into a detailed market study the theory is that if you provide too much zoning for commercial rather than channeling it into areas where you want vibrant commercial shopping centers it gets spread out and you end of with more marginal commercial areas. Miklo stated that the history of the property was annexed in 1997 to create Scott 6 Industrial Park. He stated that the discussion at the time was that it would be zoned General Industrial but the properties along Scott Boulevard would be zoned Intensive Commercial. The City waived the requirement for sidewalks and the tap on fees for the water and sewer of the industrial lots only. Staff feels that if it is rezoned that there should be sidewalks put in on the east side of the Commerce Drive to provide pedestrian access. Miklo stated that there was a question about a special exception that was granted for a concrete plant. It was granted this fall by the Board of Adjustment. There was concern about the dust and noise and being too close to residential and commercial. There is no residential in the area and the closest commercial at the time was located approximately 800 feet away. The Board did approve the special exception for the concrete plant. If this rezoning is approved commercial development could occur within 400 feet of the concrete plant. Another question that was asked was if the area was developed for industrial use what would the effect of traffic be like for the Fareway. Miklo stated that it depends on what is being placed in the location. Putting commercial next to industrial there might be complaints either way. Miklo stated that the next question was about the demand for an industrial and commercial in the area. He stated that without conducting an in -depth market analysis it would be hard to know. Currently in this area about 79% of the industrial lots have developed and 27% of the commercial lots are developed. Miklo stated that in comparison to commercial development there is greater demand for the industrial area. \ Another question asked was what practices would be necessary to make the industrial and the commercial compatible. Miklo stated that the screening would be required in both zones for any outdoor activity. Planning and Zoning Commission October 17, 2011 - Informal Page 3 of 7 The next question was about residential. The CC -2 zone allows group homes and it allows residential by special exception. The next question asked was about the adjacent property owners and how they would feel about having their properties rezoned. Miklo stated that staff would not recommend rezoning of the Goodwill Industries property after looking at the amount investment. The property has over a million dollar investment and staff feels that it would not be wise to make that a nonconforming area. Miklo stated that the next question was regarding previous Comprehensive Plans. He noted that because of the limited availability of land that is suitable for industrial this area it has been designated as a corridor for industrial. The final question that was raised by the applicant was the traffic count. In this area there are approximately 6,100 vehicles a day on Scott Boulevard and going north there are more. Generally retail uses like to have higher traffic counts. Staff has concern if there were enough traffic counts in the area to support a vibrant commercial area. Miklo stated that the question for the Commission for Thursday night is if they would want to proceed to study a Comprehensive Plan amendment. If the Commission wants to proceed then the Commission should set the hearing. If they do not, then there is no need to set a public hearing. Eastham asked when the traffic count was done. Miklo stated that they were done by the DOT in 2010. Eastham asked if McCollister Boulevard will be extended to cross over Highway 6 at the intersection of Scott Boulevard. Miklo confirmed that was correct but there is no design yet. Eastham asked if the plan for south of Highway 6 been developed yet as to where the commercial spaces would be. Miklo stated that south of Highway 6 there is a proposed commercial area. Eastham stated that the Southeast District Plan had a commercial area in it. Miklo thought that it did not. He stated that the CI -1 commercial is easier to locate because they don't rely on high customer counts. Miklo stated that if the Commission feels that there is a compelling reason to change the zoning or there needs to be further study on the Comprehensive Plan amendment then the Commission should set the public hearing. REZ11- 00016: Discussion of an application submitted by Mark Holtkamp for a rezoning from Commercial Office (CO -1) zone to Low Density Multifamily (RM -12) zone for approximately 1.15 acres of property located at 911 N. Governor Street. Eastham stated he had a conflict with this application due to being a board member of a housing organization which owns property in the area. Miklo stated this property was currently zoned (CO -1) office and is located on Governor Street. Staff believes this area was zoned office before 1980. The proposal