Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-10-20 Bd Comm minutesFINAL/APPROVED COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW BOARD "10-20-15 MINUTES — September 8, 2015 5b(1) CALL TO ORDER: Chair Melissa Jensen called the meeting to order at 5:38 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT: Mazahir Salih, Joseph Treloar MEMBERS ABSENT: Royceann Porter STAFF PRESENT: STAFF ABSENT: Staff Kellie Tuttle Legal Counsel Ford OTHERS PRESENT: Public Caroline Dieterle and John Miller from Little Village magazine RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL None CONSENT CALENDAR Motion by Treloar, seconded by Salih, to adopt the consent calendar as presented or amended. • Minutes of the meeting on 07/20/15 • ICPD Department Memo 15-18 (June 2015 Use of Force Review) • ICPD Use of Force Report — June 2015 • ICPD General Order 99-08 (Body Worn Cameras and In -Car Recorders) Motion carried, 3/0, Porter absent. NEW BUSINESS Select Nominating Committee — Salih and Treloar volunteered to be on the nominating committee and report their recommendations back to the Board at the October meeting. PUBLIC DISCUSSION Dieterle had a couple of questions regarding the Body Camera general order. The first was that she had not seen anywhere in the general order that the CPRB would have access to the body cam recordings. Jensen mentioned that currently all video recordings are made available to the Board when reviewing a complaint. Dieterle's concern was that although we have a cooperative Police Chief now that works well with the Board, it may not always be the case and it would be a good idea to have it in writing that the Board has access to the recordings. The Board agreed that would be a good idea to do and will recommend the addition. Dieterle was also surprised that an Order this important could be passed administratively without the Council ever voting on it. She thought that it hadn't been reported very well in the news that the policy had been approved and was put into use. She also thought that the Body Cam policy was much more important than a general order and should have been adopted through the City Council. Tuttle stated that the general order was included in a Council information packet and that general orders are not passed by Council but they could, as could the CPRB, recommend changes on the policy to the police chief. CPRB September 8, 2015 Page 2 Miller asked who drafted the policy and if the CPRB was involved. Jensen stated that it was written by the police department with assistance from the City legal department, input from the ACLU and meets the requirements of CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc). Treloar also added that it is a new policy and will probably have areas that will need to be adjusted as time goes on. BOARD INFORMATION None. STAFF INFORMATION None. TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE and FUTURE AGENDAS (subject to chance) • October 12, 2015, 5:30 PM, Helling Conference Rm • October 13, 2015, 5:30 PM, Helling Conference Rm (Moved to October 12, 2015) • November 10, 2015, 5:30 PM, Helling Conference Rm • December 8, 2015, 5:30 PM, Helling Conference Rm ADJOURNMENT Motion for adjournment by Salih, seconded by Treloar. Motion carried, 3/0, Porter absent. Meeting adjourned at 5:57 P.M. CITIZENS POLICE REVIEW BOARD ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2014-2015 (Meeting Date) KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting --- = Not a Member TERM 10/13 11/10 11/25 12/3 12/8 12/29 2/10 3/10 4/7 4/28 5/20 6/16 7/20 9/8 NAME EXP. Melissa 9/1/16 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Jensen Joseph 9/1/17 X X X O/E X X X X X O/E X X X X Treloar Royceann 9/1/16 X O O X X X O X X X O O/E O/E O Porter Mazahir 9/1/17 X X X X X O/E X O/E X X O/E O O X Salih Fidencio 9/1/15 --- X X X X O/E X X O X X X X --- Martinez KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting --- = Not a Member MINUTES APPROVED HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION AUGUST 13, 2015 EMMA HARVAT HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Kent Ackerson, Thomas Agran, Esther Baker, Frank Durham, Gosia Clore, Pam Michaud, Ben Sandell, Ginalie Swaim MEMBERS ABSENT: Kate Corcoran, Andrew Litton, Frank Wagner STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow, Bob Miklo OTHERS PRESENT: Alicia Trimble RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (become effective only after separate Council action) CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Swaim called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS 328 Brown Street. Bristow stated that this is a key, contributing property in the Brown Street Historic District. She said the application is for solar panels on the roof of the carriage house in the back. Bristow said the owners would like to put a series of four panels on the north/south wing and five panels on the east/west wing. Bristow said this is a standing seam roof, and the clips they want to use are the best possible option. She said the clips can be removed, and they won't damage the roof; they attach just to the seams themselves, and they hold the panels just inches above the roof. Bristow said this is pretty much the perfect installation for allowing it to be removed and not impacting the roof in the future. She said staff recommends approval. MOTION: Ackerson moved to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness for the project at 328 Brown Street as presented in the application. Baker seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 8-0 (Corcoran, Litton, and Wapner absent). 720 East Bloomington Street. Bristow said this small cottage is a contributing property in the Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District. She showed a slide of how the property has been added on to in the back. Bristow said there was an addition in the back, then another addition in 2005, and then the wood deck. Bristow said the applicant would like to remove the deck and replace it with a screened porch. She said this went through several iterations, including an enclosed area, but now the proposal is for a screened porch. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION August 13, 2015 Page 2 of 10 Bristow said they are working on having square post columns that would be wrapped in cedar. She said that the roof, instead of continuing the back gable that one sees, would continue the same angle and pitch but would end with a hip instead, to reduce the scale of the back of the building. Bristow said it would be a simple screen system, with no wall in between the posts. Bristow said there are a few things to still be determined. She said staff is a little unclear as to whether this would be just a simple screened porch with a pier foundation or if it would have a full foundation. Bristow said staff also does not know what screen system the applicant is thinking of using. She said staff talked to the applicant about using something that spans either in between the post columns or would be set behind the columns. Bristow said staff recommends approving this, because it will be a very simple design. She said the soffit will be finished in a simple way as is the soffit on the house. Bristow said the posts will be painted to match the house. Bristow said that staff feels the screen system and the type of foundation should be approved by staff and chair once they are determined. MOTION: Baker moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 720 East Bloomington Street as presented in the staff report with the following conditions: submitting screen system information and/or a sample for staff and chair approval and submitting a foundation design for staff and chair approval. Clore seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 8-0 (Corcoran. Litton. and Waaner absent). 721 Fairchild Street. Bristow said this is a non-contributing property, built in 1953, in the Goosetown/Horace Mann District. She said the applicant would like to remove the three ganged windows on the front and build out a bay window that would still have three windows in the front and two windows on the angled sides. Bristow said there would be a full foundation, and it would not be continued out past the fascia board on the roof so that it would come out to about where the gutter is. Bristow said that many ranch homes would have bay windows. She said the big question for staff during the review was the window type. Bristow said the house has double hung windows on both sides, fixed windows on the front, and two sliders. She said the three on the front are probably original, and the original style of the others is not known. Bristow said the owner would like to have the three windows on the front of the bay as fixed and something operable on the angles of the bay. She said the owner proposes to do double hung, which would match the other windows on the side. Bristow said staff felt that having casement windows here might work better for this property. She said that then there would not be a change to divided lights on the sides of the bay. Bristow said staff recommends approving this as a bay window alteration using casements instead of double hung windows but said staff does not feel strongly about it. Swaim said that if the windows are casements that wind out, that would be visible when opened. Bristow showed where she thought the hinge would be. She said she did not think they would open so far that they would collide with the door. Bristow said the owner prefers double hung HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION August 13, 2015 Page 3 of 10 windows. Swaim said she can see an argument for using double hung windows, as opposed to quite tall casement windows. MOTION: Agran moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 721 Fairchild Street as presented in the application. Baker seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 8-0 (Corcoran. Litton. and Waaner absent). 932 East Colleae Street. Bristow said the Commission reviewed this property recently. She said the current application is for a cover for the rear apartment entry on the west side of the building. Bristow said it is for an entry that is sub -ground level. She said a great amount of water collects in there. Bristow showed the windows and said they are the only windows for the apartment. She said the owner needs both a roof and a way to continue to admit light there. Bristow said there are currently some questions about the property line. She said staff and the building officials have given the owner some direction about determining the property line, and that still needs to be resolved. Bristow said the architect's rendering is to do a simple lattice, wood frame structure with very simple horizontals, all stained dark to blend with the building, and use a translucent, clear - colored, corrugated roof material over that. She said this is on the back and is very low so that it will not be very visible from the street, even if the shrubs and other landscaping materials are gone. Bristow said staff feels that the simple lines would work with the building anyway. Bristow said staff feels this is an acceptable design and recommends approval. Sandell asked if any additional concrete would be placed. Bristow said the owner would remove the metal railing that is on the low concrete wall and would attach the wood frame to the top of the existing concrete wall and build the frame and structure from there. Bristow said that at the stair head, it does bump up a little bit. She said there needs to be enough clearance to meet code requirements going down the stairs. Bristow said it is handled very simply. Sandell asked if it is visible from the street. Bristow said it is not. She said the sidewalk itself is a little bit lower, and the site tends to curve up a little bit. Swaim asked about the black area on the drawing. Bristow said that right now it is a gravel area. Swaim asked if the runoff would be onto that surface. Bristow confirmed this. Michaud asked if the owner is replacing the retaining wall. Bristow said the owner is not doing anything to the actual wall. She said they are taking off the little roof and the railing and building a new roof on top of the retaining wall. Bristow said they would remove the ledger board and connect in to have a structure that would rest on the wall. MOTION: Baker moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 932 East College Street as presented in the application with the following conditions: the attachment to the building is refined and approved by staff and chair, the product information for the roof material is approved by staff and chair, the scale and detail of the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION August 13, 2015 Page 4 of 10 support structure is approved by staff and chair, and design for screen infill is approved by staff and chair. Ackerson seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 8-0 (Corcoran. Litton. and Wanner absent). 