HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-11-12 TranscriptionNovember 12, 2013 Iowa City City Council Work Session Page 1
Council Present: Champion, Dickens, Dobyns, Hayek, Mims, Throgmorton
Council Absent: Payne
Staff Present: Markus, Fruin, Dilkes, Karr, Davidson, Howard, Ralston, Andrew, Fosse,
Bockenstedt, Moran, O'Brien
Others Present: Bramel (UISG)
Agenda Items•
Hayek/ Let's get started with the work session! I want to welcome everyone. Uh, Michelle will
not be here for the work session but she's going to patch in telephonically for the formal,
as I understand that. (someone speaking away from mic) She's out in Washington. So,
uh, first item is, uh, questions regarding agenda items.
ITEM 4d(11) CERTIFICATION OF URBAN RENEWAL PROJECTS -
DIRECTING THE FILING OF CERTIFICATION UNDER IOWA CODE
SECTION 403.19 FOR THE 2013 END OF YEAR CERTIFICATION OF URBAN
RENEWAL PROJECTS.
ITEM 4d(12) URBAN RENEWAL REPORT - APPROVING THE FISCAL YEAR
ENDING 2013 ANNUAL URBAN RENEWAL AREA REPORT.
Throgmorton/ I have a couple topics, Matt.
Hayek/ Sure!
Throgmorton/ One concerns Items 4d(11) and 4d(12), which are about filing of debt certifi...
certification forms and the urban renewal report for 2013. I ... I found those forms pretty
hard to interpret, um, as they were presented, uh, and ... and I'd like to suggest it would be
helpful to have sh ... receive short memos from the staff, concisely summarizing, uh, the
meaning of what's in those reports. Uh, and ... maybe even reflecting on how effective
the use of TIF has been since the first one was, uh, adopted in what, 2000, year 2000?
So, just my suggestion. It's something that translates the reports and (both talking)
Champion/ ...impossible to (both talking) Couldn't make heads or tails out of it.
Dobyns/ Yeah, I agree.
Mims/ Yeah, I would agree and I think (both talking)
Dobyns/ ...it was substantive and it was ... but there was so much there I didn't understand.
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Mims/ The other thing I would suggest maybe that we do in the future is even put it on the
regular agenda, just as a ... as a short staff presentation, cause I think there's a lot of, I
mean, we don't necessarily want to go into every detail of it, but I think there's a lot of
good information there and it's a chance to, um, inform the public as to what we're doing
and how we're doing it and how these are getting paid off and where the money's coming
from. So I mean I see it as an educational opportunity for the public, um, that...
Markus/ We can work on that. Dennis, um, are these, uh, required new this year? Or is this an
annual... (several talking)
Throgmorton/ ...the urban renewal one is.
Markus/ ...they weren't part of the State law.
Hayek/ You'll have to come up to the mic, Dennis. Sorry!
Bockenstedt/ I don't believe they're new this year, but they are required reporting, and then of
course the required certifications that are due annually. Um, that we have to do.
So ... um, I think what we've put on there is similar to what we've put on in the past, but
we can certainly provide more information if you'd like.
Champion/ Let's (several talking) more concise! (laughter)
Bockenstedt/ (several talking and laughing) ...talk to the State about the reports! (laughs)
Markus/ Well, the ... these are State reports, but what the Council's asking is that we do some sort
of lay- person's report to kind of report out on what the impact of the TIF district has been
and ... and where they stand in terms of, um, how ... how close they are to paying off, uh,
and getting it back on the full tax roll. Those types of things. What's been accomplished
(both talking)
Bockenstedt/ ...we can compress that all down into a memo for you and...
Markus/ Sure.
Bockenstedt/ ...and I think, you know, like this year we have about $210 million increment and
we're only grabbing about $14 million of it. So we're using probably less than 10% of
the increment that's available to be used.
Markus/ And that's exactly the kind of information that they want to hear.
Mims/ Well, and we want the public to hear it too. I think that's really important.
Hayek/ I agree. I ... I think the contextual stuff would really help as well. I mean, they're the raw
numbers which are ... are either hard to understand to the ... to the public or ... or look like a
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lot of money and ... and this is a lot of money, but when you put it in context in terms of
where we are relative to our own policy, uh, on debt and where we are relative to the
constitution of debt limit, you know, and how we stack up in terms of the percentages of
how much we exploit and how we stack up against our neighbors, and I mean I think that
kind of stuff would help because it ... there is so much...
Bockenstedt/ Yeah, we can ... we can pull a report together for you.
Hayek/ And I know I've seen the stuff before.
Mims/ Yeah.
Hayek/ And I think Jim's idea is (both talking)
Throgmorton/ Yeah, if...if I could elaborate just very briefly. I think it'd be very helpful to have
this written in language that a member of the public could understand.
Champion/ Like me!
Throgmorton/ Yeah, like ... like me, like you! (laughs)
Markus/ Well and I think the ... the other thing that came out of the State legislation in the last
year or so is starting to compile information and then be able ... we'll be able to compare
it with other jurisdictions across the state...
Throgmorton/ Right.
Markus/ ...and I think the ... I think the ... the sense that I got from the legislation was that they
were going to take that information and that would then help inform the legislature about
further changes to the TIF legislation that they felt was ... were appropriate to make in the
future. So this kind of just dovetails with that, and we can take that information and
maybe draw some conclusions out of that as well for you, as we go forward with this.
Throgmorton/ Yeah. Great!
Bockenstedt/ We can do that!
Hayek/ Thank you (several talking)
ITEM 4e(2) ANNEXATION ON SYCAMORE STREET — MOTION SETTING A
PUBLIC HEARING FOR DECEMBER 3 ON A RESOLUTION TO ANNEX 44.85
ACRES OF PROPERTY LOCATED ON SOUTH SYCAMORE STREET, SOUTH
OF THE CURRENT CITY LIMITS AND AN ORDINANCE REZONING 15.78
ACRES OF SAID LAND FROM COUNTY RESIDENTIAL (R) ZONE TO
NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC (P -1) ZONE AND 29.07 ACRES OF SAID LAND
FROM COUNTY RESIDENTIAL (R) ZONE TO INTERIM DEVELOPMENT
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RESIDENTIAL SINGLE - FAMILY (ID -RS) ZONE. (ANN13- 00002/REZ13- 00023)
ITEM 4e(3) ANNEXATION ON AMERICAN LEGION ROAD — MOTION
SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR DECEMBER 3 ON A RESOLUTION TO
ANNEX 15.14 ACRES OF PROPERTY LOCATED ON AMERICAN LEGION
ROAD NEAR THE INTERSECTION WITH BARRINGTON ROAD AND AN
ORDINANCE REZONING THE PROPERTY FROM COUNTY AGRICULTURE
(A) ZONE TO NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC (P -1) ZONE. (ANN13- 00003/REZ13-
00025)
Throgmorton/ I ... I don't know if other people have an agenda item they want to bring up. I do
have one other and I'd like to mention, and that has to do with, um, I guess it's Item 4,
what is that an e? I'm trying to read it ... 4e(2), the ... the setting a public hearing on
rezoning and annexing for the south, uh, elementary school site. This is a ... a tremendous
...these two annexations and rezonings are tremendously important for the long -term
future of this city. I think we all know that. We're ... we'll be making eventually... not
with this particular vote but we'll ... we'll be making a decision that has ramifications that
will extend 50 to 100 years in the future. So ... you know, and I ... I'm condemned to have
come into this with an urban planning background, and I know there... there's an
argument in the urban planning literature about how basically new neighborhoods can be
developed in a more sustainable way than neighborhoods are conventionally developed,
and I'm also very aware, especially from talking with Rick, that it's really hard to
communicate that ... that idea. So I'd like to make a suggestion, and the suggestion is that
when ... the, at ... when we get around to really looking carefully at the rezoning ... of the
south elementary school site in particular, that we ask the staff to give us two alternative
scenarios, a minimum of two alternative scenarios. One would be pretty much how we
would normally expect, uh, the neighborhood around that school to develop, and the
other would be something, uh, more consistent with what the urban planning literature
thinks of as new urbanist or neo- traditional or sustainable. Any of those words fit. I
think Jeff and Karen totally understand what I'm referring to. So I'd just like to ask, uh
...uh, you to support that idea of getting at least two alternative images of how ... uh,
especially the site around the south, uh, school could be developed.
Dobyns/ (mumbled) ...and Jeff, I kinda, uh, you know sometimes in the process when I see a
development, I ... I get sort of like by the time I get to see it, it's sort of like one plan, and
I, you know to mangle a phrase, um ... you know from Henry Ford is that, you know, I...
it's okay, Rick, if you consider a plan as long as it's black. Um, and I get one thing to
look at, um, because I was sort of thinking about this plan. My anticipation is that it'll
probably be a nice residential plan, but you know we talk about walkable communities
every once in a while and so I think, you know, is there going to be an opportunity in that
part of town, where there might not be otherwise, a... a larger... a slightly larger
commercial development, and I don't mean like a .... a Kum n' Go gas station. I think
something more extensive that people can walk to, um, and you know that's sometimes
...not is part of the developments that I see. So I guess to dovetail what Jim's saying,
um, it'd be kind of nice, wherever it would be appropriate for Council to take a look, you
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Davidson/ Well that's certainly somebody that's going to have ... there is one principle, main
property owner. Uh, although not exclusively. There's also other interests. Southgate
has interest in, uh, in some of the property down there. Uh, so you know it won't involve
just the Lehman's but certainly will involve the Lehman's, and I guess you know I ... I
don't think it'd be that difficult for us to bring that back to you, have a review of it, and
then maybe see if there's a majority of Council interested in some subtleties.
Dobyns/ (mumbled) ... cause like in my part of town, I mean, I can, uh, go to a coffee house, a
pharmacy, um, a restaurant, a store, um, my school, all within walking distance.
Davidson/ And that would be our goal for this neighborhood as well.
Dobyns/ Okay. So there would be (both talking)
Davidson/ ...is a neighborhood commercial (both talking)
Dobyns/ ... commercial zone there.
Davidson/ ...basically at the intersection of McCol ... the future McCollister Boulevard (both
talking)
Dobyns/ All right, okay.
Davidson/ ...and Sycamore Street, neighborhood commercial zone, with a ... a possible fire
station site as well.
Dobyns/ Okay.
Markus/ But ... but let's be clear about something. I think ... and I think, Jim, (laughs) that area as
proposed has a much more suburban characteristic than for example the Peninsula
development. And if you're talking about a new urbanist approach, I think you're talking
a bit of a... a significant change, from my perspective. If you go out and look at east side
of Iowa City, that tends to have more of a suburban kind of characteristic. And, I ... I
agree that new urbanism is kind of the direction that a lot of development is going in
most jurisdictions now across the country that ... I think recognized the need for
sustainability and energy efficiency and things like that. It's shrinking street dimensions.
