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HomeMy WebLinkAboutA003 - Planning and Zoning Commission approval City of AMES, Iowa ' 50010 (515) 232-6210 DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT September 23, 1976 Honorable Lee Fellinger, Mayor Members of City Council Administration Building Ames, IA 50010 RE: Sevde/Burgason request for rezoning of property located at the southeast corner of Beach Avenue and Airport Road from A-1 to C-5 Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council: During its meeting on September 10, 1976, the Planning and Zoning Commission considered the above request for rezoning and by a 6-0 vote (with Shaughnessy absent) approved the following motion: That we recommend approval of the C-5 zoning for the Sevde/Burgason requested area. The .staff, in addition to having recommended favorably for this rezoning, recommended that the permitted uses be those catering to the motoring public: gasoline service station and restaurant. The Commission, however, did not accept this recommendation nor was a decision made by it as to what the permitted uses should be. This is a particularly old request for rezoning because the original request was for C-2 classification. This request was considered by the Planning and Zoning Commission during its meeting on January 9, 1976, and a motion for denial was made with a recommendation that the applicant refile for C-5 zoning. This recommendation was upheld by City Council during its meeting of January 27, 1976. During its regular meeting of April 9, 1976, the Planning and Zoning Commis- sion considered a request for C-5 zoning of this same property and elected to table the request due to a lack of a general land use concept for the entire Airport Road, Elwood Drive and Oakwood Road area of the community. The Commission, therefore, requested that the staff undertake a comprehensive study of this broad area. Such study now being completed and accepted by ®Combining Education and Industry ulith Hospitality Honorable Mayor Fellinger Members of-City Council September 23, 1976 Page Two. the Commission as of its September 10, 1976, meeting as a general guideline, reflects the appropriateness of the Sevde/Burgason property for commercial purposes, and thusly provides the basis for the Commission's recommendation on this petition. Please find attached a copy of the so-called Oakwood/Airport Area Study plus a map depicting the parcel subject of rezoning. Respectfully, Patrick J. Switz, Director of Community Development PJS:daw cc: Terry Sprenkel, City Manager Georgene Shank, Chairperson, Planning and Zoning Commission John Luchan, Building Official A. 0. Chantland, Director of Public Works � ,. � ( -- -if � `,��•" . \ � f--� s l - �,�_• tr� �\-`\ ,�� ` (�K �^�.�� Sal ,(�t gin - - •y �, �,- -- - fit _ - -� � I - 1 L OAKWOOD/AIRPORT AREA STUDY CITY OF AMES DEPARTMENT OE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUGUST 5, 1976 INTRODUCTION At its meeting of April 9, 1976, the Planning and Zoning Commission tabled a request from Ev Cochrane and Associates for rezoning of property located between Airport Road, Oakwood Road, Woodview Drive, and the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad tracks. The zoning districts proposed for the 74 acres were R-2, R-3, C-5, and 1-1. An earlier request from Verle Burgason and Richard Sevde for rezoning of property at Airport Road and Elwood Drive to C-5 was also tabled at that time. The purpose of this action was to allow the Department to complete a study and make recommendations on the future use of this area and the remain- der of the area south and west of the Municipal Airport. This was in addition to a study done in December, 1975, on the "Gateway" area surrounding the Elwood Drive/U. S. 30 interchange, in conjunction with the rezoning of property for the Gateway Center, The Oakwood/Airport Area Study utilizes a basic process of planning for future land uses based upon several factors. primary among these is the nature of the land itself: topography, drainage, and vegetation. Transportation facilities, public utilities, and existing uses serve to further define the future land use pattern. The result is a recommendation for the general land uses deemed appropriate for the future based upon these factors. This report serves to summarize the information and recommendations graphically portrayed on the drawings which will be presented. STUDY AREA The area included in the study is bounded generally by U. S. 30 on the north, State Avenue on the west, Duff Avenue on the east, and by a line one and one-half miles south of Airport Road on the south. The southern boundary of the study area coincides with the county road which runs from State Avenue to Elwood Drive one and one-quarter miles south of Oakwood Road. The area includes 4.375 square miles, or some 2,800 acres. 