229 South Summit Street. Bristow said this is a contributing property in the College Hill Conservation District on the corner of Burlington and Summit. She said the owner has applied to put in two through -wall air conditioners on the south wall and on the north wall of the property. Bristow stated that the guidelines do not really discuss through -wall air conditioning units. She said that new windows on street facing walls really are not allowed unless they are in the same rhythm and framed the same, which would not really relate to air conditioning units. Bristow said that staff feels there is not a way to make the air conditioning units work with the historic character of the building. She said staff recommends not placing them like this but using some other method. Bristow suggested that the applicant use window air conditioning units, probably not on the street facing side, that are maintained and removed in the off-season; install a central air system; or install something like the sorority at 223 South Dodge installed, where smaller units were placed on the ground outside, using about two-inch piping through the side wall. Bristow said staff has heard from the applicant, but nothing has really been resolved at this point. She said staff recommends denying the request to install through -wall air conditioning units on the north and south faces, both of which are very visible from the street. Swaim asked if the units shown represent a mock-up or are actually there now. Bristow said they were installed without a permit. She showed the north face from the sidewalk and the south face from the sidewalk on Burlington Street. Bristow stated that if the application were denied, the applicant would be required to remove the units, repair the wall to match the existing, and come up with an alternative. Durham asked about the system at 223 South Dodge. Bristow said that it is a mini -split system. She said that all of the units are about the size of an old-style square window fan. She said they just sit on the ground somewhere near so that they would not be up in the air and really visible. Bristow said that at 223 South Dodge, staff worked with the applicant to put the units on the back, although they were still visible from the street. She said it was discreet enough to not draw attention to the units. Bristow said she believes this house would have four units. She said the owner would have to speak with a mechanical contractor to get the sizing and make sure everything was correct, because some rigid piping is involved. Bristow said that at 223 South Dodge, the piping required a two-inch hole with piping run down the face to the unit. She said that staff would probably require that it be painted so that it did not draw attention. Miklo said another alternative would be space pak system installed in the attic. He said that is probably the least destructive, in terms of an historic property as not much of the system is visible from the exterior. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION August 13, 2015 Page 5 of 10 Miklo said that the second alternative was the split system similar the one installed at 223 S. Dodge Street described by Bristow. Miklo said that the third option would be window units installed in the windows and removed seasonally. He said this not that desirable as the other space pak or split system, but is better than cutting into the walls of the building. He said that window units don't actually penetrate the walls of the building and they are not permanently installed. Michaud said she struggles with window air conditioners every year, taking them in and out. She said that Mark McCallum did a nice historic renovation at 113 South Johnson. Michaud said that McCallum had put in cold pak somehow and ended up adding window air conditioners, because people wanted more control. She said that either way it is problematic. Michaud said that a cold pak system really costs a lot, which might be irrelevant for the Commission's consideration, but if there were individual controls, that would be an additional amount, whether it is two zones or four zones. Michaud said she thinks this is not as bad as window air conditioners. She said she would not want to see pipes try to convolute around the exterior of that belt course, like the gutter is, because it flares out nicely. Michaud said that exterior pipes would draw attention to it and clutter up that corner just as much as the wall units. She said she does not think there is an elegant solution that is reasonable. Durham says that a mini -split system is a zoned system with separate sections and units Michaud responds that this means they can adjust the temperature and have a separate meter and things like that. Bristow said it is also not known, with something like a mini -split system, if the piping could effectively be run out the back. She said there are some window units in this house on the back already, which is where the guidelines allow them to be. Swaim said she does not think what the owner has done here is a good solution. She said it has quite an impact on the exterior. Trimble said she is with Friends of Historic Preservation. She said that when she was on the Commission and cases came before the Commission where someone did something without a permit, the Commission members were always told to look at it as if it had not yet occurred and would the Commission allow this to occur. Trimble said it is difficult after this has happened, but it is a fair way to look at it. She said that if this was done without a permit and without approval, the question is if this came before the Commission and had not happened yet, how would the Commission vote. Baker said she agrees with Trimble and would take it one step further and say that whenever something like this comes to the Commission, it is always unfortunate because money has been spent, and yes, the alternative is expensive. She said, however, it sets a precedent, if the Commission says yes to this, that anyone else who wants to do something like this will go ahead and do it without getting permission, because he'll say that these people did it. Baker said there have been other occasions where the Commission has asked people to take down, at great expense, things that they put up, such as vinyl siding or vinyl windows, because they put them up without Commission approval, and it is against the guidelines. She said the Commission needs to be consistent in applying those guidelines. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION August 13, 2015 Page 6 of 10 Baker said there are probably exceptions, and the Commission has made some exceptions. She said, however, that in this kind of scenario, she is concerned that it would set a precedent for other landlords to say, "Let's just stick them in the wall, because these folks got away with it, and we can point to that and say well you approved it before so you can't say no to me now." Baker said she hopes the Commission will think about the future implication of this decision, beyond just this individual incident. She pointed out that Trimble said the Commission is supposed to make a judgment as if the change had not taken place. Michaud said she would throw in a couple of things about maintenance. She said the point is to preserve an historic building. Michaud said she has had tenants install window air conditioners without her presence. Michaud said there is leaking inside the walls, because it doesn't drip out or it drips down the exterior. She said it is really not simple to put those units in. Michaud said they would also create a shadow. Michaud said she can see the point and has heard it many times that the Commission is not supposed to think about right now. She said she agreed but said this is a less invasive thing and is better for the long-term preservation of the structure than having 12 different undergraduate install window air conditioners in 12 years to each unit. Michaud said that is her personal experience after 25 years with the same house. Michaud said that long-term maintenance is really important. She said this landlord is extremely conscientious. Michaud said she does not know too many landlords who bother putting a three - paint color scheme on their houses. Miklo said the property recently changed hands. Michaud said that is good to know. Miklo said that the owner should not be of concern. Michaud said that so far the house has been well- maintained. Agran said he is of the opinion that, in terms of the integrity of the structure, a split system would be a nicer system anyway, but that's a 2 inch hole in the side of the building and even if the pipe is there it could get painted but it is a pipe. The current units result in permanent holes in the side of the building and I have the same concerns about the precedent this sets. This happened to be cut into the building in a place that is not so bad but they are directly on the street side of the building. Agran said he agrees with basically everything staff has said. He said he also agrees with the concerns about the precedent this sets. Swaim said therefore the application is really to install, as if this was not already done, four through -wall units. Bristow responded that after this was brought to staffs attention and staff contacted the owner, the owner put in an application. She said staff reviewed the application and then contacted the owner about the concerns and other options. Bristow stated that by the time the staff report had to be provided for the agenda, staff had not heard back yet. She said staff could only write a motion based on the application itself, because no other option had been presented at that time. Bristow said staff has spoken to the owner since, but nothing has been resolved; it is still based on the application. She said that if the application is denied, she assumes staff would work with the owner to come up with a solution. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION August 13, 2015 Page 7 of 10 MOTION: Agran moved to deny a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 229 South Summit Street as presented in the application. Baker seconded the motion. The motion to deny carried on a vote of 8-0 (Corcoran, Litton, and Wagner absent). REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF: Certificate of No Material Effect — Chair and Staff Review. 