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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPolicyIOWA CITY DOWNTOWN AND PEDESTRIAN MALL STREETSCAPE PLAN UPDATE . DRAFT P | 138 [ PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ] FEBRUARY 2014 139 P o l i c y SECTION 7 Policy IOWA CITY DOWNTOWN AND PEDESTRIAN MALL STREETSCAPE PLAN UPDATE . DRAFT P | 140 POLICY INTRODUCTION The following pages discuss sidewalk cafe and signage policy, the City’s purple meter program, and mainte- nance-related issues and requirements. The intent is to review current Policy and identify where and how Policy could be adjusted to better align with planning goals. This ensures that all streetscape improvement efforts, whether large or small, contribute to the overall goal of creating a consistent, vibrant streetscape of the highest quality and contribute to the success of the business community. As part of the process, the planning team met with City Staff and ICDD members to discuss current sidewalk cafe and signage policy. Discussion topics included usable cafe space, walkway width requirements, cafe enclosure, sandwich boards, projecting signs, temporary signs, and process. In addition, the planning team reviewed side- walk cafe and signage policy from other cities. Findings and recommendations are summarized in the following pages. Recommendations need further detailed study by both the City and the business community. POLICY Sidewalk cafes make a significant contribution to the quality of the streetscape. The high degree of storefront transparency at the Chait Galleries downtown creates a dynamic and exciting streetscape environment. FEBRUARY 2014 141 Reduce unobstructed walkway width requirements from 8’ to 6’ along the streets. ‘If a sidewalk extends into Zone 2, there must be a straight, unobstructed walkway, which is at least 5’ wide, through the Café in Zone 1’. Increase unobstructed walkway width to 6’. SIDEWALK CAFE POLICY INTRODUCTION Sidewalk cafes must comply with the Sidewalk Café Policy adopted by Resolution #12-414 and governed by Section 10-3-3 of the City Code. The recommended Policy adjust- ments that follow attempt to better align City Policy with project goals. USABLE SIDEWALK CAFÉ AREA 1. Unobstructed walkway requirements. The current policy reads, “In the CB-10 zone with the exception of City Plaza, a sidewalk café area may not extend onto the sidewalk in a manner that will not allow a minimum of eight feet (8’) of unobstructed walkway on the side of the café that is parallel to the building. The eight-foot (8’) unobstructed walkway does not ap- ply to cafes located on the street.” Recommendation An inviting, bustling street life is one of the most com- pelling features of a great downtown and the aim is to energize street activity on targeted streets. A review of Policy in other cities found six (6) feet or less of clear, un- obstructed walkway width was common in many heav- ily traveled commercial environments such as Elmhurst, Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, Boulder, Chicago, and Spokane. In consideration of the pedestrian volumes seen across downtown Iowa City, the planning team recommends the following: Maintain the eight feet (8’) unobstructed walkway requirement along streets with higher pedestrian volumes. Reduce the unobstructed walkway width requirement from eight (8) feet to six (6) feet along select streets with lower pedestrian volumes and in areas where the ROW is limited. 2. Extension of Café, Ped Mall. The policy reads, “At City Plaza, if a sidewalk café ex- tends into zone 2, there must be a straight, unobstruct- ed walkway, which is at least 5’ wide, through the café in zone 1.” Recommendation Considering the pedestrian volumes and required side- walk cafe enclosure, the 5’ walkway feels restricting and too narrow. The narrow walkway can deter people from window shopping and walking along the store- fronts and may actually funnel people down the center section of the Ped Mall. The required 5’ clear dimension is narrow in comparison to other commercial areas. An increase to a minimum of 6’ of unobstructed walkway through the café in zone 1 is recommended. POLICY IOWA CITY DOWNTOWN AND PEDESTRIAN MALL STREETSCAPE PLAN UPDATE . DRAFT P | 142 3. Design of Overhead Canopies. The current policy reads, “A sidewalk café serving alco- hol shall be contiguous with a side of the building…for cafes in planters and the street, the contiguous require- ment may be satisfied by an overhead canopy at least five feet wide connecting the building to the café.” Recommendation The design review process for overhead canopies must ensure that canopies are compatible with the other streetscape components including light poles and fix- tures. The color, finish, and scale of the canopies should complement the larger streetscape vocabulary. TYPES OF SIDEWALK CAFES 1. Recommendation for a New Category. Add a new category of sidewalk café: Small unen- closed