The Ames City Council discussed changes to the city’s park rules, including new restrictions on swimming and updates to address bicycles, electric scooters and other forms of transportation.

The council on Tuesday approved the first reading of an ordinance making the changes. The ordinance updates the city’s Municipal Code governing parks and recreation. The changes come after the Parks and Recreation Commission spent months reviewing existing rules, holding a public input session in April and receiving about 1,200 survey responses from residents.

The most significant change would ban swimming in all lakes and ponds on city-owned property, including Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake. While a park rule already prohibits swimming at Ada Hayden, the new ordinance would make it city law and extend it to all city lakes and ponds.

The updates also address “personal transportation devices” such as electric scooters and bikes, which have become increasingly common in recent years. The Parks Commission recommended a 10 mph speed limit on park trails and paths to address safety concerns raised by residents about multiple types of users sharing the same spaces.

Other notable changes include:

• Firearms: The ordinance removes the city’s previous ban on firearms in parks to comply with Iowa state law.
• Service animals: The changes officially allow documented service animals at Homewood Golf Course, putting the existing practice into writing.
• Foraging: Residents would be allowed to pick edible plants, fruits and nuts in city parks.
• Boat motors: Emergency watercraft would be permitted on city lakes with advance approval from the Parks Commission, allowing events such as the Ames Triathlon to continue.
• Fishing: The ban on fishing from bridges would expand to cover all bridges in the park system, not just specific locations.

The review process began in March after the council asked the Parks Commission to examine how current rules address new forms of transportation. The commission then decided to review all of Chapter 19 and found several sections that needed updating to match current practices or provide clearer guidance to park users.

Council could provide financial incentives to aid new housing developments

The council is considering whether to provide millions of dollars in financial help to housing developers as a way to address the city’s ongoing housing shortage.

The council reviewed three different funding options ranging from $3.4 million to $7.8 million spread across five development projects. The most generous package would cover about three-quarters of what developers originally requested, which totaled roughly $10 million.

The proposed developments would create up to 1,475 new homes over the coming years, including apartments, townhomes and single-family houses. However, city staff notes there’s no guarantee how quickly homes would actually be built or how much they would cost.

Five projects want the assistance:

• Hayden’s Preserve: a 170-acre development at Hyde Avenue and 190th Street, requesting between $3.5 and $4.7 million
• Greenbriar: a 150-acre site near the Ames Golf & Country Club, requesting $4.1 million and may also need tax rebates to be financially worthwhile
• Auburn Trail: a development of 200 single-family homes on Hyde Avenue, requesting $486,000 but indicating that $365,000 would be enough
• Bluffs at Dankbar Farms: southwest of Ames Golf & Country Club, requesting $1.2 million
• Domani I: near the Iowa State University Research Park, requesting $371,000 to help pay for road improvements

How money would be spent: The financial assistance would primarily pay for infrastructure improvements that developers say make their projects too expensive. This includes extending sewer lines, building roads and making intersection improvements.

Under the three options presented, the city would use a mix of funding sources. About $2.7 million would come from federal pandemic relief funds, with the remainder from city bonds, utility funds, road funds, and in some cases, tax rebates from the developments themselves.

More questions: City staff members cautioned they have not verified the developers’ cost estimates or reviewed detailed financial information to confirm the projects actually need this level of support. Staff asked the council to take time to review the complex proposal before acting at a future meeting.

In other business

• Free parking: The council approved free parking at metered spaces from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the remaining December Saturdays in downtown and Campustown after two previous shopping events were hampered by heavy snowfall.
• Kentucky Fried Chicken: The council approved amendments that will allow construction of a KFC restaurant on the North Grand Mall property.
• Bike speed limit: The council approved the first reading of an ordinance to enact a 20 mph bicycle speed limit for non-road uses in the city, excluding city parks where a 10 mph limit was enacted in separate council action.
• What’s next: The next council meeting will be at 6 p.m. Dec. 16.