530 Iowa Avenue. Bristow said this is a contributing property in the College Hill Conservation District. She said the application was to reconstruct the concrete stairs at the entry. Bristow said the stairs were originally concrete, with side walls made of stone. She said they had been covered with plywood and leaked, rotted and deteriorated enough that they needed to be removed. Bristow said staff worked with the applicant to construct the concrete stairs. She said that since they could not match the stone, staff allowed a simple pipe rail on each side. Bristow said there was just plywood skirting on the face, and the skirting on the sides of the porch was also stone with small openings. She said the owner could not really replace the front to match the same stone, so staff worked with them to use either a framed lattice or a vertical lattice skirting. Bristow said the owner is also replacing the concrete stairs at the side entrance. Minor Review--PreaDDroved Item — Staff Review. 11-15 North Dodae Street. Bristow said this is not a contributing property because of the 1960s circa addition that was added to connect to houses. She said the building is being re -sided, and staff worked with the owner to find siding and trim to match the existing. Bristow said staff worked with the owner to do things like remove the inappropriate piece of porch infill and continue the rail the same. Bristow said the big problem was what to do with the bottom of the wall that meets the pavement where the window sills down low are rotting. She said they are doing something that looks like a water table board at the bottom, with some trim. Bristow said there is a small piece at the side of the porch on both porches. She said staff worked with the owner to create a pattern, as seen on the columns, to infill so that there is not an odd piece of lap siding in that area. Bristow said it will finish it out to blend in better. Bristow said the porches have bead board ceilings, and currently the soffit is plain plywood. She said staff is having the owner replace it with the bead board -detailed plywood so that it matches the porch ceiling better. Bristow said the owner is not changing the window. 603 Rundell Street. Bristow said this house is in the Longfellow Historic District. She said this is an extremely simple project, basically just adding a flat deck out the rear door, with no railing. Bristow said it will be very close to the ground and will be inset. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION August 13, 2015 Page 8 of 10 REPORT ON SABIN SCHOOUSOUTHSIDE SURVEY: Miklo said the report was not received in time, so the item will need to be deferred to the September meeting. DISCUSSION OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLAN PRIORITIES AND ANNUAL WORK PROGRAM: Swaim said the subcommittee met to review the properties the Commission will be approaching the owners about nominating these properties as landmarks. She asked for discussion about how the owners should be approached. Swaim said the owners would be approached either through a letter with a type of fact sheet with questions and answers and a sheet that has basic information about the house, or, in some cases the owner may be approached with a phone call. Swaim said that these would be followed up with a personal meeting and such. Miklo asked Commission members to look through the list of property owners and let staff know if anyone is known to them. He said that some of the owners are institutions, such as churches. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR JULY 9,2015: MOTION: Baker moved to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's July 9, 2015 meeting, as written. Ackerson seconded the minutes. The motion carried on a vote of 8-0 (Corcoran, Litton, and Wagner absent). COMMISSION INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION: Discussion of potential CLG application. Bristow said there was information about Certified Local Government (CLG) grant applications, and the Commission was going to discuss whether there were some possibilities. She said that after looking at the CLG requirements, it might be something the Commission would want to table until next year. Bristow said the applications would involve funding for surveying of areas or nominating properties. She stated that staff does not have time, between now and the time that the application is due, to do anything with the properties that are part of the work program. Bristow said the Commission had discussed the idea of digitizing the files and information for historic preservation staff. She said that would not appropriately fit under the CLG application. Miklo said the CLG is a program of the federal government to encourage historic preservation. He said the funds are distributed by the State Preservation Office in Des Moines. Trimble asked, if Friends of Historic Preservation was able to work on an application for the City to submit, if it would be appropriate. Miklo responded that the applications are due September 1 and have to be submitted by the City but said that would be appropriate. Introduction of Historic Preservation Facebook Page. Bristow said the Commission had discussed having an historic preservation page. She said it has been laid out but has not yet been published. Bristow showed how the main page would HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION August 13, 2015 Page 9 of 10 look and how the images can be changed out on a timed basis. She discussed the tabs on the Facebook page. Bristow said she will be the main administrator of the page. Swaim asked if it will be clear that this is the Facebook page of the Commission. Bristow said that right now the page is called Iowa City Historic Preservation, but the title can change to whatever the Commission wants. Michaud said she thought that was kind of broad. Bristow said that Friends of Historic Preservation has its own Facebook page. She said she left out the word Commission so that it would seem warmer and friendlier. Agran said he thinks it is great. He said that hopefully it will grow and catch on. The consensus of the Commission was to have Bristow publish the page and announce it to people who would be interested. GRANT WOOD COMMUNITY AREA FENCE: Bristow said staff received some renderings for the fence. She said that some Commission members had concerns about its location in relation to the hill. Bristow said the drawings show it stepping down a little bit in some places. Bristow said that further details of what is being proposed were sent, in terms of the pickets, the steel posts, and the fence color. She said there will be a metal lattice on the gate. Bristow said the posts will be four feet six inches, the pickets will be four feet, and the railing horizontals are 20 inches apart. She said that they are three and one-half inches off the ground in general terms. Bristow said she received a new site plan but had not looked at it closely. Michaud asked if it would be a minimal type of gate or a special design. Bristow said that what is being shown now is the temporary design that was shown last time, with a square, very simple pattern. Sanell asked about the limestone wall and markers and if that was new. Bristow replied that she thinks that is a matter of taking last fall's plan, with large limestone piers on each side of the gate, and moving the limestone down to little markers and a little wall around the landscaped area. Miklo discussed the metal -shingled roof on 932 College Street as something the Commission approved, which turned out well. He said that the roof required review even before the recent code change because it is a multi -family dwelling. Miklo said that it shows that for someone who wants to put on a metal roof and wants that durability, there are materials out there that meet the guidelines. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 6:38 p.m. Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte M x X X X X X X X 00 X X X X X X X X X X X x X X X p - X X X X X X X X X X O CD X X X X X p X X X X X C4 w X X X x X X X X X X Cl) N X X p X X X X X X N X X X x X X X X X N X X X p X X X X X X w r- O M r X O O X X X X X X x X o X X X X X X x x x o 0 X X X X X X X X X x le w w w w X0 X 0 0 0 X X X X co ao � co co r- co n co ao x (3) 0) 0) a)0')C—))rn as a') a—) W N N N N N N N N N N I" W M Cl) M M Cl) Cl) M M M Cl) M z Y _ a a w a Co a W _ o !L o W a W w a z LU w a W O v= O X z a z v xOo LU Y 5b(3) MINUTES APPROVED HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION SEPTEMBER 10, 2015 EMMA HARVAT HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Thomas Agran, Esther Baker, Gosia Clore, Kate Corcoran, Frank Durham, Andrew Litton, Pam Michaud, Ben Sandell, Ginalie Swaim, Frank Wagner MEMBERS ABSENT: Kent Ackerson STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow, Bob Miklo OTHERS PRESENT: RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (become effective only after separate Council action) CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Swaim called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. CONSENT AGENDA: CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS. 825 Roosevelt Street. Bristow said this property is in the south part of the Clark Street Conservation District. She said this is a small, non-contributing property built around 1951. Bristow said the house has double -hung windows and a basement egress window in the back that needs to be replaced and resized. She said the other basement windows are all triple -pane awning windows. Bristow said that the one that currently needs to be replaced is an aluminum slider. She said the width is correct, but she is not certain if the height is correct. Bristow stated that the owner would like to replace the window with a metal -clad, wood casement window. She said that instead of having a metal window well with wood filling in the extra space, the owner plans to build a nice, square window well out of block to match the foundation of the home. Bristow said staff finds that, because this is non-contributing and because of the simplicity of the home, having the owner match the divided lights, the triple pane, would not be appropriate and would be overkill for this. She said staff would suggest not matching the double hung either and making this a simple casement window in this basement. MOTION: Corcoran moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 825 Roosevelt Street, as presented in the staff report, with the following condition: metal - clad window product information to be submitted for staff approval. The motion carried on a vote of 10-0 (Ackerson absent). HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION September 10, 2015 Page 2 of 6 CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS 435 Grant Street. Bristow said this property is on a large corner lot in the Longfellow Historic District. She said it is a brick, Cape Cod -like home built in 1930. Bristow said the applicant wants to take out the inner of the two brick surrounds. She said staff finds that this is probably original; the brick matches and everything seems right that it would be original, but it has been falling away from the outer surround. Bristow said the masons can't find a way to really make it stable and keep it in place. She said staff finds this likely and feels that because it is original, it was maybe never going to stay in place for a long time. Bristow said the contractor wants to remove the brick and keep it and maintain it in