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HomeMy WebLinkAboutA001 - Council Action Form dated April 14, 2020 - Partial vacation of remote parking easement - 901 North 4th Street ITEM #: 18 DATE: 04- 44-20 COUNCIL ACTION FORM REQUEST: RESOLUTION SETTING APRIL 28, 2020 AS THE DATE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO PARTIALLY VACATE THE REMOTE PARKING EASEMENT FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT 901 N. 4TH STREET BACKGROUND: Kori Heuss is requesting that the City Council vacate a remote parking easement on property located at 901 N. 4th Street, Lot No.1, Cooper's First Addition. (See Attachment A: Location Map). This easement was granted by Kent and Joan Cooper to Donald Heuss on July 8, 1992 to provide not more than nine remote parking spaces for customers of the Heuss Printing office (903 N. 2"d Street). The location of the remote parking spaces was to be on land later described as Cooper's First Addition, including all five lots. There are no defined parking spaces at 901 N. 4th Street for this easement, nor have any been constructed in any area of the easement as approved by City Council in 1992. (See Attachment B: Remote Parking Easement, and Attachment C: Final Plat of Cooper's First Addition.) MetroNet, a telecommunications company, is proposing to construct a 70-foot tower and equipment shelter at 901 N. 4th Street. They are asking the current property owner(Heuss Property Management LLC) to have the remote parking easement removed by the City Council, prior to finalizing purchase of the property. In an email (dated March 23, 2020) written to the Mayor and City Council, Kori Heuss states that the remote parking easement would prevent sale of the property to MetroNet from going through if the City Council does not remove the easement from the property at 901 N. 4th Street. Ms. Heuss asked that staff be directed by the City Council to investigate this issue, and that the City Council take action at their next meeting to allow MetroNet to move forward with purchase of the property and to proceed with their construction. (See Attachment D: Email from Kori Heuss.) On March 24, 2020, the City Council referred the request from Ms. Heuss to City staff for further analysis and a report back to City Council. The property at 903 N. 2nd Street was occupied by Heuss Printing in 1988 and was later purchased by Donald Heuss in 1991. Heuss Printing was remodeled into offices in 1992, which brought about creation of the remote parking easement to provide parking for the new use. The property at 827 N. 2"d Street was purchased by Heuss in 1993, and is used as a warehouse to store paper, and other miscellaneous items as needed. If the City Council chooses to vacate the Remote Parking Easement on Lot 1, at 901 N. 41h Street, the remainder of the remote parking easement on Lots 2, 3, 4 and 5 would remain in place. If the need arises in the future to provide remote parking 1 spaces for Heuss Printing, Lot No. 2 at 827 N. 2nd Street (a property now owned by Heuss) could accommodate the remote parking necessary to bring the Heuss Printing office into compliance with the current Code. Ms. Heuss has expressed to staff that there is more than enough parking in existence to accommodate the need for parking by customers and employees, and that the remote parking easement is no longer needed. ALTERNATIVES: 1. The City Council can set April 28, 2020 as the date of Public Hearing to Partially Vacate the Remote Parking Easement for Property Located at 901 N. 4th Street (Lot No.1 , Cooper's First Addition). 2. The City Council can choose not to set the date of Public Hearing to Partially Vacate the Remote Parking Easement for Property Located at 901 N. 41h Street (Lot No.1 , Cooper's First Addition). 