Dan DeGeest's Council Review

Hi Friends,

Another long (4.5 hours) and packed City Council meeting.  There was a full house again with 5 proclamations taking place before diving into the agenda.  No items were pulled from the Consent Agenda but it should be noted that the City did find some available funds to round out the funding for the Skate Park renovation and awarded the contract to the lone bidder as part of the Consent vote.  See highlights below and check out the video recording or minutes when they are published for further details on these and all agenda items.

Thanks for reading,

Dan DeGeest>>

The Ames City Council for 04/26/2016  The agenda included:
 

• 38. Hearing on intent to construct New Well Field and authorizing acquisition of land via eminent domain, if necessary.
  Due to aging wells and increased demand for treated water, Ames is seeking to build a new well field to the east of Skunk River and north of River Valley Park. The city held meetings with landowners over whose properties the city would negotiate easements, and is hopeful these can be acquired voluntarily. In the case that easements can’t be achieved voluntarily, the city would need to pursue them through eminent domain if the project is to proceed.
  
  Despite the inclusion of the ominous words “eminent domain” in this agenda item, there was actually very little controversy or discussion.  The proposed well sites have been recommended by expert research and the proposed pipeline maximizes use of City owned property, offers the most direct route (the red line in the map), and is the lowest priced option.  It is not anticipated that there will be any major issues negotiating the land purchases to complete this project, which should address our water demands for another 10 years or so.  A motion to approve the resolution declaring the City Council’s intent to fund the final site-specific design and to acquire property and easements for construction passed 6-0.
  
  
• 39.  Aspen Heights Major Site Development Plan for construction of a multi-family residential and limited retail development (Aspen Heights) at 205 South Wilmoth Avenue and  Motion granting pre-approval of tax abatement.
  Breckenridge is back with their Major Site Plan for Aspen Heights, the 422 bed development at the intersection of Wilmoth and Lincoln Way. The site plan conforms to the development agreement, and the Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-0 to recommend accepting it, with conditions. Staff recommended 14 stipulations, including adding a turn lane from Franklin Ave, easements for a shared use path along Lincoln Way, adjustments to landscaping, parking, and fencing, among other things.
  
  A few neighbors and concerned citizens were on hand to voice some concerns over parking, traffic, garbage facilities, and a few other things.  But, like it or not, Breckenridge is adhering to the guidelines and stipulations laid out by the City in the site plan and Urban Revitalization agreements and the Staff recommendation was to approve the master site plan for the 422 bed development and pre-approval of the tax abatement.
  
  One item that did warrant some Council discussion was the lack of entry doors on any of the Lincoln Way facing commercial space.  Because parking is in the rear, behind the proposed building, the developer felt the back would be the preferred entrance façade but future front access could be possible.  Pedestrians on the Lincoln Way sidewalk would not have any visible entrance and be required to walk around the rear of the building.  The developer stated that many tenants, for example a restaurant, prefer a “front of house” for customer and a “back of house” for employee, deliveries, and other non-customer access and so-called through plans don’t work well.  I’m curious how this will work with the back of house facing Lincoln Way?  Will we see delivery trucks parked on the sidewalk as they unload and deliver items to the front, I mean back, of the building.  Is rear facing, parking lot focused commercial what we hope to achieve with our extensive Lincoln Way Corridor study where public input already identified improved walking and biking access as a top priority?
  
  Motions to approve all 3 items passed 6-0.
  
  
• 40. Hearing on Voluntary Annexation of 5871 Ontario Street.
  The owner of the property at 5871 Ontario St. is seeking voluntary annexation into the city. The property is within the Northwest allowable growth area in the City’s Land Use Policy Plan (LUPP). Planning and Zoning voted to recommend approval.
  
  The annexation process in Ames now seems to consist of one question.  “Will these houses be in the Ames School District?”  If so, the process seems to move quickly with little discussion.  I don’t think it’s a bad thing to add new homes in our school district but annexation needs to consider many other things.  A few neighbors presented comments and concerns about this annexation.  The concerns were primarily around how the transition from low-density development to rural/acreage property would be handled, a common concern in these situations.  Another asked about the possibility of the rezoning allowing for some commercial but was told by Staff this was highly unlikely and residents would be serviced by existing commercial nodes that get farther and farther away from residents as we keep pushing outward.  A Motion Approving passed 6-0 and all parties were invited to stay engaged in the next steps and reminded that annexation is just the first of many steps to this property becoming the new Northwest boundary for Ames.
  
  
• 41. Hearing on rezoning, with Master Plan, of property at 896 South 500th Avenue from Agricultural(A) to Suburban Residential Low Density (FS-RL) and Suburban Residential Medium Density(FS-RM) [Continued from April 12, 2016].
  This rezoning request was delayed at the last council meeting in order to study sanitary sewer capacity. If Council proceeds with item 37, which would upgrade the sanitary sewer trunk along Lincoln Way, then capacity will be sufficient, and staff recommends rezoning with 6 conditions.  P&Z concurs.
  
  With a Staff report back on sanitary sewer capacity and a motion approved to move forward on a $400,000 CIP project to fix one deficiency in the system between Hyland and Sheldon, Council was able to complete this hearing left open from the previous meeting.  Motion approving, motion waiving 2nd & 3rd  reading, and Motion to Approve on 3rd reading all pass 6-0 allow for this 22 acre residential project to move forward in the Ames School District.
  