order to fix the front step, which would then match the rest of the house. She said the contractor would then build a new, wood frame/wood trim for the door. Bristow showed a slide where there is a slightly eased, rounded edge, a little shadow line, and then the rest of the trim. She said the carpenter would match this. Bristow showed the position this would go in, overlapping the edge. She showed a before picture of what it looks like from the outside and a photo shopped version of what it would look like after. Bristow said staff finds that it doesn't really impact the exterior character of the home. She showed the main slide, where there is shown a great deal of wood detail on this home. Bristow said this seems to be a good compromise, where the brick will be gone, and although it is an historic feature, the new trim will fit in well with the rest of the home, and the brick can be saved to fix the front step. MOTION: Baker moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 435 Grant Street as presented in the application and stated in the staff report. Durham seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 10-0 (Ackerson absent). NATIONAL REGISTER NOMINATION - UNION BAKERY. Bristow said the owners nominated this property for National Register listing as a locally significant property based on two criteria: the historic event - the founding and development of Iowa City, the development of commercial activities in that area, the development and founding of the University and specifically student -type housing; and also the criterion of architectural character. She said that the front corner of the building from the dividing line to the corner and the end of the stone to the corner was built in 1862, and then on the north side of the east facade there was a wraparound built in 1893. Bristow said the building has a Greek revival, commercial aspect that fits with Iowa City specifically. She said that these two types are so interlocked in how they developed together that it seems appropriate to have it listed as applicable under both criteria instead of separating into one or the other. Miklo said that about one year ago, this property was made a local landmark. He said this would be going to the higher level in making it a National Register property. Miklo stated that the State Historic Preservation Office asks for the Commission's review of National Register nominations. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION September 10, 2015 Page 3 of 6 Bristow said that any specific comments as part of the National Register nomination need to go on a specific form as part of the nomination. She said the form would be signed by the Chair and the Mayor. Swaim said she finds the report to be an excellent and informative piece of research. She said she learned quite a lot about the building as well as about Iowa City. MOTION: Litton moved to nominate the Union Bakery to the National Register of Historic Places under both criteria under criterion A and criterion C. Baker seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 10-0 (Ackerson absent). REPORT ON SABIN SCHOOUSOUTHSIDE SURVEY. Miklo said that, as part of the flood recovery, the University acquired the Sabin School and desired to tear the building down to make it available for MidwestOne Bank. He said that in order to do that, because the property was National Register eligible, the loss of that historic building needed to be mitigated. Miklo said a memorandum of agreement was entered into between the City, FEMA, and the University to provide for this study as well as salvage of the decorative stone work from the building that will hopefully be incorporated into the Riverfront Crossings Park to be built later. He said this is the report of the surrounding neighborhood. Miklo said it is an intensive level survey that identifies the potential for a small historic district around the railroad depot and a number of other potentially individual properties throughout the neighborhood. He said the Commission is being asked to comment on the report and put forth any concerns. Miklo said staff feels it is a very good report that has a lot of information that could be used if local designation, either as individual landmarks or potentially a small historic district in this area, is pursued. Miklo recommended the Commission send back a comment expressing thanks and stating that this will be valuable information as local designations are pursued. Swaim added that it is an excellent piece of research telling a lot about this area. Michaud said there were six documented houses built by Barber south of Burlington Street, although hers is just north of Burlington. She said that Richard Carlson has the whole bibliography of Barber buildings in the entire State of Iowa. Michaud said that the term "double -hung widow" has been used frequently in the report instead of the term "double -hung windows", and that would need to be corrected. REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF: Certificate of No Material Effect — Chair and Staff Review. 409 South Summit Street. Bristow said this was a certificate of no material effect to replace the front steps with wood front steps, because they were deteriorating. She said the only change will be in how the front posts meet the bottom step to prevent further damage. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION September 10, 2015 Page 4 of 6 435 Grant Street. Bristow said this property is the subject of two applications. She said that the owner repaired some brick where there was a through -wall air conditioner. Bristow said the owner used some historic brick and some almost -matching brick. She said it is not jarring, and this is not a new hole that was put in the side of the wall. Bristow said the house has two chimneys. She said that chimney repair was done as well, and the only place she could find it was on both chimneys on the back, although it was very hard to see. Bristow said the flashing was not done recently, but staff asked the owner if she could paint that brown at some point. 830 College Street. Bristow stated that this property has original brick stairs that are highly deteriorated, although they have been repaired over time, multiple times. She said the owner now plans to take out the entire bottom stair, hopefully to save as much of the brick as possible. Bristow said the owner has a mixture of historic and new brick that he has acquired in various places that matches, and he will rebuild the stair. She said the owner will probably pour a concrete base under that so that it stays in place. Minor Review — PreaDDroved Item — Staff Review. 815 Ronalds Street. Bristow said this property is in the Brown Street Historic District. She said that the front window will be repaired. She said staff is still having conversations with the owner regarding a window on the back of the house. 603 Grant Street. Bristow said this property is in the Longfellow Historic District. She said the house has a very simple front step with very shallow treads. Bristow said there is a simple wood rail on the side. She said the owner wants to use more appropriate treads and will probably come out to the change of the concrete to put in rails and posts that are more historic and actually match the recommended guidelines. DISCUSSION OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLAN PRIORITIES AND ANNUAL WORK PROGRAM: Swaim said that the research on the properties identified has taken far more time than anticipated, as has preparing the letters to the property owners. She said the subcommittee will continue to work on the project. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR AUGUST 13,2015: MOTION: Michaud moved to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's August 13, 2015 meeting, as written. Durham seconded the minutes. The motion carried on a vote of 10-0 (Ackerson absent). HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION September 10, 2015 Page 5 of 6 COMMISSION INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION: Mount Pleasant Historic Preservation Seminar. Miklo stated that if someone would like to attend this seminar, the City would pay the registration fee and mileage expense. He said the State Historic Preservation Office encourages the Commission to continue its education regarding historic preservation, with a requirement of one Commission member attending at least one meeting per year, which has already been satisfied. Miklo asked anyone interested to let him know. Other: Swaim said Commission members should begin to think about establishing a subcommittee from the Commission to work with Friends of Historic Preservation to pull together the Historic Preservation Awards to be held in January. She said there would need to be about four volunteers. Swaim volunteered to serve on the subcommittee, as did Corcoran and Agran. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 5:54 p.m. Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte Z O V5 N O v O Z Q O w LA r F- W o > V -e M Z r coZ R N W W W a F U Q O F- U) FE O W W XO X O O X X X X 0 M x x X X x X X X X X X0 X X X X X X r x X x O X X X x X X X x XX X X X O N x X x X XX X x X X x o X X X X X x X X x Cl) N X X X X X X X X N Go w iki X X X X X X X X x N X X X w X X X X X X w O M xo o X x x x x X x X o X X X X X X X x xo 0 x x x x x x x x x o x o� �o 00 10 m w W W N N N N N 0) N 0) N � N N N N Cl) Cl) Cl) Cl) M M Cl) Cl) Cl) M M LL Q w -3 Y = N Y QZ Q M Q Q O H O p a m Ix 0 ~ W z LL LL Q W Q W p � Z w Q W = Z = p Z Q XOw LU Y —I r i �.®4ot � 'W1 CITY OF IOWA CITY MEMORANDUM Date: October 2, 2015 To: Mayor and City Council From: John Yapp, Planning & Zoning Commission Re: Recommendations from Planning & Zoning Commission 5 - b -i 4= At the October 1, 2015 meeting the Planning & Zoning Commission approved the September 17 minutes with the following recommendation to the City Council: 1. By a vote of 6-0 the Commission recommends approval of the current draft of the South District Comprehensive Plan including the language suggested in the Staff memo "if redevelopment of the manufactured housing parks is contemplated in the future, the availability of comparable housing and the impact on the residents should be considered". 2. By a vote of 6-0 the Commission recommends approval of the Comprehensive Plan amendment to add three blocks, bounded by Burlington St, Gilbert St, Iowa Ave and Van Buren St, to the Downtown District of the Downtown and Riverfront Crossings Plan. 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 - Done MINUTES APPROVED PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION SEPTEMBER 17, 2015 — 7:00 PM — FORMAL EMMA J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Carolyn Dyer, Charlie Eastham, Ann Freerks, Mike Hensch, Max Parsons, Jodie Theobald MEMBERS ABSENT: Phoebe Martin STAFF PRESENT: Geoff Fruin, Sara Hektoen, Sarah Walz, John Yapp OTHERS PRESENT: Bryce Dalton, Sally Scott, Ann Holton, Alicia Tremble, Mary Bennett, Kevin Munson, Pam Michaud, Kirk Witzberger, Bob Birchfield, Jake Christiansen RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL: By a vote of 6-0 the Commission recommends approval of the current draft of the South District Comprehensive Plan including the language suggested in the Staff memo "If redevelopment of the manufactured housing parks is contemplated in the future, the availability of comparable housing and the impact on the residents should be considered". By a vote of 6-0 the Commission recommends approval of the Comprehensive Plan amendment to add three blocks, bounded by Burlington St, Gilbert St, Iowa Ave and Van Buren St, to the Downtown District of the Downtown and Riverfront Crossings Plan. