HomeMy WebLinkAboutA008 - Email to Council dated November 22, 2004 with comments ' � t - 0/� -0
Jim Popken To matthew@smilesandgyros.com,
<jim@jscada.com> russcross@financial.wellsfargo.com,
11/22/2004 02:29 PM sharonwirth@yahoo.com,steve.goodhue@fabg.net,
cc dvoss@city.ames.ia.us
bcc
Subject North East Gateway Overlay(New Mall)
Dear Council Member
Please read the attached email that was sent to the Planning and Zoning commission in regards to
the North East Gateway Overlay. This email was endorsed by I I members of the 16 member
Gate Way Overlay Steering Committee.
The email addresses 5 items that where omitted or changed significantly from the document
reviewed by the committee. Staff has sufficiently addressed item four in the current revision of
the overlay.
Item 1 and 2 reference particular standards. From my point of view the steering committee
struggled with the text of the overlay document. These struggles being that the language my be
too broad at times. So in these two instance the committee referenced specific standards in use
today in an effort to make enforcement easier. However the staffs general objections to items 1
and 2 were in relation to the difficulty of enforcement of these specific standards. I believe the
committee's intent was to recommend energy efficiency standards and lighting intensity
standards. I do not believe the committee members were married to these particular standards. If
the staff has problems with the given standards, there are other standards available to substitute
that would allow easier enforcement. I believe the committee would accept standards that meet
that intent.
I understand that David Oesper has communicated with staff in regards to light intensity. He has
suggested language that would regulate light intensity without significant on going staff time.
That is the intensity is regulated at design time. Given a certain light fixture and light bulb a
given amount of light will be produced. This does not burden city staff with an on going need to
measure light intensity.
Item 3 referenced alternative storm water management. The intent was to use more
environmentally friendly water run off management techniques. The Des Moines Register of
November 16th (see
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041116/NEWS 03/411160391/
1001/NEWS)has a report on a shopping center development in the metro area that is
incorporating these techniques. These measures are reasonable and I encourage you to consider
them in the overlay.
Item 4 has been addressed by city staff.
The Planning and Zoning commission recommended restoring the wording for the design
Y
standard referenced in item 5. I believe the protection of the marsh is very important. Jim
Cooper, Steve Lekwa, Jamey Flegal and myself have meet in regards to alternative wording of
this item. We hope to be able to present to council recommended wording for this item that
would be acceptable to those involved soon.
Sincerely
Jim Popken
920 Clark Avenue
YLM
515 233-0855 p&z11-03.04Af p&z11.03.04.doc
Dear P&Z member
The Northeast Gateway Overlay District code that you are to consider tonight was
supposed to represent the culmination a long process of citizen input and
volunteer committee work. As you know the city received citizen input through a
series of meetings followed by long hours of steering committee consideration to
create a report to guide city staff in creating design standards for the overlay
district.
The document you have contains notable omissions from the draft report reviewed
by the steering committee on 9/27/04. At that final committee meeting some
members still wished to remove or modify standards they considered too strict or
impractical. Others wished to add to or strengthen the standards. The
compromise by the committee was to pass on the standards as reviewed that night
with few changes for your and council consideration. That at least was my
understanding as it was of other committee members with which I have spoken.
The point of the citizen-led process was to bring forth input so that the City
Planning & Zoning commission and the City Council had the opportunity to debate
the merits of the items forwarded by the overlay committee. The committee
agreed and staff concurred that final policy decisions and changes to the
committee's work should be left to the P&Z and council. The removal of the
following substantive topics prior to submission to you and to council seems
counter to the committee decision and prevents due consideration of the public
input.
1. All buildings shall meet Leadership Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
standards for energy efficiency.
2. Light intensity shall be in agreement with Illumination Engineering Society
of North America standards.
3. The development shall incorporate into the site design alternative storm
water management techniques, such as: porous pavement, properly filtered bio-
swales, rain gardens, or infiltration basins.
4. The current draft states "Use landscape swales and/or berms in combination
with trees, shrubs and other landscape materials to screen parking areas from
Ketelsen Marsh. " This replaces the original language A buffer strip between
regional commercial development and Ketelsen Marsh will be established through
the use of fencing, native plantings, and landscaped swales to separate the
marsh from commercial development. " The new language only requires buffering
next to parking. It does not address other development in the area (e.g.
buildings) .
5. The drainage that maintains the current marsh will be reviewed by
professional experts in hydrology, biology, and other relevant areas, and
accommodations will be made by the developer to retain the existing eco-system
of Ketelsen Marsh.
I request that the P&Z commission give due consideration to the above items.
Sincerely
The I35 & 13th Street Overlay Steering Committee Members:
Jim Popken
Andy Bock
David Oesper
Carol Williams
Erika Dilley
Jeff Hall
Jim Cooper
Jim Gregory
Jo Etzel
Heather Kock
Holly Fuchs
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Jim Popken To dvoss@city.ames.ia.us
�. <jim@jscada.com>
cc
11/22/2004 02:34 PM
bcc
Subject Copy Council
Diane
I copied you on an email I just sent to the city council members. Could you
please give the council member a hard copy of the email and that attached
document on Tuesday.
Thanks
Jim
515 233-0855