is to rezone it to RM -12. The Comprehensive Plan for the area does show it as the appropriate zone. There is a multifamily development to the west and this was zoned R3 -B since the 1960's. In the 70's there was an attempt to downzone this and other properties in the neighborhood. During the process there was a new zoning code adopted and there is no longer a R3 -13 zone. During the challenge of the downzoning the court stated that the City had to keep the zone as R3 -B. Staff calculates to the equivalent density of RM -20. For that reason Staff feels it is an appropriate area to be low density multifamily housing. Planning and Zoning Commission October 17, 2011 - Informal Page 4 of 7 Miklo stated that there are standards in the zoning code for infill apartment buildings. This application will have to go through the staff review design process. The applicant did submit a concept plan. Miklo stated that there are issues with the plan. He pointed out that there was a storm and sanitary sewer running through the property. There are no easements over the sewers. The design provided is not possible unless they moved the utilities. Another point is the drive would need to be moved to the south to meet the guidelines. The right of way is inconsistent and staff recommends that it be additional right -of -way be dedicated. Miklo stated that the only other concern is that there are no sidewalks south to Brown Street. The City owns Happy Hollow Park so staff is recommending that the City put in a sidewalk in that location. Staff feels that the applicant should pay for sidewalks to be put on the intervening section of the street. Staff does recommend approval with those conditions stated above. Payne asked if R3 -B is similar RM -20. Miklo stated he thinks it is closer to RM -44. The density of the current development there is RM -20. The applicant is asking for RM -12. Miklo stated that the long term plans is to have the adjacent properties also zoned RM -12. Staff does not recommend doing the rezoning of those properties at this time. Freerks asked if townhomes could be built in RS -12. Miklo confirmed that was correct. Payne asked what the chances of getting the utilities removed. Miklo stated that the applicant is investigating that. Dyer stated she was concerned about the added traffic on to Governor Street. Miklo stated that staff also considered that issue. He said the CO -1 zone would generate some traffic and allows apartments above an office. He felt that it was unlikely someone would put an office in that location. Payne asked for the number of units that could be built if it was a RS -12. Payne asked if the design that was given if it could be on the RS -12 zone. Miklo stated that it could not unless a plan development was done. He stated that if a building was built on the RS -12 there would need to be a lot line and each building would have to have frontage to the street. REZ11 -00017 / VAC11- 00002: Discussion of an application submitted by Hunter Properties for a rezoning from Low Density Multi - Family (RM -12) zone to Neighborhood Stabilization Residential (RSN -20) zone for approximately .79 acres of property located at 602 E. Washington Street and the vacation of a portion of the alley right -of -way located east of Johnson Street, south of Ralston Creek. Miklo showed the Comprehensive Plan for the area. It shows 602 Washington Street as private institutional to acknowledge the current religious institution that is there. The institution will be moving so the property will become available soon. Miklo stated that regardless to the rezoning at some point the destination will need to change unless another religious institution moves into that location. The Commission is being asked to set a public hearing on the Comprehensive Plan for November 3, 2011. Miklo stated that the subject property is located on the corner of Johnson and Washington Street currently zoned RM -12. Most of the properties in the area are zoned as RNS -20. The proposal from the potential buyer of the property is to rezone the property to RNS -20. Staff feels it would be compatible with the other properties in the area. There are some properties located around the park that are zoned as RM -12 and are mostly in the historic district. Miklo pointed out a property that is not a part of the historic district but is in a conservation district. The applicant is requesting the vacating of the alley that runs south of Ralston Creek to the north side of the property. If the alley is vacated three properties would be joined together and there would be sufficient land for up to 24 dwelling units on the combined properties. The alley would have to be purchased from the City. Planning and Zoning Commission October 17, 2011 - Informal Page 5 of 7 Koppes asked if there were other properties that used the alley. Miklo stated yes and that there was one utility line through the area. An easement will be necessary. The property to the north does use the alley to gain access for mowing and tree trimming of the property. The owner of the house on Washington