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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-02-16 TranscriptionPage 1 ITEM 2. STATE OF THE CITY Throgmorton: Good evening to all of you and welcome on yet another cold night, February 16. What do you expect? But it's supposed to get warmer, right, so ... we can feel better about that! So ... the first item on the agenda is the State of City speech, so it's my great honor to have the opportunity to deliver that speech to you tonight. Before reporting on how our city is doing, I first want to thank you, the people of Iowa City, for expressing your opinions or participating in the democratic (noises on mic) of our city and for keeping your elected representatives feet to the fire. (reads speech) Thank you. (applause) All right, we turn now .... thank you. We turn now to proclamations, Item #3. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 2 ITEM 3. PROCLAMATIONS ITEM 3a Black History Month — February Throgmorton: I have two proclamations to read. I think there are people here to receive the proclamations, so Marian, I should read it and then someone will come forth I guess? Karr: That's correct! Throgmorton: Okay, the first has to do with Black History Month. (reads proclamation) Karr: Here to accept the proclamation is Andrea Cohen from the Human Rights Commission. (applause) Throgmorton: Do you want to say a word or two? Cohen: On behalf of the Human Rights Commission and the residents of Iowa City, thank you very much. I think the proclamation is a clear public... recognition and representation of the commitment... to make Iowa City a more just city. Thank you! Throgmorton: Thank you, Andrea! (applause) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 3 ITEM 3. PROCLAMATIONS ITEM 3b Sertoma Week, February 22 Throgmorton: Okay, the second proclamation has to do with Sertoma's Freedom Week. (reads proclamation) Karr: Here to accept the proclamation is Ted Halm representing the Old Capitol Sertoma Club. (applause) Halm: Just briefly I wanted everyone to know that the topic for this year's essay contest was 'Should Iowa retain the caucus system?' And as you might guess, we got some very interesting (laughter) essays, and I want to again thank the Mayor and the Council for this proclamation. Thank you. (applause) Throgmorton: Thank you. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 4 ITEM 4. STUDENT LEADERSHIP AWARDS ITEM 4a Horace Mann Elementary Throgmorton: I think we have three students from Horace Mann Elementary! And I want to go out front (several talking in background) Let's see, last time I did this I kinda stumbled (both talking) Dickens: We're not that scary here! (laughter and several talking) Throgmorton: (mumbled) The lights on. Hello! It works! Bravo! Okay, so ... can I do this with both hands? (mumbled) balance that (mumbled) So the first thing I'd like to say is my daughter Zoey went to Horace Mann Elementary and I live about two blocks away from it. It's a great school. You're very lucky to .... to be students there. I'm going to read, uh, the ... the Leadership Award, uh, one time and then hand it to each of you and then ask you to ... read your little speech, okay? So, Student Leadership Award (reads award) So let me give this to you, Molly, and ... exactly the same language goes to Jennifer Gemartino. There you go! The last one goes to Alma Coronado -Castillo, yeah! Same one, same language to you. Okay! So ... would you start, Molly? Riepe: Hi, my name is Molly Riepe. I'm 10 -years -old and I'm in Miss Maloney's fifth grade class at Horace Mann Elementary. I participate in three extracurricular activities — dance, band, and running. Playing flute in a ma ... in a band of many instruments has definitely showed me that it's important to work together as a team. I've also raised money for the American Heart Association through Jump Rope for Heart with the help of...from family and friends. Getting donations for this special cause has taught me the importance of giving. I have participated in student council, which is a great experience for me because I think it's important to have input in school decisions. I really want to thank all my friends and family for supporting me. Thank you for this honor. (applause) Gemartino: Hi, my name is Jennifer Gemartino. I'm 12 -years -old and I go to Horace Mann Elementary. In school I enjoy social studies, art, and P.E. I'm also in safety patrol and student council. Outside of school I enjoy playing soccer, volleyball, or just hanging out with friends. I also volunteer at my church. I want to thank my classmates and teachers for ... for selecting me for this award. (applause) Coronado -Castillo: Hi, my name is Alma Coronado -Castillo. I think I won this award because I'm always helping my family, friends, and classmates. In school I enjoy doing math, P.E., and music. After school I like reading, playing with my sister, and enjoying time with my family. I also help (mumbled) with my family by cleaning my room and helping my sister clean her room. I help my mom with housework too. For this award I want to thank my teachers, my friends, and my family. I also thank my class for voting for me and choosing me to receive this award. Thank you ... to everyone that helps me out. (applause) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 5 Throgmorton: You're obviously great leaders within Horace Mann Elementary. They're very lucky that you're students there. Uh, keep up the great work, uh, maybe .... as Matt used to say, maybe one day you'll be up here on, uh, you know, on the City Council helping to lead your ... your city. So, keep up the good work and now it ... it's probably time to go home and take care of things at, uh, back at home. I ... I see a proud mother back there. Are there more? Where ... where are (unable to hear people speaking in background) You're not too proud, are ya? (laughter) Yeah, okay, so thank you! Well done! (applause) (several talking and laughing with audience members) This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 6 ITEM 5. CONSIDER ADOPTION OF THE CONSENT CALENDAR AS PRESENTED OR AMENDED Mims: So moved. Dickens: Second. Karr: Mr. Mayor, we have the removal of 5d(3) at the applicant's request. We will not be acting at the Moss Ridge ... so we'll, if it's okay, we can adopt it with that change. Mims: Okay. As amended (several talking) Throgmorton: So, uh, is there a motion to approve, uh, with the exception of (both talking) Karr: I think (several talking) Throgmorton: Already did? Okay. All right, and who seconded it? Susan (several talking), Terry seconded it. Okay. Roll call. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 7 ITEM 6. COMMUNITY COMMENT (ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA) Throgmorton: Uh... uh, so, uh, please feel free to come up and speak to any topic that's not on the agenda. Please limit your comments to not more than five minutes. So we're eager to hear from ya! Olmstead: Good evening. Uh, Mayor and City Council, one request that I have sitting in the audience trying to listen to you is if you could speak into the mics. It's particularly distracting when you turn your head and we can't hear you. So I would ask on behalf of myself and I'm sure others, please use the mics. Also I have some suggestions for the strategic plan that you were looking at this evening. Um, the ... social justice, uh, you're saying (mumbled). I think we need to promote. I don't think we've done much (mumbling) in this community with racial justice. So I would suggest we need to promote and make everybody concerned throughout the community. Um ... also you've talked about walkable, uh... places in the community. They need to also be accessible. People in wheelchairs and other mobility devices need to be welcomed, and so I'd add (both talking) Throgmorton: Of course! Olmstead: ...accessibility. Um, you talked (mumbled) sustainability, about plastic bags and about evaluating 'em. I think we (mumbled) over the years, uh, not just in this community but in communities elsewhere, uh, so I don't know what type of evaluation we need to do. I think we need to get on with it and take ... and set a policy. Under healthy neighborhoods, I would encourage you to also add little libraries. We're a City of Literature and I would hope that the City would promote the libraries in the neighborhoods, and they have (mumbled) all over the place, but I'm sure we can use more. And one last thing, uh, back to social justice and racial equity. Um, we had the report last year from Ambrose College regarding, uh, racial profiling. (mumbled) but others have seen it told me that it found that we were doing racial profiling. I think we need to keep on top of that and make sure we're not having our Police department doing racial profiling. Thank you. Throgmorton: Thank you, Harry! We're gonna have a follow-up, uh, presentation about the St. Ambrose, uh... study in another month or there abouts, right? Fruin: April 19"'. Throgmorton: Thank you. Other people, uh, care to address Council? Okay! I don't see any. So ... we'll move to Item 7, Planning and Zoning Matters. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 8 ITEM 7. PLANNING AND ZONING MATTERS ITEM 7a VACATION OF WATERFRONT DRIVE — ORDINANCE VACATING A PORTION OF WATERFRONT DRIVE LOCATED EAST OF SOUTH GILBERT STREET 1. PUBLIC HEARING Throgmorton: I'm gonna open the public hearing. (bangs gavel) John Yapp! Yapp: Uh, good evening, John Yapp with, uh, Development Services Division. Um, bear with me and I'll pull up the appropriate slides. Uh, this application is a request to vacate ... uh, Waterfront Drive right-of-way east of, uh, Gilbert Street. As shown on the overhead, this is currently a dead-end, uh, piece of right-of-way, uh, a remnant piece of right-of-way, if you will, um ... uh, the Waterfront Drive right-of-way terminates, uh... east of Gilbert Street. In the past, the City had vacated other segments of Waterfront Drive, uh, in this area ... uh, but preserved this segment of Waterfront Drive due to it providing access to two, uh, abutting properties. Uh, we've received an application of a, uh, potential, uh, buyer of these properties who would seek to, uh, have that right-of-way vacated in order to facilitate a redevelopment, uh, of that corner with, uh... uh... small grocery store and, uh, accessory building in the center of the property, uh, and replace it with an access easement, uh, to get to the Car -X property, uh, to the east. Uh, when we evaluate right-of-way vacations, we look at the impact on access and circulation, uh, ac ... access to adjacent private properties, desirability of the right-of-way for future access and traffic circulation, and the location of utilities and other easements. Uh, regarding access to adjacent properties, as long as the, uh, affected property owners agree with this request and we've received some letters of support in ... in your packet, uh, this right-of-way does not provide general traffic circulation purposes. It just provides access to adjacent properties. Uh, regarding utilities, there, uh, City water and sewer do exist within the right-of- way. Uh, what staff has recommended is that utility easements be retained for those utilities until such time as new replacement utilities are accepted. At that time, those easements could be released. That would require a subsequent action, uh, by the City Council. Uh, regarding access to the Car -X, uh, property, you'll see in their letter, uh, they requested identification of access, uh, to their property through... through the new development, uh, including access to their property during any reconstruction, uh, process. Uh, that type of detail would be shown on a preliminary and final plat. Uh, what we've recommended is that the third reading of the vacation not take place until, uh, that platting, uh, showing that access easement, showing the new utilities, uh, can be done on a ... at a concurrent, on the same agenda, uh, for the City Council. Uh, we have received a preliminary plat application, uh, that is currently under review. Uh, again, regarding the desirability for the right-of-way for general traffic circulation, it...it does not appear to be needed. One benefit of this proposed concept is that there are currently three access points, uh, onto Gilbert Street. Uh, with the proposed This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 9 concept, those access points would be reduced to one access point, uh, to this area. Essentially this area would function as a small shopping center. Uh, with that ... staff has recommended approval, uh, subject to the retention of utility easements and approval of a final plat, prior to the final