Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting

Cedar Falls Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting September 11, 2019 City Hall Council Chambers 220 Clay Street, Cedar Falls, Iowa MINUTES The Cedar Falls Planning and Zoning Commission met in regular session on Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 220 Clay Street, Cedar Falls, Iowa. The following Commission members were present: Hartley, Holst, Larson, Leeper, Prideaux, Saul and Wingert. Adkins was absent. Karen Howard, Community Services Manager, Shane Graham, Economic Development Coordinator, and David Sturch, Planner III, were also present. 1.) Chair Holst noted the Minutes from the August 28, 2019 regular meeting are presented. Ms. Prideaux made a motion to approve the Minutes as presented. Mr. Hartley seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously with 7 ayes (Hartley, Holst, Larson, Leeper, Prideaux, Saul and Wingert), and 0 nays. 2.) The first item of business was the Panther West Preliminary Plat. This item was deferred. 3.) The next item for consideration by the Commission was the preliminary and final plats for The Pointe at Henry Farms. Chair Holst introduced the item and Mr. Graham provided background information. He explained that it is a 50 acre development at the southwest corner of West Ridgeway Avenue and Highway 58. The property was rezoned from A-1, Agriculture to HWY-1 in 2018 and a new Fleet Farm store and convenience store were approved. The current plat will split the lots for current and future projects. He displayed a rendering of the preliminary plat showing existing and proposed contours, utilities, easements, lot lines, zoning and right-of-way previously dedicated to the City for West Ridgeway Avenue Reconstruction. He also discussed the final plat and explained the cross-access easements. Mr. Graham displayed the lots and tracts that are included and discussed their intended uses. He discussed the conditions that were in place with regard to the Zoning Agreement and the updates that have taken place and noted that all conditions have been satisfied. Staff recommends approval of the plats subject to conformance with all City staff recommendations and comments from the Planning and Zoning Commission. Mr. Holst stated that he feels it is in order and consistent with the rezoning. Mr. Leeper made a motion to approve the item. Mr. Hartley seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously with 7 ayes (Hartley, Holst, Larson, Leeper, Prideaux, Saul and Wingert), and 0 nays. 4.) The Commission then considered a College Hill Neighborhood Commercial District Façade Review for 2211 College Street. Chair Holst introduced the item and Mr. Sturch provided background information. He explained that this item is for improvements for the building at the above mentioned address, including removal of 1  the shingled portion of the roof structure and repurpose the awning structure to implement into the new façade plan. Everything behind the shingled portion will be rebuilt and covered with new materials. The idea is to develop a new façade maintaining the window and door openings and re-cover it with multi-color granite tile material and the letters from the sign will be over the tile. The steel frame currently holding the roof will be refurbished and will project from the building to provide cover and shade relief. The top of the façade will be extended to match the existing wall extension. New cornice will installed with LED lights that will downcast over the sign. Staff recommends approval of the project with conformance to any staff recommendations and Commission comments. Mr. Sturch also noted that correspondence was received from the College Hill Partnership. The owner, Shahid Chatha, stated that they are just trying to clean up the look of the front of the building to make it look nicer. Kathryn Sogard, 330 Columbia Circle, Waterloo, (Executive Director of the College Hill Partnership) stated that the Partnership did get clarification about the coloring as requested. She also noted that there are concerns with parking, but they do understand that this request only addresses the façade. Mr. Leeper noted that he didn’t see any red flags with the project. Mr. Hartley stated that he would like to see a better representation, but he does feel that it is an improvement. Ms. Saul made a motion to approve the item. Mr. Leeper seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously with 7 ayes (Hartley, Holst, Larson, Leeper, Prideaux, Saul and Wingert), and 0 nays. 5.) The next item of business was a PO-1 District site plan amendment for All Smiles Family Dentistry signage. Chair Holst introduced the item and Mr. Sturch provided background information. He explained that the signage amendment includes a proposed 8’ tall, 40 square foot area sign, which conforms to the PO-1 district sign standards. The sign will be in alignment with the parking lot. Staff recommends approval with conformance to staff recommendations and Commission comments. Ms. Prideaux stated that she feels it is a nice looking sign. Mr. Leeper asked if this is something that really needs to come through the Commission or could it be changed in the Ordinance to streamline things. Ms. Howard stated it is one item currently being considered. Mr. Wingert asked about getting a left turn lane on Hudson Road into the development. Mr. Sturch stated that a traffic study would need to be done to determine right-of-way. Currently a trail is being designed. Ms. Prideaux made a motion to approve the item. Mr. Leeper seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously with 7 ayes (Hartley, Holst, Larson, Leeper, Prideaux, Saul and Wingert), and 0 nays. 6.) The next item for consideration by the Commission was a College Hill Neighborhood Commercial District façade review for a temporary mural. Chair Holst introduced the 2  item and noted that Ms. Prideaux would be abstaining from the vote. Ms. Howard provided background information stating that this item was added last minute as it is proposed for Homecoming weekend. Because it is in the College Hill Overlay District, it needs to be reviewed by Commission to approve the locations and content. Bettina Fabos, professor at UNI, gave a presentation about Fortepan Iowa and proposed wheat pasted murals. She displayed archived scanned images from 1860 – 2000 that represent life in Iowa and that are the kinds of photos that Fortepan Iowa have been compiling on the public archive. She explained that they have been partnering with public libraries to share resources and make them available to the public. They have been writing grants to make the program better and Cedar Falls is one the target cities for their grant writing. Fortepan is working with the Iowa Arts Council to create wheat pasting of images for photo exhibitions. They have received funding to create five wheat pasted images in Cedar Falls. She explained that wheat pasting is a form of using water and flour to create a paste to create and add images to surfaces. She explained that they are seeking permission to put images up in Cedar Falls and showed potential sites that they may like to use. They intend to present images to City Council at the next meeting if the Commission passes the item. Mr. Holst asked how