[Iowa-dx] Iowa City Council Meeting Presentation Against Changing High-rise Ordinance

[GreenParty Ron]

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From: "Ronald Kinum" GreenPartyRon@mail.org
To: GreenDiscussionGroup@yahoogroups.com
CC:
Subject: [GreenDiscussionGroup] Iowa City Council Meeting
Presentation Against Changing High-rise Ordinance
Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:04:38 -0000

From: prodemocracyadvocacy@yahoo.com
To: CC: IowaCityCitizensCommitteeCommunityOrganization@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [IowaCityCitizensCommitteeCommunityOrganization] Iowa City
Council Meeting Presentation Against Changing High-rise Ordinance
Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:58:21 -0000

This is a not-entirely-accurate copy of my presentation
before the Iowa City Council last night on Novemeber 27,
2007, about opposing a change to the city ordinance on
new building construction height.

This transcript is not a totally accurate representation,
due to the fact that I had rewritten the original text
from the original protest against Big Ten Rentals' appeal
against the Zoning Commission turn-down of their original
twelve-story building plans, and, I had to ad-lib some
parts, and particularly, I had not noticed in the text of
my presentation that my item III-B no longer applied.

Here is my modified presentation text, and of course my
not-at-all-professional presentation will be viewable on
the city cable channel:
_________________________________________________________

OPPOSITION STATEMENT TO THE POTENTIAL CHANGE TO THE
EXISTING SIX STORY BUILDING LIMIT ORDINANCE

Presented by Ronald Kinum
Resident of Capitol House Apartment
founding member Iowa City Citizens Committee Community
Organization
member Johnson County Green Party

Post Office Box 10099
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
LibrisFidelis@usa.com
Presented November 27, 2007

In respect to the terminated request by Big Ten Rentals, I
would like to make three points on increasing height limits
of new construction buildings:

I. Ordinance Change Request =96 what it does
A. Doubles the height of the permitted downtown
buildings
With the exception of the unsightly sterile-looking
Sheraton Hotel and the "filing cabinet with windows
look" of the architecturally atrocious Vetro Hotel,
no other modern structure in downtown Iowa City
exceeds six stories in height. The fact that the
8-story Jefferson Building is both historic and has
community-compatible architecture makes it seem
inconsequential. The present six-story height
limitation zones represent a community preference
that establishes downtown Iowa City as an intended
small-town atmosphere zone, with neither the Chicago
nor the "city of Oz" look that modern developers
prefer to pursue.

B. Increases the traffic density to downtown
Regardless of the representations of the developer,
every new tall building will increase motor vehicle,
bicycle and pedestrian traffic, each with its own
consequences. Although it is preferable that
increased mobility within our city be more pedestrian,
there is no possibility to exclude commercial
deliveries, guests, and incidental visitors from
driving motor vehicles to, and parking at or near
each multi-story building, which exponentially
increases the surrounding city's traffic density in
various ways.

C. Decreases the available sunshine and surrounding
view to neighboring buildings
A prime concern of all residents is to not have the
rural small town atmosphere be replaced by a
growing "miniature Chicago". The view even from
the middle-most floor of a building next to a high
rise building is greatly affected in negative aspects
which have symbiotic compounding effects on esthetics.

D. Negatively changes the social atmosphere and
quality of life to existing nearby residents
There is a prime sanctity in the atmosphere of a
small town city. Concrete canyons of multi-story
caves isolate residents by divisive artificial
barriers of imposing high rise residences. Urban
sprawl is, of course, another opposite bad effect,
yet the inability to see the weather, sample the
view of the nearby surrounding community, all have a
negative psychological perspective of the community
that are critical human environmental concerns that
have huge effects on personal and social well-being.

E. Spurs city-wide rent increases
The development of taller and higher-capacity
buildings in a city does not create lower rents due
to the fact that the construction costs of the new
building must be captured in rent fees. This is an
encouragement for other rental units throughout the
city to raise their rents to be just as profitable.
It is a myth in developing cities that more new
rental units create a surplus of vacant apartments
that influences lower rents. The new buildings
would not have been constructed if the developers
could not recover their construction costs through
those higher rents.


I I. Developer Changes To OUR City =96 how it affects the
developer

A. Zone change is a purely egocentric in desire to
enhance revenue
The more a city is "built up" by large-scale
development, the more that increasing development
also encourages consecutive larger revenue-oriented
development to follow, in a vile and vicious assault
on the surrounding community. It is an
inconsideration that systematically changes selected
parts of a community to become a less humane and
more revenue-enhancing commercial atmosphere of
community-incompatible revenue districts.

