Loading...
HomeMy Public PortalAboutMinutes-08/04/2004 Tiffin Planning and Zoning Commission August 4, 2004 A regular meeting of the Tiffm City Planning and Zoning was brought to order by Chair Steve Berner at 6:30 p.m. at the Tiffm Fire Station. Members present: Steve Berner, Melvin Reeve, Terry Richardson and Ruth DeMuth. Absent: Stephanie Surine. Also present: Mayor Glenn Potter,Mark Petersen, Jim`Bartels, and Karin Dils,Vic Zender. Motion Richardson, second Reeve to approve the printed minutes. Ayes: DeMuth, • Richardson, Reeve and berner. Absent: Surine Members spent time in discussing park requirement of Rolling Hills Subdivision. Parks commission has expressed concern about the lack of park space across the city. Two concerns about park space around the Pond's Court pond is the steepness of the area provided for sidewalk easement. Spillway question to attorney. Joe Johnston needs tax money or abatement to make success of his idea for elderly housing project. Motion Berner, second Richardson that any abatements be limited in scope to small discounts. Ayes: Richardson,Berner, DeMuth and Reeve. Absent: Swine. Oakdel Boulevard is addendum to the Tiffm Comprehenseive Plan Motion Richardson, second Berner to approve the addition of the Oakdale Boulevard to the Tiffm Comprehensive that includes 200 feet ROW and including 36' street way construction. Ayes: Richardson,Berner,DeMuth and Reeve. Zender reported cost of$25 and $125 per running foot of new street for homeowners for new Coralville street work. Motion Berner, second Richardson to adjourn. Motion carried 7:25 p.m. Margaret B. Reihman, City Clerk City of Tiffm Tiffin Planning and Zoning Commission August 4, 2004 A regular meeting of the Tiffin City Planning and Zoning was brought to order by Chair Steve Berner at 6:30 p.m. at the Tiffin Fire Station. Members present: Steve Berner, Melvin Reeve, Terry Richardson and Ruth DeMuth. Absent: Stephanie Surine. Also present: Mayor Glenn Potter, Mark Petersen, Jim Bartels, and Karin Dils,•Vic Zender. Motion Richardson, second Reeve to approve the printedminutes. Ayes: DeMuth, Richardson, Reeve and Berner. Absent: Surine Members spent time in discussing park requirement of Rolling Hills Subdivision. Parks commission has expressed concern about the lack of park space across the city. Two concerns about park space around the Pond's Court pond is the steepness of the area provided for sidewalk easement. The Subdivider's agreement does not require that the sidewalk be constructed, however it does require adequate space and easement for construction of a sidewalk. It could be that portions of the planned space are under water due to the final pond work. Planning and Zoning felt that either sidewalk space should be adequate or it should be traded for another parcel that can be used to park purpose. The West side of the pond appears to be where a problem will arise. It appears the east side will have enough space to provide a sidewalk for public use. Recommended that the city council work to follow the provisions of the subdivider's agreement to provide for public space in this subdivision. Question about if the spillway area. Question if a cable would be a good addition. Members recommended that the city attempt to assist Joe Johnston with his plans for an elderly housing complex in any manner possible with the exception of tax abatement. Members felt that the city needed the tax revenues that this kind of project could generate. Motion Berner, second Richardson that abatements be limited or not used and that the city attempt to find other means to assist Joe Johnston with his proposal for a 50 unit elderly housing project. Ayes: Richardson, Berner,DeMuth and Reeve. Absent: Surine. Oakdale bulevard has been studied by Planning and Zoning. Motion Richardson, second Reeve to approve an Oakdale Boulevard Plan be added to the Tiffin Comprehensive Plan Ayes: Richardson, Berner, DeMuth and Reeve. Absent: Surine. Motion carried. Zender reported cost of$25 and $125 per running foot of new street for homeowners for new Coralville street work. Motion Berner, second Richardson to adjourn. Motion carried 7:25 p.m. Margaret B. Reihman, Clerk R .. Tiffin Planning and Zoning Commission August 4, 2004 A regular meeting of the Tiffm Planning and Zoning Commission was brought to order 6:30 p.m. at the Tiffin Fire Station by Chair Steve Berner. Members present: Steve Berner, Ruth DeMuth, Melvin Reeve and Terry Richardson. Absent: Stephanie Surine. Also present: Mayor Glenn R. Potter, Councilmembers Karin Dils and Mark Petersen. Also present: Vic Zender. Motion Richardson, second Reeve to approve the printed minutes. Ayes: Reeve, Berner, Richardson and DeMuth. Absent: Surine. Motion carried. The Rolling Hills Subdivision requires an easement for sidewalk/biking trail around the TIF Pond. It