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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Packet of Communications to Council as of October 23, 2026 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: Renee Hall, City Clerk Date: October 23, 2026 Subject: Packet of Communications to Council Listed below are the communications to the City Council known to staff as of October 23, 2026: 1. Kelly Diekmann, Planning and Housing Director – October 5, 2026 RE: Request to Consider Text Amendment Regarding Chiropractic Practices as Home Occupation 2. Ames Public Library Board of Trustees – October 15, 2026 RE: Request to adopt an ordinance to establish closed hours for library grounds 3. Mindy Shanna, Ames Resident – October 22, 2026 RE: Pedestrian Safety on South Duff Avenue 4. Kelly Diekman, Planning and Housing Director – October 27, 2026 RE: Request to Rezone Approximately 90 Acres of Land to General Industrial (GI) Along Turing Street Department of Planning & Housing Memo TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Kelly Diekmann, Planning and Housing Director DATE: October 5th, 2026 SUBJECT: Request to Consider Text Amendment Regarding Chiropractic Practices as Home Occupations Background: Katelyn Koppes has made a request to the City Council to consider a Text Amendment regarding Home Occupations. Ms. Koppes, in her attached letter, requests chiropractic offices be permitted as a home occupation in order to operate a chiropractic practice from her home at 4618 Twain Street. The City of Ames has Home Occupation standards within the Zoning Ordinance. Ames Municipal Code Section 29.1304(6) includes a list of Prohibited Uses for Home Occupations, including medical and dental offices. Although other types of offices are permitted as Home Occupations, a chiropractic practice falls within this prohibition as it is maintained by a licensed medical professional. The Home Occupation standards were revamped in 2023 in response to a new state law regarding allowances for Home Occupations and limits and City permitting requirements. The list of Prohibited Uses was amended to include medical and dental offices in 2023. Prior to the 2023 amendment, physicians and other licensed medical practitioners were allowed as Special Home Occupations through a discretionary review process with the ZBA. With the 2023 amendment, Home Occupations became permitted by right, subject to certain criteria ensuring they were “No Impact.” No permit or staff review is required for a home occupation meeting the criteria. If City Council were to initiate a change to allow the use, it would still be required to meet the following standards:  Not more than 10 vehicular trips related to the business per day shall be allowed. A trip to and from the Home Occupation location shall count as one trip.  No more than 4 client or customer vehicles related to the Home Occupation during any given hour shall be allowed on the site.  The maximum number of clients/customers at any one time shall not exceed four.  The activity shall be conducted in a manner that will not alter the normal residential character of the premises. Options: Option 1 – No Changes at This Time Council could respond by declining to pursue a Text Amendment for Home Occupations involving chiropractic practices. This would require the applicant to locate the practice in a zoning district where offices are a Permitted Use, such as a commercial zone. Option 2 –Text Amendment to Allow Chiropractic and Similar Practices as Home Occupations City Council could direct staff to have the requestor submit an application for a Text Amendment to except chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage uses from the prohibited medical and dental office uses under the Home Occupation standards. This would continue to prohibit more traditional medical practices as Home Occupations. This type of amendment would apply throughout the City, but is narrow in scope to activities that would likely meet the performance requirements of a Home Occupation. Sta Comments Generally medical office uses are expected to have a higher parking demand and trip generation than other office uses for employees and patients. This would be the primary rationale to have them as prohibited use. In this case, the type of uses related to the request may not be of the same intensity as regular medical and dental office uses. They may reasonably be able to abide by the customer and employee limits and not generate code enforcement complaints. If Council wishes to consider a Text Amendment to the allowed Home Occupations, the request should be put on a future agenda for discussion and direction as to the scope of the amendment. 1 Hall, Renee From:senek8078 <senebou4@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, September 8, 2026 9:00 AM To:Hall, Renee Subject:Business Proposal - Follow up Per Recommendation of Benjamin Campbell Attachments:Business Proposal for City Council.pdf [External Email] Dear Renee Hall, I received your contact information from Benjamin Campbell, the City Planner for Ames. I am seeking approval for a small at home chiropractic business. Mr. Campbell recommended I ask for a text amendment to the Home Occupation regulation asking for a modification for a chiropractic practice as a home occupation. In the letter, are the details of the structure of the business still honoring the city's goal for a quiet residential area. Sincerely, Katey Koppes You don't often get email from senebou4@gmail.com. Learn why this is important Katelyn Koppes, D.C. * 4618 Twain Street *Ames, IA 50014 * (262)408-9967 * senebou4@gmail.com September 2, 2026 Renee Hall City Clerk, City of Ames 515 Clark Ave. Ames, IA 50010 Dear Mrs. Hall: I received your contact information from Benjamin Campbell, the City Planner for Ames. I am seeking approval for a small at home chiropractic business. Mr. Campbell recommended I ask for a text