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HomeMy WebLinkAboutA004 - Letter dated January 5, 1996 from James Strohman A r nn O 2710 White Oak Circle Ames, IA 50014 January 5, 1996 `"'uY csryoTrc�ffOw Sharon Wirth AMfS A 803 Burnett , Ames, IA 50010 Dear Sharon: The Ames City Council will be considering a proposal by developer Dickson Jensen to adapt the land use policy plan and annex a portion of land currently outside the city limits to allow him to develop 18 acres into low- to moderate- income housing. Currently, this area is undeveloped and exists of farmland and a few farmsteads. This development would be directly across the street from the Oakwood subdivision (where I live) and adjacent to the existing homes on Timberlane Road and Woodview Drive. As you know, this area is the priority expansion area proposed by the city's consultant, which includes approximately 1,500 acres. I urge you to vote against this proposal for the following reasons: 1. No additional new development should occur in this area until such time as the city council is able to develop a focused long-range plan for the entire area. 2. Unlike the apartment complex approved last year at the Elwood/Oakwood intersection which will bring new sanitary sewer capability to the area, this development offers nothing of real value to the city. 3. The proposed development would damage the value and integrity of the existing neighborhoods in Oakwood, Timberland, and Woodview. The efforts and decisions you are making to accommodate the growth in Ames are worthwhile, time consuming and difficult. It is not an easy task. Currently, you have some kind of task force working on the big picture. You may want to consider a similar committee/task force which focuses entirely on this priority growth area. This group could begin to address the myriad of issues associated with the development of this area and include the following groups and individuals: city staff: for expertise on infrastructure including roadways, traffic and safety issues, sanitary and storm sewers, power requirements or options, police and fire protection needs, and estimates of potential local revenue, homeowners: for input on ways to develop while protecting existing homeowners investments, Iowa State University: which owns a considerable amount of land in the area, Ames schools: which will need to address the growth in children and the inability to currently handle an influx of students, Story County: which currently has jurisdiction over the land and roads, agriculture interests: to determine if there is a potential to even obtain usable land for development, parks and recreation: to determine parks/green space as well as walking trails, bike paths and other options, developers: to determine the housing needs, options, and interest, neighborhood groups: for input on a variety of development issues. One of the main concerns we raised a year ago when the council considered and then approved a land use change and annexation for the apartment complex at Elwood/Oakwood was that we did not want to see this area developed in a piecemeal , haphazard way without a more big-picture understanding of how, when and where development would occur. We got a sense that both the council and the planning and zoning commission agreed with these concerns. Yet, here we are, faced with another piecemeal proposal that continues to divide this expansion area before we reach some fundamental conclusions. I would encourage you to establish this committee as soon as possible and charge them with developing a report before making any decisions. So what if one developer has to wait for a more definitive answer. His interests against all of the existing homeowners and the long-range direction of the city seems to be an easy decision. At least your decision last year to allow the apartment complex was hinged on the city deriving a major benefit from the proposal - the ability to obtain payment from the developer for a major portion of the sanitary sewer system - which does not currently exist in the area and which has hampered development to date. But this proposal offers no such benefit, or benefit of any kind to the city (by the way this developer is hooking into the Oakwood sewer system, something that apparently is only operational for this small section of land) . Most existing homeowners in Oakwood/Timberland/Woodview are naturally apprehensive about the development of this entire area. Generally, people know that the land will be developed but are concerned that the development take place in an orderly and logical way, and in a way that protects the integrity of the area as well as the investments we have in our homes. Many residents in this area feel there is no dialogue with policymakers or staff members regarding these decisions, or that our concerns are being left out of the process because no one really cares. This type of dialogue needs to take place, not once a year when we come to council meetings to fight a proposal , but on a more regular basis -- something which could be accomplished through the development of a committee. The proposed homes are valued at approximately $100,000 (you can't really build a house in Ames anymore for less) however, the existing homes in our neighborhoods are valued at $125,000-$250,000. These proposed homes might have a place in the overall scheme of the 1,500 acre development, but we don't feel they belong directly across the street from our existing homes. I have spoken with appraisers who indicate that this price differential could very well have a negative effect on our property values and clearly would not allow the existing homes to appreciate in value as they might otherwise. Therefore, this proposed development would be a threat to investments our families have in our homes. I have heard some policymakers express concern about developers being unable to move forward on projects such as this. Sometimes, I think policymakers forget that homeowners are really businesspeople too, businesspeople in the sense that we all have probably our biggest investment in our homes. For many people this is the investment that controls their financial situation in life. We are not saying we do not want homes of this value in the 1,500 acre area, we are saying we don't want them directly across the street, in a position to negatively effect our property values. This is all the more reason to look at the big picture of this area and determine the appropriate location of these developments before allowing development to occur in a piecemeal way. It seems to me that since there are currently no property owners located in this areas except we existing homeowners, that you should be making every effort to protect our investments and the integrity of our existing neighborhoods when determining the best way to proceed with future development. This will be a different standard than future development, because future property purchasers will have the understanding that the entire area is being developed and hopefully, with a long-range plan from the city, will know the direction of the development. In addition to these concerns, the city needs to address the critical problem of Oakwood Road. We spoke with you last year about this issue but nothing has been done. The road, which was originally designed as a rural roadway, is incapable of safely handling existing demand, let alone any future stress. The ditches are steep, dangerous, and abutting homes, there are no shoulders or bike paths, the speed limit is to high, there are no stop signs which could control traffic, and there is inadequate space for children to safety board school buses. I don't mean to sound alarmist, but it is only a matter of time before someone is killed because of the neglect the city pays to this roadway. This will become even more apparent when the new Sam's Club opens on Airport Road this year and adds stress to the conditions on Oakwood, as the road continues to grow as a linkage with West Ames. Of all the decisions you might make about this expansion area, the single one which is most important to us and which will have the greatest effect on us, is the type of development that will be directly across the street from us. Unfortunately, this decision happens to be one of the first you will make. Please make the correct decision to deny this developers request and instead, begin an orderly process to determine the long-term direction of this important expansion area. Thank you for considering my input. If you have any questions or concerns, I can be reached at 292-0353. Sincer jes Strohman