HomeMy WebLinkAboutA005 - Letter to Mayor and Council dated May 28, 2002 - comments from Bloomington Townhouse Association May 28, 2002
Mayor and City Council - -
City of Ames
MAX 2 8 LU�2
City Hall
Ames, Iowa - ---
C��r Ci::iirc(
CIS'€s R,�?�4 F IC��Jt
Re: Bloomington Heights West Subdivision
The following comments and requests are made upon behalf of the Bloomington
Townhouse Association, Ames, Iowa.
The Bloomington Townhouse Association (BTA) is located to the east of the
subdivision and townhouse development now in question. We have two significant
concerns regarding the development we wish to address to you.
1. Air pollution and dust control
Being located to the east of what is today mostly cultivated fields, even though the
area is within the incorporated city limits, and being in the direct line of the prevailing
winds, we already periodically experience significant fugitive dust and related health
problems during parts of the year. This will be made significantly more serious by
the construction work and disturbance that is expected continue for upwards of three
years. Crop cover will no longer protect us for most of three seasons each year.
And, the dust problem is expected to be made significantly worse by construction
related traffic on Hyde/Grant Avenue, as it is a convenient but non-essential shortcut
for northbound traffic.
Examination of development sites by the same organizations as will be involved with
this site show no signs of fugitive dust control actions being taken a part of the
construction program. As a result, we request that preventative steps be taken and
processes put in place in advance of problems and complaints, along with
appropriate monitoring, to insure that adequate on-site controls will be exerted to
ensure compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's air quality
standards, particularly that one known as PM10 for fugitive dust. (Being a new
metropolitan area, we would also like to avoid non-compliance and all the
implications this could bring.) This should help insure that no significant nuisance
and health problem should arise due to uncontrolled dust.
Actions Requested:
• All streets, including Hyde/Grant Avenue, be hard surfaced prior to
commencement of excavation and earthwork for building construction work in
this proposed development. Failing that, we request that Hyde/Grant Avenue
be immediately closed to through traffic until such time as it may be reopened
as a hard surfaced thoroughfare.
• City staff, likely the Director of Public Works, be empowered to order on-site
(including road construction, and building and landscaping sites) dust control
measures be carried out by the developer if and as necessary, and the
developer be required to post a bond to ensure compliance or cost recovery
is it becomes necessary for the City to take direct action to substitute for the
developer's failure to respond adequately and timely.
2. Surface water runoff and erosion control downstream
A drainage channel serving the proposed development also traverses the northern
portion of the BTA's development site. We are concerned about flooding and
uncontrolled erosion, both due to increases in the total volume of water and the rate
at which is will be dumped into the surface drainage channel. The channel is
already too steep to maintain the gradient of the streambed without serious further
erosion, even without increases in the amount and rate of water being handled. This
deployment will seriously increase both.
The proposed on-site impoundment of development-site drainage is apparently
designed to control the release rate of surface water, restricting it to a "two-year
event." Nominally, this means the flow in the channel will not exceed what would
otherwise be expected to be an extreme event occurring only once every two years.
If so, there would be some degree of streambed degradation control. However, with
the increased amount of runoff due to development, and the reduced time of
concentration of the drainage on that development site, we will now see much
smaller storms turned into routine "two-year" discharge events many times each
year. We will be threatened with extended drainage and substantial erosion
occurring far more often for longer periods at this "two-year" rate. So, even the
frequency expectation of only once in two years will no longer protect us.
This will greatly accelerate the erosion of the streambed and threaten the BTA's
buildings and landscaping. Without further retention capacity, partially to support
lesser discharge and reduce the frequency of this extreme discharge to the standard
of once every two years, we will be without adequate protection.
Plans for the Hallett's Quarry Preserve and Park, and the proposed rechanneling of
this drainage to it, may alleviate these concerns. But, otherwise, the increased flow
of surface water threatens the foundations of buildings in our development. As the
P
' I
preserve's plans are not yet developed, we are unable to adequately assess this
threat and any possible relief. City representatives have agreed to provide an
opportunity to review such plans as those preliminary plans become available. They
described expected outcomes that can adequately respond to our concerns. Staff
has been most supportive of searching for reasonable solutions to this problem.
Action Requested:
• Until such time as the Hallett's Quarry Preserve plans may be reviewed, and
an agreement entered into regarding channel grading and Preserve's
development's relationship to our property, or until such time as other means
may be resolved to adequately control channel erosion and protect the BTA
development, we request the Council postpone final approval of this
subdivision development's drainage plans.
Thank you for the opportunity to share our concerns and comment upon the
proposed development.
Submitted by:
Ian MacGi livray
4233 Eisenhower Court
Ames, Iowa
For:
Bloomington Townhouse Association
Ames, Iowa