HomeMy WebLinkAboutA008 - Letter from James Chalstrom, concerns about accessibility issues in Village Concept in proposed ordinance July 27, 1998
Council Person John Parks
Ames City Hall
515 Clark
Ames, Iowa 50010
Dear Council Member Parks
The emphasis that the proposed new zoning ordinance places on the Village Concept
troubles me. None of the houses that have been built in Somerset Village are
handicapped accessible. The lot size and side yard offsets would prevent a handicapped
person from building a traditional ranch style home in a village. The initial response to
my inquiry about this, was that there was a separate section where larger lots could be
purchased.
This amounts to shuffling the disabled into a separate section and denies them the
freedom to live where they choose in any of the new subdivisions if the proposed zoning
ordinance is passed as it is currently written.
In my opinion, this is discrimination against the disabled and possibly violates the
American Disabilities Act. I watched the majority of the work sessions on channel 12,
and at no time did I hear any discussion of this potential problem.
I am physically unable to attend the hearing on Thursday night, but I urge you to
reconsider the portion of the proposal that requires all new subdivision to be villages and
change the primary classification to be consistent with current subdivision requirements.
The new terminology is somewhat confusing to me, so I apologize for not using the
correct terminology.
Very truly yours
ames Chalstrom
1510Wheeler Drive
Ames, Iowa 50010