3. The City Council can defer action on this request and refer it back to City staff and/or the applicant for additional information. CITY MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED ACTION: The lot being purchased by MetroNet (901 N. 4th Street) has never been used to provide the nine remote parking spaces for Heuss Printing at 903 N. 2nd Street. If the need for remote parking arises, there is adequate space available to establish remote parking spaces across the street from Heuss Printing at 827 N. 2nd Street, on property that they currently own. Partially vacating the easement would not affect the ability of property at 903 N. 2nd Street from complying with parking requirements with remote parking if it is needed. Therefore, it is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council act in accordance with Alternative #1 and set April 28, 2020 as the date of Public Hearing to partially vacate the Remote Parking Easement at 901 N. 4th Street (Lot 1, Cooper's First Addition). 2 ADDENDUM On March 24, 2020, the City Council approved a Major Site Development Plan (MSDP) for MetroNet to establish a basic utility use and construct a communications tower at 901 N. 4th Street (See Attachment A: Location & Zoning Map). The property is legally described as Lot #1 of Cooper's First Subdivision and includes 7,868 square feet. On March 25, 2020, the Zoning Board of Adjustment granted a Special Use Permit to MetroNet for a wireless communications facility at 901 N. 4th Street. In an email (dated March 23, 2020) written to the Mayor and City Council, Kori Heuss requests that the City Council remove the remote parking easement established on the property at 901 N. 4th Street in 1992. (See Attachment D. Email from Kori Heuss.) MetroNet has a sale agreement with Heuss for purchase of the property; however, without removal of the easement on the property by the City Council, Ms. Heuss says the property sale will not go through. The email provides additional background information including properties owned by Heuss Property Management in the immediate vicinity, and numbers of parking spaces for each Heuss Printing facility. (See Attachment E: Heuss Properties.) The table below lists the properties owned by Heuss Property Management LLC, and provides information on the type of use, number of existing parking spaces, the parking surface and location and the required parking by current standards in the Municipal Code. Existin Use and Parkin for Heuss Properties Per Current Zonin Address Type of Use Min. Parking Existing Location of Parking to Meet Parking Parking Surface Current Stds. 901 N. 4th St. Future N/A N/A N/A N/A MetroNet Site 903 N. 2nd Office & 23 spaces 10 spaces Street Concrete St. Copy Center R.O.W. N. 2nd St. & N. Elm Ave. 911 N. 2nd Printing & 13 spaces 16 spaces On-Site Gravel St. Publishing Parking Lot 827 N. 2nd Warehouse 2 spaces 6 spaces 'Inside the Concrete in St. Warehouse Building/Gravel on the Lot 908 N. 4th St. Leased to N/A N/A N/A N/A Photo Studio *There is adequate space to provide additional parking at 827 N. 2"d Street that could be used as remote parking for the Heuss Printing office at 903 N. 2nd Avenue, if the gravel surface was paved. 3 Attachment A: Location Map N OAK AVE 14 r Q y� r y Q. rn . . ��� o a. dl. �� � � w y 9 r as Ix rn mAA L CA - , , C) XT lilt 'Wig R 'N s ffit rD , '� s lu C7 rn NEL'M1fAVE `� a r Z �Rlm �a vH^ a I , I � ' Z I p m ,40ft I t � '°" r oo�i Aj A RCN,p rn w 'a t 5UoC i'yv Iti - I�IC d 70 Gu _a aa"-, z i. Ila b�d�'»a`i AN 'IiQrydUO!!�x w i�, s" $,t IW hN N C7 �w�'+ ,m"�" Vi✓'* „ Z,,, ca ro > , aONE ;. , 4 Attachment B- Remote Parking Easement 90WA, Ffl.ED F-M REWRO 11'.Gs M WW JUL 10 1992 va HEUSS PRINTING REMOTE PARKING EASEMENT Fkewrdl"F60 1r-4P--0Q— A.udtwr�fi'SnUe—r—si—�gne�Grantors, Kent Cooper and Joan Cooper, husband and wife, as joint tenants with - full rights of survivorship and not as tenants in common, their successors and assigns, in consideration of the sum of One Dollar and other good and valuable consideration in hand paid, do hereby grant and convey to Donald Heuss, his successors and assigns, and to the City of Ames, Grantees, the right, title and easement to park or direct and permit the parking of not more than 7 motor vehicles of the business invitees for the Heuss Printing business premises at 903 South 2nd Street, Ames, Iowa, on the land located at the corner of South Fourth and Elm Streets in Ames, Story County, to wit: Lots I and 2 in