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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Special Meeting of the Ames City Council 01/14/1992MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AMES, IOWA JANUARY 14, 1992 The Ames City Council met in special session at 5:00 p.m. on January 14, 1992, in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, pursuant to law with Mayor Curtis presiding and the following members present: Brown, Campbell, Hertz, Hoffman, and Parks. Council Member Wirth arrived late. CONSENT AGENDA: Moved by Brown, seconded by Hoffman, to approve the following items on the Consent Agenda: 1. Motion to set 7:00 p.m. on February 4 and March 3 as Conference Board Meetings. 2. Motion to approve application for encroachment permit for loading dock at Munn Lumber, 408 Duff Avenue. Vote on Motion: 5-0. Motion declared carried unanimously. Council Member Wirth arrived at 5:05 p.m. CONSTRUCTION CODE WORKSHOP: Bob Kindred, Assistant City Manager, announced to those present that the purpose of this workshop was to provide an overview of the proposed local modifications to the Uniform Construction Code. He commented that many hours of work by City Staff and members of the construction community have gone into preparation of these codes. He said that this overview session will be followed in the next few months by additional work sessions where each of the respective codes will be considered. The differences between the Uniform Building Code, the State Building Code, and local codes were discussed. Mr. Kindred stated that Staff is recommending adoption of the Uniform Building Code with local modifications. He provided a list of advantages and disadvantages of locally modified codes. Council Member Parks said that he would like to examine how each one of the proposed modifications will be more or less restrictive than the present codes and whether they will add costs to development. Council Member Brown wished to emphasize consistency of enforcement and how the City can best facilitate things with the least amount of impediment. Mr. Kindred detailed the schedule that will be followed for adoption of the proposed codes ending with them taking effect by the latter part of 1992. He informed the group that the proposals before the Council represent a consensus between City Staff and local people in the construction industry with a few exceptions. He discussed specific proposals for the building code, fire code, mechanical code, electrical code, plumbing code and utilities code and covered outstanding issues for each code where agreement has not been reached between Staff and construction people. Mr. Kindred and Bob Friedrich, Jr. thanked all those involved in the process thus far. Don Newbrough was introduced as the lawyer who will be representing the Homebuilders Association during the upcoming adoption process. COMMENTS: There were no comments. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 p.m. _____________________________________ _____________________________________ Nancy Dionigi, City Clerk Larry R. Curtis, Mayor MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL AMES, IOWA JANUARY 14, 1992 The Ames City Council met in special session at 7:00 p.m. on January 14, 1992, in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue, pursuant to law with Mayor Curtis presiding and the following members present: Brown, Campbell, Hertz, Hoffman, Parks, and Wirth. MARY GREELEY MEDICAL CENTER MASTER PLAN: Brian O'Connell, Director of Planning and Housing, projected transparencies of aerial photos of the hospital area with the boundaries of the Master Site Plan drawn on them, excluding the western portion of the block located between 10th and 11th Streets and Douglas and Kellogg Avenues. He pointed out that the Developer's Agreement pertains to the same area. He displayed graphics representing the proposed additions to the hospital. Depictions of the proposed parking ramp were shown with a 30 foot and a 60 foot setback from the right-of-way on the north side of 10th Street. He pointed out that Douglas Avenue and 11th Street would have to be vacated in this area. Mr. O'Connell also played a video of buildings in Ames that are somewhat similar in height to the parking ramp, showing the view that a person would have if the parking ramp was built 30 feet and 60 feet from the sidewalk. Jeff Stevenson, President of Mary Greeley Medical Center, reviewed the proposed construction sequence for the hospital and reminded those present that the parking ramp would remain 90 feet from the 10th Street right-of-way until the third bay is built in the future. Dana Widstrom, architect, showed cutaways on transparencies depicting how the ramp would look with 30 foot and 60 foot setbacks. He commented that the height of the ramp would compare to the height of the fourth floor of the hospital, which is six stories high. Mr. Widstrom said that moving the parking ramp north to allow a larger setback would squeeze the Intensive Care Unit, which has one of the greatest needs at the hospital for increased space. He said that a better working configuration is possible for the ICU with a 30 foot setback. Mr. Stevenson asked for approval