2 TOPOGRAPHY The topographic map is a composite of 31 tracings from aerial photographs reduced from a scale of 1" 100' to 1" - 400' . Contours are drawn at ten-foot intervals. The original tracings pre-date the construction of U. S. Highway 30, and do not accurately indicate the altered topography resulting from the grading of the highway. The topographical alterations took place primarily within the public right-of=way, leaving the topography of the study area substantially unchanged. The topography of the study area can be generally described as "rolling." The only system of steep slopes included is the Worle Creek valley. The remainder of the study area rolls gently fron one drainage system to the next. The overall slope of the land is from the southwest to the northeast. The luck of severity of these slopes, along with the unavailability of detailed soils information, is the reason for the lack of detailed soils analysis. NATURAL FEATURES Vegetation. Being a predominantly agricultural area, the study area has a limited number of prominent natural features. Again, the Worle Creek area predominates. It is the largest area incorporating substantial vegetation, topographic relief, and a major drainage course. Other major tree masses include the windbreak at Oakwood and Elwood, the wooded area at the south end of Cedar Lane, and the wooded area between Elwood and South Riverside, one- half mile south of Airport Road. Other vegetation is confined to windbreaks, residential and farmstead plantings, fence rows, and growth along streams. Drainage. In addition to Worle Creek, there are several substantial drainage courses in the study area. Each runs to the northeast or east, connecting with either Worle Creek, Squaw Creek, or the Skunk River. In some cases, development of these drainage areas could result in problems for existing land uses downstream. These problems will be identified here, and will be further discussed in the sections dealing with utilities and future land uses. There are five primary drainage systems, in addition to Worle Creek, which will be considered. The first major drainage system begins on the Cochrane property north of Oakwood Road as a field drainage system. The main drainage course flows northeasterly, across the Gateway Center property and Sevde/Burgason property to Airport Road. It then proceeds north under U. W. 30 and eventually flows into Worle Creek just east of Elwood Drive. Development in this drainage 3 area is more imminent than in other portions of the study area, and the drainage system in this area is inadequate for urban land uses. Gateway Center will incorporate a storm water retention/detention facility to control the rate of input to this limited system. The second major system could also be experiencing some development in the future. It begins in two branches west of Elwood Drive one-quarter and one-half mile south of Oakwood Road. The two branches meet east of Elwood in the wooded area mentioned above, and the creek flows northeasterly under South Riverside, adjacent to the airport, and under Airport Road one-eighth mile west of the airport entrance. After passing under U. S. 30, the creek continues north to Worle Creek and Squaw Creek. This drainage system is more adequate than the first system mentioned, due to the higher capacity of the culvert under U. S. 30. The third system begins at Elwood Drive, three-quarters mile south of Oakwood, as a rather insignificant field drainage system. It runs north- easterly to the approximate center of the airport. The system becomes more significant with input from two storm sewers which drain the eastern runway areas. The system continues east, under South Duff, southeasterly through northern Teagarden area, to the improved channel and storm sewer running through the Southdale development. This system continues southeast to Ken Maril Road and east to the Skunk River. The system does not incorporate storm sewers upstream from the Southdale development, and additional develop- ment adjacent to the airport would severely affect the flows through the Teagarden area. The fourth major system originates near the southern edge of the study area and flows northeast to Duff Avenue. It proceeds as an open stream through the Teagarden area and turns southeast at the beginning of the South- dale channel mentioned above. While the improved channel and storm sewer are adequate for the future, once again, care must be taken to avoid adverse affects from development west of South Duff on the unimproved portions of the system. The fifth drainage system lies partially within the study area in the southeast corner. It is a substantial stream which crosses South Duff one- half mile south of Ken Maril Road. It proceeds northeast and east to the Skunk River. The area served by this stream is primarily outside the study area, and it does not run through developed land. 4 Visual Features. The rolling nature of the topography does not provide dominant panoramic views of the entire study area. The high point of the area, southeast of the intersection of Oakwood Road and State Avenue, and the elevated portions of U. S. 30 provide the most complete views. However, there are a number of points along ridges where rather impressive views of the agricultural countryside exist. Just as these views exist with the land in agricultural use, many such views would be provided if the land were in urban use. Visual relationships between land uses are heightened by such terrain. The above discussions of topography and natural features have pointed out the nature of the land and some of the problems which may be associated with development in the study