sidewalk café located directly on the public right-of-way for limited service restaurants. Recommendation Small unenclosed sidewalk café. An unenclosed sidewalk café containing no more than a single row of removable tables and chairs for limited service restaurants. The removable tables and chairs can occupy no more than 4’-6” of the public sidewalk and can only occupy the sidewalk during hours of op- eration. Serving of alcohol is prohibited. POLICY FEBRUARY 2014 143 2. Sidewalk Cafes utilizing an elevated planter on the public right-of-way. Recommendation Phase out the category ‘Sidewalk café utilizing an ele- vated planter on the public right-of-way’. Quality cafe platform and enclosure installation is prob- lematic due to the shape and layout of the existing planters and the existing tree locations and quantities. Most of the existing cafes utilizing an elevated plant- er appear temporary and piecemeal. However, all of them are considered a positive and integral part of the streetscape and Ped Mall experience. Therefore the phrase ‘phase out’ does not mean elimination of cafes but rather accommodating them in a better way. When design changes are implemented or at a change of ownership, require sidewalk cafes to relo- cate at-grade along the streetscape and at Zones 1 and 2 of the Ped Mall. OTHER SIDEWALK CAFE RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Bollards. If the location of the sidewalk café requires the use of bollards, the City shall approve the design and location of the bollards. A city standard bollard design should be considered. 2. Placement of sidewalk cafes located directly on thepublic right-of-way outside of the Ped Mall. For those restaurants serving alcohol, the recommend-ed location, as feasible, is up against the building. This location is preferred over a curb-side location or along the outer edge of the sidewalk. The intent is to minimize the number of overhead canopies throughout down-town. 3. Payment of Fees for Sidewalk Cafes Per current Policy, the total annual sidewalk cafe fees are due with the application submittal. Business own-ers requested a revisiting of the payment schedule. In response, installments for cafe payments are recom-mended with 50% due at time of application submit-tal and the remaining 50% due in July. An installment charge could apply to cover any administrative bur-dens. POLICY IOWA CITY DOWNTOWN AND PEDESTRIAN MALL STREETSCAPE PLAN UPDATE . DRAFT P | 144 POLICY SIGNAGE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS Prior to successful implementation, the following signage related policy issues require further collaboration between City Staff and the business community. Additionally, City Staff is considering changes in the Riverfront Crossings form-based code and these changes may have some applicability in Downtown. TEMPORARY WINDOW SIGNS & STOREFRONT TRANSPARENCY Current Definitions from Section 14-9C-1. Temporary Sign: A yard sale sign, temporary identification sign, real estate sign, or political sign constructed of temporary materials, such as cardboard, wallboard or plywood, with or without a structural frame, intended for a temporary period of dis- play, but excluding banners. Window Sign: A building sign permanent affixed to a window, embed- ded in a window or hanging adjacent to a window and obviously intended to be viewed by the public through the window. This definition does not include merchandise or product displays, posters, signs painted on windows and temporary signs. Recommendations A transparent storefront enhances curb appeal and wel- comes customers inside with attractive merchandising dis- plays. The storefront can easily become the most valuable space in the store. Storefront windows covered by tem- porary graphics can negatively impact the streetscape environment and most cities require that storefronts must maintain a certain level of transparency. The planning team suggests a consideration of maximum temporary sign area or an allowable % of coverage, limitations on number of signs, a defined length of display time, and lim- itations on number of signs and location(s). PROJECTING SIGNSCurrent policy: Maximum sign area allowed for projecting signage is 6 SF per side with a maximum height of 12’. Re- garding illumination, the policy reads, ‘the sign may not be illuminated’. Recommendations The planning team suggests an increase in maximum sign area allowed for projecting signs. Some regulated illumi- nation should be allowed. Projecting signs should be designed to be in proportion and scale with the building. For larger buildings, an in- crease in maximum sign area should be considered. SANDWICH SIGNSCurrent Policy: Portable Sign: A sign not firmly and per- manently anchored or secured to either a building or the ground and not expressly permitted in chapter 5, article B, ‘Sign Regulations’ of this title. Recommendations Sandwich signs are used effectively in other communities. Typical sandwich