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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-15-2008 Planning and Zoning Commission (2)MINUTES Preliminary PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 — 7:00 PM — INFORMAL CITY HALL, EMMA J. HARVAT HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Josh Busard, Charlie Eastham, Ann Freerks, Elizabeth Koppes, Wally Plahutnik, Michelle Payne, Tim Weitzel MEMBERS EXCUSED: None STAFF PRESENT: Bob Miklo, Karen Howard, Sarah Walz, Sarah Greenwood-Hektoen OTHERS PRESENT: None CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chairperson Ann Freerks. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ITEM: Discussion to consider adoption of the Central District Plan as an element of the Iowa City Comprehensive Plan. The Central District extends from the boundary of the Downtown District east to First Avenue and from Dodge Street and Hickory Hill Park on the north to Highway 6 on the south. Staff distributed pages with corrections and additions to the Central District Plan to the Commission members. Freerks asked if any of the additions were a result of new public input. Howard said that the changes were more intended to clarify points and provide better explanation than the direct result of public input. Freerks asked for clarification on a goal that had been added on page 34. Howard said that Staff had received correspondence from Doug Alberhasky asking Staff to take a look at the Market Street/Gilbert Street intersection. Howard said that Alberhasky had specific ideas for improvements, whereas transportation staff had felt that the intersection as a whole should be looked at prior to attempting any specific remedies. Freerks expressed concern that the matter was too specific to warrant being made a goal in the Central District Plan. Howard said that what had actually happened was that a goal that had been broader had been split into two goals in order to be more specific. Miklo stated that the concern raised was that traffic continuing north at the Gilbert and Market Street intersection is fed into a narrowed lane, and all other traffic is filtered through the left turning signal. In reality, however, cars intending to travel north through the intersection often find themselves in the left turning lane and then proceed north endangering the traffic in the right lane which is also proceeding north. Transportation planners did agree with Alberhasky's assessment that this was an issue that should be explored. Freerks asked if it was uncommon to have language about specific intersections addressed in a district plan. Howard noted that the intersection had already been specifically addressed in the plan prior to Alberhasky's correspondence. Howard said that this district plan is in general more detailed than others have been, in part because plans have become more detailed as time goes on, and in part because it is an already developed district. Howard noted that in the Southwest District Plan there was a lot of concern about people being able to cross the street to and from Walden Square. As a result, the plan called for a more thorough evaluation of the situation, and ultimately resulted in greater pedestrian access. Planning and Zoning Commission September 10, 2008 - Informal Page 2 Payne asked if the plans for individual districts get updated on a regular basis. She noted that the purpose of stating a goal is to attain it, and she wondered if plans were evaluated to see if goals had been attained or updated as goals were achieved. Miklo said that this has not yet happened. Plans have been updated when major concepts have changed. Plans have not yet been created for all of the districts, and that needs to be finished before re-evaluating the existing plans. Walz said that at some point the plans would be re-evaluated but that this would likely be a process done every 10-15 years. Miklo said that the oldest plan, the Southwest District Plan, is now nearing ten years old. Miklo said that it would be a good idea to look at that soon because commissions have changed and some goals have been accomplished. Eastham noted that it has taken approximately two years on average to formulate a plan for one district with the present staffing levels. Eastham said that having such long intervals of time between when a plan is finished and when it is reviewed may not be the most effective way of achieving and measuring achievement for stated goals. Koppes noted that Staff has had its hands full with other obligations. Eastham said that he fully agreed but that he hoped City Council would consider hiring additional staff to make the process more streamlined. Payne noted that it was also important to know whether and why goals were or were not achieved. Weitzel asked if it was possible to come up with some sort of timeline outlining the time in which the Commission hoped a given goal would be completed. Howard said this was a valid point and that Staff has talked about the possibility of making plans more time -specific. To date, plans have not really been used in that way. Presently they are a tool for setting priorities for City Council, neighborhood associations, and citizens. Plans that included timelines, Howard said, would be plans of a more strategic nature. Howard offered the example of the redevelopment proposed for South Gilbert Street in the plan. That re -development would obviously require extensive strategic planning; the plan outlined in the Central District Plan is not sufficient for implementation. In creating strategic plans, one would set out realistic, specific ways in which to achieve a goal. Miklo pointed out that the Comprehensive Plan set out broad goals for each district. He noted that the district plans are probably most useful when the City is putting together the capital improvements program; when the Council sits down to allocate the budget to specific capital improvement projects. Miklo said that each year