approval of the vacation request. Uh, the final plat shall include plans for utility relocation and a plan for access to the Car -X property during construction and a permanent access easement. Uh, the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval, uh, by a vote of 6-0. Be glad to take any questions. Throgmorton: Any questions for John? Taylor: You mentioned a ... a grocery store. Now this is very close proximity to the Hyvee grocery store. Would there be any sort of a ... uh, problem with that or (both talking) grocery store? Yapp: The property is currently zoned Community Commercial and that ... that zoning does allow grocery stores. Throgmorton: But ... Pauline, you're wondering about just economic competition (both talking) Taylor: Right, as far as the competition. Yeah. (several talking) Yapp: I believe it would create more competition. This is a ... a fairly small, bout a 15,000 square foot, uh, grocery store. It's identified on the concept as a'specialty grocery store.' Throgmorton: I ... I have one question, and the answer may just be blatantly obvious to everybody, but uh, it may not be. Uh... what do you mean'vacate the property?' Yapp: Oh, vacate refers to ... good question! Um ... public right-of-way is ... carries... besides it being owned by the City, it being right-of-way carries with it the, uh, right for the general public to use, uh, that right-of-way. Uh, the act of vacating a property removes the public right-of-way designation. Then there would need to be a subsequent action for the City to convey or sell the property, uh, to the, uh, aspiring property owner. Throgmorton: Yeah, that's pretty much what I was getting to was ... I mean, first of all I would think that the idea of 'vacation' of property wouldn't make sense to many people, but beyond that, if we're in fact vacating... property that's owned by the City, I would think there's some economic value to that property. Maybe not much, but some. Yapp: Uh, there is, and this ... this particular applicant has already made an offer, uh, and that would be before the City Council with the third reading of the vacation. Throgmorton: Thanks, John. Any other questions for John? This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 10 Yapp: Thank you. Throgmorton: Thank you. Uh, would anybody else care to speak to this topic? Seeing none, I'm going to close the public hearing. (bangs gavel) 2. CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE (FIRST CONSIDERATION) Mims Move first consideration. Botchway: Second. Throgmorton: Moved by Mims, seconded by Botchway. Discussion? Dickens: (mumbled) project for that corner, redevelop it. Throgmorton: Roll call. All right, motion passes 7-0. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 11 ITEM 7. PLANNING AND ZONING MATTERS ITEM 7b REZONING SCOTT BOULEVARD AND LOWER WEST BRANCH ROAD — ORDINANCE REZONING 9.33 ACRES OF PROPERTY FROM LOW DENSITY SINGLE FAMILY (RS -5) ZONE AND MEDIUM DENSITY SINGLE FAMILY (RS -8) ZONE TO PLANNED DEVELOPMENT OVERLAY (OPD -8) ZONE AND A SENSITIVE AREAS DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR PINE GROVE LOCATED SOUTH OF LOWER WEST BRANCH ROAD BETWEEN SCOTT BOULEVARD AND HUMMINGBIRD LANE. (REZ15-00023/SUB15-00031) 1. PUBLIC HEARING Throgmorton: Open the public hearing. (bangs gavel) Yapp: Uh, this property is at the southeast corner of Scott Boulevard and Lower Wet Branch Road. You'll see on the, uh, aerial view ... the trees on the property, particularly at the northwest corner, uh, those trees were planted by the (clears throat) previous property owner and while they were planted, uh, they do constitute a woodland under our sensitive areas ordinance, and so our sensitive areas ordinance did apply, uh, to this property. The current zoning of the property ... uh, the frontage along Scott Boulevard is zoned RS -8 or medium density single-family. The, uh, eastern portion of the property is RS -5 or sin... low density single-family, excuse me. Uh, you'll also see on this overhead surrounding, uh, zoning designations RS -12, OPD -8, uh, indicating a ... a higher density zoning along Scott Boulevard, uh, medium density zoning on the north side of Lower West Branch Road, and ... uh, low density single-family zoning on the east side of Hummingbird Lane. The, uh, proposal ... is, uh, consists of two things. One rezoning the entire property to RS -8 or medium density single- family, and then clustering, uh, that density in certain portions of the property, in order to achieve both a diversity of housing types, and protection of almost an acre of woodland at the northwest corner of the site. Uh, 10 single-family lots are proposed on the eastern half of the property. Uh, transitioning to the existing single-family east of Hummingbird Lane. Uh, the middle portion of the property would be, uh, two four-plexes, uh, townhouse style multi -family units, two -stories in height, and the Scott Boulevard frontage would have a 36 -unit multi -family building, uh, with a majority of parking for the building under the building, uh, preserving the, uh... what is called the 'pine grove' at the northwest corner of the site, and I have some other, uh, images to show you. Uh, this is a elevation image of the multi -family building. Uh, some questions at the P&Z, uh, level were raised regarding the, uh, building materials on the exterior of the building. Uh, the first two floors are proposed as a ... a stone veneer on the building with, uh vinyl siding on the third floor and the upper ... upper area of the building. Uh, this is a view of the, uh, four-plex or townhouse units. Uh, building A and building B with a slight variation, uh, in the roof line. Uh, these build .... the individual units would also be articulated to, uh, better convey individual units. Uh, lot of This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 12 discussion on the trees, uh, at the Planning and Zoning level. The previous property owner did a great job, uh, planting, uh, trees on the property. What I'm going to show you here is trees to be preserved, uh, as part of this development. Uh, this row of evergreen trees would be along the rear lot lines, uh, of the single- family lots. Uh, this is along the Hummingbird Lane frontage. A majority of these trees would be preserved, except where, uh, driveways are proposed. And as part of this plan, there