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Home My WebLink About2025-07-08 Bd Comm minutesItem Number: 4.a. CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT July 8, 2025 Airport Commission: May 8 Attachments: Airport Commission: May 8 MINUTES IOWA CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION MAY 6, 2025 — 6:00 P.M. AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING Members Present: Hellecktra Orozco, Ryan Story, Judy Pfohl, Chris Lawrence Members Absent: Warren Bishop Staff Present: Michael Tharp, Jennifer Schwickerath Others Present: Adam Thompson, Ryan From, Braeden Collins RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: None DETERMINE QUORUM A quorum was determined at 6:00 pm and Lawrence called the meeting to order. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FINAL Story moved to. approve the minutes as amended by Pfohl, from April 10, 2025, seconded by Orozco. Motion carried 4-0. (Bishop Absent) PUBLIC COMMENT - None ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION 1 ACTION a. Airport Construction Projects: i. FAA grant projects 1. Runway 12130 Displaced Threshold/Relocation — Tharp stated that they were still dealing with the temporary light issues on 30 and they would be working with the FAA to close out the contract and grant as much as they could. Tharp stated the lights were working and flight checks were completed. ii. low_ a DOT grant projects 1. T-hangar Building a. Iowa DOT Grant Application — Tharp stated that Adam was finishing up the data for the grant application. Tharp stated that they would apply for 2 grants, the AIP program would be approximately $400,000 and the GAVI program would be for $300,000 which was the cap for that application. Tharp stated that he also watched the Marion City Council meeting, and they had voted to accept a purchase proposal to keep the Marion Airport open. Tharp noted that that was scheduled to be formalized at the end of June and that he Airport commission May $, 2025 Pago 2 of 5 had received a few phone calls from Marion tenants looking for space. Thompson shared copies of the draft application and stated that the total project cost estimate was $1,535,000. Thompson stated the estimated total local match was $235,000. Lawrence asked about the financing of the local match. Tharp stated they were planning on using the money from projects that were cancelled or moved like the 2nd phase solar array and the terminal building modernization. They would be looking at a loan for the remaining local match. Thompson stated that they still needed to update some of the imagery of the building layout for the grant application. Tharp noted that they were due Thursday by 4pm. 2. Wildlife Mitigation Study — Tharp stated, that this project was a product of the elk that made a visit to the airport. Tharp stated that he had a visit with the Iowa DOT after that event. Tharp noted that the growth of operations and the animal encounters warrant a study. Tharp noted that the DOT contracts with the USDA to conduct a wildlife assessment and the airport contracts with the DOT to cover the local match value of the contract. Story asked what the product was. Tharp stated that at the end of the study they would get a report that would detail the animals seen and provide options for mitigation. Tharp stated this would also open up other grant funding opportunities for completing these kinds of projects. a. Consider a resolution A25-10 approving agreement with Iowa DOT — Pfohl moved resolution #A25-10, seconded by Story. Motion carried 4-0. (Bishop Absent) b. Airport "Operations" i. Budget — Tharp stated there was a couple of months left of the budget. Tharp noted that they had some unplanned expenses in that the older fuel tanks were due for a 20-year condition inspection that was completed. ii. Management — Tharp noted that a couple of hangar doors had some issues as the warm weather was bringing more activity to the doors. Tharp stated that the annual fire and maintenance inspections would begin Friday May 23rd. 1. Hangar 319er — Tharp introduced Ryan From to the Commission who discussed the hangar project with the members. From described what they planned to do with the hangar and its operations. From stated that they owned a Cirrus and that he's also involved in a partnership with a Pilatus. From noted they were working through some items like the building needed to have a sprinkler system. 2. Public Hearing on commercial business agreement — Lawrence opened the public comment period at 6:24pm. Tharp stated that he had not received any comments through email or other sources. No other comments were received. Lawrence closed the public hearing at 6:25pm. 3. Consider a resolution #A25-11 approving a commercial business agreement with Hangar 319er, LLC. Lawrence moved to approve Airport Commission May B, 2025 Page 3 of 5 resolution #A25-11, seconded by Story. Motion carried 4-0. (Bishop Absent) iii, Events — Tharp stated that the calendar hasn't changed and that the next event coming up was the first Drive -In movie of the year: 1. Summer of the Arts Movies (May 17, June 21, July 19, Aug 9) 2. Young Eagles (Aug 16th) 3. Pancake Breakfast (Aug 24) 4. Autocross (April 13, June 8, Sept 14, Oct 19) c. FBO 1 Flight Training Reports 1. Jet Air — Wolford stated they had been mowing. Wolford stated that the zero - turn mower was having issues, but they were working through it. Wolford noted that with the grass landing area, Tharp laid out a couple of areas and that they went out and looked at them. Wolford stated along the edge of 7125 about 80 feet out there was a line of storm drains. Wolford stated that they were mowing it and rolling it. Wolford noted that they looked at a spot along 12130, but it was really wavy and didn't appear to be a good area. Wolford stated that they were going to focus on the area next to 7125 for now. Lawrence asked about adding a note to the chart supplement and Tharp stated they were not planning on updating the chart supplement and would be using a notam to notify pilots that the area was available. Lawrence asked about how the mural was holding up and Tharp responded. Lawrence asked if there were any plans for the trees along the drive that were dead. Tharp noted that he had received pricing for the removals and the estimate was around $30,000 at the time. Wolford noted that flight training was extremely busy and that they had 4 airplanes at Iowa City that were active. Wolford noted that they had a new Kodiak that a customer had purchased and was the first one to be on a charter certificate ever. d. Commission Members' Reports — Lawrence stated that he and Pfohl went to City Hall. He noted that it was as expected. Pfohl noted that Lawrence did invite them all to tour the airport. e. Staff Report — Tharp stated that they hosted the Friends of Historic Preservation for their annual report. He noted that they had a presentation about the transportation history of Johnson County and the airport was a part of that. Tharp stated that he had included in the last update that he attended the Iowa Public Airports Association conference and that he was re-elected to the Board of Directors and as the Board President. Tharp stated he was also watching the state legislature for legislation moving through the final days. Tharp introduced Braeden Collins as the McClure intern who would also be spending time at the airport. Collins introduced himself to the Commission stating he was a student at the University of Dubuque. i. 4 States (FAA Central Region) Conference — Kansas City (August 20-22) SET NEXT REGULAR MEETING — Set the next meeting for June 12t'. ADJOURN — Story moved to adjourn the meeting at 6:55pm carried 4-0. (Bishop Absent) CHAIRPERSON Airport Commission May 8, 2025 Page 4of 5 Seconded by Orozco. Motion 2005-o�,-1z DATE Airport Commission May 8, 2025 Page 5 of 5 Airport Commission ATTENDANCE RECORD 2024-2025 TERM O o 0 o o N o w 0 N W 3 CD �1 cn N �- W — W — W — 0 — CO — NAME EXP, — N p — N IV — -p — N .P N A. — iV 4�- � N � {V 4 N al N CA N CN N N Cn Warren 06/30/26 X X X X X X X X X X X X O/E Bishop Christopher 06/30/25 O/E O/E O/E X X O/E X X X O/E X X X Lawrence Heliecktra 06/30/28 O/E X X O/E X O/E X X O/E O/E X O/E X Orozco Judy Pfohl 06/30/26 X X X X X X X X O/E X X X X Ryan Story 06/30/27 X X O/E X X X X X X X X X X Key: X = Present XIE = Present for Park of Meeting O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = Not a member at this time XIS = Present for subcommittee meeting OIS = Absent, not a member of the subcommittee Item Number: 4.b. I, CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT July 8, 2025 Historic Preservation Commission: May 8 Attachments: Historic Preservation Commission: May 8 MINUTES APPROVED HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MAY 8, 2 02 5 —5:30 PM — FORMAL MEETING E M M A J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Kevin Burford, Andrew Lewis, Ryan Russell, Jordan Sellergren, Deanna Thomann, Nicole Villanueva, Christina Welu-Reynolds, Frank Wagner, MEMBERS ABSENT: Margaret Beck, Carl Brown STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow, Anne Russett, Rachel Schaefer, Parker Walsh OTHERS PRESENT: Karen Leigh, Peter Byler CALL TO ORDER: Lewis called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS: HPC25-0002: 1025 Woodlawn Avenue - Woodlawn Historic District (rear demolition and new addition) - deferred from March 13, 2025 meeting: Bristow stated this property is in the Woodlawn Historic District and this project was deferred from the March meeting as the Commission requested more accurate drawings of what the proposal was. First to review some of the details, this is a Victorian house built in 1891 and it has some East Lake detailing, notably there's fish scales, decorative barge boards, spindle work in some of the gable ends and there's also a very decorative front porch. The overall form is a hipped roof with projecting gables on all four sides. Bristow shared a photo of the east side noting the trim detail with the fish scale area between the floor levels, as well as in the gable. She also noted the east side does tend to be the plainer side as there's no spindle work in the gable. She also pointed out the small rear open porch. The subject of the project is partly the demolition of the canning shed that has been there at least 100 years, it's an unfinished space and in a deteriorated condition. Bristow shared an image of the west side of the house noting the spindle work in the gable and that the west side has some one story projections, a bay window and an area that might be the pantry. She stated since that is the only one story area that's not a porch there's a little bit of change in the detail with the frieze board and the vertical lines in it. She showed the rear facing gable and again that one doesn't have spindle work like the other two, instead the crest of the gable is built out and framed out further which is a different kind of detail and a little less decorative because it's where the wall supports the trim. The entire canning shed is a different roof style, a different siding style, a different type of window, and at least one step down from the main floor level. Bristow reiterated it is unfinished and in a deteriorated condition so the proposed project is to replace it with another addition. Bristow next reviewed the updated drawings. First showing the south view of the house and noted because the Commission was open to the fact that while the addition would be set in from the corners on each side, the roof would project slightly beyond it. It was determined that that might be acceptable because there are all the other projections between this addition and the front of the house, so that won't be visible in any way. She pointed out a window in the gable, per the owner's request and the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION May 8, 2025 Page 2 of 11 detailing of the gables like the fish scale detailing and the vertical frieze board above the window. On the east side there will be a pair of doors with the same detailing and the west side will have two individual windows. The proposal would also try to match the foundation with some type of a stone cladding. Bristow stated there are several guidelines that staff finds this addition does not meet. She stated there are things like trimming the door openings to match the other door openings, preserving the original roof pitches and spans, matching the gable on the new addition, preserving the original walls and vertical corners by setting it in slightly, and adding windows that match the type and size and sash width and divided lights. However, they are supposed to match the window patterning and while they do have individual windows like those seen on the rest of the house, because of the height of the new addition all of the windows are set lower than the windows on the existing house. Bristow stated there aren't any issues with the materials, the owner will use materials that are approved by the guidelines. Another one of the guidelines is matching the key horizontal lines in this addition, they are mimicking them, but not matching them, because it does not align with them currently. Similarly, that also will mean that the door is going to be overall shorter than the other two doors seen on the house. However, they do propose to match the foundation. Finally, part of the guidelines also require the roof eave conditions, like the overhang, to match and the guidelines state clearly if they're all aligned horizontally then there is potential for some of them to intersect. Bristow explained on this two story house they don't have that situation, but would still have them aligning with each other. Overall, there are just some issues with the height of the addition. Bristow stated the staff recommendation is to take everything from the windowsill height and move it up so that the windowsill aligns with the other windowsills, the window head aligns with the other window heads and then the frieze board will be aligned. She explained the whole gable will pull up a little bit further, but it won't impact any of the additional trim details. On the east side where there are doors, if they look at the doors on the house it looks like the door on the east side has a transom above it, and the front door aligns with the window heads. She noted it's very common in historic houses for either the door itself or a transom above the door to align with the window heads on the house. Bristow stated the owner did present several of the neighboring properties that appeared to not follow these guidelines as well, however except for one, all of those additions were built during a historic time period so obviously there were no guidelines. Bristow stated the recommended motion is to approve the project with the conditions that the roof, eave, frieze board, and other elements are brought up to align with the historic house, the foundation, window and door product information is submitted for approval and that the new door opening is revised to match the height of existing doors and if they do have a pair of doors that are salvaged that they want to use, the recommendation is to put a transom above them like the nearby door. Lewis noted a lot of what they talked about last time was the elevation, to move it up and align with the horizontal lines. Also since the addition is to be centered, the roof hangs over the addition which normally isn't allowed but that seemed amenable. Bristow stated that was most of it, overall the drawings didn't quite show everything that they wanted to see and there were some suggested changes at the meeting that needed to be depicted. Lewis noted the overhanging part was something the Commission was not necessarily opposed to, they just wanted to see what that looked like. Bristow confirmed the Commission was pretty open to the overhang because it's blocked from everything with the adjacent porch and first story projections. Karen Leigh (1025 Woodlawn Avenue) is the owner and stated they would be challenged to find someone more interested in Iowa City history, or the preservation of it, than her. She is fifth generation HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION May 8, 2025 Page 3 of 11 Iowa Citian and her great, great grandfather was JJ Fryaul and she found the Fryaul name in almost every book that she has ever picked regarding Iowa City history. She stated he wasn't Chauncey Swan or Captain Irish but he was a presence in Iowa City. The picture of his harness shop that he had on South Dubuque Street is on page 139 of Marybeth Slonneger finials. He and his son Frank built 1025 North Summit and Leigh has always hoped to someday purchase it and bring it back into the family but the timing was never right. So when the opportunity to purchase 1025 Woodlawn became available she was absolutely thrilled at the prospect of living on Woodlawn Avenue. Then in February of 2023 it became apparent to her that 1025 Woodlawn needed her as much as she needed it. After nine years of dealing with declining health in her parents and their subsequent deaths, 1025 was suffering from years of deferred maintenance and make do repairs, she replaced the crumbling chimney with historically appropriate materials and replaced the west wall of the porch, in fact that west wall had been repaired with the same bricks that were used to build South East Junior High and now it's hardie board, smooth siding. The house has been rewired, all of the original windows have been completely restored, her contractor, Mark