HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-04-15 Bd Comm minutes�r77
Airport Commission
February 20, 2014 4 N
Page 1
MINUTES FINAL
IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION
FEBRUARY 20, 2014 — 6:00 P.M.
AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING
Members Present: Jose Assouline, Minnetta Gardinier, Paul Hofineyer, Howard Horan, Chris
Ogren
Staff Present: Sue Dulek, Michael Tharp
Others Present: Matt Wolford, Jeff Edberg, Ron Roetzel
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council
action):
None.
CALL TO ORDER:
Chairperson Horan called the meeting to order at 6:05 P.M. Two members, Gardinier and
Ogren, were not yet present but were expected to attend the meeting. At this point, Horan
moved that Items 6a, 6d, and 6f be moved to this point in the meeting so that the attending
parties can leave prior to the Commission adjourning into Executive Session. Horan made the
motion to move Items 6a, 6d, and 6f forward to this point in the meeting, seconded by
Hofineyer. Motion carried 3 -0; Gardinier and Ogren not yet present)
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION /ACTION:
a. Airport Commerce Park — Jeff Edberg addressed the Airport
Commission Members at this point. He stated that they did close on Lot #9
recently. He gave Members some background on the party that purchased this
lot. Edberg noted that this person may also buy Lot #8, but that he is awaiting
the closure of another piece of property that has to sell before considering this
other lot. ( Gardinier and Ogren arrived at this point.) Edberg continued speaking
to Members, noting that they are now down to three lots for sale in the
Commerce Park. Hofineyer asked if this is considering Lot #8, which may be
sold to the same party as Lot #9. Edberg responded that actually Lot #s 11, 12,
and 13 are open, as are Lots #s 7 and 8, for a total of five lots. Edberg then
spoke to what other types of lots are available in the Iowa City area and what
types of zoning they are under, compared to the lots available in the Airport
Commerce Park.
d. Airport Master Plan — Tharp introduced Ron Roetzel of Bolton & Menk
as one of the team members who will be working on the Airport's Master Plan.
Tharp noted that Members received a draft of the full task order in their meeting
packets, and that the idea tonight is to walk Members through what the Master
Plan will consist of. If Members have any questions, this will be the time to ask
them. Roetzel noted that this is a time for information gathering so that they
incorporate everything the Members want in their Master Plan. He noted that the
FAA does have some mandatory items, but that each Master Plan is tailored to
Airport Commission
February 20, 2014
Page 2
the specific airport. Roetzel then spoke to the seven key points that the Master
Plan will cover. Briefly reviewing these key points, he noted that one of the first
ones is runway alternatives. This refers to such things as runway length,
approach surfaces, and runway ends. Hofineyer asked questions of Roetzel
regarding such alternatives and how feasible some of these may be for the
Airport. Roetzel responded, further explaining how the processes and
evaluations would be handled in the Master Plan planning.
Roetzel continued, stating that another key point will be a comprehensive
obstruction evaluation. With the last Master Plan having been done in 1996, he
noted that there have undoubtedly been some changes in the area with building
and development, making this type of comprehensive analysis very important.
He continued, briefly reviewing the key points, as well as the processes and
evaluations used to address each one. Another major area is financial feasibility,
according to Roetzel. This analysis is not meant to be a marketing plan, per se,
but the FAA does want each airport to review what their existing revenue and
expenses are, and what plans they have to increase their revenue in order to
become more self- sufficient.
Public involvement will be crucial, according to Roetzel. He stated that they will
start with a Master Plan advisory group, consisting of representatives from a
multitude of groups in the community. Assouline questioned Roetzel on how
they use this public input in creating the Master Plan. Roetzel spoke to this and
also how they have outreach meetings where they go to the local businesses and
neighborhood groups to share and gather information, basically letting the public
know what is going on at the Airport. In addition to these meetings, there are
also public open houses where information gathering and sharing are again key
essentials for creating the Master Plan.
Roetzel then spoke to the GIS portion of the plan. He noted that it will be
completely compatible with the City's system, and will also meet the FAA's
criteria. Hofineyer asked for some clarification of the GIS system, to which
Roetzel responded. Members then asked questions of Roetzel and Tharp as to
how they will be proceeding with the Master Plan process. The next step in this
process, according to Roetzel, is that the FAA receive a copy of the draft
document. He briefly explained this part of the process.
Tharp spoke briefly to cost estimates, further explaining how this will be handled
for the plan. Roetzel added that an independent cost estimate will be required by
the FAA in order to compare the two cost estimates.
Horan moved that the meeting minutes portion of the meeting be moved up
before they adjourn to the Executive Session; seconded by Hofineyer.
Motion carried 5 -0.
APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES:
Minutes of the January 14, 2014, meeting were reviewed first. Ogren noted that at the end,
"Members continued to discuss," the `ed' needs to be removed. Ogren moved to approve the
January 14, 2014, meeting minutes as amended; seconded by Horan. Motion carried 5 -0.
Airport Commission
February 20, 2014
Page 3
Minutes of the January 16, 2014 meeting were reviewed next. Ogren moved to approve the
January 16, 2014, meeting minutes as presented, seconded by Gardinier. Motion carried
5 -0. Lastly, minutes of the February 4, 2014, meeting were reviewed. Ogren noted that at the
very end it says "day off requirements," and most likely should be "day of... ". She also noted
four paragraphs up, "Commission meeting and possibly suggest start," should probably have
... "suggest how to start... ". Ogren then showed some grammatical errors on the first page.
Gardinier moved to approve the February 4, 2014, meeting minutes as amended,
seconded by Hofineyer. Motion carried 5 -0.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION /ACTION (cont.):
f. FBO / Flight Training Reports
i. Jet Air — Matt Wolford of Jet Air spoke to the Members regarding the last
month's maintenance and upkeep. In January there was a lot of snow removal,
according to Wolford, and February is looking about the same. It was noted that
snow removal is a different contract than the maintenance one. Ogren asked
how this contract is handled, and Tharp noted that the last contract was for a 3-
year period. This contract covers both snow and mowing, and is more of a
grounds maintenance -type contract. Wolford noted that they have fixed the
motor on the self -serve pump, but that people are still dragging the nozzles on
the ground. Gardinier stated that it's been in the last six months or so that this
nozzle has been leaking. Prior to this, it did not appear to be a problem. Wolford
added that they did put up a sign, asking people to not drag the nozzle, but there
still appears to be a problem. Members continued to discuss this issue with
Wolford. Snow removal was also discussed at some length with Members, due
to the excessive amounts this season. Wolford then spoke about Jet Air and
how things are going for them. He stated that it's really just a bad time of the
year for the aviation industry with all of the snowstorms. This has led to a lot of
overtime for staff. With less aircraft coming through, fuel sales have dropped.
He added that with warmer weather they're sure to see things picking up again.
Members then spoke briefly with Wolford and Tharp about snow removal and
ways to make this easier on the runways.
ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION:
Horan moved to adjourn to Executive Session at 7:09 P.M. under Iowa Code Section
21.5(1)(c) to discuss strategy with Counsel in matters that are presently in litigation or
where litigation is imminent where its disclosure would be likely to prejudice or
disadvantage the position of the governmental body in that litigation; seconded by
Ogren. Also under consider for an Executive Session is the need to evaluate the
professional competency of individuals whose appointment, hiring, performance, or
discharge is being considered when necessary to prevent needless and irreparable
injury to that individuals' reputations and those individuals requested a closed session
(evaluation of the Airport Operations Specialist). Motion carried 5 -0.
Horan made the motion to adjourn the Executive Session at 7:34 P.M., seconded by
Ogren. Motion carried 5 -0.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION:
Airport Commission
February 20, 2014
Page 4
None.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION /ACTION (cont.):
b. Fly Iowa — Tharp stated that the subcommittee met a few weeks ago and talked
about the Children's Museum and their participation in this event. They also talked
about fundraising. Tharp added that they have received a few checks, but nothing
substantial yet. They have around $700 in donations so far. Ogren asked what their
next step is, and Tharp stated that they need to begin contacting people personally. He
will send out a revised roster and they can divide up the names /numbers and start
contacting people that way. Hofineyer noted that there had been some mention of
having the next Fly Iowa meeting at the Children's Museum. Tharp noted that he would
need to speak with Dulek about this, as it would be a public meeting. Dulek asked if it
would be easily accessible by the public, and it was confirmed that the public could
easily attend a meeting there. Members agreed that having the meeting at the Museum
would be a good idea.
e. Airport Operations — Tharp noted that the State Aviation Conference is April 22-
23 this year. He will be there for both days and stated that if anyone else would like to
attend to please let him know. Hofineyer asked which day would be the better one to
attend, if he can only attend one day. Tharp stated that he would have to look at the
agenda, but one day is typically more active with lectures and sessions, and the other
day is more networking and that type of thing.
L Strategic Plan — Implementation —
ii. Budget — Tharp stated that he met a couple of weeks ago with the City
Forester and he shared a letter that he received with the Members. The City
Forester is setting up a plan to deal with the Emerald Ash Borer, if and when it
hits Iowa City. For the Airport, this means that a fairly substantial number of
trees will be affected. The City is in the process of coming up with a plan to deal
with this threat and has asked if they could possibly use land to the south to
house their tree removal operation. They would store the removed trees at this
location, chip them up, and then ship the chippings out. Tharp asked Members
for their input, and several asked questions of such an operation and how they
would keep it from becoming a problem. Dulek added that the State legislature is
also looking into such costs and how these operations will affect cities. Members
stated that they wouldn't have a problem with this to a degree, but would want
some answers about the wood chipping itself and the impact of that on the
Airport grounds. Members also agreed that they would like to have the City
Forester come to their next meeting so they can get their questions answered.
iii. Management — Tharp noted that he and Horan were at the Council
meeting recently and gave the Annual Report presentation to the Council. He
stated that they did note that Horan would be ending his stint as a Commissioner.
Horan stated that he mentioned that in 1992 the money from the General Fund
was $180,000 and how since then they have been heading in the right direction.
Dulek added that there were some claps of appreciation for Horan's service.
Tharp noted that Ogren has been reappointed to the Commission, and that they
will be taking applications for Horan's position. Members then spoke to who
would become the Chair as this is Horan's last meeting. Tharp suggested they
talk amongst themselves and decide what they would like to do. They will
actually elect a Chair at next month's meeting then. Gardinier asked if the
Airport Commission
February 20, 2014
Page 5
Chair's duties could be split amongst the Members. Tharp noted that typically it
is the Chair due to the signing requirements. He added that he will gladly meet
with any of them, but that the Chair typically takes on these duties due to the
signature requirements. Members continued to discuss how they might want to
handle these duties in the future.
g. Subcommittee Reports —
i. February — Budget — (see above comment under "Management ")
ii. March — Community Liaison — (Ogren and Assouline)
h. Commission Members' Reports — Gardinier stated she hopes for better
weather by this weekend when she will be flying. Ogren shared that she
successfully flew through Atlanta last week, before the storm came. Hofineyer
stated that this past weekend he drove up to Clinton and stopped at their airport.
They are getting a new terminal building and doing quite a bit of work. He added
that they also stopped by the Davenport Airport, as well. Assouline stated that
he has not been much of anywhere this month. Horan stated that he spends a
lot of time on Flight Aware online, and also spends time on Facebook. Gardinier
stated that the Air Race Classic needs a head timer, with orientation seminars
soon if anyone is interested. Members asked about this position and what it
would entail. The Air Race Classic is June 16 - -19, with most planes here
Wednesday and Thursday, according to Gardinier. Gardinier and other Members
thanked Horan for his years of service, asking that he still help with the Fly Iowa
event, which he gladly agreed to do.
i. Staff Members' Reports — None.
SET NEXT REGULAR MEETING FOR:
The next Fly Iowa subcommittee meeting is March 4, 2014, at 5:30 P.M. After some discussion,
Members noted that the March 20 meeting date will not work for several of them. The next
regular meeting will be Monday, March 17, 2014, at 6:00 P.M. at the Airport Terminal building.
ADJOURN:
Hofineyer made the motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:11 P.M.; seconded by Ogren.
Motion carried 5 -0.
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Airport Commission
March 4, 2014
Page 1
MINUTES
IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION
MARCH 4, 2014 — 5:30 P.M.
IOWA CHILDREN'S MUSEUM
Members Present: Chris Ogren, Minnetta Gardinier, Paul Hofineyer
Members Absent: Jose Assouline
Staff Present: Michael Tharp
Others Present: Chuck McDonald, Matt Wolford, Deb Dunkhase
FINAL
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council
action):
None.
CALL TO ORDER:
Tharp called the meeting to order at 5:45 P.M.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION /ACTION:
a. FLY IOWA — Dunkhase gave members a tour of the Children's Museum and showed
some of the item that she would bring out to Fly Iowa.
Members that discussed the fundraising component with Tharp stating that he
needed assistance in meeting with donors and trying to encourage donations.
Members agreed to spread out the list of donors and to have each member make
contacts. Members agreed to set a deadline of April 1 for fundraising.
Gardinier stated that she had been in contact with balloonists and that she was
gathering more details. Wolford stated that he had been discussing Fly Iowa with
some of his contacts in hopes of securing donations.
Dunkhase suggested a couple of more contacts and would follow up with Tharp with
contact information.
Members discussed the program guide details. Gardinier noted that images for the
advertisement should be given in 300dpi or better resolution.
McDonald stated that he would gather some recent vendor information and forward
on to Tharp.
ADJOURN: Tharp adjourned the meeting at 7:25pm
4b(2)
Airport Commission
March 4, 2014
Page 2
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Airport Commission
March 11, 2014
Page 1
MINUTES
IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION
MARCH 11, 2014 — 6:00 P.M.
AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING
Members Present: Minnetta Gardinier, Paul Hofineyer, Chris Ogren
Staff Present: Sue Dulek, Michael Tharp
Others Present: David Hughes (telephonically)
FINAL
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council
action):
None.
CALL TO ORDER:
Acting Chairperson Ogren called the meeting to order at 6:10 P.M.
ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION:
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Hofineyer moved to adjourn to Executive Session to discuss strategy with Counsel in
matters that are presently in litigation or where litigation is imminent where its disclosure
would be likely to prejudice or disadvantage the position of the governmental body in
that litigation (Iowa Code Section 21.5(1)(c)); seconded by Ogren. Motion carried 3 -0
(Assouline absent). The Commission went into Executive Session at 6:11 pm and exited
at 7:35pm.
ADJOURN:
Ogren made the motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:35 P.M.; seconded by Hofineyer.