area. These features should be considered in determining the future uses of land in the area. The following sections deal with the man-made factors which will affect future uses. They are transportation, utilities, property ownership, and existing land use. TRANSPORTATION The study area contains examples of each transportation mode existing in or affecing the Ames area. The most dominant transportation facility is the Ames Municipal Airport. Lying in the northeast corner of the study area, the Airport exerts, and will continue to exert, tremendous impact on the land use pattern around it. Airport expansion, increases in traffic, and Airport area zoning are all factors which will affect land use. The study area is well served with vehicular access from the north. Elwood Drive connects with U. S. 30 and ISU, State Avenue connects with western Ames, and South buff intersects U. S. 30 and leads to eastern Ames and Interstate 35. Circulation within the study area itself is not as efficient, however. The area is amply provided with north/south roads, but east/west circulation is limited to Airport Road and Oakwood Road. An additional east/west route(s) will be needed if development occurs south of Oakwood Road. The south branch of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad runs from the southwest corner of the area to U. S. 30 east of Elwood Drive. This facility enhances the desireability of land along it for industrial development. . 5 Finally, the parks and recreation system reaches the study area through the pedestrian and bicycle trail in Railway Park and Zumwalt Station. Some discussion on the potential for connection of this facility to other open space corridors was provided in the December, 1976, report on the Gateway area. The existence of this facility should be considered in planning for future land use, and pedestrian and bicycle access to the system as it develops should be provided. UTILITIES The availability of public utilities is a prerequisite to urban development of any parcel of land. Public services are desireable tech- nical amenities for development, particularly development of substantial size. In addition, current and proposed City policy stipulates that urban development should not take place without the benefit of public utilities, or in a spotted or nucleated pattern. Rather, development should take place adjacent to existing urban development, where utilities are available or can be logically and economically extended. The three services which are most heavily involved in decisions on future land use are water, sanitary sewer, and storm sewer. Water. Being a pressurized system$ City water supply is not affected by topography or other natural features of the land. It limits development potential only where lines of sufficient size are not available to the area. This study area is not limited by water availability. Large mains exist in Oakwood Road, Elwood Drive, Airport Road, and South Duff. Service can easily be extended south and west from these lines. Sanitary Sewer. Sanitary sewer service enters the area along Worle Creek, under U. S. 30 north of the Airport, and on South Duff. Service will soon be available to the Gateway area from Airport Road. Opportunity for sanitary sewer extension exists along major drainage courses from Air- port Road and South Duff. Like water, sanitary sewer service would not be a limiting factor on development in this area, except in the case of a policy limiting extensions into the area. Storm Sewer. Unlike water and sanitary sewer services, storm sewer service and storm drainage is a very definite limiting factor on development in the study area. Storm sewers are strictly gravity-flow systems. Logical- ly, they follow natural drainage paths and speed the removal of runoff from developed areas to prevent localized flooding. Obviously, this can cause addi- tional problems and increase the possibility of flooding downstream. In c 5 most of Ames' major storm sewered areas, collected runoff discharges into major streams which have established valleys or floodplains which are es- sentially undeveloped. In the case of this area, there will be very defi- nite limitations placed on development due to limited drainage capacities, and already developed areas endangered by upstream development. As a general rule, development in this area (or any area, in a broad sense) should permit water to run off the land no faster than it does with the land in the undeveloped state. A critical situation exists in two particular areas. The first is the area drained by the Elwood Drive drainage system. This includes the Gateway Center, Cochrane, and Sevde/Burgason properties, as well as the Woodview Drive area. The capacity of the culverts under U. S. 30 in this area is limited and it would be extremely expensive to increase the alotted flow. The Iowa Department of Transportation controls the facility, and it is unlikely that the system would be upgraded. Gateway Center has recognized these limitations, and is planning a retention basin. Other development in this area will have to employ similar measures to control runoff. The second major problem a,,ea is the portion of the study area which drains into the system which runs through the! Teagarden/Southdale