Downtown Design Guidelines Work Session MaterialsTHE CITY OF DUBUQUE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dubuque
All-American City
2007
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: City Council Work Session on Downtown Design Guidelines
DATE: October 28, 2008
Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens requests the City Council schedule a work
session on the Downtown Design Guidelines.
If the City Council selects November 24th, the work session would be from 6:30 to 7:30
p.m. This date is an "off Monday" for the City Council.
If the City Council selects December 1st, the work session would be from 5:00 to 6:00
p.m. This work session would precede a regularly scheduled City Council meeting.
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM/jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
THE CITY OF DUBUQUE
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Dubuque
All-American City
2007
TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
SUBJECT: City Council Work Session on Downtown Design Guidelines
DATE: October 22, 2008
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memorandum is to request that the City Council schedule a work
session on Downtown Design Guidelines.
BACKGROUND
The creation of a Downtown Design Guidelines Manual is an action step of the
Downtown Dubuque Master Plan adopted by the City Council in March 2004.
The City Council approved a grant agreement with the State Historic Preservation Office
in December 2007 to develop a Design Guidelines Manual for the streetscapes and built
environment of the historic downtown. Like the City's Historic District Design Guidelines,
the Downtown Design Guidelines Manual will have two components: (1)
streetscape/landscape design guidelines, and (2) architectural design guidelines.
In April 2008 the City Council selected Winter & Company as the consultant for this
project. A Downtown Design Guidelines Task Force has been working with Winter &
Company to develop the Downtown Design Guidelines Manual. The Task Force
includes downtown stakeholders and City staff (see enclosed list). A map of the project
area is enclosed.
DISCUSSION
The Downtown Design Guidelines Task Force met with Winter & Company and the
State Historic Preservation Office to review the draft Preliminary Downtown Design
Guidelines on October 14. The draft guidelines were presented to the Dubuque Main
Street Board of Directors on October 1 and to the Historic Preservation Commission on
October 17. The draft preliminary guidelines were made available for public review and
comment in October.
City Council Work Session on Downtown Design Guidelines
Page 2
Enclosed is the preliminary draft of the Downtown Design Guidelines. This document
will be revised based on the input received from the task force, public and other
downtown stakeholders.
The project schedule in the State grant agreement includes a presentation of the
revised draft of the Downtown Design Guidelines by Winter & Company to the City
Council during a work session on November 24 or December 1. The consultant expects
the presentation will take an hour, including Q & A.
If the City Council selects November 24th, the work session would be from 6:30 to 7:30
p.m. This date is an "off Monday" for the City Council.
If the City Council selects December 1St, the work session would be from 5:00 to 6:00
p.m. This work session would precede a regularly scheduled City Council meeting.
REQUESTED ACTION
The requested action is for the City Council to provide direction as to a date and time for
a work session on the Draft Downtown Design Guidelines.
Enclosures
F:\USERSlWP\LCARSTEN\WP\COUNCIL\DDG Work Session Memo MVM 2
DOWNTOWN DESIGN GUIDELINES TASK FORCE
City Departments/Divisions:
Planning Services -Laura Carstens, David Johnson and Wally Wernimont
Engineering -Jon Dienst
Leisure Services -Bob Fritsch
Economic Development -Aaron Dejong
Transit -Jon Rodocker
Parking -Tim Horsfield
Neighborhood Development - Jerelyn O'Connor
Building Services -Jerry Stoffel
Public Works -Don Vogt
Housing & Community Development - Joleen Patterson
Downtown Partners:
Design Professionals -Jeff Morton, Architect and Gus Hammer, Durrant Group
Contractors -Chad Walsh, Epic Construction
Developers -Tony Pfohl, Fischer Companies; John Gronen, Gronen Developers
Dubuque Main Street -Katie Bahl (staff)
Chamber of Commerce -TBD
Greater Dubuque Development Corporation -TBD
Neighborhoods:
Washington Neighborhood Association -Theresa Caldwell
Downtown Neighborhood Council -TBD
Warehouse District -Paul Butler, Gronen Restoration; Rhonda Dunbar, Avery Railing
Historic Preservation Commission: Joseph Rapp
Color Map