when the capital improvements program is created, the specific items from each new district plan are considered for funding. The plans also provide some guidance when development decisions are being made. Some of the items in the plans are items that need to be implemented by private citizens, developers, neighborhood associations, the University of Iowa, etc. Miklo said he thought it would be difficult to assign a date to every goal in a plan in any meaningful way. Freerks asked about the addition of another goal on page 34. Howard said that this goal was put in to acknowledge that the easiest and best way to keep traffic off of local streets is to make arterial streets function better. Freerks expressed concern that arterial streets are local streets for those living in the neighborhood and that the effects of changing arterial streets on the neighborhood in which they are located are not adequately addressed by the current language. Freerks asked if language to the effect of "while minimizing the effects on neighborhoods" could be added to that specific goal in order to acknowledge the need for balance and context -sensitive design. Weitzel asked if there were properties on the newest map that were noted as significant that were not actually landmark properties. Miklo said that properties designated as significant were: national register properties, local landmarks, and properties eligible for national register. He said this was done only in the two areas designated as likely for redevelopment, North Marketplace and South Gilbert. Miklo said that the idea was to highlight significant buildings in the event of a zone change due to redevelopment or a proposal for a Tax Increment Financing district, so that the buildings are noted. Miklo said that the hope is that the Central District plan does nothing to hasten their demise in calling for redevelopment. Koppes asked about the open space fee that is called for in the Central District Plan. Miklo said that typically the open space fee applies to a subdivision or a planned development, not a rezoning. This is something Staff is proposing for the Central District, Miklo said. If a property is up -zoned to increase the residential density then an open -space fee would be added. If this fee was charged in the Central District, then the funding would have to be used in the Central District. Koppes said that she really felt like more park land needed to be found in this very densely populated area. Howard said that the plan tries to envision land that has not been developed yet for open space uses. Koppes said she would like language in the plan that indicates that if suitable land opens up the City will investigate it. Walz noted Planning and Zoning Commission September 10, 2008 - Informal Page 3 that the plan states that the City will "pursue opportunities to create pocket parks where lots become available in the district." Miklo said that there is text in the plan identifying two houses on the north side of the Plum Grove property as potential areas to increase that open -space area and make Plum Grove more visible. That area is only open limited hours due to security concerns for the building itself. Walz asked if Koppes would suggest taking out the word "pocket" and simply saying "parks." Koppes said that language encouraging both could be used. Freerks asked if the map concerning the South Gilbert Street area had been shared with property owners in the neighborhood. Miklo said that the map had not, but that a meeting had been held with property owners. A number of the policies and goals for the area came about as a result of that meeting. Miklo said that Staff did get in touch with City Carton because the plan indicates that that property should be redeveloped. Howard said that there seemed to be a general feeling among property owners in the area that they were not sure what was going to happen in the area and so were reluctant to invest a lot of money in their properties. Howard said that there was also a desire to go ahead and rezone the area along Gilbert Street that is more retail/general commercial to Community Commercial right now. There was some concern expressed that the general repair area of the district should be maintained and not pushed out of the area. Miklo said that a concern was voiced that affordable small business space could be displaced by affordable housing, which, Miklo assured the Commission, is not in the plan at all. Miklo noted that the area near Gilbert Court and Highland Court had been identified as an area in which the status quo should be maintained. Eastham said that while he felt that the idea of Transit Oriented Design (TOD) was a bold vision for the area, he questioned whether there were drawbacks to pinning the redevelopment concept on a transportation usage that do not yet exist. Eastham said that the current language seems to say that if the railroad system changes then this is an excellent area for redevelopment. Eastham said that the area could have a lot of redevelopment potential even without any changes to the current rail system. Howard said that the idea behind the current vision is that there needs to be some catalyst to redevelopment. She said that the area had been in its current state of flux for a long time, and that there is no reason to believe that will change without a real catalyst, such as interstate and commuter railroad service. Further, because there is serious discussion at the state and interstate levels for passenger rail service, it seems wise to have a plan in place that addresses that potential change. Howard said that if the change in railroad service does not go through, there is still a plan in place to improve aesthetics for the area in the short-term. In the long-term, Howard said, the market will determine if there is redevelopment of the area. Payne asked if zoning in that area allowed for a parking garage. Howard replied that there is nothing preventing anyone from putting