It's much more walkable. It's denser, and so that's a characteristic that's probably, I
mean if you get to the level of a Peninsula -type development, I mean, just look at the
characteristics. They're infusing alleys. Streets are a bit narrower. Parking
configurations are different. Mixes of uses are much more profound then you find in a
typical suburban kind of environment. I think that would take a fairly intense effort to
achieve that. If that's where you're going. And I'd also say ... that the school itself, you
know, if you think about Horace Mann School or Longfellow School, and then you look
at the new southside school or the new east side school proposal, they're on acreages.
Right? It has clearly a much more suburban model approach to it than it does the new
urbanist approach, which tend to be more vertical rather than horizontal.
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know, the standard approach, but something might be a little bit more outside of the box
that we can take a look at.
Davidson/ I guess one thing I would like to say, and I do understand exactly what you're talking
about. I mean, we do have a plan, and that's the Comprehensive Plan. And that's
adopted by you all and is supposed to provide the `vision' for that neighborhood down
there. So there is that vision and ... and that's in the South District Plan, and I can tell you
just from my recollection of it, and ... and as we've been working with the property
owners for this new school. You know, we've refreshed our memory, but it shows the
construction of new arterial streets. A neighborhood commercial zone that would be
walkable from the adjacent neighborhoods. A mix of housing types. A mix of residential
densities. Um, you know, there's not any industrial development or anything like that
planned but ... but I guess what I'm saying is there is the existing adopted Comprehensive
Plan that we use as the basis for all these decisions to be made, uh, you know,
subsequently. If that Comprehensive Plan is something you believe should be modified
to change the vision, then that's something we need to get to work on.
Dobyns/ Well that ... that's a big order, to change a whole Comprehensive Plan...
Markus/ Or you can do sub - district plans (both talking) the City's been very (both talking)
Davidson/ ...yeah, I should have said focusing on that one particular...
Dobyns/ Okay!
Davidson/ ... area, we can make modifications.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, and Jeff, we ... we know that the, um, the Comprehensive Plan is kind of
pretty much of a broad brush, provides a broad brush perspective about what should be
done in that area, and what I'm suggesting is we need a little more finer grain detail, not
...not, you know, not architectural renderings, not birds -eye views or something like that,
but just finer grain so ... so we can see ... how, you know, at least two alternative ways of
developing it and...
Davidson/ Since we do have some time, because the zoning will require three readings of, uh, of
the ordinance, uh, maybe we can ... in Planning, can chat with Tom and Geoff and see sort
of maybe how we can bring it back to you preliminarily and ... and get into a little more
detail with it.
Champion/ Well I think the district plans have quite a bit of detail in `em actually.
Davidson/ Uh huh, they do.
Dickens/ Will a little bit depend on the person that owns the land and who's going to develop it?
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Throgmorton/ Yeah, of course, uh, we don't have time to go into great detail about this, but I'm
not advocating you know like six -story buildings or whatever.
Markus/ Oh I know that!
Throgmorton/ But ... but I am suggesting something more along the lines of, uh, what's the name
of the development that Blackstone's in? The ... where we've already talked about
(several talking)
Davidson/ Olde Towne Village.
Throgmorton/ Something kind of...kind of more along those lines, but walkable, you know, in a
sense that you, I'm sure, totally understand. Uh, so that's one thing. With regard to the
schools, I was also going to suggest that we invite a representative of the School District
to come and be prepared to, A ... uh, speak to us and, uh, maybe respond to some
questions.
Davidson/ At the hearing, perhaps?
Throgmorton/ At the hearing perhaps, uh ... uh, with regard to what they envision, and then, Tom,
I don't know, I...15 acres for a school? So I'm hoping there's an opportunity for a joint
City /park.. .
Markus/ We've talked about those issues (both talking) ...issues in combined facilities, and we
talked about ... the potential the City investing in expanding the multi - purpose areas,
just ... we just toured Borlaug School and we ... we have that kind of, uh, background and
information about what they did there and ... uh, I think they ... they tried to do a lot of
interesting things in that school, and I think they ... with some success in my opinion. I
think it's turned out pretty well.
Hayek/ I think these are good conversations to have, but I'm looking at the motion, I mean, the
motion simply sets a hearing on annexation and the current zoning is county residential,
and this would just flip it to interim development residential municipal...
Throgmorton/ Right.
Hayek/ ...so I'm not even sure we're at a point of...zoning. So I'm not sure what the
appropriate juncture (both talking)
Dobyns/ We're just starting the conversation early.
Throgmorton/ Exactly! (several talking and laughing)
Dobyns/ No more discussion from me!
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Hayek/ Uh, all right, other ... agenda items? (several talking)
Dobyns/ Uh, Chris, uh, I had a question about, uh, the Post Office. There are a lot of issues with
it, but some of the, uh...
Mims/ Chris says, `MeT (laughs)
Hayek/ (several talking) ...the Post Office is a standalone agenda item.
Dobyns/ I thought it was on the public. I'm sorry!
Champion/ No, it's in there.
Karr/ The letters, the input...
Dobyns/ Oh, okay! All right, never mind. Sorry, Chris! (several talking)
Throgmorton/ Never mind! (laughter and several talking)
Dobyns/ I repeat, no more discussion from me! (laughs)
ITEM 10. ROOFTOP PATIO EXCEPTION - AMENDING TITLE 4, ALCOHOLIC
BEVERAGES, CHAPTER 2, LIQUOR LICENSES AND BEER PERMITS,
SECTION 2, PREMISE REQUIREMENTS, SUBSECTION B, TO
MODIFY AND CLARIFY THE GROUND FLOOR REQUIREMENT.
(FIRST CONSIDERATION)
Mims/ I have a question on Item # 10. Does that preclude... a restaurant from being on a second
or third floor, I mean...
Champion/ Yeah, I wondered about that!
Mims/ I mean, I can understand the bars, but ... I mean, I just look at some of this like form
zoning that we're doing with River ... with Riverfront Crossings and different areas in the
community and I guess I'm not ... without more reasoning to me, I'm not ready to make a
change that would preclude a restaurant on the second or third floor of a... of a facility.
Dilkes/ Yeah, that code provision provides for restaurants to be (can't hear) from this provision.
That's my recollection.
Champion/ I wondered about the same thing so I guess I want to make sure that that's true, cause
we are ... we actually have a lot of restaurants on the second floors.
Mims/ Yeah, I mean ... the bars fine, but I was concerned if it was going to prevent us from
allowing restaurants.
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Throgmorton/ Yeah, good question.
Dilkes/ We ... there's a restaurant definition that ... and then the restaurant is not included, but if
you ... why don't you go on and I'll try and find that provision.
Mims/ Okay, thank you!
Champion/ I just wanted to point out on the, um ... Consent Calendar that I really enjoyed the
letter from Julie Meyers on floodplains. I thought it was really well written and kind of
opened my eyes to a couple things. I really enjoyed it. (several responding)
ITEM 4f(12) Kelly Mayo: Wording Change in Code governing Pedal Taxis ...
Please [Staff response included]
Mims/ The other one I had, and staff had a response to this. This is 4f(12), the pedicabs.
Champion/ Oh, right!
Mims/ Does Council have any interest in ... looking at that and seeing, I mean, having more
discussion and with staff of...is there a way of ..including the pedicabs? I understand
under the current regulations.
Throgmorton/ I do. Looked pretty interesting to me (both talking)
Mims/ I thought it did!
Throgmorton/ ...potentially. (several talking)
Hayek/ ...look at it, at least.
Mims/ Yeah.
Markus/ I want to see `em going up those hills (laughter)
Mims/ Yeah (laughs)
Dilkes/ Yeah, I can go back to the ... if you look at ... actually the provision that's being amended.
Mims/ Okay.
Dilkes/ Um, it currently includes an exception for restaurants, hotels, motels, private clubs,
theaters, and we're adding the new exception. Um, so restaurants are excluded from that
(both talking)
Mims/ ...okay. All right! Thank you.
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Markus/ (mumbled)
Karr / And if there's a ... a majority of Council interested in researching pedicabs, we certainly...
can take it further. There are some issues about, um, safety, um, on our streets with a
lower, um ... uh ... visible, uh...
Dickens/ Can there be limitations put in to an area (both talking) that they service. I know ... I've
been to cities where they have the smaller little motorcycle cabs that can only go (both
talking)
Karr/ That isn't what she's interested in, but we certainly could take a look at that, yes. She's
interested in... in, at least right now. It's very preliminary, but in more of... of like the
Zipcar concept that would allow people to rent it and drive it in... off the route on errands,
and then bring it back, as well.
Mims/ Oh, really?
Dickens/ (both talking) ...than being a taxi -type service, more of (both talking)
Karr/ Well, it would supplement because (both talking) it's not an inexpensive investment.
Dickens/ No it isn't.
Mims/ Yeah, that's what it sounds like.
Karr/ She was leaving... she's looking at a lot of speculative things right now, um, and so if
there's interest on the part of Council, we certainly can take a look at it and come back.
(several talking)
Hayek/ I mean, if, you know, the safety issues preclude it ultimately (several talking)
Karr/ Well that'll be contained in our recommendation. Sure.
Hayek/ It's intriguing.
Mims/ Yeah, I think it is too.
Karr/ Okay! We can come back.
Mims/ Okay, thank you!
Champion/ We have people riding the bicycles that are low to the ground.
Mims/ Yeah, those recumbent bicycles (several responding)
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Karr/ But they're... they're not licensed by the City and carrying multiple passengers (several
responding and laughing)
Throgmorton/ Though they could be! (laughs) (several talking and laughing)
Champion/ But I think it is a safety issue.
Council Appointments:
Hayek/ Other agenda items? Okay, let's move on to Council appointments. Um ... number of
them here. I think the first one is Board of Adjustment. And...
Throgmorton/ I talked with Erin Shane, uh, several months ago and she has a great background
for this, uh, for this board, uh, having done similar things in, I don't know, Champaign -
Urbana or some such place. Uh, but...
Champion/ Who were the other candidates? I'm sorry, can you tell us?
Throgmorton/ Yeah, um, Chris ... Chris Schalls?
Hayek/ Gene Chrischilles. (several talking) ... who ... who's serving an unexpired term.
Champion/ Right!
Throgmorton/ Yeah, so...
Mims/ So we got just one spot?
Champion/ Yes.
Dickens/ One spot for two people.
Mims/ Yeah, typically we've given people the opportunity to re -up, and particularly (both
talking)
Champion/ ...year and a half.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, and I think it's appropriate here. I'm just saying that she...
