City Council Work Session

CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION Cedar Falls Council Chambers June 21, 2021 The City Council held a special work session at City Hall at 5:15 p.m. on June 21, 2021, with the following persons in attendance: Frank Darrah, Kelly Dunn, Mayor Pro Tem Simon Harding, Daryl Kruse, Mark Miller, Dave Sires, and Susan deBuhr. Staff members attended from all City Departments. Members of the community attended the meeting and teleconferenced in. Absent: Mayor Rob Green. Mayor Pro Tem Harding introduced the only item on the agenda, Downtown Zoning Ordinance. Mayor Pro Tem Harding introduced Planning and Community Services Manager Karen Howard. Ms. Howard introduced Ms. Mary Madden and Mr. Geoff Ferrell from Ferrell Madden to present by teleconference. Ms. Madden provided an overview, including supporting slides, of the intent of the proposed parking requirements; the current parking requirements for the CBD overlay and City-wide residential areas; the proposed parking requirements for commercial/civic and residential zones; and discussed the concept of reserved versus shared parking for both commercial/civic and residential zones. Mayor Pro Tem Harding opened Council discussion. Councilmember deBuhr requested the definition of shared parking. Ms. Madden responded it is an acceptable pool of parking within a large walkable district so lots aren’t sitting empty. Ms. deBuhr questioned use by the public of privately owned parking. Ms. Madden responded it would not apply to any existing use. Ms. Madden referenced the slide for proposed minimum shared parking and stated that as the size of a building increased so would the shared parking requirements. She stated the recommendation is for half of the time [to be shared] to increase the availability of parking in the Downtown core at different hours of the day. Ms. Howard gave an example and stated signage would be posted. Ms. deBuhr questioned who pays the property tax and liability insurance when private parking is shared for public use? Ms. Howard stated the property owner is responsible. Councilmember Kruse expressed concerns regarding existing lots the public utilize and questioned who finances maintenance. Ms. Madden responded that the proposed guidelines for shared public parking are only for new development moving forward. Mr. Kruse questioned to clarify that a new development would have to allow ¼ of their parking to be used by the public even when fully rented/purchased. Ms. Madden responded that the shared time is only ½ the day, 12 hours. She stated it might mean residential parking is publicly available during the day and vice versa. Mr. Kruse requested examples of cities the size of Cedar Falls implementing this strategy. He questioned resident attitude towards buying/renting and not having adequate parking. Ms. Madden responded by noting ways other developments have differentiated resident parking from shared public parking. Mr. Kruse questioned only requiring ¾ parking spot per bedroom and lack of guest parking requirement that is in current code. Ms. Madden responded that the proposal does not prohibit developers from building more parking; it gives them a baseline and lets the developer determine the parking needs of the project. Mr. Kruse questioned the need for additional parking with regard to out-of-town customers and requested more thought, involvement and feedback by downtown merchants before moving forward. Mayor Pro Tem Harding requested clarification on how the number of stalls was determined and if there is a map that shows where new developments can be constructed. Ms. Madden responded historical data of downtown was incorporated into the Downtown Vision Plan and used to determine recommendations. She stated that there are opportunities to develop and redevelop around the core east and west of Main Street. Ms. Howard noted examples of private downtown lots the City has negotiated use of during off hours; she stated shared use parking will be built into the development’s model from the beginning and will be easily accessible, marked, and factored into the cost structure. Councilmember Sires requested more input from downtown business owners. Councilmember Dunn questioned how many sessions or work sessions were held where public input was allowed. Ms. Howard responded Planning &Zoning Commission (P&Z) held 3 public hearings and 4 work sessions; additional work sessions were held with developers and Community Main Street. Ms. Dunn requested a project timeline. Ms. Howard responded the Vision Plan was adopted in November of 2019 and the proposed zoning was made available to the public in February of 2021. Councilmember deBuhr requested examples of shared parking [in other communities]. Councilmember Kruse requested more input from the public and business owners. Ms. Howard stated for clarification that the code was drafted and made available to the public in February of 2021 and has been open to public review during P&Z public hearings. She stated if specific suggestions are made, Planning will bring information to the Council to consider. Mayor Pro Tem Harding requested a consensus to either move forward with the current proposed zoning ordinance or hold another Work Session. Councilmember deBuhr asked if there could be a Committee meeting with public input. Mr. Harding asked Ms. Howard for a timeline moving forward. Ms. Howard responded if there’s a consensus to move forward, the next step is to set a public hearing; if there’s more to discuss or more information is needed, the next step is to set a Work Session or Committee of the Whole meeting. Mayor Pro Tem Harding requested a consensus to schedule a Committee of the Whole meeting. Mayor Pro Tem sees a consensus. There being no further discussion, Mayor Pro Tem Harding adjourned the meeting at 6:11 p.m. Minutes by Katie Terhune, Administrative Assistant