Block 1, College Park Addition: That part of Outlot B in College Park Addition that lies west of the westerly right-of-way of Grand Avenue (U.S. Highway #69); Part of Outlot C in College Park Addition; That part of vacated Fourth Street lying adjacent to the above described parcels; That part of the former right-of-way of the Fort Dodge, Des Moines and Southern Railway Company; And That part of the former right-of-way of the Chicago and Northwestern Transportation Company right-of-way, all in the City of Ames, Iowa, and all being more particularly described by metes and bounds as follows: Commencing at the Southeast corner of Section 3, Township 83 North, Range 24 West of the 5th P.M., < 'g� in the City of Ames, Story County, Iowa; thence NOI'-08'08"W, 459.86 feet along the east line of the Southeast Quarter of said Section 3; thence S89*-15'41"W, 115. 14 feet to the IL 0 "'3 0 westerly right-of-way of Grand Avenue and the point of begin- ning; thence N020-13'34"E, 89.70 feet along said westerly right-of-way to a point that is 50.0 feet southerly, measured at a right angle, from the centerline of the south track of said Chicago and Northwestern Transportation Company; thence Northwesterly, 202.85 feet along a curved line that is 50.0 feet Southerly from and parallel with the centerline of said south track, said curved line having a radius of 3050.0 feet concave northeasterly, and having a long chord bearing of N75'-16'14"W; thence Northwesterly, 276.78 feet along a curved line that is 50.0 feet Southerly from and parallel with the centerline of said south track, said curved line having a radius of 6825.0 feet, concave northeasterly, and having a long chord bearing of N72'-12'12"W, to the intersec- tion of said curved line with the extension of the westerly line of Elm Avenue; thence S00'-46'19"E, 76.94 feet along said line to the northerly line of Fourth Street; thence S67'-19'35"E, 71.94 feet along said northerly line to the easterly line of Elm Avenue; thence SOO'46'19"E, 126.12 feet to the northerly line of Second Street; thence N89*-15'41"E, 387.11 feet along said northerly line to the point of begin- ning, containing 62,063 S.F. (1.424 acres) and subject to existing easements. (See attached plat.) BOOK 32;!( PAGE 5 Attachment B- Remote Parking Easement The J' parking spaces provided for hereunder shall at all times be clearly marked as such by the Grantor and the Grantor shall maintain the said spaces and access routes to and from the spaces in a passable and usable condition, clear of snow accumulations, ponded water, brush, weeds, or other conditions that could impede or discourage use of the spaces. The forgoing shall be a covenant running with the land. If said rights and obligations are defeated, annulled or undone through forfeiture, default or breach of land purchase contract, mortgage foreclosure, bankruptcy, or other event or process, Grantors shall be bound hereby to Grantees to acquire and provide replacement parking rights under the same terms at a site within 300 feet of the building or buildings on the business premises at 903 South 2nd Street, Ames, Iowa; and, the Grantor shall compensate Grantee for any loss of business income that results if the premises at 903 South 2nd Street are required to close due to insufficient off-street parking under the ordi- nances of the City of Ames. The foregoing shall not be released, abandoned, or conveyed except by resolution of the Ames City Council. GRANTORS Kent-Cooper- V By- n Coope STATE OF IOWA, STORY COUNTY ss: On this V'A day of r 1992, before me, a Notary Public in and for Story County, personal peared Kent Cooper, to me known to be the person named in and who executed the foregoing instrument, and acknowledged that he executed the same as his voluntary- act and deed. JILLA.HAIGHT A. MY COMMI SSION EXPIRES 2 Notary ublic in an or Stony County, Iowa STATE OF IOWA, STORY COUNTY ss: On this 11�2_ day of 1992 before me, a Notary Public in and for Story County, persona-T pea;ed Joan Cooper, to me known to be the person named in and who executed the foregoing instrument, and acknowledged that she executed the