Dickens/ She looked like she has great qualifications (several talking)
Dobyns/ I think Shane had really good qualifications. (several talking)
Dickens/ ...something opens up it'd be nice.
Dobyns/ I think that'd be a good choice.
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Hayek/ For this spot? (several talking)
Dickens/ ...re- upping the other person.
Champion/ Yes. I can't pronounce his name. Gene!
Dobyns/ Chrischilles.
Champion/ Yeah, whatever you said!
Mims/ Yeah, I'm ... I guess given ... our typical history of.. we have trouble getting people to do
it, and if they've volunteered to do it and done a good job, I have a problem kicking them
off.
Champion/ I always check like the attendance record too and (both talking)
Mims/ Yeah, so do I.
Champion/ ...he had good attendance.
Mims/ Now if they do two terms then I think it's time (both talking)
Champion/ Right, then it's time to change.
Dickens/ So....I would stick with Gene myself.
Mims/ I would too.
Hayek/ Yeah, I think I would too. Just ... for those reasons. (several talking)
Dickens/ ...you've got somebody interested, and it's not that she's not qualified. We just like
to...
Throgmorton/ If there's some way to, uh, encourage her to reapply, you know, when there's
another opening, that would be great.
Karr/ We always in the letter acknowledge the fact we keep it 90 days and encourage them to
watch and...
Mims/ Okay.
Karr/ ...reapply. So re -up, reappoint Gene? (several responding)
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Hayek/ Okay. Uh ... next item is Historic Preservation. There's a little confused cause I think
the ... the appli ... the Northside was in the Jefferson Street and vice versa, but I think the
application from Thomas Agran is for the Northside (both talking)
Champion/ Northside, it's for the Northside!
Hayek/ Any concerns about that? (several responding) One person and one spot.
Throgmorton/ Good appointment, I think.
Dobyns/ It gets harder! (laughs)
Hayek/ Okay, the next item is Human Rights.
Champion/ Well again, Orville and Finn ... Finnerty have ... have been on. They've had ... both of
`em had one term. I think they've done a good job. They're certainly qualified.
Dobyns/ I ... I did want to speak about, uh, Mr. Ahmed, urn ... I mean I really, knowing the growth
and the interest in the Sudanese community, um, in our town, I mean, I'm really happy to
see a representative. I, um, I realize there are some other really good applicants, as well,
but I just wanted to speak to, um, how I thought it'd be really good to have a... a member
of the Sudanese community put up as part of this commission. I think (several talking)
Throgmorton/ I agree, but I ... I'm trying to remember and maybe Marian could help us with this,
uh, one of our recent appointees was a Sudanese?
Hayek/ That's CPRB I believe.
Karr/ Citizens Police Review Board.
Throgmorton/ Oh, sorry, okay!
Dobyns/ I know they come off ...go off and on quickly on this so it's hard to keep track.
Dickens/ I checked with that Eddie that applied too and she'd been in ... on one in Indiana, I
believe, for quite a few years, so we've got a lot of qualified people (several talking)
Throgmorton/ Yeah, Finnerty and Townsend have done really good work. They're, uh, on that
commission and ... they've only been on for one term. (several talking)
Dickens/ So if we're following our ... normal protocol we should...
Champion/ Well, as long as they've done a good job (several talking) and attendance is good.
(several talking)
Dickens/ ... and they've attended.
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Hayek/ I do think though ... I ... I think Rick's point is well taken on ... on ... on the diversity issue,
uh, on this commission and with inclusion of, uh, the ... the Sudanese community, you
know, I think we have an opportunity with that Ahmed applicant.
Dobyns/ I guess...
Hayek/ I think Orville (both talking)
Dobyns/ ...lobbying for, uh, I mean, I think Orville and uh, Ahmed would be really good. That's
my lobby.
Mims/ I was looking at who we've got on there.
Hayek/ I'd be okay with that.
Throgmorton/ Well, I ... I'd be willing to go along with that, but I'd be ... I'd find it impossible to
choose between Diane and ... and Orville. That'd be very hard for me, you know, but I'd
be willing to go along with your suggestion. But...
Dobyns/ (both talking)
Throgmorton/ ... in choosing.
Dobyns/ ...I mean, I mean, you know...
Champion/ Well this is a large commission and there's openings quite frequently on it, actually.
Dobyns/ Yeah.
Mims/ Do you know off the top of your head when the next appointment... okay. (several
talking) Thank you.
Throgmorton/ It's going to be pretty soon. (several talking)
Dickens/ Usually it's on the sheet, their attendance sheet.
Karr/ I think it's on the attendance sheet, um ... 15. The next regular scheduled is a year away.
They're staggered. January of 15. So roughly nine months.
Dickens/ Year from January, 13 months or 14 months.
Mims/ Before anybody would be going off? If they don't resign.
Dickens/ Unless they resign.
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Karr/ Unless they resign, yeah. But we would advertise it about three months out, so about nine
months away.
Hayek/ Well let's make a decision one way or the other.
Champion/ Well I want to keep those two just because they're doing a good job and I'm not
going to chose one of `em.
Dobyns/ And I'm going to still recommend Orville. Ahmed, I think you know the old
established with you know someone we know with someone who I think could really
make some, you know, go into some other areas as far as representation.
Mims/ Given those reasons, I can support that. I mean it's not what we typically do in terms of
giving people a second term but given the importance of this committee and ... and the
diversity of the committee itself, um ... I could go with that.
Hayek/ So that's ... I count three.
Mims/ Speak up, Terry!
Dickens/ I'm still staying with the originals.
Champion/ Me too.
Dickens/ Original two. Not that I don't think this gentleman's... and I ... my brother lives up in
Minneapolis, and their Sudanese population has just exploded up there and I know
they're getting more and more representation up there. I'm ... I just think he needs to
wait, if we're following our regular ... I think he'd be very good.
Mims/ Uh huh.
Dickens/ I would wait until the next opening.
Throgmorton/ Rick, I ... this is very hard for me because I ... I have worked so much with Diane
and Orville.
Dobyns/ Uh huh.
Throgmorton/ And ... and because I think they've done such a good job with the Human
Relations Commission.
Dobyns/ Oh that's okay! I won't cry! (laughter)
Throgmorton/ So I'd, you know, I'd really rather see them reappointed and ... and the other
gentleman (both talking)
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Dickens/ Work his way in.
Throgmorton/ ...next time up.
Mims/ Okay.
Hayek/ So that's three to three. I ... I think that we just go with the incumbents.
Mims/ Okay.
Karr/ Diane and Orville?
Mims/ Yep.
Dickens/ Yes.
Hayek/ Just a second, let me write this down. Um ... next item is Parks and Rec.
Throgmorton/ Why not appoint all three applicants?
Hayek/ Uh ... (several talking) ...two male...
Dobyns/ Two male, so I'd go (several talking)
Hayek/ ... cause I can say Larry Brown would be fantastic (several talking)
Champion/ I mean, can you believe it? (laughs)
Hayek/ He's got some great ideas for expanding our Parks and Rec programming, uh, to reach
out to underprivileged kids, uh, more than we do now.
Mims/ That's been a big thing of his even when he was an AD at ... at, uh (both talking)
Champion/ ... City High.
Mims/ ...at City High, yeah. (several talking) Yep! Well (several talking) but making sure all
kids had the opportunity to participate (several talking)
Throgmorton/ Did I misread it? I thought there were three applicants for three (both talking)
Mims/ But only two male requirements, right, and we've got two males (both talking)
Throgmorton/ Two male requirement (both talking)
Mims/ ... so we can do all three, right?
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Throgmorton/ Yeah, so there are two (several talking)
Hayek/ I believe you're right, Jim!
Champion/ I thought there were only two!
Karr/ Two males (several talking) gender requirement; three vacancies.
Dickens/ ... and then one was (both talking)
Mims/ So we can repla ... we can appoint all three!
Dobyns/ We want to make it hard! (laughs)
Dickens / Why would we make it easy? (laughter)
Karr/ You did good! (laughter)
Dickens/ I think we should put `em all three in! (laughter and several talking)
Hayek/ Great! l lk is, uh, Senior Center Commission.
Dickens/ Uh, Mr. Honohan!
Mims/ He's the only one!
Dickens/ Expressed, well and he expressed he really would like to do it again.
Mims/ Yeah.
Champion/ I mean people love him over there!
Mims/ Well, there's multiple openings and he's the only applicant and so why wouldn't we?
Champion/ Nobody's... everybody's afraid to run against him!
Mims/ But there's more than one opening, wasn't there?
Throgmorton/ I ... I'm going to speak against this.
Karr/ One.
Throgmorton/ Uh, though I have enormous respect for Jay and he's...
Karr/ There are two, there's one unexpired and one full.
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Throgmorton/ ... but ... but not two applicants, right? (several responding) So what ... I'm going
to speak against it because he served five terms.
Champion/ I know it! (laughs)
Throgmorton/ All right, and... and we, in our last meeting we, I think it's the last meeting, we
talked about how in principle we did not want to reappoint anybody to more than two
consecutive terms, and five terms for a ... a commission position is ... I ... I think just too
much and so he would ... would have ... will have been there for 18 years.
Mims/ I would entirely agree with you if we had more applicants than there were positions.
Absolutely, totally agree with you.
Throgmorton/ Yeah.
Mims/ But when we have trouble filling these slots, and you've got (both talking)
Dickens/ (mumbled)
Mims/ ...somebody who's very good and wants to continue doing it, I can't see turning them
down.
Dobyns/ He'd be the first one, Jim, to be not considered... if there was anybody else to consider.
Mims/ Yeah.
Throgmorton/ Well, I ... I ... I think (both talking)
Dobyns/ ...but I understand the principle!
Champion/ I think there's always exceptions.
Throgmorton/ It would be good to open... open things up more so that other people know they..
if the Commission's going to be viable, they need to apply, instead of kind of assuming
that Jay will do it.
Dobyns/ Yeah.
Throgmorton/ Anyhow, that... that's...
Dobyns/ It smacks of anybody but you! (laughs) Because with his service, but yeah, I mean, by
not appointing him we ... do we create an incentive for other people to fill (several
talking)
Dickens/ There's still openings (both talking)
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Dobyns/ Yeah, there's still openings so ... but that isn't the issue.
Dickens/ ... City Attorney here so he's very well versed on a lot of things (several talking)
Dobyns/ It isn't about Jay. It's about the issue. I got that (several talking)
Dickens/ ...but I'd, you know, he applied and we ... we have such a hard time getting people to
even apply that...
Mims/ Yep.
Dickens/ ... and ... and if somebody comes up and applies, Jay would be probably willing to step
down if there's more than...
