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Home My WebLink About07-16-2009 Planning and Zoning CommissionPLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION Revised Monday, July 13, 2009 - 6:00 PM Informal Meeting Iowa City City Hall Lobby Conference Room 410 E. Washington Street Thursday, July 16, 2009 - 7:30 PM Formal Meeting Iowa City City Hall Emma J. Harvat Hall 410 E. Washington Street AGENDA: A. Call to Order B. Public Discussion of Any Item Not on the Agenda C. Rezoning Item REZ09-00003: Discussion of an application submitted by Southgate Development Company for a rezoning from Medium Density Single Family Residential (RS-8) zone to High Density Single Family Residential (RS-12) zone for approximately 4.29 acres of property located on Walden Road, west of Mormon Trek Blvd. (45-day limitation period: August 7, 2009) D. Development Item SUB09-00004: Discussion of an application submitted by Arlington Development for a preliminary plat of Stone Bridge Estates Part 6-9, a 102-lot, 36.32 acre residential subdivision located north of Court Street, south of Lower West Branch Road, west of Taft Avenue. (45-day limitation period: August 10, 2009) E. Consideration of Meeting Minutes: June 18, 2009 F. Other G. Adjournment Upcoming Planning 8 Zoning Commission Meetings Informal Au ust 3 Au ust 17 Au ust 31 Se tember 14 Formal Au ust 6 Au ust 20 Se tember 3 Se tember 17 STAFF REPORT To: Planning 8~ Zoning Commission Item: REZ09-00003 Lot 79, Walden Wood Part 7 GENERAL INFORMATION: Applicant: Contact Person: Phone: Requested Action: Purpose: Location: Size: Existing Land Use and Zoning: Surrounding Land Use and Zoning Comprehensive Plan: Prepared by: Karen Howard Date: July 16, 2009 Southgate development Company 755 Mormon TreK Boulevard P.O_ Box 1907 Iowa City, IA 52244-1907 Glenn Siders (319) 337-4195 Rezoning from RS-8 to RS-12 development of residential townhouses Lot fronts on both Walden Road and Mormon TreK Boulevard 4.29 acres Vacant / RS-8 North: retirement home - OPi~/RS-12 South: attached SF residential - OPT-8 East: utility substation - OPf~-8 West: single family residential - OPT-8 Single family /duplex residential Southwest I~istri ct Plan File Date: 45 Day Limitation Period: BACKGROUND INFORMATION June 25, 2009 August 7, 2009 Lot 79, Walden Wood Part 7 is the last remaining parcel ofi undeveloped land within the Walden Wood subdivision, which has been developed in various stages since the early 1980's and contains a variety ofi single family and attached housing types. Lot 79 is an irregular parcel of land that slopes steeply from north to south and has limited frontage on two streets, Walden Road and Mormon Trek Boulevard. While the property is only 200 to 300 feet in width from north to south, it extends approximately 720 feet from east to west. There is a 100-foot wide gas pipeline easement that forms a 450 foot "dog leg" along the western edge of the property. Due to the sloping nature of the lot storm water drainage is a concern and will need to be carefully designed when the parcel is developed_ 2 The applicant, Southgate Development, has requested a rezoning from Medium Density Single Family Residential (RS-8) to High Density Single Family Residential (RS-12). The applicant has requested RS-12 zoning in order to allow development of single family townhouses, which are proposed to be clustered along the frontages of Walden Road and Mormon Trek Boulevard. This clustering will allow more open space on the interior of the lot to construct storm water detention facilities to improve drainage in the area. The applicant has indicated that they have chosen not to use the "Good Neighbor Policy" and have not had discussions with neighborhood representatives. However, the applicant has agreed to meet with representatives of the Walden Court condominium association to see if an agreement can be reached with regard to designing storm water management facilities for the proposed development, which may require connection into the private storm sewer system within Walden Court. ANALYSIS: Comprehensive Plan: The subject property is located in the Willow Creek Subarea of the Southwest Planning District of Iowa City. The Southwest District Plan indicates that this area is appropriate for single family and duplex residential. The plan mentions this property specifically given that it is one of several undeveloped parcels in the subarea. It states that the property "will require careful design due to its topographic conditions and the unusual shape and size." The applicant has requested rezoning from Medium Density Single Family Residential (RS-8) to High Density Single Family Residential (RS-12) and has provided a proposed lot layout indicating the intent to develop 18townhouse-style, attached single family dwellings that would result in a residential density of approximately 4.2 units per acre. While this proposed residential density is at a level that would be allowed in the current RS-8 zone, the lot configuration and topography make it difficult to develop detached single family homes or duplexes, the allowed housing types in the RS-8 zone, without constructing another street. RS- 12 zoning will allow more flexibility to cluster the dwelling units along the limited street frontages thus avoiding construction of a cul-de-sac, which would be costly and land-consuming and not add to neighborhood