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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Campustown Facade Grant for 116 Welch Avenue (Arcadia Cafe) RESOLUTION NO. 16-230 RESOLUTION APPROVING CAMPUSTOWN FACADE GRANT FOR 116 WELCH AVENUE FOR THE CITY OF AMES WHEREAS,the Campustown Facade Program was developed to enhance the appearance of Campustown commercial buildings, fulfilling the City Council's objective of supporting Campustown; and, WHEREAS, the goal of the proposed Campustown Facade Program is to promote diverse building styles and increased activity and commercial use, and this program supports enriching the individual detail and character of each building within the context of a pedestrian-oriented commercial district; and, WHEREAS, the City Council identified the Campustown Service Center zoning district south of the ISU Campus and Neighborhood Commercial zoning district on West Street as the areas within which properties are eligible for project grants; and, WHEREAS,this program involves a review of grant applications once per year,and includes up to $15,000 of matching funds per facade, and each project may be awarded up to two facade grants, totaling $30,000 with each grant being scored independently; and, WHEREAS,the program also includes the allowance for up to$2,000 in additional funding for design fees when a project includes a licensed design professional; and, WHEREAS, a project must have a commercial use on the ground floor,but upper floors of a building that include residential or commercial uses may be included in a grant request, and facades eligible for funding must be street facing and improvements must be permanent improvements to the facades; and, WHEREAS,the City solicited grant applications for the Campustown program in February with a deadline of early March for submittal of applications; and, WHEREAS, three applications for building facade improvements were submitted for consideration by the Council for a grant award, however, the third application was recently withdrawn; and, WHEREAS, one of the grant applications is for the property at 116 Welch Avenue for the Arcadia Caf6 requesting $15,000 in grant funds with an additional $1,000 in design fees; and, WHEREAS,a revision to the front facade of the existing building is being requested,and the proposal includes replacement of the existing canopy on the building with a new fabric awning, removal and replacement of the pre-cast concrete wall panels with new manufactured stone veneer and natural cedar siding,revision of the entries of the building for accessibility,and the improvement of signage with new pedestrian-oriented blade signs; and, WHEREAS, the biggest improvement to the facade will be to the front transparency of the building with the installation of new caf6 style windows which can be opened up to allow for the front area ofthe building to create asocial atmosphere with the connection to the pedestrian sidewalk along Welch; and, WHEREAS, with the improvement to the new caf6 window system, the project can be deemed to be consistent with both the transparent campustown and social campustown design concepts by creating a better visual and physical connection from the street into the caf6; and, WHEREAS, the project is consistent with the identifiable campustown concept with the installation of the new awning and pedestrian-oriented signage; and, WHEREAS, consistent with the diverse design concept, the appearance of the fagade will be distinctly different from other buildings in the area with the use of the stone and natural cedar siding while staying in compliance with the City's zoning requirements for use of clay brick; and, WHEREAS, the total grant amount would be $16,000. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Ames, Iowa, that the Campustown Facade Grant in the amount of$16,000 for 116 Welch Avenue (the Arcadia Cafe) is hereby approved. ADOPTED THIS 26th day of April, 2016. A. Diane Voss, City Clerk Ann H. Campbell, Mayor Introduced by: Nelson Seconded by: Corrieri Voting aye: Betcher, Beatty-Hansen, Corrieri, Gartin,Nelson, Orazem Voting nay: None Absent: None Resolution declared adopted and signed by the Mayor this 26th day of April, 2016.