Dobyns/ Does he want to be on an Airport Commission? (laughter)
Throgmorton/ The Board of Zoning (several talking)
Dickens/ No, I understand with the number of years but when you have somebody that really
wants to do it ... and has been good at it.
Champion/ Oh my gosh! He's been so good at it!
Hayek/ Okay. So I think we've ... uh, reached consensus on that. Um, all right, that's it for
Council appointments.
Champion/ No, no!
Throgmorton/ Public Arts thing.
Hayek/ Oh, well ... well, we can't because (several talking and laughing) So...
Throgmorton/ Well and ... and maybe we could, you know, formally request it.
Hayek/ Well, like in the example of Bill, will he be told why we (mumbled)
Karr/ Yes! Bill is aware of it.
Hayek/ Okay.
Dickens/ And then after a certain time?
Karr/ 90 days.
Champion/ Right.
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Dickens/ (mumbled)
Karr/ It's an automatic.
Dickens/ ...then he can...
Karr/ Uh huh.
Hayek/ All right! Let's move on to the Post Office relocation issue.
Discussion of the Iowa City Main Post Office Relocation:
ITEM 4d(13) POST OFFICE RELOCATION - ENCOURAGING THE UNITED
STATED POSTAL SERVICE TO CONSIDER ADDITIONAL SITE LOCATIONS
FOR THEIR RETAIL CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATIONS
ITEM 4f(4) Barb Bland; Mel Sunshine; Jean Hood; Jim Surratt; Randall Jones;
Greg Schmidt; Linda Schreiber; Jean Robinson; William Downing; Diane Demers;
Jim Walters; Holly Hart; Sonia Ettinger; Nancy Smith: Post Office Relocation [See
agenda item # 4d(12)]
Throgmorton/ What a bad idea!
Champion/ Shooting themselves in the foot!
Throgmorton/ Why are they doing this? Yeah.
Hayek/ Yeah, who's taking this up? (several talking)
Throgmorton/ Yeah, are we just going to talk about it amongst ourselves (several talking)
O'Brien/ I can go through the memo if you want or if you can just ... if you think it's pretty self -
explanatory.
Dickens/ I had Jody Braverman call me, and you know, he's worried cause it's his property
down there that they're looking at and he's worried that the perception is that it's not a
good area and I don't think that's... that's really not the issue here. It's a matter of
walkability. You've got (mumbled) that person that wrote the letter, about 30,000
students (mumbled) your central business district. They said they were going to keep it
downtown and the suddenly... it's down there. I mean, his property down there is ... it's
...it's a nice place down there but ... but for the good of most of the citizens, if we're
really talking about walkability, bikeability, urn ... it just doesn't make sense to move it all
the way out there. Yes, parking, but that just leads to more driving and...
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Dobyns/ (mumbled) to Jeff about, you know, because a lot of these stores will have post office
substations, so I was trying to get a sense of, you know, what do they have in a, you
know, a HyVee or (mumbled) substation.
Champion/ But they're more expensive.
Dobyns/ Oh I know but I'm asking what ... what they have and in terms of (several talking)
Dickens/ ...I went in there, they won't take express. They won't take most of the stuff that we
need to use on a regular basis, just so I was checking with other people and basically
they'll send books and letters, but not much more than that. They really don't want to do
registered and everything else that a lot of people need or pick up mail and...
Dobyns/ And I ... and I recognize the issues of downtown and the University. Um, I mean I think
there's (mumbled) passport, um, which I think is important to the University international
community. Um, and I realize the Downtown District, but then again, um, parking in the
current site is less problematic than it would be in that site.
Champion/ I've never had any problem with parking ... if you just wait a minute.
Dobyns/ Well, um, I mean it would be more parking downtown, and I was ... I was frankly a little
bit offended by the allusions of that part of town is not an acceptable part of town. I think
(several talking) peeved me off! Um, and Chris! No, I'm kidding (laughs) So, but there
was also some discussion about transportation to the area, and I realize there are other
issues, but there was a sense that we can't get down...
Dickens/ Took two buses to the (both talking)
Dobyns/ ...new site and I assume, you know, can you speak to any facilitation ... should a site,
and there's a reasonable chance that they're going to do what they're going to do, if a site
goes into the area how we might facilitate transport.
O'Brien/ Yeah, we have three buses that service that area currently, um, Broadway, Lakeside,
Cross Park that service the Pepperwood Plaza area, um ... if...if the desire was to add
capacity, yes, certainly with other, um, playing around with the current resources we have
and readjusting what goes where, or uh, adding additional resources through additional
routes to have more frequent service. That ... that could be accommodated.
Dobyns/ Yeah.
O'Brien/ Yeah, like we have ... uh, Lakeside's out there every 30 minutes during peak time, as is
the Broadway (clears throat) and then the Cross Park picks up during off - peaks. So really
it's like the Broadway providing 30- minute service all day long.
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Champion/ The problem with them moving there, they're out of the central business district.
They're moving out of ..people who walk to the Post Office to get their mail. They have
mailboxes, what do ya call `em, inside?
Dickens/ Yeah, post office box.
Champion/ Post office box — thank you! And I ... I think it's a real disservice to the community
not to have it in a central location, and I understand why they want to get out of that
federal building. It's all empty and they're paying this huge amount of rent.
Dickens/ 700,000 or more, whatever ... I thought I heard 700,000.
Champion/ Yeah, it's some huge amount of money! And...
Dickens/ Don't quote me on that!
Champion/ I won't quote you on it. So I don't know ... where else they can go, I mean, I
understand they want to get out of there, I mean, why don't ... I don't ... I don't know what
to tell them except I don't want `em to move. I think it's a disservice to the community.
I think their business will fall.
Throgmorton/ I think it will too.
Champion/ Appreciably!
Mims/ Oh yeah, I think so (several talking)
Dickens/ ...find alternatives ways. I mean, there's some things that you can only use a Post
Office for, but there's... there's a lot of alternatives (both talking)
Champion/ There's a lot of alternatives out there.
Dickens/ ... (mumbled)
Throgmorton/ So who ... who owns the building, the GSA?
Champion/ Yeah, right.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, so...
Markus/ We do.
Throgmorton/ Huh? (laughter and several talking) So who are they going to rent it to?
Champion/ Nobody! They'll just let it sit like those two empty lots they have (noises on mic)
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Hayek/ Well it's a spat not a ... it's ... it's a fight between two federal agencies when it comes
down to it.
Throgmorton/ Yeah.
Hayek/ I think ... I think we ... we owe it to the public to send this letter, this resolution.
Throgmorton/ Oh absolutely!
Champion/ Definitely! (several responding)
Hayek/ Um, I think... keeping it downtown is right for the reasons you guys have ... have
indicated. I think we have very little control over this, um, you know, we were here in
this room when they came and ... toward the end of summer and talked about what they
were going to do and said that it was going to be in the vicinity of downtown. I don't ...I
don't, you know, I don't think those people...
Throgmorton/ They don't have a clue?
Hayek/ ...were misleading us but I don't think they call the shots and, uh, they're going to do
what they're going to do, and you know, we've got this sort of well, if you can't at least
have a satellite location. Well, they just gave up their satellite location off of Washington
Street and ... and even if they did do that, there's nothing that prevents them from closing
that after two years even if they were to do it. So ... it's a really frustrating situation!
Mims/ Well it is cause, I mean, I think if they move their... whatever sorting they do there and
their trucks and all that stuff somewhere else and ... had kept that one open on Washington
Street or opened one back up there, I think they would be so busy. Because like so many
of these letter writers said, any time I have gone into the Post Office I've waited in line.
And it's not uncommon to have five or six people ... you don't wait a long time.
Dickens/ No, you have to put in enough money to be there 20 minutes to a half hour.
Mims/ Yeah! But I mean depending on the time of day or whatever, you might have five people
ahead of you; you might have a dozen people ahead of you. It is always busy in there,
and...
Dickens/ Yeah.
Mims/ ...like you say, a lot of those people I think are walking there, um ... and certainly for the
businesses downtown, I think it's important that they have a retail presence downtown.
Hayek/ But, you know, it's a broken (both talking)
Mims/ I know!
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Hayek/ ...broken organization. They're getting hammered by Congress. They're getting
hammered by the private sector. I doubt that at the forefront of their decision - making is
what's best for...
Mims/ No, because ... I mean, this is irrelevant here, but they're getting hammered by Congress,
but Congress won't let `em cut out Saturday delivery, I mean ... so that's about the most
ridiculous thing in the world. They'd save tons of money right there.
Champion/ And nobody in the world has Saturday delivery but us.
Mims/ Yeah.
Champion/ It's ... it's just ridiculous.
Mims/ ... go Monday, Wednesday, Friday and (several talking)
Dickens/ Does it say anything about ... it's not an issue with the area that they're looking at, as far
as ... being a good area, but I mean it's not what they had promised and it's not what we
really want ... want to keep. I'm just looking at it as a Pepperwood area, that you don't
want to...
Hayek/ Oh, no, that (several talking)
Dickens/ ....says anything in this or not about that or not.
Hayek/ I think it'd be good for the Pepperwood area (several talking)
Dickens/ Absolutely.
Hayek/ ...but in the aggregate... taking the 30,000 foot view, I think ... it's better to be more
central.
Dickens/ Exactly!
Hayek/ (mumbled)
Mims/ ...trucks down there and keep your retail downtown. (laughs)
Throgmorton/ Let's do what we can.
Mims/ Yeah.
Hayek/ All right. So ... we'll adopt the resolution (both talking)
Champion/ ...closed that one downtown. That was busy too ... all the time!
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Hayek/ Okay, next item is our, uh, Riverfront Crossings form -based code presentation.
Riverfront Crossings Form -Based Code Presentation by Staff-
Davidson/ Couple of Council meetings ago I think it was Rick brought up having read in the
meeting minutes of Planning and Zoning Commission about a presentation that Karen
had made to the Commission and we are delighted to be able to make that presentation to
you, uh, this evening. Urn ... the form -based code for Riverfront Crossings has been an
enormous undertaking for the Planning Department and we're really, really pleased that
we're on the brink of having it to the Planning and Zoning Commission, and then to you.
Uh, it's going through the final staff review. Basically we've taken it just from out of the
Planning Department to the other City departments, uh, and we're ... we've received
comments and Karen is making the, uh, the final revisions on that. Urn ... you know,
there's already, uh, a tremendous amount of buzz and speculation and energy around
Riverfront Crossings. We're seeing the first significant projects, uh, starting to happen.