street connectivity. By clustering the units and limiting the amount of paving, more of the lot will remain open space that can be used to manage storm water run-off and provide an amenity to residents. Staff finds a number of additional positive aspects to the proposed rezoning and lot layout: • The proposed residential density is compatible with surrounding development. The surrounding neighborhood contains a mix of attached and detached single family dwellings. The Walden Place retirement home is located directly to the north of the subject property. The retirement home faces the corner of Walden Road and Mormon Trek Boulevard with its parking area abutting the north property line of the subject property. • It allows development of townhouses, a popular and affordable housing type; • RS-12 zoning contains standards for townhouse dwellings that require that main entrances face the street, which is one element that helps create a residential appearance along the street. Garages are required to be located behind the dwellings and accessed from a rear drive. • The comprehensive plan encourages compact infill development in proximity to neighborhood services. Residents of the area will have easy pedestrian access to Walden Square, a nearby neighborhood commercial area. 3 There are a number of issues that remain to be resolved in order for this property to be developed: ^ Achievable residential density: It should be noted that there are a number of factors that could affect the actual number of dwelling units that can be achieved on this property, so the 18 units shown on the concept plan should be considered an estimate. The concept plan indicates that the drive will access Walden Road through the gas pipeline easement. The applicant will need to get permission from the gas company to build the drive in this location. Without this permission, the drive will need to be moved further north, which would likely reduce the number of dwellings possible along the Walden Road frontage. The sloping site may also be a complicating factor. Site grading, construction plans, and design of the stormwater management system will be other factors that may affect the number of dwelling units. These details will have to be worked out during the subdivision process. However, staff recommends that substantial compliance with the proposed lot layout be a condition of rezoning. • Vehicular and Emergency Access: The concept plan indicates that access to all the dwelling units will be from Walden Road. Staff supports this concept because it avoids additional driveways onto Mormon Trek Boulevard, an arterial street. To ensure that this concept is followed during the subdivision process, staff recommends that it be a condition of rezoning. Due to the length of the driveway and the configuration of the lots, the drive will need to be designed for emergency vehicles with a width of at least 20 feet and aturn-around that meets Fire Code standards. Given the compact lot configuration and the lack of on-street parking along Mormon Trek Boulevard, staff suggests that the applicant provide 3 or 4 visitor parking spaces along the private drive in a location that is convenient to the units along Mormon Trek Boulevard. • Open space and sensitive lands: The applicant has indicated that they would like to dedicate the land where the gas pipeline easement is located to the City to meet their open space requirement. The Parks Commission will look at that question, but it does not have to be resolved until a subdivision is proposed on the site. Similarly, when the applicant is ready to subdivide the property, they will have to submit a grading plan and sensitive areas site plan that indicates any disturbance of the steep and critical slopes on the property. These issues can be resolved during the subdivision stage, at which time a detailed grading plan will. be required and open space fees will be calculated. ^ Storm water management: - As mentioned previously, drainage is a concern for this property due to the sloping topography. Water from the site drains over land on to the neighboring Walden Court condominiums. Walden Court has a private storm sewer system, so there is currently not a means of piping the stormwater run-off from lot 79 into the public storm sewer system. The City Engineer has indicated that even if detention basins are built on the site they will need to have an outlet that connects by a pipe into the public storm sewer system. That may necessitate working out an agreement with the Walden Court homeowners' association to tap into their private storm sewer pipe in order to drain the water out to the public system along Rohret Road. In addition,. the site will have to be graded to create an acceptable over-land route for the large storm events. To facilitate resolution of the drainage issue, staff has been in contact with representatives from the Walden Court homeowners' association and are trying to set up a meeting early next week between the homeowners' association, the applicant, their engineer, the city's engineer, and planning staff. In absence of acceptable plan to deal with storm water drainage staff cannot recommend approval of this rezoning. Staff recommends deferral until the matter is resolved. 