Motion carried 3 -0 (Assouline absent).
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MINUTES Approved
BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT
JANUARY 8, 2014 — 5:15 PM
CITY HALL, EMMA HARVAT HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Larry Baker, Gene Chrischilles, Connie Goeb, Brock
Grenis, Becky Soglin
MEMBERS ABSENT: None.
STAFF PRESENT: Sarah Walz, Sarah Holecek
OTHERS PRESENT: Thomas McInerney
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL: None.
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order at 5:15 PM.
ROLL CALL-
A brief opening statement was read by Grenis outlining the role and purpose of the Board and
the procedures that would be followed in the meeting.
CONSIDERATION OF DECEMBER 11, 2013 MEETING MINUTES
Baker moved to approve the minutes.
Goeb seconded the motion.
A vote was taken and the motion carried 5 -0.
SPECIAL EXCEPTION ITEM
EXC13- 00016: Discussion of an application submitted by King of Glory International
Church to allow a Day care Center for up to 16 children at 2024 G Street and for a parking
reduction to allow shared parking with the adjacent church property at 921 Third Avenue.
Walz showed the Board pictures of the subject property, which shows that the church functions
in conjunction with a house on the lot next door. She showed the Board the site plan for the
proposed daycare, which will operate out of an existing addition on the back of the house. She
said there is a square footage requirement for the play area sufficient for the maximum children
who will use the play area at one time, and the site plan shows that the applicant meets the
requirement for interior floor area as well as outdoor play space.
Board of Adjustment
January 8, 2014
Page 2 of 6
Walz said specific standards in the Zoning Code for daycare centers state that in -home daycare
centers can operate with up to 16 children. She said while the house serves as a residence for
someone affiliated with the church the daycare center will be operated as a separate use and is
therefore considered a commercial day care. She said that is why they need to apply for the
special exception.
Walz said there has to be good vehicle circulation. She said because the daycare center will
share parking area with the church there is plenty of circulation, with 20 parking spaces. She
said there's plenty of area for people to circulate and for cars to stack. She said a distinctive
paved area will be created as a walkway along the house to the public sidewalk along G Street.
Walz said daycare centers are required to comply with the multi - family site development
standards, which means that if this property were being developed anew, the parking would be
set behind the building. She said right now the church just meets the required minimum off-
street parking. She said if the staff recommends a reduction in required parking to allow the
church and daycare to share the parking. Staff believes that is sufficient for the small daycare
that is being proposed at this time. She said at such time that wish to expand beyond 16
children, the applicant would need to apply for a new special exception. At that time, Board and
Staff would want to carefully consider whether modifications to the parking lot are appropriate.
Walz said the reasons for allowing the shared use of the parking is that the parking area is
actually shared between the two properties and under the same ownership. The lot provides 20
parking spaces plus some stacking space. The applicant is only required six spaces for the day
care; the church requires 20 spaces. The two uses are typically not going operating at the same
time.
Walz said staff is recommending approval of the daycare use with the following conditions:
• Substantial compliance with the site plan submitted.
• The size of the daycare may not exceed 16 children. To increase the number of children
to more than 16 will require a new special exception.
• Staff recommends a reduction in the total number of required parking spaces to serve
the church and daycare from 26 to 20 total spaces to be shared by both uses.
Chrischilles asked what the current screening and setback standards would be if they were
implemented.
Walz replied that they would be required to have the parking lot set even or behind the front
facade of the building. They would lose at least three parking spaces in the area near G Street
and would probably have to relocate the curb cut and lose some stacking space.
Goeb asked if there is an existing playground. Walz said the applicant plans to make use of the
existing playground, but they will have to fence it.
Soglin said in the first condition, the term "substantial compliance" is vague — enough to make
her wonder about what might not or would be met.
Walz explained that it means the applicant is required to comply with the site plan. She said with
this site plan the critical issues are the pedestrian walkway, the fencing of the backyard and the
location of the main entrance of the day care. There may be minor tweaking, but all the basic
elements discussed as part of approval are required.
Board of Adjustment
January 8, 2014
Page 3 of 6
Baker asked who monitors daycares. Walz said it's the Department of Human Services.
Holecek said she believes it's DHS through the County, and it's regulated under State law.
Baker asked if there was ever a question that the limit of sixteen was violated, how would that
be handled. Walz said the City would probably hear about it through a complaint or from DHS.
Baker said the building itself can accommodate sixteen so is the problem with the exterior space
around the building on expansion. Walz said in the future, if the applicant wants to expand the
daycare, they may need to add on to the building in some way.
Goeb asked what the front part of the house is being used for currently. Walz said she believed
it's being used as a residence affiliated with the church.
Soglin asked if the use of the residence would complicate the request, as this would increase
the use of the church during the day. Walz said the "hours of operation" referred to the church
itself. It was unlikely that there would be a regular need for those twenty parking spaces in
conjunction with activities outside of the church building. Soglin said then if there were minor
church - related activities during the day so that there are four additional cars not related to the
daycare, people coming to the front of that building can be accommodated. Walz agreed and
stated that the parking for the daycare is basically for staff, as parents drop off and pick up
children during set times of the day.
Baker asked what the State requirement is on the ratio of staff to children. Walz said it depends
on age, and the highest ratio is one day care worker for every four for very young children -
infants —and decreases to one day care worker to every ten or twelve children with children that
are 4 or 5 years old.
Grenis invited the applicant to speak.
Thomas McInerney, the architect for the daycare, said the hope is to add on to daycare
eventually but right now they just need to get the cash flow started. He said the intent for the
front of the house is for an assistant minister to live on -site. He said the rear of the building
might have at one time been for wheelchair access as there is evidence of ramps going into the
building.
Chrischilles asked if the size of the current playground is 1,600 feet. McInerney said right now
they only need about half of that outdoor space because there will only be eight children using it
at one time.
Chrischilles said he really doesn't see how they have the room to expand. McInerney said the
playground doesn't have to be attached to the building so it may be moved to a different part of
the site.
Baker said if they eventually wanted to increase the number of children to thirty what is the
corresponding increase in square footage required in the building itself. McInerney said it's
about thirty -five square feet per person. Walz reminded the Board that right now they are
considering just 16 children. She said staff put language in the report to put on record for the
applicant and the Board that this is a constrained sit. There is not unlimited growth potential
here and any expansion to the daycare in the future would be reviewed very carefully with that
in mind.
Board of Adjustment
January 8, 2014
Page 4 of 6
Grenis opened public hearing.
Walz said she did hear from a resident of the neighborhood saying that he thought a daycare
was a great idea but was concerned that the City was going to make the church decrease the
number of parking spaces, rather than decrease the parking requirement.
Grenis closed public hearing.
Baker moved to approve the application EXC13 -00016 to approve a day care use for
property located in the Low - Density Single Family RS -5 Zone at 2024 G Street subject to
the following conditions:
• Substantial compliance with the site plan submitted.
• The size of the day care may not exceed 16 children. To increase the number of
children to more than 16 will require a new special exception.
• Staff recommends a reduction in the total number of required parking spaces to
serve the church and day care from 26 to 20 total spaces to be shared by both
uses.
Chrischilles seconded the motion.
Chrischilles asked about the site plan. Walz said the things the applicants have to create are the
walkway and the fenced play area, and they will have to secure a building permit because there
are some structural things they need to do inside the building to make it safe.
Baker said regarding item EXC13 -00016 he concurs with the findings set forth in the staff report of
January 8, 2014, and concludes that the general and specific criteria are satisfied. He emphasized
that staff's provision that any change in capacity will require a new special exception and that the
fenced -in playground and designated walkway are important factors as well. He said unless
amended or opposed by another Board member, he recommends that the Board adopt the
findings of the staff report for the approval of this proposal.
Grenis concurred and said he thinks this is a good fit for the neighborhood, adding a beneficial
multi -use.
Chrischilles said it seemed to be a good plan.
A vote was taken and the motion carried 5 -0.
Grenis declared the motion for the special exception approved, noting that anyone wishing to
appeal the decision to a court of record may do so within 30 days after the decision is filed with
the City Clerk's Office.
OTHER:
BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT INFORMATION:
ADJOURNMENT:
Board of Adjustment
January 8, 2014
Page 5 of 6
Chrischilles moved to adjourn.
Baker seconded.
The meeting was adjourned on a 5 -0 vote.
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I OWA CITY
I� PUBLIC LIBRARY
123 S. Linn St. • Iowa City, IA 52240
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Minutes of the Regular Meeting
February 27, 2014
FINAL APPROVED
Members Present: Diane Baker, Thomas Dean, Janet Freeman, Thomas Martin, Linzee McCray,
Meredith Rich - Chappell, Jay Semel.
Members Absent: Robin Paetzold.
Staff Present: Terri Byers, Susan Craig, Anne Mangano, Patty McCarthy, Elyse Miller, Brent
Palmer, Vickie Pasicznyuk.
Guests Present: Dennis Bockenstedt, City Finance Director.
Call Meeting to Order. President Rich - Chappell called the meeting to order at 5:02 p.m.
Public Discussion. None.
Approval of Minutes.
The minutes of the Regular Meeting of January 23, 2014 were reviewed. A motion to approve
the minutes was made by McCray and seconded by Freeman. Motion carried 7/0.
Unfinished Business.
FY15 Budget. City Finance Director Dennis Bockenstedt provided information on the City budget
process. He discussed the transition to the new system and hopes communication going
forward will be better. Bockenstedt discussed the fiscal constraints looming in the future and the
City is trying to be proactive and look at ways to control current spending and spending growth.
He stated this is not targeted at any particular department; cuts were across the board in
training and travel, for example. Most of the organization is staff /service oriented and he said
the City wants to avoid layoffs. Bockenstedt said when the property tax revenues change some
of the cuts will not be seen, so it will be difficult to identify their impact. The City has tried to
capture excess funds and put them in an emergency reserve fund to help during the transition
period.
In addition, the City is beginning to explore ways to generate other revenues to reduce pressure
on the expense side of the budget. A local option sales tax and increasing utility franchise fees
are being explored as possible options to generate revenue. A committee will likely be convened
to look at the best use of a local option sales tax. Martin asked about how the University
reimburses the City for City services. Bockenstedt said the UI pays for a proportional share of the
Fire Department based on square footage but is otherwise pretty self- sufficient and provides
much of its own services. Semel asked if the Library can freely shift money. Bockenstedt said all
departments are not the same; the Finance Department and Library work together on some
budget things, but the Library has a lot of autonomy. Martin is taking this information to the
State Library Commission meeting next month to share how state changes are affecting cities in
Iowa. Rich - Chappell thanked Bockenstedt for coming and sharing this information.
New Business.
Policy Review: #812, Hours of Service. This is a regularly scheduled policy review. No changes
were made to the policy. No vote required.
Building Calendar for FY15. Designating the floating holiday is an issue. This year December 26
is the designated City floating holiday and Craig believes this works well for the library and the
community. She proposed declaring December 26 a holiday. We would be open until 6:00 pm
with holiday staffing. A motion to approve the calendar as proposed was made by Martin and
seconded by McCray. Motion carried 7/0.
Policy #705: Naming and Recognition Policy. This is a new policy to enable ICPL to recognize
and encourage gifts and to establish guidelines for naming areas in the building, programs and
services. An important aspect of this policy is to avoid any negative impact on donors and major
gifts yet provide a process to give the Library Board oversight. Craig believes this policy is
flexible and workable. Members of the ad hoc committee would be Board President, Board Vice
President, the Board members sitting on the Foundation Board at the time, the Development
Director, and the Library Director. Freeman questioned whether having an ad hoc committee
inform the rest of the Board about a naming situation and then have the full Board vote was
satisfactory. Semel said in his discussions with the City Attorney there is no way around open
meetings. Dean wondered if procedurally the full Board must vote on a naming but rather have
the ad hoc committee make the decision instead. The Board can entrust the ad hoc committee
to make the decision. Craig will revise the policy to reflect this. Freeman moved to adopt the
policy as proposed with a change to have the Board delegate authority to the ad hoc committee
to make a naming /recognition decision and to make a report of its decision to the full Board.
Dean seconded the motion. Motion carried 7/0.
Staff Reports.
Director's Report. Staff are working on FY15 strategic plan updates. There have been interesting
and thought provoking meetings with schools and the United Way to enhance our summer
reading programs and enhance measurement of student reading tracking participants of the
summer reading program. We are getting ready for the Spring Window. In response to a
question, Craig said that the automatic doors are kept closed when temperature is below 0. We
have had to do this a number of times this winter.
Departmental Reports.
Children's Services. Pasicznyuk said One Book Two Book was great despite the snowy weather.
Loren Long, the guest author, signed autographs for two hours after his program. Craig
mentioned that Bob Pasicznyuk has accepted ajob in Colorado; Vickie will be here for another
year.
Collection Services. Mangano is putting together training videos for our website.
IT. McCray asked about the tech table planned for the Children's Room. Older elementary
schoolers, 8 -12 years old are the target audience.
Development Office Report. McCarthy said $2,920 was raised so far in the Love Your Library
campaign. Molly's Cupcakes had a great experience working with us on this and wants to
partner with us again. Sponsors for Library Links are starting to come in.
Spotlight on the Collection. No comments.
Miscellaneous. No comments.
President's Report.
Three people have agreed to serve on the Nominating Committee; Tom Martin, Janet Freeman,
Linzee McCray. The Committee will present a slate for President, Vice President and Secretary in
April.
Announcements from Members. Martin reported from the State Library Commission. There
are four new applicants for State Librarian position; the committee meets tomorrow to review.
Dean asked if the State Librarian is a difficult position to fill. Craig said there is a unique skill set
for the job. Baker asked what authority the position has. Craig said supervision of 35 staff in
seven regions within the state, and a multi - million dollar budget that is not predictable from
year to year. An important focus of the State Library is working with Iowa's small libraries.
Committee Reports.
Strategic Planning. We have been working on setting up focus groups for the strategic planning
sessions; the first sessions begin next week. This week we are doing an observation study in the
library at specific times each day, Monday through Sunday. Every 20 minutes samplers will walk
throughout the library identifying approximate age, ethnicity where possible, and what people
are doing while they are here. Some findings so far include: there are more people on the 2nd
floor than on the 1St floor and they are staying in the building for a longer period of time; there
are lots of children before a storytime and after storytime, they are gone.
Communications. None.
Disbursements.
The MasterCard expenditures for January 2014 were reviewed. A motion to approve the
disbursements for January, 2014 was made by Dean and seconded by Martin. Motion carried
7/0.