Um ... there's one in Planning and Zoning that will be coming, uh, to you shortly. Uh,
and I know some of you attended the groundbreaking for the Midwest One project. So
we're ... we're really, really pleased about all the buzz and energy. Uh, I will tell you we
went through an exercise, uh, that we ... we had to go through for a, uh, a grant application
that we've applied for to have the demo and mitigation of the north wastewater treatment
plan and enable us to start some of the park planning down there. Uh, and we took the
yield analysis from the plan, uh, which basically shows what can be done, and it showed
over 400 million potential, uh, increase in property, uh, valuations, property tax
valuations, if the Riverfront Crossings plan is implemented... according to that plan,
which you have adopted. And that's where the form -based code comes in. And, uh,
what I wanted to do just at the beginning of the presentation here was emphasize how
extremely important this is because what it does is implement the vision. Um, you know,
right now we are at a critical, critical point in that these initial projects will set the tone
for the area. (several responding) And I think so far... so good and in terms of making
sure that that, uh, that what is happening is, um, consistent with that, and a lot of credit
goes to Bob and Karen because preliminarily to this being implemented by you, we've
had to kind of, uh, come up with what we think it will be, uh, to get some of these other
projects going, and when the capital, uh, budget comes to you in January, you will see
some really critical, uh, public sector catalyst projects in terms of the infrastructure that
we can put in, the park being an obvious one but also some other things, uh, that ... that
again enable the vision to take place. What's critically, critically important and all of you
will ultimately determine, uh, is the ... the form -based code and the design standards that
go with it exactly what our will is going to be in terms of implementing those. We all
know, uh, there are some examples in the community right now of individuals who have
kind of gone to the lowest common denominator, uh, when it comes to ... to implementing
projects, uh, and, you know, I think in some cases those can, uh, negatively impact the
adjoining area and affect, again, that overall vision that we want to see, uh, for what...
that we want to see for what happens down there. So, uh, Karen's going to walk you
through this quickly. Certainly any questions you have, what we're trying to do this
evening is familiarize you with what's to come, uh, and uh ... let's all watch the
presentation!
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Howard/ So this is ... this is based on the ... the, uh, presentation that I gave to P &Z, and also we
presented up at the APA conference in ... the American Planning Association conference
in Cedar Rapids, as well, cause I think a lot of communities are kind of going this
direction with form -based zoning. Um, as Jeff said, there's a number of things that we're
relying on in order to realize the vision of the Riverfront Crossings districts, not only, um,
the public investments that are going on, both by the City and the University of Iowa, um,
but then also we've made it an urban renewal district so there's financial incentives
available, and then of course what we're talking about today is ... is the new zoning that
will facilitate that. Uh, right now, there's... there's two kinds of zoning that we talk
about. Traditional zoning, um, and form -based zoning. Traditional zoning is based
mostly on separating uses. Separating residential, commercial, industrial zones, um, into
separate areas. Uh, form -based zoning is based more on the form of the building, the
building's placement on the lot, and how that private space meets the public space along
the pu ... uh, public street. Um, right now in Iowa City we would have what you would
call a hybrid zoning code because we have a lot of form -based elements in our code right
now, um, along with the use -based zones. We have residential zones, multi - family zones,
commercial zones, industrial zones, but within those, particularly in the Central Business
District, we have a neighborhood commercial zone, our mixed -use zone, um, which we
don't have very much of, and then our multi - family zones all have what you consider
form -based elements in them. We have things like, um, ground -floor storefront windows
required in the downtown. Um, in our multi - family zones we don't allow parking lots to
be in front of the building anymore. We changed that a number of years ago. So there's
a lot of things ... are somewhat similar in our central areas, um, to what we have in our
code now. It just is a different type of format, um, and adds a little more ... flushes that
out a bit more. We do already have a form -based zoning code in Iowa City, and that's
the code that goes along with the Peninsula development, and that was adopted through a
planned development process. In this particular case, in Riverfront Crossings, we're
talking more about applying a form -based code in an existing developed area with the
intention of transforming that area into a more walkable, mixed -use, urban neighborhood
over time. There's many property owners in this area, so it's much different than the
Peninsula where you have one master developer. Um, here we're not expecting things to
get built tomorrow, and the City is certainly not the developer, um, that's also somewhat
of a misunderstanding in the public is that the idea this code gets in place and it facilitates
private investment and private development to occur. Um, form -based codes are ... are
also calibrated or customized to address the local context. So for example, um, this is
just a spectrum showing from rural to urban, most urban. Obviously New York City's
going to look different than Iowa City. Um, so it's ... New York City's the most urban
zone, um, while its downtown core is its most urban zone, it's going to look much
different than downtown Iowa City. Uh, form -based code all ... also always has a
regulating plan which is based on the vision plan that you've already adopted. So it
specifies primary street frontages. In other words where the building should face. Um,
building heights, uh, important parks and open space areas, and any specific conditions or
special requirements that you have for your particular character that you're trying to
create. And then a lot of it has to do with build... building placement and parking
location. In this more urban area of Iowa City, um, all these ... we have... we're... have
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the benefit of having already a ... a very, um ... uh, block system that's already in place
with alleys, um, and short block lengths. So it's very uniform. So it ... it, uh, lends itself
really well to this type of...of zoning. Uh, and then there's a diagram in the code about
building heights and you can just see here, generally a transition from ... from close to
downtown being the highest, um, transitioning to other parts of Riverfront Crossings and
also the west side of the river, um, obviously would have a different character. Um, there
are uses listed in ... in the form -based code. So you still have land uses — they're just less
important. The idea is that this is all a mixed -use area, and so it's about how to mix those
uses carefully so that they all function well together. So, um, you can have both
residential and commercial in the same area. You can mix `em in a building both
vertically, like we have downtown with commercial on the ground floor and residential
above, or you can have a multi - family building right next to a building that has some
commercial in it. Um, you can also have a building that has both residential and
commercial on the same floor. Maybe some face a different direction. So there's a lot of
variety here and a lot of things (both talking)
Dickens/ Does that make it a little tougher to say what you want here and what you want here
then? Do you get into more legal by doing it that way or not?
Howard/ Well, I think the idea is that you build the building so it's flexible for lots of different
types of uses over time. And so then it's more market - based. In other words, right down
...in downtown in some of the areas in south downtown area, um, you may have heard
this ... this complaint. Downtown is our commercial core, so we want commercial on the
ground floor. As you transition south, we're expecting most of that to be residential in
nature, but there might be some areas, say around the ... the train depot, if that ... if the
train ever does come to Iowa City that there might be some market there for a little bit of
commercial. Um ... so we would let then the market decide, if somebody comes in and
builds a new building, they want to do mixed use building there — that's great, but they
then have to build it to accommodate commercial on the ground floors. They'd have to
meet the building code requirements for commercial. And then it would allow any uses
over time to mix within that building.
Dickens/ All right.
Howard/ Uh, a new term in form -based code is `frontage condition,' and this I think is one of the
most important parts of the form -based code. When you talk about the frontage condition
you talk about the transition from that public space along the street to the private space
inside the building, from indoor to outdoor at the main entrance, and that that design
treatment of that first story building fagade. Um, it's really how people experience cities,
especially more urban areas. It's really important to get those frontage conditions, um,
correct. Um, it's important that first story, um, it makes comfortable for walking, makes
it attractive, perhaps even makes it a place that will become beloved in the community
and (mumbled) place people will want to live ... for long -term, not just short- term...
housing. So there's different frontage types listed, and it really is based on the type of
building that you build. If you build a mixed -use building, um, you might want to have a
storefront frontage, like we have downtown. And this is the kind of thing that we see all
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over downtown, storefront frontages. An urban flex frontage is going to allow us to have
a little less openness, maybe more suitable to office types of uses, in areas that aren't
suitable really for retail. Uh, a four court frontage is a ... is a frontage where you set
the ... the building back from the street and create a little front courtyard and that area can
be used for lots of things — public art, fountains, um, maybe a little, urn ... areas. Here's a
couple different examples. The one, uh, over here is a residential, you know, u- shaped
apartment building. Uh, the one here is a mixed -use building that has, um, both
commercial and residential in the building. We're calling a portico frontage is basically a
large stoop. Uh, a large stoop with a, um, this would be appropriate for multi - family
buildings, and there's... there's... there are specific dimensions to all these things that are
more detailed in the code, but this just gives you a general sense of what we're talking
about. Here's some examples of portico frontages. Stoop frontage is just, you know,
classic worldwide stoop leading up to a residential. This would be a ... appropriate for
individual like townhouse type developments, um, or individual doors to individual units
within a multi - family building. Obviously it's not appropriate for commercial
development, so you wouldn't want to do this for a mixed -use building. So you can see
how the ... the frontage type is really dependent on the building type and what you're
trying to achieve in that particular location. And it doesn't have anything to do with
architectural style. You can have modern; you can have traditional buildings. These are
all examples of stoop frontages. Terraced frontage is just a raised platform that's out in
front so you can create a... sort of a... an outdoor living room for individual dwelling
units. More typically you see this with ... with townhouse type development. Here's a
couple, uh, photos of...of nice, uh, terraced frontages. Uh, then your classic porch
frontage. We don't have much, uh, in Riverfront Crossings that really lends itself to
single - family cottages, but in the far eastern part, in that Gilbert Street district there's a
little ... as it interfaces with the neighborhood to the east. So we do have ... we do have the
porch frontage. And then in the code there's building types, and each building type then
would have appropriate frontage types. So I'll just run through those quickly, but here's
the building types that then would be allowed in Riverfront Crossings. Your cottage
home; a row house, which has basically, um, attached single - family homes, uh, with a
rear yard and garages off an alley; townhouse is a little bit more urban. You've got
parking, what they call parking muse so there's no rear yard. Um, this is an example.
We just had one built right up the street here on Washington Street; um, the townhouse is
there. Have a parking muse in the back. Uh, live -work townhouses. You can have a
commercial component on the ... on the first floor, and also live in the same unit. So
that's a new thing that we ... we don't allow in Iowa City right now are live -work units, so
this code will ... will allow those in Riverfront Crossings. And then your classic
apartment building with ... urn ... uh, parking underground. We have a lot of that in Iowa
City, um, given our... our lot and block structure. And then a multi - dwelling building,
which is basically any configuration of an apartment building, whether it's L- shaped or
bar - shaped or C- shaped or U- shaped, um ... and all these would have to then have a
certain type of frontage.
Hayek/ Karen, so this, uh, from this, uh, list of multiple approaches one could take, are those
being, urn ... assigned to different areas of Riverfront Crossings, or ... is what you're
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describing something that could be done anywhere. You just pick the one you want to
develop (both talking)
Howard/ So for each sub - district, the ... the Riverfront Crossings is ... is divided into sub - districts.
