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Home My Public Portal AboutMinutes-09/06/2000 Tiffin Planning and toning Commission City oil-jinn Wednesday, September 6, 2000 6:30.p.m: Tiffin Fire Station Call to Order Roll Call Minutes Consider Application for Rezoning from R-2 (duplex) to 2.5 (low density multiple family) zoning on various lots in Rolling Hills Estates Subdivision Consider Preliminary Platting and Rezoning for Proposed Tiffin Edge Subdivision in eluding C-2, R2.5, R-2 and R-4. Consider Rezoning Request from McGrew for R`2 to C-2 on Highway 1/6 east side of City Public Hearing on Above set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 13, 2000 Other Old Business New Business Adjournment Tiffm Planning and Zoning September 6, 2000 City of Tiffin A regular meeting of the Tiffin Planning and Zoning Commission was brought to order by Chair Steve Berner at 6:30 p.m. at the Tiffin Fire Station, Wednesday, September 6, 2000 at the Tiffin Fire Station. Tiffm Planning and Zoning Commission members present: Tina Walls, Sandy Huedepohl, Melvin Reeve, Steve Berner. Absent: Terry Richardson. Councilmembers present: Mike Gericke, Jim Bartels, Karin Dils and Mayor Glenn R. Potter. Approximately 25 citizens present. Motion Huedepohl, second Walls to approve printed minutes. Ayes: Berner, Walls, Reeve and Huedepohl. Absent: Richardson. Motion carried. Commission considered Application from C & L Development, 2253 South Riverside Drive, Iowa City for Rezoning form R-2 duplex to R2.5 (low density multiple family) zoning on various lots in Rolling Hills Estates Subdivision. Application and detailed drawing received 8-21-00, list of neighbors received 9-5-00, rezoning application fee received 8-11-00. Letter from Mr. and Mrs. Robert Myers, 480 Maddie Lane was received by the city. Letter referred to parking shortage of the area already caused by apartment complexes of this area, with a concern about even more difficulties. Blocking of driveway is a problem and overflow from two-apartment one block south is a problem now. Myers anticipates that this will only get worse, and requests that the city not approve the R 2.5 zoning in this area. Engineer review has not been received for this requested change. Additional dwellings may increase traffic on east west Goldfinch Drive and north south Kroell Avenue delivering traffic to Hwy#6. Motion Walls, second Reeve to recommend approval of R2.5 zoning in Rolling Hills Estates pending city engineer review. Ayes: Walls, Reeve, Berner, and Huedepohl. Absent: Richardson. Motion carried. Commission considered Application from C& L Development, 2253 South Riverside Drive, Iowa City for Preliminary Platting and Rezoning for Proposed Tiffin Edge Subdivision including C-2, R2.5, R-2 and R-4. Approximately 25 residents present and five written_responses were-received by the city regarding this request. Mrs. Ned Allen: 1) Question regarding receipt of today's notice of Public Hearing for today's date. The clerk noted that the Public Hearing is set for September 13, 2000 with the City Council.The application is being considered by Planning and Zoning today, and is open a meeting open to the public 2) Does this need to be posted on the property, a request will be made with city attorney. 3) This plan may be great for a developer, but why would this what Tiffin would want to do? 4) Do we want to be a suburb of Iowa ri Tiffm Planning and Zoning 9/6/2000 page 2 City?5) Is there water and sewer to this area 6) Will there be sidewalk placement to the school? 7) How many people will this be, will we need a new school? Greg Allen: 1) May be up to 1,200 new citizens, with 550 school age children and 10 buses. 2) Dense population with low value may be the most expensive growth for Tiffm, with no tax base to provide services needed for city or school. 3) Electrical lines are a known cancer risk and why would be place any homes in this area 4)There are no plans on paper to show how developers plan to keep children away from the substation or get school age children on sidewalks to school Ed Cole: Information is on paper, and was dropped off with neighbors. Ned Allen: We never received any plans. Commission Member Huedepohl: reminded all present to conduct themselves in a civil manner. School Board Member Linda Schriebner: Ed has presented plans with the school board a month ago. Concerns expressed regarding: 1) high density of plans 2) busing of hundreds of school-age children 3) manner for providing sewer and water service 4) parking space for this density 5) risk of high wire cancers 6) better use of the area as park area 7) concern about growth throughout the entire area being aggravated by an addition high density W.J. Robison II: 1) Does Tiffm have a plan 2) This would double the size of the city in just one small location 3) Does this fit into what we want this area to look like in ten years? Commission Member Berner: The city has anticipated commercial growth to the south, but this request popped up before the city in the last month, and the city is obligated to respond. Tom Lawrence: The ground is set aside by the Iowa Department of Transportation along Hwy# 6 should the roadway need to be expanded in width here. Is busing required to bus students inside a two-mile radius? Clear Creek Amana Superintendent Okerberg: No requirement of busing students within 2 miles, but a district may choose to do so for good reason, and this does add to costs. Mrs. Allen: Will we need a new school: Tiffm Planning and Zoning 9/6/2000 page 3 Johnnie Langenberg: We are building a new home in this development area. The day after we signed construction agreements we learned that all of this might happen around us. We have no money for attorneys to fight this, we have farmed in the area and had not been informed of the transaction, and had been told this it would always remain farm ground. We hope that the 40 acres of timber will remain. I can't tell you how sad and upset we are about this. Greg Allen: Does the 5%park requirement increase due to density levels of an area? This area will be 4 times denser than normal housing and could create a need for park space for up to 500 children. What are these kids suppose to do, but climb fences to the substation. This could be a liability. Is there any limit on the number of bedrooms in the multiple family buildings? Ned Allen: Where are plans for water and sewer service? Doug Frederick: From southeast corner of the subdivision, with easement across Mr. Allen's property to city lines. Ned Allen: You won't get easement from me. Doug Frederick: Easement could be produced from the railroad right-of-way. Ed Cole: It could be run down the highway. Mrs. Ned Allen: There's so much already in the highway. Ed Cole: On more line won't hurt it. There is no sidewalk or trail shown around the subdivision. The impact of this kind of density will impact all taxpayers of the school district. Safety issued and probably need for a new fire truck, maybe police department. Craig Okerberg: Residential growth does not cover the cost of education need, a community really needs to be a mix of residential, commercial and industrial to support good schools. Terry Disterhoft: 1) We may be sacrificing quality of education 2) safety issues and 3) no tax base to meet these two needs Doug Frederick: 1) This growth issue is not facing just Tiffm, but also Coralville and North Liberty. 