HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-03-11 Bd Comm minutesItem Number: 4.a.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
March 11, 2025
Civil Service Commission: February 21
Attachments: Civil Service Commission: February 21
Minutes — Final
City of Iowa City Civil Service Commission
Friday, February 21, 2025 — 8:15 a.m.
Helling Conference Room
Members Present: Rick Wyss, Ashley Jennings
Members Absent: Chi Ogboko
Staff to the
Commission Present: Karen Jennings, Tracy Robinson
Other Parties Present: Police Chief Dustin Liston
Recommendation to Council (become effective only after separate Council action):
None.
Call to Order:
Wyss called the meeting to order at 8:15 a.m.
Certification of hiring list for the position of Police Officer:
After a brief discussion, A. Jennings moved and Wyss seconded to certify the list as
presented. All were in favor.
Adjournment:
A. Jennings moved to adjourn, Wyss seconded, and the meeting was adjourned at 8:20
a.m.
February 21, 2025
To: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council
I r I
CITY OF IOWA CITY
410 East Washington Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1826
(319) 356-5000
(319) 356-5009 FAX
RE: Civil Service Entrance Examination — Police Officer www.icgov.org
We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission for Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the
following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Police Officer.
1. Edis Jazvin
2. Randall White
3. Deandre Stapleton Jr.
4. Nicolas Thompson
Iowa City Civil Service Commission
Rick Wyss
abs6ftt-
Chi Ogboko
Ashley Jenning0
ATTEST: �c G. L L'- !" C—,
Kell a Grace, City Clerk
Total
February
2025
Police Officer
Recruitment-�
Hispanic or
Latino
American
Indian or
Alaska
Native
Asian
Black or
African
American
Native
Hawaiian or
Other
Pacific
Islander
White
Two or More
Races
Undisclosed
Applications Received
53
Undisclosed
Female
9
1
8
Male
44
4
1
10
25
2
2
Written Test
16
Undisclosed
Female
2
2
Male
14
2
4
7
1
Physical Fitness
10
Undisclosed
Female
1
1
Male
9
2
6
1
Interview
8
Undisclosed
Female
1
1
Male
7
1
6
Certified Hiring List
4
Undisclosed
Female
Male
4
1
3
The data reported reflect the number of candidates who participated in each stage of the process. Participation was not required in the written test if
the candidate was ILEA certified or had a documented passing POST score within the specified timeframe. Participation in the physical fitness test
was not required if the candidate was ILEA certified or submitted acceptable documentation of successful completion of the physical fitness test with
another state law enforcement agency within the specified timeframe.
Board/Commission: Civil Service Commission
Attendance Record
Last 12 months
(Meeting Date)
Name
Term
Expires
4/19/24 6/13/24
10/29/24 2/21/25
Rick Wyss
4/3/28
X
X
X
X
Chi O boko
4/7/25
O/E
O/E
O/E
O/E
Ashley Jennings
4/6/26
X
I X
X
X
KEY: X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
NM = No Meeting
= Not a Member
Item Number: 4.b.
I, CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
March 11, 2025
Climate Action Commission: February 3
Attachments: Climate Action Commission: February 3
MINUTES
IOWA CITY CLIMATE ACTION COMMISSION
FEBRUARY 3 — 4:00 PM — FORMAL MEETING
EMMA J. HARVAT HALL
FINAL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Michael Anderson, Emma Bork, Jamie Gade, Zach Haralson, Brinda
Shetty, Michelle Sillman, Angie Smith, Robert Traer
MEMBERS ABSENT: Ben Grimm, Nadja Krylov, Wim Murray
STAFF PRESENT: Daniel Bissell, Sarah Gardner, Diane Platte
OTHERS PRESENT: Casi Elton, Alexis Kurth, Jason Taylor, Molly Kirby, Connor Jenkins
CALL TO ORDER:
Gade called the meeting to order at 3:59.
APPROVAL OF JANUARY 6, 2025 MINUTES:
Traer moved to approve the minutes with a correction to strike "Traer reported flexibility;" Smith
seconded, and the motion carried.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Welcome and introduction of new member Emma Bork.
Action items from last meeting (staff):
• Staff sent information about Council work session, legislative priorities, Inclusive Transportation
webinar registration, and Habitat for Humanity video.
Events:
• Inclusive Transportation virtual Q&A with author Feb. 4, 6 p.m., Zoom
• Climate Ambassador training (Feb. 20-April 17)
• Other events in the community (commissioners) - none
Update on Comprehensive Plan efforts for Iowa City
• Gardner gave an overview of the Comprehensive Plan and noted that Commissioner Smith
would be representing the Climate Action Commission in that process. Smith spoke about the
process and the first meeting.
NEW BUSINESS:
Midyear presentations from Climate Action Grant awardees, summarized in slides in agenda packet.
• Alexis Kurth reported on how Antelope Lending Library used grant funds to replace limited -use
plastic with 60 reusable upcycled tote bags made from retired sailboat sails.
Climate Action Commission
February 2025
Page 2 of 5
o Haralson asked the name of the company that made the totes. Elton answered
Renegade Marine.
• Jason Taylor explained how Bur Oak Land Trust is using funds to increase native shrubs for the
Rusty -Patched Bumblebee's, as well as other pollinators', habitat. Of 225 shrub packets
available, over 50 have already been reserved in the first week of the program.
o Traer asked if a handout accompanies this program. Taylor affirmed that the shrubs will
be distributed with educational materials.
o Gade asked what the grant purchased. Taylor explained the grant paid for supplies: the
plants, pots, soil, etc.
o Smith asked which neighborhoods needed more pollinator resources. Taylor mentioned
Eastside Neighborhood and explained how Bur Oak is working with T'Shailyn in
Neighborhood Outreach.
• Connor Jenkins and Molly Kirby reported how Nomadic Foods / Kindred Coffee used funds for a
glass jar program to reduce the use of disposable cups. They have also instituted reusable
containers for their wholesale beans. Their next step is to adopt reusable food containers for
mobile service.
o Smith asked about storage space and Kirby explained their staggered reordering system.
o Gade asked if other businesses were asking questions about implementation. Kirby
noted that Daydrink uses all glass containers, and Gardner noted that other businesses
have been reaching out to the Climate Action and Outreach office about reusables.
o Haralson asked about lessons learned. Kirby reflected that patrons have been
surprisingly supportive.
• Bissell described the timeline for 2025 Climate Action Grants and noted that commissioners
would be asked at the next meeting to serve on the scoring committee.
NCS survey transportation mode data
• Bissell summarized the memo from the agenda packet.
• Traer asked if weather has been a factor in designing the survey, noting that he walks when the
weather is better and takes the bus when the weather is inclement. Bissell noted that while ACS
focused on a single week, the NCS data captured averages for a year.
• Smith asked if any of the data were surprising. Bissell described seeing a decrease in working
from home since the last ACS data collection, but the number of people driving alone has also
decreased.
• Smith commented she was pleasantly surprised that 10% of people in Iowa City reported riding
bikes; it is much higher than the national average of 3% and is worth celebrating. Gade
suggested the popularity of e-bikes may help boost the number of riders.
• Bissell noted that both walking and biking were reported at higher levels in the local (NCS)
survey than the ACS survey. Gardner suggested that leisure rides were likely included in the NCS
survey, while the ACS survey focused solely on commutes to work.
• Commissioners discussed moving people from recreational riders to bike commuters.
• Traer asked if the NCS survey included Coralville Transit and CAMBUS. Bissell said that only Iowa
City residents were surveyed. Traer noted that many bus riders likely use all three systems.
• Shetty asked a clarifying question about Table 1: whether respondents could choose more than
one transportation mode that they take 5+ times a week. Bissell affirmed that was the case.
Climate Action Commission
February 2025
Page 3 of 5
• Haralson asked about how the goal stated in the climate action plan to achieve 55% of trips with
a more sustainable option might be measured, noting that the questions asked by the survey
had a slightly different focus. Gardner said that travel diaries or travel surveys would be the
traditional way of gathering such data but was unsure if that method was employed by the
Johnson County MPO. She offered to inquire about it, and said the intention was to include the
same transportation mode question in future iterations of the community survey to help track
changes over time.
• Gardner informed commissioners about the data -collection opportunity around the new
protected bike lane.
• Traer asked if CAMBUS and the Coralville transit system had been asked for their ridership data.
Bissell affirmed their data was available.
OLD BUSINESS:
Revisions to equity mapping approach
• Bissell summarized the history of equity mapping efforts within the Climate Action and Outreach
Division and explained the newest approach. Borrowing the color system of heat maps, it is
possible to show the "density of participation" in a program such as the utility -discount program
and the insulation program.
• Gardner gave details about the learnings gleaned from the insulation mapping exercise and how
this approach lends itself well to further action.
• Traer asked if data exist about student housing and where it is situated. Bissell and Gardner
noted information was limited regarding student housing. Gardner also noted the limitations of
analysis based on census tracts or a reliance on Justice 40 tracts in Iowa City, which is more
mixed by area than bigger cities and where nuanced differences are more important.
• Haralson asked for more information about the utility discount program, noting that it is a proxy
for below -median -income households. Gardner explained it is the water discount program run
by Iowa City. Haralson asked if City staff were confident that the water discount program was
distributed equitably. Gardner affirmed it was a long running program and widely distributed.
Gade asked how households were contacted about participating. Gardner offered to find out.
• Haralson asked if the heat map scale was the same between the maps. Bissel confirmed that it
was not, but Gardner offered to provide maps that had like scales.
PUBLIC COMMENT OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA:
• None
RECAP:
Confirmation of next meeting time and location:
• Monday, March 3, 4-5:30 p.m. Emma J. Harvat Hall
Actionable items for commission, working groups, and staff:
• Staff will follow up with an email about whether commissioners may participate in Bur Oak's
shrub program, whether the MPO uses travel diaries as data collection, and how households are
notified of the utility discount program.
Climate Action Commission
February 2025
Page 4 of 5
ADJOURNMENT:
Traer moved to adjourn, Haralson seconded, and the motion carried. Meeting adjourned 5:21.
Climate Action Commission
February 2025
Page 5 of 5
CLIMATE ACTION COMMISSION
ATTENDANCE RECORD
2024-25
W
A
V'1
Ql
CO
l0
0O
N
N
NAME
TERM EXP.
A
N
A
F\-�
N
A
Ql
N
A
W
N
A
U,
N
A
c0
N
A
v
N
A
F\-
-
A
N
N
AL,
Ql
N
W
N
cn
Michael
12/31/2026
X
O/E
O/E
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
Anderson
Emma Bork
12/31/2027
O/E
X
Michal Eynon-
12/31/2024
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
Lynch
John Fraser
12/31/2024
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
O/E
O/E
Jamie Gade
12/31/2025
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
O/E
X
X
X
Ben Grimm
10/31/2026
O/
X
X
O/E
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
E
Zach Haralson
12/31/2026
X
X
X
O/E
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
Nadja Krylov
12/31/2027
X
O/E
Wim Murray
MiclAmerican
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
O/E
Rep
Michelle Sillman
12/31/2025
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
Brinda Shetty
UI Rep
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
Angie Smith
12/31/2025
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
Gabe Sturdevant
12/31/2024
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
O/E
X
Robert Traer
12/31/2027
X
X
KEY: X = Present
0 = Absent
0/E = Absent/Excused
NM= No Meeting
* No longer on Commission
Item Number: 4.c.
a
CITY OF IOWA CITY
"QR T-4 COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
March 11, 2025
Historic Preservation Commission: January 9
Attachments: Historic Preservation Commission: January 9
MINUTES APPROVED
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
JAN UARY 9, 2025 — 5:30 PM —FORMAL MEETING
E M M A J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Margaret Beck, Carl Brown, Kevin Burford, Jordan Sellergren, Deanna
Thomann, Frank Wagner, Christina Welu-Reynolds,
MEMBERS ABSENT: Andrew Lewis, Nicole Villanueva, Ryan Russell
STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow
OTHERS PRESENT:
CALL TO ORDER:
Sellergren called the meeting to order at 5:30 p m.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA:
None.
DISCUSSION OF COMMISSION ANNUAL WORK PLAN:
Bristow stated as part of the annual report to the State Historic Preservation Office the Historic
Preservation Commission needs to create a work plan. Bristow explained typically they look at a past
one and move on from there so she included the past one in the agenda packet. The Work Plan can be
a list of things that the Commission wants to do but in recent years it has also been aligned it with the
Strategic Plan. However, as the Strategic Plan got changed it was decided to just align it with the
Preservation Plan's goals. The Preservation Plan includes goals for the work of the Commission,
identifying properties, providing assistance, increasing public awareness, strengthening relationships
between involved parties, and reviewing projects and potential districts. Last year the Commission
decided to focus on three priorities and the first one was Oak Grove Park. It is located on Dodge Street
and Paige Street, and this park is related to the Mexican American history here in town, there has been
at least one research paper that's been written and published in the Annals of Iowa in 2017. The
Commission has had an interest in helping to determine a good name for the park. The Parks and Rec
director knows the Commission's interest in this so when this park is worked on, she'll reach out. So a
potential project is to start with the publication and look into potential names or do more research and
determine an appropriate name to honor the Mexican American heritage here in Iowa City.
Bristow stated they also had a priority for forming a landmark and district subcommittee to plan for any
potential districts or any landmarks. She explained there have always been properties that the
Commission has wanted to landmark in town, it especially becomes a focus when something's
happening to a property. The subcommittee was formed for working on the landmarking of the buildings
at 302-316 East Bloomington Street. That subcommittee did a lot of good work and public outreach
through that project and so if they want to either keep that subcommittee going or change it up to
continue to look into other potential landmarks or districts to work on that could continue to be a goal.
The third priority was engaging with the public and City Council. This landmark project was one where
the Commission was reaching out and communicating with the public, so the relationships that were
formed should be continued and if there's any issues that were found along the way, those are possible
projects to work on. Bristow would encourage them to keep those as priorities and that is something
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
January 9, 2025
Page 2 of 5
that the Commission will need to determine on how they want to proceed.
Bristow noted there are also ongoing projects, such as the annual Historic Preservation Awards. This
year's awards will be on Thursday, February 27 at the library. The subcommittee has really done a
good job of organizing and doing the work for this project. They now need to go through all of the
submittals and track down information. The awards are the best outreach that the Commission has
currently with the public. The Historic Preservation Fund is another ongoing project, started in 2017 with
a $40,000 budget every year, last year the budget was up to $42,000 and they've actually allocated all
of the money for this year. Unfortunately, for the next fiscal year the budget is going to roll back to
$40,000 because of budget cuts across the City.
Another ongoing project was the Summit Street Monument, the Commission got a grant to do a study in
2019 by a professional stone conservator and he determined that the best course of action for making
sure that they had a Summit Street monument in the future was to move it inside somewhere and to put
a replica in that location. Some of the difficulty was finding a location for it but have come up with some
good ideas so as soon as they can have a budget in the future that might allow for the moving of the
monument and replacing it with a replica they will do so. They will need around $15,000 for that
project. It had been included in the current fiscal year budget but it is too complicated to complete in
one year and the budget is removed from the next fiscal year.
Bristow noted some long term goals such as helping to promote landfill diversion through salvage and
reduced demolition, making it more profitable to reuse a building than to demolish and build a new one.
Continuing to identify opportunities to highlight the diverse history of Iowa City through racial, ethnic,
religious, and social justice through the stories that are told in the buildings that they save.
Bristow also gave an update of the College Green Historic District, it is listed in the National Register of
Historic Places and before they moved a house into the district in 2016 they reached out to the State
because they wanted to make sure that house could be a contributing structure in the District after it
was moved there and it was confirmed it could be, but the City would have to amend the District
nomination to include it. The City has always wanted to do that, because the homeowner would be
eligible for the same tax credits or any other benefits of the District, but that hasn't been done. Maybe
it's possible for volunteers to help complete that goal, it is a process and would have to go through a
whole State nominating review committee and have to be written up formally.
Finally, as everyone is aware there was a tornado, they've had derechos and flooding events so the
Commission has had an interest in developing some kind of a disaster preparedness, to let people
know that there is help, and to maybe try to find ways to get information to people. The community and
the Commission won a national award for their work after the tornado. The goal is to help the
community have what they had before after it's all fixed and done and one of those things is to be able
to evaluate things quickly and help people realize if something is salvageable or if things do need to be
torn down and rebuilt, to help them find the right people to help them do that. This Commission has the
ability to work together to do things like apply for a grant for the community to help.
That is the current work plan. So this Commission can discuss and decide if they want to change
anything, or add or subtract goals to the Plan.
Sellergren stated she doesn't see anything that needs to be changed. Bristow noted with the example
of the Pagliai's building the subcommittee might not have been working on what they had originally
planned to work on, but that was the kind of work that that subcommittee would probably do.
Sellergren stated moving forward with some of the things like the downtown is something she'd be
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
January 9, 2025
Page 3 of 5
interested to talk about, maybe today or at the next meeting, and to come up with a list of specific
buildings downtown that are low hanging fruit and are not protected.
Bristow noted with Lewis transitioning to being chair he might have some ideas of priorities and a way
to tackle them so Sellergren and Lewis could have conversation about it and if the Commission wants
to put something on the agenda for discussion they can do so. Bristow also noted there is also the
Commission discussion section at the end of each agenda where they can give a little Work Plan
Update every single month so if there was an active committee then there could just be a brief report
from those members on what they were doing and what they needed help on, etc.
Welu-Reynolds stated looking at the description of the Landmark District subcommittee described, and
as mentioned before there are other large areas of town with historic properties that have never been
surveyed, what is the process of surveying, is it a document search or is there something else involved.
