 |
Bronwyn's Council Preview |
https://www.youtube.com/ameschannel12
https://www.cityofames.org/channel12
or watch the meeting live on Mediacom Channel 12
Usually some of the agenda items will have a period where members of the public may briefly speak to Council.
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Send email to MayorCouncil@AmesCityCouncil.org
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AGENDA
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE AMES CITY COUNCIL
The Ames City Council meeting is at 6 p.m. at City Hall. The regular council meeting agenda includes the following. Note that you can generally click on individual agenda items below to get the full staff report or other explanation.
- 49. Agreements with Iowa State University for CYTown.
ICYMI, here is my synopsis from the March 11th Ames Council Preview:
For several years now, ISU has been developing the concept of CyTown, a commercial/residential/entertainment district at the Iowa State Center. Not only do they believe it will add a vibrancy to the area, it is also the mechanism by which they can fund much-needed renovations to the main four buildings at the Iowa State Center. (Hilton, Scheman, Fisher, and C.Y. Stephens). The City's concerns with CyTown were two-fold. First, the university doesn't pay property tax. Second, per State code, they aren't allowed to compete with the private sector in certain ways. In order to come to a compromise on these issues, a Memorandum of Understanding is being proposed, which outlines responsibilities for maintenance and establishes a payment-in-lieux-of-tax ( PILOT) to be paid to the City. For the first two decades, this PILOT would be reinvested in the ISU Center, and then would gradually revert to the City.
Now (following an agreement reached regarding utility easements), Council is being asked to approve the proposed MOU (memorandum of understanding) regarding this PILOT. - 50. Ames Economic Development Commission.
This is an annual report and contract renewal from the AEDC. No changes are proposed to the contract. Currently, the City funds the AEDC for business recruitment/marketing services ($115,000) and $60,000 for the City Business Development Coordinator. - 51. Summary of Harrison Road Surplus Land Neighborhood Outreach Meeting for Housing Infill Options .
In December of last year, Council heard a report from staff about housing infill opportunities in Ames. (Infill is a term describing redevelopment of existing areas of a city, rather than "greenfield" developments which typically expand the footprint of a city in order to provide additional housing.) In addition to several more substantially-sized privately-owned areas of town, one small (1.8 acre) City-owned property along Harrison Rd. was mentioned at that meeting. For that property, staff recommended starting with a public outreach meeting. An outreach meeting was held on April 11th, and staff are reporting back on that meeting and options for proceeding or not. Notices were sent to 112 property owners, and 15 people (representing 11 properties) attended the meeting. None were in favor of developing the site for housing. Those in attendance were shown several potential options for format and density of single-family housing (ranging from 5-12 residences) but they declined to note any preference between the options. - 52. Request to Initiate a Zoning Text Amendment for Exception to Minimum FAR and Height Along Main Street.
This was a request from the owners of Ames Silversmithing, who recently purchased the one-story at 218 Main St, and would like to renovate it. They are asking for an exception to the two-story building requirement on Main St. - 54. Planning Division Work Plan 2024.
Staff in the Planning Department have listed the projects on their to-do list, one of which is a zoning overhaul. While helpful and needed, it is a big project and could delay related Council referrals. Staff are asking for Council's input on the timing of this project and others.
Communications to Council: The following items are requests and communications to Council that aren't published on the agenda, so we won't deliberate them substantially. This includes staff reports and communications or requests from constituents and developers. Typically, Council will ask city staff for more information, put the item on a future agenda for deliberation and possible action, or just accept the communication, taking no further action.
- Residential energy audit.
- Downtown parking.
- CyTown emails 050624.
- CyTown March 122024.
- Pool demolition.
- Koshu delegates AIPCA.
- Highland Ave bike ped.
- Mowing hours.
- Dotson traffic concern.
Thanks for reading,
Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen
Ames City Council, Ward 1
