Dan DeGeest's Council Review

The Ames City Council Workshop for May 16, 2017. The agenda included:

• 1. Campustown/Downtown Business District, Intermodal Facility, and Surrounding Neighborhood Parking Review. (Video)
  Council has been planning to examine parking as part of our goal to Strengthen Downtown and Campustown, and this workshop is one of many steps needed to do so. The staff report suggests several guiding philosophies regarding parking (minimize vehicle storage, encourage turnover, simple and clear, neighborhood friendly, etc.) that Council should keep in mind during these discussions. (I would suggest adding a component of encouraging multi-modal transportation through the city's approach to parking.) The staff report then goes on to give some facts and figures including parking inventory, estimated usage, and violation history. The Downtown district has around 1,200 spaces, uses 36% of the metered space capacity, and saw just over 10k violations in 2016. Campustown has an inventory of 360 metered spots (not including the intermodal facility) with 63% usage and over 20k parking violations.
  On-street parking is a whole other beast, with a variety of systems for parking in residential neighborhoods, including parking on one side only, alternate side parking depending on the day, and several time limits to comply with. Council has also fielded complaints over the years about the requirement to move cars at 2 a.m. to avoid ticketing, which arguably encourages drunk driving.
  
  To be honest, my first approach to fixing parking problems in Ames would be to create/expand programs that result in fewer cars trying to park.  I campaigned on strengthening our multi-modal system to not only allow, but encourage more trips on foot, bike, transit, or other mode beside the automobile and I still think that is a good approach.  We have become far too accustomed to parking 20 feet from our destination.  To be fair, if I am driving I too will park as close as possible.   But I'm not upset if I can't and more than willing to park farther away and walk.  My son plays in the ISU Jazz band and their concerts are held on Campus in the Music Building.  There is nearly no parking for this venue.  The next closest is the street by Lake Laverne, always filled.  Next options are Campustown street parking or the Memorial Union ramp.  These all result in a two or more block walk.  I have learned to expect this and it really isn't a problem.
  
  We have oceans of asphalt dedicated to parking in Ames.  Take a look at satellite imagery of the mall, Hilton, Duff Avenue, etc. It's amazing how much land is taken up for parking.  It's not really sustainable from a land use perspective and it's exacerbates flooding and other concerns.  It drives up development costs, and, sorry, it is pretty unattractive to look at (see previous reviews about the landscape ordinance).
  
  Clearly we need parking but I think/hope the City realizes it needs to get more creative with solving it.  Just adding more isn't really the solution.  Many things were discussed over three hours at the Workshop which will hopefully lead to actionable items for upcoming agenda items including some good conversations on price structure, fines, and simplifying regulations such as opposite side parking.
  
  
  
  

• 2. Discussion of new State Fireworks Law. (Video)
  The State recently legalized fireworks, though Ames currently has a city ordinance banning them. Council will learn about this ordinance and discuss options for keeping it or modifying it, given the new status of fireworks with the state. 
  
  This was actually a pretty hot topic (pun intended).  Several people waited out the 3 hour parking discussion to speak in support of allowing fireworks to be used in Ames now that the State has legalized selling them.  The arguments in favor were pretty thin and included the idea that making it legal to shoot them off would increase safety.  I seriously doubt that and nobody on Council seemed to think so either.  In the end there was no desire by City Council to change the ordinance to allow the use of consumer fireworks.  Work will be done to clarify how and where they can be sold but that will not be completed before they can legally be sold on June 1.  Expect to hear as many or more firecrackers and bottle rockets going off this year as in previous years regardless of the laws.