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Ione Begins Planning on Downtown Beautification |
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Thursday, 15 January 2009 |
 Amador County – A joint meeting of the Ione City Council and Planning Commission Tuesday directed staff to streamline the upgrading and repair of downtown Ione storefronts. Planning Commissioner Christopher Jordan will make a draft ordinance for the City Commission first to “chew on,” then send to the City Council. Mayor Lee Ard told about his vision, which he said got him out of retirement and into City Hall. His intention was the “rebuilding of Ione to make it viable, and make it a place where people will come and shop.” He said city leaders have changed – “we are all of one mind, we want to better downtown Ione…. What we’re looking at here is a long-term return on investment.” Their aim, he said, is to increase traffic on Main Street, to get businesses to open there and to keep them open. Ard said “we want to know what we need to do to help. We want to be a partnership.” Jordan recommended a possible hearing before the City Planner, with a minimal fee, instead of the nearly $1,000 spent on public hearings. Councilwoman Andrea Bonham said in opening her “Clark’s Corner” coffee shop in the last year, she wanted to fix a window above her door. To do so, she would have been required to pay about $600 for a public hearing. She gave up on that and the window is still not fixed. She recommended that replacing exterior doors, trim and windows be part of the streamlined repairs that could be OK’d in minor reviews. Vice Mayor Skip Schaufel said he would like the minor review to be as broad as possible, since decisions could be appealed to the planning commission and then the city council. Others agreed and Jordan said they might want to have a “staff-level decision,” known as a “plan check,” for minor review items, and a second tier for big projects that would have a full hearing. Ione hosts a community beautification public meeting January 22nd at Evalynn Bishop Hall, regarding neighborhood-wide clean-up and other issues for beautifying Ione. Story by Jim Reece (
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 15 January 2009 )
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