long the image lasts. Ms. Fabos explained that it can be power washed and does not damage the buildings. It can come down at any time. Ms. Saul asked how the Commission is to approve the item when they don’t know what image or building is being proposed. Ms. Howard stated that this is a unique project and when looking at the zoning ordinance, it addresses more permanent murals. This is not permanent and it is time sensitive so staff was hoping to get the Commission’s blessing to send it to City Council. Ms. Saul made a motion to approve the item. Mr. Hartley seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously with 7 ayes (Hartley, Holst, Larson, Leeper, Prideaux, Saul and Wingert), and 0 nays. 7.) The Commission then considered a presentation from Confluence, Inc. regarding the Creekside Technology Center Master Plan. Chair Holst introduced the item and Mr. Graham provided background information. He explained that in 2018 the City was looking for consultants to develop a master plan for property owned by the City along the south side of West Ridgway Avenue, east and west of Hudson Road. Chris Shires and Brenda Nelson of Confluence gave the presentation of the proposed master plan. Mr. Shires provided background information in his introduction noting that this is an important gateway into the community. Ms. Nelson discussed the site analysis and displayed a rendering of the intersection. Mr. Shires discussed their guiding principles, explaining that the goal is to control and enhance the southern Cedar Falls gateway, develop high end technology, office or industrial park and explore other potential markets for complementary land use, and to utilize existing natural features to provide stormwater amenities. They are also looking to provide connections and improve pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular circulation both within the project and to the rest of the community. 3 Ms. Nelson explained that their first step was as site analysis and identified noise and a barrier on the south, and they have Ridgeway Avenue, a main roadway on the north, bordering the site. One of the primary features is the creek that runs through the west parcel and they would like to take advantage of that. She also noted that there are a number of different places that provide an opportunity to view the parcel. Early on they identified that they wanted to make this minimum grading and as sustainable as possible. They looked at loop roads through the center to access the parcels from either side and provide drainage opportunities from east to west. There was also an opportunity for a nice greenspace on the east side. She displayed renderings of the different sides of the parcels and a utilities diagram. Mr. Shires summarized the market study, noting that the site is highly visible and near commercial and business uses. It is also favorable for general office, a business and technology park, as well as a light industrial campus. It can support a small amount of retail, but residential is not recommended. He discussed the 10-year demand as well as the time frame, and noted that the City should be patient with the site as parcels with interchange frontage and visibility are rare. Ms. Nelson discussed circulation and trail connections, noting that the low impact master plan development is designed to require minimal grading and promote straight forward stormwater flow. It is a simple design with a primary loop road connecting the parcel to Ridgeway Avenue in two places, and the roadway corridors are designed to increase aesthetics, soften the impact of infrastructure and elevate the design. Sidewalks are placed along both sides of the street, with tree-lined streets and landscaped parking lots to enhance the pedestrian experience. The loop trail will connect to the greater Cedar Falls trail system. Ms. Nelson also spoke to the utilities and the ability to easily extend them, as well as the stormwater strategy. She explained that public space is provided in a stormwater plaza and open lawn, and provided a graphic to depict the possible look of the plaza. She discussed the lots and how they are configured. Mr. Holst asked if they anticipate the lots being subdivided as things are developed. Mr. Shires stated that it could happen. This is just a general overview that could change over time as development takes place. Ms. Nelson showed the entire master plan, noting that parking is generally buffered with buildings and landscaping. She discussed potential building heights and types and showed 3-D aerial images of how it could look in the future. She also discussed gateway signage and their general proposed standards. Mr. Shires discussed design guidelines, speaking to the design intent and concepts, as well as intended land uses. Some uses included corporate and professional office type uses, laboratories, testing facilities, hotels and recreational clubs. Undesirable, prohibited uses include residential, warehouses, or truck stops. He also talked about bulk regulations such as minimum lot size and width, setbacks, building heights and open space, as well as parking regulations and landscaping. Building design standards, such as primary materials and secondary materials, were discussed. Mr. Shires also discussed lighting and signage. Ms. Nelson addressed phasing of the project, discussing what would take place in each of the five phases and provided a summary of the timing for them. Mr. Shires 4  talked about information regarding the cost for the phases. Mr. Leeper commended the City on taking initiative on the project. He commented that the development seems to be largely inward and would like to think about what the drive by character would be as people come in to the City. He also suggested screening the parking lots from the view on Highway 20. Mr. Leeper stated that he felt that the design guidelines may be a little too specific as this is a long term project. He also asked about maximum setbacks in order to ensure buildings are closer to sidewalks and streets. Ms. Saul stated she is excited about the property and the plan. Mr. Wingert asked about the City’s plans for developing the properties and what it will look like to a potential tenant, and what costs would the City incur. Mr. Leeper stated that he would like to see the City be selective and try not to stretch development too far. Mr. Wingert asked if the name of the development is set in stone, as there is another development with that name. Mr. Graham noted that there have been other suggestions and they could be considered. At this time, the item is just for discussion only. 8.) Ms. Howard provided some updates regarding Commission binders. She also discussed the draft Downtown Vision Plan and noted that it will be presented at the September 25th Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, following the regular agenda items. 9.) As there were no further comments, Mr. Wingert made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Leeper seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously with 7 ayes (Hartley, Holst, Larson, Leeper, Prideaux, Saul and Wingert), and 0 nays. The meeting adjourned at 7:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Karen Howard Joanne Goodrich Community Services Manager Administrative Clerk 5