U-Heights in the News

Two interesting articles in today's Press Citizen

The first was
Mercy to open west-side clinic
Facility to open in August with 2 family medicine doctors


This story told of the new Mercy Family Clinic to be located at 1067 Ryan Dr. Signficant growth in the West Iowa City/Coralville area was cited as a driving force behind the new clinic, which will be near the intersection of Camp Cardinal Road and Kennedy Parkway.

“We identified the growth trends on the west side of the Iowa City/Coralville metro area, and it’s been growing significantly over the last several years,” said Bill Watts, Vice President of Mercy Services Iowa City Inc. “We felt this would be a good opportunity to establish a clinic and offer primary care services to people on the west side.”

The article went on to say that even University Heights has experienced a population growth in the past 10 years increasing from 948 residents in 2002 to 1070 in 2010.  This was accompanied by a quote from U-Heights City Councilor Rosanne Hopson,

Although University Heights Council member Rosanne Hopson hasn’t heard of any demand for additional medical services near the town, she said the clinic may help clear up traffic from nearby University Hospitals and Clinics.

“I think it’s a good idea just to take traffic away from the hospital,” she said. “They have a parking issue and depending on the clinic it can be hard for the elderly to navigate that giant place. This (new Mercy Clinic) could be a good drive-up and walk-in.”

I completely agree with Rosanne that we should be mindful of making amenities more convenient to our older residents. Have nearby (walkable?) and smaller business or market sites within our community would be a wonderful way to improve our quality of life. U-Heights has the oldest median aged population in Johnson County, and the 2010 census showed our first population increase since 1970. We are still the only community in the metro area with a smaller population now than 40 years ago. As I mentioned in Strong Communities Survive Disasters, Eric Klinneberg's research shows that walkable and nearby commercial enterprises are vital to improving and even extending the lives of our older residents.

Which brings me to the second story from the paper, the headline and first 5 paragraphs really struck me:

Prof talks business, change
'Everyone has strong emotions about some particular kind of change' 

Sara Rynes-Weller, professor of management and organizations at the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business, spoke about organizational change Sunday at UI's 30th Annual Presidential Lecture.

“The concept of organizational change and change in general is something everyone is going through,” she said. “Everyone has strong emotions about some particular kind of change.”
In many cases, she said, dealing with change from a business perspective is especially critical given the scope of employees and services in an organization. She called attention to the status of the U.S. Postal Service, which recently laid off employees and reduced the availability of delivery services on account of “disruptive innovation” — gradual developments such as email and digital retail that grew in popularity over the decade as postal officials paid little heed.

“Businesses were snoozing; the postal service was snoozing,” she said. “No one thought that instant messaging or texting would be making a lot of money right away; it wasn’t a threat to the postal service.”
Strong management — specifically keeping employees calm during a financial or public-opinion crisis — can help lead companies out of situations brought on by not paying attention to market-wide change, she added.


I would hope that now, and in the future, our citizens will realize we can't be caught snoozing.  We need to work actively to have a voice in, and help to focus and drive the type of change that confronts us on all sides, whether it be the University of Iowa and their long term plans, or our neighbor, Iowa City. In the coming months that will play out as council probably deals with the Planned Unit Development agreement for One University Place (St. Andrew Church site)

 

City Business Updates

Here are a couple of items people may be interested in.

The February 12, 2013 City Council meeting is now available as a web stream, as are all council meetings. This happens courtesy of Iowa City Cable Channel 4, and our University Heights videographer, John McLure.

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You can click on the above image to go to the meeting stream

Here is the link for Channel 4 Video Streaming, besides our council meetings you can watch IC City Council, Johnson County Board of Supervisors and more.

Also the PUBLIC HEARING on the FY 2014 Budget will be held on March 12, 2013, at the University Club, 7:00 PM. For more information about the budget, check out the U-Heights Finance Committee page. Our city budgets begin July 1 and end June 30. Budgets must be approved by council and sent to the state for certification prior to March 15 yearly. A major change in the FY 14 budget is that we will not continue to receive Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) funds. Since 2009 the city has received approximately $10,000 per month from LOST. This represents a nearly 10% revenue decline from the FY13 budget.

