HomeMy WebLinkAboutA007 - Letter from Story Construction STORY CONSTRUCTION CO.
300 SOUTH BELL AVENUE/P.O.BOX 1668/AMES,IOWA 50010-1668
PHONE 515-232-4358/FAX 515-232-0599
September 21, 2006
Mayor Ann Campbell
Ames City Council Members
City of Ames
515 Clark Avenue
Ames, IA 50010
RE: General Industrial Development Standards
Dear Mayor Campbell and Council Members:
Story Construction Co.'s corporate office has been located in the Ames
Community Development Park since 1996. We have been involved with the
construction of the majority of the buildings in the Park. When we were
approached by Hawkeye Renewables to build a building for them identical to the
one we had just completed for Murphy Brown, we didn't hesitate a minute. We
were thrilled that there would now be three buildings in a row with the same
footprint and exterior elevations with slight variations in the site plans. Hawkeye
Renewables based their decision to locate in the Ames Community Development
Park on being able to occupy their new building in February 2007. This became
a critical issue because on September 15 we were informed of the Minimum FAR
Requirement for office buildings in a General Industriai area.
We believe that given the mixed use of the businesses in the Ames Community
Development Park that locating office buildings in the Park is a very appropriate
use, especially given the location of the Hawkeye Renewables and Todd &
Sargent projects, which are in highly visible locations adjacent to the 1-35
corridor. The lot that Hawkeye Renewables has purchased is a long, narrow lot
which presents constraints for a manufacturing or warehousing operation that
requires iarge areas for trucks to maneuver, however it works very nicely for the
office building and offers space for expansion. The Todd & Sargent lot also has
constraints which require that all exterior surfaces be of an architectural quality.
This excludes the use of standard metal siding which would typically be used in a
manufacturing or warehouse facility.
When we bought the land where our office is located, our long term plan was to
relocate our warehouse to the property. Seeing how the area has developed,
we don't feel the warehouse would be compatible with the surrounding buildings,
and have abandoned our plans to relocate our warehouse and storage facilities.
GENERAL CONTRACTOR/DESIGN-BUILDER/CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
AMES,IOWA www.storycon.com DAVENPORT,IOWA
City of Ames
September 21, 2006
Page 2
Given the mixed use in the Park and considering the other available land in the
City of Ames zoned General Industrial, we feel it is appropriate to remove the
Minimum FAR For Office Buildings Located in a General Industrial Area. We
urge you to do this in the most expedient time frarne possible so that both the
Hawkeye Renewables and Todd & Sargent projects can move forward as quickly
as possible.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
STORY CONSTRUCTION CO.
Mike Espeset
President