Set Agenda Order for March Meeting.
Brief meeting in March.
Futures meeting in Room A begins at 6:30 p.m.
Adjournment. A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by McCray and seconded by Baker.
Motion carried 7/0. President Rich - Chappell adjourned the meeting at 6:12 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Elyse Miller
41
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MINUTES Approved
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
FEBRUARY 13, 2014
EMMA HARVAT HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Kent Ackerson, Thomas Agran, Esther Baker, Thomas Baldridge,
Kate Corcoran, Frank Durham, Andrew Litton, Pam Michaud,
Ginalie Swaim, Frank Wagner
MEMBERS ABSENT: David McMahon
STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo, Chery Peterson
OTHERS PRESENT:
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (become effective only after separate Council action)
None.
CALL TO ORDER: Swaim called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA:
There was none.
CERTIFICATE OF NO MATERIAL EFFECT:
615 Dearborn.
Peterson said this is a consent item, meaning that staff, in reviewing this, did not have any
conditions that they would put on it.
Peterson showed the property on a map. She said it is a ranch -style house from the early
1940s. She said the project involves the front window to the right. Peterson said the owners
just want to change the sill height so that it matches the other two windows. She said this
would be in character with the style of the house. Peterson said staff recommends approval.
MOTION: Baker moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 615
Dearborn Street, as presented in the application. Baldridge seconded the motion. The
motion carried on a vote of 10 -0 (McMahon absent).
CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS:
312 Fairchild Street.
Peterson said this house is in the North Side Historic District and is one of the houses that the
City and the University will be renovating. She said this is now a duplex but will become a
single - family home.
Peterson showed the lower window on the west side. She said the plans in the packet show
where the applicant proposes to build a kitchen. Peterson said the owners need to raise the sill
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
February 13, 2014
Page 2 of 6
height to fit in kitchen counters. She said that since this is not a front facade, staff feels this is
acceptable.
Peterson said the exterior trim appears to be original and should be salvaged and used for the
new window. She said the window width should stay the same; it is just the sill height that
changes.
Peterson said that something needs to be done with the shutters. She said if the owners are
keeping all the shutters on the house, then they would need to be shortened this pair to match
the new window.
Peterson said the owners plan to replace the front door. She showed the storm door and the
door inside. Peterson said it is not original. She said the owners propose a panel -style
fiberglass door, which is a material the Commission approves.
Peterson said the proposed glass is out of character with this house. She said it is just too
ornate for such a simple house. Peterson said the recommendation is to keep everything the
same size and put in a new door to fit the existing opening but to find a window style that is
more appropriate for the style of this house. She said the recommendation would include the
preservation of existing trim.
Baldridge asked if this house was always covered by siding. Peterson responded that it has
structural concrete walls. Baldridge stated that the architecture that is there now does not
appear to be from the 1890s. Peterson said the survey actually suggested that this could be
from the 1870s.
Baldridge said there was a period when it was popular to take these declining Victorians and
turn them into something more like this colonial style. Peterson said this is a key property in the
historic district and is individually eligible for listing on the National Register. She said it is
because of the construction with the poured, exterior concrete walls; there are no studs.
Swaim said there is wood, clapboard siding on the exterior. Peterson agreed. She said that,
looking at the photograph of the front door, one can see the thickness of the exterior wall.
MOTION; Baker moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 312
Fairchild Street, as presented in the application, with the following conditions: applicant
to provide product information for new window, for review by staff; infill below new
window to match existing siding, with staggering of all vertical joints; existing window
trim to be preserved, modify window trim to fit height of new window; new door sized to
fit existing door opening, with a less ornate glass design to be reviewed by chair and
staff; existing door trim to be preserved. Baldridge seconded the motion. The motion
carried on a vote of 10 -0 (McMahon absent).
219 North Gilbert Street.
Peterson said this property is not in a district. She stated that it is one of the Iowa City
landmarks.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
February 13, 2014
Page 3 of 6
Peterson showed a photograph of the house from the past and one from the present. She said
that the house seems very similar to the historic photographs. Peterson said she included the
site inventory for the historic description and significance.
Peterson said this building has housed a bookstore for a long time and is now the new location
of the Haunted Bookstore. She said the owners want to reuse a sign they already have, which
is a long, horizontal sign as shown in the packet.
Peterson said staff met with the owners and discouraged any plans for attaching the sign to the
stone in front or on the side. She said the recommendation is therefore that the sign be
attached to the rear or the side where there is clapboard, or that it be mounted on posts as the
owners have also proposed.
Peterson said the sign would be either attached to the wood frame walls or on posts, either on
the west or the south side of the building. She added that the owners are working on a hanging
sign for the front that will attach to the wood frame of the front door transom. Peterson said that
will be brought to the Commission for review at a future meeting.
Peterson said the applicants have to meet all of the requirements of the Building Department for
signage, so there may be restrictions on where the sign is located.
MOTION: Michaud moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at
219 North Gilbert Street, as presented in the application, with the following condition:
sign to be on the south or west side of the building, mounted to a wood -sided exterior
wall or mounted on posts adjacent to the building. Ackerson seconded the motion. The
motion carried on a vote of 10 -0 (McMahon absent).
REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF:
Peterson said the report represents two months of certificates.
DISCUSS INCREASED NOISE LEVELS ADJACENT TO HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS:
Swaim discussed the language she had drafted based on the previous meeting for a memo to
the City Council. Michaud said she would like to broaden this a little bit. She said that several
people have spoken to her about this. Michaud said she would like to include the language to
say, "Commuters walking to work have noticed..." or "Several members have noticed..."
Swaim said that one thing the Commission is trying to do is to report what occurred at the
meeting. Miklo said it summarizes the minutes of the meeting, which the City Council also has.
He said the minutes could certainly be attached and more detail could be added. Miklo said the
first line could be changed to read, "It has been brought to the Commission's attention that this
is a concern." Swaim said that what the memo then needs to say is what the Commission
discussed at the meeting, and attaching the minutes would give all of the background.
Michaud said that since the last meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission met to review its
draft of form -based code for River Front Crossing. She said she suggested to the Planning and
Zoning Commission that any new development or 1970s development or 1950s house ranch -
style or historic neighborhood should not be subject to new commercial noise above a certain
decibel level, per the smart code. Michaud said the Planning and Zoning Commission is
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
February 13, 2014
Page 4 of 6
including smart code decibel levels for residential housing areas. She said that is great for new,
dense housing, but the people who spend their lives maintaining historic buildings and their
properties should also be given that consideration — that there would not be undue noise.
Michaud said that the smart code is a national standard that has been implemented in a variety
of small and middle -sized cities in the last ten years. She said the smart code is a list of
guidelines that is form - based, which we are moving toward in general. Michaud said that
specifically they would include a sentence stating that the decibel level should not exceed 65
during the day, basically on the frontage line of the property that is the source of noise, and 55
at night. She said that even 40 decibels disturbs sleep.
Michaud said that whatever is extended to new development, which is totally legitimate, should
also be extended to established neighborhoods, historic or non - historic.
Miklo said the memo brings the issue to the City Council's attention and asks them to look at the
noise ordinance. He said that is the goal: to have the City Council direct the staff that deals with
the noise ordinance to review it. Miklo said he assumes they would review the latest codes from
model codes, with smart code being one of them for consideration.
Miklo said that rather than discussing decibel levels, which those present do not have expertise
in, getting this in front of the City Council so that the research can be done is the important
thing.
Michaud suggested broadening the language a little to indicate that the Commission is looking
for a specific result or some accountability. Miklo responded that he believes the memo does
this in discussing "...to help assure that City regulations are sufficient to preserve the quality of
residential neighborhoods..."
Baldridge asked about the strip along Washington Street and what the expectation of those
businesses is. Miklo replied that the commercial zoning at that portion of Washington Street
has been in place since at least the 1960s.
Michaud said that the 500 block was in 1984
Miklo said he had done some research when there was controversy about the Red Avocado
property. He said that the zoning maps going back to the 1960s showed everything up to
College Green Park as being commercial. Miklo stated that in 1984, the map was changed to
reflect the level of commercial and also to change the buildings that actually faced the park
down to residential.
Michaud said this involves a change of use. She said there was a restaurant there with a very
quiet fan. Michaud said that life goes on regardless of something carved of stone in the past.
She said that with new technology and code requirements, she thinks there should be
ameliorative action so that there is not an intrusion on the lifestyle and quality of the
neighborhood, leading to degradation and abandonment of property or decreased property
value. Michaud said that is one of the functions of zoning.
Michaud said this will be a great opportunity for the City Council to control the quality of life for
the whole city, regardless of the age of the residences. She said the decibel level is at the limit
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
February 13, 2014
Page 5 of 6
at her property line at her back wall. Michaud said that when the windows are open, it will be
much more prominent all night long until 4 or 5 a.m., and then they start it again at 8 a.m.
Michaud said it has been documented how stressful this can be. She said there are a lot of
renters a lot closer to this fan than she is. Michaud said she is looking forward to contemporary
standards and respect for the common good by the City Council.
Swaim suggested using the language, "It has been brought to the Commission's attention that
there are concerns about increased noise." She said the final paragraph or sentence could
state, "The attached minutes document the detailed discussion of the topic at the meeting."
Ackerson said that noise level can affect the quality of life in an older neighborhood. He said
that the issue here that is being addressed is that when one has old houses with established
residences and something new comes in, if not controlled, it can adversely affect quality of life.
MOTION: Ackerson moved to approve the memorandum, as amended by Swaim, to be
sent to the City Council. Corcoran seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of
10 -0 (McMahon absent).
CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR DECEMBER 12,2013:
MOTION: Ackerson moved to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation
Commission's December 12, 2013 meeting, as written. Litton seconded the motion. The
motion carried on a vote of 10 -0 (McMahon absent).
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting was adjourned at 6:01 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte
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04 -15 -14
4b(7)
MINUTES
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
FEBRUARY 13, 2014
EMMA HARVAT HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT
MEMBERS ABSENT:
Kent Ackerson,
Kate Corcoran,
Frank Wagner
Approved
Thomas Agran, Esther Baker, Thomas Baldridge,
Frank Durham, Pam Michaud, Ginalie Swaim,
Andrew Litton, David McMahon
STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo
OTHERS PRESENT: Matthieu Biger, Christine Boyer, Ann Connors, Mike Oliveira, Ken
Slonneger, Mary Beth Slonneger, Chris Welu- Reynolds, Mike
Wright
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (become effective only after separate Council action)
None.
CALL TO ORDER: Swaim called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
Miklo said the Commission packet included a report on the proposed Horace Mann
Conservation District. He said the report is also available on the City's website. Miklo thanked
Bailee McClellan, a City intern who did a lot of work on the report.
Miklo said this conservation district designation has been requested by the Northside
Neighborhood for the area surrounding Horace Mann School. He said the purpose of a
conservation district is to preserve the unique architectural and cultural and aesthetic
characteristics of older neighborhoods. Miklo said it is to provide design review for new
construction in those neighborhoods to help assure that any new buildings or significant
alterations to existing buildings are respectful of the historic character.
Miklo said conservation district designation is also to encourage the retention and rehabilitation
of existing housing stock and the maintenance of those buildings over time. He said that along
with that, the purpose is to stabilize property values and encourage re- investment in older
neighborhoods.
Miklo stated that another of the purposes of a conservation district is to protect the setting of
historic landmarks and nearby historic districts. He said the idea is that if one has a landmark,
the buildings around it should be respectful of that building, or if there is a district, there is not a
sudden jarring change.
Miklo said those are the purposes that the City has established for conservation districts. He
said it is one of the tools that the City has to create and promote healthy neighborhoods, by
assuring property owners that development in their neighborhood will be compatible with the
character of the neighborhood.
To qualify for a conservation district, Miklo said that there are some specifications in the zoning
code. He said that at least 50% of the properties must be at least 50 years of age or older.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
February 13, 2014
Page 2 of 13
Miklo said that is the same threshold that is used to start examining properties for eligibility for
the National Register. He said it is clear in the proposed Horace Mann Conservation District
that the vast majority of the buildings are older than 50 years. Miklo said that a good portion of
them were built in the time frame of 1890 to 1900. He said this clearly meets that criterion.
Miklo said the next requirement is that less than 60% of the properties qualify as historic or are
eligible for a historic district. He said the reason for that is that it is a requirement the State has
placed on the City. Miklo stated that it is to insure that the cities do not take the path of least
resistance and create conservation districts where there really should be historic districts. He
said one of the reasons for that is that the rules and regulations for conservation districts are
more flexible than for historic districts.
When looking at property classification in the proposed Horace Mann Conservation District,
Miklo stated that roughly 33% would be eligible for a historic district, and another roughly 3%
would be independently eligible for the National Register as they are that important historically
or architecturally.
Miklo said that if one looks at the other properties in the district, almost 40% of them would
qualify for a conservation district. He said that anything that also qualifies for a historic district
or a landmark would also therefore qualify for a conservation district. Miklo said the vast
majority, roughly 75% of the properties in the proposed district, qualify for a conservation
district. He said there are not sufficient numbers to qualify for a historic district, and that is why
this is being looked at for a conservation district.
Miklo referred to the map showing the properties as classified. He said the classifications are
as follows: non - contributing for modern or newer buildings or buildings that have been
remodeled to such an extent that they are no longer recognizable as older or historic structures.
Miklo said that typically occurs when there have been several changes such as removal of a
porch, change in the roofline, application of replacement siding, or large additions.
Miklo said the next classification is contributing properties. He said these properties contribute
to the character of the neighborhood. Miklo said they are older, so they have some historic
value, but there have been some alterations to them so they are not purely historic. He said
examples would include older houses that might have had siding of the wrong scale applied or
asbestos or aluminum siding, or a house where the front porch was removed. Miklo said they
still have generally their historic characteristics, but they have been altered somewhat.
Miklo said that examples of properties that would quality for a historic district are pretty much as
they were built. He showed examples of houses that have had very few changes over the one
hundred or more years they have been in existence. Miklo said the buildings also might
contribute to a historic district because of an association with a historic event or character. He
showed a house on Bloomington Street that was the house of Theresa Dolezal Feldwert, who
was the person who had the black angel erected in Oakland Cemetery. Miklo said the house
would contribute to a historic district on both historic and architectural grounds.
Miklo said there are also key properties, which can contribute to both conservation and possibly
historic districts or are important enough that they could be independently listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. He said there are a number of these properties in the proposed
conservation district. Miklo said the properties are pretty much the way they were when they
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
February 13, 2014
Page 3 of 13
were built or if there has been an addition, it was done keeping in mind the characteristics and
architecture of the main house itself.