sign Policy regulates size, placement and design style. In Iowa City, the placement of any sand- wich sign must afford 6’-8’ of clear, unobstructed walkway along the building zone or curb zone. Sandwich signs shall be internally weighted. Use of sand bags or other similar items to hold the signs in place shall not be allowed. FEBRUARY 2014 145 Minimized maintenance requirements • The additional recycling stations proposed throughout the Ped Mall will minimize the labor required to sweep and pick up trash and debris, in addition to providing a much needed streetscape component. • The removal of select Ped Mall planters will facilitate snow removal. • The proposed irrigation system will reduce the labor involved with hand-watering. A new maintenance re- gime will be required for management of the irrigation control units and water distribution. • The conversion to the LED lighting system will reduce the frequency of lamp changes, resulting in a reduc- tion of staff resources. • Additional electrical capacity at distribution bollards will minimize staff and labor time associated with event and vendor set-up and trouble shooting. Other maintenance requirements • Maintenance of the landscape to include watering, fertilizing, pruning, insect and disease control, weed- ing, mulching, removing trash and debris from the sur- face of planting areas, removing and replacing failing plant material, and irrigation coverage checks where applicable. An ongoing tree maintenance program including the establishment of a trimming and pruning program is advised. Where implemented, the bioret- ention planting areas will require trimming of vegeta- tion, removing litter and debris from landscape area, insect and disease control, inspecting the planter to determine if runoff is infiltrating properly, and occa- sional cleaning of sediment from within forebay and planting area. • Pavement areas require ongoing cleaning and sweeping, area washing, damage inspection, and pressure washing. • Permeable pavement areas will require a higher level of maintenance following installation. Maintenance will involve re-sweeping of the aggregate back into the gaps between pavers. Once the aggregate has ‘settled’ into the gaps, this particular maintenance re- quirement typically lessens. General cleaning of the permeable pavement system employs basic street sweeping. They cannot be regularly cleaned by pow- er washing. For dirt, a vacuum sweeper or broom sweeper with the water turned off is recommended. Ongoing removal of debris and trash from the gaps may be required. During the winter months, sand should not be used for traction over permeable pave- ment systems because the sand clogs the gaps/voids and will limit infiltration. • Maintenance of the site furnishings to include clean- ing and damage inspection. PURPLE METERS Ten purple meters, or ‘donation stations,’ offer people an alternative way to giving directly to panhandlers. The me- ters were installed by the City and the money goes to pro- grams and nonprofit organizations that provide services such as shelter, meals, and job training for people in need. The City should investigate whether this program is meet- ing the original objectives or if there are better ways to of- fer support. Ongoing maintenance requirements include repairing jams, re-painting, and emptying the meters on a regular basis. The meters are also subject to vandalism. Consider reaching out to the police department and the homeless service agencies for input. LOADING ZONES The effectiveness and percentage of occupancy of the existing loading zones throughout downtown should be in- vestigated. The intent is to determine whether or not there is an opportunity to regulate deliveries or place time re- strictions on deliveries in a manner that will allow greater use of lading zones in the future. ICDD input on types of deliveries and typical delivery schedules is suggested. MAINTENANCE Successful implementation of this Iowa City Downtown and Pedestrian Mall Streetscape Plan is directly tied to the level of maintenance provided by the City of Iowa City and ICDD. A highly maintained public realm is a key in- gredient in many memorable spaces within vibrant and livable cities. A clean and visually pleasant place demon- strates pride of place and enhances public perception of the downtown as a whole. The perceived quality of place can impact the retail and restaurant environment and business and University recruitment. Per the Universi- ty of Iowa admissions representatives, ‘downtown is the selling point, it’s what makes University of Iowa different… downtown’s village-like atmosphere, charm and associat- ed perception of safety are assets recognized by parents of prospective college students’. In some cases, the master plan has minimized mainte- nance requirements and in others, a higher level of main- tenance will be required and is recommended. Key main- tenance observations and recommendations follow. POLICY