Bristow explained it depends, most surveys in a community begin with a level of survey that's like a
windshield survey, looking at a neighborhood as a group, most often called a reconnaissance survey.
Through that they write down some basic information, take a photo of each property, and determine if
there is a cohesive architectural group, and if so then where does it end, etc. For example, the
Morningside neighborhood around City High would be another one in a different era of town. The
committee can work with volunteers, minimally trained people to complete that as step one. Step two
would be more of an intensive survey of a neighborhood and individual properties. Individuals can do
that too, it doesn't have to be a qualified historian, but it is getting into more research. Again, if they
were to pursue this they can talk more about it at a future meeting and they would want a short training
session for anybody interested.
MOTION: Wagner moves to approve the Commission's Annual Work Plan. Beck seconds the
motion, a vote was taken and it passed 7-0.
REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF
Minor Review -Staff review:
HPC25-0001: 113 South Johnson Street - College Green Historic District (sidewalk step railing):
Bristow explained they are putting some railings at the sidewalk steps and at the porch. They
confirmed that they will attach those to the concrete steps and not to any stone. It is a simple steel
railing that is recommended a lot for rental properties to meet code but they ask them to paint it black.
CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR DECEMBER 12, 2024:
MOTION: Thomann moves to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's
December 12, 2024 meeting. Welu-Reynolds seconded the motion The motion carried on a vote
of 7-0.
COMMISSION DISCUSSION:
Historic Preservation Awards:
Bristow noted they are moving forward and will figure out who's going to present each section and will
work that into the writing. They are looking for Commissioners not on the subcommittee who'd be
willing to write and/or present, let Bristow know if interested.
Sellergren asked what sort of promotion is there around the Historic Preservation Awards, apart from
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
January 9, 2025
Page 4 of 5
just the outreach to the winners or to the nominees. Bristow stated putting the signs out is good and
then they usually have the Communications Department put out a press release so they have to get
that ready. Sellergren noted it would be nice to have some social media presence. Bristow stated the
Commission doesn't have a social media page anymore but Friends of Historic Preservation does and
they can advertise and also send an email to all their members.
CLG Annual Report:
Bristow is compiling the report now so if anyone can think of something important that has happened
that might have been overlooked, please reach out and let her know. Also let her know of any
education or volunteering or anything that's related to preservation and their roles on the Commission
in last year.
Bristow also stated the Iowa City Rec Center that the Commission reviewed for the National Register
nomination has been approved by the National Park Service, so it's now listed in the National Register
of Historic Places.
ADJOURNMENT
Brown moved to adjourn the meeting. Beck seconded The motion carried on a vote of 7-0.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:05 pm.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD
2024-2025
TERM
2/8
3/21
4/24
5/22
6/13
7/11
8/8
9/12
10/10
11/14
12/12
1/9
NAM E
EXP.
BECK,
6/30/27
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
MARGARET
BROWN,
6/30/26
O/E
X
X
O/E
X
O/E
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
CARL
BURFORD,
6/30/27
---
---
---
---
---
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
KEVI N
LEWIS,
6/30/26
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
ANDREW
RUSSELL,
6/30/27
---
---
---
---
---
X
X
O/E
X
O/E
O/E
RYAN
SELLERGREN,
6/30/25
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
JORDAN
STORK, NOAH
6/30/24
X
X
X
X
X
---
---
---
---
---
---
---
THOMANN,
6/30/26
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
DEANNA
VILLANUEVA,
6/30/25
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
O/E
NICOLE
WAGNER,
6/30/26
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
FRANK
WELU-
6/30/25
X
X
O/E
X
O/E
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
REYNOLDS,
CHRISTINA
KEY: X = Present
O = Absent
O/E= Absent/Excused
--- = Not a member
Item Number: 4.d.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
March 11, 2025
Human Rights Commission: January 28
Attachments: Human Rights Commission: January 28
Approved Minutes
Human Rights Commission
January 28, 2025
Emma J. Harvat Hall
Commissioners present: Doug Kollasch, Idriss Abdullahi, Emily Harkin, Kelsey Paul Shantz, Roger Lusala,
Elizabeth Shannon.
Commissioners on Zoom: Lubna Mohamed.
Commissioners absent: Mark Pries, Viana Qadoura.
Staff present: Tre Hall, Stefanie Bowers.
Recommendation to City Council: No.
Meeting called to order: 5:37 PM.
Native American Land Acknowledgement: Abdullahi read the Land Acknowledgement.
Approval of meeting minutes of November 26, 2024: Lusala moved, and Abdullahi seconded. Motion
passed 7-0.
Updates on Outreach and Engagement by the Police Department: Community Outreach Assistant, Tre Hall
updated the commission on the police department's recent and upcoming community outreach efforts. On
Jan. 6th community outreach included reading to community members on the west side of Iowa City, giving
a squad tour and handing out stickers. A presentation on avoiding scams and fraud was given to groups at
Lensing on Jan. 15th and Featherstone on Jan. 21'. On MLK day Hall participated in the procession and
services that occurred at Mercer to commemorate the holiday. Upcoming events include squad tour and
reading at Regina School on Jan. 30th. They will also be sharing coffee and conversations with residents at
Melrose Meadows. On Feb. 26th they will be going to Cedar Falls for a career fair happening at Hawkeye
Community College. On Feb. 22"d and 261h Big Brother and Sisters of Johnson County will be having an event
called Bowl for Kid's Sake.
Kollasch asked how the police department is reaching out to immigrant communities in Iowa City, so they
understand their rights during anticipated raids. Hall confirmed Joshua Dabusu, the other Community
Outreach Assistant, who works with immigrant and refugee communities in Iowa City will be holding a talk
that allows more building and rapport amongst the immigrant and refugee communities and the police
department. Mendez Shannon asked if there would be a possibility to create a Know Your Rights panel. Tre
Hall confirmed that is a possibility and offered contact information for Dabusu who is in charge of putting
together such events.
Kollasch asked if the Iowa City Police Department has a standing policy or potential cooperation with the
immigration and customs enforcement. Hall answered that the Iowa City Police Department takes all
recommendations from the City Attorney's office as well as the Johnson County's attorney's office which is
where questions should be directed.
Correspondence: The Commission received correspondence on upcoming events including "Insubordination:
Amma Julia Cooper and the "Courageous Revolt" against Jim Crow..." on Thursday Feb. 20th at 12:00pm and
"Tough Conversations about Racial Divide and How We Can Heal" on Saturday, Feb. 1't at the Iowa City Public
Library from 1-3pm. They also received an update from Houses Into Homes Youth Volunteer Academy, who
received the funds from the Racial Equity and Social Justice Grant, on their guidebook and curriculum.
Additionally, they also received a flyer for World Hijab Day happening in Coralville on Saturday Feb. V.
Funding Request: Iowa City Foreign Relations Council requested funding for a program in April "Climate
Resilience Together." The group is requesting $250 and has provided an itemized budget breakdown. The
funding would primarily support significant personnel time and effort including staff time, marketing
materials, and day of hosting to create a welcoming experience. Abdullahi was curious to know how the
program directly relates to eliminating racial, religious, cultural, and other intergroup tensions and if they
should ask for examples of that. Paul Shantz shared she would like to request more information as she is
curious to know the future of the organization given recent legislation passed by the US government. She
would also like to see more detailed breakdown of where the funding is going towards beyond staff time.
Kollasch agreed and wanted to see a more detailed breakdown of where the money is going and how it ties to
the work of the commission. Lusala agreed with the points made and would like to know more information as
well.
Strategic Plan: The commission discussed if they should change the time of year when they elect officers.
Currently new officers are elected in January of each year. This suggestion arose from the commission's
strategic planning sessions when it was noted that because three new members are appointed every
January, they are then required to elect a chair and vice chair who they don't know or worked alongside.
Paul Shantz suggested moving it to February. Harkin agreed with moving it to February, however, she does
not mind the January date. Lusala noted that the commission operates as one unit with equal responsibility,
so it may not be necessary to move the date. Kollasch agreed he feels it is not necessary to move the date
from January, at this time. Paul Shantz agreed but suggested moving the date to February as an experiment
to see if it lightens the load for the commission. Lusala agreed it may be beneficial to try but suggested not
officially changing the bylaws rather tabling it to a later date.
Lusala mentioned he appreciates the shared responsibility amongst commissioners. Kollasch mentioned it
was a priority for the commission to equally distribute responsibilities. Abdullahi mentioned that part of the
strategic plan that caught his eye was strengthening community engagement. Abdullahi suggested establishing
committees based on specific communities and rotating responsibilities between commission subcommittees
with the idea to focus intimately on working with specific community sectors. Paul Shantz agreed there is a
need to recognize where discrimination is occurring in the community and advocate for those groups. Paul
Shantz also suggested having the opportunity to have more responsiveness where a small coalition of people
who saw a need in the community could meet with commissioners to suggest how to act on these needs.
Kollasch spoke on the fragility of human rights in the current social climate. Lusala agreed there is a need to
respond and act during these times because of an unpredictable future.
Lusala noted flexibility will be important at this time. Harkin noted she liked the idea of flexibility within the
subcommittees. Kollasch stated the commission plans to focus on making recommendation to City Council for
Q
legislation on discrimination, a topic the commission has not had as much focus on in the past. Mendez
Shannon shared she is excited to see different ways the commission can elicit feedback from the community.
Kollasch agreed with Mendez Shannon and suggested having a set topic the commission can focus on and
advertise in hopes of gaining more community feedback. Paul Shantz shared that the commission has a
platform in the education space where they can invite people to participate in the commission's discussions.
She also noted it may allow a space for those who have something to say but haven't had a safe space to speak.
Mohamed spoke to the commission about the current issues of immigration and how the Iowa City schools are
responding. Paul Shantz moved to approve the strategic plan and Lusala seconded. Motion passed 7-0.
Racial Equity and Social Justice Grant: The grant will go live on March VY and be available through April V.
It will be an online submission and an online review. Due to time constraints, it is unlikely there will be
time to do informational sessions for applicants, but it will be advertised that they can contact staff for and
technical assistance.
Save the dates:
Night of 1000 Dinners: Staff asked commissioners to inform of their interest in attending the event. Paul
Shantz shared she has attended in the past, and it was an enjoyable experience.
Youth Awards: The application for nominations will be going live soon. Juneteenth and Pride dates were
noted by Kollasch with Juneteenth occurring June 20th and Pride occurring June 21'. Kollasch also brought
up that the Human Rights Awards Breakfast will be occurring on October 22"d
Staff & Commission Updates: Staff updated the commission contact sheet that once reviewed by
commissioners will be sent out to each one. Staff also showed commissioners how to sign up to get news
updates from the city via text or email.
Mendez Shannon updated on her attendance at the Escucha Mi Voz event. The event spoke on immigrant
rights and how to handle recent ICE raids and threats.
Paul Shantz updated on the importance of showing up for the community in times of hate and being able to
identify, act, and prevent hate speech and acts when and wherever possible. She also mentioned her
upcoming absence at the next meeting.
Kollasch updated on the current news of federal grant freezes and the impact of that issue. Kollasch also
brought up the local impact of political efforts to remove gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act.
Kollasch mentioned One Iowa which is the state-wide group that organizes on behalf of the LGBTQ+
community in the state of Iowa and encouraged commissioners to get involved and educated with their
efforts.
Lusala accepted the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. proclamation on behalf of the commission. Lusala shared the
four visions of Dr. King's that he finds valuable in today's time including hope, standing up for what is right,
the dangers of staying silent, and faith.
Harkin updated on her reaction to the regression of human rights in our country due to recent political
changes and the need to stand up and act now more than ever. Harkin also spoke on her experience
volunteering at a recent expungement clinic.
3
Adjourned: 7:01 PM.
The meeting can be viewed at https:llwww.youtube.com/@cityclianfiel4/videos.
Human Rights Commission
ATTENDANCE RECORD
YEAR 2024/2025
(Meeting Date)
NAME
TERM
EXP.
1/23
2/27
3/4
3/26
4/23
5/28
7/23
8/27
9/24
11/26
12/12
1/28
2/25
3/25
4/22
5/27
ahnaviPandya
2024
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
A
A
-
-
Emily Harkin
2027
P
P
Doug Kollasch
2027
X
X
X
X
X
X
Z
X
X
P
P
Viana Qadoura
2025
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
P
A
driss Abdullahi
2025
-
X
Z
X
Z
A
P
P
Mark Pries
2025
X
A
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
P
A
Roger Lusala
2026
X
X
X
A
X
X
X
X
X
P
-
P
Kelsey Paul Shantz
2026
X
X
X
X
Z
X
X
A
X
P
-
P
Liz Mendez -Shannon
2026
X
X
X
A
Z
X
X
A
X
A
P
Lubna Mohamed
2027
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Z
KEY: X = Present
A = Absent
Z = Present via Zoom
Item Number: 4.e.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
March 11, 2025
Library Board of Trustees: January 23
Attachments: Library Board of Trustees: January 23
Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees
Meeting Minutes
January 23, 2025
2nd Floor — Boardroom
Regular Meeting - 5:00 PM
FINAL
Tom Rocklin - President Bonnie Boothroy Robin Paetzold
DJ Johnk — Vice President Joseph Massa John Raeburn
Hannah Shultz -Secretary Claire Matthews Dan Stevenson
Members Present: Joseph Massa, Claire Matthews, Robin Paetzold, John Raeburn, Tom Rocklin,
Dan Stevenson.
Members Absent: Bonnie Boothroy, DJ Johnk, Hannah Shultz.
Staff Present: Elsworth Carman, Anne Mangano, Brent Palmer, Jason Paulios.
Guests Present: Kristy Hartsgrove Mooers joined after public comment period.
Call Meeting to Order. Rocklin called the meeting to order at 5:01 pm. A quorum was present.
Approval of January 23, 2025 Board Meeting Agenda. Raeburn made a motion to
approve the January 23, 2025 Board Meeting Agenda. Massa seconded. Motion passed 6/0.
Public Discussion. None.
Items to be Discussed.
Six Month Strategic Plan Update.
Rocklin liked the format. Carman reminded the group this was not a holistic overview of all Library
business but rather highlights the specific four strategic goals. Raeburn made a comment about future
strategic plan updates using active instead of passive voice for benefits to readers. Carman responded to
explain we chose to remove specific staff names this time and there was general Board consensus that it
was ok to include these in the future and also possible to leave them out but remain in active voice.
Rocklin asked about clarification related to vocabulary language of "passive" (ex. "passive crafts") and also
noted library jargon that might not be useful for the public. Carman agreed they should be defined for
future updates. Rocklin was appreciative of the new All Abilities Club and asked about attendance figures,
Carman explained Angie Pilkington could help answer that next month when she returns. Matthews
expressed interest and appreciation for the new world language collections and especially pointed out
If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Jen Royer, Iowa City
Public Library, at 379-887-6003 or iennifer-rover@icpLorg. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
how difficult it has been for her to find Arabic language materials for students. Rocklin asked for more
information related to digital collections budget with respect to the update regarding repurchasing
policies/guidelines for eMaterials. Mangano responded with some early positive numbers related to the
change, specifically that we're now hitting the budgeted weekly numbers and there has been staff time
savings as well. Mangano noted a more robust report would be forthcoming at the end of the quarter.
Rocklin asked about the effectiveness of the program surveys for adults during the Summer Reading
Program. Paulios explained about the Summer Reading Program event surveys collected in 2024 and how
they helped event programmers better understand diverse marketing effort effectiveness and future event
topic interest.
Review 2"d Quarter Financials and Statistics.
Stevenson mentioned the new overview appendix "chart of accounts" was particularly useful for the
Finance Committee. Carman said expenditures are tracking as expected, and noted that he modified the
memo this quarter to try to show tracking over time with comparisons to past years to explain specific
instances of early year spending. Carman said the appendix was created out of a Finance Committee
conversation and influenced by comments at previous Board. He noted that Jen Royer was instrumental
in creating the appendix. Rocklin asked about the object codes and wondered if it was still functional.
Carman explained a few specific examples of issues that can be difficult year-to-year but that the
divisions are useful overall and not currently problematic. Mangano gave an example of a larger
overhaul of the collection lines happening a few years ago in order to allow for easier reports to the
state. Carman explained there is an opportunity to include comments in the budget software for future
explanation of alterations and that he and Jen have made notes in almost all budget lines .
Staff Reports.
Director's Report.
Carman added an update on the budget report to explain the upcoming CIP project related to carpet
replacement. Earlier this week Carman had presented to Council on the long history of this CIP request.
The current request is being funded at $805,000 including $55,000 coming from Board controlled funds
(NOBU) in FY26. There is concern that the allocation won't cover the full scope of the project. Part of the
project will require a specialized vendor to do the shelf moving, it won't make financial sense to split the
project up if the money doesn't cover both floors as they aren't local. Carman will bring information
back to the Board if we find bids come in over the budget. He also added information related to the
Polco community survey the City completed, there was only one specific library -related question, we
received a 96% satisfaction to the question. HVAC replacement was completed and successful, this will
allow for easier remote monitoring of the system. Rocklin asked if the other units are all the same age.
Carman explained they are different but that we have a replacement schedule in place. Carman
explained a future replacement unit may need to be brought by helicopter if City Engineering
determines the Ped Mall surface can't handle the weight of the crane that will be needed. Rocklin asked
about the meeting with Parks & Recreation and wondered about what an expansion of collaboration
might look like. Carman explained we are looking forjoint expectation setting about behavior and how
it might be appropriate to share across departments with regards to respecting privacy. He's interested
in connecting staff for peer support and to learn more from one another, also the potential for shared
I f you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Jen Royer, Iowa City
Public Library, at 319-887-6003 or iennifer-rover@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
staff training. Wider -range conversation will be taking place soon. Rocklin explained how it will benefit
citizens to see how City Department expectations are all aligned and consistent
Departmental Reports: Adult Services.