of a 30 foot setback for the parking ramp, which would actually translate into a 90 foot setback for many years or forever if the increased parking area is not needed. John Eggebrecht, 709 Douglas, President of the Old Town Neighborhood Association, introduced his neighborhood's opposition to a 30 foot setback for the ramp. Dick Haws, 812 Douglas, said that he thought agreement had been reached with the hospital concerning a 60 foot setback in September and expressed surprise that since that time the proposed ramp was moved south. He stated his belief that the new location and size of the ramp are not justified due to its impact on the neighborhood. He also discussed traffic movement in the area and locations of exits from the ramp. Mr. Eggebrecht suggested that the proposed ramp may be bigger than the hospital needs. He also expressed his belief that the change in configuration of the entry tower, including the ICU, which caused the ramp to be moved south, was the result of wanting to expose the hospital cafeteria windows rather than to achieve a better shape for the ICU. Joe Carter, 712 Duff Avenue, stressed the visual impact which would result from the ramp and encouraged approval of a 60 foot setback. Kay Wall, 1004 Kellogg, said she was concerned about cars exiting from the parking ramp into the neighborhood to the west. Brian McWaters, 1003 Kellogg, said that he checked with experts and found that landscaping would not be adequate on a 30 foot setback. He also suggested that the first stage of the ramp be built on the south side of the property and expanded to the north so that landscaping, once planted, would not be destroyed with further construction. Wayne Heffle, 1221 Kellogg, urged approval of a 60 foot setback with shorter buildings on the south side of the ramp to break up the vertical impact of the south wall of the ramp. Cal Halliburton, Chairman of the Hospital Board of Trustees, indicated that part of the reason that the board decided to shift the ramp south was to quell worries of the neighbors who thought that hospital usage would spread across 10th Street if small buildings were allowed on the south side of the ramp. He pointed out that a 30 foot buffer would prevent small buildings from being constructed there. Mayor Curtis informed the Council that their decision on the Hospital Master Plan at this meeting would be limited to the conceptual footprint of the additions and would not include entrances and exits to the parking ramp. He summarized their options. Moved by Parks to adopt a resolution approving the Hospital Master Plan with a 30 foot buffer on the south boundary. The motion died for lack of a second. Moved by Brown, seconded by Wirth, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 92-19 approving the Hospital Master Plan with a 60 foot buffer on the south boundary. Roll Call Vote: 5-1. Voting Aye: Brown, Campbell, Hertz, Hoffman, and Wirth. Voting Nay: Parks. Resolution declared adopted, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. MARY GREELEY MEDICAL CENTER DEVELOPER'S AGREEMENT: City Manager Schainker orally reviewed the main points of the Developer's Agreement. He stated that there is no expiration date to the agreement but that it could be amended in the future. He said that the entire renovation of the hospital would be paid for through hospital revenue not taxes. No zoning requirements will be waived in the agreement. The agreement will allow certain portions of the hospital to become vested lawful uses, since in the process of construction they may become nonconforming. Mr. Schainker pointed out that the hospital still has to proceed through all the steps of getting their construction plans approved and they have to abide by the Building Code. Concerning parking, he said that each phase of construction must satisfy parking requirements in the City Code for that phase. The hospital will need to work with the Fire Chief to make certain that all parts of the present building meet fire code requirements as the construction occurs. Mr. Schainker informed the Council that the agreement will allow the hospital to buy land within the approved boundaries without coming back for Council approval. Sites purchased must be retained in their current use until the hospital is ready to build on that location. He pointed out that the Council must be a willing partner in eminent domain proceedings for land purchase within the approved boundaries if necessary. Mr. Schainker said that the hospital and McFarland Clinic should plan for joint delivery locations. The hospital will have to pay for certain traffic signal improvements. Mr. Schainker pointed out that the hospital is in agreement with all parts of the Developer's Agreement. Moved by Campbell, seconded by Hoffman, to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 92-20 approving the Developer's Agreement for Mary Greeley Medical Center. Roll Call Vote: 6-0. Resolution declared adopted unanimously, signed by the Mayor, and hereby made a portion of these minutes. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 p.m. _____________________________________ ______________________________________ Nancy Dionigi, City Clerk Larry R. Curtis, Mayor