4 RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that REZ09-00003, a request to rezone approximately 4.29 acres of property from RS-8 to RS-12 be deferred until there is a plan for storm water management that meets City standards. If the storm water management issues are resolved to the satisfaction of the City Engineer, staff recommends approval of REZ09-00003 subject to a conditional zoning agreement that requires general compliance with the submitted concept plan regarding lot configuration and layout, rear drive access to all of the units from Walden Road, no vehicular access drive allowed from Mormon Trek Boulevard, and provision of a minimum of three visitor parking spaces along the rear drive near the units that front on Mormon Trek Boulevard. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Location Map 2. Concept plan Approved by: Robert Miklo, Sen or Planner, Department of Planning and Community Development ~ __ r..~. ~, I ~ r r _.__._._._ ~ " -- ~ M _~._y..~._~._ Q U 0 0 ~ _~ Vw~r N _~~.~ O N a~ MORMON TREK BLVD. ~'`k ~ `•. ~ .'~ ~~ ~ ,, --- ~ o ~ ~ U ~ ~ !~ ^I `~~1 `~. W ~ W ~ _ ~~ V Q • ~ ~ Q - ~ ~ ~~ O ~ r ~ ~~ ~, a ~ ~ ` ~ ~ ~ ~.- ... r 0 ~., ~ 1S NHS N~(' z _._____._._ _ _ ~ ~. _ _ ~ w -d ~ v ___.._._____ z w ._-----.._._._..~ ~.___....___ v ____ -° __..~.~.__..._.. 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I ,x ~ I ~~~ w O~ ~ W ~..; ~ ~ j i i i y ,,,n „ ty~ I aJ ~ ~- z ~ .- _ ~ ~- ~ Q 3 5 F I 1 ~ ~ , I i r$ ~ ~ ~ Ql d , ~ ~~~((( o y~ \ mall ^ O w _~~ x \ z I \ 'r ~ _. ~9. ~ m~~ a~ r \ p, ~~ ~~~~e __-- -~\\ ~ ~~ "a, w ~ ~~ ~ ~ v, V ~ ~" 3r ~ ~ ~ , ly ~ ~~ ~ 4 Q ..i f yy 5 a 16 d. ~~ a 1-_ Y ~ ti~~, -- ~ .~ ~" _ sr- u ? ~i.~,~8 ~~ - .r ~,, ~ ~ ~ ,I ~ .1:, ,. ,.H H >y ~'~, ~`..- -- ~ "~' say $ ;..~ aS$3 ,~----~ $~ `r I / ~p - I J ;i ~ I J !~ ~I f I I ' . ~~'I.~y ~ ~~\____ ____ ... ;I I I ~ ~ ~ , ~. I X1'1 I i.'. ~ ' ~ vog~ x;'~ J~ ~---T--- - - ~ `~ I, .I, ,. r ~~~ --,r ~~_~~ ~------~ ~ F I /6 ~ I 7 I i II i E 6 5 ~$ ~ ~k a a .n . P x S ~ ' ~ ~ ~ $ a ~~ ~ ~ o e d6~o ~6~~ ib ~ :~;' ~ 9@06 ? 6 ~ ~ g s~ ~o. • ~ Karen Howard From: rtcary@earthlink.net Sent: Thursday, July 02, 2009 2:09 PM To: Karen Howard Subject: Lot 79 Walden Woods In the past, letters from the city about this lot have had much more information about the projects. It is like you are hiding something. I live at 2416 Walden Court directly south of the project. My building has flooded because of storm water from this land. I have the following questions. Has this project been approved by both city staff and city engineers? Will this project use our private storm sewer pipes as has been proposed in the past? Are you going to allow slopes up to 40~ on this land? By my math you are going to allow 30 cubic feet of water per minute off this lot on to our lot---is this true? The water comming off this lot does not drain directly south. Once the water gets on the sidewalk it flows to the east toward the back of my building which is very low. Did Hall and Hall Engineers look at the land to the south of this project? It appears that much soil on lot 79 will have to be moved to make way for the road. How are you going to stabalize this land? This project is going to cause the people at Walden Court many problems. Who will pay if my building floods again? I have pictures of past problems from this lot. Richard Cary Page 1 of 1 From: Aaron Stump [aaron.stump@gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, July 09, 2009 9:49 AM To: PlanningZoningPublic Subject: Walden Road (REZ09-00003) Dear Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission, We are just writing to express our general support for the rezoning of the parcel of land on Walden Road, west of Mormon Trek Blvd. We live at 1156 Mormon Trek Blvd., in the Willow Creek Condos, just on the opposite side of Mormon Trek from the proposed rezoning area. We are generally supportive of responsible development in Iowa City, and see no difficulties personally if that parcel were redeveloped. Even if it included road access to Mormon Trek, it would not cause us any significant foreseeable inconvenience (the only possible issue being the fact that such road access would enter Mormon Trek at around the same point as our road access from Willow Creek Condos) -- but we note that the proposed plan does not include road access to Mormon Trek. Best regards, Aaron & Madeliene Stump 1156 Mormon Trek Blvd. (Willow Creek Condos) 7/9/2009 STAFF REPORT To: Planning & Zoning Commission Prepared by: Sarah Walz Item: SU609-00004 Date: July 16, 2009 Stone Bridge Estates Part 6-9 and Re-Subdivision of Outlot C GENERAL INFORMATION: Applicant: Applicant: Arlington Development, Inc. 1486 S 1st Ave, Unit A, Iowa City, IA 52240 (319) 338-8058 John-arlington@gwest.com Contact Person: John Moreland Requested Action: Subdivision Preliminary Plat Purpose: Development of a 102-lot residential subdivision Location: South of Lower West Branch Road, north of Court Street and west of Huntington Drive Size: Approximately 36.32 acres Existing Land Use and Zoning: OPD-5 Surrounding Land Use and Zoning: North: Undeveloped, County residential - R South: Residential - RS-5, OPD-8 East: Undeveloped and Multi-family Residential - ID- RSand RM-12 West: Residential - RS-5, OPD/RM-12 Comprehensive Plan: Low Density Residential Neighborhood Open Space District Lower West Branch File Date: June 25, 2009 45 Day Limitation Period: August 10, 2009 SPECIAL INFORMATION: Public Utilities: Sanitary Sewer can be extended from neighboring Iowa City subdivisions on the west and south. 