a parking garage in a commercial zone other than the economics of it. Payne said that if the idea is to have rail service, there will need to be parking so that people can get to the rail service. Miklo said that if there were parking facilities, they would likely be city -owned. Howard noted that this would be part of the strategic planning phase. Walz noted that bus lines would also be coordinated with train schedules in order to lessen the need for commuter parking. Miklo said that while he felt that Eastham had made a very good point, he did not feel there was anything in the plan saying that redevelopment could not happen without rail service. Miklo said that two issues that he believed were more critical to redevelopment of the area were the removal of the sewage treatment plant and the relocation of City Carton to a more industrial area; until these two things happen, Miklo does not believe mixed -use residential will be pursued in the area. Eastham asked if Amtrak would require that the old treatment facility be removed prior to considering having a station in that area; Miklo said that he did not believe it would matter. Howard said that from what she understands, the Amtrak project needs state funding in Iowa before it can proceed (Illinois has already committed funding for its portion). Eastham said that another issue that concerns him with this particular area is ensuring that there is proper planning for potential flooding. He said that it should be kept in mind that the flooding reached across Highway 6, and there is no reason to think that it would not do the same again. Freerks noted that Gilbert Street did not flood. Eastham replied that it did get into all of the areas that are marked for redevelopment, such as City Carton. Eastham said that when doing future land -use planning the Commission should take into account the likelihood for future flooding. Eastham asked if the Commission should specifically state on the land -use map that the Commission believes these parcels will flood again and therefore does not want them to be redeveloped. Miklo said this issue was discussed by Staff, and it is one reason the map was left somewhat vague, not showing development all the way to the river, and Planning and Zoning Commission September 10, 2008 - Informal Page 4 leaving the area as potential open space. Miklo said that at this level future flood prediction is difficult as flood mitigation measures have not yet been settled on. Howard noted that there is a warning on page 49 intended to address this issue. Freerks said that in her opinion the warning is sufficient. Walz said that land can be developed in more flood -tolerant ways, both in their design and in their use. Eastham noted that memories can be short when it comes to flooding, and he would be most comfortable if it was clearly stated that this was not an area for residential development. Miklo noted passages already in the plan that could be added to Goal #4 in order to emphasize this point. Howard noted that the area in question is largely City -owned other than the City Carton area. Howard said that it would be best not to make specific prohibitions against uses without further study. Discussion settled on adding language to the effect that any future development in the area must take the floodplain into consideration. Freerks expressed concern for the way the wording in the plan dealt with properties north of Kirkwood Avenue and Gilbert Court which is zoned RS-8. The wording states that mixed -use might provide an appropriate transition between the commercial area and the neighborhood to the east. Freerks pointed out that this is an area of affordable housing for the Longfellow School attendance area. The houses are small and much more affordable for people to purchase than many homes in the area, Freerks said. She expressed her hope that whatever is planned for the area takes that into account. Freerks said that she understood the area could be seen as ripe for redevelopment because the properties need money put back into them; however, she wanted any planning for the area to remember that there are viable neighborhoods there. Miklo said that the line between proposed mixed -use and residential was drawn where it was in order to take these affordable homes into account, because the area is a fairly stable, livable area. Walz noted that some of the area shown as future mixed -use is currently zoned commercial. Freerks expressed a desire to protect the affordable housing presently in the area. Howard noted that the nice thing about a mixed -use zone is that it allows single-family homes, duplexes or townhomes. Howard said that she believed the thinking behind this part of the plan came from concerns expressed by neighborhood residents that there is not a good transition from commercial to residential. Howard said the idea was that the more commercial uses would happen along the arterial street, and that the intent was to have that not bleed into the neighborhood. Plahutnik said that it is a nice little neighborhood and a statement protecting it as affordable housing would be a good idea. Howard pointed out a section in Subarea C, on page 18 that she believed addressed Freerks concerns. Miklo suggested adding a section in the goals that perhaps referred back to this section, reminding the reader that the Oak Grove neighborhood should be preserved. Eastham asked what the rationale was for including the area as mixed -use development. Howard said it provided a transition from intensive commercial to residential. Walz said that the zone is very irregular, and some of it is zoned for intensive commercial despite the fact that it is not really appropriate for that due to the small lot sizes. Walz said Staff believed the mixed -use would create a buffer in the neighborhood that had a fair number of restrictions on it but is not going to be intensive in the way that other commercial uses might be. Walz suggested adding a