Paulios added that early attendance reports for Wintering Together series have been positive and by
packaging the events as a series in a handout we've seen attendees show up at multiple events. Rocklin
expressed interest in the Book Club Matchmaking event as a community building opportunity that is
core to library services. Paulios reported on the most recent event's success.
Community & Access Services.
No questions from the Board. Rocklin appreciated the data visuals and the collaboration with
CommUnity.
Development Report.
Roche is in planning mode for the Bright Future fundraising event, the department has not yet
advertised widely as they are still lining things up. Fundraising has hit $100,000 of the $88,000 goal for
the annual giving and she's very appreciative of our community donors.
President's Report.
Rocklin brought up that there will be three members going off the Board this summer and encouraged
members to recruit others in the community to apply. Stevenson asked about the past gender
designation requirement and it was explained this was no longer active. Rocklin handed out an excerpt
of Iowa Code Title 1 regarding the process of going into executive session for the review of the Director.
Rocklin explained, due to litigation involving closed -session evaluations, the City Attorney will no longer
advise they go into closed session for the evaluation as it exposes Board members to potential litigation
and potential fines. This means there will be a new evaluation process. The City Attorney has a
recommendation which Rocklin would like to talk through at this meeting, bring back for formal
adoption at the next meeting, and then have a slightly delayed evaluation after Board approval in
February. The procedure will involve a work group gathering information as before from staff, Board
members, and Carman. They compile and synthesize the information, instead of taking this into closed
session it would go to the Board President who would perform the evaluation and either approve or
amend. This procedure is how the City Attorney is also advising the City Council to proceed with their
evaluations. Cedar Rapids will be appealing their case to the Supreme Court but not in time for our
evaluation process. Paetzold asked how the Board will know what the evaluation would be if it was
reduced to a one-on-one evaluation session. Rocklin explained the report could be distributed
confidentially to Board members as it was a personnel document. This would allow members to know
what would be in the discussion, but, unless they were included in the work group, they would not have
the ability to amend. Paetzold asked if the employee could add their own information to the document
and expressed concerns about the Chair having a lot of authority of the evaluation and even possibly
going above the work group's recommendations. Rocklin will ask Attorney Goers about whether Board
members and the employee would be allowed to add a statement to the final document. Rocklin
believes that a Board member could ask to add a statement and will advise Goers to add to the
procedure. Massa asked about impact to the Board bylaws, Rocklin believes it won't be impacted as they
If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Jen Royer, Iowa City
Public Library, at 319-887-6003 or iennifer-rover@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
are written very broadly. Paetzold asked about other impacted positions in the City and Rocklin
explained the Airport Commission would be the same. Paetzold brought up the recent Johnson County
executive employee dismissal and there was discussion about the ways to incorporate performance
concerns into this new process. Paetzold expressed concern that this method could be abused if the
Board President went against the working group's recommendations, not necessarily with this Board but
in a more divisive future Board. Rocklin will bring the final procedure proposal back to the Board at the
next meeting for a vote. Paetzold asked if a recommendation to alter salary was made at the delayed
evaluation if that would be retroactive to the originally scheduled evaluation date.
Announcements from Members.
Matthews reports that last fall a parent addressed the School District regarding a perceived lack of
Palestinian -American and Arab -American stories in the school libraries. In the course of researching
bibliographies related to the topic, her Coordinator reported that the Iowa City Public Library had many
titles she sought for review and praised the collection development department's work.
Committee Reports.
Advocacy Committee.
Waiting for ILA Government Affairs committee update to the Trustee Board committee.
Finance Committee.
Friends Foundation Finance Committee has requested a joint meeting with Library Board Finance
Committee. Rocklin is in favor and they will work on finding a date in coordination with Roche.
Foundation Members.
Communications.
News Articles.
Paetzold brought up the emergency issue with police last Friday and wondered about any follow up.
Carman explained that an armed bank robbery occurred nearby and the suspect fled into Library. Police
were able to apprehend the unarmed suspect on the second floor and it led to uncertainty about the
location of the firearm. The first floor had been evacuated due to uncertainty of the location of the
potentially armed suspect. Second floor was less impacted as they quickly arrested the individual as they
reached that floor. There was some discussion about closing the library while they brought in a dog to
try to locate the firearm, as staff were planning for that ICPD received information about the discovery
of the weapon offsite. No new recommendations are forthcoming regarding practices for dealing with
the emergency. Carman praised the ICPD response and their calm demeanor and positive, responsive
communication during the event.
Consent Agenda.
Massa made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. Matthews seconded. Motion passed 6/0.
Set Agenda Order for February Meeting.
Rocklin mentioned the Director Evaluation will be moved to March 2025 meeting. They will appoint a
I f you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Jen Royer, Iowa City
Public Library, at 319-887-6003 or iennifer-rover@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
nominating committee, set the calendar for the next Fiscal Year, and Department Report updates.
Adjournment. Rocklin adjourned the meeting at 5:56 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Jason Paulios
I f you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Jen Royer, Iowa City
Public Library, at 319-887-6003 or iennifer-rover@icpl.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to
meet your access needs.
QW,* IOWA CITY
rAW PUBLIC LIBRARY
Board of Commissions: ICPL Board of Trustees
Attendance Record
Name
Term Expiration
2/29/2024
3/28/2024
4/25/2024
5/23/2024
6/27/2024
7/25/2024
8/22/2024
9/26/2024
10/24/2024
11/21/2024
12/19/2024
1/23/2025
2/27/2025
Boothro , Bonnie
6/30/2029
X
X
OE
OE
X
X
X
X
OE
X
Johnk DJ
6/30/2025
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
OE
OE
X
Massa Joseph
6/30/2027
OE
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
OE
X
X
X
Matthews Claire
6/30/2023
X
X
OE
X
X
X
OE
X
X
X
O
X
X
Paetzold Robin
6/30/2023
X
X
X
X
OE
OE
X
X
X
X
OE
X
X
Raeburn John
6/30/2027
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
OE
X
X
X
X
X
Rocklin Tom
6/30/2025
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
OE
X
X
X
X
X
Shultz, Hannah
6/30/2025
X
I X
I X
OE
I OE
X
X
X
I X
I X
X
I OE
X
Stevenson, Daniel
1 6/30/2027
1 X
I X
I OE
I X
I X
I X
I X
I X
I OE
I X
I X
I X
X
KEY:
X Present
O Absent
OE Excused Absence
NM No Meeting Held
R Resigned
TE Term Expired
Item Number: 4.f.
a
CITY OF IOWA CITY
"QF T-4 COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
March 11, 2025
Planning & Zoning Commission: December 4 [See Recommendations]
Attachments: Planning & Zoning Commission: December 4 [See Recommendations]
r
��_..® CITY OF IOWA CITY
R&
MEMORANDUM
Date: February 21, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Anne Russett, Senior Planner
Re: Recommendations from the Planning and Zoning Commission
At its December 4, 2024 meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission have the following
recommendations to the City Council:
By a vote of 7-0 the Commission recommends approval of REZ24-0010, a proposal to rezone
approximately 27.68 acres of land located east of Camp Cardinal Blvd and west of Camp
Cardinal Road from Low Density Multifamily Residential with a Planned Development Overlay
(OPD/RM-12) zone to Low Density Multi -Family Residential with a Planned Development
Overlay (OPD/RM-12) zone subject to the following condition:
1. Prior to issuance of building permit, Owner shall contribute 50% of the cost of upgrading
Camp Cardinal Road to City standards. This contribution shall include 50% of the cost of
construction of the traffic circle at the intersection of Deer Creek Road and Camp
Cardinal Road.
Additional action (check one)
No further action needed
Board or Commission is requesting Council direction
_X_ Agenda item will be prepared by staff for Council action
MINUTES FINAL
PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION
DECEMBER 4, 2024-6:OOPM—FORMAL MEETING
E M M A J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Susan Craig, Maggie Elliott, Mike Hensch, Steve Miller, Scott
Quellhorst, Billie Townsend, Chad Wade
MEMBERS ABSENT:
STAFF PRESENT: Eric Bigley, Anne Russett
OTHERS PRESENT: Gina Landau, Brian Vogel
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL:
By a vote of 7-0 the Commission recommends approval of REZ24-0010, a proposal to rezone
approximately 27.68 acres of land located east of Camp Cardinal Blvd and west of Camp
Cardinal Road from Low Density Multifamily Residential with a Planned Development Overlay
(OPD/RM-12) zone to Low Density Multi -Family Residential with a Planned Development
Overlay (OPD/RM-12) zone subject to the following condition:
1. Prior to issuance of building permit, Owner shall contribute 50% of the cost of upgrading
Camp Cardinal Road to City standards. This contribution shall include 50% of the cost of
construction of the traffic circle at the intersection of Deer Creek Road and Camp
Cardinal Road.
CALL TO ORDER:
Hensch called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA:
None.
CASE NO. REZ24-0010
Location: East of Camp Cardinal Boulevard and West of Camp Cardinal Road
An application for a rezoning of approximately 27.68 acres of land from Low Density Multi Family
Residential with a Planned Development Overlay (OPD/RM-12) to Low Density Multi Family
Residential with a Planned Development Overlay (OPD/RM-12).
Russett began the staff report showing an aerial of the subject property, it's located east of Camp
Cardinal Boulevard and west of Camp Cardinal Road. The property is currently zoned RM-12
with a Planned Development Overlay, the land to the west is also zoned RM-12, with a Planned
Development Overlay and that site is currently vacant. To the south, it's zoned Community
Commercial, to the southeast there's more RM-12 zoning and two existing apartment buildings.
To the east is the land that the Commission discussed at the last meeting, the proposed Western
Homes development that was zoned RS-8 with a Planned Development Overlay.
In terms of background, this property was originally rezoned to OPD RM-12 in August 2022, after
that rezoning approval went through the applicants moved forward with the subdivision process
and their final plats for Cardinal Heights, Part One and Part Two were approved in February
2023. Russett shared the proposed OPD plan and explained this request does not change the
proposed land uses or building types that were originally approved with the rezoning from August
Planning and Zoning Commission
December 4, 2024
Page 2 of 7
2022 nor does it change anything regarding the Sensitive Areas Development Plan or the
conservation easements that were approved as part of the subdivision process. The purpose of
this rezoning is to request two waivers from zoning standards, and these requests can only be
approved through a Planned Development Overlay process. The first request is a 5' reduction in
the minimum front yard setback from 20' to 15' and the second request is a 7' increase in the
maximum building height from 35' to 42'. Russett also pointed out the requests are only for the
one multifamily building.
Russett shared a few photographs of the site. She noted again the current rezoning is OPD/RM-
12 and the proposed rezoning is OPD/RM-12 and the request is to allow some flexibility in
zoning standards. The total number of lots, which is 23, is not changing. There will be 22
duplexes, four townhome style units and one 30-unit multifamily building. Deer Creek Road will
be extended through the site, there will be one cul-de-sac to the north and a loop street to the
south where all of the duplexes would be.
For rezonings there are specific approval criteria along with the general approval criteria. The
first standard is related to the design density and whether or not it's compatible with adjacent
developments. The proposed land uses do fit with the existing developments and the proposed
development to the east, the development and intensity transitions from lower scale on the west
side with the duplexes and increases to the east, which aligns well with the proposed multifamily
that Western Homes is proposing on their site. Russett noted an error in the staff report as it
stated that the garages for the duplexes will need to be recessed from the front facade of the
building but since this is a RM-12 zone the duplexes do not need to meet that standard as that is
for certain single-family zones. In terms of open space, there is a lot of open space on the site
due to the sensitive areas. In terms of traffic circulation, the property would be accessed off of
Camp Cardinal Road and there is a proposed traffic circle at the intersection of Deer Creek Road
and Camp Cardinal Road. Staff is recommending that the Commission maintain that previously
approved condition that requires the owner to contribute 50% of the cost of the construction of
Camp Cardinal Road as well as the traffic circle.
The second criteria is that the development will not overburdening existing utilities and Russett
explained this is an infill site and the subject property has access to sanitary sewer and water,
and the developer is already installing infrastructure on the property.
The third criteria is that development will not adversely affect views, light, air, property values
and privacy, as mentioned previously, there are existing conservation easements on the property
that will be maintained with almost 17 acres of land that will not be developed and will be
preserved. Also, there's not a lot of development around the subject property, there's some
duplexes to the north, there's the existing apartments to the southeast, and there's Saint Andrew
Church to the east so this development will not impact neighboring residents more than a
conventional development would.
The fourth criteria is that land use building types and the proposed variations from zoning
requirements will be in the public interest. Russett reiterated regarding the waivers, they are just
for one building and the applicant has requested a reduction in the front setback from 20' to 15'
due to site terrain, sensitive features and the existing conservation easements in the area.
Additionally, the fire department requested that the applicant move the building closer to the
street to address fire code concerns. The alternative of moving the building was to provide a fire
truck turn around behind the building, which was not practical given the conservation easement
Planning and Zoning Commission
December 4, 2024
Page 3 of 7
and the site constraints but moving the building forward requires approval of the setback
reduction. Staff finds this request to be acceptable as many other residential uses have a 15'
setback and the requested variation will still accommodate light, air, privacy, as well as onsite
open space. The second request is to increase the building height of this building to 42' and the
applicant has requested this modification due to site topography. Staff measures building height
based on the average grade to the top of the roof line so due to the sloping nature of the site, the
building exceeds that 35' height maximum, however from the front of the building, it will appear to
be 35' and at the rear of the building it will appear taller than 35' because of the sloping grade on
the site. The rear portion of the building that will look taller is adjacent to an outlot, which is
wooded, and so visually will have no impact of passerby's on the street so staff finds this request
to be reasonable as well. Additionally, the proposed increase in height will still accommodate
sufficient light and air and open space, and the building will still appear to be 35' from the front.
Russett shared some elevations that were provided by the applicant of the multifamily building.
In terms of consistency with the Comprehensive Plan, the Future Land Use Map envisions this to
be between eight and 16 dwelling units per acre and the proposed development is under that at
three, but the site is constrained significantly by the sensitive features. The applicants are
incorporating a diversity of housing types and preserving woodlands, wetlands and slopes on the
site. Regarding the environmentally sensitive areas the conservation easements have been put
in place to protect the sensitive areas and that will not be changing.
In terms of next steps, after a recommendation from the Commission, City Council will set a
public hearing, likely at their next meeting on December 10, and the public hearing would then be
on January 7.
Staff recommends approval of REZ24-0010, a proposal to rezone approximately 27.68 acres of
land located east of Camp Cardinal Blvd and west of Camp Cardinal Road from Low Density
Multifamily Residential with a Planned Development Overlay (OPD/RM-12) zone to Low Density
Multi -Family Residential with a Planned Development Overlay (OPD/RM-12) zone subject to the
following condition:
2. Prior to issuance of building permit, Owner shall contribute 50% of the cost of upgrading
Camp Cardinal Road to City standards. This contribution shall include 50% of the cost of
construction of the traffic circle at the intersection of Deer Creek Road and Camp
Cardinal Road.
Hensch noted one of the criteria is that the development, or the change, doesn't impact views
and that always seems so subjective, the view for one person could be fine and to another
person it is horrible and for no reason other than personal opinion. Are there any objective
criteria regarding that or is it subjectively interpreted. Russett confirmed it is subjective and for
this property, in terms of views, the only real neighbors are to the north and they're still going to
have a creek and a woodland in their backyard and that won't change with this development.
Quellhorst noted in the report the applicant held a Good Neighbor meeting, what was the result
or feedback that was obtained as a result of that meeting. Russett explained they held the Good
Neighbor meeting for the original rezoning in 2022 and there was a significant amount of
feedback from that Good Neighbor meeting and the public hearing process for that, but with this
rezoning, staff hasn't heard anything from neighbors, and they were notified of the meeting
tonight.
Planning and Zoning Commission
December 4, 2024
Page 4 of 7
Craig asked about the traffic circle and does it go between the two developments. Russett
explained the traffic circle does go into the Western Homes development and they are also
required to contribute 50% of the cost of that construction of that traffic circle.
Hensch opened the public hearing.
Gina Landau (Navigate Homes) stated nothing's really changed from the very beginning as far
as the intention of the development it was just as they started designing parking lots and parking
underground areas, they ran into a couple glitches and realized they would need the waivers.
Hensch asked if moving the setback in the front was primarily because of the fire department's
request. Landau confirmed they met with the fire department, and it was their requirement for
safety. And then regarding the additional height, that's primarily related to the topography on the
site because the intention is to have parking underground, and the back part of the building will
appear as a four story and the front is only a three story. There will be a little bit of outdoor
parking just to hit the requirements, but the majority of the parking will be underground.
Craig asked who's the target audience here as it seems like a nice development for families but
where are the kids going to play. Landau stated she is not the sales and the marketing person
but these will be condos, not an apartment building and typically, most condos are first time
home buyers who eventually will maybe move into a duplex, which is what the rest of that
development is. Residents may possibly have children, yes, but maybe just starting their families,
and while there's no structured play area there's lots of open space with the conservation areas
around it.
Landau noted all of the open space with the outlots will be maintained by an HOA and they've
been working with the attorneys to get those set up to make it equitable for everyone.
Hensch asked how many acres of open space are in the Conservation Reserve. Russett noted
it's almost 17 acres.