would be two driveways, uh, to Hummingbird Lane. If I can show you on the plan, that would be for lots, uh, 8 and lot 9, uh... two driveways proposed. Lots, uh, 6 and 7 would have driveways to the new, uh, street through the property. Uh, this is a view of the pine grove at the northwest, uh, corner of the site. You'll see a reference in the staff report to, uh, the potential for the, uh, trees in the pine grove needing to be thinned out. Uh, the City Forester has walked this area and has determined, uh, none of the trees do need to be thinned out. Uh, this is along the Lower West Branch Road frontage. Uh, those ... those trees would be preserved. And the rear of the lots along the south side of the property, uh, those trees would be preserved as well. And here's another view at the, uh, southern portion of the property. Uh, regarding the new street ... when the, uh, applicant first came to staff ...uh, his initial concept did include a cul-de-sac, uh, for ... for the new street connecting Lower West Branch Road and Hummingbird Lane. Uh, the City's subdivision standards, uh, require an inter -connected street system, uh, for many reasons, uh, to better distribute traffic volumes within an area, uh, more efficient services, uh, to and from an area, uh, and upon discussion with the applicant, the applicant did propose, uh, connecting, uh, that street. Regarding the tree protection measures on the plan, uh, staff recommended and the applicant agreed to submit a, uh, tree protection plan prior to any development to be reviewed by the City Forester to ensure those trees shown as being protected, uh, will be protected. In the field they would be fenced off, uh, with construction fencing, uh, so that as lots are being developed, uh, no equipment disturbs those areas. Uh... this is a ... planned development, both due to the sensitive areas and to allow the multi -family uses to be clustered, uh, in such a way to gain the preservation of the woodland area and the groves of trees around the site. Uh, Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval by a vote of 6-0, and with that, I'll be glad to take any questions. Dulek: And maybe now would be the time to, um ... state whether anybody's had any ex parte communications so we get that out. Throgmorton: Good question! (several responding) Dickens: How many feet or ... from the, uh ... (mumbled) how many feet is it from the ... Scott Boulevard to the first access? Is that ... cause I know that's a busy corner, but usually it's just on Sundays. There's a lot of church traffic that comes and that backs up there. Yapp: Yeah, Terry, that would be this access point here. If you give me a second I can pull the plan out and... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 13 Dickens: Yapp: Dickens: Yapp: Dickens: I don't think it's a major problem most of the time, but I know certain... certain times there seems to be a backlog of traffic at that area. Uh, approximately 260 or 70 feet. Is that ... (several talking) Oh ... approximately 330 feet. So (both talking) Which is about a full city block in the north side. That's plenty. Mims: John, with the tree preservation, is ... is there going to be basically a ... a covenant that runs with the purchase of those lots? I mean are ... will individual property owners, once they buy a lot, will they be able to take down those trees. Not ... why anybody would really want to but.. just, how does that work? Yapp: Uh that's a good question. Um ... on the plat we show construction limits lines, and then require a tree ... uh, protection plan during construction. Post -construction we would need some, uh... uh... language in the legal papers for each individual lot that would carry through with the title, uh, to that lot. Mims: Okay. So when they (both talking) Yapp: We've not gotten to that stage yet. Mims: Okay. So when they come get their building permit, there would... Yapp: Notify. Mims: Okay. They'd be notified (both talking) Yapp: Actually when they purchase the property and their ... in their, it would be in their title ... to the property. Mims: Okay. (several talking) No, thanks. I just wanted to make sure that ... we understood, the public understood what ... if that carried through and then making sure that potential lot owners, buyers of the lots, would understand the limitations on tree removal before they purchase (both talking) Yapp: And typically that language does allow for maintenance, uh, and removal of diseased or dying trees. Mims: Okay. Thank you. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 14 Cole: And, John, in circumstances where some of the trees are removed, is there anything in the City policies that requires those trees be planted elsewhere? I mean in terms of replacing the lost numbers of trees on the lot? Yapp: Yes, and actually in this particular proposal, uh, what the sensitive areas ordinance requires is maintenance of 50% of the woodlands. Cole: Okay. Yapp: This proposal would, uh, remove slightly more than 50%. They have proposed replacement trees on the property, in excess of the requirement. I think we determined 16 replacement trees would be required. Uh, they are planting approximately 40. Cole: Okay. That's terrific! Throgmorton: Other questions? Hearing none, thank you, John! Yapp: Thank you. Throgmorton: Would anyone else care to address this topic? Dulek: And again now, if Council Members could disclose any ex parte communications so members of the public could respond to that. Mims: None. Throgmorton: None. Yes, sir! Hamilton: Thanks for the opportunity to address you. Uh, my name's Greg Hamilton. Throgmorton: Hi, Greg! Hamilton: I'm a property owner at 260 Hummingbird Lane, which is, uh, directly to the east of the proposed new subdivision. Uh, and directly across from the ... the, uh, Hummingbird access of the new Pine Grove Lane. Um ... I would support in general a development on this property and that has been anticipated for ... for some time. Uh, the, uh, Northeast District Plan that was developed at about the same time that Hummingbird Lane was involuntarily annexed talked about, uh, development. Um, and that plan contemplated the ... the current zoning of RS -5 and RS -8. It talked about the possibility of having greater density on the Scott Boulevard side, uh, suggested, A ... um, duplexes I believe on the .... on the map on that, on