It CAN Happen Around Here

I occasionally am chided by U-Heights residents about my frequent citation of Smart Growth ideas with the common refrain "That may work in a large city, but we're not big or dense enough for that."

Imagine my surprise when I turned to the Smart Growth America blog today and found this story:

Carlisle, IA hosts workshop on walkability

image courtesy of City of Carlisle

Carlisle is a town of 3,876 about 15 miles south and east of Des Moines. The town is bisected by highway 5. In November 2012, Carlisle was one of 22 communities selected by Smart Growth America to participate in the free technical assistance program. Stretching from Maine to Washington State, these communities represent major cities, suburban centers, and rural towns alike.

I can't wait to see the results of the workshop.

Community Forum In the News

The Press Citizen wasn't at the Community Forum on Wednesday night, but they are covering some of the consequences of the event today:

U.H. project discussion revived

Developer puts new One University Place scenarios on table

The Melrose Avenue project known as One University Place, the subject of a long-running debate in University Heights, is back up for discussion after nearly two years of dormancy, but this time the developer is bringing a new approach.

After his residential and commercial project failed to gain city approval in the face of a vocal opposition and a divided City Council in 2011, developer Jeff Maxwell is now putting forward two new plans for public consideration, in addition to his previous vision.
The three scenarios for the high-profile site, where the St. Andrew Presbyterian Church currently stands, were discussed by more than 100 residents, or one-tenth of University Heights’ population, Wednesday night at a community focus meeting hosted by the Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County.
READ FULL P-C STORY HERE.

I was so pleased to see such a good turnout for the Focus Group meeting. For those unable to attend here is the link to the City's webpage with information about the three scenarios and the feedback form:
FOCUS GROUP INFORMATION

 

More Walkability Data

I had a U-Heights resident forward this article on to me last week. I found it interesting, especially in light of tomorrow's focus group meeting. Below are a few highlights, I marked those most interesting to me in yellow.
It comes from the website Efficient Gov

Which bills itself as "an independent, unbiased information service providing innovative solutions to fiscal and operational challenges facing cities and towns around the world."

Attract New Residents to Your City: Walkable Housing

 What Happened?

A recent study analyzed housing data and survey results in five municipalities including Boise to determine what housing options are becoming more popular in the post-recession market. The survey revealed residents would pay about 12.5 percent more to live in an area that is within walking distance to important amenities such as schools, parks and restaurants.

To read the full article go here:  

Attract New Residents 

It is a short article and a very interesting read.

September Council Meeting Summary

9/10/13
Council held their regular September meeting tonight. Here are some highlights:

• There will be pavement panel replacement on Oakcrest near the Sunset intersection on Tuesday and Wednesday Sept. 17-18 School  buses will be re-routed and please expect detours.
• Jim Lane shared budget history and trends for city finances. We are showing a trend of city expenses growing at a faster rate than city revenues over the past 6 years. That information will be posted on the city website next week
• Please look below for information about a Focus Group meeting next WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

Community Focus Meeting 9/18/13 7:00 PM
University Club 1360 Melrose

A meeting will be held to gather community reaction to three proposed scenarios for future development at St. Andrew Church site. All are invited
Childcare will be available onsite, please RSVP with number of children and their ages to virginia.graham.miller@gmail.com

From Mayor Louise From:

Candidate Forum: If members of the community would like to sponsor a City Council Candidate’s Forum, I would be happy to assist in finding a location for it to be held. Let me know if you want my assistance.
louise-from@university-heights.org

 

Sunset Wide Sidewalk

The weather has remained hot and dry, so installation of sod has been pushed back to at least the beginning of next week. The other planned change is to move up the tree planting date by about 2 weeks to coincide with the laying of the sod. This will allow the contractor to plant/mulch the trees first and then sod around them, and also allows them

to complete their tree and sod watering together during each watering visit.

Farmer's Market

LAST MARKET OF THE SEASON: OCTOBER 1st  from 5:00 to 7:00 PM

Fresh produces, home made baked goods, brick oven pizza and more. St. Andrew Church parking lot at the corner of Melrose and Sunset. Come by and enjoy the fun.

It is a great pleasure to serve as your city councilor, if you have questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact me.

-Mike Haverkamp
 315 Golfview Ave.

Focus Group Meeting Update

Here's an update regarding the Sept. 18th Community Focus Meeting at the University Club:

Childcare will be available onsite, please RSVP with number of children and their ages to virginia.graham.miller@gmail.com 

Given the number of small children at the City Picnic yesterday, that seems like a good idea!

Community Focus Meeting ALL INVITED

SAVE THE DATE!
COMMUNITY FOCUS MEETING
9-18-13
7:00- 9:00 PM
University Club
1360 Melrose Ave.

Now that we've got your attention. There will be a community focus meeting to get citizen reaction to three possible development proposals for the current site of St. Andrew Church at the intersection of Sunset and Melrose.

Staff from the Municipal Planning Organization of Johnson County (MPOjc) will be moderating the event. There will be opportunity for attendees to discuss aspects of three proposals and share ideas. 

Anyone who is unable to attend will be able to complete a feedback form via the University Heights municipal website. Information will be posted there closer to the meeting date.

Hats in the Ring

With the close of candidate filing last Thursday, the 2013 University Heights municipal election will look like this:
Mayor 

• Louise From

City Council
All incumbents are seeking re-election:

• Mike Haverkamp
• Rosanne Hopson
• Jan Leff
• Jim Lane
• Brennan McGrath

 Challengers

• Virginia Miller
• Zadok Nampala
• Silvia Quezada
• Rachel Stewart

I'm hopeful there will be a candidate forum as there has been in the last several elections. There is a large field of quality candidates. I'm grateful to all my fellow candidates for their desire to help make U-Heights a wonderful place to live.

Since Jim and I have both been contributors to this blog we will continue to post here throughout the election. I look forward to speaking with many U-Heights citizens as the campaign progresses this fall.