This development proposal to change our zoning laws
is only one of many from over the years, each that
have all been proposed with the developers looking
toward the future for increased revenues and profits,
as the developers anticipate that the existing local
community residents and local small businesses will
be literally "run off" by the power and by the
intimidating influences of the mega-wealth of
inspired encroachment by the large-scale
commercialization and grandiose development projects,
with their power and influence of overwhelming
resources.

B. Proposal inconsistent with surrounding buildings
The residents cannot tolerate changes of the
atmosphere to a less and humanistic community realm
which does not fit in with the existing community
atmosphere, and imposes undesired and unwanted
changes in the community, changes that are not
symbiotic with the community lifestyle. These
proposed changes to our community is an assault by
mega-developments that will inherently alter
society, by bringing an influx of counter-community
lifestyles that do not respect the existing
community values, and often which flaunts with a
disregard for community lifestyles to the point of
actually antagonizing the existing community, which
leads to community deterioration in both lifestyle
and physical appearance. The breakdown of the
community results in social isolation among citizens
who become besieged by a new culture which does not
respect the existing community. The role that
mega-development buildings play in that conflict is
not to be slighted.

C. More tightly-fit tall structures on small
property
We citizens have a major problem with trying to
create a compact revenue-generating community with
community structures which Iowa City has so far
successfully been able to counter to a variety of
degrees. Landscaping that is not superficial with
adequate open space must also be formulated to
address spatial effects of visual perspective, as
well as physical habitation effects on mobility.
There must be a universal city formula for
geometric plane-space structural placement
restrictions, that allow for reasonable and not
excessive plane density of structure placement
within any given block.

I I I. The Solution =96 how it can serve both the citizens
and the developer

A. Maintain the existing ordinance to permit only
a six story maximum structure
There is no reason why developers cannot make a
decent profit from revenues that are derived from a
community-compatible scale of construction. This
has been proven in southern Saint Louis around Grand
Avenue and Arsenal Street, where a bank and an
apartment were replaced with community compatible
and actually very attractive structures, and on a
large vacant lot, an apartment complex was created
in the same way. Education is gravitating to
distance learning using online courses, so costly
student housing needs should decrease and a glut in
new student apartments should occur.

B. Alter somewhat the top floors to appear more
proportional to the shorter 6-story building
(This I really screwed up in my presentation, but I
managed to ad-lib a rescue after damaging my effect,
because this part should have been stricken from my
presentation. I said something like


In light of a proposed building of the architectural
style presented,(I think I said: The previous plan
for the twelve story building is not in proportion
to the six story building)..., the top floors of the
new building were originally designed with a ten to
twelve story structure, and that scale is out of
proportion to the appearance of a shorter building
that complies with the present six-story limit.
Otherwise, the external appearance of the proposed
building is quite acceptable in the Iowa City form
of plan, whereas the building in Wisconsin is far
less eye-appealing and looks arrogant. As a six
story building, the proposal for the portrayed
development of South Linn Street and West Court
Street would be acceptable.