2 Public Services: The City will provide Police and Fire protection, and refuse and recycling collection services. The transit route Eastside Express serves the proposed subdivision with a stop along Ashford Place. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The applicant, Arlington Development, Inc., is requesting approval fora 102-lot, single-family residential subdivision with three outlots, on approximately 36.32 acres of land located south of Lower West Branch Road, north of Court Street, and west of Huntington Drive. Previously a preliminary plat, which included parts Five through Nine, was approved (2006), however the plat expired in 2008 with only Part Five (the south and west portion of the development) having an approved final plat. The applicant is now seeking to have the remainder of that preliminary plat reapproved. Therefore, the subdivision regulations adopted in September 2008 apply to the plat. ANALYSIS: Compliance with Comprehensive Plan: The property is located within the Lindemann Hills Neighborhood of the Northeast Planning District. The Northeast District Plan adopted in 1999 identifies this area as suitable for low density residential development. The plan envisions a compact neighborhood with interconnected streets and sidewalks that provides efficient vehicular traffic and safe and pleasant pedestrian movement. The plan outlines Neighborhood Planning Principles to achieve such development and emphasizes the importance of preserving the natural features, pedestrian/bicyclist connections, neighborhood parks, open spaces and diverse housing. The plan calls for green open spaces between the development and environmentally sensitive features, treating such features as amenities, providing public access to the preserved natural features; incorporating green elements such as small neighborhood greens, planting medians, landscaping along streets; and providing single-loaded streets to open up scenic vistas. A portion of this land immediately north of Court Street was previously reserved for the Iowa City School District. As the school district has decided not to pursue the plan to develop a school, the right to develop this land has reverted back to the applicant. Zoning and Subdivision Design: The property contains sensitive areas including adrainage-way-south branch of the Ralston Creek, hydric soils, areas with steep and critical slopes, and remnants of an old stone railway bridge. As part of the development the applicant proposes to re-grade most of the critical and steep slopes. As per the Sensitive Areas Ordinance (SAO) a Level II Sensitive Areas Review is required if more than 35% of the critical slopes on a property are disturbed. The Level II review is considered as a planned development and therefore a Planned Development Overlay zoning was required for the property at the time of the original preliminary plat review. The applicant has submitted a Sensitive Areas Development Plan delineating the sensitive areas and a Grading and Erosion Control Plan. The applicant reports that the areas steep and critical slopes are man-made slopes that were created to allow terrace farming. The applicant is not proposing to disturb any other sensitive areas and is providing erosion control measures and drainage for the areas with hydric soils as per requirements. The existing OPD plan allows for a development with a maximum density of five dwelling units per acre and a minimum lot area of 8,000 square feet. The applicant is proposing a subdivision with lot areas ranging from approximately 8,000 square feet to 24,493 square feet, with most lots falling PCD\Staff Reports\sub09-00004 stonebridgepart6-9-prelim.doc 3 between 8,000 and 9,500 square feet. All the lots in the proposed subdivision meet the minimum standards for lot size and lot frontage. The street and sidewalk network design proposed (discussed in following sections of the report) is generally consistent with the subdivision regulations. The subdivision development is compatible with the zoning and development pattern of the land adjacent to this property. The outlots follow the path of the creek with Outlot B to be dedicated to the City to fulfill the neighborhood open space requirement (1.75 acres) and includes the old stone bridge. Outlots A, C, D, and E will be set aside as open spaces to be owned and maintained by a homeowner's association, but a public access easement will allow the public to use the trails. These open spaces protect the sensitive areas-stream corridor and its associated buffers-and if designed and developed with appropriate landscaping elements will provide the neighborhood with space for trail connections. A Conditional Zoning Agreement (CZA) was signed at the time of annexation and rezoning for this property. The CZA requires that development of the property is planned in accordance with the neighborhood design policies of the Northeast District Plan and retention of the stone bridge is ensured in a manner that the provides public access to the feature. The Northeast District Plan encourages trails for recreational purposes and also to provide an alterative to automobile travel and neighborhood connections. To fulfill the CZA conditions, and district plan goals, an 8-foot wide trail extending from Court Street in the south up to the proposed