Ziniel, even reminded her that he had to dismantle one of the old storm windows to get the boiler glass out of it so that all of the windows would be boiler glass. They have reused all of the original hardware throughout the house, right down to screws and while the interior has come along beautifully they are currently working on the exterior repair and repaint. So that brings her to the canning shed that was added sometime before 1920 at the south end of the house. Everyone has been familiarized with its many structural and design defects, Mark Ziniel can even attest that Leigh has spent months figuring and reconfiguring the addition to provide the spaces that she needed for a downstairs three quarter bath, a laundry area and a mud room. They've designed both the interior and exterior, where windows will go, how big they are, etc., and part of that was wanting to use as much salvaged material from the original house as they could. Leigh stated raising the height of the addition to comply with the horizontal lines on the exterior creates a cascade of changes on the interior that make it unable for her to reuse those materials, the water table, the drip cap and the horizontal siding would comply with that horizontal requirement, but the window, door and eave height would not. If an exception to the guidelines would enable her to preserve the interior and exterior design, which she finds is respectful of the original architecture, tasteful and complimentary to both the esthetics and the spirit of Woodlawn, she would implore the Commission to make such an exception. Burford asked about the ground behind that side of the house, is it level or does it slope down. Leigh confirmed it slopes away. Lewis noted one of the reasons for the exception is that to raise it up will not allow her to use certain salvageable materials and would make her have to change a lot of what's going on inside of it. Leigh confirmed that was correct. MOTION: Sellergren moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 1025 Woodlawn Avenue as presented in the staff report with the following conditions: • The roof, eave, frieze board, and other elements are brought up to align with the historic house • Foundation, window and door product information is submitted for approval. • The new door opening is revised to match the height of existing doors. Villanueva seconded the motion. Welu-Reynolds noted this motion is saying that she would have to bring up the height, but then she is saying she could not use the salvage exterior materials. Bristow stated if they want to approve leaving it lower they will need to find an exception to the guidelines and a reason for that. Welu-Reynolds asked could a reason be to save the salvaged materials. Bristow stated yes an HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION May 8, 2025 Page 4 of 11 exception can be because they are salvaging exterior materials but they won't be salvaging the exterior materials, it is interior materials that they'd be salvaging. Leigh wanted to add that for over 100 years the height of this addition has been the history of 1025 Woodlawn and the guideline is a superimposed requirement over the actual history of this house. Bristow noted she needs the addition height changed because the current addition is at least a step down from the main house. The new addition will be at the same floor level as the main house instead. Lewis stated there's a spirit of wanting to preserve certain things and using materials that are already there, again, that's in the interior, but it is nice to see people using materials that were salvaged. He noted regarding the issues they have with the level, there's already bump outs on the entire house and it can't really be seen anyway. Thomann asked about the height of the windows. Bristow said the point is to match those lines because bringing the windowsill up, the window head up and the frieze board up would then be the same height to match the other first floor parts. Sellergren asked for more information about why the salvage materials on the interior wouldn't be possible to use if this design was moved up. Leigh stated they would just be too short and they're original to the house, not just salvage materials. She eliminated three doors all in one corner and has that material to work with, but she wouldn't have enough material to do a transom. Burford reiterated this is on the rear of the house where the land is indeed sloping, so he would be in favor of an exception. AMENDED MOTION: Sellergren moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 1025 Woodlawn Avenue as presented in the staff report approved through an exception to allow the design as drawn which reflects the historic structure and height of the structure with the following conditions: Foundation, window and door product information is submitted for approval. Villanueva seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion passed 8-0. HPC25-0009: 203 North Linn Street - Local Historic Landmark (alteration to front facade) - deferred from April 10, 2025 meeting: Russett began the staff report noting this item was deferred from the last meeting. The property is a local historic landmark, it's a three-story mid-19th century Greek Revival building that was built circa 1862 with an addition that more than doubled the size of the building in 1893. The building is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The proposal is to add a secondary entrance to the North Linn Street facade and at the April 10 meeting the Commission deferred this item and requested that the entrance look like a storefront, preferably to look like the main entrance on the corner of the building, and the Commission preferred a step configuration like the corner entrance. The applicant has updated the plans and they incorporated both the direction from the Commission and some additional recommendations from staff. The revised plans show that the entrance is in the southern portion of the north half of the building, and this reflects the rhythm of the opening in the facade. The revised plans also show the entrance designed to look like a storefront. Some more specific changes that have been made to match the existing corner of the storefront include that the transom has been removed and at HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION May 8, 2025 Page 5 of 11 the new open vestibule they match the corner entrance detail such as the trim under the limestone, a surround with side lights and a three part transom. Lastly, the storefront is sized so that it is framed by the existing brick opening so it is fully visible when viewed straight on from the street. The applicant also incorporated the concrete steps that the Commission had requested. Russett reiterated the guidelines that are used for this review are from the Secretary of Interior standards for rehabilitation and there were also a couple new guidelines staff looked at as part of this review. One was doors and the guideline is adding new door openings that are trimmed to match other doors and windows in the building. Again, in the revised plans it shows that this new door is trimmed to match the corner entrance door. Also, staff looked at porches and although that guideline is written for residential buildings it could be considered a basis for reviewing steps at the entrance into any type of historic building. The guideline is that brick or concrete steps are used for masonry buildings, and this is a masonry building so concrete steps would be appropriate in this case. Staff is recommending approval of this project with the revised changes with one clarification regarding the synthetic trim material that was shown on the plans. If the applicant is considering or proposing synthetic material, it does need to be reviewed by the Commission. Peter Byler (203 North Linn Street) stated he even mocked up the stairs out of plywood and had his wife hold them up and they'll hit just where the other stairs hit the sidewalk, just about nine inches from the walking space, and the limestone lintel that goes around the whole building will be the top step, so that will be preserved. He noted interestingly as they've been getting into the building they found out there used to be a staircase in the exact location that the new staircase will be going upstairs. Byler is happy to answer any questions regarding the synthetic material stating they wish they could remove that note. He explained the other door is trimmed with painted tin, so the only material that won't be wood in this surround is the ceiling, which they could either make out of tin and paint to match the existing one, but a more practical application would be a cement board or even just an exterior grade plywood painted. The material is not going to be any kind of weird plastics or anything and the doors will be wood. The surround will be built out of wood, just like the original one and Byler has a great trim carpenter ready to tackle this project. Bristow asked if the tin is patterned or is it just plain. Byler replied it is flat, it's what they would call trim coil today. Sellergren is curious if this is a permanent change and there's no going back to the full space on the first floor. Byler explained if anyone ever went back in the future they would end up with a U shaped because the staircase needed for egress takes probably 60% or 70% of the depth. Russell asked how far back the new door sits in comparison to the corner door, or if it was flush with the front of the building. Byler stated it will sit back the minimum amount needed to swing the door out and still have to have somewhere to step. MOTION: Sellergren moved to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness for the proposed new storefront entrance as presented in the application subject to clarification of the proposed synthetic trim material. Wagner seconded the motion. Sellergren noted it's a good project and this is what Historic Preservation can do, make spaces more useful and more accessible to the community. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION May 8, 2025 Page 6 of 11 Burford appreciates the care that has been taken in designing the new portal to match the symmetry of the current corner one. Thomann has reflected on this one so much and looked at the minutes from the last meeting, looked at this agenda, and is not fully convinced that the changes are agreeing with the Secretary of Interior standards. She particularly noted the guideline that says exterior alterations will not destroy features and spatial relationships that characterize the property. In her mind she just keeps thinking about how this became a landmark because it's "a rare surviving commercial property that was characterized by size and scale" and this door seems to be breaking things up and she is not seeing that expanse, so that's a concern. Overall, she really respects and recognizes the applicant's efforts but from a historic preservation perspective she just doesn't agree with the approach. Lewis agrees with Sellergren that it will allow for more use of the building, and maybe it doesn't look super historical that they match what's going on there by taking out a window and putting a door, but it matches everything else. This is an example of being able to repurpose, but not destroy completely, an historic building which is appreciated. A vote was taken and the motion passed 7-1 (Thomann dissenting). HPC25-0016: 834 North Johnson Street - Brown Street Historic District (alterations to north facade): Schaefer noted this property is a key contributing property in the Brown Street Historic District, it is a Greek Revival house known as Prospect Hill and the Downey- Pickering -Glasgow House. It is depicted as a lithograph on the 1854 Millar Map but may have been built as early as the 1840s. The house form is a side gabled single- story house with a 3/4 width front porch. The house has a stone foundation and wood lap siding and flat casing and some classical details. The applicant is proposing to enclose a rear covered porch to function as an addition for a bathroom, laundry and mud room. The existing concrete slab will be removed and the porch area will become an interior space. A new foundation that will not be visible will be poured, and a new back door and siding will be added. Schaefer stated the trim around the porch will remain and a new wall will be added that will be flush with the north wall. She shared the existing floor plan and then what it will look like with the proposed addition. In the proposed north elevation it shows the new door opening that will be trimmed to match the door to the east with the trim matching and a new half-lite fiberglass door, in addition to a half-lite wood storm door. Schaefer stated product Information was submitted and meets historic guidelines. She noted the drawing also includes a note that the primed wood lap siding will be added and trim board will be painted to match the existing wood lap siding and trim. Regarding the door guidelines that are recommended, it is recommended to install wood screen doors with glass or screen sashes, add new opening trim to match existing doors and windows, substitute materials only if durable, paintable and HPC approved. In the staff review they found that the proposal meets all of these recommendations. As far as recommendations and guidelines for additions or expanding the building footprint, it recommends to design additions to preserve the historic character, match doors, paint and siding to historic materials and appearance, use materials similar to the historic trim and details, and to not enclose historic front and side porches or use unapproved synthetic siding. Again, staff found that the proposal meets all of these recommended guidelines. Villanueva asked if this project on an addition to this house or is this part of the original house. Bristow clarified the main side gabled front portion was built very early and the rear addition, which is a rear facing gable with an open portico on each side, was built before 1933. Then at some point in time, the east side was enclosed with screens and then in the 1960s the west side was actually was made to look like a Ranch house. The Commission, in 2006, approved removing all the Ranch details from that HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION May 8, 2025 Page 7 of 11 west side and part of what they wanted to do is retain the columns that were still there that reflected that open portico. Lewis asked what is considered the front of the house. Bristow stated historically the front of the house was on Brown Street, and there was a stone path and retaining walls that walked all the way down the hill to Brown Street. However, that has not been the case for more than 100 years, because the other houses in front of it have existed that long. MOTION: Welu-Reynolds moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 834 North Johnson Street, as presented in the application. Villanueva seconded the motion. Thomann appreciates that they're leaving the trim details so it's very clear. Bristow agreed the goal is always to try to make it so they could remove what they did and go back to what was there, if at all possible. Villanueva likes the symmetry of it and feels like it matches the traditional front of the house. A vote was taken and the motion passed 8-0. HPC25-0019: 1229 Burlington Street -College Hill Conservation District (deck demolition and front porch addition): Walsh began the staff report sharing a map of the district and noted this is a contributing property within the College Hill Conservation District. He showed an image of the front of the house from the north facade pointing out the existing deck. He stated it is considered a deck because there is no roof over it. Staff would not support the construction of a new modern deck, however would support the construction of a porch, and they will have to add a roof that matches the existing hip roof. Walsh noted due to so many changes occurring over time to this property, such as synthetic siding, the resizing and replacement of windows, as well as removal of a window in the dormer, leads staff to recommend a more simplified front porch instead of matching the historic character. He shared an example of some of the traditional designs with turn spindles, decorative frieze board and then some column details. Again, staff would recommend a more simplified porch and not matching a one for one historical accuracy. He shared the proposed drawings noting the piers will be stone and wrapped in stone to match the existing foundation, they will also be aligned with the porch columns. There will be white lattice skirting spanning from pier to pier around all three sides, and the new stair construction and the railings will comply with guidelines. He did note however they are proposing squared spindles and the traditional approach would be the turn spindle design. Staff is also asking for a standard frieze board and column design, but they will use cedar wood and wrap the posts to appear as a true six by six column. Regarding the guidelines, Walsh reiterated that the balustrades and handrail guidelines are being met. The guidelines allow the square spindles if they're 1 '/2 inches in diameter or greater which is what they have here, they just won't be the exact turned historical character style. Walsh stated all the rest of the guidelines are met. They are constructing an additional foundation that appears similar to the historic foundation in color, texture, unit size and joint profile. All