that plan, um, I don't ... um ... I ... I think there's a lot of good work that was done. I, uh, would, uh... I appreciate what's been done regarding preserving the trees, um, as I, uh, indicated in the, uh, email that I sent to the Council I addressed earlier today, there's still two objections that I ... I'd continue to have, and I don't This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 15 feel were addressed in the plan. One ... one is regarding the density. Um, currently under the RS -5, uh... my understanding is that there would be no problem with the single-family homes as they're currently drawn up because those single-family homes are greater than would be required under RS -5 on the Hummingbird side. Um, the, uh ... rezoning of, uh, the whole property to RS -8 as ... as was suggested is ... is to allow a greater clustering, uh, and a ... a total, uh, greater density on the, uh, Scott Boulevard side with the 36, uh, unit apartment complex. I think that is something that's out of, uh, scale and out of keeping with the ... with the neighborhood. Um, and uh... it's essentially a football field in length. Um, and uh... I think that as I ... as I noted here, um, according to the Planning and Zoning Commission's own .... own figures, even after, uh, the entire property would be zoned RS -8, the ... the density of this with 54 households would be greater than the historical density for an RS -8 development for that side of town. So, um, I ... I think a, uh, apartment complex of about half that size would be, uh, more in keeping with the total density of the area. Uh, the other concern I'd have would be regarding the access on Hummingbird Lane. There are a number of, uh, neighbors that ... that spoke to ... to safety issues and aesthetic concerns, uh... um ... as, uh, was alluded, a cul-de-sac was proposed by the developer. The, uh... uh, neighbors would also support a cul-de-sac. Um ... I'm not an expert on the ins and outs of the ... of the zoning code, but the Northeast District Plan, which again is just several years old, refers to cul-de-sacs and contemplates cul-de-sacs in new developments in several places, and was able to, uh, determine some ... some standards in the ... in the zoning code for that, which suggests that a cul-de-sac should be no more than, I believe it was 900 linear feet and this is significantly less than that. So a cul-de-sac would seem to be a possibility that, uh... uh, both the developer and the ... and the community would support. Another possibility would be an ... a secondary access. Um, the Northeast District Plan again suggested that if, uh, high density developments like this, uh, apartment complex were to be considered that they should be at the intersections of major thoroughfares, presumably because traffic would be moved most expeditiously to those major thoroughfares. Here essentially there's a detour through a, uh, a ... a very, uh, residential neighborhood with ... with a great deal of...of walking, biking, running traffic, um, and as the, uh... the transportation planners acknowledge that there's.....there's no destination in that direction. They made no attempt to calculate what the traffic flow, uh, could be, should be, or would be sustainable on that street. They just indicate that there were no, uh... destinations in that direction, so it was not likely to be used. Uh, I think the ... the risk is, uh, is on the existing homeowners, that if, uh... uh, a detour is provided, that, you know, at certain times that, uh, road may be forced to bear the entire... entire flow, um .... City Planning and Zoning Commission again acknowledged that the current width of Hummingbird Lane is below the design standards for a, uh, new subdivision street, even though it was just paved a few years ago. And several of the existing homeowners indicated that ... that, uh, that was by design, that the T - intersection where Hummingbird joins to the, uh... the other residential road to the south and the narrow road was ... was intentionally to, uh, limit through traffic. So, um, if there was a secondary access, access on Scott Boulevard would seem to be This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 16 more appropriate. Um, there is a ... a new subdivision, um, south of us, uh, that .... that is also accessing Scott Boulevard. Thank you. Throgmorton: Thank you, Greg. Anybody else care to address this topic? All right, I should ... oop, sorry! Go ahead. Musser: Thank you! Good evening, Duane Musser with MMS Consultants representing the applicant. I just wanted to touch on a few things that, um, that John mentioned and ... and be happy to answer any questions when I'm done. Um one of the things I would..did want to bring up is storm water detention is already provided for this piece of property. When ... when Scott Boulevard was developed, there's a large basin to the south that provides a majority of the storm water detention, and a small portion of the site does drain off to the northeast corder... corner, and when the City Engineering designed that storm sewer system, that was adequately sized for this future development. Um, just wanted to point out that, you know, working through the concepts and working through City staff, we ... we tried to match the multi -family buildings that are currently to the north and south along Scott Boulevard. Um, I think it's pretty obvious looking at the zoning map with the RS -12 and the OPD -8s, uh, to the north and south, we are ... we are trying to match that density. Uh, another reason we did initially look at a cul-de-sac early on was to try to save more trees. Um, we could actually, um, get more of the existing trees in the backyards of those homes with a cul-de-sac bulb design, and again, that ... that was some of the early concepts we did. Uh, as far as the ... the 10 single-family lots, um, as relating to the RS zoning sizing, our smallest lot is, um, right now is lot .... 