and Dodge Street uses the alley for access to their backyard. Miklo stated that staff recommends that if the alley is vacated that easements be established for any utilities and to provide access for those two properties. Staff does not feel that the alley needs to be kept as a public alley because of the creek and the grade it is physically not possible to build a paved road. Miklo stated that the long term plans is for a trail along the creek. Staff is recommending that if this is approved that an easement be retained and another easement be dedicated along the creek to provide for the trail. Eastham asked that with the easements that would be put in if the potential owners would be able to use the vacated ground to build on. Miklo responded that the potential owner would not be able to build upon the easement but they would be able to use it for parking, access driveways and open space. The trail easement would be north of the current alley. Miklo stated that the other issue with the property is that the majority of it is in a flood plain. The concept plan shows that the first level of the building would be parking which would be susceptible to flooding. There would be possibility of vehicle damage if there was to be flash flooding but parking is allowed according to floodplain regulations. Miklo stated that the benefit to the redevelopment is that it would minimize the water damage to habitable space in that the garage would be designed to take on flooding. Eastham asked if the flood plain ordinance requires that the building be built in a way that if there was flooding in the parking garage that the residence would have a way of leaving the building. Miklo stated he was not sure. He stated that in most cases if a building was built in a floodplain that the habitable space is above the floodplain. Koppes asked if calculations would need to be made if fill would be brought and how it would affect surrounding properties. Miklo stated that the idea behind the flood plain is that you can fill the entire flood plain and it won't raise the flood level downstream level by more than a foot. There would be no requirement to do the calculations. Eastham asked if there could be a requirement attached to the rezoning so that any building that was built on the site would have to be accessible above the flood level. Hektoen stated it would be hard to predict. Miklo stated he thought it would be and that before the Commission votes there might be more details regarding the building. Miklo stated that this area is a Conservation District so any building design on the property will require approval by the Historic Preservation Commission for compliance with their guidelines. Eastham asked about the height limit. Miklo stated that the current height limit is 35 feet but there is a possibility for a minor modification that would allow up to 38.5 feet. Miklo summarized any development of the property regardless of the rezoning would have to be reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission and be compatible with the neighborhood. The alley is not necessary for public purpose and that it could be achieved through easements for trail and utilities. Staff recommends approval subject to easements being established and an acceptable offer being made to purchase the alley right of way. Staff does not feel that the Commission will need to put any restrictions on the building designs because of the Historic Preservation Commission review. In the concept plan they are proposing all two bedroom apartments. The zone allows up to four bedrooms per unit. Staff recommends a Comprehensive Plan amendment unless another institution buys the property. Planning and Zoning Commission October 17, 2011 - Informal Page 6 of 7 Freerks asked how it is really compatible when everything around the park is RM -12 and a lower density and feels that there needs to be more discussion. With the potential of four levels and four bedroom units doesn't seem to be compatible with what is in that area. Weitzel agreed that he wanted to make sure that there was not an over burden on the area. He stated that if the design was good he would like to see a higher building if there were fewer bedrooms per unit. Koppes asked about the setback and stated that it seems close to the sidewalk. Miklo stated that the setback requirement is a 20 foot setback for a multifamily building. However if 50% of the properties on the block are a set closer the guidelines allow for the building to be set closer. Payne asked that if it goes to Historic Preservation and they deny it the applicant can appeal to the Board of Adjustments. Miklo confirmed that was correct. Dyer stated that her concern was if height blocks the view of the property next to it. Weitzel stated that from that angel there would be no way to build a building to block it. Miklo stated that there would be some change of the view. Koppes stated that they could require screening. Payne asked if there would be balconies on the east side. Miklo stated that they would not be allowed to have balconies adjacent