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MINUTES
CITY OF DUBUQUE LONG RANGE PLANNING ADVISORY COMMISSION
REGULAR SESSION
5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
City Council Chamber, Historic Federal Building
Commissioners Present: Commissioners John Pregler, Alan Vincent, Jim Prochaska,
Mark Dolson, and Joshua Clements.
Commissioners Excused: Commissioners Chad Darter and Charles Winterwood.
Commissioners Unexcused None.
Staff Members Present: Laura Carstens, David Johnson, and Ose Akinlotan.
CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Vice Chairperson Vincent at 5:45
p.m.
CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE: Staff presented an Affidavit of Compliance verifying
that the meeting was being held in compliance with the Iowa Open Meetings Law.
MINUTES: Motion by Prochaska, seconded by Pregler to approve the minutes of October
21 , 2015 as submitted. Motion carried by the following vote: Aye —Vincent, Prochaska,
Clements, Pregler, and Dolson; Nay— None.
PUBLIC HEARINGS: None.
ACTION ITEMS: None.
ITEMS FROM PUBLIC:
Update from Smart Planning Consortium on the Dubuque County Zoning Pro i act. Dan Fox,
East Central Intergovernmental Association Transportation Planner, provided the update on
the Dubuque County Zoning Project. He reviewed the Dubuque County Regional
Comprehensive Plan and process as well as the Dubuque Smart Planning Consortium. Mr.
Fox explained the next step following those efforts was to update the Zoning Code for the
consortium members. He explained the City of Dubuque is not part of the Code update. He
reviewed the benefits for communities to work together in the effort. He reviewed the project
goals defined by the consortium members. He stated some consortium communities do not
have zoning codes, and those that do have codes that have not been updated in many
years. He explained the project will provide these communities with modern codes to help
facilitate growth and development.
Minutes — Long Range Planning Advisory Commission Page 2
December 16, 2015
Mr. Fox reviewed the status of the project as well as the possible updates and changes. He
stated once finalized, the information will be put into a template and presented to consortium
communities. He explained the communities will make changes and present those changes
to ECIA for final draft development.
Mr. Fox reviewed the current and proposed formatting of the Code document. He noted the
new formatting will be more user friendly. He provided descriptions of zoning districts and
greater detail on the ordinance template. Mr. Fox reviewed the next steps in the process,
noting pending community review and revisions and an anticipated completion date of July
2016.
The Commission thanked Mr. Fox for the presentation and update. The Commission asked if
the Code is modeled after the City of Dubuque Ordinance. Mr. Fox confirmed the City of
Dubuque Codes were used in helping to develop the Consortium Codes. Staff Member
Carstens explained the City of Dubuque recently consolidated and updated its Zoning Code
into the City of Dubuque Unified Development Code and therefore was not part of the update
process. She noted Planning Services staff has been involved in helping with the Dubuque
County Zoning Project. She explained Planning Services staff has been attending meetings
and helping inform the process. Mr. Fox noted Planning Services staff's input has been
valuable in the process.
The Commission questioned if County residents have expressed concern about the Codes.
Dubuque County Zoning Administrator Anna O'Shea explained the County's role in
development. She noted the County encourages the preservation of agricultural land. She
stated the County also encourages development to occur in or adjacent to cities. She noted
much of the development that occurs in the County is in areas already zoned residential.
She explained the County is focusing its energy on Smart Development and development
within cities.
Public Input on Dubuque County Zoning Project: None.
ITEMS FROM COMMISSION: None.
ITEMS FROM STAFF: None.
ADJOURNMENT: Motion by Prochaska, seconded by Dolson, to adjourn the December 17,
2015 Long Range Planning Advisory Commission meeting. Motion carried by the following
vote: Aye —Vincent, Prochaska, Clements, Pregler, and Dolson; Nay— None.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager Adopted