neighborhood open space in the north is shown along the creek. Eventually when the adjacent property on the east is developed the trail will be extended further north providing a connection between the existing Windsor Ridge Trails and Lower West Branch Road. If it is structurally feasible, the old stone bridge may be used as a pedestrian bridge over the creek. The trail is to be built by the applicant owner with an easement to allow public access for its entire length. The neighborhood street and sidewalk network for the proposed subdivision is shown with a connection at Thames Drive. The subdivision regulations require that all streets, sidewalks, and trails should connect to other streets, sidewalks, and trails. For this reason, staff believes the applicant should construct a second trail connection across Outlot B (future public open space). Staff recommends that the connection should be placed along the sewer easement, as a sort of mid-block access point (approximately 600 feet north of Thames). The proposed plat shows this recommended trail connection. The CZA also required $6,424.44 per acre for Stone Bridge Estates (a total of $133,564.00) be paid at the time of final plat approval for any of the land north of the midway point between Court Street and Lower West Branch Road. Part 7 is the first part of the subdivision that is north of the midway point so with the final plat of Part 7 or other parts north, the applicant must pay the $133,564. When Lower West Branch Road was included in the CIP it was to allow the rezoning and development of this and other properties along the road. The City rezoned these properties on the condition that Lower West Branch Road be in the CIP and that the developer contribute their fair share to road construction. Lots 126 through 130 along Lower West Branch Road are double fronting lots. Such lots are PCD\Staff Reports\sub09-00004 stonebridgepart6-9-prelim.doc 4 discouraged by the Comprehensive Plan and the subdivision regulations. If the lots cannot be reconfigured to eliminate double frontage, the Comprehensive Plan states that dense landscape buffer or earthen berm should be provided rather than installing a privacy fence. A landscaped buffer is shown on the plat along Lower West Branch Road. These trees are to be planted by the applicant owner prior to the issuance of any building permits for these lots. If any fences are installed along the streets, they should be installed to the south side of the landscape buffer along Lower West Branch Road. The final plat and legal papers should specify the requirement regarding the fences and the landscape buffer. Traffic implications: Staff estimates that with entire development, including Part Five, will generate approximately 1000 vehicle trips per day. The proposed subdivision can be accessed from Lower West Branch Road, Court Street, and neighborhood streets-Chadwick Lane and Eversull Lane-from the adjacent subdivision Stone Bridge Estates Part 3 and Part 4 on the west. The property has close proximity to Taft Avenue, an arterial street on the east. The proposed subdivision will also be served by Arlington Drive, Colchester Drive, Liverpool Lane, Norfolk Road, Thames Drive, Ashford Place, and Whitechapel Drive. The new subdivision regulations adopted in 2008 require 60-foot rights of way with 5-foot sidewalks. The original preliminary plat reviewed in 2006 relied on 50-foot rights of way. Because portions of the roads connecting into the subdivision from the east and south (Colchester and Arlington Drives and Chadwick Lane) have already been constructed using the old 50-foot standard with 4-foot sidewalks, Staff believes it is reasonable to continue development of these roads as well as the one- block length of Norfolk Road (see lots 76-79) and Liverpool Lane (see lots 38-41) with the 50-foot requirement, however Thames Drive, which connects to undeveloped land to the east should be built to the 60-foot standard, including the 5-foot sidewalk standard. Note that an 8-foot sidewalk will be constructed on the south side of Thames to provide across-creek connection for the trail system . Storm water management: The applicant is providing onsite storm sewer infrastructure to convey the storm water to the creek which carries the 100-year storm run-off to the public storm water management facility-Scott Park Detention Areas on the south branch of the Ralston Creek. No separate storm water management facility on the property is required. Infrastructure fees: As noted above, the CZA agreed upon at the time of the original rezoning requires $6,424.44 per acre for Stone Bridge Estates (a total of $133,564.00) be paid at the time of final plat approval for any of the land north of the midway point between Court Street and Lower West Branch Road. Part 7 is the first part of the subdivision that is north of the midway point so with the final plat of Part 7 or other parts north, the applicant must pay the $133,564. The applicant/owner is required to pay a water main extension fee at a rate of $395 per acre for this development. PCD1Staft Reports\sub09-00004 stonebridgepart6-9-prelim.doc 5 STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval for SUB09-00004, a preliminary plat and sensitive areas development plan for Stone Bridge Estates Parts 6-9 and re-subdivision of Outlot C (Part 4). ATTACHMENTS: 1. Location Map 2. Aerial View 3. Preliminary Plat and Sensitive Areas Development Plan Approved by: Robert Miklo, Senior Planner, Department of Planning and Community Development PCD\Staff Reportslsub09-00004 stonebridgepart6-9-prelim.doc I~ ~ z ~ ; , ~ ~~ ~ ~ I d' O O O O i O O ~ ~_, .