HomeMy WebLinkAboutA015 - portion of City Council minutes from March 6, 2018 meeting will be needed, someone who wants to build attached housing and an affordable product. It adds a
level of complication, but can be done.
Moved by Betcher, seconded by Beatty-Hansen to approve Option 2 to include both single-family
detached and attached homes, as the City as the developer.
Vote on Motion: 5-1. Voting aye: Betcher, Martin, Beatty-Hansen,Martin, Corrieri. Voting nay:
Nelson. Motion declared carried.
Council Member Corrieri left the meeting at 7:48 p.m.
The meeting recessed at 7:48.p.m. and reconvened at 8:02 p.m.
HEARING ON ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT TO CREATE LINCOLN
WAY/DOWNTOWN GATEWAY COMMERCIAL STANDARDS: Mayor Haila opened the
public hearing. He closed the hearing once there was no one wishing to speak.
Director Diekmann provided background on the Lincoln Way Corridor Plan. The focus of the
presentation is on the connection to Downtown,called the Gateway because it has entrances through
the district into Downtown. The Corridor Plan identified redevelopment and repositioning of
commercial properties in the Downtown Gateway Area to support a transition to more intense and
urban development. There will be a continuation for commercial use but also the option for mixed-
use. The zoning would need to be changed from Highway Oriented Commercial (HOC). The
desired uses would be for restaurants,recreation, and entertainment uses. Office and retail are also
important. This is an area for a unique hotel use. The previous direction was to be flexible and
reach for higher-quality redevelopment. This page of the Plan is looking to add a focal element of
public space or parking structure.
Mr. Diekmann stated this area would also have a different residential feel. It would promote small
one-or two-bedroom units, different from the student housing. In the Zoning Ordinance,there is a
cap of 25%for apartment units that can exceed two bedrooms. Additionally,the parking ratio is set
up to incentivize smaller units.
Director Diekmann addressed the need for rezoning The zoning now does not allow the vision of
the Corridor Plan to allow for mixed-use to come in. It is a commercial area, but the option for
housing to be added for certain sites is wanted. Goals of critical mass need larger development sites.
Articulated in the Ordinance is that a redevelopment site size must be at least one acre if desiring to
pursue Mixed-Use. If the business would not like to be a mixed-use the one- acre minimum does
not apply. The changing of the zoning will be considerable from HOC and will create some non-
conforming businesses. By moving to a pedestrian-friendly environment and focused on commercial
and mixed-use, differences will be created between existing conditions.
Mr. Diekmann stated that this area is to be more commercial oriented,which will still need parking
and is still a destination to drive through. There are some building design and material requirements,
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but there is still a lot of flexibility. A proliferation of drive-thrus is not wanted in this area,because
drive-thrus are not good neighbors for walkability and residential promotion. The City is also
working on managing the transportation on Lincoln Way. There can be a drive-thru on each side of
Lincoln Way,but a new one can not come in until one leaves. Businesses such as vehicle service
facilities will become non-conforming in this area. That means that the owners can continue to
operate the business as is,but there will be limits on expansion, and if it goes away the business can
not be reestablished. The goal of non-conforming is to eventually have those businesses leave the
area they exist in when the zone changes. The business can be sold to someone else for the same
use. The end of a non-conforming use is when it is non-existent for 12 months; that is called
"abandoned." Many properties will be affected by the proposed zoning change, but some of the
businesses are already non-conforming.
Council Member Betcher asked why give the option for another drive-thru to come into the area
when trying to make it more pedestrian friendly. Mr.Diekmann responded that thought is possible,
but this is also allowing for relocation. Ms. Betcher's next question was why allow for larger
apartment units when trying to target the people in the workforce. Mr. Diekmann answered that the
Planning & Zoning Commission thought there should be more options than just one and two
bedrooms. A cap was put in place to control the number of larger units.
Director Diekmann stated that an outreach meeting was held on Thursday, March 1. Some small
business owners were concerned about changes on how it affected their existing business or how
they could sell or use the property differently. Other concerns were how to rebuild on a property.
Others were in favor to see how the redevelopment would go. The rezoning notice would go out to
the property areas.
Council Member Martin asked about lodges or clubs were not included. Mr. Diekmann responded
those are membership-based, not for general use, and there is not a regular level of activity.
Laura Cram,203 Kellogg Avenue,Ames, stated that she is concerned about the rezoning. The new
zone focuses on pedestrian traffic,which limits automotive businesses and encourages fewer parking
stalls. The current zoning will still allow for development similar to the City's vision with the
exception of apartments along Lincoln Way. The majority of properties along Kellogg are zoned
with Downtown zoning that allows for mixed-use Residential. The rest of the properties in the area
are zoned HOC. Currently,these properties have fewer restrictions than with the new zoning. The
new zoning would allow for apartments and mixed-use,but would make over 70%of the properties
non-conforming whether by layout or type of business. This would decrease the value of the
properties, stifle businesses from growing in current locations, and drive out owners of small
businesses for more apartments. Ms. Cram does not support the proposed Ordinance.
Robert Goodwin, 311 Lincoln Way, Ames, stated that he has owned his property since 1981. The
favorable parts of this building are the parking and accessibility. The change would mean off-site
parking for him and his clients who could be over a block away. The proposed Ordinance would
make his property non-conforming, create the inability to replace the building if damaged, and a
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