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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Amendment to the Downtown Urban Revitalization Area Plan RESOLUTION NO. 23-570 RESOLUTION APPROVING AMENDMENT TO THE DOWNTOWN URBAN REVITALIZATION AREA PLAN FOR THE CITY OF AMES,IOWA WHEREAS, City staff and the City Council reviewed stakeholder and public input regarding a wide range of issues related to Downtown investment and redevelopment. It was deemed necessary to amend the eligibility criteria to expand opportunities for property tax abatement related to new improvements while still supporting the City's primary goals for maintaining Downtown character. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Ames, Iowa, that the amended Downtown Urban Revitalization Area (URA) criteria as written in Attachment C are hereby approved. ADOPTED THIS 14th day of November, 2023. Renee Nall, City Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor Introduced by: Gartin Seconded by: Rollins Voting aye: Beatty-Hansen, Corrieri, Gartin, Junck, Rollins Voting nay: None Absent: Betcher Resolution declared adopted and signed by the Mayor this 141h day of November, 2023. Attachment A Downtown Urban Revitalization Area IT7 1 II !--1__ �!'— -ALL- �1— �rme► - -.-- � 8 K W O P z Y a s Eerw ST Fs ST F ST a STN 8T ST"V - - -- d�•H� AI1ry - { pr 5' S� N7NCST - Area of Kellogg Avenue ] - 5 Proposed to Be Removed Y w JNCCIN VMS E UMCOIN'AMY i z _ a ti Legend 375 1815 0 3,5 Feel ®Urban REVuizatgnArea Pro Dared Jvw 16 2011 Dr The C 11 cU mos Plannnp C%,rmn Attachment B Legal Description for New Boundary Beginning at the northeast corner of Lot 5, Block 7, Original Town of Ames, Story County, Iowa; thence south a distance of 508.15 feet along the west ROW of Duff Avenue to the north ROW line of the Union Pacific Railroad; thence westerly along said ROW to the southwest corner of Lot 4, College Park Second Addition; thence northwesterly along the west line of said Lot 4 to the southeast corner of Lot 5, College Park Second Addition; thence north along the east line of said Lot 5 a distance of 158.1 feet to the south ROW line of Fifth Street; thence east along said ROW line to the northwest corner of Lot 1, Triangle Addition, which is also a point on the south ROW line of Fifth Street: thence north across said ROW to the southwest corner of Lot 5, College Park First Addition; thence north along the west line of said Lot 5 a distance of 203 feet more or less to the southwest corner of Lot 4, College Park First Addition;thence north along the west line of said Lot 4 a distance of 100.4 feet to the south ROW line of Sixth Street; thence east along said ROW a distance of 2489 feet, more or less, to the northwest corner of Lot 1, Block 7, Original Town of Ames; thence north across said ROW to the east line of the alley of Block 6, Original Town of Ames; thence north along the east line of said alley a distance of 120 feet more or less to the northwest corner of Lot 4, Block 6, Original Town of Ames; thence east along the north line of said Lot 4 a distance of 180 feet to the west ROW of Duff Avenue; thence east a distance of 80 feet more or less across said ROW to the northwest corner of Lot 7 of Blair's 2nd Addition: thence east along the north line of said Lot 7 a distance of 180 feet to the northeast corner of said Lot 7; then south along the east line of said Lot 7 a distance of 60 feet to the southeast corner of said Lot 7; thence west along the south line of said Lot 7 a distance of 60 feet; thence south a distance of 60 feet to the north ROW of East Sixth Street; thence west along said north ROW a distance of 120 feet more or less to the east ROW of Duff Avenue; thence west across said ROW a distance of 80 feet more or less to the west ROW of Duff Avenue;thence south along said ROW a distance of 306 feet more or less to the Point of Beginning. Attachment C Downtown Urban Revitalization Area Tax Exemption Criteria with Modifications as Directed by Council on September 26, 2023 Established under Urban Revitalization Tax Exemption standards of Iowa Code 404. 1. The property must be located within the Downtown URA boundary. 2. Building improvements must be completed, and the building must have a certificate of occupancy from Ames Inspections Division. 3. The minimum value of a building improvement must increase the actual value by 5% or more. Site improvements, e.g. parking lots, landscaping, etc. are not eligible for tax abatement as a building improvement is required. a. Note — A commercial use is required to have a minimum assessment agreement approved by the City Assessor and the City prior to receiving tax abatement per state law. 4. A property owner may choose either a 3-, 5-, or 10-year sliding schedule of tax abatement. (See Attachment C) Note — Residential properties may have partial tax abatement rates different from commercial uses per requirements of state law. 5. The improvement must be maintained for the life of the tax abatement. 6. Use Eligibility a. Existing Occupied Building—All permitted uses within the DSC zoning district are eligible, including residential. All buildings that include nonconforming uses are ineligible. b. Existing Vacant Building — The ground floor must have a Retail Trade, Restaurant/Entertainment use, or small production facility (e.g. taproom, brewery, distillery, etc.) for the front half of the building. The remaining ground floor area and upper floors may have any of the following uses: retail trade, restaurant, entertainment, household living, or office. c. Building New Construction or Addition (with or without a Parking Structure) — Structure Parking improvements are eligible as an accessory use of a site when the primary building also includes commercial uses on the ground floor as defined for Existing Vacant Building or with City Council preapproval of layout plan for the location and size of commercial space at the ground floor. d. Ineligible uses include nonconforming uses to DSC zoning, institutional, group living, transportation, communication, utility, and miscellaneous uses defined within DSC zoning. 7. Ineligible Properties a. Government-owned properties. b. Properties identified as 1) a local or national historic resource/landmark or 2) properties having a contributing historic resource to a local or national district, where the building (or buildings) has been demolished within the past 10 years or otherwise modified* so that the building(s) are no longer eligible for listing as a historic resource. (Attachment D) * "Otherwise modified" includes alterations to character-defining features that negatively impact the historic integrity of the resource as identified at the time of the approval (either local or the National Register of Historic Places). A building damaged or destroyed by an accidental fire or weather may be pre-approved by City Council as eligible for tax abatement prior to making improvements to a site. 8. Design Requirements At the time of filing of a complete tax abatement application for City approval, the new improvements must be in compliance with the following design requirements as determined by the City: a. Existing Buildings: i. All front fagades of an existing building are consistent with the Downtown Fagade Design Guidelines. -OR- ii. If there are no facade improvements: 1. No changes are required to the front facade for the improvements, 2. The building must have a front customer entry from the street at ground level, and 3. The improvements to the building have not substantially reduced along the street(s) the ground floor transparency of windows and doors by reducing openings, obscuring the windows or doors with other materials, or replacing the glass 7 with reflective, opaque, translucent, spandrel or other types of glass, tinting or films that reduce transparency. b. New construction, including additions, shall conform to the Downtown Design Guidelines for facades. 9. Energy Audit Prior to Commencing Project If an existing building is proposed to undergo improvements to qualify for tax abatement, the applicant must complete a building energy audit prior to commencing the project. The energy audit reviews current energy use and makes recommendations for energy efficiency improvements. An audit conducted by Ames Electric complies with this requirement, as does an independent audit completed to the ASHRAE Level 1 standard with recommendations on energy efficiency improvements. The energy audit requirement applies for any project improvements that require a building, fire, or trade permit issued after July 1, 2024. The audit must be completed within the two years preceding the initiating the project improvements qualifying for property tax abatement. The applicant and building are not required to apply any of the suggestions in the audit,but the audit must be submitted to the City as a part of the URA application for final approval.