--=20
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<DIV>From: "Ronald Kinum" GreenPartyRon@mail.org <BR>To: GreenDiscussionGro=
up@yahoogroups.com <BR>CC: <BR>Subject: [GreenDiscussionGroup] Iowa City Co=
uncil Meeting <BR>Presentation Against Changing High-rise Ordinance <BR>Dat=
e: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:04:38 -0000 <BR><BR>From: prodemocracyadvocacy@yahoo=
.com <BR>To: CC: IowaCityCitizensCommitteeCommunityOrganization@yahoogroups=
.com <BR>Subject: [IowaCityCitizensCommitteeCommunityOrganization] Iowa Cit=
y <BR>Council Meeting Presentation Against Changing High-rise Ordinance <BR=
>Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:58:21 -0000 <BR><BR>This is a not-entirely-accur=
ate copy of my presentation <BR>before the Iowa City Council last night on =
Novemeber 27, <BR>2007, about opposing a change to the city ordinance on <B=
R>new building construction height. <BR><BR>This transcript is not a totall=
y accurate representation, <BR>due to the fact that I had rewritten the ori=
ginal text <BR>from the original protest against Big Ten Rentals' appeal <B=
R>against the Zoning Commission turn-down of their original <BR>twelve-stor=
y building plans, and, I had to ad-lib some <BR>parts, and particularly, I =
had not noticed in the text of <BR>my presentation that my item III-B no lo=
nger applied. <BR><BR>Here is my modified presentation text, and of course =
my <BR>not-at-all-professional presentation will be viewable on <BR>the cit=
y cable channel: <BR>______________________________________________________=
___ <BR><BR>OPPOSITION STATEMENT TO THE POTENTIAL CHANGE TO THE <BR>EXISTIN=
G SIX STORY BUILDING LIMIT ORDINANCE <BR><BR>Presented by Ronald Kinum <BR>=
Resident of Capitol House Apartment <BR>founding member Iowa City Citizens =
Committee Community <BR>Organization <BR>member Johnson County Green Party =
<BR><BR>Post Office Box 10099 <BR>Iowa City, Iowa 52240 <BR>LibrisFidelis@u=
sa.com <BR>Presented November 27, 2007 <BR><BR>In respect to the terminated=
 request by Big Ten Rentals, I <BR>would like to make three points on incre=
asing height limits <BR>of new construction buildings: <BR><BR>I. Ordinance=
 Change Request =96 what it does <BR>A. Doubles the height of the permitted=
 downtown <BR>buildings <BR>With the exception of the unsightly sterile-loo=
king <BR>Sheraton Hotel and the "filing cabinet with windows <BR>look" of t=
he architecturally atrocious Vetro Hotel, <BR>no other modern structure in =
downtown Iowa City <BR>exceeds six stories in height. The fact that the <BR=
>8-story Jefferson Building is both historic and has <BR>community-compatib=
le architecture makes it seem <BR>inconsequential. The present six-story he=
ight <BR>limitation zones represent a community preference <BR>that establi=
shes downtown Iowa City as an intended <BR>small-town atmosphere zone, with=
 neither the Chicago <BR>nor the "city of Oz" look that modern developers <=
BR>prefer to pursue. <BR><BR>B. Increases the traffic density to downtown <=
BR>Regardless of the representations of the developer, <BR>every new tall b=
uilding will increase motor vehicle, <BR>bicycle and pedestrian traffic, ea=
ch with its own <BR>consequences. Although it is preferable that <BR>increa=
sed mobility within our city be more pedestrian, <BR>there is no possibilit=
y to exclude commercial <BR>deliveries, guests, and incidental visitors fro=
m <BR>driving motor vehicles to, and parking at or near <BR>each multi-stor=
y building, which exponentially <BR>increases the surrounding city's traffi=
c density in <BR>various ways. <BR><BR>C. Decreases the available sunshine =
and surrounding <BR>view to neighboring buildings <BR>A prime concern of al=
l residents is to not have the <BR>rural small town atmosphere be replaced =
by a <BR>growing "miniature Chicago". The view even from <BR>the middle-mos=
t floor of a building next to a high <BR>rise building is greatly affected =
in negative aspects <BR>which have symbiotic compounding effects on estheti=
cs. <BR><BR>D. Negatively changes the social atmosphere and <BR>quality of =
life to existing nearby residents <BR>There is a prime sanctity in the atmo=
sphere of a <BR>small town city. Concrete canyons of multi-story <BR>caves =
isolate residents by divisive artificial <BR>barriers of imposing high rise=
 residences. Urban <BR>sprawl is, of course, another opposite bad effect, <=
BR>yet the inability to see the weather, sample the <BR>view of the nearby =
surrounding community, all have a <BR>negative psychological perspective of=
 the community <BR>that are critical human environmental concerns that <BR>=
have huge effects on personal and social well-being. <BR><BR>E. Spurs city-=
wide rent increases <BR>The development of taller and higher-capacity <BR>b=
uildings in a city does not create lower rents due <BR>to the fact that the=
 construction costs of the new <BR>building must be captured in rent fees. =
This is an <BR>encouragement for other rental units throughout the <BR>city=
 to raise their rents to be just as profitable. <BR>It is a myth in develop=
ing cities that more new <BR>rental units create a surplus of vacant apartm=
ents <BR>that influences lower rents. The new buildings <BR>would not have =