area from the north. Development southwest or east of the Airport will contribute to this problem, and the improvement of the system downstream above the South- dale channel is not feasible. Development draining into this system will have to strictly observe the proposed runoff restrictions. A proposed storm sewer in Airport Road will relieve the situation somewhat by draining the Bourns property, and the possibility exists for a City retention facility on the Airport site. PROPERTY OWNERSHIP Property lines can often have a great deal to do with location of urban development due to differing aspirations of various owners. Ideally, the planning process must strive to overcome such effects, but realistically, property ownership will have some influence. The dominant attributes to the ownership pattern in the study area are the large public land areas, and the extent to which the region has been broken into relatively small parcels. Approximately 420 acres in the west and southwest sections of the study area are controlled by Iowa State University., This acts effectively as a barrier to development moving west toward State Avenue or southwest along ` 7 the railroad. The Ames Municipal Airport is a 320-acre tract in the north- eastern portion of the study area. It acts to separate development on buff Avenue from development to the west, and it limits development around it. Future airport expansion to the south will probably eliminate development stretching around the airport in favor of separate growth areas. The property in the north central section of the study area, west of the Airport, consists of a large number of small tracts, none exceeding 45 acres. A similar condition exists east of the Airport. In the southern portion of the study area, the more common large agricultural tracts are found. The best assumption is that smaller tracts have been purchased as investments in developable property, or as present or future country home sites. EXISTING USES The dominant usage in the area, of course, is agriculture. Some in- dustrial development exists on Airport Road, and commercial development is imminent on Elwood drive. The Meadow Glen, Timberland, and Woodview resi- dential areas occupy the Worle Creek region. The remaining characteristic of the existing land use pattern is the large number (about 15) of 1- to 7- acre residential tracts which dot the central and eastern portions of the study area. FUTURE LAND USE All of the factors studied and reported above have had a bearing on the recommendation for future land use. Perhaps the most powerful factors in the determination of the recommended pattern have been the drainage patterns on the land and the future expansion of the Airport. It is these factors which have contributed to the resolution of the serious problem of deciding where the extremity of future urban development should lie. The problems with downstream effects of development along the major drainageways have been mentioned. Of particular concern is the developed residential area east of Duff. It is for this reason that the development/ non-development "line" has been drawn on a ridge. Ridge lines separate drainage areas, and it is logical to utilize them to separate land uses with vastly differing runoff characteristics. We are recommending that development west of the Airport not extend south of the ridgeline separating those areas which drain north to Worle and Squaw Creeks from those areas which drain east to the Skunk River through the Teagarden area. Such a policy would eliminate many of the potential problems downstream by leaving a vast portion of this drainage area in agricultural use. Sanitary sewer service to the area south of this ridge must come from South Duff. This would mean costly extension of the sewer line across land which is undevelopable due to Airport clear zones. development north of the ridgeline would be a mixture of low and medium residential , commercial , and industrial uses. Airport expansion is seen as an additional barrier to development in the critical drainage areas due to the extent to which airport use would stretch to the south. East of the airport, similar runoff consequences are possible, and uses are limited by the Airport itself. Some industrial use is seen as possible in the northeast, with storm water retention, but the balance of this area should remain in agriculture or farm-like uses (such as a golf course). The attached map is a schematic representation of the proposed land use pattern. It is proposed that commercial and industrial development be of a planned nature. Only uses of a type and design capable of existing in such a mixed use area would be recommended. Residential development is shown on the basis of low or medium density designations. Housing types should be variable to some extent, in order to allow design to ease transitions of use. For example, single family dwellings would be recommended adjacent to Woodview Drive, but low density housing of another type might be appropriate near Gate- way Center. The presentation will provide the opportunity to view graphic displays of the factors which have been previously described. In addition, the recommendations on future land use can be presented and discussed in greater detail .