HomeMy WebLinkAboutA060 - Email from Ronal Fuchs with comments about tax abatement Page 1 of 2
- -7 - 01 AAouu-ld, d a k.�
Jill Ripperger
From: Ronald Fuchs <fuchs@iastate.edu>
To: <tedjoanie@aol.com>
Cc: <rcrosswind@aol.com>; <bobanncamp@aol.com>; <st.goodhue@isu.net.net>;
<judiehoffman@yahoo.com>; <hcgbach@ames.net>; <sharonwirth@yahoo.com>;
<steveschainker@city.ames.ia.us>; <ripperger@city.ames.ia.us>
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2001 5:33 PM
Subject: Somerset: no more tax abatements unless...
27 March 2001
Dear Mayor and Members of the Ames City Council:
My information comes from the Council Action Form dated 02/27/01 on the
subject of. Hearing on Urban Revitalization Plan for Somerset Village.
I would prefer an additional tax abatement be given only to single
family detached homes with conditions 1-9 required AND that an amount
equal to the tax abatement be given to encourage affordable housing in
Ames, otherwise no tax abatements.
This would be a modified option 3 listed on page 4 where the
modifications would be to include condition 9 as well as conditions 1-8
and to include the requirement that the City of Ames set aside a sum
equal to the amount this additional tax abatement offers to Somerset to
support affordable (read -- encourage young families with children too
live in Ames)housing.
Without these additional conditions I see no reason to give tax
abatements to developers who apparently did not grasp the Village
principal initially and may not do so now without forced help.
Sincerely,
Holly Fuchs
806 Brookridge Ave.
Ames, IA 50010-5835
515/233-2140
fuchs ,iastate.edu
PS.
I have looked at many housing possibilities at Somerset from both the
aspect of a hopeful nester and an empty nester, and agree with almost
everything Zimmerman/Volk Associates, Inc. said in their Feb. 5, 2001
memo.
My only disagreement is with his statement on page 2 that "The
attached housing, both rowhouses and small-scale apartment buildings,
have been generally well executed." I found very unappealing the design
of rowhouses on Doten Drive and Bristol Drive where you look out the
kitchen windows and see garage roofs and on Bristol Drive where the
alley is completely filled with garages on the north so it does not
encourage the neighboring that the alley we have here between Lee and
9th St. between Brookridge and Ridgewood facilitates.
3/27/2001
Page 2 of 2
In addition I am concerned about the small size of the areas set aside
for schools and churches. I believe I read Nick Johns said the area to
the east of Somerset was too small for a middle school...but for some
reason Somerset was allowed to take 16 acres away from it. Hopefully if
the northern part of the subdivision is redesigned at least one of these
school areas and the church area can be increased in size.
Co-operation and planning need to be strongly encouraged.
3/27/2001