Miklo said there are key properties that are landmarks. He said these are buildings that have
already been designated as Iowa City's historic landmarks, are on the National Register of
Historic Places, and are protected by the preservation ordinance, in that any significant
alteration to them would have to be reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission.
Miklo said that when looking at the report in detail, one can look at a property and then look at
the key to see how these fall within the classifications. He said the classifications are also
important in that, depending on whether a building is key, contributing, or non - contributing, the
guidelines are different for those properties. For example, Miklo said for a building that is
considered non - contributing, the guidelines would allow those to be removed and replaced with
new, modern buildings but using some characteristics present in the historic buildings in the
neighborhood.
Miklo said the main purpose of a conservation district is to conserve an area. He said that one
of the goals is that as buildings are reinvested in over time or new buildings are built, the
neighborhood improve in its historic character, and portions of it or all of it could then go to the
level of a historic district. Miklo said it is also a tool that the City can use to promote healthy
neighborhoods. He said that is something that the Planning and Zoning Commission and the
City Council consider when they consider a conservation district.
Miklo said the Historic Preservation Commission's role is to look at the historic character of the
properties. He said that in this particular area, the City is reinvesting in the neighborhood
through the UniverCity Neighborhood Partnership Program, which encourages home ownership
and rehabilitation of older properties.
Miklo said the City has also invested in the North Market Square Park and street signs in both
the Goosetown and Northside Neighborhoods to promote neighborhood identify. He said the
City is encouraging the school district to carry out plans to invest in and add on to Horace Mann
School. Miklo said that all of this is part of a bigger goal, not just historic preservation but
community preservation.
Based on the report, Miklo said staff finds that this proposed district qualifies for a conservation
district and would recommend approval.
Ackerson asked Miklo if it is possible for any particular property to opt out. Miklo said that a
conservation district has to be contiguous. He said that in terms of a property opting out, it
would have to be on the perimeter of the district. Miklo said that a building that is considered
non - contributing might be found in the center of a district, but the guidelines are very flexible for
those properties.
Miklo said that in drawing the district boundary, staff, after consulting with the applicant, looked
at properties on the border, and if there was a property on the edge that was non - contributing, it
was excluded. He said that if a property on the edge was contributing, it was included.
Miklo stated that one of the other principles staff tried to adhere to but did not always, and this
is more of a broad zoning principle, is to do both sides of a street in the same district. He said
that if there is a change, it occurs in a back yard and not a front yard.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
February 13, 2014
Page 4 of 13
Miklo said that if the Commission finds that some of the properties on the perimeter of a district
do not qualify or the Commission does not feel so concerned about them, some of those could
be removed as part of the recommendation to the City Council. He asked that Commission
members consider and discuss these properties before making a recommendation.
PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE HORACE MANN CONSERVATION DISTRICT:
Wright said he is Chair of the Northside Neighborhood Association. He said the idea of a
Horace Mann Conservation District arose from neighbors talking about preserving the character
of the neighborhood, which is one of Iowa City's oldest platted areas.
Wright said that the neighbors wanted to preserve the neighborhood and preserve the housing
stock and keep Horace Mann School a vital presence in the neighborhood and in Iowa City,
because a school is only going to be as vital as the neighborhood that is around it.
Wright said that, looking at the map, one can see the school is a center of sort of a donut, with
the top already protected by the Brown Street Historic District. He said the areas primarily to
the south and east are proposed to be included in the district. Wright said this encompasses
some of Mann School's prime attendance area, which is an area where the City has been
investing in terms of the UniverCity Neighborhood Partnership Program. He said the proposed
conservation district would shore up the City's efforts, as well as the efforts of homeowners who
are already invested in the area. Wright said this would keep the neighborhood desirable and
viable.
Wright said that while a fair amount of the housing stock in the neighborhood has been moved
or has been irretrievably changed, the majority of it does remain more or less intact. He said
this is what gives the area its unique character and the vibe that those who live there really
appreciate. Wright said it is what they want to preserve and what they want to invest in.
Wright said this is a neighborhood that has stood the test of time. He said it is walkable to jobs
and to downtown's restaurants and shops. Wright said it creates a sustainable environment.
Wright said that, although having taken the lead on this, the Northside Neighborhood did not
think about neighborhood boundaries. He said the goal has been neighborhood enhancement
and preservation and making a stronger environment to surround the Horace Mann School.
Wright said they understand how this singular focus has caused a bit of a stir, for which they
apologize.
Wright said that, in retrospect, they should have communicated with the folks in the Goosetown
Neighborhood, but the focus was indeed absolutely on preservation. He said there was most
certainly never any other intent. Wright said the staff report, even the cover photograph, makes
repeated references to both neighborhoods, Goosetown and the Northside, which they think
emphasizes that the issue here is preservation. He said the issue here is preservation; there
was no thought to boundaries, and they really are boundary- neutral when it comes to this.
Wright encouraged the Commission to approve the Horace Mann Conservation District when
the vote comes. He said its establishment will only be a win for the two neighborhood
associations, for those who live within its boundaries, and for Iowa City as a whole.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
February 13, 2014
Page 5 of 13
Beth Slonneger said she lives on Davenport Street in the Goosetown Neighborhood. She said
she wanted to present her thoughts on behalf of herself, her husband and Carl Klaus, who is out
of town and asked her to speak for him.
Slonneger said she and her husband were out of town and did not go to the January 30
neighborhood meeting and did not know anything about what had come before. She said their
concern is that all of a sudden they are finding out that about half of Goosetown is being joined
to another area of town and being called Horace Mann.
Slonneger said that Goosetown's history goes back 160 years to the first Bohemian immigrant
who came to Goosetown in 1856. She said that the Dvorsky family and their allied families
settled on Bloomington Street right near Dodge. Slonneger said they spread out on that street in
the 700 block and went down, went forward, went above and filled in over time with other
families. She said the little cottages still remain there.
Slonneger said the families who came scraped together the money to come here, to come to
Iowa City, and to buy their first parcel of land. She said she thinks of it as the heart of
Goosetown. Slonneger said they came with their skills. She said they built Saint Wenceslaus;
they laid brick with the first pastor. Slonneger said they built a Protestant chapel on Fairchild
Street. She said they built the CSPS Hall for their monthly meetings and socialization.
Slonneger said the families placed their houses on the corner of the lot that would allow their
gardens the most productive part of the land. She said they planted fruit trees, planted grapes,
made wine, butchered their livestock, had smokehouses, had provisions for heat and laundry,
barns, outhouses, and the whole array of buildings on those properties.
Slonneger said they had a distinctive character and history. She stated that they were very,
very cohesive. She said they liked to socialize together.
Slonneger said she started collecting oral histories, which led to a book called Small but Ours.
She stated that the title came from a garden sign within the Sojek garden. Slonneger said the
neighborhood was very garden- oriented.
Slonneger said that when one thinks about dividing off a part of Goosetown; in the eyes of
herself, her husband, and Klaus; it is attaching a label that has nothing to do with this 160 -year-
old history. She said that in a certain sense, it obliterates that history. Slonneger stated that the
treasures; the iconic buildings such as Saint Wenceslaus, CSPS Hall, and the first cottages; are
being taken into another district and applied with a new name. She said the problem with that is
that she has seen this happen before; they have been fragmentized already.
Slonneger said that the northern streets of Goosetown on Brown Street were taken off and
made part of the Brown Street Historic District. She said that the property owners are invited to
all the social gatherings and the park, but their eyes have shifted forward to the Brown Street
concerns and those historic homes. Slonneger said they are no longer, in a sense, part of
Goosetown.
Slonneger said that if this part is divided off, then they are left with an area to the east of this
that would become, possibly, part of Goosetown but perhaps not, because the treasures are
gone — the things that identify Goosetown, the earliest buildings. She said this is a concern.
Slonneger said that for years, she and her husband and Klaus have worked very hard.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
February 13, 2014
Page 6 of 13
Slonneger said that she and her husband have restored five buildings in Goosetown, three of
which are in this proposed district. She said that is the only way they knew about this proposal.
Slonneger said everyone she talked to around her did not even know about this, and they could
not understand how half of Goosetown could disappear into a district without being informed
about it.
Slonneger said she had done all of these interviews with elderly people who had roots in
Goosetown. She said that she and Klaus are kind of like a bridge between what was and what
we are passing on to the next generation. Slonneger said they have this great fondness, and
they have worked hard for it. She said they see it as a cohesive unit that is typified by the
buildings that are going to be sliced off it and called something else. Slonneger said that in fact
Horace Mann is a 20th century building, and the children in her neighborhood went to the third
ward school for much of that time, so it doesn't even fit that.
Slonneger said that to think about a way of protecting these buildings is really, really hard, but
maybe there should be some kind of small grants awarded to people who wanted to enhance
their gardens, put up traditional fencing, plant fruit trees. She said they talked about historic
lighting and wrote a PIN grant and were awarded one light that never got to them.
Slonneger said that some of these things that could enhance the neighborhood that the City
could participate in could help solve this problem of what to do about these buildings. She
asked the Commission members to think about what it would mean to their neighborhoods if
people were divided in half in two different districts.
Oliveira said he owns Prestige Properties /Prairie Sun Building Services in Iowa City. He said
they own approximately just under 80 buildings within an 11 -block radius of campus. Oliveira
stated that he lives in this area up on Ronalds Street.
Oliveira said that his partner attended the first meeting for Horace Mann. He said that one of
the things they are looking at about this district and why they have some problems with it is that
with this proposed district, given the other historic districts and conservation districts in Iowa
City, the City will be circled right now. Oliveira said that when the market does shift, and it is
going to shift but not right away, because the best use for property right now is probably rentals
on these properties, but some day it is going to shift, where some of these buildings would be
better served by either being rehabbed or torn down to build historically accurate reproductions
on those lots.
Oliveira said that if this whole neighborhood is encumbered, it will limit the market forces for that
as older people want to move into the City and spend more money, saving some of these
neighborhoods. He said that the nomenclature that he has when he listens to Miklo is a one -
sided perspective. Oliveira asked how many of these places are owner - occupied versus rental.
Miklo answered that it is roughly 60% rental property and less than 40% owner - occupied. He
said that is one of the reasons that this was brought to the attention of the City, which wants to
promote a healthy balance.
Oliveira said that he understands it. He said one of the things he has a challenge with is that
with the historic preservation should be pushing the City Council for is us putting in Iowa City,
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
February 13, 2014
Page 7 of 13
trying to get some more high net worth people in this area. He said the reason why is that they
have the money to spend on these older houses.
Oliveira said that demand is rising today. He said that people want to move into homes that are
ADA compliant, low maintenance, and have good curb appeal. Oliveira said he can see that
there is going to be potential for some of these places to be torn down and rebuilt.
Oliveira said they don't mind putting it to the Commission to be historically accurate, but not
every house is going to be able to be remodeled. He said that some of these houses, especially
in this area, this is a very big land grab. Oliveira said that Horace Mann has been fought over
for the last 40 years as to whether it will stay open or be closed. He stated that it is unknown
what the School District will do over time.
Oliveira said that the preservation of Goosetown was a good argument from the previous
speaker. He said that deserves merit.
Oliveira said that he also thinks that taking this big a land swap in this area probably doesn't
need to be done. He said one could probably pick up half of those historic homes that may be
qualified and do a little bit more planning on this.
Oliveira said he has received calls from well over a dozen land owners in this area asking about
what will happen. He said he believes there are a couple of things. Oliveira stated that the best
use of these houses in some areas, even if a conservation district is proposed, they'll minimally
take care of the houses, use them until they fall over, and then there will be a problem.
Oliveira said we should step back for a moment and take a look at what is going to happen
here. He said there is a program in Des Moines where there is a ten -year tax break for fixing up
older homes. Oliveira said that Iowa City needs to take a look at that. He said they have two or
three projects going on in this area right now and will continue to have. Oliveira said that the
guidelines in the current Historic Preservation Handbook for reuse of current properties are
pretty strict. He said it is very hard to tear down a rebuild.
Boyer said she is currently President of the Horace Mann PTO and is also co- leader of the
Goosetown Neighborhood Association. She said that she believes the goal of the Horace Mann
Conservation District is about preserving the neighborhood and preserving a kind of housing
stock that people would like to have in the Iowa City area near that school.
Boyer said she is not sure that a conservation district is the way to go about the problem. She
said it is a way of dealing with what is the belief of preserving neighborhoods but thinks in this
particular circumstance maybe a more laser focus as to what we are really working toward
would be appropriate.
Boyer said that she knows Horace Mann has been discussed for closure many times and would
hate to see that happen. She said, however, that there is a variety of things going on with
school districts and whether there will be funding.
Boyer said she does not think this approach to deal with the neighborhood is necessarily a bad
one, but thinks a bit more needs to be done than just having a conservation district to entice
people into the Horace Mann Neighborhood. She said the City could look at a moratorium on
rental units or perhaps some tax breaks. Boyer said there are other ways to work on this
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
February 13, 2014
Page 8 of 13
circumstance. She said it is very distressing that the proposal would carve out part of the
Goosetown Neighborhood. Boyer said she understands there is a vision and a plan that people
would like to see for Horace Mann, herself included, but she thinks it is somewhat at odds at the
moment.
Boyer said she thinks that dealing with the housing stock and addressing that issue thoughtfully
is perhaps what needs to be addressed. She said it is something that perhaps the
neighborhoods should discuss how they want this to work.
Welu- Reynolds said she used to live on North Summit Street and when she first lived there she
went to a Northside Neighborhood meeting and was told she lived in Goosetown, although she
was welcomed to the meeting. She said there has always been some confusion as to where
the line is between Goosetown and the Northside.
Welu- Reynolds said this area of town is a diverse neighborhood, is walkable, and has a great
school. She stated that the School District has committed to doing a complete renovation to
Horace Mann.
Welu- Reynolds said when she hears talk of tearing down houses, she hopes that the only
reason she ever sees for a teardown is when a property has been neglected. She said that of
the two houses she and her husband restored up on North Summit Street, one of them probably
would have been considered a tear down. Welu- Reynolds said that when one does little by little
and utilizes the resources available in Iowa City, one can actually renovate a house fairly
reasonably and turn it over to the next generation.
