This Council Meeting includes a hearing on the proposed "Mixed Use Building" ordinance changes for College Hill, which have been a hot topic at past P&Z and council meetings (Item 8 & 9). We'll also be voting on the 2020 city budget (Item 5), and contracting with a company for potential zoning changes downtown (Item #25)....and several other items. At 5:20, we'll have a Committee of the Whole meeting, with an hour-long presentation by our parking consultant on his group's findings and recommendations from the downtown parking study. And then the council meeting starts at 7pm, both at City Hall. Hope you can join us in-person, on Channel 15, or streaming live on YouTube.
Call to Order by the Mayor
Roll Call
Approval of Minutes
1. Regular Meeting of February 4, 2019. Enters the minutes into the official record as an accurate reflection of what actions and discussions occurred. No concerns.
Agenda Revisions
Special Order of Business
2. Hearing on a proposed resolution adopting and levying the final schedule of assessments for the 2018 Sidewalk Assessment Project, Zone 9. The City wishes to assess these property owners for the repair of their sidewalks in 2018. The assessment would be added to property taxes over a five-year period.
a) Oral comments.
3. Resolution adopting and levying the final schedule of assessments for the 2018 Sidewalk Assessment Project, Zone 9. My only issue with this is that the contractor listed a flat $88.60 for "traffic control" for each property, regardless of how much or how little work was done. I will bring up my desire that in future assessments, the traffic control amounts be fairly apportioned to the property owners based on what was actually needed at the property.
4. Public hearing on the proposed FY20 Budget for the City of Cedar Falls. (Page 12 - 320 in the packet). This giant document is (which council gets as several thick printed 'binders') contains the blueprint for city operations for the current year, plus the expected direction for the next five years. If you're interested in how city government operates and why, this is an invaluable resource. Page 316-320 also has a glossary which I've found to be very helpful in understanding city finances.
a) Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published February 6, 2019)
b) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
c) Oral comments.
5. Resolution approving and adopting the FY20 Budget for the City of Cedar Falls. This year's municipal budget is being recommended at $81.7M, which is about 1.5% lower than last year. No concerns for this year's budget aside from my desire to fund career firefighter positions. As I develop a better understanding of the city budget's nuances during my council term, I'm sure to have more questions in the years ahead.
6. Public hearing on a proposal to undertake a public improvement project for the Walnut Street Box Culvert Replacement - University Branch of Dry Run Creek Project and to authorize acquisition of private property for said project. This is a straightforward request to purchase small sections of private property along Walnut Street at Dry Run Creek, in order to replace an old culvert. No concerns.
a) Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published February 1, 2019)
b) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
c) Oral comments.
7. Resolution approving a public improvement for the Walnut Street Box Culvert Replacement - University Branch of Dry Run Creek Project and authorizing acquisition of private property for said project. Allows the city to move forward with the plan in #6. No concerns.
8. Public hearing on proposed amendments to Chapter 29, Zoning, of the Code of Ordinances relative to the College Hill Neighborhood Overlay Zoning District. (Page 323-364 of the Council packet). This represents a significant change to the zoning in College Hill, mainly by establishing a new building type called "mixed use". On February 19, 2018, I voted against the site plan for a new five-story building on College Hill because, according to the zoning in place, the structure (with 4 floors of apartments and 1 of retail) was a residential building, not a commercial one. This was important because commercial buildings don't require parking to be provided, whereas residential buildings do. This ordinance change seeks to amend this problem by eliminating the idea of "principal" and "secondary" uses, and to allow mixed-use buildings to have multiple principal uses, with parking requirements assigned. You can see all the proposed changes starting on page 349. It's worth noting that the Planning and Zoning Commission only recommended approval on a 4-3 vote last month (see page 332). One stipulation in the doc is that the parking requirements would be revisited once the College Hill parking study is complete, for potential revision. Also, I'll ask why staff included language (on page 353) that parking is specifically not required for existing dwelling units in multi-uses constructed prior to 2019. Wouldn't that simply be a legal non-conforming use already?
a) Receive and file proof of publication of notice of hearing. (Notice published February 8, 2019)
b) Written communications filed with the City Clerk.
c) Oral comments.
9. Pass an ordinance amending Chapter 29, Zoning, of the Code of Ordinances relative to the College Hill Neighborhood Overlay Zoning District, upon its first consideration. This would be the first of three required readings/approvals in order to change the city code. My chief concern with the ordinance change would be that we keep the parking situation on College Hill from being negatively impacted by this ordinance change. The City will need to ensure that the city's public parking areas are available for use by short-term patrons of College Hill businesses, rather than absorbed by residents.
New Business
Consent Calendar: (The following items will be acted upon by voice vote on a single motion without separate discussion, unless someone from the Council or public requests that a specific item be considered separately.)
10. Receive and file the following resignations: No concerns.
a) Karen Morlan, Housing Commission.
b) Todd Blanford, Human Rights Commission.
11. Receive and file the Committee of the Whole minutes of February 4, 2019 relative to the following items: Simply enters the minutes into the record as an accurate reflection of the proceedings. No concerns.
a) FY20 Budget.
b) Bills & Payroll.
12. Receive and file the City Council Work Session minutes of February 4, 2019. Simply enters the minutes into the record as an accurate reflection of the proceedings. No concerns.