amendment to the Home Occupation regulation asking for a modification for a chiropractic practice as a home occupation. In the letter, are the details of the structure of the business still honoring the city's goal for a quiet residential area. First, I fully understand the city’s position on operating a business in a residential area. I enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of my neighborhood and have no intention of disrupting that feel or the overall flow of our neighborhood. My goal is first and foremost to be a stay-at-home mom, while seeing a few chiropractic patients on the side. Seeing a few chiropractic patients from my home would look very different than operating a full-scale medical practice in several ways. First, chiropractic is a separate entity from medicine. In chiropractic, we do not prescribe medications, draw blood, give injections, or produce any hazardous waste. We use only our hands to apply gentle force to restore normal function in the human body. As such, chiropractic is not considered a branch of conventional medical practice. In addition, my hours of operation would be significantly less than a medical clinic, keeping additional traffic at a level that would be virtually unnoticed. After researching the city codes for Ames, I found that according to the American Legal Publishing Code Library for Ames per section (b), “The activity shall be conducted in a manner that will not alter the normal residential character of the premises.” This is important to me as well. My research shows that according to the American Legal Publishing Code Library for Ames, a home occupation office space permits up to 10 vehicles per day, with up to 4 family members per vehicle, between the hours of 6:30 AM - 7:00 PM. My proposed hours and operating guidelines are as follows: Each appointment would be 15 minutes long to allow suitable time for me to properly care for each patient and to also avoid creating a traffic issue with only four appointment times per hour and only eight total appointment times per day. My intended hours of operation would be: - Tuesday: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM - Wednesday: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM - Thursday: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM - Friday: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM I would not have a need to employ any staff and would have patients park only in my driveway. The area I would use for seeing patients would be less than 650 square feet, making the office space less than 50% of the gross floor area. The only equipment I would need would be a single computer, a single TV monitor, and three small chiropractic tables. I would operate with full knowledge of all city ordinances and would purposely preserve a residential feel in my neighborhood. I look forward to your reply and will be happy to answer any additional questions you might have. Sincerely, 1 Hall, Renee From:M H <mindyshanna@gmail.com> Sent:Thursday, October 22, 2026 6:49 PM To:City Council and Mayor Subject:Pedestrian safety on South Duff [External Email] Good Evening, I am not sure what is on the agenda for the meeting Tuesday night, but I know this has been addressed so many times. Seems that it is going nowhere and I’m not sure how many casualties you are waiting for in order things to change. I ride the transit system and pick up my daughter from Boys and Girls Club every day. I catch the yellow route to get to city hall and it requires me to cross Duff with my daughter. This is the 3rd time we have been about hit crossing South Duff at 5th Street. My husband and I cross with our daughter between us for safety reasons. We are close to 1/2 way through the intersection with the white crossings light on and a car turns left onto South Duff flooring it to try to get turned before we fully cross almost hitting us. The rate this guy was going tonight could have caused all 3 of us serious injuries. Again this has been a huge problem and all that happens is talk and no action. As a mayor you sound be looking at the safety of this town and take action. One suggestion is keep their turn light stay red longer to provide adequate time for pedestrians to cross. Also, I know some intersections have cameras. Place cameras at intersections that are problematic so if a complaint is placed you can pull the footage and address it accordingly. Again, I really am hoping you are not waiting for an abundance of casualties before something happens. Thank you, Mindy Some people who received this message don't often get email from mindyshanna@gmail.com. Learn why this is important Department of Planning & Housing Memo TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Kelly Diekmann, Planning & Housing Director DATE: October 27th, 2026 SUBJECT: Request to Rezone Approximately 90 Acres of Land to General Industrial (GI) Along Turing Street BACKGROUND: Chuck Winkleblack, LDY LLC, has requested City Council allow him to apply for a rezoning to General Industrial (GI) for approximately 90 acres of land along Turing Street, west of Teller Avenue (Parcels 10-08-400-300, 10-08-400-100, 10-08-400-220). No specific uses have been identified by the applicant at this time. This area is south of the Prairie View Industrial Center near the new HWY 30/Teller Avenue interchange. The letter also requests the City Council direct staff to evaluate options for sanitary sewer service for properties located south of the Prairie View Industrial Center. See attached request letter and location map. The requestor previously discussed the rezoning with City staff. Staff indicated that a rezoning would be challenging given that no water or sanitary sewer infrastructure presently serve the property to meet City urban development requirements. Staff noted that zoning is typically used by the City to control timing of development in relation to public infrastructure as well as to