Welu- Reynolds said there is some discussion that probably needs to happen as to what is
Goosetown and what is the Northside. She said that everyone is probably willing to look at that
and to discuss that. Welu- Reynolds said that when she looks at Iowa City and at other
conservation areas, she does see a difference in those neighborhoods as to the stability and the
historic presence of those neighborhoods. She thinks that can be achieved in this area. She
said she is in favor of a conservation area but as to the exact property line, there should be
some discussion. Welu- Reynolds said she thinks the Commission should go ahead with a
conservation district, because it does benefit the City of Iowa City.
Welu- Reynolds agreed that there are trends, with people moving out of the City, and then
people want to move back in. She said a conservation district would give people who want to
move back in a place they may want to live.
Miklo said he wanted to clarify something, as several speakers had discussed this as if the City
is creating a new neighborhood or carving out a piece of Goosetown or the Northside. He
reminded those in attendance that a conservation district is a zoning tool. Miklo said it is a
zoning overlay district, and probably the only place this will be referred to as the Horace Mann
Conservation District is in the zoning ordinance. He said he does not believe it will become the
nomenclature for the neighborhood, based on other neighborhoods where there are overlays
that cross over neighborhood boundaries and they have various names.
Miklo said this is not creating a new neighborhood. He said there will not be a neighborhood
association nor an apparatus that goes with a neighborhood association. Miklo said this will
simply be an overlay on the zoning map. He said that for those who are concerned about
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
February 13, 2014
Page 9 of 13
whether they are in Goosetown or the Northside, the Commission's consideration of this
proposed district does not really get to that issue.
Ackerson asked who knows what the actual boundaries of Goosetown are. Slonneger said she
has discussed Dodge and Bloomington, all the way up north. She said it has Saint Wenceslaus
to the west of that and the CSPS Hall. Slonneger said the geese were taken to north Market
Square Park at one time. She said this was a fluid area.
Slonneger said that when the dispute became a problem for the neighbors is when they started
to form neighborhood associations. She said if one thinks about it in terms of Dodge Street, that
might help, and Bloomington.
Miklo said he does not disagree with Slonneger's assessment. He said he did not know if there
was ever a historic map that showed Goosetown. Miklo said it referred to the area where a lot
of the Czech immigrants lived, at the time Northeast Iowa City, with the concentration and major
institutions roughly in this area. He said that in addition to the Czech immigrants, there were
other immigrant populations, including German families and others.
Miklo said the preservation documents show the area roughly form Johnson Street to Reno
Street as being the proximate location of Goosetown. He said there was never a territory or
something that showed up on City maps. Miklo said it was the research of people like
Slonneger who identified and brought attention to it.
Slonneger said she was talking about the people who she actually asked that question of who
were from the neighborhood. Miklo agreed and said it was Slonneger's research that brought it
to light.
Ken Slonneger said he thinks a name does make a difference. He said that since his
neighborhood is kind of an unorganized neighborhood, they feel like they are at the mercy of the
organized neighborhoods. He said they sort of feel like they are going to lose their identity. He
looks at the district that is being proposed and counts about 18 city blocks in the district. He
said that of those 18 city blocks, eleven or twelve of them are really historic Goosetown.
Slonneger said he would be in favor of this proposal if the name were changed from the Horace
Mann Conservation District to the Goosetown Conservation District, because that is really what
it is.
Ken Slonneger said he wants to preserve the identity of the neighborhood, which is really one of
the oldest neighborhoods in the City. He said he is afraid it would be lost if this sort of thing
goes through.
Michaud asked about the whited -out area. Miklo replied that there are properties within this
boundary that are zoned residential. He said the properties that are not zoned residential are
zoned commercial or public. Miklo said these are areas that are also zoned commercial or
higher- density residential or did not contain sufficient contributing properties to qualify for a
conservation district.
Michaud stated that what she is concerned about is the area near Ace Hardware and across
from it. Miklo said that is zoned Neighborhood Commercial, CN -1.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
February 13, 2014
Page 10 of 13
Michaud said that a lot of people saw the Victorian houses come down near the co -op. She
said she lost an opportunity in 2005 to successfully organize her neighborhood to keep it or
downzone it to three stories. Michaud said that one can see the contrast between what is there
now, the four -story building, adjacent to a historic district. She stated that this is what one risks
if multiple houses go down.
Baldridge asked, if this became a conservation district, if something that would be risked, given
what the buildings are currently. He said the conservation district would prevent anything like
that happening, but given what the current zoning is on that neighborhood commercial, he
asked if something like that could be built there.
Miklo answered that he believes Neighborhood Commercial zoning has a two -story height limit
and some design standards that go with it in terms of new construction. He said one would not
see what Michaud referred to in the 500 block of Washington Street in this area, but there could
be some redevelopment of those areas that are zoned Neighborhood Commercial. Miklo said,
however, that in order to remove a building in a conservation district, the Commission would
have to approve the removal of a building. He said that some of the buildings would be
considered non - contributing. Miklo said that most of them, in addition to being zoned
commercial, are modern buildings or are non - contributing.
Biger said he lives right across from Preucil Hall. He said he is also part of the Northside
Neighborhood Association. He said that if it weren't for the proposed district, he believes that
whole area northwest of the park that is wedged between two historic districts likely would not
be protected, because those properties, based on the ratios, might not ever be considered to be
included in the historic districts. He said that then this wide hole there could get bigger and
bigger.
Biger said that as a rather new owner of a house in that neighborhood who has already spent
time and effort to improve the house, has a child who he hopes will be able to walk to Horace
Mann in a few years, and walks downtown through this beautiful neighborhood, he feels that
further discussion is needed so that this can be done. He said that a lot of those houses could
potentially be turned into something that is not necessarily as contributing to the beauty of this
neighborhood.
Biger said he would encourage further discussion. He said he moved here recently, and that
was one of the reasons they decided to look at that house, which happens to be part of the
University program. Biger said there are a lot of positive things that can come of this.
Connors said she owns a property in this area. She asked for an example of a conservation
district in Iowa City. Miklo said that Iowa Avenue is part of the College Hill Conservation District.
He said that when a tornado went through there, the conservation district was one of the tools
the City used to restore the neighborhood.
Connors said there are many players in Iowa City when it comes to property, and everybody
has a valid concern. She asked for the pros and cons of a conservation district. Connors said
her house, which also contains a business, is in a conservation district. She said she could
research the pros and cons, and that is why she wanted an example of a conservation district.
Connors said that Longfellow is a wonderful neighborhood surrounding a school and is very
important to the Iowa City community. Miklo said that portions of Longfellow are in a historic
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
February 13, 2014
Page 11 of 13
district, and Longfellow also contains the Dearborn Conservation District, part of College Hill
Historic District, the Longfellow Historic District itself, the Clark Street Conservation District, the
Summit Street Historic District, and the Governor -Lucas Street Conservation District. He said
that a neighborhood can have multiple districts and still be known for the neighborhood.
Swaim stated that the Brown Street Historic District also includes Ronalds Street as well as
Bella Vista, which sees itself as an entity but is part of the Brown Street Historic District.
Connors said she thinks most people attended the meeting because they care about Iowa City
in many regards. She said they don't want neighborhoods that are very important to
contributing to the fabric and quality of life in this community to change and just disappear.
Connors said that certainly Longfellow and that area did have tough buildings and houses that
have been rehabilitated successfully. Connors said Longfellow is a beautiful neighborhood, and
one can now start to see it trickling down to the adjacent neighborhoods.
Connors asked, regarding goals of the City for creating a conservation district, if there is any
kind of public or private component that has ever been modeled before for conservation. She
asked if there is a component where there is an interested party or investors who want to come
in and invest in a neighborhood that is a conservation district, but there may be some buildings
that need to be torn down.
Miklo replied that there may be models in other communities. He said that in Iowa City there is
the University /neighborhood partnership where the University and City have put funding into
buying rental properties, some of which are run down, investing in them, fixing them up, and
then making them available. Miklo said the University supports that with down payment
assistance, encouraging employees to live close to work. He said that is a good model, and he
thinks that the private sector could certainly do something similar.
Miklo stated that Oliveira had mentioned the idea of some financial incentives such as tax
abatement. He said that is a model that the preservation plan has that the Commission would
like to explore and implement. Miklo said there may be tools, in addition to the conservation
district, that would complement it that the City could bring to support this area.
Oliveira said there are some very successful projects in Seattle, Portland, and Atlanta, where
the districts have worked with setting standards to take down some older buildings and rebuild
historically accurate homes in those areas. He said they are zero energy houses; a lot of them
are green houses that a lot of people want. Oliveira said that a lot of people want a modern
house that looks old like the neighborhood.
Oliveira said that when he looks at the historic preservation standards of Iowa City today, he
finds it is very hard for someone to come in and do that. He said he discussed with Miklo before
this meeting that he is not against having a district, he is against that it is really hard to change
and meet the demand of future housing in this area if the developer or homeowner is restricted
from doing a tear down to reuse some of these properties. Oliveira said that 60% of these
properties are rental already, and that is a large number. He said that there is a demand out
there; it's going to come; and this will hurt the neighborhood overall if there is not a change in
some of the thinking.
Miklo stated that roughly 25% of the properties in the neighborhood are considered non-
contributing. He said those properties would certainly be opportunities to follow that model to
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
February 13, 2014
Page 12 of 13
replace those with new structures that are compatible in character with the neighborhood. Miklo
said there are opportunities in this neighborhood for infill. He added that there may be
properties in this neighborhood that are classified as contributing but have serious structural
problems or issues, and after demonstrating those issues, an owner could propose removing
those and replacing them.
Mary Beth Slonneger asked if there is any reason why the northwestern part of the proposed
district could not be done just by itself. She asked why these disparate things are put together
in this configuration.
Miklo said it could be done as two separate districts. He said that a big chunk of this could be
removed, but he thinks that would defeat the point of trying to preserve Goosetown or Northside
or whatever it is called. Miklo said the name could be changed to call it the Horace
Mann /Goosetown Conservation District. Miklo said that because the area west of Johnson
Street traditionally was not thought of as Goosetown, he did not know if it would be appropriate
to call it the Goosetown Conservation District alone.
Swaim said that because people would like to have more discussions among neighbors and
others involved before voting on this, she would continue the hearing for the present time.
MOTION: Corcoran moved to continue the public hearing for the Horace Mann
Conservation District to the Historic Preservation Commission's next meeting to be held
on March 13. Baker seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 9 -0 (Litton
and McMahon absent).
Swaim said that besides attending the meeting, the public is invited to submit written comments
regarding this issue to Miklo. Swaim asked that submissions be sent to arrive the Friday before
the next meeting if possible, so that they will arrive in the Commission's packet and give
members time to read them a little more thoughtfully than if they arrive minutes before the
meeting.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting was adjourned at 8:09 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte
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4b(8)
PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION Approved
FEBRUARY 3 — 5:30 PM — INFORMAL
EMMA J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Carolyn Dyer, Charlie Eastham, Ann Freerks, Phoebe Martin, Paula
Swygard, Jodie Theobald, John Thomas
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo, Karen Howard, Sara Greenwood Hektoen
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL:
None.
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order at 5:30 PM.
A. Comprehensive Plan Item
A public hearing for a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to amend the Southwest District Plan
to change the land use designation of property located west of Mormon Trek Boulevard, north
of Westwinds Drive (Walden Square) from Neighborhood Commercial to General Commercial.
(CPA12- 00006)
Miklo summarized the issues that led to the deferral of this item from the previous P &Z meeting and
the conditions staff was recommending to address those issues: outdoor display and drinking
establishments. He explained that changing the zoning from CN -1 to CC -2 would not affect the
distance between retail uses that sell alcohol as those requirements do not apply outside the
University Impact Area. Expansion of the Fareway grocery store would be limited by the available
parking. He noted that all of the existing CN -1 zones were developed before the current standards
went into effect. Thomas asked whether the CN -1 reserves space for smaller businesses and
whether the space limits in CN -1 could be modified
B. Rezoning Items
1. Discussion of an application submitted by Southgate Development Services for a rezoning of 8.7
acres of property from Neighborhood Commercial (CN -1) to Community Commercial (CC -2) zone
located at west of Mormon Trek Boulevard, north of Westwinds Drive. (REZ12- 00001)
2. Discussion of an application submitted by The University of Iowa for a rezoning of approximately
1.45 -acres of property from Central Business Support (CB -5) zone to Institutional Public (P -2)
zone located at 301 and 325 S. Clinton Street. (REZ13- 00026)
3. Discussion of an application submitted by The University of Iowa for a rezoning of approximately
.54 -acres of property from Neighborhood Stabilization Residential (RNS -20) zone to Institutional
Public (P -2) zone located at 109 River Street. (REZ13- 00027)
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 3, 2014 - Informal
Page 2 of 3
4. Discussion of an application submitted by NCS Pearson, Inc. for a rezoning of approximately
49.5 -acres of property from Office Research Park (ORP) zone to Research Development Park
(RDP) zone located at 2510 N. Dodge Street. (REZ14- 00001)
There was no discussion on Rezoning Items #1-4.
C. Code Items
1. Discussion of Riverfront Crossings District Form -Based Zoning Code and related zoning code
amendments.
Freerks ran through the list of amendments to see where the commission still had questions for
staff.
In response to a question from the Commission, Howard stated that the bonus provisions are the
only place in which affordable housing is addressed in the code.
Thomas asked about the maximum building height along the Gilbert Street corridor and
expressed a desire to maintain symmetry between the two sides of the street.
Freerks asked Howard to speak at the Thursday meeting about the ways that parking and site
constraints limit potential building height beyond what is allowed in the code.
Swygard asked for some clarification in the language in the bonus section for public art to help
ensure that consideration is given to distributing art throughout the Riverfront Crossings area.
There was brief discussion of a proposed amendment for 100% accessibility for residential uses.
Howard noted that single - family uses are not required to be accessible. Multifamily, mixed use
and commercial buildings are required to have ADA accessible primary entrances. The City has
interpreted this to mean the front entrance.
Thomas stated that he still has a concern about the mid -rise building heights (4 -9 stories)
envisioned in the master plan and what is being proposed currently in the form -based code,
which he views as much taller. Howard stated that the master plan used what was parkable on
current lots in order to envision what was buildable, but is otherwise silent on what the heights
"should" be. She stated that the form -based code is trying to balance a number of goals: creating
residential density to create a commercial area that would have uses that support neighborhood
serving uses; creating green space between buildings to provide views and access to the river;
promoting redevelopment of the area, which is cost prohibitive, will mean allowing buildings that
can take advantage of the views of the park and the downtown.
