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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Packet of Communications to Council dated November 14, 2025 City Manager’s Office 515.239.5105 main 515 Clark Ave. P.O. Box 811 515.239.5142 fax Ames, IA 50010 www.CityofAmes.org MEMO To: Mayor and City Council From: Jeramy Neefus, Principal Clerk, City Manager’s Office Date: November 14, 2025 Subject: Packet of Communications to Council Listed below are the communications to the City Council known to staff as of November 14, 2025: 1. Brent Dunn, Ames Resident – October 30, 2025 RE: Parking Regulations on Ross Road 2. Travis Toliver, Ames Main Street Executive Director – October 31, 2025 RE: Request to Gift Holiday Lights to the City of Ames 3. Brian Phillips, Assistant City Manager – November 7, 2025 RE: Request to Rename Center Avenue to Chantland Avenue 4. Chuck Winkleblack, Hunziker Companies – November 10, 2025 RE: SE 3rd Street Paving Improvements 5. Luke Jensen, RES Group, Inc. – November 10, 2025 RE: Request for Amendment to Ames Comprehensive Plan 6. Dan Culhane, Ames Regional Economic Alliance President & CEO – November 13, 2025 RE: Economic Development Administration Opportunity 7. Justin Clausen, Public Works Director – November 14, 2025 RE: Hoover Avenue and Adams Street Stormwater Management 1 Hall, Renee From:Junck, Rachel Sent:Thursday, October 30, 2025 12:11 PM To:City Council and Mayor; Hall, Renee Subject:Fw: Parking Regulations Ross Rd Forwarding to all of council. Could we please include this in the next disposition of communications to council? Thank you, Rachel From: Brent Dunn <badunn182@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2025 12:08:52 PM To: Junck, Rachel <rachel.junck@amescitycouncil.org> Subject: Parking Regulations Ross Rd [External Email] Good morning, Rachel. My name is Brent Dunn. I live over on the west end of Ross Road, just south of Sawyer. I'm writing to you this morning to ask if something could be done regarding the parking ordinance on the stretch of Ross I live on. I had a conversation with Sheri, the police parking coordinator on the phone yesterday and she suggested I reach out to the city council. She also commented that she could see no issue with these specific signs going away and that they were likely implemented many years ago. I believe a neighbor of mine reached out to her as well. I'll try to explain briefly. The issue is that on both sides of the street there is signage stating that there is to be no parking between the hours of 12:00 AM and 6:00 AM. This presents a fairly large inconvenience to those of us who may have younger, active families with more than one vehicle. Most of the driveways are single-car, so you could imagine the headache caused by needing to shuffle vehicles at least once per day (or night) to accommodate this. Additionally, it's only been within the past four weeks or so that the rule has begun to be enforced. For four and a half years, I was able to park on the street in front of my home. Even if the signs were to be removed from one side only(North덞덛덟덜덝), that would help. I have been unable to find another stretch of any side road in my neighborhood with similar signage on both sides. I appreciate your time. Hope to hear a reply soon. Thank you! 304 Main Street, Ames, IA 50010 | 515.233.3472 | AmesDowntown.org Ames Main Street advances and promotes Downtown Ames as the heart of the Ames community. October 31, 2025 Ames City Council c/o City of Ames 515 Clark Avenue Ames, IA 50010 Re: Request to Gift Holiday Lights to the City of Ames Dear Mayor Haila and Members of the Ames City Council, On behalf of Ames Main Street and its board of directors, I am writing to request permission to gift new industrial LED lighting, purchased through the Discover Ames Community Grant program, to the City of Ames for seasonal decoration in Downtown Ames. These lights were acquired with the intent of enhancing the community experience during the winter season. We would like to offer them to the City and request that they be used for lighting the trees in Tom Evans Plaza, adding warmth, beauty, and a welcoming atmosphere to the heart of downtown throughout the colder months. This gesture aligns with the goals of the Discover Ames Community Grant by fostering community pride and encouraging greater engagement in our public spaces. We believe the City’s use of these lights will help create a festive and inviting environment for residents, students, and visitors alike and we hope to acquire more in the coming years to continue this project throughout the rest of Downtown Ames. Thank you for considering this request and for your continued partnership in making Downtown Ames a