been constructed if the developers <BR>could not recover their construction=
 costs through <BR>those higher rents. <BR><BR><BR>I I. Developer Changes T=
o OUR City =96 how it affects the <BR>developer <BR><BR>A. Zone change is a=
 purely egocentric in desire to <BR>enhance revenue <BR>The more a city is =
"built up" by large-scale <BR>development, the more that increasing develop=
ment <BR>also encourages consecutive larger revenue-oriented <BR>developmen=
t to follow, in a vile and vicious assault <BR>on the surrounding community=
. It is an <BR>inconsideration that systematically changes selected <BR>par=
ts of a community to become a less humane and <BR>more revenue-enhancing co=
mmercial atmosphere of <BR>community-incompatible revenue districts. <BR><B=
R>This development proposal to change our zoning laws <BR>is only one of ma=
ny from over the years, each that <BR>have all been proposed with the devel=
opers looking <BR>toward the future for increased revenues and profits, <BR=
>as the developers anticipate that the existing local <BR>community residen=
ts and local small businesses will <BR>be literally "run off" by the power =
and by the <BR>intimidating influences of the mega-wealth of <BR>inspired e=
ncroachment by the large-scale <BR>commercialization and grandiose developm=
ent projects, <BR>with their power and influence of overwhelming <BR>resour=
ces. <BR><BR>B. Proposal inconsistent with surrounding buildings <BR>The re=
sidents cannot tolerate changes of the <BR>atmosphere to a less and humanis=
tic community realm <BR>which does not fit in with the existing community <=
BR>atmosphere, and imposes undesired and unwanted <BR>changes in the commun=
ity, changes that are not <BR>symbiotic with the community lifestyle. These=
 <BR>proposed changes to our community is an assault by <BR>mega-developmen=
ts that will inherently alter <BR>society, by bringing an influx of counter=
-community <BR>lifestyles that do not respect the existing <BR>community va=
lues, and often which flaunts with a <BR>disregard for community lifestyles=
 to the point of <BR>actually antagonizing the existing community, which <B=
R>leads to community deterioration in both lifestyle <BR>and physical appea=
rance. The breakdown of the <BR>community results in social isolation among=
 citizens <BR>who become besieged by a new culture which does not <BR>respe=
ct the existing community. The role that <BR>mega-development buildings pla=
y in that conflict is <BR>not to be slighted. <BR><BR>C. More tightly-fit t=
all structures on small <BR>property <BR>We citizens have a major problem w=
ith trying to <BR>create a compact revenue-generating community with <BR>co=
mmunity structures which Iowa City has so far <BR>successfully been able to=
 counter to a variety of <BR>degrees. Landscaping that is not superficial w=
ith <BR>adequate open space must also be formulated to <BR>address spatial =
effects of visual perspective, as <BR>well as physical habitation effects o=
n mobility. <BR>There must be a universal city formula for <BR>geometric pl=
ane-space structural placement <BR>restrictions, that allow for reasonable =
and not <BR>excessive plane density of structure placement <BR>within any g=
iven block. <BR><BR>I I I. The Solution =96 how it can serve both the citiz=
ens <BR>and the developer <BR><BR>A. Maintain the existing ordinance to per=
mit only <BR>a six story maximum structure <BR>There is no reason why devel=
opers cannot make a <BR>decent profit from revenues that are derived from a=
 <BR>community-compatible scale of construction. This <BR>has been proven i=
n southern Saint Louis around Grand <BR>Avenue and Arsenal Street, where a =
bank and an <BR>apartment were replaced with community compatible <BR>and a=
ctually very attractive structures, and on a <BR>large vacant lot, an apart=
ment complex was created <BR>in the same way. Education is gravitating to <=
BR>distance learning using online courses, so costly <BR>student housing ne=
eds should decrease and a glut in <BR>new student apartments should occur. =
<BR><BR>B. Alter somewhat the top floors to appear more <BR>proportional to=
 the shorter 6-story building <BR>(This I really screwed up in my presentat=
ion, but I <BR>managed to ad-lib a rescue after damaging my effect, <BR>bec=
ause this part should have been stricken from my <BR>presentation. I said s=
omething like <BR><BR><BR>In light of a proposed building of the architectu=
ral <BR>style presented,(I think I said: The previous plan <BR>for the twel=
ve story building is not in proportion <BR>to the six story building)..., t=
he top floors of the <BR>new building were originally designed with a ten t=
o <BR>twelve story structure, and that scale is out of <BR>proportion to th=
e appearance of a shorter building <BR>that complies with the present six-s=
tory limit. <BR>Otherwise, the external appearance of the proposed <BR>buil=
ding is quite acceptable in the Iowa City form <BR>of plan, whereas the bui=
lding in Wisconsin is far <BR>less eye-appealing and looks arrogant. As a s=
ix <BR>story building, the proposal for the portrayed <BR>development of So=
uth Linn Street and West Court <BR>Street would be acceptable. <BR><BR><BR>=
</DIV><BR>

--=20
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