5, I believe, and it's a little under 12,000 square foot and we have another lot that is almost 26,000 square foot. So we ... we do feel our single-family lot sizes are in excess of the minimum RS -5 and ... and do blend in well with the ... with the homes along Hummingbird Lane. Urn ... and again, I ... I'd ... I'd refer to the traffic engineer's opinion on the circulation. We kind of concur with him that we don't feel much of the traffic leaving this ... the new development would use Hummingbird Lane, would go to the south, um, un ... unless it was during one of those church ... um, peak times, but we ... we do feel a majority of the people would be going up to Lower West Branch Road and getting out to Scott Boulevard to go to their destination. So, um, we ... we do agree with staff and working through staff on the concepts that the through street, um, is a better design for ... for safety and access. Be happy to answer any questions. Dickens: Was the cul-de-sac (clears throat) was the cul-de-sac taken out mainly for safety reasons? Especially with fire trucks trying to get down that (both talking) Musser: Correct, yes. Dickens: ...turn around (both talking) Musser: Right. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 17 Dickens: ...follow through and... Musser: And obviously we knew from ... day one that we wouldn't, you know, we didn't even attempt to get an access onto Scott Boulevard, as one ... as one of our concept early on, so ... that was never really discussed. Throgmorton: Any other questions for Duane? Musser: Thank you. Throgmorton: Thank you! Anybody else care to speak? Well I really don't see anybody this time! Dulek: Make sure that ya... um, take the temperature of the Council before you close the public hearing. Throgmorton: Thank you. Dulek: Please! (laughs) Throgmorton: Good advice going on here! (laughter) Uh, is anyone inclined to oppose the proposed rezoning? Thomas: I'm inclined to oppose it. Throgmorton: I don't see ... I don't see a majority is inclined to (several talking) Taylor: I ... applaud the fact that you tried to preserve the trees but (both talking) Throgmorton: You don't need to go into detail (both talking) sense of where we are, so (both talking) I don't sense a majority's, uh, inclined to oppose the rezoning. So I'm gonna close the public hearing. (bangs gavel) All right, discussion? Now, Pauline! (laughter) (several talking) 2. CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE (FIRST CONSIDERATION) Botchway: Move first consideration. Dickens: Second. Throgmorton: All right, moved by Botchway, seconded by ... Dickens. Discussion? (several talking) Taylor: As I started to say, uh, I ... I applaud the efforts to save the trees, cause that's always been a big thing of mine as far as the, uh, seeing so many trees taken down. Uh, I do have, again the saf...safety concerns, uh... uh, that were expressed This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 18 by the resident from Hummingbird Lane, uh, although I can understand as far as the cul-de-sac, and I've heard also as far as trash pickup also they're looking at the cul-de-sacs are difficult for, uh, the new design of the trash pickup vehicles to ... to go on a cul-de-sac. Uh, so I think if there was something that could address that safety issue, I ... more signage or something, that ... that helps to eliminate that safety concern, uh, would be good. Uh... the ... the resident also mentioned the size of the development. I don't know if that's a concern, why that was changed to be a larger development rather than smaller ones. That would be concerning to me. With the change in the design. Throgmorton: (both talking) ...terms of the multi -family (both talking) Taylor: Right. Right. Not the single-family. That seems fine. (several talking) Throgmorton: On ... on this point, I'd like to ask John a question. Could ... John, could you come up to the podium for a second? My question has to do with density. So, uh, in terms of existing zoning, what's the allowable number of units, I don't know if you can answer this at the moment, but what's the allowable number of units in terms of the existing zoning, and then what's the, uh, you know, what's the total number that's being requested here, or authorized here? Yapp: Uh... I can answer the second question. Uh, the total number is 54 units, and total, uh, and that would be at an RS -8 or medium density single-family, um, density. The clustering is both from the single-family lots because they are larger, uh, as well as ... preserving the open space results in that clustering in the, uh, multi- family on the west side of the site. Uh, regarding what would be allowed under the current zoning, certainly less than that. I'd have to come back to you with the answer to that question. Throgmorton: I ... I think it'd be helpful for next time we, uh, visit this at our next meeting, but ... but also I'm wondering about trip generation rates. So, in terms of traffic volume, what... what.... and I know you have a sense, you could calculate how many vehicles per day or (both talking) Yapp: Sure. It was estimated to be (several talking) it was estimated to be about 390 vehicles a day. Uh, and that is over a 24-hour period. Typically 25 to 30% of that traffic occurs during the peak commute times, and the remainder is spread out through... throughout the day and the evening. Throgmorton: Okay, thanks, and ... and, again, I'm wondering about comparison of the ... of the existing zoning versus (both talking) Yapp: Sure! Throgmorton:... the, uh, the requested rezoning. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 19 Yapp: And we can provide that for your next (several talking) Throgmorton: Great! Other questions for anybody, or just, you know, continuing discussion here? Cole: Well, I guess I would say I am very impressed with this proposal. I think that you're balancing a lot of what we're trying to achieve, which is greater density in ... in neighborhoods, uh, preserving our, uh, our trees, our natural areas, and I think the community member, Greg, I think he made some excellent points. I understand where you're coming from, um, I do think that that ... they attempted to make that, uh, a reality by having some of the single-family, so to me what this proposal suggests is balance. It's a balance between the low density in certain parts and higher density in others, and I'm very impressed with the work that staff did, as well as the thoughtful proposal of the developer. So I'm going to support this project. Mims: Chalk up another one, Rockne, I agree with you 100V Cole: We agree sometimes! (laughter) Thomas: Um (clears throat) my comments, I, you know, I think the project's a ... an excellent in -fill opportunity. Um ... the preservation of the trees, I