the frieze board will match the existing foundation. Again, he stated a roof does need to be added to be considered a porch and aligned more historically with a front porch in this housing style, it will be a hipped roof that aligns with the existing roof. The guidelines recommend constructing new porches that are consistent with the historic building and are similar to porches of the same architectural style but staff is asking for an exception for a more HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION May 8, 2025 Page 8 of 11 simplified porch approach instead of meeting that exact style. The guidelines also recommend constructing new porches that are more than 18 inches above grade using traditional porch construction with wood joists and wood flooring, adding skirting to fill the space between the porch floor and grade if the space is more than 18 inches, using vertical grained fir porch flooring for resistance to weathering, leaving exposed the support piers below the porch columns, skirting must be added to fill the space below the porch floor and grade if the space is more than 18 inches, and constructing porch skirting using 3 by 6 inch wood frame with slats. Walsh reiterated again all of these guidelines have been met with the exception of that architectural style and what would be disallowed is using unpainted treated wood for elements that would have been painted in the historic applications, and they are proposing to paint the wood elements white to blend with the existing house. Guidelines section 5.1 expansion of building footprint recommends the following guidelines for new balustrades and handrails, and those will be met, matching key horizontal lines in the existing buildings, such as water table, eave height, window height, and band boards in order to provide continuity between the addition and the historic structure, preserving a significant historic materials and features of the original structure, such as decorative windows, brackets, porches and trim, and designing an addition so that it does not diminish the character of the historic structure. Walsh stated this is deck and is not a historic structure that has been with the house and they're actually proposing to be more in line with what would historically be there as a porch. Again, staff is asking for that exception since there's been so many alterations regarding the windows, the brackets and the trim. Regarding demolition of a whole structure or significant features he noted there are no historically significant features here as this is a deck that would not be approved today the applicants are proposing to become more in line with what would historically be there. Staff recommends approval of a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 1229 East Burlington Street through an exception to the guidelines to allow more simplified porch design because the existing modifications to the property. Thomann asked what year this house was built. Bristow stated between 1895 and 1905 and it's a Victorian Cube Cottage which they don't have a lot of in town. Sellergren asked what that bump out on the front dormer is. Bristow is uncertain, maybe it's for some mechanical thing, there would have been a window there as all historic dormers have a window but they removed the window and built that little bump. Sellergren asked if the dormer is covered with synthetic siding. Bristow replied the whole house is and also the windows aren't the same proportion that they would have been, so overall the house has been heavily modified. MOTION: Burford moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 1229 East Burlington Street through an exception to the guidelines to allow more simplified porch design because of the existing modifications to the property. Thomann seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the motion passed 8-0. REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF: Certificate of No Material Effect -Chair and Staff review: HPC25-0010: 717 East Davenport Street - Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District (siding trim and soffit repair): HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION May 8, 2025 Page 9 of 11 Bristow noted this is Commissioner Lewis's house and has many holes so they needed to replace the siding and trim and do soffit repair in a few areas. HPC25-0025: 630 Fairchild Street- Local Historic Landmark (deteriorated front porch reconstruction): Bristow stated staff has been working with this applicant for a few years, the internal gutters have failed, the roof has failed and the porch was pulling away from the house because there's no footing under the columns. A contractor who gives incredibly thorough proposals has proposed and detailed out exactly what he's going to do, step by step, and so it is approved, the spindle architrave and the columns will be retained and reused. The roof construction will be mostly rebuilt, and all the floor construction will be rebuilt. He has proposed to use a treated tongue and groove floor that he's going to encapsulate in primer and paint on all six sides, instead of Douglas Fir, because of the proximity to grade, and they have approved that condition Minor Review —Staff Review HPC25-0015: 707 Rundell Street- Lonafellow Historic District (handrail construction at rear deck): This is a handrail that will be added to the rear steps behind the house at this little bungalow in the Longfellow Historic District. HPC25-0018: 502 Grant Street - Longfellow Historic District (garage roof replacement): This is for a new roof on the garage. HPC25-0023: 610 N. Lucas Street - Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District (rear deck replacement): This non -historic house in the Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District has a rear deck and it is going to be replaced. It is not historic, and because of the way the construction works out normally they would like decks to be at the level of the threshold on the door but this one will be a step down. The front door is also a step down or up from its landing. It's a modern thing that they don't see in historic houses, but it actually fits here. Intermediate Review— Chair and Staff Review: HPC25-0020: 803 E. Market Street - Goosetown/Horace Mann Conservation District (commercial monument sign): This dental office has sold, and there will be a new sign. It'll be an aluminum sign on wood posts and it sits nestled in a shrub. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR APRIL 10, 2025: MOTION: Thomann moves to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's April 10, 2025, meeting. Wagner seconded the motion The motion carried on a vote of 8-0. COMMISSION DISCUSSION: Contractor Lists: Bristow pointed out that Friends of Historic Preservation issued five grants that they have used to send local contractors to Bob Yapp's Window Rehab classes in Hannibal, Missouri. Two contractors have completed that so far and have come back so they are added to the window rehab list. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION May 8, 2025 Page 10 of 11 Also, interestingly, it just came up within the last few days as they were working on a project with a house that had a repairable metal roof and the contractor who used to repair and paint them no longer does but staff ended up finding three new contractors who can repair metal roofs and recoat them, and have added them to the list. Lewis asked about the lists and if they are published. Bristow stated she maintains the lists but doesn't publish them because they don't want to inundate contractors. The list is shared willingly with anyone who asks for it so if anyone ever needs a contractor, let staff know. Bristow noted Welu-Reynolds with the Brown Street District and Sellergren, an at -large member, will no longer be with the Commission after the June meeting, their terms will be up, and neither of them are going to reapply so they need to find a couple new commissioners. ADJOURNMENT Villanueva moved to adjourn the meeting. Thomann seconded The motion carried on a vote of 8-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:47 pm. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2024-2025 TERM 6/13 7/11 8/8 9/12 10/10 11/14 12/12 1/9 2/13 3/13 4/10 5/8 NAM E EXP. BECK, 6/30/27 X X X X O/E X X X X X X O/E MARGARET BROWN, 6/30/26 X O/E O/E X X X X X X X O/E O/E CARL BURFORD, 6/30/27 --- X X X X X X X O/E X X X KEVI N LEWIS, 6/30/26 X X X X X X X O/E X X X X ANDREW RUSSELL, 6/30/27 --- O/E X X O/E X O/E O/E X X X X RYAN SELLERGREN, 6/30/25 X X X X X X X X X X X X JORDAN STORK, NOAH 6/30/24 X --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- THOMANN, 6/30/26 X X X X X X X X X O/E X X DEANNA VILLANUEVA, 6/30/25 X X O/E X X X X O/E O/E X X X NICOLE WAGNER, 6/30/26 X X X O/E X X X X O/E X O/E X FRANK WELU- 6/30/25 O/E X X X O/E X X X X X O/E X REYNOLDS, CHRISTINA KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E= Absent/Excused --- = Not a member Item Number: 4.c. a CITY OF IOWA CITY "QR T-4 COUNCIL ACTION REPORT July 8, 2025 Housing & Community Development Commission: May 19 Attachments: Housing & Community Development Commission: May 19 MINUTES HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MAY 19, 2025 — 6:30 PM FORMAL MEETING E M M A J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL FINAL MEMBERS PRESENT: Maryann Dennis, Amos Kiche, George Kivarkis, Karol Krotz, Kyle Vogel MEMBERS ABSENT: Horacio Borgen STAFF PRESENT: Brianna Thul, Stan Laverman OTHERS PRESENT: Sam Brooks, Erin Sullivan, Crissy Canganelli RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL: None. CALL MEETING TO ORDER: Vogel called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM. CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: APRIL 21, 2025: Dennis moved to approve the minutes of April 21, 2025. Kivarkis seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the minutes were approved 5-0. PUBLIC COMMENT FOR TOPICS NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. SHELTER HOUSE PRESENTATION: Vogel welcomed Shelter House to give an overview of services provided for people experiencing homelessness as well as street outreach. He noted last month he was asking about the homeless on the street as they've seen a real increase citywide in the last couple years of transient populations not transiting. He stated they used to really see a lot of them during the summer but then they'd move away during the winter and it seems like more and more are staying during the winter as well. Vogel had reached out to Laverman to talk about if they're out on City property or on private property do they have access to facilities like trash or bathrooms and knowing Shelter House has that front area where quite a few people are staying part-time or full-time. Overall, he was just trying to get an idea of that problem and since Shelter House has been the predominant provider of services to that population in town he is hoping that they could give some insight as to what is happening in Iowa City and what that population has access to or what more does that population need and how do they get people transitioning from living in a tent or laying on a mattress to more permanent housing. Sam Brooks (Emergency Services Program Manager, Shelter House) oversees the main emergency shelter, the street outreach program and the winter shelter and prior to this role he was the street outreach and engagement specialist working specifically with those unsheltered folks. Erin Sullivan (Director of Programs, Shelter House) stated she works with Brooks and all of the programs he mentioned as well as their housing services and the realm of rapid rehousing which is a short-term Housing and Community Development Commission May 19, 2025 Page 2 of 11 housing intervention and then permanent supportive housing for more long-term housing intervention. Sullivan stated today they will talk with the Commission about street outreach and Brooks will review their model of street outreach that they use in the community. Brooks will share some data points and Sullivan stated she would then talk about the chronic homeless status. Brooks stated regarding street outreach, they are really focused on the same model they use for all of their housing services which is housing first. Their approach to street outreach is about meeting folks where they're at, visiting natural congregations such as going and meeting folks at free meal sites, the library or other places where people are going to be anyway and engaging with them in a more trauma - informed way where it's all voluntary. A person can't be court -ordered to be in a street outreach program or committed through a hospital. So again, they are going into the places where folks already are offering a wide range of services to get folks connected to the other programs such as rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, coordinated entry and really helping folks navigate all of the complicated systems that somebody who is currently experiencing unsheltered homelessness might need to work through to move beyond that experience of homelessness. Brooks stated there's a lot of ways that they go about engaging with folks, they receive referrals from a whole host of different partners such as City staff, ICPD, folks at the library, pretty much every City department sends referrals when they're seeing folks who are unsheltered. Brooks also stated they have a lot of community members who send referrals and have many folks who are in the population currently experiencing homelessness who are also sources of referral as Shelter House builds trust and works to engage with folks who are staying outside and show that they're a safe resource. Having those referrals helps them connect with some of those folks who have high barriers and are maybe a little harder to engage with. In 2024, Brooks reported they engaged with 291 unduplicated individuals and 90 of those folks in 2024 transitioned from the street outreach program into permanent housing and are now in stable housing. Also, 167 transitioned into some positive housing destination whether it was a self -resolution to staying with friends or families or long-term care facilities. He explained they on top of connecting folks to housing resources a big role of street outreach is to provide life-saving supplies for folks who are staying outside, especially in the winter, so they are providing tents and sleeping bags, propane space heaters, gloves and hats and then in the summer they're providing water to keep folks hydrated. They really try to mitigate as much of the risk as possible to the folks who are staying outside. Krotz asked about the numbers they are seeing. These are just the people who have been engaged with street outreach but that doesn't encompass the entire homeless population because folks who are in the shelter wouldn't be considered in that number? Sullivan stated there is a little bit of duplication because sometimes individuals who are enrolled in street outreach might come into shelter for a night and there are definitely individuals who probably will stay in winter shelter, so there are likely some individuals who are enrolled in the street outreach program and in the homeless management system but if they were to pull an unduplicated number for all of the individuals they serve through the emergency shelter, winter shelter and street outreach that would be a different number and would be much larger. Krotz noted there are likely homeless people who aren't accounted for in any of their numbers, people who just don't want to be engaged with. Brooks noted the 291 is folks they've enrolled into their data homeless management system but acknowledged there are folks who are not at that point of engagement. In their work through street outreach, it could be as simple as casual small talk on a regular basis or bringing them some supplies here and there but they're not at a point where they are to be enrolled into the system. Krotz noted Brooks spoke to this Commission last year about the winter shelter and the wonderful job they were doing with the unhoused during the bitter cold winter months to provide them with what they needed just to stay warm or to eat. Brooks said they work really hard to do what they can. He also noted there is a point in time, the third week in January, that is a nationally required single night census count in homeless response systems across the country which Shelter House is required to participate in and they lead the count for Johnson and Washington County. In January 2025, the number of people staying outside was 38, which was higher than in 2024 which he believes was 24. Additionally, there is a required survey that is completed at the time of the count and this year they added two questions. They Housing and Community Development Commission May 19, 2025 Page 3 of 11 asked folks if there was a bed available at shelter tonight would they use it and nobody said yes. But when asked if there was an apartment available would they move in and 35 of 38 were interested in housing. Brooks noted one thing through his time working with street outreach that he's come to recognize is he's not really come across a person who given the correct affordable and accessible unit for them would not be interested in housing. Sullivan wanted to talk a little bit about chronic homelessness and that some of individuals Brooks identified that they are engaging with from a street outreach standpoint are experiencing homelessness maybe for the first time but others maybe it's been multiple