same as her voluntary act and deed. JILL A.,HAAIGHPT My Y COMMIS SION 10�EXPIRES X RES A. k:6 M COMMISSION EXPIRES I -f 0-q.3 q3 Notary �yblic in and Wor Story County, Iowa Parking/Heuss.514 BOOK-2-22' PAGE-233- 6 Attachment C: Final Plat of Cooper's First Addition (Remote Parking Easement Includes All Five Lots) c7 / 0 0 / U) Z 71 D H / y r � �• �I ota ! t ELM AVENUE (561 0 W rvti 500266i19E / ! o 00. v t (l 1111 / �• '� a cb z to / "f to W, ib Ok' 1 N1�3�Qfi,E� l 2 NO2'13'34'E SO• 1 �y co 51 y 1 c I yt ---- __---- ------ ---�'--------------- SST QUARTER. ' AMES. IOWA. 7 Attachment D-. Email from Korl Heuss From: "Kori Heuss" <kori@heuss.com> To: Oranderson @city.ames.ia.us" <ran derson@city.ames.!a.us>, "gbetcher@cItyofames.org" <gbetcher@cityofames.org>, "dmartin@cityofames,org" <dmartin@cityofames.org>, "tgartln@cityofames.org" <tgartln@cItyofames.org>, "rJunck@cityofames.org" <rjunck@cityofames.org>, "bbeatty-hansen@cityofames.org" <bbeatty- hansen@cityofames.org>, "acorrIeri@cityorames,org" <acorrieri@cityofames.org>, "dleeson@cityofames,org" <dleeson@cityofames.org> Cc: "connie.shidler@metronetinc.com" <connie.shidler@metronetinc.com>, "Don Heuss" <dh@heuss.com>, "Michael Purcell" <MpLircelt@friedrich-realty.com> Date: Monday, March 23, 2020 11:11AM Subject: Metronet Council Agenda Item From Heuss Printing History: �This message has been forwarded. Hello all, I have an item for Tuesday night during the public forum as it just come to our attention and is not on the agenda. To keep my comments succinct and not take up your time,I wanted to send the infon-nation ahead of time, I will try to avoid repeating the information on Tuesday and just be present for any questions. Heuss Property Management,LLC.has a sale agreement with Metronet for 901 North 4th Street. The City of Ames placed a parking easement on that parcel in 1993. That easement would prevent the sale from going through. I am asking for the city council to refer this issue to staff to allow the removal of the easement on that parcel. I hove been told that when this area was a business park(there used to be a business park sign listing area businesses on this block) that the easement allowed enough parking to be located in the area. I think it would be useful for you to understand the area if you have not spent your free time studying parking around our buildings. Heuss Property Management owns the following properties: 827 North Second Street 911 North Second Street 903 North Second Street 901 North Fourth Street 908 North Fourth Street Heuss Printing operates in 903 North Second Street,911 North Second Street,and 827 North Second Street. Craig Carol Photography rents 908 North Fourth. 901 North Fourth Street is currently in a sale agreement with Mefronet. Heuss Printing does not use 901 North Fourth Street in any fashion. As it appears that this was a parking easement and we ore asking to remove that easement on parcel 901 North Fourth Street,I think it would help to know about traffic in the area and available parking. Heuss Printing operates with 18 Full Time Employees. The building the customers walk into is 903 North Second Street. There are 8 parking spaces at that building. They are never full, 911 North Second Street has 20 parking spaces, 827 North Second Street has a large lot and I am not sure the number of spaces. It would hold at least 20 cars. 7 employees work in 903 North Second Street and park across the street at 827 North Second Street or in 4 spaces along the East side of the building. The 4 spaces on the south of the building are always reserved for customers. Those spaces are often used for drive Attachment D- Email from Korl Heuss up copy center work. As we offer free delivery and have sales people on the road,most meetings occur outside of the office and most work is delivered at no charge to customers. 