Dan DeGeest's Council Review

Hi Friends,

I hope everyone has been enjoying the perfect, summer weather in Ames over the last week.  Tuesday's meeting was fairly short at just around two hours with only a couple of agenda items getting much discussion.  It was interesting discussion though, with the City Council divided on a proposed student apartment development in West Ames.  See below for details.

Thanks for reading and have a safe and fun Fourth of July.

Dan DeGEEST>>

The Ames City Council meeting for June 27, 2017. The agenda included:

• 39. Hearing on rezoning of property at 398 South 500th Avenue (Collegiate Ames Subdivision) from Agricultural (A) to Planned Residence District (F-PRD) [Continued from 6/13/17].
  In January, we were asked to consider an 800+ bed student housing development on the west edge of Ames.  It required annexation, a development agreement, rezoning, and defining a new type of dwelling unit. The annexation has moved forward, and now we are at the stage of rezoning (to proposed PRD zoning), site development plan approval, and a decision on a new type of dwelling unit for PRD zones. (Items 40 and 41 on the agenda both relate.)
  
  I have voiced concerns about the concept of this project since the beginning, and they remain. This 860 bed development is targeted toward students, and uses parking along private roads (think Schilletter Village style) on the edge of Ames. Lincoln Way lacks good pedestrian/bike infrastructure that far west, and the area isn't served by CyRide. That, coupled with rapid student apartment development and slowing growth at Iowa State make me question the wisdom in the location and density of this development.
  
  It was pretty clear early into the discussion of this proposed project that half of the Council thought it was great and the other half not so much.  Supportive claims were made that this project would greatly reduce rental rates throughout all of Ames and would result in neglected rentals in the City center being converted back to owner occupied making this an important affordable housing project. Neither of these claims could be backed up with any evidence, and numbers that were thrown out pertaining to the percentage of our workforce that lives outside of Ames and commute to work didn't even apply as they aren't the target market.  This project is designed for ISU students.
  
  On the opposing side were the obvious reasons.  It's clear the heck out in West Ames about as far away from the Campus as you can get.  There is no bus route there, no shared use path or other adequate pedestrian facilities, insufficient water and sewer service.  It is adjacent to single family neighborhoods, including one of the few actual affordable housing projects ever completed, Bentwood.  One council member pointed out that they had Google mapped it and this new development would be the same distance (2.4 miles) to the University as Copper Beech on S. 16th Street. But guess what, that project had/has the exact same problems, it's not the model I think we want to keep replicating.   Furthermore, there are well over 1000 beds already in development at projects like 2700 Lincoln Way, Aspen Heights, and others.
  
  The discussion went back and forth like that for a bit, the developer tried to make a case, but in the end a consensus could not be found and the Motion to approve the rezoning failed 3-3 (Beatty-Hansen, Corrieri, and Betcher NO).
  
  
• 40. Hearing on Major Site Development Plan for 398 South 500th Avenue [Continued from 6/13/17].
  See previous item
  
  This items was not addressed after failure of item #39.
• 41. Hearing on proposed zoning text amendment to allow dwelling houses in Planned Residence District [Continued from 6/13/17].
  See item 39. In order for the Trinitas development to move forward as planned, a new type of dwelling needs to be allowed in PRD zones. The "dwelling house" would allow for up to 5 bedrooms in one house.
  
  With the failure of rezoning in item #39 this amendment was mostly moot.  Motion to decline this text amendment passed 4-2. (Nelson, Orazem NO)
•  42. Motion approving Safe Community Resolution.
  As I wrote in the May 23rd Preview, "The Safe Community Resolution is very similar to the one adopted by Iowa City in January. It is designed to affirm the City's protection under the 10th amendment, and states that 'the Ames Police Department shall not undertake any law enforcement action for the purpose of detecting the presence of undocumented persons or devote any public resources to the enforcement of federal immigration law'."
  
  Councilman Orazem had some issues with this resolution, feeling it was too narrow and left an incorrect perception of the current way our police force handles immigration law.  He had proposed his own version, which he read via telephone as he was out of town for this meeting, but in the end the majority of Council felt the original version was adequate for passage now and that Orazem's version could be brought forward at a future meeting (which was moved and passed to do during Council comments).
  
  Motion approving the resolution as originally written in the report passed 5-1 (Orazem NO).

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