HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Special Meeting of the Ames City Council 08/31/1999M INUTES OF TH E SPECIAL M EETING
O F TH E AM ES C ITY CO UNCIL
AM ES, IO W A AU GUST 31, 1999
The Am es City Council met in special session at 8:30 a.m . on the 31 day of August, 1999, in thest
City Council Cham bers in City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, pursuant to law with Mayor Ted Tedesco
pre siding and the follow ing Council m em bers present: Campbell, Cross, Hoffm an, Parks,
Quirm bach, and Wirth.
CALL TO ORDER: 8:30 a.m.
SETTING O F COUNCIL W ORK SESSION O N LAND USE CONCERNS: Mayor Tedesco
stated that he was proposing this work session in order for the Council to review the intent of the
Land Use Policy Plan and to entertain the Planning Staff’s response to John Parks’ memo.
Council member Hoffm an agreed that this was a good idea, but said she thought it should be
either before or after the public meetings on the zoning map, not in the middle of them . She
added that she was also interested in having a drive-around to look at some areas of concern.
The M ayor stated that the public meetings in the wards were scheduled for September 8, 16, 22,
29, and October 14.
There was discussion about when the issues raised by Mr. Parks should be addressed and
whether these or other issues would be addressed at the scheduled public meetings. While several
viewpoints were offered, there seem ed to be consensus that the meetings with the wards needed
to be focused on the zoning m ap so that the process did not get side-tracked. And while the
concerns listed in Mr. Parks’ m em o we re separate from the specifics of the map, Council
m em bers expressed concern about sending mixed m essages if the workshop w ere held
Septem ber 21.
Council Mem ber Cam pbell proposed that a drive-around be done on September 21 to visit the
city’s perim eter to observe the topography and new areas, and that a follow-up meeting or
workshop to discuss concerns such as non-conform ity, density, targeted growth areas, and
notification be scheduled after the last public meeting on the new map.
M ayor Tedesco said his concern was that the Council m ay have lost sight of som e of the
concepts included in the Land Use Policy Plans (LUPP). He said he felt that the LUPP should be
considered as a sort of matrix, and specific proposals brought to the City should be looke d at in
term s of the overall good for the entire comm unity. He also agreed that it was necessary to
address Mr. Parks’ m em o, especially in light of issues that had come up in the two previous
m eetings. He said there were mixed em otions on the issue of density and where it stands in the
priorities, and he was not sure the Council was prepared to deal with questions about dividing
lots.
Counc il Mem ber Parks said there w ere many questions raised by the Ferguson anne xation, partly
because of the difficulties arising when existing land uses at the edges of the City which might be
eligible for annexation do not fit into the concepts recently adopted. He said that it was
important for citizens to know what to expect from the City and for the City to have a plan for
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dealing with potentially pro ble m atic properties. He proposed that they take specific note of
existing uses on the fringe during the drive-around.
Motion by Wirth, second by Quirm bach, to have a drive-around m eeting on Septem ber 21
at 5:15 p.m . and to have staff set up a meeting to discuss other concerns as soon as possible
follow ing the public m eetings.
Motion by Campbell to amend the motion to have both the drive-around and discussion
meeting on September 21. The am endment died for lack of second.
Council Mem ber Parks stated that he felt it would be more practical to discuss non-conform ities
soon, as residents need to know now just how the new zoning will affect them , and to deal with
perim eter and annexation issues at a separate meeting once the maps are done. He suggested that
the perim eter drive-around also be done after the Annexation Study com es in later this fall.
Council member Cam pbell called the question.
Vote on Motion: 5-1, Campbell, Cross, Hoffm an, Quirm bach, and Wirth voting aye; Parks
voting nay. (Motion declared carried.)
M r. Sch aink er requested that the Counc il write down sp ecific qu estion s an d concerns and give
them to Brian O’Connell so that staff would have an opportunity to review them before the drive-
around and so that the meeting could be organized to address them.