911 North Second Street is the production facility and has 6 employees. They park in the 911 North Second Street lot which has 20 parking spaces. I know this is a lot of parking talk. I can clarify any questions for you at the meeting. Again,my request is to remove the easement at 901 North 41h Street to allow Metronet to purchase that property and proceed with their construction. I believe to start the process that the City Council must direct staff to look at this issue, As City Council meetings are every two weeks,I would like to address this as quickly as possible to allow Metronet to move forward. My Regards, ,euss printinga President&Owner 1903 North Second Street I Ames,Iowa 50C 10 0:515.232.6710IM:515.290.3260 I oww.hetimcorn Attachments: irnage002.jpg Attachment E: Heuss Properties (827, 903 & 911 N. 2nd St. - 901 & 908 N. 4t" St.) i r x- ? � �„."'��,"a tea" `P-. q. �. _ � a•e.. �. i i, w - 1 ' � u i U9 � a 4,26E 'x �t r � pp V q 4, 25' i t 9 41 " ` 3 a fk 3E S M � a f ��I �Y E cry r � m 6Ct 64 64' �. �g + a 4, 903- N 2ND Sr N_2N� 'J 5, 5 ate Q�f � � k �➢,i, �yta"�'fX'v � � � �. '1. jpb 1 d IX 4 o " 10 Diane Voss From: leopold ecology <leopold.ecology@gmail.com> Sent: Monday, April 13, 2020 9:54 PM To: MayorCouncil@cityofames.org Subject: Opinion on upcoming council agenda RE: Council Agenda for April 14th Item 37. Resolution approving Preliminary Plat for Wheelock Corner Subdivision located at 1499 South Dayton Avenue ...Staff's recommendation to Council, based on conditions requested by the Planning and Zoning Commission, is to approve the proposal with a condition that the owner agree to a conservation easement to preserve the oak woodlands on the west end of the property, along with a flood plain permit requirement. Mayor and Council — I am VERY HAPPY about the P&Z condition & subsequent staff recommendation for a conservation easement to preserve the oak woodlands. I strongly urge council to hold to that recommendation. Our 'biotic corridors' (robust greenways) are critical for wildlife, human health, aesthetics, and micro-climate and water management. In general, however, reducing the surface of the land available for water infiltration makes no sense in a future that is already on us: increasingly high volume storm events, with all the consequent fallout they generate. At the very least we should be requiring permeable parking surfaces for developments in the floodplain fringe. Moving forward, we desperately need to rethink our policies around building new infrastructure in the floodplain fringe. Respectfully, Jeri Neal Jeri Neal 916 Ridgewood Ave Ames, IA. 50010 1 Diane Voss From: Kori Heuss <kori@heuss.com> Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2020 1:11 PM To: RAY ANDERSON,- MayorCouncil@cityofames.org Cc: Connie Shidler; Don Heuss; Michael Purcell Subject: 901 N 4th Street Parking Easement Removal Hello all, I would like to touch base on item #18 on tonight's consent agenda. I have attached it below for your reference. In order to finalize a sale of 901 N 4th Street to Metronet, the parking easement must be removed. Metronet had planned to break ground this month. At this time, the discovery of the parking easement and subsequent need to request removal of this easement prior to sale has slowed the process. We certainly want to do everything we can to proceed in the correct fashion and have no worries about public input. My concern lies in the postponement of the sale and in the ability for Metronet to provide service to Ames. Is it possible for either the public hearing to be waived and the vote to happen tonight on this item? If not, is is possible that the final vote can occur on April 281h by City Council? As you know, Metronet will have to have the property sale proceed prior to construction permits being approved. Is there anything else I can do to speed this process? As you received in my prior email, the easement on 901 N 41h Street for parking that was put into place in 1993 has never been a need for us as we have bountiful parking options between all of our properties. Thank you for your thought and proactivity. I appreciate your time. 18. Resolution setting April 28, 2020 as the date of public hearing regarding partially vacating the Remote Parking Easement for 901 N. 4th Street ., u ss printingo. President &Owner 1903 North Second Street I Ames, Iowa 50010 0:515.232.67101 M:515.290.3260 I www.heuss.com 1