Craig noted HOAs don't always take care of their open spaces well, so if there's a way to make
HOAs more responsive to the maintenance of their responsibilities that would be appreciated.
Townsend asked if there are affordable units in this development. Landau stated there's nothing
designated as true affordable housing according to City requirements, but these are not luxury
units, they are all one- and two -bedroom units in the 30-plex and they are trying to keep the price
point down where someone can actually afford to buy it as a first time homeowner.
Townsend asked given the extra height waiver is there any reason why they couldn't have asked
for some affordable units in these buildings. Russett noted this area doesn't require income
restricted units and the Commission would have add a condition to the rezoning and
demonstrate that this rezoning creates a public need for those income restricted units.
Russett also noted regarding the height waiver, it's really a topography issue. The height is
calculated from the average grade and from the front it is going to be 35' but the code measures
height from the middle which is a much lower grade on this site.
Planning and Zoning Commission
December 4, 2024
Page 5 of 7
Hensch noted in this area there's a history of neighbors complaining about view interference with
their view and so he just wants to make sure they address that.
Brian Vogel (Engineer, Hall & Hall) explained he doesn't know the distance from other buildings
and the views, but as far as the height the front of the building is going to be 30' not even 35' but
then as the grade slopes away to get to the back it will be the 40' height. There is about a 12'
change in grade due to the slope from front to back.
Hensch closed the public hearing.
Elliott moves to recommend approval of REZ24-0010, a proposal to rezone approximately
27.68 acres of land located east of Camp Cardinal Blvd and west of Camp Cardinal Road
from Low Density Multifamily Residential with a Planned Development Overlay (OPD/RM-
12) zone to Low Density Multi -Family Residential with a Planned Development Overlay
(OPD/RM-12) zone subject to the following condition:
3. Prior to issuance of building permit, Owner shall contribute 50% of the cost of
upgrading Camp Cardinal Road to City standards. This contribution shall include
50% of the cost of construction of the traffic circle at the intersection of Deer Creek
Road and Camp Cardinal Road.
Wade seconded the motion.
Elliott stated it seems like a simple request, the fire department requests the setback, and the
height seems to be reasonable based on staff recommendation.
Wade noted it's a safety request based on the fire department and the law of averages for the
topography.
Hensch stated he thinks this is a pretty reasonable request and any chance to increase the
number of housing units that are more accessible by Iowa City standards they certainly should
do that so he supports this application.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 7-0.
DISCUSSION OF PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION REPRESENTATION ON THE
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE STEERING COMMITTEE:
Russett reminded the Commission that the City is getting started on the Comprehensive Plan
update and have executed a consultant agreement with Confluence, out of Des Moines. The
City is in the process of formulating a steering committee for this update and are requesting two
volunteers from the Planning and Zoning Commission. The role of the steering committee is to
serve as an advisor to City staff and the consultant team as they're preparing the Plan, to provide
input and feedback, to review the drafts, to help establish final recommendations, which will
eventually come to this Commission, and to be an ambassador for the Plan, to promote
awareness throughout the community, to encourage participation and to advocate for the Plan.
In terms of level of commitment she explained it would be about a one -and -a -half -year process,
and there's probably going to be about seven meetings that will last 90 minutes. These meetings
will likely start in January.
Planning and Zoning Commission
December 4, 2024
Page 6 of 7
Quellhorst asked if there are additional members of the community beyond the two people from
the P&Z Commission on the committee. Russett explained there will be about 20-26 people from
a variety of different stakeholder groups throughout the community.
Hensch stated he has been on this Commission for 10 years and is pretty invested in all this and
thinks one of the key things is making sure the community understands the Comprehensive Plan.
He really appreciates the steering committee being a community ambassador for the
Comprehensive Plan, promoting awareness and encouraging participation and advocating for
the Plan. He would be interested in volunteering for this, he does come off the Commission in
June this year.
Waded stated he has an interested, as well.
Miller stated while he is new to the Commission he too would be interested in serving on this
committee.
Craig agreed Hensch should be on this committee, his body of knowledge is so impressive, he's
been doing this for 10 years and he knows every hole in every plan. It would be a shame to
waste that knowledge and everyone would benefit from him being on the committee.
Russett noted there could be three members from the Commission appointed to this committee,
they are looking for a diversity of individuals for this committee as well.
Craig moved that the representatives on the Comprehensive Plan review steering
committee are Wade, Miller and Hensch. Quellhorst seconded the motion.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 7-0.
CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: NOVEMBER 20. 2024:
Craig moved to approve the meeting minutes from November 20, 2024. Elliott seconded the
motion, a vote was taken and the motion passed 5-0-2 (Quellhorst and Townsend abstaining).
PLANNING AND ZONING INFORMATION:
Craig asked about the timeline for the project discussed at the last meeting at the ACT area.
Russett stated her understanding is that they wanted to get the rezoning approved so they can
start rehabbing those existing buildings. Craig stated it seemed like they were eager to get going
and noted often times they approve something and six months, a year, six years later it's still not
done.
Hensch asked if after two years they have to reapply for a rezoning. Russett clarified that the
timeline only applied to OPD rezonings and typically most developments meet that timeline by
getting a final plat approved.
ADJOURNMENT:
Townsend moved to adjourn, Quellhorst seconded and the motion passed 7-0.
PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION
ATTENDANCE RECORD
2023-2024
8/16
10/4
10/18
11/15
12/6
12/20
1/17
2/7
2/21
4/3
5/1
6/26
9/4
9/18
11/20
12/4
CRAIG, SUSAN
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
ELLIOTT, MAGGIE
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
O/E
X
HENSCH, MIKE
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
MILLER, STEVE
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
X
X
X
X
PADRON, MARIA
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
O/E
O/E
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
-- --
QUELLHORST, SCOTT
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
TOWNSEND, BILLIE
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
WADE, CHAD
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
KEY:
X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
--- = Not a Member
Item Number: 4.g.
I, CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
March 11, 2025
Planning & Zoning Commission: February 19 [See Recommendations]
Attachments: Planning & Zoning Commission: February 19 [See Recommendations]
r
CITY OF IOWA CITY
,, Z—�a MEMORANDUM
Date: March 6, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Anne Russett, Senior Planner
Re: Recommendations from the Planning and Zoning Commission
At its February 19, 2025 meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission have the following
recommendations to the City Council:
By a vote of 6-0 (Miller recused) the Commission recommends approval of REZ24-0016, a
proposed rezoning to rezone 7.2 acres of the property located east of Camp Cardinal Blvd and
north of Melrose Ave (Parcel Number 1007351003) from ID-RS zone to MU zone subject to the
following condition:
1. Prior to issuance of a building permit the Owner shall reconstruct the median to allow
access and also construct a dedicated left -turn lane on Camp Cardinal Blvd subject to
review and approval by the City Engineer.
By a vote of 6-1 (Townsend dissenting) the Commission recommends approval of REZ24-
0001, a proposal to rezone approximately 5.49 acres of land between N. Dodge and N.
Governor Streets to OPD/RS-12 (approximately 0.17 acres) and OPD/RM-20 (approximately
5.32 acres) subject to the following conditions:
1. In consideration of the City's rezoning the subject property, Owners agree that no
building permit shall be issued for Lot 1 as shown on the Preliminary Planned
Development Overlay Plan until the City Council approves a final plat resubdividing the
subject property to conform to the zoning boundaries established by the rezoning
ordinance to which this Agreement is attached.
2. Prior to the approval of the Final Plat, the Owner shall convert the existing duplex as
shown on Lot 2 of the Preliminary Planned Development Overlay Plan to one dwelling
unit to ensure compliance with the maximum density standards of the zone.
3. As part of Final Plat approval, the Owner shall dedicate public right-of-way and
easements along N. Governor Street consistent with what is shown on the Preliminary
Planned Development Overlay Plan subject to review and approval by the City
Engineer.
4. As part of Final Plat approval, the Owner shall grant a temporary construction easement
on the western 1 O' of the subject property abutting N. Dodge Street.
5. Prior to the issuance of a building permit for Lot 1 as shown on the Preliminary Planned
Development Overlay Plan, the existing water services for 902, 904, and 906 N. Dodge
Street that are tapped off of the water main in N. Governor Street shall be abandoned,
and new services for 902, 904, and 906 N. Dodge Street shall be installed that are
tapped off of the water main in N. Dodge Street subject to review and approval by the
City Engineer.
6. S3 screening be added to the southern retaining wall.
Additional action (check one)
No further action needed
Board or Commission is requesting Council direction
_X_ Agenda item will be prepared by staff for Council action
MINUTES FINAL
PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION
FEBRUARY 19, 2025-6:OOPM—FORMAL MEETING
E M M A J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Susan Craig, Maggie Elliott, Mike Hensch, Steve Miller, Scott
Quellhorst, Billie Townsend, Chad Wade
MEMBERS ABSENT:
STAFF PRESENT: Anne Russett, Liz Craig
OTHERS PRESENT: Mike Welch, Jon Marner, Stephen Voyce, Sharon DeGraw,
Jennifer Baum, Bethany Berger, Marie Wilkes, Audrey Bahrick,
Matthew Solinger, Matthieu Bigger, Orville Townsend, Andrew
Evans
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL:
By a vote of 6-0 (Miller recused) the Commission recommends approval of REZ24-0016, a
proposed rezoning to rezone 7.2 acres of the property located east of Camp Cardinal Blvd and
north of Melrose Ave (Parcel Number 1007351003) from ID-RS zone to MU zone subject to the
following condition:
• Prior to issuance of a building permit the Owner shall reconstruct the median to allow
access and also construct a dedicated left -turn lane on Camp Cardinal Blvd subject to
review and approval by the City Engineer.
By a vote of 6-1 (Townsend dissenting) the Commission recommends approval of REZ24-0001,
a proposal to rezone approximately 5.49 acres of land between N. Dodge and N. Governor
Streets to OPD/RS-12 (approximately 0.17 acres) and OPD/RM-20 (approximately 5.32 acres)
subject to the following conditions:
1. In consideration of the City's rezoning the subject property, Owners agree that no
building permit shall be issued for Lot 1 as shown on the Preliminary Planned
Development Overlay Plan until the City Council approves a final plat resubdividing the
subject property to conform to the zoning boundaries established by the rezoning
ordinance to which this Agreement is attached.
2. Prior to the approval of the Final Plat, the Owner shall convert the existing duplex as
shown on Lot 2 of the Preliminary Planned Development Overlay Plan to one dwelling
unit to ensure compliance with the maximum density standards of the zone.
3. As part of Final Plat approval, the Owner shall dedicate public right-of-way and
easements along N. Governor Street consistent with what is shown on the Preliminary
Planned Development Overlay Plan subject to review and approval by the City
Engineer.
4. As part of Final Plat approval, the Owner shall grant a temporary construction easement
on the western 1 O' of the subject property abutting N. Dodge Street.
5. Prior to the issuance of a building permit for Lot 1 as shown on the Preliminary Planned
Development Overlay Plan, the existing water services for 902, 904, and 906 N. Dodge
Street that are tapped off of the water main in N. Governor Street shall be abandoned,
and new services for 902, 904, and 906 N. Dodge Street shall be installed that are
tapped off of the water main in N. Dodge Street subject to review and approval by the
City Engineer.
6. S3 screening be added to the southern retaining wall.
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 19, 2025
Page 2 of 27
CALL TO ORDER:
Hensch called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA:
None.
CASE NO. REZ24-0016:
Location: North of Melrose Ave. and East of Camp Cardinal Blvd.
An application for a rezoning of approximately 7.2 acres of land from Interim Development Single -
Family Residential (ID-RS) zone to Mixed Use (MU) zone.
Commissioner Miller recused himself from this item due to conflict of interest.
Conley began the staff report showing where the subject property is located, it borders Camp
Cardinal Boulevard, which is an arterial road, as well as Melrose Avenue, to the north is St.
Andrew Presbyterian Church, to the Northwest is existing multifamily apartment living and then
there are single family homes to the east and the south of the subject property. Additionally,
Conley stated the subject property is the only undeveloped area east of Highway 218. She next
shared the zoning map, the subject property is zoned ID-RS, the properties to the north and the
south are both zoned Low Density Single Family Residential (RS-5) with a Planned Development
Overlay zone. The properties to the east are zoned Rural Residential (RR-1) with a Planned
Development Overlay and then to the west side of the subject property is primarily Highway 218
with the Institutional Public (P-2) zone to the south.
Regarding the background for this application, the subject property is located along two arterial
streets and is near Highway 218. The property does contain sensitive areas such as woodlands,
wetlands and regulated slopes found along the northern border. The IC2030 Comprehensive
Plan Future Land Use Map originally identified this area appropriate for two to eight dwelling
units per acre then in 2016 there was a Comprehensive Plan Amendment submitted by St.
Andrew Presbyterian Church that changed the subject property's land use designation to Office
Commercial. Conley explained the Office Commercial land use designation is assigned to areas
intended to provide the opportunity for a variety of commercial uses. Conley noted the subject
property is currently for sale and the owners have expressed an interest in rezoning it to provide
more clarity and certainty to future buyers regarding development potential.
Conley next reviewed the rezoning exhibit that was provided by the applicant noting an existing
30 foot pipeline easement that runs north/south of this property on the eastern side. She also
shared the sensitive areas exhibit that was also provided by the applicant which also indicated
that existing pipeline easement on the eastern border, near the sensitive areas, which would be
the construction area limit line.
Staf's analysis of the subject property's current zone, the ID-RS zone provides for areas of
managed growth in which agricultural and other non -urban areas of land may continue until the
City can provide services and urban development can occur. The ID-RS zone has a limited
selection of land uses allowed, for example detached single family, communication transmission
facility uses, parks and open space, religious and private group assembly uses and agricultural
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 19, 2025
Page 3 of 27
uses, specifically plant and animal related are all part of that selection. Plant related agriculture is
the only permitted land use allowed and detached single family dwellings would require a
minimum of five acres to be allowed in this zone. Commercial uses are allowed subject to
specific standards in the ID-RS zone. These include general and intensive animal related
commercial uses; however, any outdoor facilities associated with these uses are required to be
setback at least one hundred feet from any lot line.
Staff next looked at the proposed zone. The applicant is requesting that the property be rezoned
to Mixed Use (MU) zone. The purpose of the MU zone is to provide a transition from commercial
and employment centers to less intensive residential zones. The mix of residential and
commercial uses allowed in this zone include lower scale retail and office uses and a variety of
residential uses that require special consideration of building and site design. Some of the
allowed commercial uses include office uses, community service, sales oriented and a variety of
others. The staff report includes a table that lists all of the allowed uses in this zone. Conley
pointed out that the MU zone does not allow for drinking establishments, quick vehicle servicing
uses or any industrial uses (such as bars, gas station, car washes, etc.).
Conley next reviewed the rezoning review criteria. These are the criteria used to review all
rezonings. First, consistency with the Comprehensive Plan and second, compatibility with
existing neighborhood. For criteria number one, consistency with the Comprehensive Plan staff
was only able to utilize the IC 2030 Comprehensive Plan since there's currently no district plan
for the Northwest Planning District. The 2016 Comprehensive Plan Amendment, CPA16-0001,
changed the subject property's land use designation from two to eight dwelling units per acre to
Office Commercial. Resolution 16-129 noted that the Amendment was warranted due to the
subject property's close proximity to Highway 218 and the Comprehensive Plan's general
principles that encourage buffers between residential development and major highway uses and
that a CO-1 zone is an appropriate zone near residential neighborhoods and an appropriate
transition to more intense uses. Due to the similarities between the CO-1 zone and the MU zone
staff finds that the proposed MU zone aligns with the intent of the Comprehensive Plan
Amendment as well. Furthermore, drinking establishments, quick vehicle service uses, outdoor
storage and display oriented retail are not allowed in the CO-1 zone are also not allowed in the
MU zone. Additionally, drive throughs are not allowed in the MU zone.
The Comprehensive Plan also includes the following goals and strategies that are supported by
the rezoning request. These goals include to encourage compact, efficient development that is
contiguous and connected to existing neighborhoods to reduce the cost of extending
infrastructure and services and to preserve farmland and open space at the edge of the City and
to encourage a diversity of housing options in all neighborhoods. The strategies that the
Comprehensive Plan includes are to ensure that infill development is compatible and
complementary to the surrounding neighborhood, ensure a mix of housing types within each
neighborhood to provide options for households of all types and all incomes, and lastly identify
and support infill development and redevelopment opportunities in areas where services and
infrastructure is already in place. Conley stated the proposed rezoning aligns with the
Comprehensive Plan's goals and strategies listed here because they focus on encouraging infill
development and a diversity of housing types. Due to the subject property being surrounded by
developed land currently serviced by City services, if rezoned to the MU zone, the diversity of
housing types that the MU zone would encourage what is listed.
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 19, 2025
Page 4 of 27
Staff next looked at the compatibility with existing neighborhood and found that the subject
property is surrounded by single family, multifamily, and the institutional use to the north (St.
Andrew Church). Also, the neighborhood includes regulated sensitive areas, for example the
woodlands abut the Walnut Ridge single family homes to the east, and there is that 30 foot
pipeline easement along the eastern border of the subject property which does not allow for any
development within the easement. Therefore, these features together help create and leave a
natural buffer. Additionally, any development would need to comply with all Mixed Use site
development standards, which are aimed to ensure building sites are designed to be inviting to
pedestrians. These standards regulate service parking, screening, building scale, articulation,
orientation and other things. The Mixed Use zone is also in the medium illumination district that
allows for more lighting than a single family zone, but still regulates light trespassing standards
and shielding in order to prevent light from extending onto adjacent properties.
