Charles City Council cleans up UDO for Kading development

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Council is adjusting the city’s ordinance to make sure duplexes can be built on Kading Properties planned “Union Place” development.

During the regular meeting on Monday, May 19, the council held the first reading of an ordinance to amend the city’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO).

In reviewing the UDO, it was noted that duplexes are excluded from the definition of multi-family dwellings, which are defined as a building consisting of three or more dwellings.

“Our UDO states that duplexes are not considered multi-residential,” said City Administrator Steve Diers.

This definition inadvertently restricts duplexes to individual lots, posing a complication for the Union Place development, which will be building a series of structures ranging from duplexes to six-plexes on a single parcel.

While the site is zoned for multi-family dwellings, duplexes need to be added to the list of allowable buildings in order to be built there.

“It seems to be a logical change,” said Diers.

The council also approved a resolution of support for Kading’s application for the Workforce Housing Tax Credit.

Similarly, the council held the first reading of an ordinance to vacate a small portion of right-of-way. Located east of E Street and south of the CPCK Railroad, the city has no record of vacating the unused land and is doing so now to clear up any potential title issues.

“It’s really more of a housekeeping matter,” said Diers.

In other business, the council approved a proclamation declaring May 26 as Memorial Day, with Mayor Dean Andrews thanking council members and VFW volunteers Philip Knighten and Patrick Lumley for spearheading the community Memorial Day events.

“We appreciate your dedication to keeping us aware of that,” said Andrews.

The VFW will be hosting a Memorial Day ceremony at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 26, followed by a freewill donation lunch.

The council also approved a street closure request for this year’s series of Party in the Park events.

Scheduled for May 30, June 13, June 27 and August 1, the streets around Central Park will be closed from 3 to 10 p.m. for the events.

In a related matter, the council approved minor changes to the city’s parklet agreement with Dave Davidson, who wants to place a parklet along Kelly Street. The updates to the agreement extend the parklet from 80 to 82 feet to allow for footing pieces on the end of his 10 foot sections, sets the end date of the seasonal agreement to Oct. 30, and sets the start date of this year’s term for June 1 rather than May as Davidson is not anticipating having the parklet in this May.

The council approved the amendments and expressed interest in seeing how the parklet experiment will go this summer.

Continuing other old business, the council approved the purchase of a new squad car for the Police Department, approved a memorandum of understanding between the city and the St. Charles Township for plans to refurbish fire trucks, and approved a waiver to allow Cedar Valley Property Solutions to use its newly acquired property as a parking lot ahead of its plans to pave it over the summer.

Finally, the council officially received the letter of resignation from City Administrator Steve Diers, who has accepted a new job as the administrator for the city of Clear Lake. Diers is planning his last day in the office to be June 20.

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the mayor, City Council, city staff and the citizens of Charles City for the opportunity to serve as your city administrator for the past 11-plus years,” said Diers. “I have truly valued the support I have received from everyone, and I am proud of the many positive accomplishments we have achieved together for the community, with even more progress on the horizon.

“This was not an easy decision, as my family and I have made many friends within the community and we have grown to love Charles City. Thank you very much for your unwavering support during my tenure,” he said.

Diers has collected proposals from three firms to find his replacement, which will be reviewed during a special workshop meeting on Wednesday.