to the single family to the east. They would be able to have balconies on the street side and on the north side. OTHER: None. ADJOURNMENT: Payne motioned to adjourn. Weitzel seconded. The meeting was adjourned on a 6 -0 vote (Plahutnik absent). Z O U) N O V Vw ?V� O Q N N 06 W 0W Z_ Z Q Z Q J a z p LL LL 2 0 N O r to oXXXXXXX r �xxxxxxx X X X X X X X X w X X X X co xx w — XXXX co N X X X X X X r` X X O X 0 X X co i X X X X D O X i i z O X X O X X X O X X X X � X LO 0 X X X X X X i �O I XxxxOx X X x X X I 04 X0XXXX X X x X X CD N +� XxXXXX X X X X O X XXXXXX c- CO Cfl M N In M M XXXOXX N -' N ; Xxxxxx w J x W >- Zazn W J J Q w � 5 (D �— CO -- M N —� Lo —� Lo - M z wmLOM J 0VQWUY_E- 2 m mU*)0m 2 E..X0000o00 Q N z J W V=wWLLIDW w w J Waz H >- }QzN WCL� W J J J Q Q>- z0wLL.Yaa� QwOQJW Q W J 0VQWUY 2 Z Q 2 N 2 z Uxw W Lli LLJ N �WNW� -�-Q~ Q>-QaOQJw z0wLL.Yn.(L � a z LL LL 2 E O -0d aD 0 U Z X � _ C N LU C C E 0 Qz CL Q 11 II ii n w � XOOz w Y o X X X X X X X X X X X X X o) NXxxxxxx Co LO X X O X 0 X X co i i i z X X X X X O X i - 0 X X X X X X N: N X X X x X X M X X X x X X CD N XxXXXX E• w CO Cfl M N In M M F..X0o00o00 w w J x W >- Zazn W J J Q J 0VQWUY_E- 2 Z - 2 Q N z J V=wWLLIDW w i�- - Waz =H WfA WCL� - Q- Q>- z0wLL.Yaa� QwOQJW E O -0d aD 0 U Z X � _ C N LU C C E 0 Qz CL Q 11 II ii n w � XOOz w Y M IP14 PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION PRELIMINARY OCTOBER 20, 2011 — 7:00 PM — FORMAL EMMA J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Carolyn Stewart Dyer, Charlie Eastham, Ann Freerks, Elizabeth Koppes, Tim Weitzel MEMBERS ABSENT: Michelle Payne, STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo, Nick Benson, Sarah Greenwood Hektoen OTHERS PRESENT: Al Streb, Mark Holtkamp, Loret Mast, Pam Michaud, Helen Burford RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL: 1. The Commission voted 4 -1 ( Koppes voting to approve) against recommending approval of an application submitted by Al Streb for a rezoning from General Industrial (1 -1) zone to Community Commercial (CC -2) zone for approximately 2.34 acres of property located on Commercial Drive. 2. The Commission voted 4 -0 ( Eastham recused, Payne absent) to approve REZ11- 00016 an application submitted by Mark Holtkamp for a rezoning from Commercial Office (CO -1) zone to Low Density Multifamily (RM -12) zone for approximately 1.15 acres of property located at 911 N. Governor Street. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. REZONING ITEMS: Consider Setting a public hearing for November 3, 2011 to amend the comprehensive Plan to change the land use designation from Industrial to Commercial for property located on the east side of Commercial Drive north of 420th Street. REZ11- 00015: Discussion of an application submitted by Al Streb for a rezoning from General Industrial (1 -1) zone to Community Commercial (CC -2) zone for approximately 2.34 acres of property located on Commercial Drive. Planning and Zoning Commission October 20, 2011 - Formal Page 2 of 9 Miklo noted that the Commission asked for some additional information and staff has provided that to them in a memo. Staff was also asked to contact the adjacent property owner of Lot 42. The owner had contacted the City and she submitted concerns and objections in writing regarding the rezoning. Miklo told the Commission that they will need to decide if there is merit to pursuing the rezoning further and if so than the Commission could set a public hearing on the Comprehensive Plan amendment for November 3. If no further consideration is needed then no public hearing is necessary and a vote should take place on the zoning. Koppes made a motion to approve setting a public hearing to November 3, 2011. Weitzel seconded. Eastham noted that he would not be voting in favor of the motion. He reviewed all materials as well as listened to all information and feels that the current Comprehensive Plan and treatment of this property and zoning is appropriate. Eastham does not feel that there has been any evidence showing a need for commercial space in the area. Weitzel stated that the industrial space needs to be preserved and there are other options for Community Commercial (CC -2) in the vicinity. He does not feel that there needs to be a rezoning at this time. Freerks agreed with Eastham and Weitzel and noted she would be voting against. Dyer noted that she agrees with the above and noted it is also because it is in the middle of the block and would make the rest of the property less useful for industrial purposes. A vote was taken and the motion denied 1 -4 (Dyer, Weitzel, Freerks, Eastham voting no, Payne absent). Freerks opened the public hearing. Al Streb, 1700 County Club Drive, Coralville, IA, is the applicant for REZ11- 00015. He noted that this commercial would be right across the street from commercial. He would not ask the neighbors to rezone. Right after he subdivided the property and gave a design to the City he feels it's a promise he never received. He feels that he has to compete against the City. He noted his concern for the missing of the