think, is an important factor in this project. I think my main concerns have to do, uh, with the scale of the buildings. You know, these are ... these are areas that are zoned RS -5 and RS - 8, uh, that the ... area plan, uh, this is in the Northeast District, uh, the Lindemann Hills neighborhood, and it ... in a way what it has, if you read the text in there and staff referred to it in the, uh... Planning and Zoning meeting, uh, it almost has a form -based approach in the Comprehensive Plan where it talks about, uh, building types would be single-family townhouse and small apartment buildings, uh, near the intersections of main ... main streets. So that's kinda given the ... giving the character that the architecture in this particular part of Iowa City ... almost in a form -based sort of way. So ... so what's happened in my view is we have a ... a planned development overlay concept which is great. It provides a lot of flexibility and ... and creativity in terms of how you design a site. This is a 10 -acre site, so ... uh, there's a lot of development potential there, so the question really boils down to how do you distribute that density on the 10 acres? And in my mind... what... given that this is zoned RS -5 and RS -8, the ... the intent should try to capture what the Comprehensive Plan is talking about in terms of the ... the character of the buildings that, um, would be placed on the site. And ... neverthe less, because it's a planned development overlay, we have, you know, there's the opportunity to, you know, cluster as the word is used, to ... to cluster that density, uh, and ... uh, fewer buildings. And, so what ... what I see here is that the building, which is 280 -feet long, um, it's longer than the two buildings to the south. I measured them on GIS at around 215 feet. So it's ... this is a very big building. Uh, and so it seems to me that in terms of the spirit of the Comprehensive Plan, which is ... which is emphasizing that the building types should be more... This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 20 emphasize single-fam ... family, uh, and where you do go to higher densities where that's, you know, permitted and promoted, that uh ... townhouses and small apartment buildings would be the appropriate building type. I ... I can't ... I just can't see this as being considered a small apartment building. Um, you know, we ran into this on First Avenue across from Hickory Trail. It's a similar kind of issue. When you have large acreages that you do a PDO for, there's the potential to come up with, uh, buildings that are considerably larger than what would be expected for the underlying zoning. Um, so ... I think ... for me where it breaks down is on that ... that large building along, um along the west side of the property. Um ... it's considerably larger than anything in the neighborhood, um ... and, you know, I ... I would say, you know, I support the project. I support the concept of diverse... diverse housing types. I ... I just feel we've gone too far in consolidating that density in one building, and then another concern I would have is the, and in looking at the site plan, is the connectivity of the... particularly that building in terms of pedestrian flow, um ... through the property into the surrounding neighborhoods. You know, we've been talking a lot over the last month or two about .... you know, what makes a healthy neighborhood connectivity flow, um ... particularly from a pedestrian standpoint, and I ... I don't see that in the current site plan. So I ... I feel the... the... the basic concept is sound, um, but I ... I would like to see ... that building on the west side scaled back a bit. Throgmorton: Do I understand, John, uh, that you ... you really don't object to the ... to the rest of the development, it's (both talking) Thomas: Right. I think the, um, you know, the single-family, the four-plex units, I think I would say ... honor the spirit of the Comprehensive Plan. Um ... you know, for that area. Uh, but as I said, we ... I've seen this, we've seen this. I know we saw it ... when I was on P&Z, uh, where when you have larger lots, there's that potential for ... (coughing, unable to hear speaker) density, which in this case, you know, we're talking that building is what, 36 units. Um, you know (laughs) I was thinking about this in terms of the scale of my neighborhood. That's two blocks worth of housing, in that one building. You know, we have roughly 16 to 17 houses per block. So ... um ... again, I think it's... it's ... I would view it as refining the plan to ... to get that development of the multi -family more in ... in keeping with the neighborhood. Dickens: I guess I like the plan. I ... I really don't mind the building where it's placed and the size, because it is along Scott Boulevard, which is a major thoroughfare. We do have, uh... Old West Branch Road there at the top which can handle quite a bit of traffic and ... because of the way it's set up, there's a lot of land around it that ... gives you more of an open space and it is very walkable to the Old Towne Center, so I....I see just nothing but pluses with this project. And the placement of that building really does ... fit with that along Scott Boulevard. Botchway: I would agree. I think, John, you bring up a ... a really convincing concern, and so I was sittin' here tryin' to really kind of turn my wheels on that piece, because .... it This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 21 makes a lot of sense. I just ... you know, I would agree, you know, just the overall balance, trying to look at different, um ... different housing types. I ... I feel like in this case, in this situation, I'm okay with going forward with it, and I agree with, um, what Terry said, you know, the ... the ability to kind of walk to Old Towne Center. There's a lot of pieces here and ... like I said, I mean, and like Rockne said (mumbled) I really like the project. I mean, I was ... I was startin' to move (mumbled) and I just ... I couldn't get there all the day but, um, that's a really good concern. Something that, you know, maybe in the future think about but ... it's a good point. Throgmorton: I'm going to support the project too, uh, for reasons that have been articulated quite clearly by others, and I guess, John, you and I'll have to chat about it or something (mumbled) some other point, but ... I'm going to support it. Um ... so, uh, roll call. No, we have a motion, right, so roll call, yeah. All right (both talking) Karr: Motion to accept correspondence. Botchway: So moved. Dickens: Second. Throgmorton: Moved and seconded by Botchway and seconded by Dickens. So, um ... um, all in favor say aye. All opposed. Motion carries. