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5 11 09 City Council Proceedgins_Special Official CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS OFFICIAL The Dubuque City Council met in special session at 5:30 p.m. on May 11, 2009 in the Historic Federal Building Present: Mayor Buol, Council Members Braig, Connors, Jones, Lynch, Resnick, Voetberg; City Manager Van Milligen, Assistant City Attorney O’Brien Mayor Buol read the call and stated this is a special session of the City Council to act upon such business that may properly come before the City Council. WORK SESSION (1 of 4) Discussion regarding the Unified Development Code Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens provided background information stating that the Unified Development Code combines the City’s zoning, subdivision, historic preservation, and sign regulations into one document. Staff worked with the UDC Technical Advisory Committee, which was comprised of City staff from Engineering, Economic Development, Housing and Community Development, and Building Services Departments. Staff also worked with citizens on the UDC Sign Review Advisory Committee, the UDC Citizen Advisory Committee, the Zoning Advisory Commission, the Environmental Stewardship Advisory Commission, and the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Additionally, the Developer’s Roundtable was invited to a series of UDC open houses, and sign contractors were invited to an open house related to UDC sign section. The project objectives of the UDC are to: ? conform to local, state, and federal codes, ? be relevant for Dubuque, ? be user-friendly, ? streamline the process. Staff has worked to draft a UDC that reduces obstacles and incorporates sustainable design provisions. They will continue to review sustainability in the existing zoning, subdivision, and historic preservation codes as well as in the proposed UDC. A slide presentation entitled “Sustainbility in the City of Dubuque’s Existing Land Use Codes and Proposed Unified Development Code” was shown. City Council reviewed Articles 1-5 of the proposed Unified Development Code. Questions, suggestions, and discussion from City Council Members included: relationship to Building Codes, appropriate wording exempting the City from regulation, fences within historic districts, required setbacks for front and side yards, clarification on “substantially complete,” conditional-use permits for the keeping of hens, the impact of general lot size, consensus on narrow streets and sidewalks, a need for a walkable/bikeable community, appropriate language which allows for evolving changes, Council’s right to grant waivers, home-based businesses, specific language related to places of religious exercise or assembly, off-street parking and storage of vehicles, and definitions for hospitals and sports/recreation. There being no further business, upon motion the City Council adjourned at 6:52 p.m. /s/Jeanne F. Schneider, CMC City Clerk 1t 5/20