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: There were none COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ITEMS: 1. A public hearing on an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan: The South District Plan. The plan may be viewed at www.icgov.ora/southic Walz reminded the Commission that they had deferred a vote on whether to recommend to the update to the South District Plan to this meeting in order to allow time to consider adding language to the plan that would address manufactured housing. She explained that there are three manufactured housing parks in the South District. Language in the North District Plan addresses the issue of potential redevelopment of a manufactured housing park and includes language regarding relocation assistance for residents of the manufactured housing park should it redevelop. At the previous meeting the question was raised if similar language should be added to the South District Plan. Planning and Zoning Commission September 17, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 2 of 14 Walz said at this time the City is not aware of any interest in redeveloping the manufactured housing parks in the South District. Staff does not recommend adding that same language that appears in the North District Plan because it might create confusion or an expectation that either the City or the developer would be required to provide such assistance. If the Commission wants to add language to the plan, Staff recommends the following language: "If redevelopment of the manufactured housing parks is contemplated in the future, the availability of comparable housing and the impact on the residents should beconsidered." Freerks opened the public hearing. Bryce Dalton (Sycamore LLC and Lake Calvin Properties LLC) stated that at the last meeting his clients shared concerns about the new plan update and is here tonight regarding a letter the Commission should have received from Michael Pugh containing a copy of a rezoning application his clients filed on September 4. The purpose of Mr. Pugh's letter was to ask the Commission to defer making any formal recommendation to the Comprehensive Plan amendment until that rezoning application has a chance to go through the process with the City. Freerks acknowledged the Commission did receive a copy of the letter via email. Dalton explained that in the application they are asking that the property be rezoned to drop the ID as part of the ID -RM, which they feel is appropriate given the history of this property. Dalton said his clients also asked that the rezoning be considered to be part of a conditional rezoning agreement signed by the City and his clients back in 1994, which Dalton gave a copy to each of the Commissioners. In that agreement, item 4 lists all his clients' obligations of which they feel they have complied. They feel now is the time to develop the property so they ask that the Commission defer making any recommendation to City Council until the City has a chance to review the rezoning application. Eastham stated that the current Comprehensive Plan that applies to this parcel is the South District Plan that was adopted in 1997 and is wondering if the land use plan from 1997 is significantly different than the land use plan in this new amendment, he doesn't see a significant difference so wonders why hold off on approval of the amendment. Dalton explained that in 1997 when that plan was adopted his clients were not made aware of the changes that were being made, they were aware of the 1994 Plan and the IDNR designation that is on the property now is consistent with the 1994 Plan. The 1997 Plan is not consistent with what his clients' expectations were, as per their agreement with the City when their property was annexed into the City as part of the wastewater treatment plant expansion. They believe the 1997 Plan was wrong, and this new Plan is wrong, and therefore want to fix it with their rezoning application. Sally Scott (chair of Johnson County Affordable Homes Coalition) spoke in response to the staff memo using the language about relocation assistance for manufactured home residents that is in the North District Plan also in the South District Plan. Scott stated that the residents living in these mobile home parks tend to be lower income and will not have many options of where to live if they lose their homes due to a redevelopment. She recognizes there is nothing on the immediate horizon but given the growth in Iowa City it is very likely down the road that will happen. Scott feels the language that is in the North District Plan is very open and not terribly specific it says "consideration should be given to relocation assistance" and she disagrees with the idea that language will cause a lot of confusion and expectations with people thinking that requires either the City or developer to provide assistance. Scott feels it is more to say that the City is understanding of the challenges facing this population and it is the least that can be done for the folks facing these possible relocations. She would encourage the Commission to include that language Planning and Zoning Commission September 17, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 3 of 14 in the South District Plan and further thought be given on the part of this Commission and the City on how to protect folks in a time of great shortage of affordable housing. Freerks closed the public hearing. Eastham moved that the current draft of the South District Comprehensive Plan be adopted to include the language suggested in the Staff memo "If redevelopment of the manufactured housing parks is contemplated in the future, the availability of comparable housing and the impact on the residents should be considered including the possibility of relocation assistance." Hektoen stated that language is very similar to the North District Plan language but wants to make sure the perception isn't that the South District Plan creates any obligation for relocation assistance that is any different than that proposed by State or Federal law, which is why she recommended the language in the memo. Eastham asked what the Staff's meaning of including the word "impact" in their proposed language and if that meant relocation assistance. Hektoen confirmed that was their point, impact could mean financial assistance, or help finding sources to actually move the units, there are many impacts. Hensch agreed with the Staff's proposed language noting that the Comprehensive Plan is just a guiding document and should not be used to require someone to do something (like give financial assistance to relocations). This language makes the intent and expectations clear. Dyer agreed and feels the language provides enough guidance if the situation should arise. Given the shortage of affordable housing there is a growing understanding of the issues. Theobald likes Eastham's addition of the words "including the possibility of relocation assistance" because it is what is in the other Plan but would also support the Staff's recommended language. Eastham withdrew his motion. Eastham moved that the current draft of the South District Comprehensive Plan be adopted to include the language suggested in the Staff memo "If redevelopment of the manufactured housing parks is contemplated in the future, the availability of comparable housing and the impact on the residents should be considered." Theobald seconded the motion. Eastham stated he feels relocation assistance can be required for the developer or owner as part of a rezoning request. The Commission puts conditions on rezoning requests all the time that are in the public's interest. Freerks stated this Plan has been vetted quite a bit and feels the Plan should move forward and also has stated that 40 acres of RM in that area is not something she would support doing. Eastham read the letter from Mr. Pugh and does think the existing South District Plan land use scenario is very similar if not identical to the previous plan so does not see the point of delaying the approval of the South District Plan. He also feels that there are many improvements to the Planning and Zoning Commission September 17, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 4 of 14 current South District Plan from previous drafts but still feels there is an unresolved ability to implement affordable housing within any district. He hopes that this Commission and future commissions can use this Plan to find ways to develop homes with a range of price points with approvals of lot sizes and number of units, etc. He is encouraged to hear from developers that they are interested in reasonably prices and smaller unit homes. Freerks agreed and noted that it is not the burden of just one district to create affordable housing and City Council has directed the Commission to look for affordable housing opportunities throughout other areas as well. A vote was taken and the motion carried 6-0. 2. A public hearing for an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan to add a three block area, bounded by Burlington St, Gilbert St, Iowa Ave and Van Buren St, to the Downtown District section of the Downtown and Riverfront Crossings Master Plan. Yapp stated that the current IC2030 Comprehensive Plan identifies the majority of this three block area is for public use. The exception is the northeast corner of College Street and Gilbert Street which is identified as commercial. The two areas Staff has been focused on is the surface parking lot north of City Hall adjacent to the Unitarian Church and the surface parking lot east of the recreation center. Following a City Council work session in July where the Council heard a presentation of a development concept for the parking lot north of City Hall, City Council directed Staff to prepare a comprehensive plan amendment. So what Staff is proposing is to add these three blocks to the Downtown District of the Downtown and Riverfront Crossings Plan. Yapp noted that on the south side of Burlington Street, the Riverfront Crossings already District extends to Van Buren Street. He showed the land use map, and what is proposed is identifying the Unitarian Church as a potential historic building, identify the surface parking lot for mixed-use development, and the surface parking lot east of the recreation center as mixed- use development. He pointed out that the corner of College Street and Gilbert Street has already been zoned Central Business District. Hektoen asked Yapp to explain the mixed-use zoning designation and if that is the only zoning designation that will be allowed for those areas. Yapp explained that he was showing a land - use map so those designations were land -use designations in a comprehensive plan document, not a zoning designation. So any number of commercial zoning designations that allow mixed uses could be appropriate. Eastham asked if non mixed-use zonings would also be appropriate, like all commercial or all residential. Yapp said the appropriate zoning designations would allow a mix of uses, a particular use at a particular point in time on a particular property may be commercial or residential but different uses would be allowed. Yapp showed another map indicating the allowable building heights. With the Unitarian Church identified as a potential historical building, two — four stories of height along Iowa Avenue and Van Buren frontages with six stories of height in the interior of that block adjacent to City Hall would be allowed. East of the recreation center four — six stories is the range of appropriate heights for that