Bronwyn's Council Preview

The AAMPO meeting starts at 5:00 p.m. this Tuesday at city hall. The City Council meeting will follow directly after. The agenda includes (but is not limited to):

• 2. Resolutions certifying projects in Iowa Clean Air Attainment Program grant application  conform to AAMPO’s regional transportation planning process.

  • This report details several projects being submitted for ICAAP funds, including fiber connections between the Public Works building to facilitate an "Advanced Traffic Management System" along the Duff Ave corridor, and several proposed changes to CyRide routes. 
    
    

• 30. Report regarding Internet Service Feasibility Study.

  • This staff report is a follow-up to our August 13th meeting, during which Council asked this discussion be placed on a future agenda.

  • Staff estimate the cost of this feasibility study at $75k - $125k.

  • In this report, staff are recommending against a feasibility study focusing only on providing a municipal utility. Rather, they recommend a study which would gather data on existing service and provide recommendations ranging from merely filling in gaps to providing a city-wide utility.

• 33. Hearing on Amendments to Fiscal Year 2019/20 Budget regarding carry-overs.

  • Every year, there are project that are delayed from their scheduled fiscal year, and the budgets for these projects need to be carried over from one fiscal year to the next. This year, these projects total over $79 million, and span all departments, including $1 million in carry-overs for Public Safety, $43 million for Utilities, $27 million for Transportation, and nearly $4 million for Community Enrichment.

• 34. Hearing on Amendment to Adaptive Reuse Plan/Major Site Development Plan for 2501 Grand Avenue to allow for changes to the building, construction of new buildings (including a fast-food restaurant), parking, and landscaping improvements.

  • The amendments proposed in this item would allow for the development of a new building to house a B-Bops near the mall. This B-Bops would feature indoor seating and a drive-through. 

  • Staff are recommending the amendment, with some conditions, including planting a few more trees and allowing their trash receptacle to be within 10 feet of the property line on Grand Ave. (rather than the standard setback of 50 feet.).
    
    
     

• 38. Hearing on rezoning with Master Plan of 507 Lincoln Way from Downtown Gateway Commercial (DGC) to Highway-Oriented Commercial (HOC).

  • This agenda item proposes changing the zoning of 507 Lincoln Way from the recently implemented Downtown Gateway Commercial back to Highway-Oriented Commercial. The idea is to facilitate a Starbucks drive-through on the corner so they'll move out of their current location and then that block can be redeveloped too. 

  • The issue with the current DGC zoning is that it doesn't allow for their desired parking area between the streets (Clark and Lincoln Way) and the building. (DGC zoning also limits the number of drive-throughs per block, but in this case, the Starbucks drive-through would replace the old KFC drive-through, so it doesn't add to the number already existing on the block.)
    
    
     

• 43. Ames Plan 2040.

  • At this point in our development of a Comprehesive Plan, staff and RDG are asking for direction from Council about three items:

    • 1. The format of the Comprehensive Plan - RDG presents several examples, and recommends something along the lines of the Champaign, Illinois Comprehensive Plan.

    • 2. Flexibility of the Plan - Council is being asked to discuss how we envision 'flexibility' once the Plan is implemented. (For example, if immediately after implementation we are asked to consider scenarios that don't match the plan.) Staff recommend a predictable plan, which will require refining some our land use definitions.

    • 3. Priority Topics - Council is being asked to confirm priority topics as well as the upcoming schedule for meetings with the consultant.

Non-Agenda Packet: The following items are requests and communications to the council that are not on the agenda.  This includes staff reports and communications/request from constituents/developers. By tradition the council can ask city staff for more information (a report), put the item on a future agenda for discussion or just accept the communication (taking no further action). This usually takes place at the end of the meeting during council comments.
 

• Lincoln Way Pedestrian Safety Project Report.
  • As part of last year's Pedestrian Safety project, Council asked for a report on progress after the implementation of the recommendations. This report details accident data over the past few years, culminating with 2019 data.
• Metronet Request.

Thanks for reading,

Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen

At-Large Council Member