times and are just maybe not able to get a bed in shelter because its full or they are not interested in sleeping in shelter for various reasons. Therefore, the street outreach is a way to engage with them and provide those services to help them stay safe while they're outside and also help navigate the case management services to move them into housing. She reiterated there are some individuals who are not really that far engaged into the system and those are the ones that often meet that chronic homeless status. Sullivan noted chronic homelessness is essentially someone who has experienced homelessness for 12 months or longer and also has a disability such as a mental illness, substance use disorder, or it could be a physical disability. She noted this population of people make up a much smaller percentage of the overall homeless population but their needs are oftentimes more acute, and their experiences are definitely more entrenched. Additionally, these are individuals who often are survivors of trauma and have been through many of the systems, but there are also individuals who just are outside in the community for long periods of time. Sullivan stated permanent supported housing is definitely an intervention for individuals who are chronically homeless and she fully believes that anyone who has lived outside for more than 12 months needs to move into a supportive housing environment because moving straight into independent housing without those supports can be really difficult for the person to transition and maintain that environment, not just because of financial strains, but also the challenges that individual experiences as they are living in a community with neighbors and have to interact in a world that maybe they struggle within for many different reasons. Sullivan acknowledged the comments and thoughts about the winter shelter services and as Brooks mentioned that is one of those services under his umbrella and they see a lot of the individuals who are meeting HUD's definition of chronically homeless using that winter shelter service and being able to come in during the coldest months of the year. The winter shelter is open between December and March, so for the 15 weeks during the coldest months they are making sure to provide a safe warm place for them to go. She added at the same time the shelter at 429 Southgate is a 70-bed facility and they get a special permit with the City to be able to expand their census by 30 more individuals so in that building they can serve up to 100 individuals. Therefore, they can serve up to 100 individuals at 429 Southgate, which is the emergency shelter, and between 40 and 50 individuals the winter shelter. The winter shelter is located at 340 Southgate Avenue, which is connected to the Guide Link building, but not associated with Guide Link, is a project only open from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. so it's a place for them to go during those overnight hours. Again, as Brooks mentioned there's lots of engagement with individuals to make sure they're aware of the services and notifying them of which services are open and/or taking them there if they need someplace to go. Vogel asked what months the winter shelter is open. Sullivan explained it is usually the first Monday in December through the third week in March and then those overflow services at 429 Southgate are extended to be from the beginning of November and this year they went through end of April and April 30th was the last day of overflow. Sullivan next talked about the individuals that are sleeping on Shelter House property and they have seen an increase of individuals who are sleeping outside on Shelter House property but any of the individuals who are sleeping on Shelter House property do have to sign a rights and responsibility statement, similar to those who are in the shelter so there are certain expectations to keep all of the individuals on that property safe. Therefore, they are very much aware of who is sleeping there and street outreach is out on a regular basis engaging with the individuals, as well as the daytime staff, helping to address any immediate needs while also trying to work with them to help them identify a housing solution for them. Krotz asked if folks are able to stay there 24 hours or do they have to leave during certain hours. Sullivan stated they do not manage the people outside in a way of saying that they need to leave the property at a Housing and Community Development Commission May 19, 2025 Page 4 of 11 certain time, many of them do go out in the community during the day to get some basic needs met but if they wanted or needed to stay there they can. Kiche asked about those in tents and how long those in the tents are allowed to stay there. Sullivan admitted they are working on navigating the space in terms of having individuals sleep on their property, it a new experience for them and so they have not set a length of time for somebody who can sleep on their property in a tent. The goal is to engage with them, help them locate housing and move them into permanent housing. If the question is how long it takes for somebody to be from homelessness to housed it really depends on the barriers of that person and the affordable housing units that they can locate in the community. The federal government might like to put a timeline on it to say that they would like people to be rehoused in 30 days or less in this community that is very difficult to do due to the lack of affordable housing and the lack of housing that doesn't have high barriers to being approved is a challenge for individuals who often times have extensive barriers such as credit scores or the lack of income, many places require them to be able to show that they make three times the rental amount that is due or having a criminal background. Krotz asked if it is common in Iowa City for there to be the requirement that one needs to make two or three times the rent. Sullivan stated that is something that's fairly new, over the last three years, having landlords with that requirement and now almost all the landlords have that requirement so it's definitely a challenge. Additionally, oftentimes landlords will not count a housing choice voucher as income so if someone has a housing choice voucher that is able to cover 30% of their rent the landlord still expects them to have three times the rental amount to be potentially approved. Krotz stated that's a real eyeopener to her as a renter as she has never run across that but has been fortunate to find private landlords or to be in specific programs for properties that have requirements to serve a certain population. Sullivan also shared some other criteria lately that she's seen where they've extended the amount of time that somebody needs to have references, landlords previously ask for maybe 3 years of a landlord reference and now they are seeing denials because they don't have five years of a landlord reference. Kiche asked about the demographics of the people who are living in the tents on the Shelter House property, are they individuals, or families with children, he noted the City likes data for funding issues. Sullivan stated they have the demographic information for the individuals that are in their homeless management system, so anyone who's staying at shelter or anyone who is enrolled in street outreach, and then also any of their other programs so those demographics and data is definitely something that they collect. To answer the question about the individuals who are specifically outside, and not just about the individuals who are sleeping on Shelter House property but people who are sleeping outside across the community, it is a wide range of individuals, male, female, individuals who identify as trans, as for age range they serve individuals within their programs who are 18 and older however there are individuals who live outside who are under 18 and they do engage with them and provide services and try to get them connected with other local resources that provide services to people who are under the age of 18. She noted this last summer they saw probably more than what she is used to seeing, youth who were living in a car and who were experiencing homelessness. Krotz asked if Sullivan knows a reason for that increase. Sullivan stated she could speculate on a lot of things but can't say necessarily for one specific reason, oftentimes family dynamics and/or other household or family related issues. She also noted there are individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness that might be doubled up and sleeping in a friend or family member's house that they're now not able to stay in for one reason or another. Back to the question of age, they've quite an aging population experiencing homelessness, they have an individual who is physically disabled and in a wheelchair, they have individuals who are part of a family unit, a single mom with children, homelessness doesn't discriminate and when someone doesn't have access to shelter or more importantly affordable housing, their options are limited. Sullivan also wanted to mention from a safety perspective individuals who are sleeping in more visible areas is because it is safer to sleep in those areas than it is in isolated areas. !9 Housing and Community Development Commission May 19, 2025 Page 5 of 11 Crissv Canaanelli (Executive Director, Shelter House) stated they are very regulated when it comes to data and have a great deal of compliance requirements because of the HUD funding and VA funding that they receive and just want to provide assurance that they do a lot of data management collection and it is well managed through a HUD -mandated homeless management information system that is more than most nonprofits. Regarding data overall and understanding the impact of homelessness and the occurrence of homelessness in the community, they have sought funding and have been able to secure funding and invested some of their reserves into two initiatives that will be ongoing throughout the rest of this year. They'll be parallel initiatives, one is they are partnering with an entity called the Corporation for Supportive Housing and that's a national nonprofit that works primarily to develop capacity of permanent supportive housing throughout communities across the country. Canganelli also has a good deal of experience in developing needs assessments for homeless response systems to establish a flow of resources in a community such that in any given 30 days the number of people that a community places into housing exceeds the number of people who are entering the homeless response system. So Corporation for Supportive Housing is data mining the data in the homeless management information system and working with the Institute for Community Alliances that oversees homelessness data for the state of Iowa and multiple states across the country to gather insight into Shelter House data and data for the region. Then they're also working across systems with partners like University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, the jail, police department, ambulance, and other City departments and different partners that engage with individuals experiencing homelessness to try to get as panoramic a picture of the impact of homelessness and the occurrence of homelessness in the community and really ensure that they have an understanding of the nature of the individuals experiencing homelessness in the community to help them build out and assess what is the capacity of the different interventions that they need to fine-tune this homeless response system to achieve that balance. As she mentioned the goal is what is called functional zero which is that point where they're placing more people into housing in any 30-day period than are coming into the homeless response system. Canganelli also noted this dovetails with some of the information that they also wanted to share with the Commission this evening which is the rate of chronic homelessness in the five most populous counties in the state of Iowa and then for the state of Iowa. Johnson County has the second highest occurrence of chronic homelessness in the state of Iowa, second only to Polk County, and the primary pull factors are the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and the VA Medical Healthcare Center, they have a very complex population that they're working with and that does impact their ability to create flow and move people not just from the street but from the shelter into housing. To reiterate what Sullivan mentioned the barriers that people face to be able to secure housing in the community in spite of the resources that they have, the case management and other things they have to address for this very vulnerable population. The second parallel data driven project that they are exploring is working with a group of folks that live in the healthcare world and the intersection of healthcare and technology and data sharing. Shelter House has contracted with them to help explore the community's capacity and interest in developing data sharing and data matching technologies and building an infrastructure to be able to better serve individuals through data sharing and data mapping to be able to improve the health housing and service outcomes for the individuals that are experiencing homelessness and at risk of homelessness. Canganelli explained the desire is to really pull back the curtain and create transparency and visibility through all intersecting partners across the different systems and in that initiative they have pretty much the same partners, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, VA Medical Healthcare Center, Johnson County Sheriff, different City departments, Housing Authority, Iowa City Community School District, the Department of Corrections and these folks are in the initial stages of completing surveys, going through interviews and ascertaining what the capacity and the appetite and the capability is to develop this data sharing system. Kiche asked at the point of intake how difficult is it to collect information from the individuals to help determine some of those barriers they've mentioned. Canganelli stated that's not going to happen at intake. That'll happen at a follow-up assessment. At intake they're really just getting at the very initial information for someone. At that point they're in crisis, they're seeking shelter, they're seeking an initial response to something and then they will follow up with an assessment and it's through the experience of that assessment, building relationship and ongoing case management and support with individuals, that Housing and Community Development Commission May 19, 2025 Page 6 of 11 they're really able to fill out that picture and understand what the full host of barriers are. Oftentimes people are not candid and very open wanting to share information about a disability, substance abuse or criminal history, they may perceive that they may be treated differently or have less access to something and that's the last thing that they want someone to be concerned about. She noted it does take time to build that relationship with someone so that they're more comfortable and in a place where they can trust to divulge that information, especially folks that do have a serious mental illness they're completely unwilling to divulge that information and so it may take a while to do fact finding to build that case and ask questions in many different ways to try to really get at someone who says that they don't have a mental illness but finally they are able to glean out from the person that they've had psychiatric inpatient stays or that they're on several different psychotropic medications and they're hearing voices, they're responding to somebody who's not physically there, those are not things that people frequently want to or are willingly to communicate. Kiche asked within the 30-to-40-day period for which they are eligible to stay in the Shelter House, is that period too arbitrary or good enough to establish relationships that will help them get useful data and services to these people? Canganelli stated they don't limit the stays to that 30-to-40-day period because they would just be recycling and sending people out to the street only to be coming back in. She noted they are seeing the length of stay significantly increase whereas back prior to the pandemic. In 2018, it was closer to a 35 to 40 day average stay and they really were seeing flow and things were working as they should be, the shelter beds were turning over, they were getting people through the shelter and into housing and opening up that shelter bed for that next person in line. Since the pandemic they've seen that practically triple, shelter stays are closer to 90 days now and it's not for a lack of effort on Shelter House's part. It is the macro and systemic changes that are happening in the community and with the population. Canganelli stated they are able to pull data get that information to build the records and build the relationship. What they cannot do is effectuate systemic change in the rental market, they cannot change the practices of UIHC, which a couple weeks ago discharged a woman in her mid-60s in a hospital gown with a walker to the Shelter House parking lot. These are things that happen frequently and are things that they do not have the ability to change without having visibility and without having access to the data and the information to try to then influence and change these things that are having incredibly