property. The Commission asked that he show the current zoning map for this area, the majority of the three block area is zoned public, on the north side of Iowa Avenue is zoned CB -5 which is a central business support zone, on the east side of Van Buren Street there is a combination of CB -5 zoning and CB -2 zoning down to Burlington Street. The Historic Planning and Zoning Commission September 17, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 5 of 14 District starts in the Johnson Street corridor, approximately one block to the east. Yapp addressed the questions the Commission had at that last meeting about the future City facilities plan and if the parking lots were necessary for future growth of City facilities. The City's facilities plan was completed in 2012 and that plan did identify some needs such as pull through bays for the fire station, as well as some inefficient and underutilized spaces at the current recreation center and some inefficiencies within City Hall itself. City Hall has been undergoing a remodeling this summer which has resulted in a few departments and divisions merged which frees up space elsewhere in City Hall. Yapp invited Geoff Fruin, City Manager, to address the facilities plan more specifically. Fruin began by stating his office has no concern with shifting away from the public zone in these areas and it will not hamper the growth of City operations either short or long term. He feels that the proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment allows for opportunities that they would not otherwise have. With regards to the Public Safety operations, police and fire, the biggest need the fire department has here is for pull-through bays, as well as living quarters on the ground floor. The best way to achieve those needs would be to expand the Fire Department to the north, using the part of the Unitarian Church site with the non -historic office addition. Fruin mentioned several possible uses for the new spaces as well as re -use of the old space if the fire station was to expand, and that would be worked out as part of negotiations with developers. From the police department standpoint, the police space is challenged and they do have a need to grow but it is not a pressing need. The police department is not a fully contained operation in City Hall, they have several off-site functions including evidence storage, they have space in the Chauncey Swan Parking Lot, and rental space in the community. They do off-site training and do rely on outdoor parking so those are two areas they would like to address over time. If the Police Department were to build new, they would ideally look for four — five acres, but that is not in the capital improvements plan. However, they do not see the Police Department utilizing the surface parking lots for expansion. With regards to City Hall, Yapp mentioned the remodeling and how that is freeing up space in City Hall and feel comfortable that there is ample room to grow. There is not the same number of visitors to City Hall as in the past as more business is conducted online nor will there be an expansion in workforce that would require more space. Finally, with regards to the recreation center there has been some remodeling there to better utilize space, and there is another remodel project in the five year capital improvements plan to reorganize the upstairs lobby area to better utilize that space. The future expansion of recreation with be a joint effort with the school district and utilizing their facilities and putting amenities in the neighborhoods. The parking for the recreation center will be able to be accommodated within the Chauncey Swan parking facility. Theobald asked about the partnerships with the school district and questioned the success of that partnership and if the schools are granting access to their facilities to the general public. Fruin said that when Alexander school was being constructed the City was very involved in the planning and will be able to utilize that gym space once they finalize the 28E agreement. They have seen success with this program at Grantwood Elementary, noting that the City understands it is not perfect and the public cannot have access at all times, but it does provide sufficient recreation opportunities. In the five year capital plan improvements they have included another partnership with the new Hoover Elementary on the east side. Theobald also asked about the desire to increase the number of residents downtown and what the needs for recreation in the downtown area will need to be with that increase. Fruin noted that when the recreation center was built there wasn't the number of private recreation options Planning and Zoning Commission September 17, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 6 of 14 in the area that there is now so he doesn't see that an increase in downtown housing will necessitate a larger recreation center. Theobald said she thinks a larger recreation center would be an attraction to increase the downtown residents. People are dissatisfied with The University of Iowa recreation center due to the younger clientele, and the cost if you are not a student or staff member of The University of Iowa it is quite expensive. Eastham asked about Alexander Elementary and if there was City bus service to Alexander. Fruin was unsure about the bus service. Eastham asked if Alexander was open to every member of the public on afternoons, weekends. Fruin said the 28E agreement has not been brought before the City Council yet it is still being negotiated with the school district. Eastham asked about the agreement with Grant Wood. Fruin said it is not just an open facility 24/7, there must be Iowa City programs scheduled to use the space. Freerks asked if the current City Hall building could be expanded upward. Fruin said the building is not the most efficiently designed building in terms of workspace and there is the possibility that it could be torn down someday and another structure built on the location, but that is nothing the City has currently discussed. Eastham asked how far in the future the facilities study looked. Fruin said he wasn't sure but thought 20 years. Yapp noted that when he reviewed the study he doesn't recall a specific number of years into the future, it was more a focus on maintenance and space needs for existing City facilities and then assessing the current and near -future staffing levels of operations like the Police Department, Fire Department, and recreation center. The study then used national standards and identifying what type of spaces those operations should ideally have. Staff really used that study as a starting point to look at overall needs and then they look at what space do they have available to fill those needs. Eastham asked if the study identified the usage of the recreation center, how many people use the facility. Yapp replied that was not the focus of the study. Fruin stated that the parks department does look at that type of information and they do master planning and evaluation of their facilities in terms of usage. Eastham asked if there was a trend in usage. Fruin was not sure without reviewing the plan with the Parks and Recreation Director. Fruin reiterated that the City Manager's office is very comfortable with the Comprehensive Plan Amendment that is before the Commission and spend quite a bit of time reviewing long-term space and needs plans as well as workforce needs and how to grow and change. Yapp stated that his recollection of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan is that it identified geographic inefficiencies because of the centralized recreation center and recommends looking for opportunities for parks and recreation programming both in parks around the city, better utilizing existing parks, partnerships with the school districts to utilize indoor facilities and in the long term a west -side recreation facility, although that is not currently funded. Eastham asked about the potential expansion of the fire and police departments and if that expansion were to occur into the area now occupied by the Unitarian Church would that expansion block the alley that is currently there. Fruin said potentially yes, but they have not gotten into designs and will not do so until there is legislative support in change of land use. Freerks asked if the City has a long term commitment to keeping these core facilities functioning as they are and where they are with bringing more people to the Central District. Fruin agreed it is a critical part of the Downtown Plan to have those anchor public facilities in the Downtown District. Planning and Zoning Commission September 17, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 7 of 14 Freerks opened the public hearing. Ann Holton (Trinity Episcopal Church) stated that the September 3 Planning & Zoning meeting presented a moment of clarity for her when she heard the statement that everyone views these three blocks being discussed as part of downtown and always has. It made her realize that the struggle and strife regarding the addition of this three block area to the Downtown District hinges on the basic perceptions held as to whether this area is indeed part of the downtown or not. The City Staff obviously believes it to be true, Trinity Episcopal Church and others to the east that have opposed it do not. In fact the documents sent by the City for this meeting refer to this area as three civic blocks. The Iowa City 2030 Comprehensive Plan recommended that this area be viewed as a transition from the downtown to the residential area to the east. At the September 3 meeting John Thomas made the suggestion that this area should have its own district, the Civic District. That idea has merit and deserves serious consideration. Trinity Episcopal Church does understand that this meeting is about the Comprehensive Plan and not about rezoning but whether this area is in the Downtown District or not has future implications for future building height allowances. Trinity Episcopal Church does not object to the CB -2 and CB heights of proposed developments for the Unitarian Church area or the parking lot behind the recreation center. While the City has stated there are no plans for the parcels marked "government" the original plans for this area were different. And when the plans for this area were presented last year those areas on the corner where the recreation building now stands was calling for building heights of 7 to 15 stories high. Holton noted it is helpful to see the list of needs for the government departments and the plans for meeting them but needs change. And if, as was talked about last meeting, at some point in the future the recreation center is determined to be too small and the land for expansion is no longer available due to the proposals put in place then the City may revisit plans to redevelop the space and move the recreation center elsewhere. Trinity Episcopal Church stringently objects to more high-rises along Gilbert Street. The strain for close proximity and accessibility to their church remains a critical concern. Last spring when the original request to have this area added to the Downtown District failed Mayor Matt Hayek stated that this meant all future development in the three blocks would have to be zoned individually. Subsequently the Council voted to rezone the parcel at the northeast corner of College Street and Gilbert Street. So a precedent has been established to allow development to move forward without parcels being in a specific district. Neither development parcel that has been added to this plan that will be considered