Downtown Design Guidelines Area ExpansionMasterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Downtown Design Guidelines Area Expansion
DATE: January 11, 2010
Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens is recommending approval of the proposed
expansion of the Downtown Design Guidelines (DDG) area to be consistent with the
southern boundary of the Greater Downtown Urban Renewal District (GRURD)
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
MCVM:Iw
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
Michael C. Van Milligen
Dubuque
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Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager ,C
DATE: December 21, 2009
SUBJECT: Downtown Design Guidelines Area Expansion
Introduction
This memorandum requests expansion of the Downtown Design Guidelines (DDG) area to be
consistent with the southern boundary of the Greater Downtown Urban Renewal District (GDURD),
for City Council review and approval.
Discussion
Recent development inquiries at 210 Jones Street have caused Planning Services and Economic
Development Staff to discuss coordinating the DDG area with the GDURD boundary south of Jones
Street. Review of projects in the DDG area and the GDURD are identical. For both the DDG area
and the GDURD, public and private projects utilizing a source of public funds are reviewed by the
Historic Preservation Commission. Expanding the DDG area to properties already located in the
GDURD will have no added regulatory impact. Coordinating the boundaries will streamline the
administrative review of projects in the DDG area and the GDURD. Expanding the DDG area
boundary will also aid property owners and developers by providing a clear set of local design
review guidelines for those projects using GDURD funds. Expansion also allows staff sign -off in the
DDG area.
Boundary Justification
Enclosed is a map depicting the current local historic districts, the Downtown Design Guidelines
area, the Greater Downtown Urban Renewal District and the Port of Dubuque Master Plan area.
The GDURD currently extends south of the DDG area to include and offer incentives to those
historically significant properties south of Jones Street. GDURD properties located in the Port of
Dubuque Master Plan area and local historic districts were omitted from consideration since those
areas already have design guidelines in place. GDURD properties south of the proposed expansion
areas were omitted from consideration since those properties are recent commercial and industrial
buildings that do not fit in with the historical context of the downtown and would not relate to the
DDG manual.
Requested Action
The Planning Services and Economic Development Departments request City Council approval of
the proposed DDG area expansion.
Enclosure
cc Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
David Heiar, Economic Development Director
Rich Russell, Building Services Manager
F: \USERS \Djohnson \Council Items \DDG Expansion Area \Council Letter \MVM memo
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Greater Downtown
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Historic Preservation Districts
Downtown Design Guidelines Area
Port of Dubuque Master Plan Area
Downtown Design Guidelines
Area Expansion
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