negative impacts on the people that they're serving in the community. Dennis acknowledged the people that Shelter House serves are vulnerable and have very complex issues but also acknowledged there's other systems that are complex and that make their job sometimes vulnerable. Shelter House provides incredible services and the language that they use is so respectful and what they do is so greatly appreciated. Canganelli appreciated the comments and stated she feels like the work they've done over these last 10-15 years has been proof of concept they've demonstrated that the shift to housing first was the right thing to do and it had a very positive impact and continuing to develop permanent supportive housing in every way shape and form has the impacts that they said that it would. However, they are not working within a static environment, the economy and the world keeps changing and the goalpost keeps moving. Just recently a report was issued for mental health services ranking Iowa 51 st in the nation with only two mental health beds for every 100,000 residents and that has an immediate impact on their work and because of those shifts and changes when they retract and pull away those resources that were once there their work changes significantly and becomes that much more difficult. Krotz asked if they have experienced or do they anticipate changes in what they may be able to receive from the federal government? Canganelli stated they do anticipate changes they just don't know the breadth of the changes. They do know that given the current proposed budget of the administration it will essentially eviscerate all of their permanent supportive housing and significantly reduce the resources that help to make Shelter House more than just a roof and a bed. They don't have any details or any plans that's just the intent that they've seen. Again, they invested in these two community processes for stakeholders to create some spaces later this year for the community to be able to say what they value and what they want to invest in. To be able to either retain current effort or change and improve effort it really is going to have to be community driven this isn't something that Shelter House can't fundraise out Housing and Community Development Commission May 19, 2025 Page 7 of 11 of. The current gap for emergency shelter alone this year is over $700,000 which means that they're needing to fundraise at least $700,000 just to cover what most people consider a public service and a crisis response. That's a lot of book sales and barbecues events. And that's just one program of the organization overall, they really need to look at how does the broader community value this service. Kivarkis asked is there a specific action that they can take as a committee to put better resources into Shelter House's hands to say create a more efficient street outreach program engagement or transitioning between supportive housing for somebody who's chronically homeless. Canganelli responded when they have the recommendations from the work with the needs assessment with Corporation for Supportive Housing. They'd love to share that with the Commission and have more data informed recommendations for how the Commission could support their work. Right now any investment in more funding is helpful, but she'd like to be more strategic. At minimum Canganelli did request the recommendations that are going to Council for Aid to Agencies not be cut. The funding recommendation from the City staff is relatively level funding with maybe a slight increase as they desperately need that funding. It goes to emergency shelter operations. Kiche noted he is somebody who likes going to the library all those kinds of places and sees the folks they are trying to reach and was wondering how their team works with these folks because they meet all kinds of people out there. Brooks stated they actually only have one street outreach and engagement specialist currently, his name is Darren, and that does create challenges when they are trying to engage with a population that is ranging from 18 to in their 80s and from a whole host of different cultures and backgrounds. So yes, it's something that is a big hurdle for whoever is in that role. They do also have at the shelter the emergency services team, there's a behavioral health coordinator that was piloted through the winter shelter two years ago who is someone whose role it is to build that relationship and build trust with folks when they're coming into shelter to ease that experience of entering a new complicated system, a sometimes chaotic environment. They also have two lead coordinators at the front desk of the emergency shelter, Maya and Kelly, who are both fantastic, so that's generally the group of folks who are on the emergency services team and will engage with just about everyone who is experiencing homelessness in the community whether it's on the street or when they're coming into seek shelter or just use the drop -in services throughout the day. Vogel asked about the street outreach program and that the 90 people that transitioned from street outreach directly to permanent housing. Anecdotally, or best guess, how many of those are recidivist or how many of those last for a portion of time in stable housing and then end up back on the street because even with the emergency homeless voucher there are people that do go into housing and then two or three or four months later they can't get the help they need or they hit a hard line of how much assistance they can get? Brooks replied it's hard to quantify but it's a lot lower in permanent supportive housing. Sullivan added the individuals who are engaged in the street outreach services have the best results when they move into that supportive housing environment because the permanent supported housing retention rates are really high, like 95% retaining permanent housing if they're enrolled in the permanent supported housing. Of the 90 that transitioned from street outreach, some of them did move into permanent supported housing, like at Cross Park Place and 501 which are 60 units altogether, and there are other permanent supported housing programs where they partner with the Housing Authority where mainstream vouchers and emergency housing vouchers are being used to help people financially afford housing and then they also provide the ongoing case management services. Therefore, when they start to look at the total number of permanent supported housing. Vogel noted of the 167 that transition to positive housing, it's tough to figure out where they end up as a lot of it is just being self -reported. He noted the question of how effective is that or do they need to look at trying to get more people really into the permanent supportive housing side? Sullivan agreed because for the most part when they're seeing people recidivate to homelessness it's because they didn't have the right housing intervention. She stated rapid rehousing or a short-term housing intervention allows somebody to have that support for up to 12 months as a lease is typically 12 months so if somebody is returning to homelessness, number one those case managers have a much larger case load. Vogel is assuming this is some of that data they may get from the new initiatives. Sullivan noted what they would Housing and Community Development Commission May 19, 2025 Page 8 of 11 hope would come from that would be a variety of housing options that would be available for individuals to move into that would be appropriate for what they need. Vogel stated it is hard to have 38 people in the middle of winter that are offered a bed for the night and will they come in and sleep inside and they say no. Sullivan explained she would not want to sleep at winter shelter. It's not a great environment - it's a bed in a room with 40 to 50 other individuals with no privacy and if a neighbor is having a bad night for one reason or another, no one is getting any sleep so that is why they stress it's a lifesaving service. People are there because they could die outside but they're not necessarily getting sleep. Vogel noted some people don't want to go inside because they have stuff they don't want to get rid of so is there a program in place for storage for transient or people on the bubble? Sullivan replied they don't have a storage program. It can be tricky because then they become the holder of somebody's items. There are partners that they have worked with when people have vital items or vital records that are meaningful to them that's manageable and they can work with some of those partners to have them stored. Vogel asked regarding the people living outside in the tent areas, do they have 24/7 access to a bathroom and access to the meal service because they do lock the shelter at night? Sullivan replied in terms of food, the Shelter House does not provide food services to the individuals who are sleeping outside of the building but there are other resources they make sure everyone is aware of, the Free Lunch Program and Salvation Army has an evening meal. In terms of access to the building they are able to come in and out of the building to use the facilities, they do lock the doors by 9:00 p.m. as they get rather busy with 70 people in the building and it does limit their access but if somebody comes to the door and says they need to use the facility they would be able to enter. She also shared that just this week the City of Iowa City is providing 50% of the funds to be able to provide a port -a -potty on site so if somebody maybe doesn't want to come into the building to use the bathroom there are other facilities on site. They also have drop -in services every afternoon Monday through Friday and then mornings on Saturday and Sunday where people could come in and take a shower and have access to other hygiene products. Vogel noted Dennis is reading a book regarding an encampment that revolves around a church establishing outside living in Canada, what is the current status of Iowa City's regulations, is there anything in the books regarding what is allowable and what's not allowable, facilities specifically. Laverman stated there are there are some rules and regulations and can check into that and report back. Canganelli did note the Iowa legislature this past winter/early spring, both in the House and the Senate had bills proposed that would have criminalized homelessness and require municipalities to create sanctioned encampment areas where people would have to have an ID to register to get in. These bills didn't get out of committee, but she wanted to put that out there that sometimes good intentions that can very quickly lead to unintended consequences and this will likely come back in the next session. Vogel noted there is a problem with private property, Staples and Brugger's having to evict people from the fields behind them so will part of the outreach program have outreach with people who are on private property, is there someplace they can be where they are not going to get served by the sheriff, for people to establish that no -shelter living. Sullivan replied the answer to that generally is nowhere. Everywhere outside has the potential to become a place where somebody doesn't want people to sleep and they raise enough concern and are asked to leave, she can't confidently say that there is anywhere in this community that somebody could be sleeping outside that would not result in being asked to leave which is obviously a challenge when someone is experiencing homelessness. Sullivan noted that her and Brooks do attend a monthly meeting with different departments in the City of Iowa City to discuss individuals who are sleeping outside. They have to figure out within that meeting how to approach this conversation with the individual outside. Best case scenario is asking for them to leave and they do, worst case scenario is they won't leave the property and then that gets into enforcement. From a street outreach standpoint and from the Shelter House's perspective, they don't take an enforcement role. They are there for support and if something formally comes about then they are there for the individual and the advocate for that individual. Housing and Community Development Commission May 19, 2025 Page 9 of 11 Sullivan stated typically the person making the complaint never actually talks to the person experiencing homelessness. Usually there's maybe a notice posted saying they need to be off the location within 7 days or could have an eviction filed against them and that's where the street outreach is stepping in because an eviction would be an additional barrier for an individual. Vogel asked if Darren from street outreach should be the contact for private property owners in advance of reaching out or filing for eviction? Sullivan replied it depends on what the goal of the property owner is. If it's to say there's somebody experiencing homelessness living on their property and they want to make sure that they're connected with Shelter House to make sure that they have resources then yes Darren is with Shelter House is the correct person to contact. He can start to introduce himself and make sure the individual has what they need for the night and then work on additional goals. If the property owner just wants the person off their property, they are likely not going to call Shelter House. The Shelter House is not going to get involved just to have the unhoused person to be moved to another location, they are there to provide resources and hopefully help. Kiche noted Shelter House interacts with a lot of other organizations. How has the design of the Shelter House changed because the people coming there are very different, some are students who have just lost a house, some are people who've just lost a job, some are people who are chronic, their clients are very diverse but when they to Shelter House they are put in one pool. If there were funds or the City was able to renovate or build a new Shelter House, how would they make it different to accommodate some of those barriers? Sullivan first noted if the City has funds, those should be used towards housing individuals in affordable housing units. The answer is always more housing and not necessarily more shelter. Second, the Shelter House last summer did a renovation to make some changes to update the shelter at 429 Southgate, which was built and opened in 2010, changes made were mostly safety related, not only for the individuals who they are serving but also safety for their staff. She also noted 429 Southgate is an emergency shelter and it not the same as replacement for permanent housing. Canganelli noted the winter shelter is at 340 Southgate and is an open building with a barracks area with no privacy, 429 Southgate is a two-story building with a dormitory for individuals who identify as male, a dormitory for individuals who identify as female, and there are separate private family bedrooms that have their own bathrooms. In the men's dorm there's a six -man room and an eight -man room and there's two two -person rooms for more private settings for people who may have had a stroke or something and need to be away from the larger population. Canganelli encourages the Commission to arrange for a tour of the space. Laverman stated as the Senior Housing Inspector, he oversees code enforcement, so he sees the complaints come in and sits on the committee where they talk about the unhoused with the various different City entities that meet on a regular basis with Shelter House. Laverman noted a lot of times they're looking at harm reduction. Anytime there's somebody sleeping outside it's not ideal and Shelter House has done a really good job in the last year of conveying the message to people that under the bridges or places near public works facilities probably isn't the best place for them to set up encampments. The City is very comfortable with the Shelter House's street outreach and they're making the contact with people and conveying the message that they are moving people into safer locations, he appreciates the work Shelter House does for the community. Commissioners thanked Shelter House staff for the presentation STAFF & COMMISSION UPDATES: Vogel noted regarding former member Daouda Balde's removal from the Commission, he has 30 days to appeal but staff has not heard from him. The request to move from 9 members to 7 has been approved by the Rules Committee and will be voted on later this month or next month. Additionally, they will hopefully have a new person appointed at the June meeting. Thul stated things will be picking up for the Commission over the summer. Typically the get the funding allocations from HUD in February, but it was just finally last week the City received the CDBG and HOME figures. CDBG got a slight increase and HOME had a slight decrease, but the net increase overall was Housing and Community Development Commission May 19, 2025 Page 10 of 11 about $20,000. That will kick off a series of events that will come to the Commission. Next month staff will be bringing the FY26 Annual Action Plan that programs the funding for the year and explains what projects and activities they're going to undertake. That will also start a competitive funding round and there will be a grant application open this summer. The Commission will be looking at funding recommendations to City Council for rental acquisitions and public facility projects. At one of the next meetings, they will then go over the scoring process. Dennis and Borgen both have terms ending in June so if they are going to reapply it would be a good time to do that. ADJOURNMENT: Dennis moved to adjourn, Kivarkis seconded the motion and a vote was taken and the motion passed 5- 0. 