You can see that in the plan. So there's a south downtown area which is intended to be
the extension of downtown, so more urban. So there's different requirements in that area,
and then different building types. So it wouldn't be appropriate, for example, to put a
cottage home in the south downtown area. So yeah, there will be some rules (both
talking) about where things could go. And then your class mixed -use building, which is
what we have a lot of in the downtown area. With commercial on the ground floor and
apartments above, or you could mix it with office, as well. Commercial, office,
residential above. And then we might get some standalone, uh, office buildings,
commercial buildings. Uh, the Midwest One building is a standalone commercial
building that has no residential component on the upper floors. Uh, and then a new...
new concept here, um, a liner building. It's a building basically that fronts on a... to hide
a parking ... a mid -block parking structure. Um ... and you see those in a lot of bigger
cities, so you can't really see the parking structure behind it. Here's an example that
we're talking to Midwest One about, putting a City parking ramp behind these
townhomes on, uh, Dubuque and Harrison Street ... in Riverfront Crossings. Uh, and then
of course there may be civic or institutional buildings in Riverfront Crossings, um, in the
future. And then the code contains a lot of general requirements that would apply across
...across the district. Um, things like how does this private ... how does the private lot
then interface with the public. So you can hear... see this line here, this is all considered
the private frontage then. How that private space meets the public space along the City
street, and obviously a residential frontage would be different than a commercial
frontage. Residential frontage, if it's that close to the public sidewalk, you want a little
privacy, so often those are raised up a little bit above the sidewalk, whereas commercial
frontage you want to be able to walk right in and see right in, um...
Mims/ Is there a requirement, Karen, on those? That are residential, that they be set up, I mean,
as I was looking at some of those I'm like none of this design works for handicap people.
Um...
Howard/ Yeah, there will be accommodations for that and as you move further south in, um...
Riverfront Crossings, also the setbacks are a little bit more extensive. Um, and then there
is ways with multi - family buildings that you can have basically an at -grade entrance.
Um, now the floor level on the first level units might be raised up and you can ... you can
achieve that level inside the building then.
Mims/ Okay.
Throgmorton/ Yeah, good question though.
Howard/ Uh, and then as Jeff mentioned, there'll be some basic building design standards,
building articulation, entranceway requirements. Um, we have a whole table of building
materials so we make sure we have high - quality building materials and how they mix on
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there. That was a table that we got from ... the City of Madison just recently adopted a
form -based code in their downtown area, and we thought that ... they had a pretty good
solution for that so ... we're taking some guidance from them. Um, roof design, signage
standards that are appropriate for these kind of urban neighborhoods, and then some other
general things that are just specific to Riverfront Crossings. We've created something
called a "pedestrian street," um ... uh, because there are certain areas where, uh, for
example, this is in the south district, south, um, south Gilbert district where we have the
new Riverfront Park, we want people to be able to get from Gilbert Street over to the new
park, so we ... we've created, um, these pedestrian streets in the plan. In order to
implement that and allow this type of development to occur, these need to be designed as
streets so that the ... the units can front on then that street. So we've just created a new
type ... type of street. Um, and then another thing that there's been a lot of discussion
because this is a college town and we tend to ... to have a lot of short-term renters and so
less thought about making, um, our urban housing, um, you know, all the amenities that
might go along to attracting a more permanent population, uh, things like, uh, usable
open space on the site itself. Now in an urban building that can mean a lot of things.
You can talk about something that's rear -yard space. You can talk about a courtyard.
You might have a fore -court like we were talking about before, um ... upper floor terraces,
roof -top gardens are all ... would be appropriate in these locations, and so there's a whole
set of standards that says what's appropriate and what's not, um, and requires a certain
minimum amount of open space then per ... if there's residential proposed on the property.
So that's something new as well. And then ... there's building heights mentioned in ea...
in each of the sub - districts, but uh, we've created a menu of bonus height for partis...
particular things that we're interested in implementing the Riverfront Crossings plan. So
things of public benefit, um ... uh, or things that we're trying to achieve, for example,
we're going to need some extra right -of -way in certain spots, like along south Gilbert
Street. I think we need almost 30 -feet of right -of -way in order to achieve that pedestrian -
oriented frontage on Gilbert Street, which is not very pedestrian- oriented now. So, um,
this just creates an incentive for people to transfer property to the City to create those
public spaces, uh, and then they get the bonus height in exchange for that. So there's...
there's different... bonus height type standards that we're ... that we're, uh, developing for
things that we want to see — hotel space, maybe class A office space, um, all ... all kinds of
goals that we're trying to achieve down here.
Hayek/ Have you given ... or has this process given thought to as you look at bonuses and what
we're trying to encourage, what the obvious market forces are, you know, especially with
... with ... with the student housing and things like that, how ... how we, I mean, cause you
talk about how the first few developments are really going to set the tone, you know
what's to stop a ton of, you know ... student housing that... that... that, um, that we ... that
we see elsewhere and that really dominates other por ... parts of our downtown rushing in
and ... and setting the tone in ways that might off -set the balance or upset the balance
we're hoping to strike.
Howard/ Well that's going to be a little tricky, cause we do have a really strong market force
there for student housing and ... and as you recall, the changes we made in the sensitive
neighborhoods surrounding to the north and east of...of downtown Iowa City, um... we
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...we had that discussion about trying to ... to say where student housing is appropriate
and so it's going to be a little tricky, um, and I think we need to think about where we
allow these bonus heights, um ... uh, is it an appropriate location. The south downtown,
for example, if it's right next to campus, you know, right adjacent across the street from
it, obviously that's a really good location for student housing, whereas someplace else
and somebody was trying to seek bonus points or ... or financial incentives for student
housing, which may not be appropriate. So that's really ... we have sort of blunt tools to
be able to control some of those market forces.
Throgmorton/ Karen, I see reference up there to transfer development rights. Had ... do we have
any experience with that here in Iowa City?
Howard/ I don't think we have anything in our code right now that allows us to transfer the
development rights, but there we're talking about, uh, for example if you have a... there's
very few historic buildings actually in Riverfront Crossings. There's just a few. Um, but
say you wanted to ... we won't want you to keep those buildings there. Whatever height
of the building that would be allowed in that particular location, maybe a four -story
building could be built there. We'd allow you to transfer four - stories to an adjacent site,
or to another site in Riverfront Crossings.
Throgmorton/ So by transfer you ... you basically mean sell it, don't you?
Howard/ Well, we...
Throgmorton/ ...the right? To someone else?
Howard/ Yeah, and we haven't ... we haven't developed this idea about selling the right, um, to
somebody else. We're developing more as in that developer is transferring it, either on
the adjacent site or on the same site, to make the building... taller on the adjacent site, but
we haven't got into the idea of...of actually selling those, um, we might need to develop
that further in the future.
Dobyns/ Karen, the current taxonomy for Planning and Zoning, you know, RSA (mumbled)
density, and I ... I'm thinking about that. Would the taxonomy, um, change with form -
based zoning?
Howard/ So what we're proposing here is to have basically unlimited density, similar to
downtown. So that the density is not only controlled then by the amount of parking that
you can provide, and, um... and the building height... in the code. So we need to be
careful a little bit cause there's a lot of speculation going on in the community about,
well, we just want to go as tall as we can and ... and have as many people living on this
piece of property as possible. Obviously that's... that's a developer's point of view, but I
think if we ... we're careful about making sure that we ... we are careful about that density,
because it will be unlimited then. There's no density formula, similar to CB -5 right now
has no density formula, nor does CB -10. So ... so the idea there is that we need to then
control it by building height and ... requiring some parking on site. Now that'd be a little
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bit different than ... than, um, we have right now in the near southside, for example, um,
we allow people to pay a fee in lieu of providing their parking on -site and pay ... and uh,
pay a fee that the idea is to build parking structures then ... with that money, and it's
worked pretty well for commercial, but as we get more and more residential, um, that
demand for parking is much different, and so there's been discussion among staff as to is
it more appropriate if you want long -term residents to be able to provide some minimum
amount of parking, even the ... if the parking requirement's lower, making sure that it's on
—site, and that will then control the density to some extent, as well.
Dobyns/ So what we used to control through a designated taxonomy will now control indirectly.
Howard/ Right, which is the same as it is downtown right now. So everything that is zoned CB-
5 and CB -10 (noises on mic) basically is only controlled by how much you can park and
how much you can, uh, the building heights.
Dobyns/ So going back (both talking) going back, kind of carrying off Terry's previous question,
um, I mean, sounds it could have just about anything in terms of a commercial next to a
residential, um ... would ... which can be really cool, but it can also be sort of...chaotic?
Um ... and I ... I guess I'm trying to figure out how you avoid...
Dickens/ That was my concern (both talking)
Dobyns/ ...someone can do that, and ... yeah, how can ... I don't ... can we control that through
parking? I ... I'm ... (laughs)
Howard/ Well, the idea with the parking would be the commercial, at least in the south
downtown area, is that we would ... we'd, that no parking would be required for the
commercial. So ... we're assuming that the market will then control where that
commercial locates, but then the other things that you need to be concerned about, things
like outdoor service areas and you know things that might provide a nuis ... to be a
nuisance to somebody that's living there, um, then those ... those are the kinds of things
that, you know, being closer together and having a mix of uses is going to bring up those
kinds of questions. So you'll see in ... in the code that we bring to you ... those uses are
important. So for example, the drinking establishment issue, um, where we can allow
that to occur. Um, but if it's a business that's an office, it's closed at 5:00, happens to
locate next to residential then, you know, it's much less problematic.
Dickens/ Unless you had a rooftop restaurant/bar that... possibly would (both talking)
Champion/ Do we make too big of a deal out of this?
Dickens/ Well I don't know (both talking)
Champion/ ...to any (both talking)
Dickens/ ...go to Minneapolis...
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Champion/ ... Chicago... Minneapolis.
Dickens/ Yeah. They're really (both talking)
Champion/ ...neighborhoods like this and have apartment houses and then a parking lot and then
a restaurant, then a grocery store then more ... more townhouses and... and... patios and
(both talking)
Dickens/ (mumbled)
Champion/ It works! You know, and...
Dobyns/ ...I guess it's a look, that's...
Champion/ It's a look and it works. I think we make way too big of a deal out of it.
Throgmorton/ I ... I agree. I agree with Connie about that point. It ... it's urbane, it's vital, it's
active, and so on.
Dobyns/ Well I'm just being careful (both talking)
Champion/ We all envy it when we walk down those streets. (noises on mic) (several talking)
Dobyns/ ...consequences, you know, I ... it sounds good to me ... it sounds really cool, but I'm
just trying to maybe...
Dickens/ Devil's advocate...
Dobyns/ Yeah, well...