~ ~, ,y ~ r 4 ! ! ~ J fir ~ U1 ~ -( ~ V ~.. ' ~ ' I ~ ,,' ~ --,~ `,K' ~ r~ 14r,~M~~ ~~r ,. 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HARVAT HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Ann Freerks, Michelle Payne, Tim Weitzel, Elizabeth Koppes, Wally Plahutnik, Josh Busard MEMBERS ABSENT: Charlie Eastham STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo, Sara Greenwood Hektoen OTHERS PRESENT: None RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL: The Commission voted 5-0 (Busard abstaining; Eastham absent) to recommend approval of 0009- 00001, an application submitted by Peterson Contractors Incorporated to establish Portland Cement Pavement and Asphaltic Cement Pavement site on 12.74 acres of property on Lot 3 Sharpless Subdivision located east of 5049 Herbert Hoover Highway NE. This recommendation is subject to a provision requiring the removal of the facility within six months of the completion of the project. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Chairperson Ann Freerks. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. CONDITIONAL USE ITEM: 0009-00001: Discussion of an application submitted by Peterson Contractors Incorporated to establish Portland Cement Pavement and Asphaltic Cement Pavement site on 12.74 acres of property on Lot 3 Sharpless Subdivision located east of 5049 Herbert Hoover Highway NE. Miklo identified the property, which is on the south side of Herbert Hoover Highway and north of Interstate 80. Miklo explained that the city limit is actually 1.25 miles to the west of the property and the growth area ends just east of Taft Avenue, but the fringe area goes just to the east of the property. Miklo explained that the reason the matter is before the Commission is that the county zoning code requires a conditional use permit for this type of use, an asphalt and concrete recycling plant. The county's ordinance also requires that if there's a conditional use permit within two miles of the city then the County must submit it to the City for review. If the City does not recommend the permit, asuper- majority of the County Board of Adjustment is then required to approve the conditional use. Planning and Zoning Commission June 18, 2009 -Formal Page 2 Miklo noted that the recycling facility would be of a temporary nature and would be in conjunction with the work being done on Interstate 80. The work will involve removing the existing pavement. The pavement will then be hauled to the recycling site where it will be crushed and reused as road-bed for the newly constructed portions of the highway. Miklo said that JCCOG's transportation planners have looked at the site and have found the site to be an appropriate location for this type of use. Miklo said that the site is far enough out from the city limits that it does not conflict with any city uses; Staff finds no conflict with the fringe area agreement or the city's future plans for the area. Staff recommends approval of the conditional use subject to a time limit stating that the facility would be removed within six months of the project's completion. Miklo offered to answer questions from the Commission. Freerks noted that the conditional use permit requires property owners within 500 feet to be notified. She asked if the notification included the neighbors across the road. Miklo said he believed one of the properties may be within 500 feet and therefore subject to the notification requirement. However, the notification would have been done at the county level, so he could not be sure who was notified. Freerks said she was just trying to determine if neighbors were aware of the temporary nature of the facility. There were no further questions for Staff and the public hearing was opened. Mark Stein of MMS Consultants, 1917 S. Gilbert Street, stood as a representative for Peterson Contractors. He offered to answer any questions Commissioners might have. There were no questions for Stein and no other members of the public wished to speak on this item. The public hearing was closed. Koppes motioned to approve 0009-00001 subject compliance with recommendations laid out in the staff report. Freerks noted that approval involved writing a letter to the County. Freerks invited discussion on the item. She said that it seemed to her the facility was not in conflict with the fringe area agreement, was temporary in nature and was a good use of the site and the resources, so she would be voting in favor of it. There was no further discussion and a vote was taken. The motion carried 5-0 (Busard abstaining; Eastham absent). COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ITEM: 1. Update on the Southeast District Plan Miklo said he wished to update the Commission on the progress in creating the Southeast District Plan. He said that this was the next in the series of district plans that was being created as a part of the Comprehensive Plan. Miklo said that a neighborhood workshop meeting was held April 14th. Detailed notes of that meeting were provided to Commissioners by Staff. At the meeting, area property owners, business owners, and residents were