taxation. Freerks closed the public hearing. Weitzel moved to approve REV 1 -00015 rezoning from General Industrial 1 -1 to Community Commercial CC -2 zone. Koppes seconded. Freerks asked for discussion. Eastham stated that he would be voting against this application. He stated he does have sympathy for the applicant as a property owner. Eastham noted that he is applying his best judgment for the City's overall interest. The Comprehensive Plan gives a clear guidance and there is good evidence that industrial development is occurring at a good pace in the area. Planning and Zoning Commission October 20, 2011 - Formal Page 3 of 9 Freerks noted that she agrees with Eastham. She stated that the idea of if the area is rezoned that there could be a potential for living units above the commercial space. Freerks noted that there are other opportunities. A vote was taken and the motion denied 1 -4 (Dyer, Weitzel, Freerks, Eastham voting no, Payne absent). REZ11- 00016: Discussion of an application submitted by Mark Holtkamp for a rezoning from Commercial Office (CO -1) zone to Low Density Multifamily (RM -12) zone for approximately 1.15 acres of property located at 911 N. Governor Street. Eastham recused himself due to being a board member for a nonprofit that is general partner for a limited liability that owns property within the 200 foot exception area for the application. Miklo stated the property is on the west side of the street just north of Brown Street. The Comprehensive Plan for the area shows the subject property as being appropriate for low to medium density multi - family residential. That designation could accommodate either RM -12 or RMS -20. The surrounding properties are generally RS -8 and there are two to three properties zoned RS -12 and they are developed with mostly duplexes. There is a property to the west zoned R3 -B and it was a court ordered from a previous zoning code. Miklo noted that the proposed zoning would comply with the designation with the current Comprehensive Plan. The current commercial office zoning allows office on the ground floor and would also allow for the area to be redeveloped with multi - family on the second floor at the same density as the RM- 12 zone. The zoning would not change the density of residential development on the property but would change the form. Changing the zoning to RM -12 would make it possible for redevelopment. Miklo showed an aerial photograph that showed the surrounding neighborhood. Miklo noted that there was a sidewalk to the north but not to the south. The applicant submitted a concept plan. Miklo noted that it would not be possible to build the plan as shown for a number of reasons. The main reason would be the sanitary and storm sewers that run through the property. They would have to be moved or the plan would need to be redesigned. The location of the driveway is a concern because of the curve in the street and the hill. The transportation planners have identified a site distance issue. There are minimum distances from the property line and where the drive way might be located. Miklo stated that the transportation planners have indicated that the buildings should be set back further to ensure proper site distance. Staff recommends a condition that the transportation planners be satisfied with the site distance for vehicles exiting the property. Miklo stated that there is an inconsistency with the right -of -way. Staff recommends that the triangle of less than 600 square feet be dedicated to make a consistent right -of -way in the area. Staff is recommending that any development of the property should be required to put a sidewalk on the frontage as well as on the adjacent properties up until it gets to the City property at Happy Hollow Park. Miklo noted that any multi - family on this property will be subject to the multi - family design review requirements of the zoning code. Miklo stated that in regards to the question about the number of townhouses that could be built Planning and Zoning Commission October 20, 2011 - Formal Page 4 of 9 on the property if it was zoned RS -12: they would be individual units and have to be on individual lots with lot lines dividing the units. Due to the easement situation it is difficult to determine how many units could be built under RS -12. Without building any new street or infrastructure approximately eight townhouses could be built. If a street was built and a rear lane that provides access to the parking and the utilities about 16 to 18 units could possibly be built. Staff recommends the approval of the rezoning subject to dedication of right -of -way for consistent street width and to accommodate sidewalks. The developer would be required to install sidewalks along the frontage and the two adjacent properties on the north property line of Happy Hollow Park. The City would then be required to put in the remaining sidewalk to Brown Street. The location of the driveway is subject to the transportation planning approval. The front setback is sufficient to provide adequate site distance. Sewer easements should be