  
• 49. Staff Report and Update on Landscape Ordinance Provisions (Postponed from April 12, 2016).
  City Council directed staff to review landscaping requirements for apartments and parking lots, with a goal of increasing sustainability and biodiversity. Council is being asked for feedback on formatting of the ordinance, sustainability, and site inspection and maintenance.
  
  Staff gave an informative presentation that showed the shortfalls in our current Landscape Ordinance and examples of the types of outcomes it produces.  Based on the pictures shown, I don’t think anyone in the room would say we are getting well designed, sustainable, and visually appealing landscapes with our current ordinance.  Council directed Staff to investigate a point-based system that is weighted against a set of desired goals, such as sustainability, where projects would be approved when they achieved the required number of points giving flexibility in the actual implementation.  This would be a unique approach to Ames and could set a precedent for other cities to model if successful.
   
• 51. Campustown Facade Grants.
  Two businesses have applied for Campustown façade grants this year, for a total of $32,500. One is the Cranford Bldg (home of Jeff’s Pizza and High Class Glass), and the second is Arcadia Café at their future home of 116 Welch Ave.  The Cranford Building received a grant last year for the Lincoln Way façade of their building, this year they are seeking one for the Stanton Ave edge of their building.
  
  Both grants were approved 6-0 allowing completion of the Cranford Building and the relocation of Arcadia Cafe to Welch Avenue.

• 52. Resolution approving Preliminary Plat for Dotson Drive Subdivision (601 and 705 Dotson Drive and 4112 Cochrane Parkway) .
  Dotson Dr. preliminary plat – In 2015, the Ames School District traded some land near the current Middle School in exchange for land the school district could use for Facilities. The developer proposes single-family homes on the land by the Middle School. Planning and Zoning recommended approval of the Preliminary Plat 7-0.
  
  Motion approving passes 6-0
  
  
• 53. 122 Hayward Avenue.  Staff Report on request for permanent access easement through City Parking Lot X to facilitate redevelopment of 122 Hayward.

  Dean Jensen is working on a project to convert some properties on Hayward to student housing units totaling 145 beds. They need to secure an easement which would grant permanent access through the parking lot to the east onto Welch Ave. At the same time, the City Council has established a goal to  "Explore public/private improvements (e.g. entertainment, parking, housing, amenities) for public/private space in Campustown and Downtown." Thus, traffic from the Jensen development could potentially be in conflict w/ goals for that area. Council can choose to grant the easement, or initiate a study of the area, if we believe that we may want to use that parking lot for any type of public space.
  
  The City Council voted 6-0 to move forward with the creation and approval of a perpetual easement providing access to the parking structure of this new development.   Unfortunately this really undercuts any potential for redeveloping this interior space as a pedestrian gathering space or other creative, people focused usage.  It’s a good example of our goals and policies working against each other with the goal of first floor commercial pushing the parking entrance to the rear of the building, which in turn conflicts with the goal of turning that space into some sort of community gathering space.  Future uses of Lot X will be very challenging and once again designing for parking and the automobile gets higher priority then people focused design.
  
  Perhaps more disappointing to me though was the Council’s 6-0 vote to approve tax abatement for RES Development despite not meeting the natural light requirements.  With this approval in place they will be able to build nearly 50 bedrooms in this 145-bedroom building with no exterior window or natural light.  I find this really appalling and upset that our tax dollars are subsidizing this sort of design.  URA requirements are there for a reason; consistently waiving them makes them ineffective.  Haggling over some brick or setbacks is one thing, but can you imagine living everyday in a room with no access to natural light, no view of the world around you, never waking up to a sunrise.  Even the cheapest of roach hotels I’ve stayed in near an airport have a window.  How many dorms on the ISU campus offer no window and daylight?  I don’t think having glazing that goes beyond the standards in other living areas makes up for this, I would have voted NO on this and was surprised no Council members objected to this request.
   

• 54. Guidelines and criteria for implementation of Public Facilities Improvements Program for Non-Profit Organizations.
  As part of the 2015/2016 action plan for CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funding, $100K was set aside for a “Public Facilities Improvement Program”.  This money would go to non-profits who serve low/moderate income families, to assist in improvements to mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and structural components of their facilities.
  
  Motion approving passes 6-0

• 55. Motion adopting City Council Goals to be completed by December 31, 2017.

  City Council Goals – In early 2016, Council held two goal-setting meetings, and came up with the following list of goals. Each goal has corresponding objectives and tasks, where individual action items aimed at each goal are expounded upon.

  Strengthen Downtown and Campustown

  Promote Economic Development

  Expand Sustainability Efforts

  Address Housing Needs

  Promote a Sense of One Community

  Strengthen Human Services

  Encourage Healthy Lifestyles
  
  In my opinion, Council already undermined one of its stated goals, namely, “Strengthen Downtown and Campustown, Task #3, Work with CAA, business, and property owners to help determine what type of use can be made of the interior parking lot between Welch Avenue and Hayward Avenue” by approving to move forward with a perpetual easement for access across this City owned lot for the parking structure in the new mixed-use building that will be built at 122 Hayward by RES Development.  Approval of this easement will require the City to always provide in and out access to the parking structure and makes this space increasingly hard to use for any other purpose, particularly a pedestrian focused gathering space.  With the Welch Ave access the only option for cars to enter to reach 122 Hayward it also effectively limits any creative reconfiguration of Welch.  Finally, it adds a lot more car/pedestrian interaction to an already busy automobile access that crosses the sidewalk.  Did this choice really meet the goal?  Regardless, motion adopting the City Council goals passed 6-0.