sentence or two to address Freerks concern under Goal #3 in the South Gilbert section of the plan. Eastham noted that there is discussion in subareas B & C regarding trying to encourage rental redevelopment to discourage the dorm -style, four and five bedroom apartments. Eastham asked what mechanisms the City had at its disposal to achieve this goal. Eastham asked if the City had clear authority to limit the number of bedrooms in a unit. Howard said that the City would not have that authority unless it changed the zoning ordinance. Koppes and Plahutnik pointed out that this provision would give the rationale needed to change the zoning code, and could be a sort of first step in that process. Eastham asked if there would be support for adding that kind of a regulation to the zoning code. Freerks stated that there could be for future development but that she did not think they could move backwards. Miklo said that a concern was brought up by property owners and business owners in the North Market area and the South Gilbert area was that they did not want an area that was overdeveloped with large dorm -style apartments as the area just south of Burlington has become. Howard noted that the issue is not always the number of bedrooms in a unit, but is also sometimes the management of the property. Howard said that the idea of the plan is to support having a goal to look at these issues and find creative solutions to make it better. Walz said that one of the interesting things about the housing meeting was the number of students who attended and some of the things they had to say. Walz noted that students expressed dissatisfaction with the options available to them as well, and a healthy discussion resulted. University of Iowa Planning and Zoning Commission September 10, 2008 - Informal Page 5 representatives also noted some dissatisfaction with current options available to students. Miklo said that South Johnson and South Van Buren are both zoned at a high -density, RM-44. He noted that it should be made clear that probably the only way these areas could be redeveloped to create a more pleasant, livable environment would be to develop at an even higher density. Miklo said this may seem counter- intuitive, but that it may be the only way to provide financial incentive to get rid of the current buildings and provide something taller with more structured parking and more green space. Miklo said that most of these properties are owned by the Clark family in some form or another and the potential for redevelopment would be entirely dependent on supply and demand; if the incentive is enough then redevelopment may be possible. Miklo said the buildings are aging and the owners have had to put money into them recently to keep them marketable. On another topic, Howard said she wished to give notice that there had been an editorial written in the Press Citizen regarding the Central District Plan. The editorial focused primarily on the issue of bicycle - friendliness, and gave the date and time of the formal Planning and Zoning meeting. Miklo said that the tone of the article is that the plan recognizes the Central District as the most bike -friendly part of the city, and it questioned just how bike -friendly the area really was. 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HARVAT HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Charlie Eastham, Ann Freerks, Josh Busard, Elizabeth Koppes, Michelle Payne, Wally Plahutnik, Tim Weitzel, MEMBERS EXCUSED: None STAFF PRESENT: Karen Howard, Sarah Walz OTHERS PRESENT: Karen Kubby, Wendy Robertson RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL: The Commission voted 7-0 to approve the Central District Plan as an element of the Iowa City Comprehensive Plan. The Central District extends from the boundary of the Downtown District east to First Avenue and from Dodge Street and Hickory Hill Park on the north to Highway 6 on the south. The draft presented to the Commission was approved with the following amendments: • Add color coding symbols to the definition of the terms on pages 62 and 63. • Add language in the "Housing and Quality of Life" section that requires a heightened awareness of rebuilding or redeveloping in all flood -prone areas. • Add language on page 39 to include gardening groups in the community other than Project Green. • Add language on page 21 discouraging dorm -style apartments where appropriate. • Define affordable housing to include all applicable income groups. • Add language in page 19 about maintaining the residential character of the Oak Grove neighborhood in the face of redevelopment. • Revise maps in the plan to make them accurate prior to the final draft. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Chairperson Ann Freerks. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was none. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ITEM: A public hearing to consider adoption of the Central District Plan as an element of the Iowa City Comprehensive Plan. The Central District extends from the boundary of the Downtown District east to First Avenue and from Dodge Street and Hickory Hill Park on the north to Highway 6 on the south. Howard noted that Staff had received an e-mail from Cindy Parsons regarding Project Green and proposed community gardens be somehow included in the Central District Plan. Howard presented a draft of the plan in which language and additions that had been changed as a result of the informal meeting's discussions were underlined. Planning and Zoning Commission September 18, 2008 - Formal Page 2 Howard pointed out language on page 19 intended to make it clearer that the mixed -use zone on Gilbert Court is a transition or buffer between the neighborhood to the east and the more commercial zone to the west. An objective was added on page 20 to support efforts to create opportunities for affordable housing within redevelopment areas. Freerks noted that her concern had been directed at maintaining