established on the property to allow repair /replacement of the lines. Freerks asked if there was an issue with the frontage as far as being the proper distance in the diagram that was provided by the applicant. Miklo stated that the setback is a minimum of 20 feet. . Freerks opened public hearing. Mark Holtkamp, applicant for REZ11 -00016 noted that dedicating the land on the triangle would not be an issue as well as inserting a sidewalk. Holtkamp stated that zoning the area RS -12 would kill the project because of the costs it would take to put in additional roads. Freerks closed the public hearing. Koppes moved to approve REZ11 -00016 discussion of an application submitted by Mark Holtkamp for a rezoning from Commercial Office (CO -1) zone to Low Density Multifamily (RM -12) zone for approximately 1.15 acres of property located at 911 N. Governor Street. Dyer seconded. Koppes stated that this was a good example of an infill project and that she would support. Weitzel stated that there were a lot of issues that staff would need to work out but that he was okay with the concept of the plan. Freerks agreed with Koppes and Weitzel. She stated that the RM -12 would fit in and be a transition from the R3 -B, RS -12 and the RS -8. Freerks noted she would be in favor. A vote was taken and the motion carries 4 -0 (Payne absent, Eastham recused). Consider setting a public hearing for November 3, 2011 to amend the Comprehensive Plan to change the land use designation from Private Institutional to Low to Medium Density Multi- family Stabilization for property located at 602 E. Washington Street. REZ11 -00017 / VAC11- 00002: Discussion of an application submitted by Hunter Properties for a rezoning from Low Density Multi - Family (RM -12) zone to Neighborhood Stabilization Residential (RSN -20) zone for approximately .79 acres of property located at 602 E. Washington Street and the vacation of a portion of the alley right -of -way located east of Johnson Street, south of Ralston Creek. Planning and Zoning Commission October 20, 2011 - Formal Page 5 of 9 Eastham stated that he had a brief discussion with Jeff Portman about this item and the process that would be followed. Miklo pointed out the location of the property on a zoning map. The property is currently zoned RM -12. He noted that to the west and to the north the properties are zoned RNS -20. The Comprehensive Plan currently shows the property as private institutional in recognition to the synagogue that is located on the property. The synagogue will be moving to another location and then the Comprehensive Plan should be changed unless another religious or private institution occupies the property. Miklo stated that on the Comprehensive Plan map the surrounding properties are denoted as appropriate for residential conservation and staff recommends the same classification for the proposed property. Miklo pointed out the property in relation to Ralston Creek. He stated that there is a public alley that is platted on the block but it is not built. It currently is used as a driveway to provide access to the parking lot and by two of the adjacent property owners to provide access to the rear of their properties for maintenance purposes. Miklo showed pictures of the building on the property and noted that there are some utility lines in the alley. An easement will be needed to accommodate the utilities as well as access to the two adjacent properties. He stated that on paper it would change from a public alley to a private easement. Miklo noted that there is an elevation change from a sidewalk to a developed portion of the property. Miklo stated that the staffs view on the Neighborhood Compatibility and the Comprehensive Plan is that the proposed rezoning to RNS -20 is compatible given the adjacent properties to the north and the west. There is one house on the street would remain RM -12 because it is a part of the historic district. The property is within a Conservation District which requires approval by the Historic Conservation Commission for any new building on the property. Miklo stated that there was a concept plan that was submitted and staff does not suggest that the rezoning be tied to the concept plan. Staff is still not sure if the plan will work because of unresolved issues. The lowest level of the building there would be a parking facility for the apartments above. The plan shows eight two bedroom units per floor and there may be issues fitting that in the current height limit on the property. Miklo stated that staff is recommending approval of the rezoning from RM -12 to RNS -20. As well as approval of the vacation of the alley subject to establishment of easements for utilities and access to the adjacent properties and for a potential for a trail along Ralston Creek. Freerks asked for a review of the different height restrictions for the RNS -20 versus RM -12. Miklo stated that the height restriction for both is 35 feet. Miklo noted that it is likely that there will be fill on the property that will bring the Washington Street elevation up. The pedestrian