Thanks to the folks at City Channel 4
in Iowa City U-Heights council meetings are broadcast Thursday evenings
at 9:00 PM on Channel 4 AND are available as webcasts. Here is the link
to
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Two Roads Diverged in a Wood...
Our city is at a crossroads right now regarding the development project One University Place. Which path we take will make a great deal of difference.
One topic that was discussed at tonight's council meeting was the possibility of a special assessment being levied on One University Place to pay for the Public Improvements to Melrose/Sunset interesection and left turn lane on Melrose Ave.
In a nutshell, here is what has brought us to this fork in the road. Following negotiations last year the final TIF agreement said the developer would pay for public improvements directly, while the Developer's Agreement said that they would be paid via a special assessment. Those two documents should have agreed with each other, but they did not. The long and short of all of this is, it was a major mistake on the developer's part not to have caught this.
However, this is an opportunity for both the City and the developer to find a silver lining. By the City agreeing to a special assessment to be levied ONLY on property inside the development, we can reduce the amount that would need to be paid back for the construction because we can get a lower interest rate. In exchange for the City agreeing to this, the developer will reduce the cost of the community center by approximately $95K, which roughly translates to 90% of what they would save in interest if they were to pay back the City via a commercial loan. In addition, the City would be able to include the property tax from inside OUP for the Community Center costs, so that the repayment for a community center would be spread across all property owners, which is a fairer method in my opinion.
This path is one that this nuanced, is a good compromise, and has led to cooperation among residents who haven't always seen eye to eye on this project in the past. Below is a summary of that path from Finance Chair, Jim Lane, with analysis from Zoning Commission Chair Pat Bauer. And while it is 12 pages long, the high points on page one are very concise.
Special Assessment memo
The other path is follow that of Councilor Silvia Quezada who sent this email on Monday evening to some city residents:
New Financing Request by Maxwell/OUP Policy Issues Alert
Councilor Quezada has every right to express her own opinions in whatever forum she chooses. What I would like to point out here is that Silvia was not able to convince any fellow councilors to take her path in the summer of 2015 and vote against the TIF and Development Agreement. With a new council, including two brand new councilors, she has still been unable to convince any fellow councilors to follow her path.
The bottom line here is that her path is one that will cost every resident higher property taxes, because not by being able to bond, the cost of the community center will be borne by only current residents, and OUP property will not be included.
I hope we will take the path that is cooperation and compromise, that will help our entire City become an even better place than it is already.
It will make all the difference...
One topic that was discussed at tonight's council meeting was the possibility of a special assessment being levied on One University Place to pay for the Public Improvements to Melrose/Sunset interesection and left turn lane on Melrose Ave.
In a nutshell, here is what has brought us to this fork in the road. Following negotiations last year the final TIF agreement said the developer would pay for public improvements directly, while the Developer's Agreement said that they would be paid via a special assessment. Those two documents should have agreed with each other, but they did not. The long and short of all of this is, it was a major mistake on the developer's part not to have caught this.
However, this is an opportunity for both the City and the developer to find a silver lining. By the City agreeing to a special assessment to be levied ONLY on property inside the development, we can reduce the amount that would need to be paid back for the construction because we can get a lower interest rate. In exchange for the City agreeing to this, the developer will reduce the cost of the community center by approximately $95K, which roughly translates to 90% of what they would save in interest if they were to pay back the City via a commercial loan. In addition, the City would be able to include the property tax from inside OUP for the Community Center costs, so that the repayment for a community center would be spread across all property owners, which is a fairer method in my opinion.
This path is one that this nuanced, is a good compromise, and has led to cooperation among residents who haven't always seen eye to eye on this project in the past. Below is a summary of that path from Finance Chair, Jim Lane, with analysis from Zoning Commission Chair Pat Bauer. And while it is 12 pages long, the high points on page one are very concise.
Special Assessment memo
The other path is follow that of Councilor Silvia Quezada who sent this email on Monday evening to some city residents:
New Financing Request by Maxwell/OUP Policy Issues Alert
Councilor Quezada has every right to express her own opinions in whatever forum she chooses. What I would like to point out here is that Silvia was not able to convince any fellow councilors to take her path in the summer of 2015 and vote against the TIF and Development Agreement. With a new council, including two brand new councilors, she has still been unable to convince any fellow councilors to follow her path.
The bottom line here is that her path is one that will cost every resident higher property taxes, because not by being able to bond, the cost of the community center will be borne by only current residents, and OUP property will not be included.
I hope we will take the path that is cooperation and compromise, that will help our entire City become an even better place than it is already.
It will make all the difference...
Monday, May 9, 2016
May/June Events!
May and June are busy months in U-Heights, here are some upcoming events:
Graduation Weekend May 13-15
Graduation Weekend May 13-15
- With UI commencement and end of term Melrose Ave. westbound will be be open this weekend
- U-Heights Bike to Work Breakfast will be WED. MAY 18 6:30 to 8:30 AM at City Office
- Full BWW activities can be found here: Think Bicycles! BWW 2016
- SAT. May 21, 1 to 3 PM 200 block of Koser Ave.
City-Wide GARAGE SALE June 4, 8 AM to Noon
- How does this work?
This is just like a conventional garage sale or yard sale. You can put your items for sale in your garage, porch, driveway, or in your yard. You run your sale independently. Having many University Heights garage sales all on one day will drive more traffic to your sale and give you an opportunity to check out your neighbors' sales at the same time. - Do I need to pay anything?
No. The City of University Heights will advertise the city-wide garage sale and put out large signs before the sale. All you have to do be ready on Saturday, June 4th at 8:00 a.m.
Farmer's Market June 7, 4 PM to 7 PM
- New location: University Club parking lotNew times 4-7 PM
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