vibrant and enjoyable destination year-round. Respectfully, Travis Toliver, IOM Executive Director Caring People  Quality Programs  Exceptional Service 515.239.5101 main 515.239.5142 fax 515 Clark Ave. Ames, IA 50010 www.CityofAmes.org City Manager’s Office MEMO To: Mayor and City Council From: Brian Phillips, Assistant City Manager Date: November 7, 2025 Subject: Request to Rename Center Ave. to Chantland Ave. In 1975, the City opened the Resource Recovery Plant, located at 110 Center Avenue. Since that time, the facility has processed millions of tons of municipal solid waste, removing recyclable materials and producing an alternative boiler fuel for the Power Plant. Just as important, but perhaps less visible, have been the efforts of the people who conceived the idea of the plant, who have kept it operational and have improved its systems, and who have educated the thousands of visitors about recycling and conservation. The Resource Recovery Plant was the initiative of former Public Works Director Arnold O. Chantland. In recognition of his efforts, on July 9, 1991, the City Council renamed the facility the “Arnold O. Chantland Resource Recovery Plant.” Changes outside the City’s control over the past 50 years have prompted the City to pursue a new facility to manage the community’s solid waste and recycling needs – the Resource Recovery and Recycling Campus (R3C). This new facility undoubtedly benefits from innovations and lessons learned from five decades of operations at the Arnold O. Chantland Resource Recovery Plant. The new R3C will be located approximately a mile from the existing facility, which will close once the R3C becomes operational. Staff believes that it would be fitting to recognize the contributions of Arnold O. Chantland in an enduring fashion by renaming Center Avenue to Chantland Avenue. This street is one block in length and contains three properties addressed on it (one of which is the Resource Recovery Plant). Additionally, renaming this street will reduce potential confusion with Center Drive (at the Iowa State Center), which is a goal of the City’s adopted Street Naming Guide. If the City Council is supportive of this change, it would be appropriate to place this request on a future agenda for consideration. 1 Hall, Renee From:Diekmann, Kelly Sent:Monday, November 10, 2025 10:28 AM To:Hall, Renee Cc:Schoeneman, Amelia Subject:FW: Greenbriar - Comp Plan Amendment Referral Hello Renee, could you please include this applicant email as a referral request for the packet this week. Kelly Diekmann Planning and Housing Director 515.239.5400- main| 515.239.5181 direct| 515.239.5404 -fax kelly.diekmann@cityofames.org | City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue | Ames, IA 50010 www.CityofAmes.org | ~ Caring People ~ Quality Programs ~ Exceptional Service ~ From: Luke Jensen <luke@resgi.com> Sent: Monday, November 10, 2025 9:15 AM To: Diekmann, Kelly <kelly.diekmann@cityofames.org> Cc: kfriedrich@friedrich-realty.com; Chuck Winkleblack <chuck@hunziker.com>; Justin Dodge <justin.dodge@hunziker.com> Subject: Greenbriar - Comp Plan Amendment Referral [External Email] Kelly-would you please relay this on to the council packet? Mayor and City Council,, As we continue to advance discussions with City Staff on the new Greenbriar Subdivision. One item needing timely attention is an amendment to the City's Comprehensive Plan. We respectfully request shifting the mixed use designation to the northwest corner of our site. We believe this location is the most viable for commercial uses and aligns with the traffic patterns that are critical for mixed use success. Thank you for your consideration and continued partnership as we work to create a high-quality neighborhood that supports our shared vision for the community. 2 Luke, on behalf of the Greenbriar development team -- LUKE JENSEN, CCIM RES Properties | RES Development 2519 Chamberlain St., Ste 101 Ames, IA 50014 | 515.290.3487 Licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Iowa DATE: November 13, 2025 TO: Mayor Haila & Ames City Council Background The Economic Development Administration (EDA) FY 2025 Disaster Supplemental Grant Program makes approximately $1.45 billion in disaster recovery funding available to American communities impacted by major disaster declarations in calendar years 2023 and 2024. Story Council received this declaration due to tornados in May of 2024. Grant funding available to support construction projects that help communities recover from major disasters and advance recovery and growth, improving economic outcomes. Grant amounts are expected to range from $2 million to $20 million for construction projects; anticipated local match 