asked for some input on the future of that area. The big questions posed to the participants were: What do they value about the neighborhood that can be built upon? What are the important issues that need to be addressed? Are there problems or concerned? What is their vision for the community and its future? Miklo said that quite a bit of information was gathered in the workshop, with three or four items identified as areas where more work needs to be done and more information gathered. Miklo said that the items will be the topics of focus groups and more detailed meetings. Planning and Zoning Commission June 18, 2009 -Formal Page 3 Miklo said that one theme that came up frequently was that there were not good connections to some of the great features of the southeast district. The best connections are offered for those traveling by car, and even some of those connections are not that great. Miklo said that Staff would be looking at ways to use open space., parks, and trails to connect the area. Miklo said that with some of the existing parks in the neighborhood, Staff's thought is to get a good circular trail pattern through the neighborhood to connect key features such as Mercer Park, Southeast Junior High, Court Hill Park, and Sycamore Mall. Miklo identified the potential for a new park in the area by the creek that is currently in the County's jurisdiction, stating that that could potentially be used as a buffer between future residential development and the industrial park. Amore detailed meeting on this topic will be held on June 22"d in Emma Harvat Hall. Miklo said invitations would be sent to those who had attended the first workshop. Another item of focus is the Towncrest commercial area. That workshop yielded several good ideas, he said. Participants recommended creating more of an identity for the Towncrest area. At one time, Towncrest was known as the medical center of eastern Iowa City. He said that that designation has been lost over the years. Participants suggested creating an identity by creating landmarks and features that would indicate that a person was in the Towncrest area. A second goal was to keep a substantial amount of the current medical offices there, and supplementing it with other uses, such as, more retail and sit- down restaurants. Participants expressed an interest in mixing in some housing to the area, particularly elderly housing, given the proximity of pharmacies and doctor's offices. A desire was also expressed to generally improve the streetscape and landscaping in the area. Similar to the upcoming parks meeting, a Towncrest meeting will be held. Staff will also meet with individual property owners for their input. Miklo shared a 3-D computer model created by Christina Kuecker, Associate Planner, which was done to dimension and scale and will be used to demonstrate the various possibilities for the area. Miklo said Staff would first develop aloes-level plan which involved city investment in the public right of way, infrastructure and streetscapes. The model would then be taken through a range of possibilities including significant redevelopment in which entire tracts are redeveloped. Initial meetings will be with individual business and property owners to see what their potential is, i.e., what buildings have to stay. Miklo offered the example of the University of Iowa Community Credit Union and Hills Bank as significant recent investments in the neighborhood which are fairly substantial and well-cared for buildings that would not be likely to change. He offered examples of medical buildings and office buildings in the area that were originally built in the 1960's as some of the buildings that may be open to the possibility of redevelopment. A third focus-group topic would be the area roughly between Taft Avenue and Scott Boulevard from Highway 6 North to American Legion Road, an area in the city's growth area. Miklo noted that an industrial park had been planned in the southern portion of that area. Miklo said that we would study development of the rest of the area, and how to transition from the industrial park to a more residential area. Miklo said these three meetings would take place over the summer and early fall. Miklo asked if the Commission had any questions on the Southeast District. Freerks asked if there had been much input from property owners in the Towncrest commercial area. Miklo said that there had been a number of property owners in attendance at the workshops. He said that one property owner which owns most of the medical buildings, Towncrest Investments, had actually come to the City and expressed interest in doing a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) or some other type of urban renewal district to get incentives to redevelop the area. Miklo said that part of that redevelopment process would involve doing an urban renewal plan, which is essentially what the Towncrest section of the Southeast District Plan would be. Freerks said it was key to get the property owners involved early in the process. 