current affordable housing stock. Howard asked Freerks to take a look at the language that was added and see if it meets her concerns. Freerks asked if "maintain" could be added to the passage. Walz noted that the mixed -use zone is largely dependent on the rail line coming through that area. That being the case, the value of the properties would likely increase and possibly lead to some gentrification of the area with the implementation of a rail line, and may or may not remain "affordable" depending on the market. In that case, Howard said, short of public intervention or non -profits buying the homes to maintain their affordability, there would be no saying what their value might become. Freerks asked if there was anything in the goals which addressed maintaining affordable housing. Howard said she believed there was a lot of language about affordable housing in general. Plahutnik asked if it would work to simply say "protect and maintain the residential character of the neighborhood," and leave out references to affordability. Walz said that even if the zone was kept RS-8 and not changed to mixed -use the affordability of the houses would not necessarily be protected. Koppes noted that a residential feel can be maintained in a commercial area as suggested by Plahutnik. Howard said that in order for this plan to be implemented the area would have to be rezoned to mixed -use and redeveloped. In the redeveloped area, the idea should be to make a concerted effort to ensure that a portion of the housing stock was affordable. Freerks said that her concern was not just the affordability, but also the residential feel and the access to good schools. She said the heart of what she was talking about was not wanting to crowd those kinds of home -owners out of the area. Howard explained that the mixed -use zone is intended as a buffer between intensive commercial areas and residential areas. Freerks reiterated that her concern was in not pushing out existing homeowners. Weitzel said that he feels caught between maintaining the neighborhood as it is now versus making sure new development continues to provide a residential character and affordable housing opportunities. Weitzel said that if the idea was to preserve buildings as they are now then that would be more of a historical district, which could be picked up during the Oak Grove survey. Walz said that Staff had looked into that and there were no houses that were historically significant. Freerks said that it was not a historical nature she was concerned about as much as letting families feel like they can stay in the neighborhood once it is redeveloped. Howard asked if Freerks was concerned about families feeling pushed out due to gentrification. Freerks said that it was more the idea of large-scale commercial development abutting these areas. Koppes asked if the basic concern Freerks had at this point was that the people living there should not feel pressured that their neighborhood is being redeveloped and that they must sell and move. Walz suggested changing wording on page 19 to read: "Careful planning will be necessary to ensure that there is an attractive and functional interface between the redevelopment area and the residential neighborhoods to the east to maintain the current residential character." Freerks stated that she believed that would help. Eastham stated that he had one other issue to address in the "Housing and Quality of Life" section of the plan. Freerks stated that she felt it was best to stick to the specific changes Staff had made and then open public hearing. She said she felt that they had gone deeper into wording things than they had wanted to. She directed Howard to move on. Howard stated that there had been a change on page #34 of "Streets and Transportation." A sentence was added to the section on cut -through traffic on local streets. The sentence states that context - sensitive design will be implemented in addressing this as will creative solutions to increase capacity and improve the roadway for all modes of transportation while minimizing impacts to neighboring properties. Freerks stated that she believed this change captured the essence of what had been discussed at the work session. Howard noted a tweak on the portion concerning creating parks and pocket parks. Additionally, Staff added a piece concerning Plum Grove and the possibility of acquiring neighboring properties to enhance that park. Weitzel suggested noting the possible need for a survey of those properties to ensure that they are not historically significant. Howard stated that she would consult Miklo on this, but that he was very careful to look at existing resources to ensure that the properties were not of historical significance. Howard stated that the section concerning Gilbert Street also included a provision regarding a transition from commercial to residential. Staff also made sure that one of the objectives was taking into account Planning and Zoning Commission September 18, 2008 - Formal Page 3 flooding along the riverfront area A new map was added to the plan in the Northside Marketplace area and the boundaries were redrawn to match with those on the streetscape plan. The historic survey was also looked at to determine which were the historically significant properties in the area. Howard apologized to any of the public present who had not been present to hear the full presentation at the previous meeting, but stated that Staff would be more than happy to answer any questions they may have about the plan as a whole. Freerks asked if there were questions for Staff on the changes that had been made. There were none. Freerks opened the public hearing. Karen Kubby, Ridge Street, said she came to speak about three things. She said she was present as a member of FAIR!, a group that is concerned with affordable housing and has been talking a lot lately about flood mitigation. She said that one of the things FAIR! is interested in is ensuring