Next Conley reviewed the transportation and public infrastructure. Camp Cardinal Boulevard
access contains a median that limits ingress and egress, therefore, as part of this staff is
recommending that the owner reconstruct the median to allow access and also construct a
dedicated left turn on Camp Cardinal Boulevard.
Staff recommends approval of REZ24-0016, a proposed rezoning to rezone 7.2 acres of the
property located east of Camp Cardinal Blvd and north of Melrose Ave (Parcel Number
1007351003) from ID-RS zone to MU zone subject to the following condition:
• Prior to issuance of a building permit the Owner shall reconstruct the median to allow
access and also construct a dedicated left -turn lane on Camp Cardinal Blvd subject to
review and approval by the City Engineer.
Conley noted staff did not receive any written correspondence from the public and a good
neighbor meeting was held on January 23, 2025.
Upon recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission, a public hearing will be
scheduled for consideration by City Council.
Elliott asked about the good neighbor meeting as it was not addressed in the agenda packet.
Conley noted staff received the summary at a later date, so it was not included in the time of
packet publication. Elliott asked what if any the concerns were. Conley stated at the good
neighbor meeting the general concerns were about the lighting of any future development on the
subject property and lighting trespassing on to the adjacent properties. Staff was at the good
neighbor meeting and did discuss that the City does have specific site development standards
that would regulate the lighting on the future development. Russett noted there were probably
only three or four people there so they didn't hear a number of concerns, most people just were
curious what was being proposed.
Wade asked if that left turning lane from Camp Cardinal would go into this development and
Conley confirmed it would.
Hensch opened the public hearing.
Mike Welch (Shoemaker & Haaland Professional Engineers) noted to the east is that 30 foot
easement for the pipeline, and then the wooded area which would put them a distance from
those properties in Walnut Ridge and the closest house to that pipeline easement is more than
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 19, 2025
Page 5 of 27
300 feet.
Hensch closed the public hearing.
Townsend moved to recommend approval of REZ24-0016, a proposed rezoning to rezone
7.2 acres of the property located east of Camp Cardinal Blvd and north of Melrose Ave
(Parcel Number 1007351003) from ID-RS zone to MU zone subject to the following
condition:
• Prior to issuance of a building permit the Owner shall reconstruct the median to
allow access and also construct a dedicated left -turn lane on Camp Cardinal Blvd
subject to review and approval by the City Engineer.
Elliott seconded the motion.
Townsend noted concern with the commercial section and not having any idea what kind of
businesses would be going there.
Elliott states she thinks it's a good use of the land, it's infill property and she likes the diversity of
housing options that are available.
A vote was taken and the motion passed 6-0 (Miller recused).
Commissioner Miller rejoined the meeting.
CASE NO. REZ24-0001:
Location: 900, 902, 906, and 908 N. Dodge St. and 905, 909, and 911 N. Governor St.
An application for a rezoning of approximately 5.49 acres of land from Medium Density Single -
Family Residential (RS-8) zone, High Density Single -Family Residential (RS-12) zone, Medium
Density Multi -Family Residential (RM-20) zone, and Multi -Family Residence (R313) zone to
Medium Density Multi -Family Residential (RM-20) zone and High Density Single -Family
Residential (RS-12) zone with a Planned Development Overlay (OPD).
Russett began the staff report showing an aerial map of the property noting Happy Hollow Park
located to the south of the subject property. She next reviewed the zoning map, which shows
the current zoning of the subject property and surrounding properties. The subject property
currently includes several different zoning designations, it has some Medium Density Single -
Family Residential (RS- 8) zone on the southeast corner, High Density Single -Family Residential
(RS-12), and then there are Medium Density Multi -Family Residential (RM-20) zone, and Multi -
Family Residence (R36) zone. The existing R313 zoning is a zoning designation from the 1970s.
To the south is some Public Zoning for the park and most of the rest of the zones around the
subject property are zoned single family.
In terms of background, Russett noted in 1987 there was an Iowa Supreme Court decision
related to this property. At the time there were properties zoned R313 (again a multifamily zone
from the 1970s) and a developer obtained building permits to construct an office building and an
apartment building. The City revoked the building permit and rezoned some of the parcels to
only allow single family and duplex residential so the owner sued the City and the Court
determined that the City's actions were unreasonable. As a result of the Iowa Supreme Court
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 19, 2025
Page 6 of 27
decision, several lots remained zoned R3B. Then in 2011 there was a rezoning request to
rezone property along North Governor Street to RM-12 Low Density Multi -Family Residential,
and that rezoning would have allowed approximately 18 units on the eastern portion of the
subject property. The City Council denied the rezoning and directed staff to explore designating
the properties to no longer allow multifamily development. In 2012, based on Council direction,
the City initiated a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to the Central District Plan to change the
Future Land Use Map from Low Density Multi -Family to Single -Family and Duplex residential
on several properties. The Comprehensive Plan Amendment was accompanied by several City
initiated down zonings, meaning a rezoning of property from a multifamily zone to a duplex or
single family zone, and these actions by the City also resulted in a lawsuit in 2018 (TSB
Holdings. LLC v. Board of Adjustment for City of Iowa City) and in that case the Courts
determined that the Kempf decision from 1987 prohibited the City from enforcing the new zoning
ordinance and the property owner was permitted to move forward with multifamily development
consistent with the R313 zoning. Therefore, that is why today the zoning on the subject property
is a mix of R3B from the 1970s and some current multifamily RM-20, and some single family.
This property has a long and complicated zoning history.
Russett also wanted to mention that the City is acting as a co -applicant to this rezoning for
several reasons. First, the City would like to see a cohesive development on the subject
property, as opposed to that which would be allowed under the current zoning. The City would
also like to see compliance with modern zoning regulations, which include the sensitive areas
ordinance and the multifamily site development standards which regulate things like screening,
parking, design, and building materials. Lastly, the City Council Strategic Plan includes a goal
related to establishing partnerships and collaborations, particularly in the interest in advancing
the City's housing goals. As staff has discussed many times with the Commission, an important
aspect of meeting the housing goals is increasing the overall supply of housing in the community.
Russett did note the applicant held a good neighbor meeting on August 13, 2024.
Russett showed slides of photographs of the subject property. She noted the vacant office
building and the existing apartments. The eastern portion of the subject property is mainly
surface parking, there are some trees along the southern border of the property and an existing
duplex on the subject property.
Russett reiterated the current zonings are Medium Density Single -Family Residential (RS- 8)
zone and High Density Single -Family Residential (RS-12) zones which allow single-family and
duplex residential. The RS-12 also allows townhome style multi -family up to six units attached.
Properties zoned RM-20 allow multi -family residential and the maximum height in these zones is
35'. The R36 zone also allows multi -family residential at a minimum lot area per unit of 750
square feet which equates to approximately 58 dwelling units per acre. Given the land area
zoned R313 the existing zoning would allow a maximum of 84 dwelling units. The maximum
height in the R313 zone is 45' and 3 stories.
The proposed zoning is for the majority of the property to be Medium Density Multi -Family (RM-
20) zone with a Planned Development Overlay (OPD). The OPD is required due to impacts to
sensitive areas. The northwest piece would be High Density Single -Family (RS-12) zone with a
Planned Development Overlay. The maximum density in the OPD/RM-20 zone is 24 dwelling
units per acre with the maximum height of 35'. The applicant is not requesting any waivers with
this OPD application and if this rezoning is approved any future development and redevelopment
of the property must substantially comply with what is shown on the OPD plan. Staff is
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February 19, 2025
Page 7 of 27
recommending a condition that as part of this project the final plat of the property must go
through a replat so that the lots follow the proposed rezoning boundaries.
Russett next shared the preliminary plan and development overlay plan. The project proposes
redevelopment of the land along North Governor Street and would include the demolition of the
two single family homes that currently exist at the southern portion of the site, as well as the
demolition of the vacant office building to the north. There are two multifamily residential
buildings being proposed, each contain 42 units for a total of 84 units, and the plans show storm
water being located on site. The open space is proposed on the southeast corner and the
parking is internal to the buildings, as well as there is some surface parking located behind the
buildings. The plans also include a sidewalk along North Governor Street.
Russett reviewed the landscaping plan, the applicant is proposing to keep 15 existing mature
trees on the southern portion of the boundary and proposing to add several more, around 54, on
the remainder of the property. Several will be street trees proposed along North Governor Street.
Russett reiterated since the proposed rezoning complies with all development standards, there
are no waivers requested, and the OPD is required due to the sensitive areas impact. The
criteria to consider with this rezoning are consistency with the Comprehensive Plan and
compatibility with the existing neighborhood character. In terms of consistency with the
Comprehensive Plan the IC 2030 Plan as well as the Central District Plan both apply to this land.
The Future Land Use Map of the IC 2030 Plan shows the majority of the site, the properties
along North Dodge and into the site, are all designated as appropriate for multifamily
development up to 24 dwelling units per acre. The Central District Plan also shows that a
majority of the site is appropriate for multifamily. However, unlike the IC2030 Plan the Central
District Plan does show some single family to the north, as well as open space in the middle of
the property. The Future Land Use Map functions as a conceptual future vision and both Plans
envision this area as allowing multifamily development, up to 24 dwelling units per acre, which is
the maximum density allowed in the proposed OPD/RM-20 zoning district.
Russett noted in addition to the Future Land Use Map there are several goals and policies that
support the proposed development. In terms of land use goals, there's goals encouraging
compact, efficient development that is contiguous and connected with existing neighborhoods,
while ensuring that infill development is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. There
are housing goals that encourage a diversity of housing types that ensure a mix of housing types
within each neighborhood to provide options for households of all types, at all incomes, and
supporting infill development and redevelopment in areas where there's existing services and
infrastructure. In terms of environmental goals, the Plan encourages compact and efficient
development that reduces the cost of extending and maintaining infrastructure, discourages
sprawl and again promotes infill development. Lastly, in terms of parks and open space goals
Russett stated there's a goal to improve overall access to the parks throughout the City.
Looking at the Central District Plan the housing and quality of life element includes a goal to
promote the Central District as an attractive place to live by encouraging reinvestment in
residential properties throughout the District and by supporting new housing opportunities.
Russett acknowledged that although this proposal isn't necessarily reinvesting in residential
properties, it will result in the removal of the vacant office building and provide much needed
housing units. There's also a statement within the Central District Plan specific to the subject
property and to the history with the R313 zoning, which notes that this area is zoned R313 and it
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February 19, 2025
Page 8 of 27
should be rezoned to a valid designation, such as RM-20.
In terms of the compatibility with the neighborhood character Russett first talked about the
existing context of what surrounds the subject property. Again, there is Happy Hollow Park to the
south, across Governor Street to the east there's single family residential, to the north there's a
mix of duplex and single family and to the west, on the subject property is an existing multifamily
building as well as two duplex units, and then further south, there's single family. In terms of
compatibility Russett reviewed the site design, open space, landscaping, as well as substantial
compliance with the OPD, which states no more units than currently exist on the western portion
of the property could be built. The OPD would also ensure a transition from the detached single
family from the south to the multifamily to the north. One condition that staff is recommending is
prior to the final platting of the subject property the duplex building needs to be converted to a
single family unit to ensure compliance with the density standards.
Russett acknowledged the preliminary plan and the development overlay plan was designed to fit
into the neighborhood, which includes a mix of housing types. Again, there's two multifamily
buildings being proposed that front North Governor Street, the front of that northern building that
fronts North Governor Street is about 70' and it's positioned in a way to lessen the impact of the
larger scale building from the Governor Street right of way. Russett stated the same is true for
the southern building, which is positioned at an angle which allows the longest side of the
building to be positioned further away from North Governor. Again, there's open space provided
in the southeast corner and both buildings would be a maximum of 35'. There is landscaping
being proposed that maintains some of the mature trees to the south and more landscaping
proposed throughout the site. Russett noted also there are no plans at this time for
redevelopment along the North Dodge Street side of the property, however any future
development that's proposed on lot two will be required to substantially comply with this
preliminary OPD plan and that no more dwelling units then currently exist could be developed on
the site. This OPD plan also shows a transition from the existing single family south to the
multifamily must be maintained in some way if that area is ever to be redeveloped.
Russett showed the elevations for the proposed buildings, they have incorporated entrances to
individual dwelling units from the exterior to create more of a town home style feel and this also
helps to break up the long facade with the pedestrian walkways that provide connections into
individual units.
The subject property is bordered on the west by North Dodge Street and on the east by North
Governor Street, both of these streets are one way streets and they're both arterials. The existing
capacity for both streets is between 15,000 and 18,000 vehicle trips per day and are currently
operating well below that between 5,600 and 6,200 average trips per day. The site also has
access to Iowa City Transit on both the North Dodge Street and the North Governor Street sides.
As mentioned this is an infill project, so there's access to existing sewer lines and existing water
lines. Staff is recommending several conditions related to transportation and public utilities. The
first is the dedication of public right of way and easements along North Governor Street to
increase the right of way and allow for the construction of a sidewalk. The second condition is
that a dedication of a temporary construction easement along North Dodge Street which will help
with the planned reconstruction of Dodge Street, which is planned for 2027-2028, and lastly, the
Water Superintendent recommended the abandonment of existing water lines for the North
Dodge Street Apartments. These lines currently come off North Governor and he would like
those lines to be abandoned and instead have water lines connect to the North Dodge water
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February 19, 2025
Page 9 of 27
main.
Russett stated this property does have sensitive areas, in particular critical slopes. Staff can
approve up to a 35% impact of critical slopes and the proposal is 86% of the critical slopes to be
impacted, and that's why it's coming to the Commission for review.
Staff recommends approval of REZ24-0001, a proposal to rezone approximately 5.49 acres of
land between N. Dodge and N. Governor Streets to OPD/RS-12 (approximately 0.17 acres) and
OPD/RM-20 (approximately 5.32 acres) subject to the following conditions:
1. In consideration of the City's rezoning the subject property, Owners agree that no
building permit shall be issued for Lot 1 as shown on the Preliminary Planned
Development Overlay Plan until the City Council approves a final plat resubdividing the
subject property to conform to the zoning boundaries established by the rezoning
ordinance to which this Agreement is attached.
2. Prior to the approval of the Final Plat, the Owner shall convert the existing duplex as
shown on Lot 2 of the Preliminary Planned Development Overlay Plan to one dwelling
unit to ensure compliance with the maximum density standards of the zone.
3. As part of Final Plat approval, the Owner shall dedicate public right-of-way and
easements along N. Governor Street consistent with what is shown on the Preliminary
Planned Development Overlay Plan subject to review and approval by the City
Engineer.
4. As part of Final Plat approval, the Owner shall grant a temporary construction easement
on the western 1 O' of the subject property abutting N. Dodge Street.
5. Prior to the issuance of a building permit for Lot 1 as shown on the Preliminary Planned
Development Overlay Plan, the existing water services for 902, 904, and 906 N. Dodge
Street that are tapped off of the water main in N. Governor Street shall be abandoned,
and new services for 902, 904, and 906 N. Dodge Street shall be installed that are
tapped off of the water main in N. Dodge Street subject to review and approval by the
City Engineer.
Upon recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission, a public hearing will be
scheduled for consideration by the City Council. The Owner also has three other pending
applications related to this rezoning: 1) A final plat application which will be reviewed by City
Council; 2) A site plan application which will be reviewed by City staff, and 3) A design review
application which will be reviewed by City staff.
Hensch asked if storm water was managed on site or is it just all runoff, there doesn't appear to
be any storm water detention and most of the site is paved. Russett replied there is some open
space to the south but there isn't any storm water detention.
Hensch noted there's currently no sidewalk on the Governor side, is that because the existing
commercial facility appears to have not been used for at least 20 years. Russett is unsure.
Hensch is unsure exactly how long it's been but the last tenant in that building was Johnson
County, it's public health and social services were there and was a pretty intensive use in that
facility at that time.
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February 19, 2025
Page 10 of 27
Hensch noted there are no waivers requested by the applicant for this rezoning which Russett
confirmed was correct. Hensch asked about the maximum height of the current and the
proposed multifamily buildings and how many units are in the current building. Russett replied
the new building will be 35' which is also the same height of the current multifamily building, and
there are currently 29 and 12 units in the existing buildings.
Elliott asked about the landscaping proposed and is there any teeth to the landscaping plan.
Russett explained similar to approving the OPD plan, the landscaping plan is part of that so
they'll need to substantially comply with the landscaping as well.
Quellhorst asked if staff feel that the proposed rezoning would offer some environmental
protections because the legacy R313 zone wouldn't be subject to things like the sensitive areas
ordinance. Russett replied possibly but the main concerns with the existing R313 zoning is the
hodgepodge nature of it. Also the three properties that are zoned R313 are not contiguous and
don't abut each other so it'd be three separate developments on three separate parcels and not
subject to the sensitive areas ordinance and since this site has some sensitive areas, mainly
slopes, if they stayed with the R313 zoning the could remove all trees. Quellhorst noted basically
today, the way the site is zoned, one could construct relatively high density housing projects that
would be interspersed and wouldn't be connected. Russett confirmed that.
Quellhorst asked about the fact that 86% of critical slopes would be impacted and how that
impact is evaluated and does that happen as part of the application process. Russett explained
it happens as part of this rezoning. Staff is allowed to administratively approve up to 35% of
impacts but anything beyond that requires an OPD rezoning and has to be reviewed by the
Commission, but in terms of specific criteria, there aren't any specific criteria that need to be met
to allow them to impact more than 35%.
Quellhorst asked if staff has any concerns with the impact to critical slopes. Russett stated a lot
of the impacts are due to the accommodation of the stormwater management system on the site
and the development in general, but this is an infill site and staff thinks the benefits of more
density and more housing offset the impacts to the critical slopes.
