The Ames City Council unanimously voted to change 601 State Ave. from village-suburban residential to low-density residential.

This parcel of land was split between being village-suburban residential and the other half being low-density residential. This vote makes the entire parcel low-density residential.

The Breckenridge Group LLC currently owns the land and had originally requested that the area be zoned for village-suburban residential in order to build more units on the 29 acres.

This change in zoning is a specific change to the city’s Land Use Policy Plan. This change in the plan satisfies the concerns of neighborhood residents who have spoken up in past meetings.

The Land Use Policy Plan describes low-density residential zoning as being used for single-family residential dwellings and is compatible with the existing neighborhood. The RL designation means that the maximum density of the land could be 7.26 dwelling units per acre.

FS-RL zoning is meant for new development. This zoning is to be used as the village concept or the suburban residential concept. This means that zoning in this area can be higher than the 7.26 dwellings in RL zoning. 

Some concerns that arose in the past included traffic concerns and a congested neighborhood.

Ames resident Joanne Pfeiffer thanked the Council for their action in favor of the neighborhood residents and for ensuring the safety of the neighborhood.

The Council also voted to adopt the Iowa State Research Park Urban Renewal Plan and create a Tax Increment Financing District. The plan would be to use future gains in taxes to support current improvements in order to make the research park an economic powerhouse. 

This adoption of the plan comes after the council moved to approve phase three of the research park at the Oct. 15 meeting.

The portion of land within the research park includes the area around the Hub, which will move many offices on campus to one central location.

Matthew Goodman, at-large representative for the Council, stated concerns over the length of the district.

“It’s not the worst TIF I’ve ever seen,” Goodman said.

In order to continue with planning, the Council approved the plan on its second and third reading at the meeting as well.

Due to bus traffic, certain roads in Ames are in need of repair to allow smooth traffic on city roads.

The Council also passed a motion to move ahead with CyRide route improvements on Garden Road, Garnet Drive and Viola Mae Avenue.

The Main Street Cultural District also asked for approval of a sign for Snow Magic to be placed on public property.

Snow Magic is an event held by the Main Street Cultural District every year. The event will kickoff on Nov. 14 with a tree-lighting ceremony, open houses and horse and carriage rides. The event continues through Jan. 3 with shops open for holiday shoppers.

The Council decided to deny the sign due to concerns of advertising for Downtown instead of the Snow Magic event itself.

The sign donated for the event included the words ,“Shop Downtown.” This goes against the policy for signage on public property because it is advertising for commercial purposes, the Council said.

Liquor licenses for AJ’s Liquor and five-day licenses for the Alumni Center were also passed at the meeting.