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:
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conform to local, state, and federal codes,
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be relevant for Dubuque,
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be user-friendly,
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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
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