20%. Project Opportunity The Teller / Highway 30 Intersection and related roadway investments made by the IDOT have created a unique opportunity for the City of Ames to build on this investment and open more than 600 acres for industrial and commercial development specifically with the deployment of additional sanitary sewer infrastructure. Other key infrastructure is readily available in this targeted development area by the following providers: electric (Alliant), natural gas (Alliant), and water (IRUA). We have identified landowners willing to sign long term options to sell their land for development. HCS and partners own 93 acres along these roadway improvements that have a concept ready, modeled after the North Dayton development if sanitary sewer were available. The opportunity to provide city services to the former Caremoli facility that would allow for a more robust and stable industrial opportunity that will create jobs and capital investment on this site. MIPA, the planning organization that serves our region, will provide the needed grant writing service to the City of Ames at no cost as they are members of this group. Request While we have no guarantee that the City of Ames would be awarded these federal EDA grant funds; without applying, we are certain not to get them! Our Alliance team feels we have a compelling application request on several fronts. The application will require basic infrastructure and updated project estimates generated by an engineer. We request that you approve the City staƯ proceed with this work as soon as possible. Readiness will be a key component in the evaluation of this application. We request the City begin work to rezone this area to support industrial and commercial development. Our team is available to answer your questions on this unique funding opportunity. We stand ready to assist. Dan Culhane, President & CEO, Ames Regional Economic Alliance MEMO Public Works 515.239.5279 main 515 Clark Ave. P.O. Box 811 Administration 515.239.5404 fax Ames, IA 50010 www.CityofAmes.org To: Mayor and Ames City Council From: Justin Clausen, PE, Public Works Director Date: November 13, 2025 Subject: Hoover Avenue and Adams Street request for Stormwater Management Background: At the October 28, 2025, City Council meeting, staff received a referral from an email submitted by Joe Rippetoe and Martha Atkins. The email raised concerns about stormwater management and requested an additional culvert at the southeast corner of Hoover Avenue and Adams Street. Figure one below shows a general overview of the area with north to the top. The path the stormwater takes is shown in blue/orange. The drainage easement area is highlighted in light blue, and the subject properties are identified. Figure One: Overhead view of area To provide context, the southeast corner of the intersection includes a recorded drainage easement. Stormwater from developed areas to the south and east flows toward a 15-inch storm sewer at this corner. From there, it continues north through larger pipe segments that increase to 30 inches in diameter before discharging into an open ditch between Panoramic Court and Edgewater Court. The water ultimately flows into the forebays of Ada Hayden. During MEMO Public Works 515.239.5279 main 515 Clark Ave. P.O. Box 811 Administration 515.239.5404 fax Ames, IA 50010 www.CityofAmes.org heavy rainfall, water temporarily ponds within the drainage easement, allowing the storm sewer system to catch up when rainfall exceeds design capacity of the storm sewer pipes. Water Damage at 3918 Hoover Avenue: Staff initially became aware of concerns in the spring of 2017 following several heavy rain events in 2016 that resulted in flash flooding across the City of Ames. The drainage easement filled with water from the rain events. Debris from private property adjacent to the drainage area flowed towards to the storm sewer outlet from the drainage area and obstructed the flow of storm water. As such the adjacent property directly south of the southeast corner of Hoover Avenue and Adams Street (3918 Hoover Avenue) received water into its finished basement through basement window wells that are full height, below the existing elevation of Hoover Avenue and exposed to the drainage easement. City staff met with the developer of the subdivision in the spring of 2017 to review concerns at the intersection. After review, City staff proposed to place a vertical standpipe into the storm sewer inlet so that if the storm sewer were to become blocked again it would have a place to relieve water backup in an effort to limit future high-water conditions. This standpipe was installed by staff in 2017. City staff also met with the property owner at 3918 