10 Housing and Community Development Commission May 19, 2025 Page 11 of 11 Housing and Community Development Commission Attendance Record 2023-2025 Name Terms Exp. 11116 3121 4118 5/16 6113 8119 9116 10121 3124 4121 5119 -- -- -- -- -- A A P A A D Balde, Daouda 6/30/27 -- A A P P P A A P P A Borgen, Horacio 6/30/25 P P P P P P P P P P P Dennis, Maryann 6/30/25 Kiche, Amos 6/30/25 -- -- -- -- -- P P A P P P Kivarkis, George 6/30/27 P A A P P A P P A A P Krotz, Karol 6/30/27 P A A P P P P P Patel, Kiran 6/30/26 P A P P P A P A Pierce, James 6/30/26 P P P P A P A p Szecsei, Denise 6/30/25 P P P A A P P P P P P Vogel, Kyle 6/30/26 Key: P = Present A = Absent * = Resigned -- = Vacant D = Discharged 11 Item Number: 4.d. CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT July 8, 2025 Human Rights Commission: May 27 Attachments: Human Rights Commission: May 27 Approved Minutes Human Rights Commission May 27, 2025 Emma J. Harvat Hall Commissioners present: Doug Kollasch, Kelsey Paul Shantz, Roger Lusala, Elizabeth Shannon, Mark Pries, Viana Qadoura. Commissioners on Zoom: None. Commissioners absent: Emily Harkin, Lubna Mohamed. Staff present: Stefanie Bowers. Recommendation to City Council: No. Meeting called to order: 5:34 PM. Native American Land Acknowledgement: Pries read the Land Acknowledgement. Public Comment of Items not on the agenda: None. Approval of meeting minutes of April 22 and May 13, 2025: Pries moved, and Qadoura seconded. Motion passed 6-0. Juneteenth: Scheduled for June 19, 2025, in the South of 6 lot. Commissioners agreed to have a table at the event and are awaiting more information regarding the time of the event. Lusala volunteered to table the event to represent the commission. Depending on the hours of the event, Paul Shantz may be able to help as well. Iowa City Pride: Saturday, June 21, 2025, in the ped mall downtown Iowa City. Commissioners agreed to have a table at the event. Set up will start at 12:00 PM. Mendez Shannon agreed to start the table at 12:00 PM. Paul Shantz suggested operating in shifts with a second shift starting earlier than last year's schedule. 2:00 PM was the recommended second shift start -time. Kollasch volunteered as well. The shifts were agreed as: • First Shift: 12:00 PM — 2:00 PM o Mendez Shannon o Harkin • Second Shift: 2:00 PM — 4:00 PM o Kollasch o Paul Shantz Staff informed commissioners remaining PRIDE yard signs are available for commissioners and community members. Party in the Park: Will be held every Thursday from June 12-August 14. Staff offered these events as an opportunity for commissioners to do outreach and education with community members. Staff will follow up with a schedule for commissioners to volunteer for this event at their own neighborhood parks. Funding Request, Welcome Week: Iowa City Compassion requested $250 sponsorship for their 3rd annual Welcome Week event. Pries recommended approving the sponsorship request. It was suggested to move the approval pending the presentation of a reasonable budget for the event. Human Rights Grant: The grants will be presented at the next council meeting. Staff requested two commissioners to attend the meeting to answer any potential questions from City Council regarding the grant recommendations. Pries volunteered to attend. Staff will reach out to Commissioner Harkin about her availability to attend. Lusala also volunteered to attend. Staff & Commission Updates: Staff: Staff reminded commissioners that, as in past years, they are encouraged to take time off during the summer months, especially given how busy the last few months have been for the volunteer commission. Pries: Pries shared he will be attending his goddaughter's son's graduation on June 21s'. He also shared his experience attending Luther College's graduation where he heard the Minister of Foreign Relations from Norway speak. He found the experience inspiring as he witnessed cultures mix at the ceremony. He also announced his anniversary of 53 years. Mendez -Shannon: Thanked her fellow commissioners for their work reviewing and approving the Human Rights Grant submissions. She shared that she will be working on building a coalition involving Human Rights Grant recipients and community members alike. Paul Shantz: Spoke to staff regarding the offered break and expressed wanting to keep the June 24'n commission meeting scheduled. Paul Shantz also spoke about her work to create Community Conversations. Topics and content have been established along with an event space, however, there have been no selected dates yet. Paul Shantz encouraged commissioners to keep an eye out on their email regarding potential dates for the Community Conversation events. Paul Shantz also shared she will be attending a portion of a meeting regarding the Community Violence Intervention Model of Iowa City. Paul Shantz also shared she will be going out of town to Philadelphia to attend an annual meeting of Peace and Security funders from across the globe. Qadoura: Qadoura is planning a community event on June 8'" for the second Muslim holiday of the year, Eid al-Adha. Qadoura also encouraged commissioners to speak up for the humanity of those experiencing war including Palestinians. Lusala: Thanked staff for their work and commitment to the events the Commission hosts. Lusala also apologized for his absence from the commission as he experienced transitions in his personal life. Lusala recognized Qadoura's plea for humanity with special recognition for the people of Congo. Lusala was happy to share he will be celebrating the graduation of his "bonus daughter." Kollasch: Echoed Lusala's comments on the success of the Youth Awards and his gratitude to staff for assisting during the award ceremony and to Mayor Teague for attending. Kollasch shared he will be out of town attending a Human Rights Conference in D.C. which is followed by a World Pride celebration this upcoming week. Kollasch also expressed his interest in learning from the speakers at the conference and expressed his gratitude for the commission and their work for human rights. June Meeting: It was agreed to keep the June 24'" meeting scheduled. It was said that this meeting would be a time to check in on commission efforts such as the Coalition and Community Conversation events. Adjourned: 6:10 PM. The meeting can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/@citychannel4/videos. Human Rights Commission ATTENDANCE RECORD YEAR 2024/2025 (Meeting Date) NAME TERM EXP. 2/27 3/4 3/26 4/23 5/28 7/23 8/27 9/24 11/26 12/12 1/28 2/25 4/1 4/22 5113 5/27 Jahnavi Pandya 2024 X X X X X X X A A - - - - - - Emily Harkin 2027 - - - - - - - - P - P P X P Z A Doug Kollasch 2027 X X X X X Z X X P - P P X P Z P Viana Qadoura 2025 X X X X X X X X P - A A X P P P Idriss Abdullahi 2025 - - - X Z X Z A P - P A A Z - Mark Pries 2025 A X X X X X X X P - A P X P P P Roger Lusala 2026 X X A X X X X X P - P P A A A P Kelsey Paul Shantz 2026 X X X Z X X A X P - P A X P P P Liz Mendez -Shannon 2026 X X A Z X X A X A - P P X A A P Lubna Mohamed 2027 - - - - - - - - - - Z A Z Z A A KEY: X = Present A = Absent Z = Present via Zoom Item Number: 4.e. CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT July 8, 2025 Planning & Zoning Commission: June 4 Attachments: Planning & Zoning Commission: June 4 MINUTES FINAL PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION J U N E 4, 2025 — 6:00 PM — FORMAL MEETING E M M A J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Susan Craig, Maggie Elliott, Mike Hensch, Steve Miller, Scott Quellhorst (via zoom), Billie Townsend, Chad Wade MEMBERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: Anne Russett, Rachael Schaefer OTHERS PRESENT: Christopher Shires CALL TO ORDER: Elliott called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. UPDATE AND DISCUSSION ON THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE: Christopher Shires (Principal, Confluence) is with the consulting firm hired by the city of Iowa City to help update the Comprehensive Plan. He noted he has a presentation, and this is the time when they want to hear from the Commission on their thoughts and ideas and initial feedback. Shires began with a recap of the project scope and schedule, he noted this is a five step process, there is a steering committee, they've finished phase one with the initial assessment and analysis and those presentations are available on the project website. Right now, they're in the middle of the public input process which is phase two. They are getting a lot of great community feedback, they are doing one on one stakeholder interviews, some small group interviews and also some focus group meetings. Then they've had a series of listening sessions, as well as some public workshops, so they're hearing a lot of good things of what people want and there's a lot of optimism. Shires noted that doesn't mean there's not some challenges and issues, as well as some conflicting ideas and once they get done with this phase they'll be sharing that feedback with the steering committee and that information will be made available on the website. After the public input process, they'll go to phase three and establishing the big goals and the big ideas. Then in phase four they will begin the Plan drafting, rolling it back out to the public, and this Commission, to make sure they've got it right, but still very much in a draft form so if people have feedback they can and will make those edits, and get that all finalized. Then phase five is the adoption process, where it first comes to this Commission for reviewing and vetting, and then this Commission will send forward a recommendation to the City Council on adopting the Comprehensive Plan, and then hopefully get that final Council approval. Shires next reviewed the project schedule, in a nutshell it's a year and a half long process and if they stay on schedule they will finish next May. Shires noted they are not trying to rush through this and are taking public engagement and the analysis very seriously, and so it does take some time. Shires stated to begin work on a new Comprehensive Plan they first need to look at the current 2030 IC Plan. He noted it's ready to be updated, it is aged. In that Plan there are seven major chapters, or elements, or components that he wants to highlight as a way to trigger some of the thought processes. First, land use goals, this is the major category under land use and one of the Planning and Zoning Commission June 4, 2025 Page 2 of 16 most important components of a comprehensive plan, a future land use plan, plus the major goals and action steps. Shires noted this is used to help make recommendations for a rezoning, a subdivision, a development plan for this Commission's initial review and vetting to then forward to the City Council. In the current Plan they want to promote compact, efficient development, contiguous and connected. They want to plan for commercial nodes and small scale neighborhood retail centers, industrial development on land suitable for industrial development, a strong access to downtown that's accessible and pedestrian oriented, to protect the community's historical, environmental and other assets, and they also want review zoning and annexation and undeveloped areas. The current Future Land Use Map from the 2030 Plan, adopted in 2013, and how the City is set up for new growth and development in new areas and the undeveloped areas, and even infill and redevelopment that this Commission is tasked with when looking at a rezonings in town. Shires stated they will be updating that Future Land Use Map and will also work with the County on the Fringe Area Plan, luckily Iowa City is in a county that is willing to work with the City on coming to a mutual agreement on how land within certain areas is best developed, and if it's going to be developed it coincides with City's plans as well as the County's plans. He noted in the growth area plan they have a tiered system on these areas may grow outside City limits where closer in the City gets a little more priority in saying what happens but then outside of the growth area the county has more priority. Shires next moved onto housing goals and noted housing is going to be a big component, as it should be, and encouraging a diverse housing stock and housing options to improve and maintain the existing stock. The current Plan states they want housing to be safety, they want to protect the integrity of the neighborhoods, especially the historic neighborhoods, mitigate impact of large scale residential developments and support sustainability initiatives. Under economic development goals, the Plan calls to increase the diversity of the property tax base, support quality employment that provides a living wage, encourage a healthy mix of independent, locally owned business. Shires stated that is what he is hearing that from the community as well, they really like locally owned and this community also supports entrepreneurial activity. There are goals to improve the environmental and economic health of the community, collaborate with other local jurisdictions, and then judicious use of financial incentives. Another goal in the current Plan is transportation goals, and they want to accommodate all the different ways to get around. They want to encourage walking and biking, using public transit, maximize safety and efficiency, mobility for elderly and all folks at all ability levels, and encourage economic vitality. For the environmental goals Shires recognizes the role land use plays in into the environment. He presented to the Climate Action Commission and they provided some very direct feedback. The current Plan states to identify and preserve those natural features they want to enhance and save, protect the watersheds, floodplains, greenways, ensure water quality, reduce lawn chemicals and fertilizers, promote sustainable resources, continue to track and measure how they're doing towards goals. Shires added they will propose a climate action goal to raise awareness and expand opportunities for waste reduction, energy efficiency and so forth. Next, Parks and Rec and open space goals, they want to ensure that they've got adequate and appropriate parks to serve the neighborhoods, to improve overall access and awareness of the system and trails partnerships, improve awareness and access to the river, and then work with residents and other partners to make sure there is adequate funding. Lastly, arts and culture goals and to recognize the economic importance of arts and culture for Iowa City, support programming, especially with changing demographics, and increase funding and develop partnerships to build on. Shires stated they like to review the current Plan so they do not start with a ground zero, they are Planning and Zoning Commission June 4, 2025 Page 3 of 16 building upon the past good work, but some of these may not be relevant anymore or need to be rethought. So, with that the first question is do you think they're all valid, is that all the goals or what is missing. Hensch stated he wrote down five things, that are included but it's question of emphasis. He has been on this Commission for 10 years and one thing he's thought about a lot is the primary geographic feature in Johnson County is the Iowa River and the contributing creeks. They really need to treat this other than as a drainage ditch but treat it as an economic and recreation opportunity and that can't happen without the emphasis to make that happen. Iowa City is actually a pretty old town, 1848, and at some point turned their back on the Iowa River but need to face it because it's how they got here in the first place, the Iowa River is how people came up here. It's a conservation effort, it's a recreation effort, and it's an economic opportunity, and he would hate to see that not have the emphasis it probably deserves. Another thing, having lived in this County since 1985 and driving around he is increasingly asking himself why development isn't occurring in Iowa City at the same rate as it is in Coralville, North Liberty and Tiffin, that's a question that has to be asked and has to be answered. This body has ownership of it, City Council certainly has ownership of it, City staff would have some ownership of it so it's a question that needs to be asked and answered. Third, they need to actively encourage annexation to increase development. They're going to have a presentation later about infill development but there just isn't enough infill development sites to meet the housing demand, and the only way to get annexation is two ways, voluntary annexation and involuntary annexation. They don't want to involuntary annex if they can avoid it, but they certainly need the developers to know that the City welcomes annexation. The City has an opportunity to be partners with these people to grow opportunities for housing in Johnson County. While it may not belong in this Plan, another thing is they need to actively support growing the property tax base. Due to the high number of government owned properties, nonprofit owned properties and parcels in Iowa City, the fundamental question is who's going to pay property taxes, somebody has to. The City is financing programs such as funding to nonprofits, parks and recreation, libraries and that funding comes from property taxes so they need to increase the number of properties that pay taxes. Lastly, Hensch believes they need to increase generational wealth opportunities among