13. Approve the application of Buzz-Smoke & Vapor, 2125 College Street, for a cigarette/tobacco/nicotine/vapor permit. City Council is responsible for approving all tobacco sales permits. No concerns.
14. Approve the following applications for beer permits and liquor licenses: City Council is responsible for approving all alcohol sales permits. No concerns.
a) Asian Fusion Vietnamese and Thai Cuisine, 5725 University Avenue, Special Class C liquor - renewal.
b) College Square Cinema, 6301 University Avenue, Special Class C liquor - renewal.
c) Chad's Pizza and Restaurant, 909 West 23rd Street, Class C liquor & outdoor service - renewal.
d) Sakura Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar, 5719 University Avenue, Class C liquor - renewal.
e) The Hydrant Firehouse Grill, 2002 College Street, Class C liquor - renewal.
f) Thunder Ridge Ampride, 2425 Whitetail Drive, Class E liquor - renewal.
g) Kwik Star, 2019 College Street, Class C beer & Class B wine - change in ownership.
h) Kwik Star, 7500 Nordic Drive, Class C beer & Class B wine - change in ownership.
i) Tobacco Outlet Plus, 4116 University Avenue, Class C beer - change in ownership.
j) Main Street Sweets, 307 Main Street, Class B native wine - permanent transfer.
Resolution Calendar: (The following items will be acted upon by roll call vote on a single motion without separate discussion, unless someone from the Council or public requests that a specific item be considered separately.)
15. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Second Amendment to Lease with Sartori Memorial Hospital, Inc. and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-Iowa, Inc., formerly known as Covenant Health System, Inc., allowing a name change from Sartori Memorial Hospital to MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center. This resolution is to legally change the name of Sartori Hospital to match the branding of other Wheaton Franciscan properties. As I remember it (local history buff that I am) the Sartori family donated the land to the city to construct a hospital in the early 1900's. I can appreciate, as a marketing guy, the need for consistent branding, but I hope that we can still retain a way to honor the Sartori family for their generosity. Fortunately, my neighborhood bears the name Sartori Park, and we do have the actual park nearby. No concerns.
16. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Form of Contract with Miller Fence & Flag Co. for a security fence and gates for the Public Safety Facility. This would allocate $58K for a perimeter fence at the new public safety building. No concerns.
17. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of an Asphalt Crushing Services Informal Project Contract with Peterson Contractors, Inc. This would allocate $38K of taxpayer funds to recycling about 10K tons of asphalt for the city's re-use in road projects. It will save money in the long run, and is a smart re-use of resources, so no concerns.
18. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Professional Service Agreement with Snyder & Associates, Inc. relative to the Oak Park Boulevard Sewer Replacement Project. This would allocate $113K to the design of a new sewer crossing to replace one that failed last year (a temporary patch was installed). No concerns.
19. Resolution approving and accepting the contract and bond of Peters Construction Corporation for the Place to Play Playground Project. (Page 438) This required documentation allows Peters Construction to move forward with building the playground we approved in the last council session. No concerns.
20. Resolution approving and accepting the contract and bond of Peterson Contractors, Inc. for the 2019 Street Construction Project. (Page 456) This required documentation allows Peterson Contractors to move forward with the street reconstruction operations we approved in the last council session. No concerns.
21. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of Supplemental Agreement No. 3 with Snyder & Associates, Inc. relative to 2019 Engineering Services. AThis would allocate $53.5K of taxpayer funds to carry out design services for nine bridges in Cedar Falls (listed on page 489). No concerns.
22. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of one Owner Purchase Agreement and two Tenant Purchase Agreements, and approving and accepting one Public Utility Easement and one Owner's Temporary Easement for Construction, in conjunction with the West 1st Street Reconstruction Project. Allocates $18K to purchase permanent easements for utilities and public sidewalk. No concerns.
23. Resolution approving and authorizing submission of the Iowa Certified Local Government (CLG) 2018 Annual Report of the Historic Preservation Commission to the State Historical Society of Iowa. This was a very interesting read, from a historical perspective. If you're a local history fan, this is a good synopsis of activity to preserve & showcase CF history, starting on page 533. No concerns.
24. Resolution approving and authorizing a Joint Project Agreement with the City of Waterloo relative to reconstruction of the University Avenue & Midway Drive intersection. This resolution would allow Cedar Falls to split the costs of University & Midway's reconstruction with Waterloo, as part of the University Avenue project. No concerns.
25. Resolution approving and authorizing execution of a Professional Service Agreement with Community ReCode, LLC relative to the Downtown Visioning & Zoning Code Update Project. This is a big deal. Starting on page 558, this resolution would expend $185K in Downtown TIF funds and general revenue funds for a potentially significant re-write of the city's zoning ordinances in the downtown area. Our last major zoning "version" was produced in 1970; it's very likely that the city's chosen direction for zoning in these next few years will have huge ramifications for the city for the next half-century, at least. One of the major topics of discussion will be the idea of form-based (as opposed to use-based) zoning. I strongly encourage all residents to learn about the concepts and to decide where you stand, and let your elected reps know what you'd like to see in our zoning as we continue our march into the 21st century.
Allow Bills and Payroll
26. Allow Bills and Payroll of February 18, 2019. No concerns.
City Council Referrals No referrals.
City Council Updates No updates.
Public Forum. (Speakers will have one opportunity to speak for up to 5 minutes)
| Council Packet Link | |
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| Meeting Date | 02/18/19 |