2. Discussion of proposed changes to parking requirements and alternatives to parking
minimums in the Zoning Code that would apply in Downtown and the Riverfront Crossings
District and elimination of the Near Southside Parking Facility District and associated parking
impact fee.
Howard explained that the attorneys' office was still working with planning on this; there were still
item that needed to be adjusted. She stated that staff was recommending deferral to allow time
for that.
D. Other
Discussion of revaluating the South District Plan, especially that area along Sycamore Street near the
proposed school site. Miklo said that this would be discussed at the next formal meeting.
E. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned.
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PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION Approved
FEBRUARY 20 — 5:30 PM — INFORMAL
HELLING CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Carolyn Dyer, Charlie Eastham, Ann Freerks, Phoebe Martin,
Paula Swygard, Jodie Theobald, John Thomas
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo, Karen Howard, Sarah Walz, Sara Greenwood Hektoen
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL:
None.
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order at 5:30 PM.
Other
Discussion of revaluating the South District Plan, especially that area along Sycamore
Street near the proposed school site.
Freerks said they would take the agenda items out of order because Sarah Walz was
presenting information only on the last item.
Walz said that many interesting things are happening in the South District like Wetherby Park,
the edible forest, the public Community Gardens and two splash pads. She said that the area is
accessible to the shopping area along Highway 6 and employment areas and is not too far from
the university. She said the South District is also home to Napoleon Park, Sand Prairie Reserve,
home to the endangered painted box turtle, Terry Trueblood Park, the southern portion of the
Iowa River Corridor Trail, the Sycamore Greenway, soccer park, wastewater treatment plant,
and Friendly Farm — the only organic farm within Iowa City.
Walz said the Future Land Use Scenario shows higher density development in the way of future
townhouses along areas where there are arterial streets like S. Sycamore and S. Gilbert
Streets. She added that opportunities for multifamily housing are dependent on the extension of
S. Sycamore Street and several others. Walz showed a picture of the street pattern in the area
and said it's important to get east -west connections because there are now only two of them.
Walz said that the South District Plan is the first District Plan and was adopted in 1997, so it
may very well be time to revisit it and look at the landscape, where arterials are located and
where future opportunities exist for commercial, higher density development, and future parks.
Miklo added that when the South District Plan was developed, one of the things that came from
the public meetings was the lack of a unique environmental feature. He said it was suggested
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 20, 2014 - Informal
Page 2 of 5
that once the gravel pit was exhausted it would make a good park, and now with the Terry
Trueblood Recreation Area, there is a great park serving the district and the larger community.
He said at that time they also picked out some prospective locations for schools, and the Iowa
City Community School District has now chosen one of those sites. Miklo said these are
examples that the Plan has had value as this area as grown.
Walz said the street pattern is something that needs to be given careful attention, and it would
make the area more walkable and more accessible. She said that other things they would need
to be vigilant about is the way they plan for trees along the street and the separation between
the sidewalk and the street especially along that extension of Sycamore Street when the school
goes in. She said the area has a lot of assets that go unheralded.
Martin asked about the commercial zoning. Walz explained that there is no zoning yet because
some of these areas weren't part of the city until the recent annexation with the school. She said
there had been talk on the Commission about a neighborhood commercial zone, and she said
for that to be viable that east -west connection has to occur
In response to a question from Freerks, Miklo said there were two areas for which the City had
not yet adopted a district plan; the North Corridor and the Northwest District. He said the
Northeast District does have the Camp Cardinal Boulevard Master Plan for guidance.
Walz said the South District is also important because it's one of two districts within the city
limits that has the bulk of undeveloped land. She said much of the recent development has lots
that tend to be on the smaller end and very affordable for single family.
Eastham said the area around the Weber School on Rohret Road was developed almost
entirely as single family, and he would like to see the history of how that developed in order to
help as they plan for the South District. Miklo said he didn't think there was much variance
between what was planned for that area and what was actually built.
Dyer asked if the City bus system will extend to this area after it's developed. Walz said that is
always the plan with new subdivisions and rezonings, and the extension of bus service does
depend a lot on the density of development. She said having a school there will help as will the
east -west extension of McCollister Boulevard.
Dyer said she thinks the bus service is especially important for areas with multifamily housing.
Code Item
Discussion of Riverfront Crossings District Form -Based Zoning Code and related zoning
code amendments. (The form -based code is available for review at
http:// www .icgov.org /riverfrontcrossings)
Discussion of proposed changes to parking requirements and alternatives to parking
minimums in the Zoning Code that would apply in Downtown and the Riverfront
Crossings District and elimination of the Near Southside Parking Facility District and
associated parking impact fee.
Howard said this would be a continuation of the discussion from the previous meeting.
Freerks asked to have the wording clarified in the amendment concerning density standards for
fraternal group living. The amendment states... "Staff recommends that applications for new
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 20, 2014 - Informal
Page 3 of 5
fraternal living uses continue to be reviewed and approved by the Board of Adjustment but that
we return to the density allowed previously." Howard affirmed that what is meant is that they are
returning to the previous density only for the RM -44 and the PRM, not for the other zones.
Howard said the minimum parking requirements section has been newly revised, and she
explained what the changes are, including a revised table outlining what the parking
requirements will be in Riverfront Crossings. She said an added revision is the Downtown and
Riverfront Crossings Parking District and information on how to qualify for this type of reduction,
which will entail a fee. She said there is also a change to the near South Side parking impact
fee to make fees paid to the City more commensurate with the actual cost to City to build a
structured parking space.
Howard clarified that a development could have a financial incentive from a Federal or State
program or from the City to qualify for a bonus height provision.
Howard explained that developments that qualify as affordable housing and exempt 30% of the
dwelling units from the parking requirements do not also have to pay a fee.
Howard said that the fees are intended to cover a portion of the construction cost of a structured
parking space but do not cover the operating costs, and residents will not be guaranteed a
parking space in a public parking facility.
Thomas said what he wanted to know is if there is a public subsidy to the operation of the
parking structures. Howard said there is always a public subsidy of the parking structures
downtown. Greenwood Hektoen explained that you can't charge for maintenance- that is what
our tax dollars are for.
Howard emphasized that having a progressive policy of strategically placed public parking
facilities has helped downtown Iowa City maintain its buildings over time rather than seeing
buildings torn down to make room for surface parking lots.
Discussion of an amendment to Title 14: Zoning, changing the definition of
"enlargement/expansion" so that for a nonconforming drinking establishment, an
alteration or addition to a commercial kitchen that does not result in an increase in the
allowable occupancy load will not be considered an enlargement/expansion of the use.
Miklo said the intention here is to emphasize the non - alcoholic aspect of the business and make
it easier for the restaurant.
Theobald asked about sidewalk cafes. Howard said the Code has a definition of a restaurant,
and there are many businesses downtown that do operate a full -scale restaurant, and they are
the ones that have the sidewalk cafes, but in the Zoning Code some of those restaurants also
qualified as a drinking establishment because sometimes they are open after midnight. She said
that something defined in the Code as a bar would not qualify for a sidewalk cafe.
ADJOURNMENT:
Eastham moved to adjourn the meeting.
Theobald seconded.
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 20, 2014 - Informal
Page 4 of 5
A vote was taken and the motion carried 7 -0.
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MEMORANDUM
Date: March 31, 2014
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Bob Miklo, Planning & Zoning Commission
Re: Recommendations from Planning & Zoning Commission
At their February 20, 2014 meeting the Planning & Zoning Commission made the following
recommendations to the City Council:
1. The Commission voted 6 -1 (Thomas opposed) to recommend approval of Riverfront
Crossings District Form -Based Zoning Code and related zoning code amendments.
2. The Commission voted 6 -0 (Dyer absent) to recommend approval of the proposed
changes to the parking requirements and alternatives to parking minimums in the Zoning
Code that would apply in Downtown and the Riverfront Crossings District and elimination
of the Near Southside Parking Facility District and associated parking impact fee.
3. The Commission voted 6 -0 (Dyer absent) to recommend approval of an amendment to
Title 14: Zoning, changing the definition of "enlargement/expansion" so that for a
nonconforming drinking establishment, an alteration or addition to a commercial kitchen
that does not result in an increase in the allowable occupancy load will not be
considered an enlargement /expansion of the use.
Additional action (check one)
No further action needed
Board or Commission is requesting Council direction
_X_ Agenda item will be prepared by staff for Council action
PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION Approved
FEBRUARY 20 — 7:00 PM — FORMAL
EMMA J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Carolyn Dyer, Charlie Eastham, Ann Freerks, Phoebe Martin,
Paula Swygard, Jodie Theobald, John Thomas
MEMBERS ABSENT: None.
STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo, Karen Howard, Sara Greenwood Hektoen
OTHERS PRESENT: Bob Welsh, Nancy Carlson, Bryan Vogel
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL:
1. The Commission voted 6 -1 (Thomas opposed) to recommend approval of Riverfront
Crossings District Form -Based Zoning Code and related zoning code amendments.
2. The Commission voted 6 -0 (Dyer absent) to recommend approval of the proposed
changes to the parking requirements and alternatives to parking minimums in the
Zoning Code that would apply in Downtown and the Riverfront Crossings District
and elimination of the Near Southside Parking Facility District and associated
parking impact fee.
3. The Commission voted 6 -0 (Dyer absent) to recommend approval of an amendment
to Title 14: Zoning, changing the definition of "en largementlexpansion" so that for a
nonconforming drinking establishment, an alteration or addition to a commercial
kitchen that does not result in an increase in the allowable occupancy load will not
be considered an enlargement/expansion of the use.
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA:
There was none.
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 20, 2014 - Formal
Page 2 of 11
Code Items
Discussion of Riverfront Crossings District Form -Based Zoning Code and related zoning
code amendments. (The form -based code is available for review at
http: //www.icgov.org /riverfrontcrossings)
Howard referred to the decision matrix that contains the final items the Commission wanted to
discuss at this meeting, which include building heights in Riverfront Crossings and accessibility.
Freerks opened public discussion.
Bob Welsh of 84 Penfro Drive said the Commission had the opportunity tonight to give the
message to the citizens of this community and beyond that we really want people to be front
door citizens. He gave an example of a friend who used a wheelchair who could not visit Welsh
in his house due to the front step. He said he hoped the Commission would ask staff to make
some modifications to assure front door accessibility for veterans, those with disabilities, and the
rapidly growing elder population. He would like to promote this community as a good place to
retire.
Nancy Carlson of 1002 E. Jefferson St. spoke of how one of the goals of the Master Plan is to
protect the views of the Old Capital Building, which she said is a symbol both for the university
and for the citizens of Iowa City. She gave Howard two pictures that were in the Press - Citizen in
January and said when she looks at those pictures she sees the Old Capital with two taller high -
rises lurking in the background. She said they are now talking about adding more fifteen story
buildings and one of the reasons is for affordable housing. Carlson said in the Master Plan it
talks about the cost per foot of high rises, and she thinks that the vast majority of working
people would not be able to afford that cost. She wants to know what happens when the City
subsidy ends after ten years. She would like to find other ways of offering affordable housing
without kicking people out of their homes in ten years.
Carlson offered several examples of people getting evicted from affordable housing in Iowa City.
She said the most likely people to get displaced by building affordable housing are the people at
the bottom of the economic scale. She listed some suggestions other cities had for addressing
the problem of affordable housing. She is convinced that building high rises for affordable
housing is not the best answer. She said the reality is that when Iowa City has attempted to up
zone, the repercussions have not been pleasant. She's concerned about what the City's
priorities are and what the best course of action is.
Freerks closed public discussion.
Freerks said she is inclined to approve what staff and the consultants have recommended and
see how it works. She said this is an optional code and nothing they can force anyone to use.
She said there has been a great deal of conversation, many meetings, much discussion with a
lot of people, and she thinks what has been created does reflect what the Plan says, and
parking will determine that. She said when it comes to south of downtown, that's really to
salvage what's left of the downtown that's so beautiful. She said they are to go upward in some
areas, and she thinks that south of downtown would be a good place for that to occur.
Miklo clarified that they anticipate that the City may initiate a rezoning for the south downtown,
so the code would not be optional, but the bonuses would be.
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 20, 2014 - Formal
Page 3 of 11
Howard clarified that the maximum height for the zoning of this area south downtown is eight
stories with a step back after the fifth story to help reduce the building scale, so the only way to
get higher than eight stories is to go through the bonus provisions. She said the Central
Crossings area is a maximum of four stories with a step back after the third story. She said the
Park District and South Gilbert District and University District are a maximum of six stories with
a step back after the fourth story. She said on the west side of the river the maximum height is
four stories except along the Iowa River. Howard said she wanted to be clear that the taller
buildings apply to the discretionary bonus provisions at the end of the code and wanted this in
the record.
Howard addressed Carlson's question about affordable housing by saying that these are not
intended as the absolute or only ways to achieve public goals but as one means of trying to
achieve them. She said for affordable housing there would be an abundance of ways to achieve
it.
Freerks added that City staff is trying to make that happen in many ways.
Thomas referred to #35 on the matrix by saying that their goal here is overall density and one
way of achieving that is building height. He said Iowa City's self -image is that it's a small town
with big city attractions, and that is relevant to the question of building height. He said it seems
to him that what they are looking at is the best way of increasing Iowa City's density. He said the
story of density and building height evolves over time and is not fixed in the moment.
Freerks said there has been so much discussion about trying to retain neighborhoods to the
north and east, and she doesn't see spreading density there any further than has already been
done. She said they have a finite piece of ground they are dealing with just south of downtown,
and this is where this kind of growth needs to occur. She said she isn't opposed to tall buildings,
but she doesn't think they will have lots of them. She said what they have here will work
because it's been well thought out and carefully constructed and if there turns out to be issues
with it, she's certainly not afraid to go back and revisit it at any time.
Thomas said he thinks midrises can achieve the desired densities.
Freerks said she thinks that's what this plan will do with a few exceptions.
Thomas said staff's comments in #36 say that they are opposed to the idea of having an
allowance for two buildings exceeding the maximum building height. He said he found
something in Berkeley's zoning code that actually puts a limit on the number of buildings over
eight or nine stories.
Freerks said she thinks it will limit itself with parking, and she prefers to do it that way instead of
the first two people to the gate and then it's done.
Freerks asked if there were four Commissioners who wanted to change #36. There were only
two, Eastham and Thomas. The change to #36 failed.
Freerks said #37 is the university area with two stories minimum and seven stories maximum
and two bonus stories, with staff recommending against making any changes in the university
height standards. She said one of the reasons is that the City has no control over land owned or
developed by the university.