in the future should be denied based on being within the Downtown District or not. The zoning requirements for the Central Business District would also be consistent with plans that are also being shown for these projects if those three blocks were added to that district. The Civic District is always a possibility. Trinity Episcopal Church respectively opposes adding the three block area to the Downtown District. Alicia Trimble (Friends of Historic Preservation) stated this is a difficult proposal for them, they absolutely support the Unitarian Church as a historic landmark and Mr. Allen's proposed development and feel everyone has done their due diligence (the preservation community, the developer, the architect, the church) and this is a win-win situation for everyone. However what is concerning for the Friends of Historic Preservation is the need when talking about two separate parking lots to zone this whole district as downtown when it has served as a boundary from downtown and a historic neighborhood. She wanted to make it clear that Friends of Historic Preservation is 100% behind making the Unitarian Church a local historic landmark, they support Mr. Allen's proposal to the City Council, and they believe that is a win-win for everyone which the City Council agreed at their preliminary meeting on the matter. However Trimble stated that this could have been done much wiser on the part of the City, there is Planning and Zoning Commission September 17, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 8 of 14 something here that everybody wants but it is made 10 times more difficult because of this need to put this one parking lot and turn it into these three civic blocks which have been an ongoing debate. Mary Bennett stated her opposition to adding this area into the Downtown District and agrees with Mr. Thomas that we should be looking at is as a civic plaza where we have the last publically owned land. Bennett discussed the blue zones and stated that if we wanted to have a population in the future that is healthier, doesn't tax our systems and ways we need to provide recreation opportunities. She goes to the recreation center three days a week. There are between 300 and 400 young people under the age of 10 or 12 that come to do swim lessons about three times a year. There are at least 1200 young students that come from all over the city that come to that space. Because she teaches one of the classes, she is technically a City employee and she knows out at Mercer where they have swim meets they close that facility down so all those students then come to the recreation center in the summer and the size of her class triples sometimes. Bennett feels the City is underestimating the value of the recreation center and its potential for growth. She stated that she could not afford The University of Iowa facility rates or most of the other privately owned facilities. Plus she would have to drive her car to other locations, rather than being able to walk to the recreation center. She stresses the importance of the recreation center so they can all have a healthy future. Bennett also wants to talk about the environment. There is the potential with the Ralston Creek to be concerned about that water and water management. Perhaps they could put a rain garden in next to the recreation center. How will they be able to manage rain storms and water runoff? She wants the Commission to be aware that the health and well-being of the citizens is at stake if the City sells this land off. Bennett pointed out on the proposed land use map that green area that represents a park, but stated that park area will become a cement plaza and the front yard to Mr. Moen's building and not the public park it is now. If the land use map showed the features of that creek running along the side it would definitely show a different story. The other thing that disturbs her is the maps they are using are misrepresenting what might be created. Across from the New Pioneer Coop is now a very tall building that comes right up to the property lines, it's not the cute four or five houses that is being shown on the maps the City is showing. It is very deceptive. Bennett appreciates Mr. Eastham's comments at the last meeting that we consider these buildings as gracious parts of our community and need landscaping around them. Bennett was speaking with Judge Russell last week and he stated that he used to be able to see the Old Capital from the judge's chambers at the courthouse. The Old Capital and the courthouse were beacons of democracy reminding us of free speech and the ability to express ourselves about how our community grows. But just because one developer comes to the City Manager with a proposal are all the other citizens being ignored because they do not look at capitalism but rather quality of life issues. Bennett urges the Commission to reconsider this considerably, to bide their time on this, no need for a rampant rush, let's test the waters in areas to see how it works before we commit the last of the public space and remove it from a democratic situation that it currently exists in. She encourages them to create a Civic District that has its own zoning that protects it for the future. Kevin Munson (President Neumann Munson Architects) speaks in favor of the proposed Comprehensive Plan Amendment. This is not about zoning this evening this is about looking for opportunities for our city -owned parking lots. Munson doesn't believe those city -owned parking lots serve the community very well. They are not what they could be. He envisions something much more positive and exciting that will serve the community in bigger and better ways. The City still owns this ground they have a lot of opportunities to work with developers for the common good of all. There are some wonderful opportunities to change this area into a place Planning and Zoning Commission September 17, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 9 of 14 not for automobiles but for people that would enliven the streetscape, provide positive opportunities for live, work and play, and create a much more walkable pedestrian friendly area that ties our residential communities to our downtown. Munson noted that this can be a very sustainable project but without this opportunity to look at these properties different than just pure parking lots we will not get there. Munson asks for the Commissions' support to enable this to move forward, to look at this as an exciting opportunity to really improve our community. It would be nice to walk by these spaces and instead of seeing parking lots, see community friendly places that can provide growth for our community and city. Pam Michaud (109 S. Johnson St) stated she is generally in favor of preserving the Unitarian Church and the proposal that Jesse Allen has put forth and feels it is a moderate height. She too has problems with carpet rezoning of the civic district. The elephant in the room is of course the enormous opposition to the Chauncey building and the destruction of the Chauncey Swan Park. If they are looking into the future with nicely colored earth -toned squares at least we ought to have something represented that's been there for three years and that is the Washington Plaza (across from New Pioneer Coop) as was pointed out earlier. Michaud submitted a letter to the Commission asking for preservation of parkway trees because they can soften the effect of a new large building. She would beg to differ with Mr. Munson that an open parking lot is a waste of space, the farmers market is utilizing Chauncey Swan twice a week for six months of the year. It should be continue to be a green space, not an amphitheater with permeable pavers. To destroy the Chauncey Swan Park for the sake of geothermal is a gross misuse of public land. Finally Michaud stated that Mr. Munson is probably not aware of the many festivals that take place in the Chauncey Swan Park and ramp area. It is a destination for Friday night performances when they are rained out downtown. There was a Juneteenth celebration that drew 100 people or more, there was a solstice celebration, there are culinary walks and taste of Iowa events hosted there. Michaud feels the focus should just be on the Iowa Avenue and Gilbert Street lot right now. Kirk Witzberger (Unitarian Church board member) wanted to say in response to the "why rush into this" comments, he has not seen rushing on this issue, the Commission has been taking time to review and gather information. One of the reasons though for a sense of urgency is hanging in the balance is the fate of the historic Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City building that has been at the southeast corner of Gilbert Street and Iowa Avenue since 1907. Demolition of can be avoided if the buyer of the church property is able to move forward with a larger mixed-use project replacing the parking lot along Iowa Avenue. The current purchase agreement they have is to demolish the church by November 13 and the church agreed to that before they had a particular developer in mind. In order to get value for the property, this is what the church had to do. The developer's proposal benefits Iowa City in many ways beyond saving the church building. The project could include an addition to the fire station with safer pull-through lanes from Van Buren Street. Underground parking would double capacity, with dedicated spaces for city vehicles. Commercial space could allow for future expansion of city offices and public facilities. The residential component would include workforce housing. Environmental benefits of mixed-use, high-density housing include reduced sprawl and less energy use. The inefficient surface parking lot would be developed responsibly and begin generating property tax revenue. The tallest structure in the project would be toward Gilbert and is a good use of space. There has been conflict and divisiveness over some previous developments, this project can be a model of public-private cooperation that benefits the entire community. Witzberger encourages the Commission to pass the amendment. Bob Birchfield said he has lived for over 40 years a few blocks east of this area and feels the Planning and Zoning Commission September 17, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 10 of 14 neighbors shouldn't suffer the consequences of the Unitarian Church Congregations decision to expand their church. Also, if the Commission approves this amendment, Birchfield urges them to never use the word transitional again and delete it from all planning documents. Jake Christiansen said he is representing a pair of developers who are interested in developing the parking lot to the east of the recreation center and is here to voice support of the amendment to the Comprehensive Plan. He also wants to provide some answers to what creative minds can apply to an opportunity such as this. There has been a lot of talk about the recreation center, Ralston Creek and some of the other amenities in the area those are all reasons why his group is proposing to redevelop that parcel. Mr. Munson accurately said that surface parking lots are a drain on the energy a city has and as a pedestrian walking past those vacant parking lots it really has a negative impact on pedestrians compared to an active use on the first floor of a building and people living above adding to the energy. The recreation center and Ralston Creek are opportunities for additional people to have a high quality of life, recreational opportunities, and green space. Their project would propose to improve Ralston Creek along the border of the property, it