that any redevelopment along the Ralston Creek or Iowa River floodplain is flood resilient. She said she felt she needed to ask the question of whether residential rebuilding should be allowed in the floodplain. Kubby said that there was not much of a problem along the Ralston Creek floodplain this year, but that there had been in the 1993 floods. Kubby said that the characterization of commercial property along the floodplain is much different than that of residential property. Kubby said she had appreciated the conversation about affordability that had taken place. Kubby said that she is concerned about gentrification. When commercial development occurs next door to affordable neighborhoods pressure to move is felt. Kubby said that to talk about maintaining the residential character of a neighborhood is not enough because you can retain some parts and lose other essential parts. Kubby said that there is a huge gap in the number of affordable rental and owner -occupied units in this city which has been magnified by the floods. Anything that these district plans can do to really speak to these issues provides momentum to keep our eye on that ball, Kubby said. Kubby noted that pocket parks are sometimes necessary in very densely populated neighborhoods, but that they are very expensive for the City to maintain. Kubby said there are also some advantages to pocket parks, especially when they are turned into community urban gardens to grow flowers or food. Kubby said she did not want to have things in the plan that are so expensive that the parkland is purchased but is not maintained, thereby causing frustration in the neighborhood. Wendy Robertson, 523 Grant Street, also identified herself as a member of FAIR! She said she would like to thank Staff and the Commission for some of the things that have been added to the plan. She said her primary concerns centered on affordable housing and flooding. Robertson said that she appreciated the term affordable housing being used throughout the plan, but that very often when people speak of affordable housing they are talking about home that can be purchased by those making 80-120% of the median income. She said that while this is a type of affordable housing that is needed in Iowa City, attention must also be paid to those who make less than 80% of the median income. In the plan it is not clear to whom the document refers when using the term "affordable housing." She said she wished that was clearer in the plan. Robertson said she was very happy that the plan encouraged traffic on arterial streets and attempted to insulate neighborhoods from excessive traffic. However, she wished to point out that some streets are arterial for a part of its length but not all of it, and that has the effect of dumping traffic into neighborhoods. She listed Court Street, Muscatine, parts of Bowery and the section of Gilbert Street north of Jefferson as examples of this phenomenon. She asked that particular attention be paid to these streets, and suggested bike routes as a possible way of alleviating this problem. No one else wished to address the Commission, and the public hearing was closed. Busard moved to approve the Central District Plan with the changes discussed during the meeting. Planning and Zoning Commission September 18, 2008 - Formal Page 4 Eastham seconded. Weitzel noted that he wished to make sure that the concerns just raised by the public were also addressed. Eastham stated that a part of the discussion at the informal meeting had begun to focus on limiting the number of bedrooms in a unit to encourage development of housing that is more attractive to everyone. Eastham said that there is language to this effect concerning the Northside Marketplace area on page 16, which states that the goal is to encourage smaller apartments with two or fewer bedrooms to prevent dorm -style apartments that many believe would be detrimental. Eastham said he would like to add a sentence to the same effect as a goal for the "Housing and Quality of Life" section of the plan. Howard said that adding this may prove confining in the future as it is giving a prescription before the matter has been looked at in detail. Freerks said that this has come up before and that she remembers approximately eight times since she has been on the Commission in which people have stepped up and said that there is a problem with redevelopment going toward dorm -style apartment living. She said that this is an open problem in the community and she does not see why the Commission would just pick one particular area in the community to try to remedy it. Howard said she would suggest using the term "dorm -style" apartments, and not putting a number on it. Howard said that it should be kept in mind that a lot of these goals and objectives have not been examined in such detail that real, workable solutions have been deeply considered. She recommended keeping the goals general enough that they do not prevent Staff from developing creative solutions in the future. She did think adding language discouraging dorm - style apartments would not be prohibitive. Weitzel said that he would like to see the topics discussed that had been brought up by the public. Specifically, he wished to have the stronger language regarding floodplain development and flood resilient building added to the plan. Weitzel said that he was not trying to prohibit development in the areas discussed; rather he was trying to promote sensible development. Koppes suggested adding "resilient' to goal #4. Busard asked if the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would not be instructing the City as to what could be built in floodplain areas. Weitzel said he believed FEMA only advised whether flood insurance could be purchased in a given area and did not advise on a specific type of construction. Koppes said FEMA has requirements on what can be built in an area if the area is bought out by FEMA, but that the area in question is