Thomas said he is proposing an increase of one story, from six to seven, in the base height.
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 20, 2014 - Formal
Page 4 of 11
Freerks asked if there were four Commissioners who wanted to make this change. There was
one, Thomas, and the change to #37 failed.
Thomas withdrew his proposed changes to #38. He said he is not clear on the idea that the
change to the allowable bonus height would preclude the City from granting full transfer of
development rights.
Howard explained the concept by using the example that a piece of property has a base height
of four stories. She said someone could tear down a historic property and build a four story
building. She said if they can't transfer the full four stories to another property there's no
incentive to do it. She reminded the Commission that this is just one kind of tool that can be
used.
Freerks said on #39 Thomas had suggested making the maximum three stories with one bonus
story and no bonus where adjacent to existing single family residential. She said staff
recommends against this change other than disallowing bonus heights for properties adjacent to
single family neighborhood. Thomas said he would withdraw this one because the Master Plan
said it's highly unlikely that the development along the east side of the northern end of Gilbert
Street would be redeveloped.
Freerks said on #40 Thomas suggested a change of two stories minimum, six stories maximum
and four bonus stories in the Park area, while staff recommends against changing the allowable
bonus height.
Thomas said he assumed the Master Plan was trying to tie all the variables together in terms of
how these lands would be developed with respect to parking and urban form, etc. He said if you
add up all the development in that plan it's five million square feet. He said the consultant
recommended ten stories. They could have in their own analysis that it could be up to fifteen
stories, but they chose ten. Thomas said he isn't willing to say it could be higher without some
understanding of how that could be the case.
Eastham asked if it was true that in the Park District a developer would have to have nine bonus
points to get up to fifteen stories. Howard said it would be a lot of public benefit they would be
providing to get up to fifteen stories.
There was one Commissioner, Thomas, supporting the change to #40, so the change failed.
Freerks said in #41 Thomas suggested for the West Riverfront four stories maximum, one
bonus story, three story maximum if fronting Orchard Street, and Iowa River edge should have
six story maximum, and two bonus stories. She said staff recommends changing the base
height along the river from 10 to eight stories and allowing the option to grant significant bonus
height, and as stated previously, staff recommends additional standards that will ensure that
riverfront areas are open and accessible to public, and staff would also support a separation
requirement between buildings that exceed five stories, perhaps something between fifty and
one - hundred feet.
Thomas said this is the area where there is the most concern about developing taller buildings.
He said he thinks the separation between buildings is appropriate. He said it would depend on
the height of the building as to what that separation needs to be.
Martin said what the staff has recommended seems to make sense.
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 20, 2014 - Formal
Page 5 of 11
Eastham said he's not keen on having buildings higher than eight stories on the West Riverfront
Crossings area. He said he doesn't think that's an appropriate place to put them.
Swygard said she would agree with that and wonders what significant bonus height means.
Howard said staff was leaving that for the Commission to discuss. Freerks suggested that they
go to twelve maximum rather than fifteen. Eastham said he is struggling with what the public
benefits will be. Howard said in this case one thing that would be the benefit would be the
transfer of development rights for granting open space.
Martin asked if they didn't do any bonus points could a developer make something short and
squat that takes up the whole space. Howard said along the river they could go up to eight
stories and the building has to have some frontage to guarantee access to the river.
Freerks said at six stories you can't see the river so it's up to the Commission to decide how you
best break into that.
Eastham said an eight story building in the West Riverfront corridor is as high a building as he'd
like to see there.
Thomas and Eastham said they would like to see six stories as the base height along the river
with two bonus stores. The other four Commissioners agreed to the option of choosing staff's
recommendation with changing the base height to eight stories and Freerk's suggestion of no
more than twelve stories and staff's ideas for separation requirements. The Commissioners
agreed that buildings exceeding five stories should be separated by the height of the taller
building.
Freerks continued with #29 on the matrix, which said that 100% of the housing units within
Riverfront Crossings District should be totally accessible. Staff does not recommend making
accessibility mandatory for all residential units within the district and recommends relying on
ADA requirements and the Building Code to determine which buildings must have accessible
entrances and features.
Howard said the only building types in Riverfront Crossings that wouldn't be required to be
accessible would be townhouse type units and the cottages, which will be limited.
Eastham said the frontage requirements require the building to be at least eighteen inches
above the street level. Howard said the Building Code is going to require these buildings to be
accessible, so if there is some reason that they can't be made accessible, a provision allows
them to waive the eighteen inch requirement. She said the City has interpreted the accessibility
to apply to the front entrance on all buildings except townhouse type units and single family.
Eastham said so then there is no requirement that those two kinds of buildings have
accessibility from the front. Howard said there is no requirement that you have to make those
accessible from the front, but there is the flexibility in the code to do that if someone wants to
build a single family and make it accessible from the front.
Howard suggested changing the language on page 94 from "where accessibility standards
required by the ADA cannot be met," to read "required or if there's a desire to have the building
accessible."
There was only one Commissioner, Eastham, who was interested in making 100% of the
housing units within Riverfront Crossings District totally accessible.
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 20, 2014 - Formal
Page 6 of 11
Thomas suggested that staff look into best practices and see if there are other cities that have
elected to raise the bar. He asked if what is being proposed in the code is consistent with best
practices. Howard said if there are enough people interested, they can invite someone from the
Building Department to speak on that at another meeting. She said she believes that the City
and the way the Building Code has been interpreted is above and beyond the way some cities
have interpreted it. Freerks asked Howard to investigate and present the results at a future
meeting.
A majority of Commissioners agreed that they would like the language changed on page 94 as
noted above in the minutes.
Freerks said that #42 was suggested by staff to correct confusing language in the side set back
requirements by deleting the "if abutting adjacent building" and also include a provision in the
side set back requirements for mixed used buildings such that residential floors above the third
story must be set back a minimum of ten feet from side lot line.
A majority of Commissioners agreed with this change.
Martin moved to recommend approval Riverfront Crossings District Form -Based Zoning
Code and related zoning code amendments.
Theobald seconded.
Eastham said he thinks this is a very imperfect approach to what they are trying to do. He said
he thinks the allowance for taller buildings in the West Riverfront Area is not appropriate to the
use of that area and the views that are going to exist there from the west. He said he thinks it
doesn't provide adequate and appropriate respect for the people who are still living in the Miller -
Orchard area. He said he also has some moral qualms about not making the frontage of
buildings accessible for everyone, especially in this area where a large number of seniors are
expected to live. He said it's a fairly simple thing to do, and he is disappointed that the
Commission is not recommending to Council that all buildings have access from the front, which
conflicts with the Commission's philosophy of making as many homes in the community
accessible and available to as many people as possible. He said he appreciates Thomas'
comment that the Commission should continue to look at that accessibility issue.
Eastham said as to the building heights he thinks Thomas has done a great job leading the
Commission through what the building heights actually mean in this area and downtown. He
said he hoped the Commissioner would have the opportunity to correct any errors as they go
forward. He said this is a great development opportunity for the community but he thinks there
are a couple things that need to be paid more attention.
Thomas said he thinks the form -based code is a real step forward for Iowa City. He said he
thinks the questions of development in this town have been hard on Iowa City as it relates to
form and density. He said the neighborhoods in the Central District have been hammered over
the last sixty years by questions of density. He said the Historic Preservation Commission is
passionate about their work because they see how badly the city has been damaged. He said
that is the reason he took such a literal view of this plan, because it was an attempt to
understand all the variables that go into deciding the size of a building. He said he hopes there
is more public discussion and that City Council considers this very carefully. He said once you
build a building, it's done.
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 20, 2014 - Formal
Page 7 of 11
Theobald said this discussion helped her begin to see the tall dormitories and see how that
area, with the proper landscaping, could be a lovely area. She said she sees her young friends
who want to move to Iowa City living in this area and being a wonderful opportunity for them.
She said she thinks it's going to be a wonderful neighborhood.
Swygard said as someone who lives close to the West Riverfront she is excited about the
potential changes that come with this redevelopment. She said she thinks that the current
transient nature of some of the businesses along Riverside Drive negatively affects that part of
town. She said she hopes there is some quality development. She said there is an art to doing
this as far as building heights go, and so her hope is that they won't place a twelve -story
building amongst the one -story businesses without also having other redevelopment around
that. She hopes it will be a positive change in that it will open some of the views of the river that
we currently don't see.
Martin said she's very excited about the entire plan. She said she knows that they can't make
everyone happy but she does feel that they have done a lot to make sure that they have
addressed concerns and given thought to the community issues. She said she has a very
positive feeling toward what's happening.
Freerks said she's excited about this and thinks it will be a positive tool to move forward in an
area that can use some redevelopment in many places. She said over the years she has seen
some of the quaint homes taken out and some mismatched things have occurred there for lack
of focus. She said what she sees is a way for the community to create something in this area
that will flow quite well and something embraced by the people in Iowa City but also people from
other areas who will come here. She said when people come here they perhaps look for
something a bit different. She said hopefully this takes some of the pressure off those areas that
we love and want to keep and cherish and that includes the downtown, which lacks protection in
many areas. She said in the future that's something she would like to address. She said she
thinks this will be a positive. She said it's not perfect but she thinks they got it quite focused on
what might allow people to use incentives and she hopes people will use and embrace it and
that there will be many buildings that will have public benefit.
Dyer said she has been excited about this project since she first learned about it. She said she
thinks they have reached some good compromises. She said she hopes they can communicate
community support for developers to see the bonuses that provide workforce housing and
accessibility - that's one of the things that needs to be in the forefront of peoples' minds as the
community ages in population and attracts retirees. She said overall she thinks they have done
a good job and she's quite happy with the results.
The Commissioners said they appreciate all the effort and hard work that went into this.
A vote was taken and the motion carried 6 -1 (Thomas opposed).
Freerks called for a five minute break and Dyer left the meeting.
Freerks called the meeting back to order.
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 20, 2014 - Formal
Page 8 of 11
Discussion of proposed changes to parking requirements and alternatives to parking
minimums in the Zoning Code that would apply in Downtown and the Riverfront
Crossings District and elimination of the Near Southside Parking Facility District and
associated parking impact fee.
Freerks opened public discussion.
Freerks closed public discussion.
Thomas moved to recommend approval of the proposed changes to the parking
requirements and alternatives to parking minimums in the Zoning Code that would apply
in Downtown and the Riverfront Crossings District and elimination of the Near Southside
Parking Facility District and associated parking impact fee.
Eastham seconded.
Thomas said he is basically in support of the proposed changes. He said one thing he would
encourage is the question of on- street parking. He said he thinks much of the street parking in
Riverfront Crossings is unregulated and given how parking is such a critical issue in terms of the
development of this area he thinks it's time to start looking at how that on- street parking is
regulated so they can maximize the efficiency of it.
Eastham said he thinks it's a good point to pursue.
Thomas added that if they can get additional benefit out of that it could be put back into the
public benefits. He said if there were a parking benefit district, for example, those revenues
raised could be used toward improving Riverfront Crossings, either from the meter collections or
permits or whatever the process. He said it seems like a valuable resource and should at least
be evaluated.
Freerks said this seems like a good place to start, and hopefully it will be something that serves
this area well.
Theobald said there are no bicycle parking requirements and wanted to know if expanding those
to all areas has been looked at. Howard said this does have bicycle parking requirements for
commercial uses whereas downtown there are none. She said they tried to put something new
in to make sure that the bicycle parking was accommodated. She said for commercial uses the
bicycle parking has always been based on a percentage of the commercial vehicle parking so
downtown drops to zero although there's a huge demand for bicycle parking. She said they tried
to address some of those issues in Riverfront Crossings.
A vote was taken and the motion carried 6 -0.
Discussion of an amendment to Title 14: Zoning, changing the definition of
" enlargemenVexpansion" so that for a nonconforming drinking establishment, an
alteration or addition to a commercial kitchen that does not result in an increase in the
allowable occupancy load will not be considered an enlargementlexpansion of the use.
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 20, 2014 - Formal
Page 9 of 11
Howard said this is a small change to
drinking establishments downtown are
apart so it doesn't allow any expansion
changes to a kitchen to make it a belt
actual drinking establishment occupancy.
Freerks opened public discussion.
the definition of "enlargement" because most of the
nonconforming because they aren't spaced 500 feet
at all. She said this would allow someone to make
er business but would not allow the expansion of the
Bryan Vogel, owner of The Clinton Street Social Club, said he has a difficult kitchen and has a
hard time keeping qualified, talented kitchen professionals because of the physical restrictions.
He said the only way he can better the ratio of food to alcohol sales is to expand the kitchen,
which he feels is no violation of the goals of the liquor legislation.
Freerks closed public discussion.
Eastham disclosed that his son works as a bartender at The Clinton Street Social Club, but he
said that would not influence his vote.
Eastham moved to recommend approval of an amendment to Title 14: Zoning, changing
the definition of "enlargement/expansion" so that for a nonconforming drinking
establishment, an alteration or addition to a commercial kitchen that does not result in an
increase in the allowable occupancy load will not be considered an
enlargement/expansion of the use.
Swygard seconded.
Freerks said these are the types of things the Commission does when there proves to be
unforeseen glitches in Code changes to address momentous problems. She said this is an
instance of stepping back and seeing what needs to be tweaked. She said they should clearly
encourage dining in downtown, and because there will be no change in occupancy load there
will not be any issue created here.
Eastham said he thinks it's a very sensible thing to do and he appreciates the staff's work to
make this timely amendment to the Code.
A vote was taken and the motion carried 6 -0.
Consideration of Meeting Minutes: January 13 and February 6, 2014
Eastham moved approval of minutes with minor correction.
Swygard seconded.
A vote was taken and the motion carried 6 -0.
Other
Discussion of revaluating the South District Plan, especially that area along Sycamore
Street near the proposed school site.
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 20, 2014 - Formal
Page 10 of 11
Freerks opened public discussion.
Freerks closed public discussion.
The Commission agreed that this item is worthy of staff's time. Freerks said she thinks with not
a huge time commitment some thoughtful and specific things can be conceived to create a more
solid future for the area around this and do something like what they have done in other areas.
She said she hopes City Council will allow staff to put that on its "to do" list for this year.
Eastham said in terms of the neighborhood commercial areas, he is interested in trying to put
some standards into the Plan that would allow or require something a good deal different for a
convenience store /gas station.
Freerks said this is a wonderful part of town with a lot to offer and she thinks it's worth the time
to look into the details.
Swygard agreed, especially in light of the school going into that area and that development will
probably happen fairly quickly.
