The Ames City Council meeting starts at 6 p.m. The agenda includes:
Item 18: 415 Stanton Ave. contract rezoning agreement (Old Crawford School) (Tabled from 12/19/17 agenda)
Plans to redevelop the former Crawford Elementary school into a senior living facility are underway. At the last meeting, the council directed staff to move forward with a contract rezoning agreement that would stipulate a minimum of one resident per unit who is at least 55 years old, and would require the adaptation and reuse of the old Crawford building. This is the requested contract rezoning agreement, back to be voted on.
Item 20: Staff report on zoning text amendment to allow installation of public art in front-yard setbacks
The council recently heard a request to allow taller-than-currently-allowed art in front of commercial properties on South Duff Avenue in order to create an art corridor. (Current rules limit “statuary” to four feet.) Staff recommend two options, one of which is to increase the height limit to a maximum of 10 feet. Staff also caution that the changes should apply for art only, and not all signage and other commercial displays.
Item 21: 321 State Ave. affordable housing development (Old Middle School)
The council recently approved an additional $350,000 toward this affordable housing project at our Dec. 12 meeting, bringing the city’s financial contribution to the infrastructure at 321 State Ave. to a total of $900,000. (This doesn’t include the land value of $550,000, which we are giving to the developer as well.) We are waiting for the developer to review and sign the most recent development agreement, and then we can move forward on this project.
Habitat for Humanity and Heartland Baptist Church are working to partner and consolidate Habitat services at 3504 Grand Ave. The area is currently zoned high-density residential and this request is to rezone the property as neighborhood commercial. Planning and Zoning recommended 5-0 to approve this rezoning request, and staff recommend approval.
Thanks for reading,
Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen
City Council At-Large
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