Minutes_Zoning Advisory Commission 11 3 10Masterpiece on the Mississippi
ABSENT: None.
MINUTES
ZONING ADVISORY COMMISSION
REGULAR SESSION
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
6:00 p.m.
City Council Chamber
350 W. 6 Street, Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque
blind
111J
2007
PRESENT: Chairperson Jeff Stiles; Commissioners Ron Smith, Stephen Hardie, Martha
Christ, Patrick Norton, Charles Miller and Tom Henschel; Staff Members Kyle
Kritz and Guy Hemenway.
CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m.
AFFIDAVIT OF COMPLIANCE: Staff presented an Affidavit of Compliance verifying that
the meeting was being held in compliance with the Iowa Open Meetings Law.
MINUTES: The minutes of the October 6, 2010 meeting were approved as amended.
PUBLIC HEARINGIREZONING: Application of Chuck Goddard, Dubuque Metropolitan
Solid Waste Agency (DMSWA), to rezone landfill property located along Highway 20 West,
in conjunction with annexation, from County A -1 Agricultural District, County R -1 Rural
Residential District and City AG Agricultural District to City HI Heavy Industrial District.
Staff Member Kritz requested that this agenda item be tabled until the December 1, 2010
meeting to allow staff to re- notify property owners within 200 feet with a corrected vicinity
map.
Motion by Hardie, seconded by Miller, to table the rezoning request to the December 1,
2010 Zoning Advisory Commission meeting. Motion carried by the following vote: Aye —
Smith, Hardie, Christ, Norton, Miller, Henschel and Stiles; Nay — None.
PUBLIC HEARINGIAMEND ID DISTRICT: Application of Mike McDonough /American Red
Cross to amend the Red Cross ID Institutional District located at 2400 Asbury Road, to
permit a 44 square foot ,10 foot high free - standing sign, with an 18.6 square foot electronic
message component, where 20 square feet and 6 feet in height maximum permitted and
electronic message signs are prohibited.
Minutes — Zoning Advisory Commission
November 3, 2010
Page 2
Mike McDonough, representing the American Red Cross, 2400 Asbury Road, noted that a
donation has been received for the construction of a sign for their Asbury Road facility. He
said that the American Red Cross operations are principally divided between blood
products and disaster services. He said that he distributed information regarding the
proposed signage to the neighbors. He said that the new sign will be oriented toward north
and southbound traffic and that the sign will not directly face the residential properties
across Asbury Road. He said that there are similar signs in the neighborhood including the
Pines Dental Office sign. He reviewed the uses proposed for the sign and stressed the
need for the Red Cross to advertise their services and evening classes.
Paul Thurlow, 2425 Asbury Road, expressed concerns with the impact that the sign may
have on the value of his property. He also said that the sign could impact the safety of
pedestrians and vehicular traffic along Asbury Road. He said that there has been a
number of accidents on Asbury Road in the direct vicinity of the proposed sign. He said
that the proposed sign would cast light directly into his bedroom windows. He submitted a
petition in opposition to the requested amendment signed by 8 adjacent property owners.
Victoria Kruser - Allen, 2443 Asbury Road, expressed concerns with the potential for light
being cast directly into her front windows, the impact the sign may have on the value of her
home, and the potential traffic safety hazard.
Herbert Rech, 2417 Asbury Road, said he is opposed to the new sign because it would
increase the Tight levels into his house. He said that he feels a larger sign is not necessary
to the operation of the Red Cross facility.
Rick Droesky, Lange Sign Company, discussed the signage needs of the Red Cross
facility. He noted that the existing sign currently shines Tight onto the adjacent properties
and that the new sign would reduce light levels. He reviewed the City regulations regarding
electronic message signs noting that there is a two second maximum for animation and
that there is static time required. He said that the sign can be programmed in such a
fashion as to not allow flashing and to enable the sign text to fade in and fade out. He said
the brightness of the sign can also be adjusted. He discussed an existing electronic sign in
front of Wahlert High School that he said is located in a similar neighborhood that has not
created any problems for the adjacent residential property owners. He said that, in
checking with the City police, there had not been any record of an accident having been
caused by an electronic sign.
Commissioner Smith asked about the hours of operation for the facility. Mr. McDonough
noted the varied hours of operation and days that the facility is open. He said that,
although the hours and days of operation vary, he is open to suggestions from the
Commission regarding the time that illumination would be permitted.
Staff Member Hemenway reviewed the staff report noting the ID District regulations for the
Red Cross facility. He said that he had research the 1986 rezoning case and could not find
Minutes — Zoning Advisory Commission
November 3, 2010
Page 3
information as to why the original ID District signage had been more limited than what was
permitted at that time. He said that previous Planning Staff had noted that the sign size
and height had been reduced, and no intermittent lighting was allowed, in an effort to
address the concerns of the adjacent residential property owners. He discussed the
current Unified Development Code regulations for message center signs.
Commissioners discussed the request noting that restrictions could be placed the sign
lighting and its hours of operation. Commissioners discussed various hours of operation
and it was decided that the electronic message portion of the sign could be operated
adequately from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Mr. McDonough noted that an existing lighted sign is on all night and that it is brighter than
the proposed sign.
Commissioner Hardie proposed that the upper portion of the sign be allowed to be lit as is
currently permitted, from dusk until dawn, and that the electronic message portion of the
sign be restricted from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Commissioners discussed this proposal and
felt that it would help limit the impact the sign may have on the residential neighborhood.
Motion by Miller, seconded by Henschel, to amend the request to allow the top portion of
the sign to be illuminated from dusk until dawn and to restrict the operation of the message
sign to from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Motion carried by the following vote: Aye — Smith,
Hardie, Christ, Norton, Miller, Henschel and Stiles; Nay — None.
Motion by Miller, seconded by Henschel, to approve the sign amendment request, as
modified. Motion carried by the following vote: Aye — Smith, Hardie, Christ, Norton, Miller,
Henschel and Stiles; Nay — None.
PUBLIC HEARINGITEXT AMENDMENT(tabled from October 6, 2010): Application of
City of Dubuque to amend Article 13 of the Unified Development Code to clarify the
number of bicycle parking spaces required for parking Tots over 50 spaces.
Staff Member Kritz discussed what he said was redundant and contradictory language in
the regulations for bicycle parking in the new Unified Development Code. He
recommended that the Commission remove the redundant language and modify the
maximum distance for which bicycle racks can be placed from the main entry of a store
entrance. He said this regulation is often difficult to apply because each store entrance
may have a different configuration and things such as the location of street furniture, trash
receptacles, etc. could further inhibit the location of a bike rack. He asked that staff be
granted some flexibility in determining bike rack locations.
Commissioner Norton said that he feels that bike racks should be required in all parking
Tots.
Minutes — Zoning Advisory Commission
November 3, 2010
Page 4
Commissioners discussed the request and felt that it is appropriate.
Commissioners directed staff to review the 50 -space threshold for bike racks and asked
staff to possibly examine reducing that threshold. Staff Members agreed to research the
threshold for bike racks and parking spaces and report back to the Commission.
Motion by Christ, seconded by Hardie, to approve the amendment to Article 13 of the
Unified Development Code. Motion carried by the following vote: Aye — Smith, Hardie,
Christ, Norton, Miller, Henschel and Stiles; Nay — None.
ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kyle L. Kritz, Associate Planner Adopted
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