appears that the west side of the pond may be to steep for a sidewalk to be installed, the east side may have sufficient space. Dils suggested that the pond area be staked to see what kind of space really is available. Parks Commission has asked why the City of Tiffm is not providing park space in new subdivisions. If the developer does not supply this sidewalk area at to a grade suitable for future installation, it is possible that a second subdivision will be finished that does not have any park space. Members agreed that the east side of the pond should be placedin a grade to make a sidewalk possible. If the west side is too steep for sidewalk, the developer should be either required to do whatever is necessary to make sidewalk possible or the council should negotiate an alternate park area that can be used by the people of this part of the city. The developer-should be held to the terms of agreement. Members agreed that the council should persist in park efforts with the developer. Members advised that the city`attorney opinion on safety of spillway be sought by council. Best manner to proceed with spillway is really unknown to PZ members. Petersen asked if a cabled fencing on the spillway might help with safety. A chain length probably wouldn't work. Members discussed tax abatement request made to the council by Joe Johnston. It was thought that the city needed all of the property tax money that it could get. The city is running all general requirements of the city with collection of $143,000 tax money in the past year. An abatement up to$100,000 each year for up to 10 years requested by Johnston, would mean nearly$1 million of unreceived revenues. The current abatement paradigm currently under consideration by the council would probably mean a loss of approximately$600,000 in revenues over 10 years. A second concern was for the' _possibility of other citizens requesting abatements for specialized purposes. An onslaught of requests would be impossible for the city to sustain. While an assisted living project might be a good project, how would the city weigh how any project would be more or less deserving of not paying taxes. Finally, members considered that a failure of this assisted-living project might lay the building open to a now unconsidered use. If Mr. Johnston were facing bankruptcy or money flow problems, it would be difficult for the city to refuse an alternate use for the project when to do so would mean ruin for Mr. Johnston. Mr. Johnston has provided verbal assurance that the project would be used for this one purpose. Monetary issues could dictate uses now not considered. Motion Berner, second Richardson to recommend that the city council seek to find'some manner of providing help or consideration to Mr. Johnston in his ambitious project without the use of tax giveaway. Ayes: Richardson,Berner, DeMuth and Reeve. Absent: Surine. Motion carried. The IDOT Rise grant project has been bid out but not yet awarded: Members agreed that Chad Freeman should be approached to request cooperation for improvement ideas along Highway# 6 in the area he is considering for new commercial development. His cooperation may mean benefit to him and the entire Highway#6 area in the future. Dils will try to provide information to Freeman from the Visioning committee work. DeMuth asked if any information had come from Darla Bartels on the possibility of saving the Old Post Office. No word has been heard. Dils presented a map showing the proposed Oakdale Boulevard from I-380 to Half Moon. Motion Berner, second Reeve to recommend to council the proposed arterial Oakdale Boulevard for future planning purposes with right-of-way including 100 feet and regulation°of use within a 200 feet width. Ayes: Reeve, Berner, Richardson and DeMuth. Absent: Surine. Motion carried. Dils explained that the transportation enhancement funds sought by the City of Tiffin had been reduced from approximately$80,000 to $30,000 by JCCOG. With this small amount of money to work with on trailing, Dils has requested that the $30,000 be used to provide a bridge for midway across the City Park. Paperwork for the bridge is underway with IDOT. Karin Dils and Clerk Reihman working together have fmished the 2004 REAP grant proposal requesting $50,000 for additional trail segment in the City Park. Mayor Glenn Potter, Dils and Reihman attended the Johnson County REAP meeting held August 3rd and the grant will now be sent on for state consideration. To this time the City of Tiffm has been awarded $100,000 of REAP grants for acquisition of park space and LAWCON grant of$75,000 for park space. These grants have been used toward the purchase costs of the 65 acre City Park and the 20 acre City Park East. Motion Berner, second Richardson to adjourn. Motion carried. Margaret B. Reihman, Clerk City of Tiffm