Planning Department Director O’Connell requested im m ediate clarification from the Council on
the issue of notification, as he wanted to be sure they felt it was adequate before the upcoming
public meetings started. It was pointed out that the ward meetings were simply for inform ation
exchange, and since there had been a lot of m edia coverage it was concluded that sufficient
notice had been given.
Asked about notification requirem ents prior to taking legal action, City Attorney John Klaus
stated that the City was statutorily required to hold a hearing for the enactment of the zoning
m ap. He stated that, in the past, notice had been published in the newspaper and that method of
notification had never been challenged as being inade qu ate.
Council Mem ber Parks noted that it has been the City’s practice to notify everyone within 200
feet of properties being re-zoned and to announce the date of the public hearing. He maintained
that this would be the largest re-zoning the City had ever done and that there was no reason not
to notify all property owners by m ail, particularly since they don’t all live in town and may not
have access to the local m edia. He added that while there had been a sm all interested
constituency, the council’s m eetings pertaining to this had not been packed; he said he sensed
that most citizens were rather num b to it.
Attorney Klaus reiterated that the City’s notification practices were in accordance with the Iowa
Code and the United States Constitution. He add ed that there were som e other law s pertaining to
owners’ rights to protest and the Council’s voting requirem ents, and he agreed to prepare an
inform ational m em orandum for the Counc il.
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REQUEST TO PLACE ‘SPIRIT SIGNS’ ON PUBLIC RIGH TS-OF -W AY: Motion by
Cam pbell, second by Parks, approving the Am es High Football Parents’ request to place “spirit
signs” on public rights-of-way along 13th Street and 20th Street on the evenings of Septem ber
10, October 1, October 8, and October 29, 1999.
Council Mem ber Quirmbach reminded the group that the Iowa Games had recently m ade a
sim ilar request that they turned down. H e said there w as a history of prohibiting signs on public
property and he felt that was justified on the grounds of public safety. He said he was not
opposed to signs on the inside of the sidewalk, off of the public right-of-way, where they would
not obscure one’s vision, but he did not suppo rt granting this request.
Council member Wirth agreed, sayin g she did not feel this was a good use of public property.
Vote on Motion: 4-2; Cam pbell, Cross, Hoffman, and Parks voting aye; Quirm bach and
Wirth voting nay. Motion declared carried.
DATE OF HEARING TO CONSIDER PARTIALLY VACATING SANITARY SEW ER
EASEM ENT IN G RAND JUN CTION SUB DIV ISIO N: M otion by Wirth, second by Cross, to
adopt RE SO LUTION NO . 99-323 setting Septem ber 14, 1999 , as the date of public hearing to
consider partially vacating a sanitary sewer easement in Grand Junction Subdivision.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanim ously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
m ade a portion of the se m inu tes.
FINAL PLAT FOR SOM ERSET SUBDIVISION, FIFTH ADDITION: M oved by Cross,
seconded by Quirm bach to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 99-324 approving the final plat for
Somerset Subdivision, Fifth Addition.
Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanim ously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby
m ade a portion of the se m inu tes.
Council member Wirth left the meeting at 9:00 a.m.
RELEASE OF CO NTRACT AN D LIEN FO R 1608 CLARK AV ENUE: M oved by Cross,
seconded by Hoffman to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 99-325 approving the release of contract and
lien for the property located at 1608 Clark Avenue in connection with the City’s Phase IV
Mortgage Buy-Down Affordable Housing Program.
Vote on Motion: 5-0 (Motion declared carried unanim ously.)
CO M M EN TS: Moved by Hoffm an, seconded by Cross, to place a request from the Old Town
District to close the 800 block of Douglas Avenue on the next m eeting’s agenda.
Vote on Motion: 5-0 (Motion declared carried unanim ously.)
ADJOURNM ENT: The meeting adjourned at 9:03 a.m.
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Diane V oss, City Clerk
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Karen T hom pson, Recording Secretary
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Ted Tedesco, Mayor