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 22 ITEM 11. CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION Throgmorton: We'll start with Pauline. Taylor: I don't have anything. Throgmorton: John! Thomas: Um ... I attended ... as did Susan, uh, an event, uh, sponsored by the Iowa Policy Project on, uh, the gardens in Milwaukee. Uh, which was a wonderful event. Um, the emphasis on the presentation was on, uh, parts of...of Milwaukee, which has significant numbers of vacant lots, uh, that were vacant because of demolition of...of buildings, and uh, developing those vacant lots as gardens and orchards, and uh, very successful program. Uh, you know, we don't (laughs) although as Tom has said, we don't really have a vaca... we have a vacant lot problem, maybe not generated in the same way as in Milwaukee, but um ... in Parkview Terrace we do have kind of a patchwork... Throgmorton: Sure! Thomas: ....uh, land use down there, and um, I know I'm interested in the idea of considering, um ... uh, whether orchard plantings may be possible on some of those lots, um ... maybe that could be done on a kind of a case study basis, you know, try it, test it, and see if it works. There are trees adapted to, um ... flood plains of that, you know, fruit trees and nut trees, so ... uh, it actually had some relevance to, um, to our situation. Mims: Yeah, it was a great event. So, John and I went to that. Um ... also, uh, well Jim and Rockne and I met with, uh, University... University of Iowa Faculty Government Relations Committee about a week ago, and so I think that was very productive meeting and came out of that with some ideas of maybe some, uh, future engagement between them and, uh, the Council in terms of a little more communication and, uh, possibly finding some means of cooperation on some things, so ... (both talking) Cole: ...very positive, I agree! Mims: Yep! Very positive meeting, so.... Um ... think that's it for the moment! Throgmorton: Great! Thanks! Kingsley? Botchway: I already mentioned at the last meeting just, um, lot of the different things or activities going on for Black History Month. Um, this Friday actually won't be able to attend, but there's a soul food dinner and entertainment at City High School. Um, from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. On Saturday there's a (mumbled) museum with the The Dream Center at the Robert A. Lee Rec Center, um, start ... doors This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016. Page 23 open at 5:30 and activities are from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. I don't believe there'll be another Council meeting, so I'll quickly say the others. On Thursday, February 25th, um, from 5:30 to 7:00, the -there'll be just kind of a mobile health clinic at the Broadway Neighborhood Centers and then there's going to be a Unity Concert at New Creations International Center on February 27 at 3:00 P.M. Dickens: I just attended a meeting last week for Summer of the Arts and how they're gonna try to handle the, uh, tearing up of Washington Street and, uh, any ideas that, uh, anybody has, they're willing to listen to. If you want to get on their web site, uh, they're willing to take any suggestions. They've got some plans of moving things around and ... and doing the best they can with that, but they always are looking for input and more volunteers, because it's a very big project, uh... the, uh, Arts Fest and Jazz Fest, uh, Soul Fest will not take place this year because of some difficulties, but will be started up again next year with the cooperation of the University of Iowa, from what I understand. It'll be down the hill, but it'll come back in, so ... that's all I have. Cole: Yeah, I agree with Susan. We just had a fantastic meeting with the University of Iowa, got a lot of great ideas, and there's nothing like sort of getting together so you can actually chat and sort of share what your .... what your vision is. So it was a very positive, um, meeting that we had. I also want to highlight along with a local foods event, there was a local foods event at Johnson Count Fairgrounds. And I'll tell ya what, it is really exciting what's happening. Uh, we're getting a lot of real big employers that are now involved in this, and I think we really are on the cusp of some really great growth in this particular area. Um, while I was there I got a lot of questions about this little $25,000, uh, grant that we're gonna ... or a project to be named in local foods, and so I think it's going to be exciting, uh, to work with local partners to sort of figure out what that's gonna look like. I think people are really excited about that. Um ... and along with the trees, you know, John, you had mentioned the orchard. I think we are getting a lot of feedback from community members about, you know, what ... how can we make our ... our neighborhoods more, uh, with more edible fruit trees and these sorts of things, so I think that's a exciting challenge I think that we're gonna work forward as well, so um, that was really exciting, and one final thing — maybe more of a budget issue, but I just want to say, um, I've had some really good productive sessions with (mumbled) Antelope Library and I really hope that as we move forward, whether this is our future budget issue, that we really find a way to support a library, as well as figure out a way that we can, uh, productively collaborate with Antelope, um, you know, so I think that's the final thing I'd like to say. Throgmorton: Great! Uh, I ... I want to mention only one thing. I want to congratulate our City Attorney Eleanor Dilkes' son, Joey, for having recently, uh, won the State Debate Championship for City High. It's a terrific thing. I wish Eleanor were here so that, uh, we could congratulate her directly, but it'll go through Sue and ... I'm sure she'll hear. Okay! I think that would be it. This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council regular formal meeting of February 16, 2016.