manage land uses. Therefore, the applicant has requested City Council consider his request and give direction to proceed with rezoning before a formal application has been filed. Sewer Infrastructure: Currently, no City sewer exists within ½ mile of the site. The City deployed sanitary sewer within Lincoln Way to the north, but this area is not included in its service area. Mains may be extended south with development of properties within Prairie View, but not all sites will have gravity flow sewer main service for properties to the south. Additionally, depending on the uses within Prairie View, the available sewer capacity may be fully utilized before extending service south. However, once development occurs within Prairie View, Plan 2040 identifies a long-term need for a trunk line sewer to be built south from Prairie View to the treatment plant, which could serve this area. Regarding interim options, staff has discussed the potential for a pump station to connect the subject properties and others in the area to the existing sewer to the north, but nothing formal has been evaluated by the applicant or staff as it is not part of the current long-term plan. The applicant has indicated an interest in utilizing an interim solution of a septic system s occurs within county commercial development. Details on sizing and how to eventually connect to a City sewer have not been discussed in detail. This approach would require evaluation of how it connects to a future city sewer. Eventually it would require a waiver of the City’s infrastructure standards with subdivision approvals, as well as agreements related to the transition to City sewer at the applicant’s expense when available. Water Infrastructure: The property is within the Iowa Regional Utility Association (IRUA) rural water territory. It is not part of a territory buyout agreement for Prairie View. As with other rural water providers, IRUA is not required to serve the property to City standards, including fire protection standards. The IRUA has plans to construct a water tower adjacent to the subject property within the next few years that will serve the subject property with increased water flows and pressure. However, there is no agreement related to water service within the City and coordination of standards and billing. This type of agreement exists with Xenia. City staff has discussed this with IRUA and shared the Xenia agreement as a model. IRUA staff was open to such an agreement, but no one has initiated the process. If there is no agreement, the owner could potentially meet fire protection requirements with private facilities like a water tank. In no event could development occur without a water source that provides the necessary level of protection required by the Fire Code. OPTIONS: Option 1 – Allow the Application for Rezoning to GI with a Master Plan A Rezoning with Master Plan would be required to include plans for utilities and permitted uses, addressing staff’s concerns. The applicant would need to evaluate dry sewer options and options for connections to planned sanitary sewer if it is allowed to be served by a sceptic system. Even with zoning approval, development could not occur without, at a minimum, the site having water supply to meet fire protection requirements. This seems to be at least two years away based upon conversations with IRUA about procuring and constructing a water tower. The applicant favors this option believing it saves time and makes the site ready for development. Staff believes it will take a substantial amount of time to address the unknowns and plan for future improvements that are not immediately known. Option 2 – Approach IRUA to Update the current Territory Agreement with the Requirement that Services Meet City and SUDAS Standards Within the City This option would not initiate the rezoning request, but would direct the City’s Water Pollution Control staff to initiate the update to the IRUA agreement that may in part address the issue of water service for this area. Once the issue of water service is resolved and timing of the improvements are known, City Council could then revisit the topic of zoning. This option does not resolve the sanitary sewer issue. Option 3 – Request Public Works Determine if there is a Feasible Interim Option to Pump the Area to the North to the Existing Sanitary Sewer This option would not address the rezoning request, but would direct City staff to answer the request regarding the ability of sanitary sewer to serve the property in the interim until a trunk line is constructed. Once this has been studied, City Council could then revisit the topic of zoning. This option would require commitment of Public Works staff time and city funding to evaluate options to serve private development. This is not a current priority of the City and could be viewed as developer request to advance infrastructure planning that should be funded by the developer for review by the City. Option 4 – No Action If City Council finds the request premature given the current constraints and it is not a priority to direct use of City resources, no action is needed. STAFF COMMENTS: Typically, the City would not rezone an area unless there is some certainty in the ability to service with public infrastructure in acceptable timeframe. Staff believes that there are significant outstanding questions about the near-term ability and plans to serve the property with utilities and, therefore, rezoning should not be initiated until these questions are answered. Of the Options presented, Option 2 is in the City’s interest regardless of the rezoning request. Staff believes taking this step with the expectation of completing an agreement with IRUA in the next 6-9 months would be beneficial for all parties. Once the issue of water service is resolved and timing of the improvements are known, City Council could then revisit the topics of sanitary sewer and zoning.