lower income residents in Johnson County by assisting home ownership opportunities such as down payment support, buy downs on house prices or something, because if they want a solution to poverty in a long term, one of the most proven fundamental ways to do that is by increasing generational wealth. If the City keeps spending all their money on rental assistance but not helping people own houses, then the financial situation of families through generations won't change. If people are able to own houses and then sell those, or through inheritance, provide those to their families, generational wealth is accumulated. He noted this is not Rockefeller type generational wealth, it's just talking about a grandma owned a house, then the parents owned it, now the children own it and that can only happen by not having housing costs where all someone's money goes to housing. They need to be thinking long term in addition to short term for housing solutions and for social economic assistance solutions. Quellhorst thinks those are great points and particularly agrees with the point about the Iowa River, that is underutilized, and it would be great to explore ways to make use of that space. The one thing that he would add is when it comes to affordable housing it would be helpful to incorporate some specifics, because everyone recognizes that that's a priority but it has been difficult to find ways to actually move it forward, so the more specific that they can be about how they want to increase the housing supply and bring down cost for people, the better. Planning and Zoning Commission June 4, 2025 Page 4 of 16 Hensch agreed and noted when they talk to people in the community, many people have the concept that affordable housing just magically happens, it's just somehow there. He thinks they need to list how affordable housing would occur by working with developers or cities and counties buying properties, and then make those available. If they don't tell people how it can happen, then the magical thinking just continues. Craig thinks they have to also consider what Iowa City currently does a very good job of, but you can't lesson up on it, and that is good rental opportunities, particularly for non -students. The housing market is crazy so she worries, coming from someone whose family never owned a house, that there are people that are, for whatever reason, lack of a decent paying job, family illness, or whatever are never going to have the opportunity to own a house but they still deserve a quality of living that is appropriate for human beings. She thinks they can't just do affordable housing, which she is a huge advocate for, people need to take advantage of different kinds of programs to be able to buy their first home, they bought their first home because her husband got a VA loan, but don't forget the people who live in rental spaces, it's not just the place that has four walls but where they are in the community and the access that they need to community amenities. Wade would also add Iowa City is getting older in a lot of ways, outside the student population, and have seen tremendous growth in independent assisted living and memory care, with very little growth in long term care or nursing homes, which ends up being a bottleneck in the process, those places are all moving to the outskirts, other than one that's just been built close to Hickory Hill. So it does become a bit of a social network challenge as well, because they're not able to integrate at the same effort. Shires stated he has definitely heard similar comments from some of the stakeholder interviews. Hensch also wanted to mention Highway 6, it is almost like a river going through Iowa City, if someone lives south of Highway 6, where he has ever since his family moved there in 1983, it's really hard to get across Highway 6 because there's not sidewalks the length of Highway 6, there's not the frequent protected crosswalk opportunities and it really creates a segregated, and not by race, but segregated by access for people on bicycles and pedestrians to the rest of Iowa City. Hensch acknowledged it's a US highway so the DOT owns it, but it is missing sidewalk sections and there is a lack of opportunities to cross it safely. Craig noted she lived south of Highway 6 in her first house, bought in 1977, and at that time there was no pedestrian crossings except maybe at Gilbert Street. Shires asked regarding the goals he reviewed, were there any that the Commission doesn't think are relevant anymore or are not a priority. Townsend noted the one thing that concerns her, back to affordable housing, not affordable housing, per se, but the term itself and they need to reevaluate what affordable housing actually is because many times what they call affordable units are not really affordable. Wade noted at the end of the day it's the economics of it that's going to end up supporting development and interest, it's all sizing compared to the economics to make it somewhat balanced and that's a fine line. Planning and Zoning Commission June 4, 2025 Page 5 of 16 Townsend stated they don't have to reinvent the wheel, she was in Omaha last weekend and listening to their newscast, their Habitat is going to do 100 affordable homes this year. They're small units, but they're homes, so Iowa City might want to see how they're planning to do that and maybe model something like that. Miller agrees with a lot of the points that have been made, one area maybe not in agreement with is the expansion. One of his personal priorities is to encourage, urban development, infill which was the first goal in development, compact, urban development, infill. He agrees they do need housing of all types, across the spectrum, which includes some annexation probably, and a little more on the edges, but also anything they can do to limit the expansion of City resources to be able to provide more housing within the infrastructure that they already have is best. He noted he just learned today that Cedar Rapids has a ton of roads, maybe as many roads as San Francisco, so that scale of that much population density versus the infrastructure can't be good. So, the ability to maintain some density that's more efficient for the City to maintain, and its better quality of life, because if it's more dense it's more walkable, is a big one. He also loves what was said about any kind of financial assistance they can provide as a community to build generational wealth for people that traditionally don't have it, that would be wonderful. Access across Highway 6, connectivity there would be great. Miller stated another important topic is the connectivity of trails and bike lanes so that it doesn't just abruptly end and all of a sudden you're on a busy street. This is important in Iowa City but then also regionally connected, this would be really great for attractiveness of and livability to get people to want to come live here. He noted he was in a presentation earlier about the Iowa Workforce Development and they did a labor shed analysis and 51 % of employees that work in Iowa City live in Iowa City and 49% are coming in from other communities. So that's a lot of people that if there was the housing here would probably want to live here. Townsend wanted to add to that Omaha business that's Blue Stem Prairie Habitat for Humanity of Omaha that is building 85 homes on 19 acres. To follow up on what Miller said, Hensch thinks that one of the greatest illustrations of people working Iowa City but not being able to afford to live here is that the largest employer in Washington County is the University of Iowa, which is located in Iowa City. Townsend asked about streets, there's so many older roads in Iowa City that need to be redone, not just with a little tar and feathers, but with concrete that's going to last forever. She lives off Kimball Road and when they redid Kimball Road all they did was put rocks and a little asphalt down and now that's all worn off in a year. She thinks they need to be a little more concerned about the streets. Shires agreed and noted that would probably be one of those specific little comments that's not quite so loud in the current Comprehensive Plan that they can be more loud about in the new Plan. Hensch noted that's one of the bigger indicators of quality of life and if there's the number one thing that is missing from the Plan is the focus on quality of life to make people happy and satisfied with where they live, and the focus on the features that contribute to the quality of life. Everything on top after that is just window dressing, because if someone is happy where they live, they feel safe, they feel satisfied, everything else is just gravy after that. Craig noted regarding living in Washington County, part of that is a desire for the American Planning and Zoning Commission June 4, 2025 Page 6 of 16 dream, a giant house on an acre of land and Iowa City is an urban city so a giant house on an acre of land is unaffordable so they have to get that quality of life someplace else. They need to lure them to a much smaller piece of property with the quality of life, ability to walk places, a bookmobile that comes to the park on Thursday afternoons, all the opportunities kids have in urban areas they are not going to get in rural Washington County. Shires noted anecdotally he's heard from many folks that used to live here, grew up here, went to school here, went away for awhile and now are back. They come back from one of the coasts, they come back from some significant living centers where people think the quality of life is high, so that is a really great sign. He loves this focus on quality of life and to make Iowa City the environment everyone wants to live in, because they don't have the mountains or the ocean. Craig noted her son lives in Brooklyn, New York, with two teenagers in a two bedroom apartment that they rent, but that's what everybody does because they have all that other stuff which is sometimes a blessing and sometimes a curse. Hensch stated yes, they'd love to have destination attractions here, and maybe that should be in the plan, but quality of life is more important than destination attractions Shires moved on to pivot the thinking to be more specific to their experiences of serving on this Commission, what's working well and what's not working well, and how could this Plan maybe help improve that. Hensch stated what works really well is they have an outstanding staff for Iowa City, the employees of Iowa City are first rate. People need to recognize that and start listening to the staff and not trying to substitute their own opinions for what experts on the staff do every day and have studied and committed their careers to. He is offended when he hears, like on a recent thing the Council did where they substituted their judgment for what City staff recommended, yes they can do that, but is it wise. Quellhorst agrees they have a wonderful staff, and the City needs to make sure that they do what they need to do to retain them and allow them to do their jobs. Craig noted in her five years on the Commission there are two themes that they've made very little progress on. Number one is affordable housing, and number two is something that comes up over and over again without any solution, is the significant areas of joint property. Everybody wants to live on a slope overlooking a woodland but no one takes care of the woodland because it's all owned jointly by the group. This Commission has had several conversations about that, and how those pieces of jointly owned property are not being taken care of properly. Hensch agreed, outlots and property owned by the HOAs are not being maintained. They sign an agreement with the City to maintain it but then don't and that's a problem. Elliott noted one of the things she has appreciated being on the Commission is the involvement of the community and the leadership of this Commission in making sure that they're transparent and that the community has a voice. This Commission has been very respectful. Another thing is the agenda packets are well done, always in the packets it lists out how the project will fit into the Comprehensive Plan or doesn't, and that helps tremendously for the Commission. Planning and Zoning Commission June 4, 2025 Page 7 of 16 Craig noted that was interesting to her in the recent action that they took on the strange piece of property between Dodge and Jefferson, the history of the crazy rezoning that was in that area, made her think of all the land sitting out there that someone could suddenly come along and do something awful on if the zoning was not up to date. Miller stated he's been on the Commission significantly less time than everyone else, but in his limited time they've had a couple cases come forth where they need additional height because of different circumstances. In his professional work, working with developers and clients, not only in Iowa City but in other communities, it's often the ability to go taller to get more housing in an urban infill situation. Adding another story adds a little bit more density. He feels like the 35 foot maximum in all the zoning outside of the CB districts limits developers so he'd like to see explored and could they go higher because he thinks that would help get some more housing in the City. Additionally, the City is also already studying the parking, but having less parking requirements would also help get more housing. Minneapolis got rid of it completely. Having it studied and having a recommendation on how to decrease the parking requirements may help. Craig noted they are a pretty process driven community and have a real sense of people being treated equitably, so they need to make sure to keep that. Hensch completely agrees, they spend hundreds of hours in public hearings and sometimes they seem tedious but they're critically important to a functioning democracy. One criticism he has about process, it just seems that if a developer or an applicant complies with all the rules, meets with City staff and works with City staff in goodwill and City staff endorses the project it should be almost pro forma that that project gets approved because these rules have been established by City Council and Planning and Zoning. If P&Z or Council don't like the rules then they should change them, not just tell somebody when come for approval. That is how they are discouraging development, when people can't predict that their project will be approved if they follow all the rules and if they work with City staff. That's how they become development averse from different developers, and they'll just develop somewhere else and not in Iowa City. Planning and Zoning has been sensitive to all sides of the equation and tried to show everybody respect since he's been here but that maybe hasn't always been true and they need to get over that, find a way to kill that reputation that Iowa City is anti -development because without development they can't grow and they have to grow because they need to have affordable housing, and employment opportunities, and recreation opportunities, they need to have quality of life and all that happens with growth, stagnant just means they just stay exactly how they are, nothing improves. Wade agrees, one thing that they don't really always see is the cost associated with time or professional services so to request a change or delay to next meeting can be a deterrent. He has not seen it here with P&Z very often here but has seen it in other locals, but if a project getting held up, but they still have money tied up in the land costs it does is becomes a deterrent, so they need to be to ensure that they're progress friendly with growth as well. Shires noted one thing they have an opportunity through this comprehensive plan is to reinforce how and when development occurs and what are those areas in town for whatever level of development. He stated he's hearing a little bit on both sides on that, one from the community not wanting a three story apartment next to them and then also an area that would be perfect but the code doesn't allow for a three story apartment, so how do they marry those and fill that gap. Sometimes a land use plan and some of the policies and recommendations that are in a plan can really help figure that out and have a little more to increase that predictability. Consistency Planning and Zoning Commission June 4, 2025 Page 8 of 16 zoning, where they're rezoning the property consistent with the Comprehensive Plan is the best case scenario so can they make that a little more predictable and update the Plan with a sharp focus. Craig asked but how do you encourage development, one of the disappointments as she goes off the board is that they changed all that zoning south of Highway 6 and no major development has occurred down there since. Yes, they were in the middle of Covid so was it because of Covid, or the economy from Covid, and then the price of housing is going up or did they make a mistake with that zoning. She stands by that decision and feels it's the right thing for the City but don't have a developer that wants to build down there so what incentives can they give a developer. Wade noted recently there was a good partnership between development and the builder where there were some opportunities in the code based design that the developer built the case on showing the challenges and so they refined it the code. That just recently went through but it was good to see that kind of partnership to make it economically viable and make it work. Shires acknowledged that is one part of the