Mims/ I think you're going to find there's certain people who would never want to live in an area
like this because of those uncertainties for one reason, and other people who will
absolutely love it!
Champion/ I mean some of the most expensive (several talking) in Chicago are on a street that's
filled with restaurants and commercial. I mean, people don't give it a thought in a city. I
don't know why we make such a big deal out of it!
Dickens/ Because we're a little city still! (laughs)
Dobyns/ I'm just being cautious (several talking) Connie, I'm just being cautious. I mean
because this is .... the Peninsula is different. I mean, that was way out there. I think
there's not going to be a whole lot of commercial market forces that are going to define,
um, I think it's mostly a residential market.
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Champion/ Right!
Dobyns/ This will be different.
Champion/ This will be different (several talking)
Bramel/ I think when it comes to student housing (mumbled) I wanted to echo some of your
points, Matt. Like, uh, there ... there is such a high demand for student housing and
regardless of what happens, uh, with ... with any of the residential development in this
area, I mean, students will pay for it. That's... that's the problem, and it doesn't matter
who, because we have a lot of students who come from, uh, other states, you know, other
parts of the world who will pay for... will pay for those high -end places like that, and I
think that's ... we have an opportunity to, um, incentivize developers to put in, you know,
something like single, uh, single, one person to two person, uh, room apartments and that
kind of stuff, because the nuisance as ... aspect comes from large, lots of people
(mumbled) we talked about this a while ago about putting in, uh, new apartment
buildings and how many ... what would the densities be.
Dickens/ Over three bedrooms.
Bramel/ Yeah, only (both talking) I remember we ... we talked about (both talking)
Dobyns/ (mumbled)
Bramel/ ...having, you know, one kind of person and what kind of, um, what kind of person that
attracts. It ... it's not the person who's going to be inviting 300 kids over to their house
and I... it's going to be a more, um, you know, person who's going to be looking at grad
school, looking for long -term living. I think that's an opportunity that we can ... if we're
going to have stu ... because we will have students (mumbled) (several talking)
Mims/ Responsible people.
Bramel/ Correct (both talking)
Howard/ So the idea with the density to go along with your question is it would be the same as
the rules that we just changed for the CB -5 zone. So, you know, we still wouldn't allow
the four, five bedroom apartments, uh, we'd have a limit on the number of three bedroom
apartments. It's just those same rules that we just discussed for ... for (both talking)
Dobyns/ ...would parts of the city have the old traditional taxonomy and some parts would have
form -based or...
Howard/ Right. So this would be inserted as a section in the code and what we don't know for
sure is whether we would rezone whole areas of this ... cause the form -based code will go
as part of the zoning code, but then you'd have to change the map in order to rezone
individual properties and so then that will be the question how we wanted to implement
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this, whether we want to rezone say all of south downtown to the new form -based code
because it lends itself so quickly. There may be other parts where we want people to
come in and individually request Riverfront Crossings zoning, um, particularly in areas
where we may need some right -of -way or we would like some den ... uh, dedication of
park space so we have some ... zoning, zoning control over those sorts of things in order
to implement division of the plan.
Dobyns/ Has this been presented to P &Z yet?
Howard/ Um, I've given this presentation to them, but it has not gone to the ... the nitty gritty of
the code itself has not gone to the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Dobyns/ I just wondered if they had any comments that, uh ... that were that different from what
we've taken up this evening.
Howard/ I think it's all the same kinds of concerns — how do you get a higher quality...
Dobyns/ Okay.
Howard/ ... development to occur in a market where you have a lot of short-term residents and
different kind of market.
Champion/ (mumbled) ...wouldn't be here.
Throgmorton/ So, Karen, uh, form -based codes have been used in other cities, right? So can you
point to some... comparable cities in which form -based codes have been adopted and are
being implemented?
Howard/ Yeah, there'd be quite a few. Uh, the city of Nashville just adopted one. Birmingham,
Michigan has one (mumbled) City Manager's hometown. Um ... city of Miami is all
form- based. They just adopted. That was a huge undertaking to have the entire city of
Miami. The city of Madison just recently adopted. I think they just adopted it for a
portion... portion of their city, but then they have a number of different developments
around Madison that are ... those new urbanist developments that would have form -based
codes like the Peninsula code. Um, I could go on. I'm sure there's many, many places,
um, that have form -based codes now.
Dickens/ (mumbled)
Throgmorton/ We're aware of the (several talking and laughing) So one other related question
has to do with, uh ... uh, well, I ... I've read ... I'm part of some list - serves that are, that
relate to this, and occasionally I see commentary about practical experience and, I don't
know, scholarly debate a... about problems that are... allegedly associated with form -
based codes. So, I ... I'm wondering, you know, well I'm assuming that y'all have, uh,
are aware of those kinds of discussions and you're taking that, uh, those kinds of
discussions into account as ... as you work your way through this proposed code, right?
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Howard/ Right, and we've had the benefit of having our consultants, of course, from, um, from
Omaha helping, uh, HGR, helping us with this and urn ... we have a code writer from
Florida and they have a code writer from Portland, Oregon, that are working on the code
together, um (mumbled) and they're... they're, um, they didn't have the experience of the
student housing thing so that's... that's what we've brought into it and there's been a
number of things we've had to add that maybe aren't so typical for a form -based code
that we're just ... you know, so the amalgam of all that, um, hopefully will create
something that will work.
Champion/ And what kind of thing is going to be in the code that won't discourage, um, I mean,
I don't want to discourage student housing. I guess I want to discourage the student
dormitory type apartments. So what's in the code that will still allow student housing but
not kind of that, except (mumbled) can't have more than three bedrooms.
Howard/ Right. Um, well ... I guess we're assuming that the market for student housing is going
to be extremely strong and that student housing will not have any problem locating here.
Question is that will there be housing that's created that's both healthier for students, and
attractive for other populations to live there too. So, I don't think there's anything in here
...anything in the code probably can even put in there to discourage student housing
because the market is so extremely strong.
Hayek/ So we should ... just keeping the eye, my eye on the clock, we should probably wrap this
item up within the next five minutes, if possible, and I know you've been delayed by tons
of fantastic questions (several talking)
Howard/ Um, I ... I guess that's basically... you had asked questions about unusual situations and
there'll be flexibility built in for lots of (noises on mic) buildings in the flood plain, ADA
accessibility issues, irregular- shaped lots, all these kinds of things that you (mumbled)
run into. Um, so those'll all be built in hopefully to address those kinds of issues.
Dickens/ Cause there was some talk about fraternity, sororities when we were looking at the one
up here on Burlington about possibly that being an area for it, so that was ... I think that's
probably where the question came from.
Howard/ (both talking) We put specifically, uh, added in, uh, fraternal group living as a ... an
allowed use in, uh, in portions of Riverfront Crossings. So...
Hayek/ You know, if you look at our experience, the Peninsula, I mean, you know, it took years
for that to take off and ... and why that was probably is explainable from, you know,
location, the developers in there early on, who knows, but it... it's both lauded and
criticized as ... as a city approach to development. Um, I think we want to try to learn as
many lessons as we can from that experience and apply them to Riverfront Crossings.
We want it to develop, but we want it to develop right and this is an immense, um,
project in the aggregate. I know it's not one we are doing ourselves because we're
encouraging the private sector to do it, but boy do we want to get it right!
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Howard/ So probably one of the biggest differences between the Peninsula code and this code is
that in the Peninsula there's very specific building types designated for each particular lot
and in Riverfront Crossings that will not be the case. So it'll be much more open and the
ability to mix those uses, which may be a little bit scary but ... um...
Mims/ Rick won't be living there. (laughter)
Dobyns/ Um...
Mims/ Until it's all done, then maybe! (laughter)
Dobyns/ No, I've got my rooftop patio already picked out but (laughter) No, I think, uh ... uh, the
City Manager's staff sent us something to read about ... I forget what it was called, Geoff.
(several talking) Incremental which (several talking) which I think that was probably to
make us relax (laughter) about (mumbled)
Howard/ And ... the nice thing about this is if it doesn't work we can fix it. We can change it! If
there's something that's not working, because I ... with this big of a legislative change,
obviously, there's probably going to be little glitches that we didn't think about and we'll
just need to fix `em.
Mims/ Exciting!
Throgmorton/ Yeah, I ... I'm excited too and I think it's crucial to move in this direction if we
really want to carry out the, uh, the Riverfront Crossings plan effectively in a way that,
you know, we'll admire for years.
Information Packets:
Hayek/ Okay. Thank you, Karen. (several talking) Okay, we've got four Info Packets. The
first one is October 17th. (several talking)
Mims/ ...livability, uh, to the top 100.
Hayek/ Yeah, that was nice!
Mims/ Yeah.
Hayek/ When ... when can we expect to hear, uh, on the, um ... Mediacom state franchise issue?
Markus/ Well there's... there's actually I think some challenges that, um ... we can put forward as
to ... what their funding will be and so we're looking at those options right now before...
if you're talking about PATV, for example, uh, we're looking at that as an opportunity,
whether we challenge that or not. So ... I think it'll take a while yet before it'll be...
completely plays out. So...
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Hayek/ Anything else on the 17th? 24th of October.
Throgmorton/ I don't know, uh, IP #8, the survey of Senior Center users and members and so on.
Uh, it was pretty instructive. I, uh, felt like I learned a lot from that survey.
Hayek/ Doom and gloom on the passenger rail front.
Champion/ Oh! (several responding)
Hayek/ Okay, October 31St
Mims/ Just mention the Library open house, Thursday from ... this Thursday from 3:00 to 6:00.
Hayek/ (mumbled) October, uh, November 71n
Mims/ That's got KXIC as IP4, or do we have that as a separate item here?
Hayek/ Uh...
Throgmorton/ Do that now, Marian?
Karr/ We can.
Champion/ Well Java's has the whole next year platted out (several talking and laughing)
Mims/ The first six months at least! (several talking)
Throgmorton/ You have the next year platted out too, don't you, Connie? (laughter and several
talking) (loud noise on mic)
Dickens/ Give her four in a row! (laughter)
Champion/ No!
Dickens/ Be kind of a swan song!
Throgmorton/ I'd eagerly volunteer for November 20th or December 4th. I don't care.
Champion/ What's the last radio show of the year?
Mims/ The 18th. Of December.
Hayek/ Take that one!
Champion/ I'll take that one.
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Throgmorton/ Oh sweet!
Hayek/ I can do the 1 lth. Of December.
Mims/ Do you want the 20th or the 4th? I can take the other one.
Throgmorton/ How bout the 201h? I'll take... so give me the 20tH
Mims/ I'll take December 4tH
Karr/ So I've got, um, the 20th, Jim; the 27th, Rick; the 4th, Susan.