Hoover Avenue in 2018 to discuss the standpipe improvements and to better understand how the water flowed into their basement. The property owner had sandbagged the lower window levels at some time following the 2016 flooding and has left them in place since that time. Staff performed an elevation survey of the area following an additional heavy rain event in the summer of 2018. No water entered the basement during that event, but a debris line was visible, indicating the top of the water level in the drainage easement. Staff determined that the grass parking area adjacent to the storm sewer could be lowered by six inches, which would allow a high-water event to release water towards the street before it would enter the window wells at 3918 Hoover Avenue. This grading took place during the fall of 2018. New Residential Construction at 1220 Adams Street: In June 2025, Mr. Rippetoe contacted staff about possible impacts from new residential construction next to the drainage easement. At that time, no permits or building plans had been issued. Staff assured him that no fill or permanent construction is allowed within the easement and committed to working with the builder to preserve the drainage area. Construction began in September 2025. Staff met with the builder and confirmed that no fill or materials were placed within the easement. Staff also met with Mr. Rippetoe to review survey data showing more than four feet of elevation difference between the storm sewer curb and MEMO Public Works 515.239.5279 main 515 Clark Ave. P.O. Box 811 Administration 515.239.5404 fax Ames, IA 50010 www.CityofAmes.org the low point where water could potentially reach his property. This information was shared directly with Mr. Rippetoe in person to demonstrate the low likelihood of runoff impacts. Storm Sewer Improvements: Outside of the operational improvements mentioned above, no additional improvements have been made or are currently planned in the 5-year Capital Improvements Program (CIP). Staff have routinely observed this area during rain events over the past 8 years when the initial operational improvements were completed. To staff’s knowledge there have been no instances of flooding or damage to property during this time. It is important to contextualize the two known events that did cause damage to the property at 3918 Hoover Avenue.  August 2010: Rainfall amounts of 9 to 10 inches of rain over 4 days, with the majority falling within 2.5 of those four days. The Skunk River and Ioway Creek both experienced historic flooding. This event was classified as having a probability of an annual recurrence interval of somewhere between 0.2% to 1%. This is also at times referred to as a 100-to-500-year event.  September 2016: Rainfall information at this exact location is not as accurate as the official measurement that were obtained at the Ames Airport. Many individual reports of rainfall amounts between 5-7 inches of rain in the evening to overnight led to significant flash flooding events across the community. This event was classified as having a probability of an annual recurrence interval of 1%. This is also at times referred to as a 100-year event. Stormwater systems are designed following Statewide Urban Design and Specifications (SUDAS) standards for a 10% annual recurrence interval (a 10-year event). Installing an additional culvert would require significant redesign: approximately 620 feet of storm sewer would need to be upsized, and downstream ditch armoring and outlet modifications toward Ada Hayden would be necessary to handle increased flows. These improvements would likely cost several hundred thousand dollars and provide minimal benefit during rare, extreme storm events. Moreover, the 2010 and 2016 flood events were aggravated by debris blocking the storm sewer outlet—a condition mitigated through the standpipe and grading improvements completed in 2017 and 2018. Staff Comments: Staff continue to monitor the area during rainfall events. Since the operational improvements were made there have been times when water has ponded in the drainage easement, however MEMO Public Works 515.239.5279 main 515 Clark Ave. P.O. Box 811 Administration 515.239.5404 fax Ames, IA 50010 www.CityofAmes.org it has also proven to drain away quickly once the storm sewer system has had a chance to catch up. The construction of a new residential property is adjacent to the ponding area, but staff have been working closely with the builder to ensure that no fill or changes inside of the drainage easement occur due to the construction activities. If Council desires, this location could be included in a future CIP for further study of potential improvements to reduce ponding concerns.