HomeMy WebLinkAboutA005 - Letter dated June 11, 2018 from Ed Sorenson, Dairy Queen June 11, 2018
The Honorable John Haila, Mayor of the City of Ames
Gloria Betcher, Councilwoman, City of Ames 1�
Tim Gratin, Councilman, City of Ames
David Martin, Councilman, City of Ames Dairy Queen
Chris Nelson, Councilman, City of Ames OF CENTRAL IOWA
� � IBronwyn Beatty-Hansen, Councilwoman, City of Ames (SINCE 1952)
Amber Corrieri, Councilwoman, City of Ames gd4tald 05• . &Wad"
Robert Bindham, Councilman, City of Ames TERRITORY OPERATOR
P.O.Box 55
RE: Proposed Downtown Gateway Project Ames,IA 50010 Home Office:515-292-9520
Dear Mr. Mayor and members of the Ames City Council,
The "New Urbanism" is the Vision Ames City Staff has for Lincoln Way. This is directly out of a University
textbook and not tailor made for the Lincoln Way Corridor, which questions the application.
Also, the last stretch of the Lincoln Highway that can be honored as the first transcontinental road
across the United States, and goes directly down Lincoln Way, needs to be a center focus of any
"Vision". Other cities across the United States honor this highway while Ames has a "Vision to make it a
DIET road including Walk and Bike paths".
Other questions that need to be given openness are Number one: Who will pay for the closing of two
water wells and the drilling of new ones, and Number two: How many thousands of dollars in tax
abatements will the citizens of Ames have to give the developers that are also envisioning this project?
Full disclosure of the cost of this project to the citizens of Ames needs to be addressed now, and the
public made aware of the costs before this project continues.
If this project had been truly given the light of day, there would not be a great number of signs on
Lincoln Way, and Council chambers would not be filled with angry business people and other citizens.
The more aware citizens become of this project the faster resistance is growing.
Please take the time to read the attachments to this letter and then talk about City Staff's "Vision". As I
said, right out of a textbook.
As the past President of the Lincoln Way Improvement Association, I recall a similar failed attempt by
City Staff to implement a very similar vision 21 years ago also with very little disclosure.
Sincerely,
Ed Sorenson
(66 years in the Dairy Queen business on Lincoln Way and an 82 year resident of s.) I
JUI'V 1 1 2018
CITY CLERK
CITY OF AYES. IOWA
Page two
Attachments(2)
Sidebar:
It might also interest you to know that those of us in the Franchise business answer to a Corporation
who has the right to designate a remodel or change of business design at any time. When the City says
we are a non-conforming,that then puts the Franchisee in violation of their contract and we are not
allowed to change the structure that is there. (Another way to destroy the small businessman.) Not to
mention what this does to property values should one of us want to sell to another possible business.