Interesting News from Des Moines... and What it Means for U-Heights

According to today's Press Citizen, the Iowa House is considering a bill to prevent cities from restricting the number of unrelated adults who live in a rental property. This would have enormous implications for University Heights. We considered rental issues at our February council meeting, like we do at many meetings. At our February meeting we learned there are over 130 current rental permits. There are roughly 425 housing units (single family homes, duplexes, condos and apartments) in town.

Our rental code is written so that any rental home or unit in a single family zone is permitted to be occupied by a family, which means as long as the tenants are related to each other, there is no maximum limit to occupants. However two unrelated adults are also considered a family. That means that at most two unrelated adults are permitted to live in a rental house. Three adults would require that at least two are related, four adults in a house would require that at least three are related.

Most single family home rentals in U-Heights occur in our older neighborhoods in small homes. Having this restriction prevents streets from being unduly crowded with cars, helps to make sure that  services such as garbage are not over burdened and generally helps to protect everyone's quality of life. Iowa City allows single family plus one tenant in their single family homes, so that a minimum of three unrelated adults are allowed in their least dense zoning areas.

Here is the text of the story:

Iowa City Press Citizen 2/14/13 11:24 PM
Bill takes on rental restriction

Cities currently can limit the number of unrelated people living in a home

Iowa City’s housing and inspecting director said the city is closely watching a recently resurrected bill that would prevent cities from regulating how many unrelated people live together in a rental home.

“It would impact us,” Doug Boothroy said. “We obviously don’t support the change. It would change how we regulate occupancy. We would have to completely change the language in the code.”

House File 184 passed out of the House Judiciary Committee last week but has not been scheduled for a full chamber vote.

Similar legislation was discussed last year in the Senate but died in the committee process.

“The ordinances that restrict the number of people who live in a dwelling based on their family relationship are nonsensical and illogical to me,” said Rep. Chip Baltimore, R-Boone, chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He introduced the bill.

Iowa City regulates occupancy based on the number of related and unrelated people sharing a residence. It varies from residential zone to residential zone, Boothroy said.

Advocates for the change say such ordinances violate property owners’ rights and are discriminatory, particularly against those who cannot afford to rent or buy a house of their own.

City leaders argue that such restrictions help mitigate public safety and community welfare concerns. Boothroy said occupancy regulation impacts noise, traffic and garbage and contributes to neighborhood stabilization.

“We feel we need to have that as a local control,” he said. “We need to have that for protecting neighbors from those types of issues that can occur.”

In 2008, West Des Moines passed an ordinance allowing no more than three unrelated adults to live in a single family home, duplex or townhome, be it rented or owner-occupied.

West Des Moines City Manager Greg Sparks said residents worry that allowing large numbers of unrelated adults to live together can diminish the “values and quality of life in single-family neighborhoods.”

More vehicles might be parked in the street, driveways or yards, and traffic and noise problems are more prominent, say Sparks and other advocates for the limitations.

Baltimore argues those concerns are better addressed through specific city regulations and effective policing.

“There are all sorts of ordinances that deal with the actual problems that people are worried about that have nothing to do with family relationships,” he said.

Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee and voted against the bill in committee, said regulations that require strict oversight by law enforcement and other officials are costly to cities.

Ames prohibits more than three unrelated people from living together in low-density zoned neighborhoods.

The city was involved in a 2007 lawsuit in which the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the Ames ordinance did not violate state or federal constitutions and that cities have a right to establish such acts.

Kelli Excell, an Ames real estate agent and president of Landlords of Iowa, said having to kick people out of rental properties because they don’t meet the family requirement is “morally incorrect.”

Excell said the issue involves not only college students, but also older adults who live together to save money and young professionals who purchase homes and take on roommates to help pay the mortgage.

“I really don’t feel like I should have to discriminate against people because there are some neighborhoods who do not want renters,” she said.