would maintain the surface parking lot for the recreation center, so that the existing patrons of the recreation center can continue to park there, and then above that begin to build active uses at the College Street level with residential units above that. Christiansen understands the point of transition and his group is proposing a building that is six stories or less. So it would act as a transition from the higher buildings to the west and the very important neighborhood to the east. It is an opportunity to maintain the public uses that currently exist, activate the street, increase the tax base, and provide workforce housing. Freerks closed the public hearing. Freerks asked Yapp if he wanted to add anything regarding the setbacks. Yapp said after the discussion at the last meeting of the Commission he did look at the existing property line. Iowa Avenue is a very wide right-of-way due because it is the historic view shed to the Old Capitol. The right-of-way is about 120 feet wide. There is a part of the Unitarian Church that comes very close, if not right up to, the property line. The concern of the Commission was if a new structure was built close to the property line just east of the church that it may block view of the church. If a building were built close to the property line it would in relation with where the church is on the property line. Freerks said there are variations to the church abutting the property line so when talking about a long length building it is different than just one portion of the church building abutting the property line. Freerks noted that these things can be addressed when zoning is discussed. Yapp agreed and said those things are best addressed when there is an actual concept. Eastham asked about page 4 of the Staff memo of July 31 states the strategic infill of the Downtown District would still be incorporated into the governing planning document for this area and that section still includes the statement "buildings should be built to the property line" so why is that statement included. Yapp said that was existing language that is already in the Downtown District Plan. Eastham said he is not comfortable having that statement in the planning document that will apply to this three block area. Hektoen said this three block area was being proposed to be added to the planning document so the planning document cannot be changed. Freerks agreed but said the Commission could request that change in the future. Hektoen also said that there are any number of statements and goals in the document that address objectives and it is the Commission's job to balance all Planning and Zoning Commission September 17, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 11 of 14 those goals and statements. It is not a zoning document, it is a planning document and there is room for articulation with any application that comes before the Commission. Hensch moved to approve the Comprehensive Plan amendment to add three blocks, bounded by Burlington St, Gilbert St, Iowa Ave and Van Buren St, to the Downtown District of the Downtown and Riverfront Crossings Plan. Parsons seconded the motion. Hensch asked how Ralston Creek is addressed in any of the plans. Yapp said the Downtown and Riverfront Crossings Plan does recommend improvements to the creek including cleaning out a lot of the excess vegetation, bringing back native vegetation, stream bank stabilization, creating a trail along the creek as well as small wayside parks along the creek. Hensch asked if the City is responsible for those improvements as well as developers. Yapp said it would be both, the trail improvements they've done in other parts of the city some have been City initiated as well as sometimes as part of developments there can be requirements in the rezoning for improving the area along the creek. The creek is also subject to the sensitive areas ordinance where there is a buffer required along the creek. That buffer may be reduced in exchange for enhancement to the creek and enhancing the vegetation along the creek. Hensch noted he feels that Ralston Creek as well as other creeks and the Iowa River are resources that have not been nurtured and would like to see that happen. Hensch asked about the current parking lots, stating they appear to be constructed out of impervious materials so all the water is just running off those lots. Yapp confirmed that was correct. Eastham asked about what exactly is attached to this motion, what the repercussions will be and still has concerns about the setback requirements. He is not satisfied right now that putting these three blocks into the Downtown District Plan when that Plan has verbiage that states or recommends that properties should be built to the property line. Freerks stated that if the Commission were to approve this Comprehensive Plan Amendment they could follow up with language that directs Staff to look at specific concerns or questions. That is how they have addressed such concerns in the past. Hektoen said an amendment to that language is not necessary to allow or approve a building with setbacks or articulations. The objective is strategic infill and one of the possible ways of achieving that infill is to build to the property line. It is not an absolute it is just simply one of the guidelines to meet the objective. There are many ways to achieve the objective, the strategic infill, such as protecting historic character and historic buildings and one way of doing that may be to have a setback but that would be considered more appropriately examined at the rezoning application process. Freerks agreed and said the staff memo states it would not be inconsistent with the current Downtown and Riverfront Crossings Plan to impose a setback for this property upon rezoning. Hektoen reiterated that setbacks are decided at the rezoning stage, the comprehensive plans do not regulate to that degree. Freerks stated she is comfortable with Plan and the amendment. Theobald expressed concerns about losing the civic identity of this area. She agrees surface parking lots are not the best, she agrees that Jesse Allen has a great plan, but has grave concerns about giving up space that should be part of the civic area. She feels it is necessary to give Iowa City some identity that is separate from The University of Iowa. Hensch understands Theobald's concerns but also feels the partnerships with the developments and having property tax generating buildings that will have public uses in them is a win-win for Planning and Zoning Commission September 17, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 12 of 14 everybody. Eastham shares Theobald's concerns. Freerks stated she uses the parking lot on days she doesn't walk to work and feels this is her neighborhood but is excited about the possibilities for the expansions and feels the public/private partnerships can be successful. She understands the public's concerns about the area and agrees that it would be a shame for the Chauncey Swan Park to not be green space. Hektoen clarified that is not yet been decided and no plans to change Chauncey Swan Park have been approved. Freerks would like to see more green space brought into the area through the public/private partnerships and feels that parking lots are wasted space. The Chauncey Swan Ramp can continue to host the events and festivities it currently does. Eastham noted if the parking lots are wasted space they could be turned into parks. Freerks agreed but noted that having the increased tax base of the properties is something the City really needs. Hensch doesn't see a point in delaying this anymore. It is important to move this forward to preserve the historic building, to have improvements on Ralston Creek and to take these lots that are eyesores and develop them positively. He agreed there are some negatives but the positives outweigh the negatives. Eastham believes a more sober pace is to take the north block and deal with it, then the most southern block separately. He would like to leave the designation for the southern block as public for the time being. Yapp noted that these properties, regardless of what Comprehensive Plan they are part of, will remain zoned public until a rezoning application changes that. So the properties have no commercial value until they are rezoned. Eastham asked if the properties could only be rezoned if the current land use map shows them as a designation other than public, and Yapp confirmed that. Dyer asked about the earlier version where the Downtown District would extend beyond Van Buren Street and if there were any plans to reinstate that concept. Yapp said the Commission had recommended and the City Council had approved the area east of Van Buren Street to be part of the Central District Plan. Dyer noted that the elephant in the room is the Chauncey building and stated that one of the major problems was that the City requested proposals for the parcel before it was rezoned to accommodate such proposals. The advantage of this proposal is it is operating in the correct order of business and the fact that they can make adjustments as specific proposals come forward this should move forward. Eastham noted that nowhere in these conversations is affordable housing addressed, this is public land right now and he feels the City has an obligation to use that land for what is best for the entire community. There are two proposals one each for the north and south blocks that include residential uses and the City should insist substantial units be earmarked for affordable housing. Yapp noted that if any of the projects have tax -increment funds attached to the project, affordable housing is required in the project. Parsons stated that the City has an interest to use these lots as more than just a surface parking lot and it is a very exciting time for the area. A vote was taken and the motion passed 6-0. Planning and Zoning Commission September 17, 2015 — Formal Meeting Page 13 of 14 CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: AUGUST 20. 2015 & SEPTEMBER 3, 2015 Dyer moved to approve the meeting minutes of August 20, 2015 and September 3, 2015. Hensch seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion passed 6-0. PLANNING AND ZONING INFORMATION: Theobald asked if the City was working on any topsoil due to the State changes that require topsoil put back on developments. So is the City of Iowa City looking at their own ordinance? Yapp said the City does not have its own topsoil ordinance but does have a grading and erosion control ordinance meant to prevent soil erosion on development sites which they do enforce. Dyer asked about the reference made to the rollback of taxes but she has not seen a clear explanation of how that is going to work in Iowa City. Yapp said staff has prepared information for the City Council on that and they can copy that information to the Commission as well. I_1:4211T,14 Nil Theobald moved to adjourn. Hensch seconded. A vote was taken and motion carried 6-0. z 0 N N 20 OV W w) IX T- Z ZWN C) Oz� NDN W z_ 24 z J IL z H W W Q 0 ti LO X X X X X X 0 X X X X X M XXXXXXIXI �X�x CD0 XXX : X l X X X NXXXXXX X 0 T T T T T T T W d X X X X X X X i o Cl o 0 co 0 co X X - XXX WM0 W X i X Z ti J 0va x z Y -�ayoo� Oa x x C4 X LU X X X X 1 X 1 Wn:�wU) x Z z U) a Q im 0� Q aLu X X X X X X ! X x zaWwx n.cn��- T NXXXXXX i X i ti ipXXXXXX 1 X ; cc XXX i X O X X v X X X : X X X X O! M X X X X X X X 0 - W p X X X X X X N N X X X i W 1 X X X Ln X X X X i X X X T co N XXXIXIXXX T OX X 1 X 1 X X X T w T X X LU i X i X X X T XXXIXIXXX T 0 X X X i X i X X W � T W z w w J p w W X< O J 0C�Q�X2 x z CL0 x �a�=ZZ�avi wv)F'c/)00� W i