Craig asked about the retaining wall that is shown on the images at the southwest corner of the
slanted building, likely because of the slopes, but how tall is that retaining wall and what does it
look like from the park. Russett stated there will be some existing trees along the wall and
behind the retaining wall that will be seen when looking to the north from the park. She is not
sure of the height of the retaining wall, the applicant can answer that question.
Craig noted the significant elevation change down to Happy Hollow Park and just wanted to say
for the record that if this project were to move forward, she certainly hopes that the City would
take responsibility to add sidewalks to both sides of Happy Hollow Park for people who are trying
to traverse that side without crossing Governor to get to downtown or anywhere close to
downtown.
Miller noted staff mentioned that it needs to be an OPD because of more than 35% of critical
slopes are impacted, if that wasn't the case what would happen and if less than 35% of the
critical slopes were impacted could City staff just rezone the whole thing to RM-20. Russett
explained it wouldn't require the OPD, the overall project would still require a rezoning, but it
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February 19, 2025
Page 11 of 27
wouldn't require an OPD, it would still have to go through P&Z and Council.
Miller asked about the multifamily development standards because a lot of the correspondence
they received from the public was about how many trees they were taking out and his initial
challenge with the current design is just the way that building along Governor was diagonal and if
it was more parallel to the street they could potentially save a lot of those trees and put the open
space behind the buildings like it was identified in the Central District Plan. He appreciates the
walk up units, but they don't face the street. Russett acknowledged it could have been realigned
so it all fronts North Governor, but it probably would have been a shorter building and with that
there's some economies of scale of designing one building and it would get rid of the open space
feature. Overall, it probably would have resulted in fewer units and a smaller building.
Miller asked about the maximum setback. Russett noted there are easements that run through
this property and the building can't be set further towards the street and they will need the
applicant to request a minor modification to that, which is an administrative review.
Wade asked if there is a significant difference to the City being the co -applicant on this versus
just being staff supported. Russett acknowledged it's not something that they've done for map
amendment before, they have done it for text amendments where the City has been the
applicant, so there are rezoning applications where the City is the applicant. This is different and
it's because of the history of the property and the complexity of the property and the lawsuits that
exist so looking at it in the context of what can be built now with the current zoning and trying to
get to a compromise with the property owner to have a better project than what could currently
be built on the existing zoning designations. However, with the City being a co -applicant that
changed nothing in the rezoning process or staff review.
Townsend noted there are two Habitat homes right there on North Governor and also several
rental homes on North Dodge so are any of these new homes going to be affordable. Russett
replied no, they're going to be market rate. Townsend stated 84 units going in that area and none
of them are affordable. Russett reiterated that one of the City Council's strategic plan goals is
collaborating and creating partnerships for ways to reach the City's housing goals, and one of the
ways to achieve some of the housing goals is just increasing overall supply, not necessarily
having income restricted units, but getting more units online that could be used by someone who
needs housing. Townsend acknowledged they need more housing units in the City at all income
levels but in that area there are a lot of affordable places and if these units will be at market
value that would be way above what would normally would be there.
Hensch asked if the only areas that are required to have a 10% affordability requirement is in
Riverfront Crossings or annexed land and Russett confirmed that's correct.
Hensch asked about the R313 zoning and if that's a legacy zone not used anymore are there any
other parts of Iowa City that still have R313 or is it only because of the litigation that it's still affixed
to these parcels in this area. Russett confirmed it's only because of the litigation.
Quellhorst asked about the tree screening between this development and Happy Hollow Park.
Russett explained the existing trees that are along a portion of the proposed lot one would
remain and then there's some trees that are being planted on the eastern side. Quellhorst noted
it looks like a fair number of trees would be taken out under this proposal. Russett confirmed
that but wanted to note even though there are critical slopes, there's no woodlands on the
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February 19, 2025
Page 12 of 27
property that are regulated by the sensitive areas ordinance so they're not limited in terms of the
number of trees that could be removed.
Hensch asked about the trees being removed and if they are oaks, maples or what. Russett
stated she was unsure.
Elliott noted regarding compatibility with the neighborhood and there's a lot of single family
homes, and while she understands the infill and the need for more housing, why so much more
housing. Russett explained the current R313 zoning would allow up to 84 dwelling units and the
proposal is for 84 dwelling units. She stated these are certainly larger than the single family
homes across the street but this property has been envisioned to allow multifamily development
and it's currently zoned to allow multifamily development. Russett also stated with the
multifamily site development standards there's requirements in terms of articulation and building
materials that help minimize the size of the building. Again, they're proposing the exterior
entrances which help break up the building and make it into modules and those are the points
that were in the staff report that point to compatibility with the neighborhood. Also, when looking
at it from the street, at least for the northern building, the shorter frontage fronts the street and it's
also pushed back a little further, same with the southern building and the diagonal orientation
which helps to minimize the size.
Hensch noted the current parcels are zoned RS-8, RS-12, RM-20 and R313 so if there was no
rezoning and each parcel was developed at its fullest zoning capacity, would that not be more
dwelling units per acre than what this proposed project is. Russett stated the R31B allows more
density and is actually more than RM-20 at 58 dwelling units per acre. The OPD RM-20 is 24
dwelling units per acre so combining all properties it may be possible.
Townsend asked if there is a possibility to have stop lights installed. Russett replied no, the
transportation staff and engineering staff reviewed this and there was no discussion of traffic
signals or any off -site improvements. Townsend noted she travels that area during rush periods
and it's not easy to get in and out of those areas.
Miller noted the other thing that they heard a lot from the public about was the lack of affordable
housing and with the OPD rezoning process is that even something that could be suggested.
Russett explained the only times they require income restricted units is in Riverfront Crossings
and through an annexation. Alternatively, it would have to be through a condition of this rezoning
and to apply that condition the Commission would need to demonstrate that this rezoning creates
some sort of public need that could justify that condition.
Miller asked if it has ever been done outside of Riverfront Crossings or an annexation plan.
Russett stated it was done with Forest View because there were existing residents in
manufactured housing units that were going to be displaced with the rezoning.
Townsend asked with the City being a co -applicant does that affect the units, Russett replied it
doesn't. Townsend asked then why is the City is acting as a co -applicant. Russett explained to
demonstrate the concern with how the property is currently zoned, so they are joining the
applicant to put forth this rezoning due to concerns about what could be developed under the
existing zoning and the hodgepodge nature of that. The City is hoping to get a better
development project with this rezoning than what would be allowed under current zoning.
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February 19, 2025
Page 13 of 27
Townsend asked if as the co -applicant the City could request some of those units be affordable.
Russett replied no, again it would have to be a condition of the rezoning and the Commission
would need to demonstrate why the rezoning is creating a public need and justify why that would
be needed for this rezoning.
Hensch opened the public hearing.
.Jon Marner (MMS Consultants) is representing the developer for this application and will try to
address some of the questions that that arose from Commission members. The first one is the
orientation the building on the southeast corner. Part of the reason for that orientation is to pull
that facade back away from Governor Street and to lessen the impact for the neighborhood from
Governor Street. The other benefit to that is the highest point of the site is that southeast corner,
so this also addresses some of the questions about the sensitive slopes. Most of the slopes that
are being impacted are in that corner, they're actually man-made altered slopes and were put
there quite a while back as part of the construction of those homes and when Happy Hollow Park
and some of the other history of the site was developed. Those aren't original natural slopes,
those are man-made slopes. Back to the orientation the building, by rotating it away it allowed
them to sink the building down just a little bit lower from that southeast corner so as someone
comes down Governor Street the building is going to appear closer to two stories, as opposed to
the full three stories.
Marner also addressed the tree preservation. Again, one of the intents to rotate that building was
to allow them to preserve as many trees as possible. There are quite a few mature existing trees
there on the park property that would not be touched. He acknowledged during the good
neighbor meetings there was concern expressed about some of those trees being preserved so
the building orientation was to help facilitate preserving as many of those trees as possible. He
thinks there's a couple large cottonwoods in that area. Last but not least, some of the other trees
that were spoken about in that open space area, as Russett pointed out on the Central District
Plan one of the goals was to have a little bit of open space in that area and they also
accommodate that. Obviously, they have to provide storm water detention, but that is the area
where they were able to preserve some of those larger specimen trees. Regarding inventorying
those trees, they went out and did an investigation and they were nicer specimen trees, not
scrub trees, the ones that are identified are the better specimen trees in that area.
Hensch asked about the easements going from the northeast to the southwest, how many
easements are there and what type. Marner stated there's two easements there, one is for an
existing public sanitary sewer that runs through the site and it runs straight through the site, as
opposed to bending partway through. City staff has investigated that and he knows there's some
other concerns about the capacity of that sewer and they've discussed with City staff throughout
this process whether that sewer was adequate and the determination was made that it is
adequate at this time so the easement is to ensure protection of that and provide access for City
officials and for maintenance and repairs. The other easement is for storm sewer and it's actually
conveying the storm sewer from the low point in Governor Street that's right on the northeast
corner of the site, through the property into the storm sewer that then runs southwest down
through Happy Hollow Park. Hensch asked what the widths of those easements are. Marner
stated the sanitary sewer easement is 30' wide and the storm sewer is 40' and 30' as it varies in
width through the site.
Hensch asked about some of the slopes being created by previous grading, where were those
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February 19, 2025
Page 14 of 27
slopes created. Marner pointed on the map to those slopes around the backside of the two units
that are constructed on that corner. It was pushed out to establish the flat grade for those units
and that's where the slopes were created.
Lastly, Hensch asked about the angle of that building, was the angle just a mass and scale issue
of trying to decrease the appearance of mass and scale as people are going from South
Governor to North Governor. Marner acknowledged that was part of it, it served two purposes,
rotating that building served to pull it away so as one is approaching the site they're not seeing
one continuous block length from Governor Street, it's rotated and provides a little different
visual. It allowed the trees to remain which will also help soften that visual. Regarding the
question about what it's going to look like from Happy Hollow Park Marner stated those
specimen trees on the park property will still be there and will help buffer some of that visibility.
Marner also reiterated rotating the building allows them to set it down in the site a little bit so that
it's closer to two and a half stories visible.
Hensch asked about the retaining wall, what would it look like, what will the height be, and what
will it be constructed of. Marner replied it's an engineered wall varying from 5' to 13' in height.
Hensch asked if someone is down in the park, say on the ball field, what is the change in
elevation up to the base of the retaining wall. Marner is not sure because that's not on part of
the rezoning but just by observation his rough estimate is 5' to the property line and then a few
feet of rise to the retaining wall.
Hensch asked if there is any screening in front of the retaining wall, because that would certainly
help. Marner said not currently but certainly that's something that could be discussed. Marner
noted one other idea regarding the retaining wall is as it follows along the south edge then bends
and goes northwest to follow the building, they could lessen the height of the wall by rotating it
back down closer to the property line and that would allow them to slope from the building down
and meet closer to the grade in doing so, although that would also remove more trees.
Craig thinks it's better to have the retaining wall and keep the trees, it feels like they're protecting
the park more as opposed to just blending it all right into the park. Marner noted that's one of the
goals expressed during the good neighbor meeting. He also noted there was a second, not a full
good neighbor meeting, but they met with some other concerned, interested neighbors at their
office with Russett maybe a month and a half after the first neighbor meeting and those were
concerns that were consistently expressed. Therefore, they worked with the design and grading
to try to save as many trees to accommodate those requests as best as possible.
Craig wanted to make a positive comment, while she thinks these are huge buildings the options
for bicycle parking are fantastic as this is a prime location for people who want to bike and to
have covered bicycle parking. She would just also encourage some E vehicle options in those
parking garages.
Stephen Voyce (829 N. Dodge Street) lives directly across from 900 and 902 Dodge Street and
wanted to speak on behalf of some of his affected neighbors. He read the planned development
overlay and the RM-20 elements of the zoning ordinance that the Commission are to consider
when reviewing the proposal and the following words stood out. "This zone, RM-20, is
particularly well suited to locations adjacent to commercial areas and in areas with good access
to all City services and facilities". Voyce fails to see how the proposed rezoning complies with
that statement. The property is not adjacent to a commercial area, the lack of a sidewalk on
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February 19, 2025
Page 15 of 27
Governor means it does not have good access for pedestrians, and as someone who only rides
a bike and does not ride a car those are extremely dangerous streets in that area without
sidewalks. Voyce stated this location is not suited for the proposed density shown on this plan
based on the words written in the zoning code. Moreover, the RM-20 zone also says "careful
attention to site and building design is important to ensure the various housing types in any one
location are compatible with one another." Voyce stated the site and building design shows little
compatibility with the existing single family duplexes and apartment buildings in the
neighborhood, in order to fit in the number of units proposed these buildings will be an
astounding 236' long. Compare that to a standard city block of 300' these buildings will be almost
an entire block in length, and the image shows it. Although the City must abide by the court
ruling that imposed the R313 zoning on parts of this property it should not go beyond that to
approve a plan that is incompatible with the single-family duplexes and existing apartment
buildings in this neighborhood. Yes, some multifamily buildings are appropriate here, but not
these two enormous buildings. The zoning codes also states "the OPD zoning will not be
contrary to the intent and purpose of this title, inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan as
amended or harmful to the surrounding neighborhoods" more it says it "should encourage the
preservation and best use of existing landscape features through development that is sensitive to
the natural features of the surrounding area". Voyce questions how does this OPD plan comply
with these provisions in the zoning code, it simply does not. The staff report acknowledges that
86% of the critical slopes will be impacted and most of the trees will be removed. That just shows
that the proposed very large scale buildings do not take into account these natural features, they
are simply too large for the property. Voyce notes these are the standards that the Planning and
Zoning Commission is supposed to use to evaluate an OPD zoning. The general standards
reads "the density and design of the planned development will be compatible with and/or
complementary to adjacent development in terms of land use, building, mass and scale". Again,
the proposed 236' long buildings are way out of scale, even with the existing apartment
buildings, and in no way complement the adjacent development. Number two, "the development
will not overburden existing streets and utilities". There are no sidewalks on the west side of
Governor Street to provide pedestrian access to this property. Although the developer will put in
sidewalks on his property, they will lead essentially to nowhere. The staff report contains very
little about the environmentally sensitive areas, other than to say the 86% of critical slopes will be
graded away and the grove of trees adjacent to Happy Hollow Park appears to be removed.
Voyce reviewed the sensitive areas section of the zoning code and it states the intent is to
"preserve the scenic character of hillside areas, particularly the wooded hillsides" and it says
"encroachment of construction areas into steep and critical slopes must be minimized. If
disturbance of more than 35% of critical slopes is proposed, a level two sensitive area review is
required". Voyce stated level two requires Planning and Zoning review and if 86% of critical
slopes are to be wiped away and the grove of trees adjacent to Happy Hollow Park is to be
removed, how does this comply with the intent of the Comprehensive Plan and the zoning code
to develop the city in a way that respects environmentally sensitive areas. It does not because
too much development is being proposed on this property.
Sharon ❑eGraw (Northside) submitted a letter but noticed only a portion of it made it to the
Commission in the agenda packet. She is writing as a resident of the Northside neighborhood
and the Goosetown apartment development and rezoning petition is a complicated matter with a
long history that includes a ruling from the State Supreme Court of Iowa in favor of Mr. Barkalow
against the City. As a Commission charged with responsibility to serve the public she would like
to point out that they may find themselves in an unusual position reviewing an application which
began as a rezoning petition from Mr. Barkalow (TSB Holdings) and is now a joint rezoning
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February 19, 2025
Page 16 of 27
petition from TSB and City staff. Iowa City governance has rules in place for non -biased
evaluation so how does the Commission escape the weight of the City's thumb on this petition
when the City staff is a co -applicant of a controversial rezoning. DeGraw personally has a
feeling that if the Commission voted this down City staff will just march it over to City Council
anyway. Aside from the procedural concerns DeGraw noted there are problems with the
rezoning petition and the development proposal. Page one of the staff report states the proposed
development would allow the demolition and replacement of the buildings along North Governor
Street, including the existing vacant commercial office building. So why does the plan include the
rezoning of properties on Dodge Street, specifically 900and 900'/z North Dodge Street, where no
infill development is proposed. Apparently, density from the Dodge Street properties can be
transferred to a Governor Street address to increase the maximum size of the building and the
number of dwelling units allowed. The two proposed buildings for the Goosetown apartments
have issues too, they are much too large for the neighborhood. These are two three story
buildings, dimensions 236' times 70' making each building almost the length of one city block,
and there are no other buildings on that scale in the neighborhood. There are 133 parking
spaces and other paving's which is equivalent to the footprint of the two dwelling structures.
There are only two or three guest parking spaces, that's not enough. Construction of the
development, as presented, will remove 86% of the critical slopes contiguous to Happy Hollow
Park and DeGraw thinks that if someone is standing at the basketball court they could see 40' of
the building that will be 14' from the park edge boundary. A significant retaining wall, as a
structural necessity, will be built at the bottom of the hill in a sensitive wooded overlay at the
north end of Happy Hollow Park, the retaining wall will be 5' to 14'. Clearly, the development has
too many units, the buildings are too large for the sensitive sloped property, and the scale of the
development does not fit into the neighborhood. The City will state that rezoning to a higher
density is in the best interest of the citizens of Iowa City in order to increase available housing
units in the city, DeGraw states that can still be accomplished in a sensible way by amending the
proposal to omit the address 900 and 900'/z North Dodge Street from the rezoning. Page six of
the staff report shows figure four, the Central District Neighborhood Plan Future Land Use Map,
and it exhibits 900 and 900'/z North Dodge Street as RS-12 property. It's transitional and
appropriate next to single family homes and any pretense to abandon this logic goes against the
Central District Plan. DeGraw is supportive of redeveloping the land, having North Governor
Street addresses on the R3B zoned lots, and sees no need for the lots having North Dodge
Street addresses to be rezoned. That is adding density above what the court decision imposed.