 Iowa City Press-Citizen reporter Lee Hermiston contributed to this story. Emily Schettler is a reporter for The Des Moines Register and can be reached at eschettler@dmreg.com.

February 2013 Council Meeting Summary

MELROSE BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION NOTICE

 To accommodate emergency fiber optic repair work by Century Link, traffic on Melrose Avenue, from Stadium Drive to Olive Court, will be shifted slightly resulting in the elimination of the turn lane in this area. It is anticipated that normal traffic will resume by the end of the day on Thursday, February 14th.  Motorists are asked to take note of this lane shift and to allow extra travel time as delays may be possible. As always, caution should be exercised when traveling in all construction areas.

Last night city council held regular monthly meeting for February, here are a few highlights:

View full Agenda and attachments

1. FY 2014 Budget

Council heard last night from city accountant Steve Kuhl and finance committee chair, Jim Lane about the city’s proposed FY 2014 budget which must be adopted by council prior to March 15, 2013. A formal budget hearing will take place at council’s regular March meeting on 3/12/13. The FY 2014 budget year starts on July 1, 2013. The proposed budget showing changes alongside the FY12 actual income/expenses and the FY13 budget can be found here:

FY2014 Proposed Budget

2. Proposed Ordinance 182

Council gave second approval to a speed limit ordinance. If approved for a third time in March speed limits on non-arterial streets (everything except Melrose & Sunset south of Melrose) will be 20 mph. For the full background on this proposal more details can be found here:

Proposed Speed Zone Changes

3. Zoning Comission Report

Council received a report from the Zoning Commission, and voted to update and distribute a brochure for all residents this spring.

Zoning Commission Report

Council will hold its March meeting on 3/12/13 with the place yet to be determined. A public hearing on the FY 2014 budget will occur at 7:00 PM.

As you plan charitable gifts please consider the University Height Community Foundation

A Friend Indeed!

Did you know that University Heights has the oldest average age housing stock in Johnson County? According our our 2010 Comprehensive Plan:

"The median year built for the homes in this community is 1956, which is much older than homes found in Coralville (1981), Iowa City (1973), and Johnson County (1975), but only slightly older than the state average (1959). Most homes in University Heights (52%) were built between 1950 and 1969. Over 37% of homes were built prior to 1950."

-University Heights Comprehensive Plan, 2010 p. 29

With this fact in mind I'd like to mention a great resource for owners of older homes: The non-profit group Iowa City Friends of Historic Preservation and especially their Salvage Barn. The Salvage Barn is open on Saturday afternoons. The barn is a place where you can purchase modestly priced architectural salvage to help maintain the beauty and integrity of older homes. I have used FHP Salvage Barn materials in our house with great success. The Barn  has materials appropriate to Victorian, Arts and Crafts and Mid-Century Modern homes which are found in University Heights.

Here is a photo of the pergola in our backyard, during construction, that was built almost entirely from materials salvaged from the farmhouse in North Liberty that was salvaged, then demolished to build Garner Elementary School

 

Also FHP offers workshops in practical matters for anyone interested. I will be giving a hands on workshop on how to install salvaged hardwood floors on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 from 2-4 PM at the Iowa City Eastside Recyling Center. More information on that can be found at the FHP Facebook Page

More Than Proximity?

When the 2010 census figures came out and reported that 28% of University Heights workers walked and 15% commuted by bike I was pleased but not that surprised. Living nearly next to the largest employer in the county makes that an easy proposition. However I knew there had to be more to it than that, since I am a regular bike commuter, as are three others on my street, and none of us work at UI Hospitals.

Then I ran across this link from my friends at Thirtieth Century Bicycles, a great local store who I've found to extremely helpful to bike commuters.

Why We Need More Research on Bicycling and Brain Research

The idea of walking or cycling as a way to focus brain power makes perfect sense. I am always much more productive immediately when I ride to work.

Having wide arterial sidewalks is helpful to encourage more walkers. What can we do to encourage more bike commuting?