entrance to the property would be on Washington Street above flood elevation. Koppes asked if the RNS -20 was downzoned from RM -44. Miklo stated that the RNS -20 was established in the in 1985 when a new zoning map was adopted city wide. He noted that he was unsure about the previous zoning but he would check into it. Planning and Zoning Commission October 20, 2011 - Formal Page 6 of 9 Weitzel asked for staff recommendations on scale and massing for the new building. Miklo stated that until there is a concept plan to review it is hard to say. Another property that is a similar situation is on the corner of Washington and Governor Street. Freerks stated that currently there are no restrictions on two bedroom unit and in an RNS -20 there could be up to four bedrooms per unit. Miklo confirmed that was correct. Freerks stated that the illustration shows 24 two bedroom units. Eastham asked what the unrelated occupancy requirement for RNS -20. Miklo stated that it was four and the current RM -12 zone would allow three. Weitzel stated that at the Monday night informal meeting the Commission talked about the comparison of the heights of what is allowable and what the next door building would look like. Miklo stated that staff has advised the applicant to have something illustrating it for the next meeting. Eastham asked if the Historic Preservation Commission review will just be the design and won't state the number of bedrooms. Miklo confirmed that was correct that they just look at the exterior of the building only. Freerks opened public hearing. Freerks noted that the applicant was not present for the public hearing. Loret Mast, 631 E. College Street, Iowa City, noted she lived on the corner or College and Dodge Street. Mast stated that she does not want an apartment building where the synagogue is located. She feels that if the complex goes in that it won't fit in the neighborhood and the trees will get taken down. Pam Michaud, 109 S. Johnson Street, Iowa City, IA, lives in College Green Park. She stated that she is only one of two people that were notified of this potential zoning change. Michaud stated that the other neighbors that have lived in the area for 30 to 40 years were not contacted. She feels that the applicant did not use the good neighbor policy to inform the greater east side of Iowa City. Michaud gave a background of the neighboring houses and stated that 21 years ago she had all neighbors signed the petition with the intention of preserving the streets around the park. She stated that the area has neighborhood diversity. Michaud stated that when the City had workshops on the 2008 Comprehensive Plan they did not imagine that the synagogue would be removed and so no one challenged the default zoning. She stated that a three or four story building will dominate the 600 block of Washington Street. She feels that the logic that the synagogue lot is backed up to the RNS -20 is faulty because Ralston Creek separates it. The blue print for the apartment building looks as if it was designed for a flat site. She asked that before the next zoning meeting a complete site design and blue print should be mailed to everyone on the east side. Helen Burford, 528 E. College Street, Iowa City, lives across from College Green Park. She stated that they were not notified of the rezoning. The neighborhood as a historic district is fragile. She stated that the area has multiple forms of housing. She feels that a line is being crossed in saying that the older portions of Iowa City are no longer buyable and the investments that people have made around the park to change the balance. Freerks closed public hearing. Planning and Zoning Commission October 20, 2011 - Formal Page 7 of 9 Eastham moved that the Commission set a public hearing on November 3, 2011 to amend the Comprehensive Plan to change the land use designation from Private Institutional to Low to Medium Density Multi- family Stabilization for property located at 602 E. Washington Street. Dyer seconded. Koppes stated that it was still owned by a private institution and she asked if they can change it. Miklo stated that there is a contract to sell the property at this time. Freerks asked how long it can function as a private institution once it gets rezoned. Miklo stated that the private - institution can function in a residential zone. Changing the Comprehensive Plan would not have an effect on the use of the property for a private institution. Koppes asked if the RM -12 is covered by this change. Miklo stated that the RM -12 and RNS -20 would be covered. A vote was taken and the motion carries 5 -0 (Payne absent). Koppes moved to defer REV 1 -00017 / VAC11 -00002 the application submitted by Hunter Properties for a rezoning from Low Density Multi- Family (RM -12) zone to Neighborhood Stabilization Residential (RSN -20) zone for approximately .79 acres of property located at 602 E. Washington Street and the vacation of a portion of the alley right -of -way located east of Johnson Street, south of Ralston Creek. Eastham seconded. Weitzel stated that he would encourage