not a buy-out area. Busard pointed out that for a given area no development at all may be more appropriate than flood resilient development. Howard said that the problem is that it is not yet possible to figure out what the most appropriate use for that specific area might be: a parking lot, parkland, stilted non-residential buildings. Eastham said that what he heard from Kubby was 1) pay attention to flood risk when planning redevelopment and 2) to consider prohibiting residential uses at all in flood -prone areas. Eastham said he is in favor of both of those concepts. Plahutnik said that one piece of language that should go into the plan is the phrase "and other flood -prone areas" in addition to discussions of the riverfront. Howard said that should be added to the plan in a section that would apply to the whole district, rather than just the section on the South Gilbert Street area. Walz noted that this language would include areas near Ralston Creek which would affect a much larger section of town. Eastham said that he personally felt that it should be a modification of the Comprehensive Plan itself because that language applies to the whole community; although he noted, Comprehensive Plan changes are for another day. Howard noted that most of the Central District is already built out, and that it was originally brought up in the South Gilbert area because it was an area with the greatest potential for redevelopment. She said that something could be added to the "Housing and Quality of Life" section to create more awareness of the issue outside of the immediate riverfront. The language concerning Project GREEN, community gardens, and other organizations which was suggested by Robertson and Kubby could be added somewhere in the section on Parks to relay the general idea that the community has a lot of partners to work with on these issues, Howard suggested. Koppes noted that there is an issue with community gardens and the amount of work involved unless there is a very organized group and strong partnerships focused on each specific garden. Eastham said that another comment he heard from the public hearing was to make sure that the word "affordable" as it pertains to housing includes all applicable income groups, and is defined at some point in the document. Planning and Zoning Commission September 18, 2008 - Formal Page 5 Weitzel asked if there was a need to put something in the plan about avoiding gentrification of the Oak Grove neighborhood area with redevelopment. Howard said that she was concerned with putting something in the plan about which there was nothing the City could do. Gentrification is a market -driven phenomenon, and while there are certain things that can be done to work with affordable housing producers to keep housing affordable, short of price -controls there is nothing the City can do to avoid the phenomenon altogether. Freerks said she was not comfortable putting something that specific in the plan over which the Commission had no control. Payne, who returned after having to excuse herself, asked if the issue of arterial streets not being arterial for their full lengths had been discussed. She was advised that it had not. Payne asked if there were signs indicating where bike trails are and which roads bikes should or should not be on. Howard said that Iowa City is working on a bike -way plan which would supersede anything in this plan concerning bikes. The idea with bike -ways, Howard said, is to create known routes that are safer for bikes, while not prohibiting bikes on other roadways. Plahutnik said that higher traffic levels are something that one must simply accept when living at the end of an arterial street as he does. He noted that there is a procedure citizens can go through to request traffic -calming measures if the issue is of concern to the neighborhood. Freerks said she believed the plan was a very solid piece of work and she thanked everyone involved in putting it together, and in accepting so much public input. Weitzel said that he was really excited by the Transit Oriented Development in the plan, and that it would have a transformative effect on the South Gilbert area and potentially on the city as a whole. Eastham said that he agreed with the comments that had been made and that he was also very pleased to see a set of ideas for redeveloping some areas that have very high -density student housing. He said that he hoped having these ideas in the plan will eventually result in some redevelopment of that area which would improve the quality of life for many people. Greenwood-Hektoen advised that before a vote was taken, the record should be made clear exactly what changes were taking place. She noted that Busard's motion was to accept all of Staff's changes that resulted in the latest version of the Central District plan. Greenwood-Hektoen said she believed that friendly amendments could be made to Busard's motion and then be voted on. Greenwood-Hektoen outlined the amendments as follows: • Add color coding symbols to the definition of the terms on pages 62 and 63. • Add language in the "Housing and Quality of Life" section that requires a heightened awareness of rebuilding or redeveloping in all flood -prone areas. • Add language on page 39 to include gardening groups in the community other than Project GREEN. • Add language on page 21 discouraging dorm -style apartments where appropriate. • Define affordable housing to include all applicable income groups. • Add language in page 19 about maintaining the residential character of the Oak Grove neighborhood in the face of redevelopment. • Revise maps in the plan to make them accurate prior to the final draft. Weitzel moved to accept the amendments. Plahutnik seconded. Freerks called for a vote. The motion carried 7-0. CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: SEPTEMBER 4 2008: Eastham motioned to accept the minutes. Payne seconded. 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