Thomas said we are investing in the school and the public infrastructure to the tune of millions
of dollars. He said as a designer one of his concerns is how you integrate all these housing
types, and he hopes they can develop a plan that would have higher densities, would
incorporate multifamily, and would be walkable. He said the question of raising densities in
multifamily areas worries some people, so it's a challenge to integrate affordable multifamily
with single family, and he hopes that process can achieve that goal.
Martin said she thinks it's important to keep in mind the amenities in that area that go
unheralded and making sure that they remain accessible. She said sometimes if there isn't
another look at it, if too much time passes, we can forget that we need to take care of those
things.
Theobald said the integration between the development and the wetlands is important. She said
she thinks the area is a real treasure, and there are a lot of different environments that are
typical of the Iowa prairie.
Eastham moved that the Commission send a letter to City Council requesting further
development of the South District Plan.
Theobald seconded.
A vote was taken and the motion carried 6 -0.
Adjournment
Eastham moved to adjourn.
Thomas seconded.
A vote was taken and the motion carried 6 -0.
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MEMORANDUM
Date: April 7, 2014
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Bob Miklo, Planning & Zoning Commission
Re: Recommendations from Planning & Zoning Commission
—0
4b(11)
At their March 20, 2014 meeting the Planning & Zoning Commission made the following
recommendations to the City Council:
The Commission voted 6 -0 to recommend approval of amendments to Title 14, Zoning,
Chapter 5 Site Development Standards, Article B, Sign Regulations to: 1) change the
standards for projecting signs and to allow them in all commercial zones, 2) to allow
canopy roof signs in all commercial zones and to clarify the size provisions and 3) to
regulate temporary window signs and the placement of permanent window signs in
required storefront windows.
Additional action (check one)
No further action needed
Board or Commission is requesting Council direction
_X_ Agenda item will be prepared by staff for Council action
PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION APPROVED
MARCH 20 — 7:00 PM — FORMAL
EMMA J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Carolyn Dyer, Charlie Eastham, Ann Freerks, Phoebe Martin,
Jodie Theobald, John Thomas
MEMBERS ABSENT: Paula Swygard
STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo, Doug Boothroy, Jann Ream, Sara Greenwood Hektoen
OTHERS PRESENT: Sally Scott, Tracey Achenbach
RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL:
The Commission voted 6 -0 to recommend approval of amendments to Title 14, Zoning,
Chapter 6 Site Development Standards, Article B, Sign Regulations to: 1) change the
standards for projecting signs and to allow them in all commercial zones, 2) to allow
canopy roof signs in all commercial zones and to clarify the size provisions and 3) to
regulate temporary window signs and the placement of permanent window signs in
required storefront windows.
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM.
Freerks introduced Doug Boothroy, who as the recently appointed Director of the newly formed
Department of Neighborhood and Development Services explained the recent, new
organizational chart for the department.
Freerks said that she noticed that the name planning is no longer in the departments name and
asked for assurance that planning for long term goals as well as development and
neighborhood services is still what the City has in mind.
Boothroy explained that he has training and background in Planning. He served as Senior
Planner for many years and worked closely with the Planning and Zoning Commission. He also
served as the president of the Iowa Chapter of the American Planning Association. He stated
that comprehensive planning and current planning will still have the same importance. He
explained that Neighborhood Services will comprise many elements of planning.
Eastham requested that the City provide more Planning staff. Boothroy said he understands
Eastham's desire to get more staff to get the Comprehensive Plan working as soon as possible.
Eastham asked if this reorganization implies anything in terms of changes in the City's approach
to land use regulation and planning. Boothroy responded that Neighborhood and Development
Services will be viewed by the City as a higher priority than it has been in the past in terms of
Code enforcement but he sees no change in planning activities and subdivision reviews. He
said he does hope that bringing the Planning and Building Inspection departments together will
Planning and Zoning Commission
March 20, 2014
Page 2 of 7
improve customer service with home builders and other groups that in the past have not been
very positive about the City's planning efforts.
Thomas said that the Sustainability Report of 2013 showed that in the category of Housing most
of the measurable items were defined as unclassified, and he asked Boothroy if he sees that as
something that needs addressed. Boothroy said he would be meeting with Brenda Nations, the
Sustainability Coordinator, to discuss that. Thomas said he was happy to see in the
restructuring that sustainability is more integrated and hopes that sustainability emphasis will be
applied to the stability of the neighborhoods. Boothroy replied that is the City's goal.
Eastham stated his hopes that this restructuring will be better for measuring outcomes for some
of the more pressing planning and rezoning approaches the City is taking, particularly those that
relate to achieving actual mixed income neighborhoods. Boothroy said the City is not tracking
those factors right now, and they need to be thinking of how they can do that.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA:
There was none.
Zoning Code Items
Discussion of amendments to Title 14, Zoning, Chapter 5 Site Development Standards,
Article B, Sign Regulations to: 1) change the standards for projecting signs and to allow
them in all commercial zones, 2) to allow canopy roof signs in all commercial zones and
to clarify the size provisions and 3) to regulate temporary window signs and the
placement of permanent window signs in required storefront windows.
Miklo introduced Jann Ream, who reviews most sign permits. Ream showed pictures of
examples of all the kinds of signs addressed in the proposed amendment, said that currently
projecting signs are allowed on a very limited basis, are only allowed downtown, can be no
more than six square feet and can't be illuminated. She said she has found that those
restrictions have stifled good designs and creativity for these signs and thinks that with new
technology, it's time to loosen some of the restrictions, allowing a maximum size of twelve
square feet, placement in all commercial zones, and a bit more illumination. Ream said they are
also proposing changing the limitation of the top of the sign to the top of the first floor to
between the first and second floor for hotels, indoor theaters and bowling alleys
Eastham asked if increasing the area of the sign increases the hazard of the sign in wind. Jann
pointed out the very strict mounting requirements in the chart provided to Commission members
and said that the sign has to go through strict design review, and the proposed size is not large
enough to create hazards.
Ream explained that more and more canopy signs are being incorporated into modern
commercial development, and they make a very good sign option, with opportunities for good
design.
Ream returned to the projecting sign discussion to explain that they are proposing one very
specific circumstance where a sign over twelve square feet would be allowed: a commercial
building whose first story is a minimum of eighteen feet from grade to top of the first story would
be allowed to increase to an eighteen square foot canopy or projecting sign to be more in
proportion to that size of building.
Planning and Zoning Commission
March 20, 2014
Page 3 of 7
Ream said in the past temporary signs in windows were never regulated but she showed a
photograph of an example on Gilbert Street that illustrates the need for new regulations. She
said the regulations of these types of signs will only be applied to those areas where there are
required storefront windows.
Freerks asked for clarification. Ream said in the Central Business Service (CB -2), Central
Business Support (CB -5) and Central Business (CB -10) zones and certain areas of Riverfront
Crossings a certain percentage of the fagade is required to be in windows or doors, and where
windows are required they must allow a view to the business inside.
Ream said for all intents and purposes window clings are permanent, and the City will consider
these as window signs, and if it's a required storefront window, these clings will only be allowed
to take up twenty -five percent of the window. She said the current window signs will probably be
grandfathered and not be required to be taken down.
Thomas asked if the proposed amendment will control the size of the imagery on the signs.
Ream said that with the First Amendment, the City can't control imagery or wording.
Greenwood Hektoen said that when the event that the signs are featuring or advertising is over,
the business will have to take them down, and the grandfathering would end at that point. Ream
said once this is adopted she will need to reach out to the businesses and explain the new
regulations and also work with the Downtown Association.
Freerks opened public discussion.
Freerks closed public discussion.
Thomas moved to recommend approval of the three amendments to the Sign Ordinance
as it applies to the staff report.
Eastham seconded.
Freerks said it's been several years since any major changes in sign regulations have been
made. She said technology has changed, and the way people use technology has an effect on
the community and how the buildings work with pedestrians and that's important to the items
that have been outlined in the Code and the way people are required to build things. She said
she thinks this will help address some of the issues that have arisen in the past few years. She
said she supports some flexibility to allow some more creative sign usage and she thinks these
amendments are a job well done.
Eastham said he thinks the first two provisions do add opportunities that aren't in the Code now.
He said he wonders about the intentions of the business owners in the example presented with
putting signage in their windows.
Ream said in her conversations with business owners about signage, a lot of it has to with
economics, as the more traditional ways of advertising are expensive. She said she
understands that, but this is community landscape and there should be a good balance and a
way to maintain the storefronts and still allow business owners some flexibility to use the
windows to advertise. Ream said that because these temporary signs aren't regulated at all,
they are allowed a tremendous amount of signage covering the fagade that wouldn't be allowed
under the Code for a permanent sign.
Planning and Zoning Commission
March 20, 2014
Page 4 of 7
Theobald asked if there is an incentive from the distributors. Ream said that these signs are
provided at no charge to the business owner.
Freerks said that with less window area covered, the interaction between the store and the
pedestrians will be different but there will still be the opportunity to advertise.
Eastham said the signage in some cases has gone well over the balance point.
Thomas said you can see that it has spiraled out of control. He said he thinks a nice window
display or being able to see well what's inside would be more likely to draw in pedestrians than
would be these billboard type signs.
A vote was taken and the motion carried 6 -0.
Discussion of Riverfront Crossings District Form -Based Code and proposed regulation
of noise levels.
Miklo said while the Commission was reviewing the Form -Based Code there was a proposal to
incorporate regulation of noise based on the Smart Code, which uses a decibel reading. He said
after research, it was found that is not an easy task or the most effective way to address the
concern raised about commercial vents, as there are variables that make measuring noise
difficult. He said the City used to have decibel levels in the Noise Ordinance, and it was found to
be difficult to regulate and enforce. Other methods are being investigated, such as requiring
commercial to vent to the roof. Staff is recommending that the Commission does not propose
the Smart Code but continue to explore these other alternatives.
Eastham asked how the lighting standards are measured and enforced. Miklo said it's done
through design review before the lights are installed, and if there are complaints after the lights
are installed there is a meter that can measure whether it exceeds the foot candles, the
measurement permitted by the Code. Miklo said he's not sure if there are the same kinds of
industry standards for noise as there are for lighting.
Freerks opened public discussion.
Freerks closed public discussion.
Theobald moved to reconsider the previous recommendation to include the Smart Code
provisions regarding regulation of noise in the Riverfront Crossings Code.
Eastham seconded.
Eastham said he's comfortable with the method of addressing noise described by staff rather
than including the smart code noise provisions in the Riverfront Crossings Form Based Code.
He said the new approach particularly with staff looking at potential noise sources and
regulating those in the design of the building and attempting to see if that's a feasible way of
reducing noise that's coming from uses within the building where those uses are fairly standard
and predictable.
Planning and Zoning Commission
March 20, 2014
Page 5 of 7
Theobald said she can see the merits of prevention, but she said there are things you don't
expect that create noise.
Thomas said he agrees that prevention is the way to go. He said he's concerned that there may
be noise sources that still may pose a problem.
Eastham said he thinks this would helpful for business owners, as some violations of Code
would be expensive to fix.
Freerks said she's concerned about current issues and making sure that something that might
truly be a problem not become grandfathered and stay that way. She said she hopes there
could be mediation or some sort of problem solving in those circumstances while of course
looking toward the future to see how to change things in a positive way.
A vote was taken and the motion carried 6 -0.
Comprehensive Plan item
Discussion of amending the Comprehensive Plan, Downtown and Riverfront Crossings
Master Plan, to include a section on affordable housing.
Miklo reminded the Commission that at their February 6'h meeting they agreed to meet again
and discuss this in more detail. He said their packets contain information on how affordable
housing is covered in both the Comprehensive Plan and the Central District Plan, which cover
the area also included in the Downtown and Riverfront Crossings Master Plan. He said if the
Commission decides to make changes in the Downtown and Riverfront Crossings Master Plan,
they will need to set a public hearing.
Eastham asked if all provisions in the Central, Southwest, Riverfront Crossings and Downtown
District Plans apply to wherever the plans overlap. Miklo replied that provisions would apply
when they are consistent, and he doesn't believe there are any inconsistencies.
Freerks opened public discussion.
Sally Scott of 205 Black Springs Circle, Chair of Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity Board and
member of Johnson County Affordable Homes Coalition, said in the Downtown /Riverfront
Crossings Plan the only reference to affordable housing is in the Gilbert Street district, which
only comprises 92 units, out of a projected 2400 units. She said this Plan needs to include
language that makes clear affordable housing is a priority for the district as a whole. She said as
the development gets closer to becoming reality, she believes there needs to be a commitment
to affordable housing not just as an option for the area but as a definite feature for the area. She
said there will not be opportunity like this for years to come, and if affordable housing is not part
of this large area of town, an important opportunity will have been missed. Scott said the
Coalition wants affordable housing to be clarified in the Master Plan and supported.
Tracey Achenbach of 727 Rundell Street, Executive Director of the Housing Trust Fund of
Johnson County said that her group will want to see more specific language about affordable
housing. She said this is too great an opportunity not to take advantage of for the community.
Freerks closed public discussion
Planning and Zoning Commission
March 20, 2014
Page 6 of 7
Eastham said he would like to consider staff's revised language as a potential amendment to
the Riverfront Crossings Plan, but he's not sure he wants to support an amendment to the
Downtown District Plan, but he doesn't know if there's a way to separate them.
Freerks said she completely supports putting something like this forward, but she's hesitant to
put specifics with percentages and goals into the Master Plan. She said the Commission deals
with framework and incentives at this stage, and she probably wouldn't support language that is
very specific with percentages, as she considers that the realm of City Council. She said she
thinks the whole county needs to take a look at this, and although the Commission can look at
pieces, it needs to be taken as a whole, which is why going to City Council and having them go
further for all quality of life issues and affordable housing is important.
Thomas said he would support this going forward. He said in terms of potential language that
staff has proposed he suggested that they strike "City- assisted projects ".
Dyer asked if the staff proposed language is the limit of the language the Commission could
approve. Miklo said that would only be the initial language, if the Commission agrees to move
forward.
A vote was taken and the Commission agreed 6 -0 to set a public hearing on April 3rd for
this item on April 17th.
Consideration of Meeting Minutes: February 3 and February 20, 2014
Eastham moved to approve the minutes of February 3, the minutes of the informal
meeting of February 20, and with corrections, the minutes of the formal meeting of
February 20.
Theobald seconded.
A vote was taken and the motion carried 6 -0.
Other
Adjournment
Eastham moved to adjourn.
Thomas seconded.
A vote was taken and the motion carried 6 -0.
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