2. Update on the Central District Plan -Gilbert Street/River Corridor Study Miklo said this area had been identified for redevelopment in the Central District Plan. The area in question is the area between the river and Gilbert Street north of Highway 6. Miklo said the City had applied for a grant through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Rebuild Iowa Office for Planning and Zoning Commission June 18, 2009 -Formal Page 4 consulting services for this area of town. This is a competitive, nationwide grant that the EPA sponsors every year. The grant provides assistance to communities all across the country dealing with smart- growth issues. This year, Iowa and the Midwest were somewhat of a focus due to the flooding of the previous year. Miklo explained that the way the grant works is that the EPA chooses a consultant to do the work and pays all of their expenses. Iowa City was awarded the grant, and Miklo anticipates that approximately $50,000-$60,000 worth of services will be provided over the next six to eight months to study this area. Miklo said the Gilbert Street/River Corridor area is close to downtown, includes parts of the University of Iowa campus, the recent near-south side developments, and the Johnson County administration campus. Miklo said there are possibilities for changing this from a more industrial area to a higher-intensity mixed use and residential area. Miklo said there are a wide variety of businesses in the area, and that good access to arterial streets, the river as a potential amenity, and the rail access to the area all make for potentially interesting aspects for redevelopment. Miklo said that looking into how to deal with the floodplain for the area will be one factor that will be examined with EPA assistance. Miklo said Staff believed that redevelopment may have been hindered in the past due to the wastewater treatment plan that has been in the area since the 1930's. Miklo said it is likely that plant will be moved and incorporated into the south treatment plant. Miklo said that Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is currently a part of the Central District Plan. Miklo said that while it is currently associated with rail transit, it could also be based on the bus system. Miklo said that one of the key questions in redeveloping this area will be determining what the appropriate mix of land uses is. Miklo said the consulting group will do a market study to determine what is realistic in terms of housing and commercial uses in the area. Miklo said that Staff knows there will not be a lot of retail in the area initially, and that that can only come later, once a housing base has been established. Miklo said this information will help to determine the appropriate height of buildings, the appropriate density, etc. Miklo said the consultants will also examine the transportation network for the area and perhaps how a city parking structure might impact development in the area. Staff will be meeting by phone with the consultants, the EPA and the Rebuild Iowa Office over the next couple of months with the goal of having a neighborhood design meeting sometime in the fall (September is the goal). Staff will keep the Commission up-to-date and involved with the process. Miklo offered to answer questions from the Commission. Miklo noted that this redevelopment is not necessarily something that would occur within the next year or two, but is more of a long term plan. He said that in terms of the existing businesses, it will be entirely their decision as to whether or not to buy into this plan, and whether or not the decide to stay or move. There were no further questions for Miklo. CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: May 21, 2009: Payne motioned to approve the minutes. Koppes seconded. The minutes were approved on a vote of 6-0 (Eastham absent). OTHER: Plahutnik mentioned that he had seen a lot of permeable concrete in use during his recent Mediterranean vacation, and he wondered if it was something that would be seen more frequently in this area. Miklo said that Staff had investigated the possibility of using permeable concrete and that they had been told by engineers that the systems developed to date are not compatible with our soil conditions. He said that the soil conditions are such that the systems cannot work properly over the long term, and wind up filling up with grit. Miklo said a solution to that problem would have to be found before it could be implemented on a wide scale in this area. Freerks noted that permeable concrete had been tried in the area. Miklo Planning and Zoning Commission June 18, 2009 -Formal Page 5 said that the University had tried it. Busard said the Johnson County Administration building had approximately 11 parking spots made of permeable pavement. Freerks asked if that was an experiment of some kind and Busard said that it was an experiment of sorts. Payne said she would like to talk to Busard about that as her employer, MidAmerican Energy, has projects where they were interested in using permeable concrete, but that they did not know a lot about it. Plahutnik said that in his travels he saw a lot of linked concrete rings with grass planted in them. Miklo said that one place where permeable concrete works with our soil conditions is in areas where there is infrequent traffic, such as church parking lots. Miklo said that it does not seem to work here for frequent or daily use. Plahutnik said that it was used in heavily trafficked urban centers where he had traveled, but acknowledged that it was an altogether different climate. ADJOURNMENT: Weitzel motioned to adjourn. Koppes seconded. 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