She urges the Commission to reject the rezoning application, having a rezoning petition which
removes the property 900 and 900'/z North Dodge Street would likely result in a density more
appropriate for the sensitive property. DeGraw shared a handout to show is the lot that has a
rectangle and an arrow around as a designated lot that should not become RM-20, it's supposed
to be transitional RS-12 and it sits next to 830 North Dodge Street, which is a single family
residential home. The other thing in her handout is to show where there is the R313 zoning is
they have the choice to leave that as is and to not vote it in favor of this, and just hold on to those
R313s, she doesn't believe all of it could be developed as planned.
Jennifer Baum (814 Dewey Street) is in agreement with DeGraw that the buildings are just too
big for the lot and the parcels that are in the little corner have no business being included in that
property. Baum does agree that the area needs to be rezoned but the little properties there are
simply giving away for two bigger buildings and if those buildings had a third cut off, it might be
able to work. Baum stated having that many people in that space is going to increase the traffic
on the northside, even on the streets that are not Governor and North Dodge, because people
have to get from one side to the other side as they're both one ways, so to do that one has to cut
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 19, 2025
Page 17 of 27
through extremely residential areas like Deweyville, where she lives as the ad hoc mayor. She
noted people going to HyVee from Governor Street assume that it's a shortcut and go through
there about 40 miles an hour, they already have trouble with that, they already stand on the
street corner and yell at people because they have lots of small children and are hoping to have
more and hoping to have a development on North Summit that includes families. So, they're
looking to put more families in their neighborhood and when they start increasing the number of
humans that only have one recourse in egress and ingress, they have to figure out how to get to
that one spot. Baum stated there's been no discussion about putting an alley or a way of getting
through from the North Dodge property to the Governor property and that is problematic. If they
gave these folks a way to go between those two properties, where there is actually room
because they made a smaller number of units, they could have a little more space to put in a way
so that people could get across those two lots and from one side of the one way to the other one
way. Baum stated that would relieve all that traffic that's trying to make a shortcut somehow
really fast through the neighborhood. She stated all they have in their neighborhood is humans
that are either alive or dead and the dead folks have visitors. The people that live on her streets
go really slowly and don't want people going by that fast. They finally, after 10 years of fighting,
got semis off our street and this is just going to set them back. Baum stated there's a way to
make it a little bit easier and still have infill, still have apartments, still have housing, even though
it's not going to be affordable for a majority of humans that live in the Midwest, and not destroy
the neighborliness of the neighborhoods.
Bethany Berner (Northside) states she lives probably about an eight minute walk from where the
proposal is and wanted to speak in support of the proposal. One thing that hasn't been
necessarily mentioned is that this development is also a short walk from the HyVee, it's a short
walk from the Ace Hardware, this is an ideal place to put housing where people actually can walk
to various services, so they won't need to drive all the time. She noted looking at the site now,
it's really an eyesore, it's an abandoned office building and big parking lot, so the new buildings
will make the landscaping there will be much more attractive than some of the buildings that are
currently there. Berger stated one of the things that she loves about Iowa City is its walkability
which is a truly unique thing. She lived in Connecticut for a long time and it's a unique thing that
Iowa City has so in order to preserve that walkability they need dense housing where people can
walk to services. Berger also really liked reading about the plants that are going to be planted
there and really appreciated that.
Marie Wilkes (917 N. Governor Street) stated she moved to Iowa City in the early to mid-1980s
and bought her home at 917 North Governor in 1987. She is very committed to Iowa City and
been a taxpayer of property taxes for almost 40 years. She has raised two children here and
loves the northside. She'd love to get rid of that empty lot but she also knows something about
how that road is, having had at least three cars in her front yard, her house is just a little bit
beyond where it goes straight, then there's a curve and a dip, and when the road is icy people
end up in her yard, she is concerned when they have had possibly 100 cars in and out. Over the
last 40 years there's been traffic that has increased over time and thank God it was so
complicated for everyone to decide to develop First Avenue, but it did lessen the traffic a little bit
on Governor, but it's still building. Because they're doing a good job in progressing and trying to
make those hard decisions she asks the Commission to make this decision, not for money today,
but for the citizens that live and are committed to Iowa City as a unique eco structure. Iowa City
is very walkable. She took a class at the University that talked about how unique Iowa City is in
that they had an area that busses, people were dropped off, they could walk through downtown,
they can walk their children to school. With this development they will have how many extra
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February 19, 2025
Page 18 of 27
people coming in, and how close are they to Horace Mann and to Preucil, how will that limit
children that have been able to be raised in an area that makes them able to be independent and
learn those decisions earlier. Wilkes stated its hard decisions and she appreciates the people
that they vote in to municipal offices to conduct the business that most are too busy to do, but the
Commission finds the time to do it so she would ask them simply to think logically about why are
they considering more density. Nothing has changed from 2011 when it was turned down. If
someone can explain the difference to her she'd gladly listen but she doesn't see how they're
able to support comfortably and welcome that many people into this neighborhood. Wilkes
stated they are good neighbors and like to walk and say hi to each other and walk down to City
Park to enjoy the fireworks and back safely on Fourth of July and walk down to Hamburg Inn on
a Saturday or Sunday for breakfast, they're the people in this neighborhood, so please think
about them.
Audrey Bahrick (830 N. Dodge Street) is a 25 year owner and resident of 830 North Dodge
Street, her home is visible at the very bottom southwest corner and shares a driveway with the
900 North Dodge Street duplex. She opposes the request for rezoning in its current state and
requests removal from the proposal of the duplex at 900 North Dodge Street. She is wholly
supportive of a multifamily infill development of an appropriate size that considers the context of
the existing neighborhood, the critical steep slopes and the relationship to the public park. Her
understanding is that Planning and Zoning reviews the application through a lens of consistency
with the Comprehensive Plan and with compatibility with the neighborhood. The Barkalow/City
rezoning proposal is problematic in regards to both principles. Rezoning the 900 North Dodge
Street duplex is inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan because historically City Council and
Planning and Zoning recognized that the R313 high density multifamily zoning on portions of the
proposed rezoning was a spot zone and was considered a mistake. They called it a mistake.
They twice tried to bring the zoning in line with the neighborhood and was prevented by the Iowa
Supreme Court. Now staff is proposing to grant Mr. Barkalow expanded zoning beyond what the
court allowed. Regarding rezoning 900 North Dodge Street, staff offer a rationale of desiring
consistency with the RM-20 portions of the property rather than seeking consistency with the
nature of the surrounding neighborhood and with the spirit and letter of the Comprehensive Plan.
What was once understood as a spot zone has now become the model for density. Second, the
staff promotion of a value of consistency of zoning within the required OPD is contradicted by
leaving one of the North Dodge Street duplexes as is, the northwest one, but rezoning the other
to RM-20. Bahrick stated it's not specified in the staff report that the fact that the OPD allows
unused residential density within it to be transferred to the proposed new buildings. So what's
occurring is that the 900 North Dodge Street house sits on a lot of 17,400 square feet, but only
5000 square feet are required for a single family home. By rezoning the 900 North Dodge Street
duplex from RS-12 to RM-20 and changing it from a duplex to a single unit, Mr. Barkalow was
able to transfer unused density, gaining six of his 84 units in the proposed two buildings. This is
obliquely acknowledged on page 10 of the staff report where it is stated that the owner shall
convert the existing duplex to one dwelling to ensure compliance with the maximum density
standards of the zone. It took her a long time to understand why are they including her neighbor
there when there's no plan to redevelop it, they're capturing density. The two North Dodge Street
properties she has been referring to are clearly shown in the Comprehensive Plan and the
Central District Plan as RS-12 single family/duplex. The Comprehensive Plan stipulates that
these properties are to sere as transition zoning. Bahrick stated she has invested a significant
portion of her financial resources in her home at 830 North Dodge Street adjacent to the 900
North Dodge Street duplex with the understanding that the Comprehensive Plan is a reliable
document. It seems to her now the City is prepared to override the Comprehensive Plan and the
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February 19, 2025
Page 19 of 27
Central District Plan in order to facilitate achieving an inappropriate density for the neighborhood.
The Supreme Court did not obligate the City to include 900 North Dodge Street in its decision
and doing so is in clear violation of the Comprehensive Plan and the Central District Plan.
Achieving maximum density requires inappropriately rezoning designated transitional housing at
900 North Dodge Street, bulldozing 86% of critical steep slopes adjacent to Happy Hollow Park
and removing most of the trees on the border development. Bahrick stated it does seem that the
City may be concerned if they don't go along with the current proposal that the development
could be worse due to what's allowed by the Supreme Court decision however, given the odd
shape of the court imposed R313 zonings, the three disparate plots, and the steep slope on lot 51
which may make it difficult even to build on, and the diagonal sewer easement, it is unlikely that
Mr. Barkalow could, in practice, achieve the theoretical density permitted by the R 3B zone.
Bahrick asks the Commission to send the plans back to the staff and the developer back to the
drawing board to devise a plan that works better environmentally and is more environmentally
sensitive.
Matthew Solinger (1001 N. Summit Street) has lived in the neighborhood for about 10 years and
has been working as a delivery driver in it for a little longer than a year. He mostly wants to bring
up issues with the design and traffic, because that's a lot of people that are all going to be
leading right out into Governor, which they all know is a one way, and that driveway is right at the
top of the hill. People like to drive fast, they're going to be coming up it and without some kind of
stop light or something, there's going to be problems. While people have mentioned biking and
walking, which are great, but if people try to bike out onto Governor, eventually they're going to
die. It's bad. It could be fixed again with a light or something, maybe a sidewalk going the other
way so one could walk to the Ace Hardware or the HyVee without having to get on the road.
Seems like something that could be brought into this plan. Also, Solinger stated when somebody
says market range he hears rich jerks. If they said they're going to put people that need a cheap
place to live in here, he'd feel better about it personally.
Matthieu Bigger (519 N. Johnson Street) noted everybody has made so many great points and
he'll try not reiterate too many things but first has to concur on both market prices and the fact
that the units would be one and two bedrooms only. Staff, P&Z folks, and planning people need
to figure out if that would indeed help with providing options for people, for households of all
types and of all incomes, if that would really increase of the stock that is needed in the city. He is
hoping that they have access to that information. The City has sometimes fought for three and
four bedroom housing because they are trying to limit the density of student housing, but if they
want families to move into those units, or into that current empty lot, he imagines they would
want more than one and two bedroom housing. Regarding traffic, between the danger of
Governor Street, he wishes people would test going up that hill in the winter, the lack of access
to busses on Dodge Street and to bike down the city, it just doesn't make any sense. Bigger
acknowledged he is not a planner but between that and the great points before about the what
seemed to be unnecessary rezoning of some of the RS-12 lots, they could cut off the current
RM-20 down the middle and then avoid the houses on the southeast and have two and a half
acres ready for an RM-20. They would take over all the R3B, some of the current RM-20 and
could still put in maybe 40-50 units. That would alleviate some of the concerns with traffic, which
will be extreme. Bigger notes he loves going through Deweyville. He usually walks or bikes
through it. He definitely never comes down there from the north in his car, but people do, just
like the northside has had concerns with people crossing and taking Ronalds and choosing a
cobbled street to go from Dubuque east, he doesn't know why, it seems crazy, but people do it.
He loves those streets, but again he does it on his bike because it's fun. Regarding the slopes,
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February 19, 2025
Page 20 of 27
even if some of those were man-made per code encroachment must be minimized for critical
slopes. That would not be done. Regarding storm water, do they know if there's current issues
with stormwater and would doing all this actually make things worse with potential issues with
flooding. If this is to proceed they need to think about permeable pavers. Also light pollution was
mentioned and this will be more light pollution then with just houses. With big lots there's a lot of
lights and LED lights have been proven to be convenient and cheap and not consume much
electricity but they're awful for wildlife. Also cutting about an acre of trees won't be good for
wildlife, but whatever is left of the wildlife will not be happy with all that artificial light day and
night. Bigger would also love staff to check the code for the distance that is needed between a
playground and a building, he saw somewhere that one can install a playground only if it's 20
feet from a property line. Working backwards from that there's currently a basketball court that
would be too close to what would come. Finally, market price is an ugly and contentious
buzzword. Is this really what is needed, maybe it hasn't come yet but there's going to be an
enrollment cliff at the universities in the Midwest so if this is targeting students, who knows what
is going to happen to those units, sadly demographics in Iowa is not going the right direction.
Orville Townsend (713 Whiting Avenue) noted he is a victim of his wife's take your husband to
work initiative so as he has been sitting here this evening and observing, it dawned on him that
this Commission is not only citizens who have volunteered to give their time to help make the city
a better place, but they also have some influence and some impact. The area he'd like to
address is affordable housing and affordable housing is just what it says affordable. Townsend
stated affordable is the big word, it's no problem when one can afford it, but unfortunately in this
community there's so many people who can't afford it. This Commission is in a position to be
able to make a difference, they have a lot of cases that come before them and a lot of
opportunities to initiate efforts that can help to make the City's affordable housing better.
Townsend noted while he has a house and it's very comfortable he remembers a time when he
was a student and it was a nightmare. He hadn't gotten a job yet after he graduated from college
and was struggling just trying to make it so affordable housing is something that is important,
because when someone is struggling, they have a lot of things coming at them that they have no
control over. Townsend encourages the Commission to do anything they can to assist the City in
improving this affordable housing initiative.
Andrew Evans (941 Dewey Street) lives within 500' of the proposed site and works as an
architect in Iowa City. He wanted highlight a few points, first is how much is the developer held
to the specifics of the plans and elevations that are contained within this proposal, assuming that
the zoning change would pass. Any means of holding the developer to the plans would be
beneficial, especially items like the unit setbacks are very beneficial in taking this from a 236'
long building and segmenting it to match more of the single family scale that folks have been
discussing. Evans does have concern that when value engineering comes into play, that instead
of having those delineated units it once again starts to appear like a 236' mass that people have
expressed concern with. Evans also noted the wall to the south of the site right now doesn't
have a material called out and he is concerned that is a large concrete graffiti -ready wall there.
He acknowledged the representative for the developer pointed out that the three story building
will actually be more like two and a half in many parts of the site, but if the side yard elevation
that's attached as part of this evening's document is accurate for that elevation, he is not sure
how the walk up units would work for a building that is sunken half a story into the ground. If
anything it'd likely rise up from there and having elevated porches. Regarding elevations, looking
briefly at topographical maps, it looks like Happy Hallow Park sits somewhere between 710' and
720' of elevation and the building is proposed at 735', the edge of the site is between 735' and
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 19, 2025
Page 21 of 27
745' so that's a massive grade increase. Evans also acknowledged the trees to the south of the
site, demoing some of those trees is pulling back the curtain and so this is elevated on a platform
and serves as a billboard for all that traffic coming up North Governor. By pulling back that
curtain, instead of exposing a 70' facade they're now exposing a 236' facade. The idea of pulling
back for more green space and setback works well for sites that are accessed from 360 degrees,
but here 98-99% of the eyeballs on this site are coming from the south up that road. So if it was
just 70' wide and more parallel with the road, it would appear actually much more in scale with
the rest of the houses. Evans noted that on Mormon Trek Road between Benton and Rohret
Roads are townhomes very similar to the designs currently proposed here and those run parallel.
He uses that comparison because there's sidewalks in front of bunches of town home units and
so those are unparallel and he doesn't think anyone is offended by those even though there's not
a massive, angled setback. Evans stated another resident of the area, Jennifer Baum, brought
up alley connection and access between the two units and he thinks if they're proposed as a
package deal, then that should be used as an advantage. When arterial roads, like Dodge and
Governor are seen as one ways that's viewed on the whole city scale, it makes a ton of sense,
but unfortunately when on one side you can only use what's in front of you and can't use both
that are advantageous. Therefore, creating the alley access would be very beneficial. Evans also
noted many of the roads people are cutting through, many of the neighborhood roads, don't have
sidewalks or are brick and so those are much more popular for bikers and walkers than other
neighborhoods. If the City is encouraging bikers, with this new development and someone has to
bike downtown, what route are they taking. If the developer is encouraged to connect the two via
some sort of path, even if it's not a full connection of the parking lots, that'd be very beneficial to
the safety, because no person in the right mind is going to hop on their bike, ride uphill north a
quarter mile just to loop back down into town. As a co -applicant he thinks that puts the City in
more responsibility to step up and make beneficial moves for the park, the compatibility with the
existing neighborhood, as well as connection with the alley. His final point would be with the
environmentally sensitive areas, it's just a bit concerning to him that there were only like five lines
of text on that about crossing the 35% threshold to 86% and some points were made about
artificial slopes, but none of those slopes are near the road, so to him that point is moot and
perhaps there are some more creative ways to configure the site to bring that 86% number much
lower. He thinks it'd be beneficial and would counter that the 236' of the building would leave
most of the slopes and highlight the 70' facade instead to maintain the economy of scale that
was referenced earlier.
Jennifer Baum wanted to add speaking of wildlife there's a herd of about 40 deer that every night
goes from the ravine on the other side of Dodge Street, go through Happy Hallow Park, come up
across Governor, go up the hill into Deweyville and then on into the cemetery and Hickory Hill.
So, thinking about safety and driving again the more people on that street the more likely deer
are going to get hit.