Mims/ Yep!
Karr/ The 11th, Matt; the 18th, Connie.
Hayek/ Yeah. Anything else on that? November 7tH
Throgmorton/ Well, there's the, uh, the citizen survey, uh, again that was pretty instructive. I ... I
don't remember what the IP number on it is.
Fruin/ Six.
Throgmorton/ Ali, yeah, #6. We ... we'll revisit that a little bit during the ... uh, during the stra...
uh, strategic planning I guess (both talking)
Markus/ That's the plan.
Throgmorton/ Yeah.
Hayek/ I was glad to see the letters from, uh, UISG.
Bramel/ Yes, yeah! (several talking and laughing) Well we had to go about it that way. It was
the best way to go about (several talking)
Hayek/ Some people kept the `sincerely' on the bottom of the last paragraph and some (several
talking and laughing)
Bramel/ No, it went, uh, I was just going to ... uh, update you guys on that, that recycling
campaign. It went very, very well. Um, we started cc'ing the Council on the ... on the
last and the tail -end of this so we didn't have a lot of...I think we only had like 28 that we
had cc'd, but the rest of `em, we ... we sent out about ... about 100...105 actually in total.
The first, uh, we ... two weeks prior to..to this, we had a ... a front and we ... we sent out
plenty of emails. We also sent out lots of...handed out lots of letters. So it's been very
good. Got a lot of word from, um, Jen Jordan, our recycling coordinator. So she's gotten
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calls from haulers and independent, uh, apartment owners and whatnot so... so we're
starting to see some ... cool stuff there, so...
Hayek/ Do we need to... sort of plan to hear back from staff on ... I know we did the pilot
program. Not sure where we are on rolling anything out.
Bramel/ Think they mentioned discussing it ... I ... I talked with, um (mumbled) about that,
uh ... uh, seeing if we would bring that up as a work session topic, uh, maybe in
December, maybe one of the two, if we had that opportunity. I mean I think a ... the
Gateway project might take up one of them, but the other one is up to (mumbled) (several
talking off mic) ...mistaken, still open and available. Maybe we discuss it then. We can
tie in ... I can tie in mine and also, uh, (mumbled) discussion concerning recycling efforts
multi - family wise with, uh ... with those proposals that we got, with the prosp ... proposal,
I guess that we got. It's possible.
Agenda:
Hayek/ As long as it's coming back before us. (mumbled) Okay, oh and one thing on the
agenda that I wanted to bring up. Urn ... this is the staff memo on our legislative
priorities. There's a recommendation that we consider submitting somebody to represent
us at the Iowa League of Cities Legislative Committee. I asked, uh, Susan if she had
interest, and she does...
Mims/ Yeah!
Hayek/ ...and think she'd be really a fantastic (mumbled)
Karr / Why ... and we can also ... we're going to put it on the organizational meeting for
appointments and do it by motion, throw `em all in, at the same time.
Mims/ Okay.
Dickens/ Second.
Throgmorton/ Sounds good! (laughter)
Council Time:
Hayek/ Um, Council time.
Mims/ I would just mention ... I'll mention this at the formal meeting too, um ... next Tuesday,
November 19th, at 7:00 P.M. in Macbride Hall Auditorium on the University campus they
will be showing the movie "Inequality for All." Um, it's a Robert Reich ... is that how
you say his last name? Robert Reich film, um, talking about the inequality, um, in the
nation in terms of economics and stuff, and it's supposed to be outstanding. So I'd
encourage people who...
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Dickens/ Where's that at?
Mims/ Macbride Hall on the University campus, 7:00 P.M. next Tuesday, November 19th. And
he's going to be available by Skype for answering questions after the movie. I've heard
really, really good things (several talking) Yeah, formerly.
Throgmorton/ He does a great job!
Mims/ Yeah, I've heard great things about the film. I haven't seen it.
Throgmorton/ I ... I guess I wanted to mention two things. Um, Geoff maybe you could
elaborate, but on Monday the 18tH, uh, there's going to be another public open house
about the downtown streetscape design.
Fruin/ It's Tuesday the 19tH
Throgmorton/ 19th
Fruin/ Yep.
Throgmorton/ Sorry! Thanks. Oh, Tuesday the 19th, yeah! Well how ... did you change it or did
I just write it down wrong? I (both talking)
Fruin/ Monday's are project committee meeting, Jim, from 3:00 to 5:00 and then Tuesday's the
public meeting, from 4:00 to 7:00.
Throgmorton/ Okay, great, thanks!
Mims/ From 4:00 to 7:00?
Fruin/ 4:00 to 7:00 at the Sheraton.
Throgmorton/ Yeah. And, the other thing I wanted to mention is, uh, I had a fascinating
conversation yesterday morning with two visitors from Japan, who were visiting here to
talk about disability issues, uh, and how local governments are dealing with them. And
uh, Stephanie Bowers helped me a lot in trying to prepare a few notes for it, but I, you
know, I stood in for you on that, Matt, and it was a fascinating conversation, but one of
the visitors, uh, was from a ... a town that had been ... a city on the Pacific coast that had
been virtually wiped out by the Fukushima tsunami. So they're... she's involved in
rebuilding, helping to design the rebuilding of the ... of the whole city and she wants to be
taking disability concerns into account as ... as she's doing it. So it...it was just a
fascinating conversation.
Hayek/ I'll dovetail that since we're in Asia right now. I don't think I've spoken to the group
about the trip to China for the UNESCO Cities, uh, or Creative Cities network
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conference. It was a very interesting trip. I've still got the cold from the plane ride to...
to show for it, but a couple of thoughts. First, we are really fortunate to be part of this
group, 35 or 40 cities and they just announced another four cities or so that are joining.
And I came away realizing that Iowa City is on the map of some pretty impressive places,
whether it's Montreal or Buenos Aires or Beijing, I mean, these ... these big cities, and
also a lot of smaller cities, you know, the Santa Fe's and the Irakevick's of the world, but
it's a ... it's a really interesting group to be a part of, and I think we can do more, um, to,
uh, partner not only with the City of Literature cities, and that's like about five or six
cities out of the 35, roughly. There are other cities that are up for design and, um, film
and things like that. Um, we can ... I think we can do more to partner with... with... with
them as well, and I'm talking to John Kenyon about this and I'll follow up with Jim in
your capacity too. Um, but my other takeaway was (laughs) there are a lot of cities that
are going through many of the same things we are, and I was talking to representatives
from, you know, uh ... the UK and ... and other places that, you know, experience the same
dynamic with respect to fair share in terms of multi, you know, local governments paying
for shared services or pressure from the suburbs or, uh, making sure that all corners of the
community are ... are shored up and, I mean, it was ... it was really a remarkable thing to
hear these other people talk about what I would consider very similar situations, just in
another language or from another continent, so ... but uh, I ... I think we're very engaged.
It was clear that ... that, especially John, and the group he leads, is doing a lot with them
so ... plus they use more propaganda over there than we do (laughter) Any other Council
time? Meeting schedule.
Meeting Schedule:
Mims/ Lots of `em! Get `em on your calendar! (laughs)
Pending Work Session Topics:
Hayek/ Pending work session topics?
Bramel/ Do we have anything for, uh, the next two meetings? Do we have anything set
or... (mumbled)
Hayek/ Uh, wait, I'm trying to (both talking)
Karr/ I'm sorry, project a little bit more. We can't hear you at all!
Bramel/ What do ... what do we have...
Karr/ Oh you don't ... that's okay, you can talk to them! (laughter)
Bramel/ What do we have right now, like what's ... (several talking) but uh, what do we have,
Gateway?
Hayek/ Gateway.
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Throgmorton/ Two weeks from now you mean?
Bramel/ Two from now, Gateway, and then the next one? Do we have...
Markus/ ...and it depends on what we hear from the feds, so.
Bramel/ Oh!
Dobyns/ Anything you want to talk about, Alec, or...
Bramel/ I'd like to talk about recycling, I mean, if we can, uh, if...I can put together a little
presentation or work with Jeri or whatnot, or we could mix it in with, uh, with the
presentation the RFP (both talking)
Dickens/ Can we tentatively set it for that second... second one in December, and then if we have
to move (both talking)
Bramel/ ...if we have to move it back then (both talking) (noises on mic)
Markus / Rick, aren't we trying to coordinate some of the recycling, uh, initiatives with this
discussion with Fiberight, as well? I mean, isn't that going to play into that, as well?
Fosse/ Yes we are. That ... that's a big part of that, and then also one of the things that ... that
Jennifer Jordan did, uh, as a result of that pilot study, she put together a best management
practices manual for multi - family landlords and... and that's available on our web site if
you want to get at that or I can provide you more specific information how to get there.
Bramel/ Yes, correct.
Hayek/ So to answer your question though, I ... maybe we ought to work with staff to figure out
how to fit that ... when and where to (both talking)
Bramel/ (both talking)
Markus/ Yeah, I don't want to get down the road with, uh, an initiative under our current
scenario, if there's in fact an opportunity that ... that shifts the whole way we do solid
waste business in our community so (noises on mic) Let ... let's make sure that, and Jen's
up to speed with what we're doing on Fiberight, as well, so I think between the two of
you, you can coordinate that timing and there may be, you know, there may be
advantages in moving forward with additional pilots or something in that effect, but as
long as you're coordinating with Jeri I'm sure we'll ... we'll match up pretty well.
Dobyns/ When does your tenure end, Alec? With us.
Bramel/ May.
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Markus/ So before May! (several talking and laughing)
Champion/ The other thing I think we ought to take seriously is the closing of Hoover School
since one of our priorities is neighborhoods and keeping them... sustainable, or healthy,
and ... and I think the ... that was a really good editorial in the Press - Citizen today about
keeping Hoover open because of the neighborhood and what happens to a neighborhood
when the school is gone. So anybody's interested I think should write a letter to the
School Board.
Hayek/ Yeah, and we may need to ... there's a lot of conversation on ... on that and on Horace
Mann and on some of the aspects of what the School Board is looking at probably as we
speak. We may need to circle back as a Council and ... and take another visit, or take
another look at (both talking)
Dickens/ ...planning that should come up (both talking)
Upcoming Events /Council Invitations:
Hayek/ Yeah. So, and I don't know exactly when that ... when that fits in. Any upcoming
events?
Bramel/ Jingle Cross this weekend... at the Johnson County, uh, Fairgrounds.
Hayek/ Oh yeah! (several talking) (noises on mic) I think we heard it on the radio like right
around, uh, Halloween, as well! (laughter and several talking) Oh well!
Mims/ Okay!
Hayek/ It's part of our form -based code. Constitutional First Amendment rights (mumbled)
Okay, we'll see you at 7:00.
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