the applicant to engage the neighborhood. Koppes asked why RNS -20 was chosen for that area. She stated that she felt the RNS -20 is a stabilized neighborhood and up- zoning from RM -12. Miklo stated that the intent for the RNS -20 talks about stabilization as well as allowing redevelopment of multi - family at a reasonable level. Koppes stated that RM -12 is also multi - family and stated that she would like more information on it. Eastham stated he had concerns with the design appearance on the property. He stated he has confidence that the Historic Preservation Commission will only approve a building that has a reasonable design within the context of this location. Eastham recommended that the applicant meet with the neighborhood and work on both the design and functional use of the building. Freerks stated that she has a problem with the potential scale and mass that can go on that piece of property if it is changed to the RNS -20 zone. She stated that the applicant should talk with the neighborhood and then speak to the Commission about the details on the plan and the information regarding the setback elevation. Dyer stated that she has the same concerns as Freerks. Miklo stated that there might have been some confusion with the applicant on the concern that Dyer had raised regarding a drawing showing the proposed building in relation to the adjacent building. The applicant might have misunderstood in thinking that this rezoning wasn't going to be talked about tonight and that is why he didn't show up. Miklo stated that he did discuss with the applicant that this would have to be deferred to the next meeting and to have the drawing prepared for that meeting. A vote was taken and the motion carries 5 -0 (Payne absent). Planning and Zoning Commission October 20, 2011 - Formal Page 8 of 9 CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: October 6, 2011: Eastham moved to approve the minutes. Koppes seconded. The motion carried 5 -0 (Payne absent). OTHER: Freerks stated that recently the City Council voted on the rezoning of Bloomington and Linn Street. The Comprehensive Plan was voted on and passed at 4 -3 but the rezoning failed at 2 -5. The Council needed to wait and give an opportunity to meet with the Commission regarding the negative rezoning vote. Freerks asked the Commission if they would like to have the opportunity to meet with the Council. Eastham stated he was at the Council meeting and there was a long discussion about the appropriateness for amending the Comprehensive Plan and the rezoning. He stated he was confused when the Council was discussing as to what the Council members want to have in a building on the corner. Commercial uses had the majority of support from the Council but the design and use along Bloomington Street was unclear. Eastham stated that he feels it is very appropriate to have a meeting with the Council about the decision. Freerks asked for the minutes of the City Council meeting to review before they meet with them. Eastham stated it would be a good idea to have the Council review the Commissions minutes. Miklo stated that the next step is to have a joint meeting so that the procedures are clear and what will happen next. Miklo stated in the past the Commission will go to the next informal Council meeting. He asked the Commissioners to think about their reason for voting for the rezoning and to be prepared to tell the Council why you voted. Freerks asked for everyone to be prepared to make a statement. Miklo stated that staff will be present but that they will not be advocating for the Commission position. There was discussion on if the informal meeting on October 31, 2011 should be cancelled due to the lack of Commission being present. The Commission decided to have their informal meeting after the November 1 meeting with the Council. Koppes asked that the new secretary is voted on at the next meeting because Plahutnik resigned. ADJOURNMENT: Koppes moved to adjourn. Eastham seconded. The meeting was adjourned on a 5 -0 (Payne absent). Z O U) N OU ULu Z W r U O Q N N ad W z F- 2 Z a Z a J a z H LL W 2 Q LL oxxxx- x r o X X X X X X X ti r- XXXXXXX �XXXXXXX x X LU 0 X X X X o� co X x 0 X X X X oo N X X X X X- X X ti �XXXX - -X ti C14OXXOXXX 0 N; -0XXXX�X X x x x x x Ln -' Lo W X X X X p X I i N ; X W O X X X X N �W CO X X X X w X M x X X X X X �,.X000OOOo w xxx - XX N w J W �- N i X X X X X X >-az�J� J I�aWUY� 2 Z - 2 W CO (O M N U-) U7 M 5 �— r r— -- z e--- Z �.Xoo0o000 WF- wmz =I- w a>- W J H >- zGwLL W J J J a � aZ Q 3: J 0 = U Z a - W 2 U Ye L a N 2 z U= 2wc~nwIL w W W� N -4.= Q }a�OaJw 0-IL ZawLL U z H w w 2 Q LL z E O O 7 N0 N O U)z U p� X � N C N C C N E N O N Q z CL Q 11 n ii a W_ � xo6z } LU Y ti �XXXXXXX o� rn N X X X X X X X co Ln X X 0 X ui 0 X X Oo °xxxxxwX O ti i CNOXXXXXX 0 N; X x x x x x N -' M X X X X X X N r . I x x x x x x N �W CO CO MNU)U�M W Lo �,.X000OOOo w w J W �- W J >-az�J� J I�aWUY� 2 Z - 2 <:i u 2z J U =WWLU�N W W WF- wmz =I- 2wcnwo->-a— a>- acr.OaJw Yaa3: zGwLL E O O 7 N0 N O U)z U p� X � N C N C C N E N O N Q z CL Q 11 n ii a W_ � xo6z } LU Y