David's Council Preview

The Ames City Council meets on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m, at City Hall live! in-person! for the first time since March of 2020. As far as I know, there is currently no mechanism to address Council during in-person meetings using Zoom or other online services — if you would like to speak, then plan to attend. 

The agenda includes:

• 29. Progress Report from Sustainability Coordinator regarding FY 2020-21 Activities. The City of Ames has collaborated with Iowa State University on sustainability activities over the past eleven years with a contract for up to 1/4 of the ISU's Director of Sustainability's time. This report highlights the ongoing activities of this engagement including public education, supporting the Smart Business challenge, and coordinating the Rummage RAMPage, as well as helping to lead the City's Greenhouse Gas Inventory efforts last year and the Climate Action planning process now underway.
• 32. Hearing on Ada Hayden Heritage Park Fishing Pier Improvements. The accessible fishing pier at Ada Hayden Heritage Park has taken damage due to "ice jacking," which occurs when ice forms around the pilings, the water level increases, and the pilings heave. This estimated $225,753 project will reconstruct much of the pier and is expected to be completed this year.
• 33. Hearing on 2020/21 Multi-Modal Roadway Program (Vet Med Trail - S. 16th Street) - Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon. Improvements to the Vet Med Trail from S. 16th St. to the ISU Research Park continue with this estimated $150,269 contract for installation of a pedestrian hybrid beacon at the S. 16th St crossing.
• 34. Hearing on Master Plan Amendment for 5571 Hyde Avenue (Hayden’s Preserve - formerly known as Rose Prairie)[Continued from May 11, 2021, and May 25, 2021]. In March, Council discussed some requests from the developers of Rose Prairie to amend their Master Plan and 2016 agreement with the City. Since then, the developers have renamed this land Hayden's Preserve and have further clarified and revised their requests. The changes include fewer multi-family units and more single-family units, but no overall change in unit density; more of a "treatment train" approach to stormwater treatment, in keeping with the intent of the conservation subdivision ordinance; elimination of an east-west street; relocation of a neighborhood park to the north end of the property (part of "parcel 14" shown below); reduction of sewer extension requirements; and more explicit triggers for completion of the north-south shared-use path along Hyde Avenue and an east-west path running through the property.
  
  

Proposed Non-Rental Property Maintenance Code. While it's not on this meeting's agenda, this is a good opportunity to ask for comments prior to our June 15 workshop meeting on this topic. As stated in a City press release: "More than a decade ago, the City of Ames established standards applied to the exterior condition of rental housing in Chapter 13 of the Ames Municipal Code entitled 'Rental Housing.' However, these ordinances do not apply to owner-occupied residential, industrial, and commercial properties. The lack of standards has caused frustration on the part of property owners who feel the value of their neighborhood is being diminished because certain conditions continue. Additionally, rental property owners believe owner-occupied units should be held to the same exterior maintenance standards."

The Ames City Council invites public input regarding proposed exterior property maintenance standards at a workshop scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 15 in the City Hall City Council Chambers. In addition, an online opportunity to provide feedback, along with details about the proposed ordinance, is available at www.CityOfAmes.org/PropertyMaintenanceCode.

Communications to Council: The following items are requests and communications to Council that aren't published on the agenda, so we won't deliberate them substantially.  This includes staff reports and communications or requests from constituents and developers. Typically, Council will ask city staff for more information, put the item on a future agenda for deliberation and possible action, or just accept the communication, taking no further action. 

• PRD Text Amendment. This letter asks the City to consider a text amendment allowing for additional "office and trade" uses in a Planned Residential District.

• Crossing Safety Request. This letter asks the City to evaluate and improve pedestrian and cyclist safety at the intersection of Fletcher Blvd. and Bloomington Rd.

Thanks for reading,
David Martin
Ames City Council, Ward 3