Five Points Development_Gronen Letter~! August 4, 2008 ~~ ~ ~ ~~~`~~~~`
ti,~
The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members ~' ~ IX ~~ ~° '~
~~~~ ~ City of Dubuque ,,
~~ City Hall ~It'yf ~ ~I~;:;Ci<:.~ '•~;afi{C',e
40 W 13n' St. ~L.~`~i~t~!~l,l~:, h~
', Dubuque IA 52001
I~ Re: Advisory Design Review for the 5 Points Building Site
''~-; ' Dear Mayor and City Council Members:
=~ ` We would like to address the subject of the July 21, 2008 request from the
;, - Historic Preservation Commission to review the design of the proposed
j~ Walgreens building at 5 Points.
~~
Gronen Properties, LLC, previous owner of the 5 Points properties, had
been approached by Walgreen Drug Stores over the past several years to
develop the site for a new store location. Throughout the possible sale
discussions, we spoke at length with developer, Jay Javors of Midwest
Property Group, concerning good urban design and moving away from
Walgreen's traditional practices. Good urban design is of great importance
to Gronen Properties, who has a large investment in the Washington
Neighborhood and who led the revitalization of that area, eventually
incorporating the HEART Program into projects on the 20th block of
Washington Street. Jay Javors of Midwest Property Group was very open to
our requested changes from their original design, jumped through many
hoops and due to this, made the eventual sale possible.
The red brick & limestone building (vs. their normal blond brick) will be
located on the corner of 20th and Washington Streets with parking located on
the east side toward Elm Street and the north side toward 21St Street (vs.
their normal building in rear of site with parking in front). They also have
planned on appropriate fencing and landscaping. In November 2007, the
Zoning Board of Adjustment asked to see design elevations which were
delivered at their next meeting and members approved of the proposal.
This site is not in an historic district, as the letter from the HPC states, but is
in an area that wants to be pedestrian friendly. This Walgreen Drug Store
', will be a fine addition to this neighborhood, which is in great need of retail
sources. Many of the HPC members have been aware of Gronen Properties'
', involvement in this project but we have never been asked any questions
about proposed design, etc.... Our experience dealing with Jay is that he
would have welcomed the input of the HPC, but at this point in time, it's
I just too late.
PO 60X 1862 ~ DUbUQUf IOWFl ~ 52004-1862 ~ PUOUf 56.5557.7010 • fflX 565.690.1610
We have been quite pleased with Jay's open-minded approach and
willingness to "fit" the store into the neighborhood. He has worked
extensively with City staff, selected a contractor, and is ready to pull his
building permit. Due to the fact that Midwest Property Group is ready to
begin construction shortly, a delay of any sort will seriously affect their
already tight schedule. Timing is key to any construction project and the
time has arrived to begin the building process.
Although we are supportive of the Historic Preservation Commission's
review process and appreciate where they're coming from on this project,
we respectively recommend that the City of Dubuque move forward on this
project without any further delay. We appreciate the opportunity to address
this issue. Thank you.
C
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