2) The area is already R-1, this would only increase density 3) there will be water and sewer issues whatever zoning is used in this area Tiffm Planning and Zoning 9/6/2000 page 4 Greg Allen: Great concern about water levels if well are used in the area. Water levels have already drooped 20 feet in this area. All sand wells of the area will be pulled dry. Doug Frederick: Plans are to place a 6"water line under Roberts Ferry/Ireland Avenue to use city sources Tina Walls: I don't recall this being planned. Mick Allen: Will these taxes be general taxes or Tiffed taxes? Berner: Probably a city council decision, but no reason to think it would be TIF. Ned Allen: I've seen plans were Redbird Run in Songbird Estates deadends into the north end of my property. The city decides and then tells us about it. We've had trouble with maintenance on our fence and were told it was a township trustee problem. Linda Schreibner: Does the city have a land use plan? Copy will be sent to her. Ned Allen: I have two noisy, dusty, dryer bins with odor? Will these be shut down? Sandy Huedepohl: I wouldn't think so, you have made farm use of this area for a long time. Question about housing type. Mobile are trailer homes, modular are trailer homes with tongue removed for permanent placement. Both are trailer homes. Mrs. Allen: 1) Think about what would make our community look nice . 2) Consider social problems and their costs. Greg Allen: Coralville let us have the Western Hills court, and now we'll have to worry about children playing in this area. Commission Member Tina Walls: A tally of the area shows approximately 1,000 lots available for mobile home dwellings. I think that is enough space for our locality. Western Hills 286 with plans for 100 more, Clear Creek 60 with plans for 30 more, Parkview(no count) Safari (no count) Golfview, 266, Holiday, 262. Tom Lawrence: 1) When looking at plans, the lots look crowded, but the lots are 150 X 60 nearly the size of lots in the Songbird (130 X90) 2) The plans would be contained to this area, because it is locked in by school and substation, it would not grow any larger. 3) these plans provide for a better plan that the stereotypical trailer court. Greg Allen: 1) Trailers are being built larger and will fill more of the lot 2) Over 1,000 people may be brought to this area Tiffm Planning and Zoning 9/6/2000 page 5 Mr. Rogers: 1) Concern about safety for children lured to substation, fire safety and lack of park/play space. Ed Cole: Plans to plant pine trees along the west edge of the property. Not shown on plan, and children can crawl under trees. Letter dated 8/28/00 received from Clear Creek Amana Community School District opposing low tax base plans and proposed road running parallel to railroad tracks in this area. Letter from W.J. and Judith E. Robison protesting "leap frog" development out of Tiffm, concern about population growth and attending problems including, traffic, fire, school, and cosmetic. Letter from Greg Allen concerning school and community costs apparently at the benefit of developer of the area. Letter from Mick and Lynn Allen protesting zoning change. Letter from Greg and Linda Allen protesting zoning change. Unsigned list of concerns and unsigned list of all mobile home lots within 10-mile radius of Tiffin. Chair Berner thanked all present for input provided, reminded those present that the Public Hearing would be held 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, September 13, 2000. Commission members agreed that application request would be taken under further study. No recommendation at this time. Application received 8-28-00, list of neighbors received 9-5-00, detailed drawing received 9-6-00 and filing fee for rezoning received 9- 6-00 by city. Review from City engineer not received at this date. Consideration of Application from F& F Partners, LLP , 607 E Marengo Road, Tiffm, IA for Rezoning changes on McGrew property on northeast corner of Tiffm East and Valley Village Subdivisions. Chad Freeman, Craig Forestner and Engineer Doug Frederick presented plans for C-2 near the highway and R-3 surrounding this area. Members felt concern about placing these zones next to a single-family home. Chad Freeman explained that he had an agreement to purchase, but could not complete the purchase without knowledge of the zoning. Members asked if the house would remain here. Chad said that he couldn't say at this time. Clerk informed members that the city engineer had relayed concern about current plans for entrance to Hwy#6 that would be within about 200 feet of Stephans Street. Most blocks run 300 to 500 feet. 200 feet Tiffin Planning and Zoning 9/6/2000 page 6 could pose a traffic safety problem in future years. A better entrance to the highway would be further east. Concern about density with nine eight-unit buildings being added to an already dense area. Would mean 72 units X 3.5 =252 people or 72 units X 2.5 people = 183, or 140 parking spaces and one way out for 90 to 140 cars, also fire safety issues for this area also. City engineer review of this zoning change as not been received. No recommendation was made at this time. Chad Freeman will bring another plan before the Planning and Zoning at the upcoming regular meeting. Application received, list of neighbors received 9-5-00, need detailed drawing, rezoning fee received 9-6-00. Motion Walls, second Reeve to adjourn. Motion carried 8:45 p.m. Steve Berner, Chair Margaret B. Reihman, City Clerk Tiffin Planning and Zoning Commission City of Tiffin