Sharon DeGraw noticed in reading the staff report there was a fee in lieu paid and she believes
that that means rent, a fee in lieu is the cost of doing business that's going to be passed on to
future renters, making the property more expensive to rent. Also, when a small group of
neighbors did talk to the MMS engineers and asked for a walkway that would connect the
apartment complex buildings to the park as that would be a nice way for people to get to the park
safely, that was turned down. She thinks that's an incredibly important thing that should be
added as somehow in the course of this discussion it was misinterpreted that they were wanting
to keep people away from the park and that's not true at all, they want people to use the park,
they're just trying to figure out safe ways they can access the park.
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 19, 2025
Page 22 of 27
Matthieu Bigger wanted to read verbiage from code. In the RM-12, RM-20 and RNS-20 zones, if
any portion of a two family use, multifamily use, group living use, or nonresidential use is located
within 15'of a property that contains an existing single family use, then the portion of the building
located within 15' of said property may not exceed two and a half stories in height. Bigger is
pretty sure that in all of this there's something that's 15' away from said property and somebody
should check. Also, a point of sustainability, which the City cares about, if 905/909 North
Governor ought to be razed, the City as a co -applicant, maybe can exercise some light pressure
to please include deconstruction of said houses instead of straight razing and demolition and
sending to the landfill. The house may not have immense historical value but it would be nice to
see if there's elements that could be salvaged for somebody else to use.
Joni Marner (MMS) briefly added a couple of comments based on some of the additional
concerns expressed by the community and the neighbors. Regarding the proposed grade and
the question raised earlier about elevations, the elevation of park at the southeast corner, directly
east from the proposed amenity gathering area, is approximately 745' and the proposed building
elevation for the finished first floor is 736' so it sits 9' below that elevation at the retaining wall.
That's part of how they would accommodate that gathering seating area amenity is to have a
retaining wall out closer to the right of way to allow that seating area and it steps up slowly from
the building and allows that town home entrance for that building. The other question raised was
the existing elevation just north of the basketball court which is about 718' and it does slope up to
the retaining wall and the existing grade at the bottom of the proposed retaining wall is about
722' so about 4' of elevation change just from the property line to the bottom of the retaining wall.
Manner noted it was expressed about the desire to have a pedestrian connection to the park and
that was discussed with staff whether that was desired by Parks and Rec and the understanding
at the time was that the Parks Department did not desire for there to be a pedestrian connection
directly from the units down to the park. There may be an opportunity in the future, via sidewalk
or any potential capital improvements or City improvements to Governor Street, to utilize that
access to come down to the park for this development.
Craig asked how about a pedestrian exit over to Dodge Street, a bicycle or pedestrian trail.
Manner stated they did look at that and it was another consideration but just along the property
line, east of the existing parking lot, there's a dumpster pad with a retaining wall and the grades
on the west part of the site are significantly higher than the east part of the site. Also, that's some
of the areas they're trying to protect and it would be challenging at best to get a an accessible
path from east to west through the site because of the elevation change.
Audrey Bahrick stated regarding having a trail from the development to the park, to read from
page 50 of the 2030 Comprehensive Plan it states there is a requirement to "identify and plan for
the development of trail connections as part of all new developments." Bahrick stated the
proposed development turns its back on the park offering no designated pedestrian access for
residents of these buildings and that is in clear violation of the Comprehensive Plan. To assume
that residents would simply walk through the formerly wooded threshold to the park is not
possible because of a retaining wall from 4' to 13' high is planned that will separate the
development from the park. She'd like everyone to imagine a parent with a child going to the
park, or a parent with a stroller, or someone with mobility limits, trying to get to that park from this
development, that's just not happening. They need to go out the exit onto Governor Street, and
then there's a sidewalk to nowhere, cross mid -block on a state highway, walk down to Brown
Street, walk across Brown Street a whole city block to get to the entrance of the park, because
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 19, 2025
Page 23 of 27
it's just not accessible from the site. Developments should relate to the amenities, that's also
part of the Comprehensive Plan, that there should be a relationship there, and this development
literally is turning its back on the park.
Hensch closed the public hearing.
Quellhorst recommends approval of REZ24-0001, a proposal to rezone approximately 5.49
acres of land between N. Dodge and N. Governor Streets to OPD/RS-12 (approximately
0.17 acres) and OPD/RM-20 (approximately 5.32 acres) subject to the following conditions:
1. In consideration of the City's rezoning the subject property, Owners agree that no
building permit shall be issued for Lot 1 as shown on the Preliminary Planned
Development Overlay Plan until the City Council approves a final plat
resubdividing the subject property to conform to the zoning boundaries
established by the rezoning ordinance to which this Agreement is attached.
2. Prior to the approval of the Final Plat, the Owner shall convert the existing duplex
as shown on Lot 2 of the Preliminary Planned Development Overlay Plan to one
dwelling unit to ensure compliance with the maximum density standards of the
zone.
3. As part of Final Plat approval, the Owner shall dedicate public right-of-way and
easements along N. Governor Street consistent with what is shown on the
Preliminary Planned Development Overlay Plan subject to review and approval by
the City Engineer.
4. As part of Final Plat approval, the Owner shall grant a temporary construction
easement on the western 10' of the subject property abutting N. Dodge Street.
5. Prior to the issuance of a building permit for Lot 1 as shown on the Preliminary
Planned Development Overlay Plan, the existing water services for 902, 904, and
906 N. Dodge Street that are tapped off of the water main in N. Governor Street
shall be abandoned, and new services for 902, 904, and 906 N. Dodge Street shall
be installed that are tapped off of the water main in N. Dodge Street subject to
review and approval by the City Engineer.
Craig seconded the motion.
Quellhorst began Commission discussion wanting to thank everybody for a great discussion
tonight, he made the motion he made because he thinks they need more housing. People pay
too much for housing and a lot of people can't afford to live here so if they want to change that
they need to build more housing units. This is an opportunity to do that, which would bring
housing prices down for all. The land seems very well situated to multifamily development, it's
largely unused, close to two arterial streets, public transportation and a grocery store.
Additionally, if they don't do this it seems likely to that there would be a similar development, but
it would be worse because it would be less well organized and not subject to modern zoning
standards. So for those reasons he supports the motion.
Craig echoed what Quellhorst said would just add that one of the points people made tonight
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 19, 2025
Page 24 of 27
was families, and that maybe they wouldn't be feel comfortable in a one or two bedroom
apartment. She can't remember what the national statistics are, but in Iowa City 40% of the
housing units are for one person so they have to build housing for everybody. She acknowledged
if she had her druthers it'd be a little bit smaller, but it's bringing housing that is desperately
needed. She doesn't believe it is incompatible with the neighborhood, it's going to fit in and the
people are going to be able to bike, walk and the livability of the neighborhood is increased.
When more people are added more activities happen and she will support the project.
Hensch first wanted to commend everybody and thank them for showing up tonight noting it's
hard to show up in public and speak but he listened carefully to every word said and read every
word submitted in writing. He personally will support this application, and his reasons are
affordable housing. They have to do something and the only way to do that is either lower the
price or increase the supply and this is definitely going to increase the supply. Unfortunately,
since no one is displaced they can't add a condition that there be affordable housing but so
everybody knows, right now there is a steering committee meeting to update the current
Comprehensive Plan, because every 10 years they're required by law to update that, and he's a
member of that steering committee and will advocate strongly that affordability be included in all
zoning areas, not just Riverfront Crossings and annexations. Just to address a couple issues
people had about traffic concerns, Hensch completely understands that. He's been in Iowa City
since 1985 and that was an intensive commercial use there, where that office building is, with
probably hundreds of people coming going every day with DHS there, so the traffic flow has
already been seen. Also the idea of an alley access, he respects that being brought up but
doesn't think that's a good idea because all alley accesses turn into cut-throughs and it leads to
increased speeds, and any residents around there will rue the day that an alley or a cut -through
was put through that property, because people want to go the shortest way they can when
they're getting somewhere, or at least what they think it's the shortest way, and then the people
that live there pay for that. Lastly, because he is the chair, he can't make a motion or second it,
but would ask that they add another condition if the motion maker and seconder would approve,
to add S3 screening (the highest level of screening) at the base of that retaining wall for the
purpose of making it look green and when people are in the park and look up they just don't see
a bare wall, they'll see foliage, they'll see plants, they'll see vines and beautification. Also, Iowa
City has a horrible problem with graffiti and if they can do anything to keep people from spray
painting that wall, they need to do that. Hensch stated he will be voting yes and hopes that they
can make a consideration for adding another condition to the five that currently exist.
Elliott likes the idea of a consideration for S3 screening and would vote yes with that and if they
could add a consideration for some kind of walkway path to the park.
Hensch noted the Recreation Commission may not have agreed to that nor was it in the
Comprehensive Plan but since the City is a co -applicant it seems they can put as a consideration
that idea because it is very odd there is no sidewalk to get to the park on Governor Street, they
could at least ask that it gets pushed forward to the Recreation Commission to try to get in a
capital plan.
Quellhorst stated there would be a sidewalk to the park, because there's going to be a sidewalk
that runs down Governor as part of the property development. Hensch replied that only goes to
the property line. Craig stated the City has to take responsibility for bringing that sidewalk down
to Brown Street. Quellhorst stated that is outside the scope of this particular proposal and they
cannot saddle the cost to the developer, because it is not their project. Hensch agreed but
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 19, 2025
Page 25 of 27
stated they could at least advocate or communicate to recreation department to consider putting
it in their capital plan at some point, to extend that sidewalk so people can safely get down to the
park. The City is a co -applicant so they can suggest it be presented to the Recreation
Committee, even just by a memo to consider on their capital plan.
Russett stated they can certainly pass along the interest of the Commission to have a sidewalk,
that's probably something the public works department would look at since it's in the public right
of way, but she is uncertain now how they would add it as a condition and not have it be placed
on the owner.
Hensch asked if they can get staff assurance that they will forward that to public works and
Russett confirmed absolutely staff will pass that along.
Regarding adding a condition of S3 screening at the retaining wall Quellhorst thinks screening is
generally a good idea but is not familiar with the cost or logistics associated with that and would
staff any have any position on that. Hensch noted the applicant actually agreed to it already,
they said they wouldn't have no objection to that. Russett confirmed staff thinks it's a reasonable
request as well.
Quellhorst moved to amend the motion to add a sixth condition that S3 screening be
added to the retaining wall. Craig seconded the amendment.
Townsend noted she probably be the only no vote on this one because as she is looking at these
units and the neighborhood, the buildings are huge and, in her opinion, it needs to be
reconfigured as it just doesn't fit in with the look of the neighborhood.
Miller agrees and is all for density and infill, but the scale of the buildings and how they relate to
the street don't feel appropriate, and he doesn't think it's because of the density they could fit that
many units on this site in a more appropriate way with stepping a little bit more. The explanation
about making the buildings identical is economical but it doesn't feel like the right long term
solution. But he agrees overall and may have designed qualms with it but they're in an affordable
housing crisis and getting the units is the most important thing at this point.
A vote was taken and the motion with the added conditions passed 6-1 (Townsend
dissenting).
CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: DECEMBER 4. 2024:
Elliott moved to approve the meeting minutes from December 4, 2024. Townsend seconded the
motion, a vote was taken and the motion passed.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS:
Townsend nominated Quellhorst for chair, Miller seconded, a vote was taken and the motion
passed 7-0.
Craig nominated Elliott for vice -chair, Miller seconded, a vote was taken and the motion passed
7-0.
Planning and Zoning Commission
February 19, 2025
Page 26 of 27
Townsend nominated Wade for secretary, Elliott seconded, a vote was taken and the motion
passed 7-0.
PLANNING AND ZONING INFORMATION:
Russett noted the two rezonings at Western Homes and Cardinal Heights that the Commission
saw a while ago with changes to the OPD were both approved at Council.
Russett stated the next meeting will be on March 5 with no meeting on March 19 due to spring
break.
ADJOURNMENT:
Townsend moved to adjourn, Quellhorst seconded and the motion passed 7-0.
PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION
ATTENDANCE RECORD
2023-2025
1014
10/18
11/15
12/6
12120
1/17
2/7
2/21
4/3
5/1
6/26
914
9/18
11/20
12/4
2/19
CRAIG, SUSAN
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
ELLIOTT, MAGGIE
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
O/E
X
X
HENSCH, MIKE
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
MILLER, STEVE
-
- _
I __ __
_ _
_ _
_ _
__ __
—
— _.
....
_ __
X
X
X
X
X
PADRON, MARIA
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
O/E
O/E
QUELLHORST, SCOTT
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
TOWNSEND, BILLIE
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
WADE, CHAD
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
KEY:
X = Present
O = Absent
O/E = Absent/Excused
- = Not a Member
Item Number: 4.h.
CITY OF IOWA CITY
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
March 11, 2025
Senior Center Commission: January 16
Attachments: Senior Center Commission: January 16
Approved Minutes
January 16, 2025
MINUTES
SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION
January 16, 2025
Room 311, Iowa City Senior Center
Members Present: Nancy Ostrognai, Betty Rosse, Jay Gilchrist, Mary McCall,
Kate Milster
Members Absent: Lee McKnight, Warren Paris
Staff Present: LaTasha DeLoach, Kristin Kromray
Others Present: None
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order by Gilchrist at 4:00 PM.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL:
None.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE DECEMBRER 19 2024 MEETING:
Motion: To accept the minutes from the December 19, 2024 meeting. Motion
carried on a 5/0 vote. McCall/Ostrognai
PUBLIC DISCUSSION:
None.
OPERATIONAL OVERVIEW:
Edrington reported on two services the Senior Center provides, SHIP counseling
and the AARP Tax Aide Program. She gave statistics to emphasize the impact
that these services have on community members. In the 2024 tax season, 375
tax returns were filed. The majority were for people over the age of 65 with
incomes lower than $39,000. In 2024 the SHIP program had 1813 client
contacts. The majority of those were during open enrollment when 1094 clients
were seen. The Senior Center has 13 SHIP counselors at 3 locations as well as
remote appointments. The documented cost savings via medical insurance
enrollments was $578,689.
Edrington noted that the Senior Center switched how it is sending out email
newsletters about a year ago and has increase email subscribers to 5645.
Approved Minutes
January 16, 2025
currently. Enrollment in January and February classes is going well with many
programs filling up. TRAIL has relocated to room G03. The Visiting Nurses
Association had been housed in that space until about a year ago when they lost
grant funding for community clinics. Table to Table food deliveries are still
occurring on Monday mornings. Between 40-60 people come weekly for free
groceries. Table 2 Table is also going to donate a freezer to the Senior center for
overflow groceries. Edrington has been doing some offsite programming in North
Liberty including Walk with Ease and Qi Gong. Ostrognai expressed her thanks
for having pictures of Senior Center members in the latest program guide.
DeLoach reminded commissioners that they Black History Ball will be on
February 8th. This year's theme is The Elegance of the Harlem Renaissance and
will feature Caleb "The Negro Artist" Rainey, poetry, a fashion show, jazz music
and traditional African American food. There are also some tickets available for
low-income seniors.
The Original Mature Groovers are planning another Soul Train Dance Party in
May and a field trip to the Figge Museum in Davenport.
The 3rd floor of City Hall is being renovated and some of the Enginering
Department will be relocated to the Senior Center for the duration of that project.
HVAC issues continue to be a challenge while still hoping for upcoming solutions.
Rosse noted that she was told it has been cold in some classrooms. The window
and door project is still planned for this year, as well as interior design. A new
awning has been installed at the Washington St entrance.
The Senior Center is partnering with a University of Iowa climate change initiative
where they are hoping to get 5000 climate change promises. The bulletin board
on the ground floor has details.
COMMISSION DISCUSSION:
Commissioners discussed the slate of executive officers. Gilchrist would be
willing to serve as chair, Ostrognai as Secretary, and Paris had stated last month
he would be willing to be Vice Chair.
Motion: To appoint the following slate of executive officers.
Chair: Jay Gilchrist
Vice Chair: Warren Paris
Secretary: Nancy Ostrognai
Motion carried on a 5/0 vote. Milster/McCall
McCall runs the caregiver support group at the Senior Cener. She is exploring
options for having caregivers bring their person with them and for respite care to
happen onsite during their meetings. She is looking into options including a
0a
Approved Minutes
January 16, 2025
partnership with nursing students. Milster noted the silver cord program that
gives provides volunteer opportunities to high school students.
Future agenda items include inviting the new director of TRAIL and additional
reports from staff members.
Meeting Adjourned.
3
Approved Minutes
January 16, 2025
Senior Center Commissinn Attendance Record
Term
2111124
1121124
4111124
5/16/24
6/20/24
7/18/24
8/15/24
9/19/24
10/17/22
11/21/
12/19/
1/16/25
Name
Expires
4
24
24
Betty
12/31/26
--
X
X
X
NM
NM
O/E
X
X
X
O/E
X
Rosse
Jay
12/31/25
X
X
X
X
NM
NM
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
Gilchrist
Mary
12/31/27
-
X
McCall
Angela
12/31/24
X
X
X
O/E
NM
NM
X
X
X
O/E
X
McConville
Lee
12/31/27
X
X
O/E
X
NM
NM
X
X
X
O/E
O/E
O/E
McKnight
Kathryn
12/31/27
_
X
Milster
Nancy
12/31/26
X
X
X
X
NM
NM
X
X
X
X
X
X
Ostrognai
Ross
12/31/24
--
--
O
X
O
O
O
Taylor
Warren
12/31/25
O
X
X
X
LNMV
NM
O
X
O
X
X
O/E
Paris
I
j
Key: X =Present O =Absent O/E=Absent/Excused NM =No meeting -- = Not a member