equation, literally hearing directly from the folks that might be doing a project, what's the issue or infrastructure hurdle. The other part of the equation is, and not that this isn't a noble goal of the City, is to have that good compact growth. They need competition in the marketplace and need a lot of open land available for development because not everybody's interested in developing at a certain time, at a certain rate, or for certain price. The City has to get land in the right hands and that's so hard to do. They've had a lot of communities that they worked with that'll have high demand for development, but all the land is in certain ownerships that have zero interest in either selling for development or being a developer or have a really unrealistic expectation for raw land prices, they run into that constantly, which is why some cities are so aggressive on annexation. He is not suggesting the City needs to get aggressive on annexation, because there's some costs with that, but they need to try to open up more land availability in the marketplace. Developers are risk averse, they go where it's easiest first and right now Iowa City has a lot of neighbors where the land availability and maybe the perception of ease is there. It was asked earlier why Iowa City is not growing as fast as neighbors and while there's a combination of factors, a developer is going to go where it is easiest. Yes, sometimes it depends on who owns the land and in other cases maybe the utility extension is too expensive, or the developer can't make that 14% profit or 12% whatever their margin is, it's complicated. That's why Iowa City has to have a robust approach, and an open book approach, with the development community on where are the gaps. Shires noted they have also been asking different developers they're meeting with these questions and will share that feedback in the report. Miller noted that aligns with that presentation he just came from and the person that was presenting said it's a lot of factors such as interest rates, but the number one thing he said was acquisition costs are just sky high so one of the solutions was creative public private partnerships to help bring down that cost. Shires stated one of the things some communities do is land bank and try to actively acquire land for redevelopment. If you have a lot of little parcels that are vacant and abandoned independently, they're not buildable, but if you can assemble several at time, some communities are doing that and then they can offer them on the marketplace of the development community, or even at a discount, to do whatever great project they would hope would show up there. He Planning and Zoning Commission June 4, 2025 Page 9 of 16 noted they don't see that so much in greenfield development. That's more of a downtown, urban redevelopment. Shires noted in his old job he worked for a very rapid growing suburb and when asked what he did for a living his response was his job is to make farmers rich and rich farmers richer because they were selling raw farmland, undeveloped, no infrastructure, at $40,000 an acre, that's a really steep number, even today. Townsend stated someone mentioned at the last meeting on Monday that developers come in and put up rental property and then they decide to not run it and they sell it to someone else. Shires confirmed yes, land speculation and large investment companies do that and they can't stop that from happening, he doesn't know of any legal tools to do that. What you can do is through your rental housing inspection, which he believes Iowa City already does, is have a local agent and that local agent and contact information has to be available to the City so that if there is a problem, there's a contact. The property could still be owned by some company or conglomerate out of Florida, but it has to have a local property management identified and listed. Shires asked if there are any other emerging trends the Commission might want to be make sure Confluence is aware of and considering. Hensch noted an emerging issue is the Coralville Reservoir is getting silted in, and that's a huge recreation economic opportunity driver for Johnson County and if that goes from being a lake to a marsh, how's that going to affect Iowa City. It's filling in pretty rapidly, he doesn't know what the timeline is, but that is something they need to be thinking about and planning for. Wade stated there's a nonprofit that's trying to get some momentum around that but it's really not discussed very often. Hensch noted the Core of Engineers have always planned on it to fill in someday, they had a projected date when they developed it in the late 1950s, early 1960s, and their management plan was just understanding it would silt in. Townsend stated another emerging issues is charging stations for electrical vehicles, should that be part of the Plan to require them. That's going to be a concern for people with electric cars that are coming to Iowa City, how are they going to charge them and if they're living here, is there something close. Shires replied they can look at it two ways, permissiveness in the code, that they can go where they need to go, as well as a parking requirement, although they're trying to get away from parking requirements. Regarding parking, Townsend asked when all of the parking meters became scan and pay, no longer talking coins. Shires agreed that is an issue, and maybe an aging issue for those that are not smartphone savvy, and everything now requires a smartphone. He did note what's great for Iowa City's meter app system is rather universal and many cities have the same one. Shires shared another issue is the climate issues, storms are getting stronger, droughts are getting longer, the wets are getting wetter. Never heard the term Derecho until they had one in Iowa. Also the change of how people work and the impact of so many more people working from home, there is a lot more office vacancy and that changes even the shopping dynamic and the retail economy, moving away from buying most of your goods locally and at stores to buying so Planning and Zoning Commission June 4, 2025 Page 10 of 16 much online Miller stated he has only lived in Iowa City for nine years but has heard a lot of people talk about how since Covid, but even before that, downtown just isn't as vibrant as it used to be and part of that's obviously e-commerce, but also there's just less people working downtown. He doesn't know how to get more people working downtown, but having more people living downtown helps Craig noted having a library downtown helps too, and that was a battle for 30 years, people are finally understanding if you want families in downtown Iowa City, then you build the public library there. Shires asked what comes to mind when they think top priorities for this new comprehensive plan Hensch replied quality of life, number one, number two, economic opportunity, people can't live here if they don't have jobs, jobs that they can live on. Townsend stated affordable housing that is affordable. Craig said aggressive growth. Somehow Iowa City needs to be the new Tiffin and get out there, she doesn't know what they did, but Iowa City is not going to grow at that percentage rate and they need to be not complacent about thinking everybody wants to live in Iowa City. Hensch stated they need to get away from the cynicism and go to the optimism, optimism drives change and when people are positive cheerleaders for a community that brings growth. Quellhorst would say the priority is affordable housing, clearly the climate is changing, and in particular getting worse as they've seen storms and flooding as well as changes in the insurance market. They should probably be thinking about how to protect the community against those risks. Shires noted climate resiliency is important. Shires asked the next question, is there anything else from the Commission's perspective that they think this comprehensive plan can support them as a current Commissioner and future commissioners in their work in managing the growth of the City. Hensch stated that all the district plans are up to date, every district has a plan and frankly they probably have too many plans with some of the lines for the districts rather arbitrary so consolidation would be his recommendation for many of them. Quellhorst agrees, they just have so many plans and maintaining them seems kind of unworkable so condensing them and then making sure that those that remain are up to date is a laudable goal. Shires wondered do they need district plans or could the new comprehensive plan cover it. Townsend noted there are some areas, like the downtown area, where they are going to need some differences. Shires noted in the comp plan they can list a certain base level of certain land use categories and have goals related to transition and neighborhood development and things like that. Maybe Planning and Zoning Commission June 4, 2025 Page 11 of 16 downtown still needs its own little special plan, and maybe some areas, but do they need them to cover the entire city and need them everywhere, maybe not. Maybe there's only some focused areas. Craig stated if a current district plan is out of date, it should go away, they aren't using it anymore. If an area plan has not been updated in 20 years they shouldn't even be looking at it, except in the historical perspective. Quellhorst agrees and is in support of getting rid of the district plans while there might be certain areas that require special considerations, but he would suggest just addressing those in the overall plan as that would just make it logistically easier for everybody, particularly staff and the Commission. Miller is curious from a staff perspective what is the reaction to the idea of consolidating district plans within the comp plan. Russett acknowledges that it makes sense for a variety of reasons, it is unmanageable and unworkable to continually update these and most the areas are not that uniquely different. Some plans are 20 years old, some are inconsistent, some have different land use legends, they have different future land use maps for the same properties. She wanted to add one more thing, if there are special areas those areas can be highlighted but be articulated within the same document. Shires noted he has enjoyed working with Iowa City because there's a lot of vision and optimism. Moving forward they are continuing to have a lot of engagement, tomorrow they're at the party in the park, and then they have their continuation of public workshops, and then some pop up events. He noted all this information is on the City's website. PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION ON THE 2024IOWA CITY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS: Schaefer shared the data that staff gathered and what they learned from the 2024 Iowa City Residential Development Analysis. She began by explaining that every year the city of Iowa City analyzes local data to identify development patterns and track recent and long term trends. The goal of this project is to provide accurate information that can inform land use and policy decision making. One of the fundamental aspects of the planning is accommodating the growth of the community, and they want to look at where there is a demand for housing and when that goes unmet what can the City do and how they might see impacts as far as population growth and the growth of the surrounding communities. Schaefer first wanted to highlight some of the definitions in the document, residential development is the process in which land is prepared for new dwellings, either as new construction of vacant land or redevelopment on land that was previously developed. Final plats permanently delineate lots and other features pertinent to the transfer property. Building permits are the final administrative approval of building plans that allow construction. Single family units have one principal dwelling on a lot, those can be attached or detached, attached being separated by lot lines. There are also duplexes, which are two principal units on one lot and then there is multifamily, which is the biggest category in the City and is anything that's three or more principal dwelling units, regardless of the ownership structure. That would also include mixed use buildings. Town home development, condos, large apartments, anything three or more units falls under multifamily. Finally, there are accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which is the smallest type Planning and Zoning Commission June 4, 2025 Page 12 of 16 of dwelling, it can be accessory to single family or two family uses. To reviews the key takeaways from the 2024 Residential Development Analysis Schaefer begun by noting subdivision activity in 2024 dropped well below the average, with sharp declines across all housing types, especially single family lots which fell 75% below the five year average. Additionally, notably they had no new attached single family or duplex lots plotted within the last year. Single family permits in 2024 slightly exceeded five year trends, but also total permits were less than half of the 10 year average. Multifamily development was at a decade low and almost no attached single family or duplex activity when it came to permitting. As far as dwelling demolitions there was a decline in 2024 from the previous year with just 11 units removed in 2024 and that's well below the five year average of 34 demolitions and the 10 year average of 39 demolitions. More key takeaways, as far as the activity in the University Impact Area, it was also lower this year due to a lack of the multifamily developments that was seen in previous years. Furthermore, the trend of converting duplexes to single family homes has continued in that area but has slowed compared to previous years. As far as vacant lots go, the number of buildable vacant lots increased in 2024 and this was largely due to new infrastructure built in the City and they also had a revised method of counting infill lots with this report. In previous years, they didn't count lots that were owned by adjacent owners, so if someone had their property that had a single family home on it and then also owned the separate vacant lot next door, those previously weren't included in the vacant lots because there was an assumption made that those two would always be sold together and remain under shared or the same ownership. They've removed that assumption because they've been seeing parcels divided and being sold off. Therefore, to compare numbers from 2023 to 2024 that's attributing to that jump in vacant land available because of that method change. Schaefer also noted another big takeaway, if permitting trends from 2020 through 2024 continue, the City is expected to only meet 68% of the demand for new housing by 2030 with a deficit of approximately 1490 dwelling units leaving a housing shortage. As far as analyzing this data, Schaefer noted one of the first things that they look at is the final plat activity. Final plats are a leading indicator for the anticipated number of single family and duplex dwelling units that will be developed, and to a lesser extent can foreshadow multifamily. Multifamily is a little harder to predict as there's a little more variation of how many units can be built on a lot platted for multifamily. Based on the size of the lots and the preliminary plans from the developer and the zoning districts, staff can anticipate how many units will be developed based on how many lots are being created via platting. In 2024 there was only six final plats that were approved by Council and nearly all of these plats created small, single family infill lots. Four of those plats were responsible for the 13 units seen in the chart and those are single family units. All of the proposed multifamily that the City is getting from plats is from that Western Homes GPD plat the Commission recently reviewed. She noted while some on the plat appeared like single family, and there were some homes, some duplexes, they are all counted in multifamily since they're all on that shared lot for the 55 and older community. Schaefer reiterated recent trends in the single family lot creation is lower compared to historic trends, the 10 year average was 273 units, the five year average was down to 221 but 2024 was still well below that at only 138 units to be added, based on lots platted. Elliott noted hopefully people from Iowa City will move into that Western Homes development and open up more housing for younger folks in the City. Schaefer stated in addition to the final plats, staff also looks at building and demolition permits as Planning and Zoning Commission June 4, 2025 Page 13 of 16 some insight into the development process. In 2024 145 units were permitted again well below the five and 10 year averages. She did note the total number of single family detached units permitted did exceed the five year trends but multifamily permits were at 10 year low and duplex permits were lower than the five and 10 year trends as well. Looking at demolition permits, when combined with the building permits issued it indicates the total anticipated changes in dwellings for a certain year. In 2024 there were 11 units demolished and when they combine that with 145 building permits that were issued in 2024 it is a net gain of 134 units that were permitted to be built. Schaefer shared a map showing where those building permits are being issued to and where the demolitions are occurring. Much of the building permit activity is happening in the newer subdivisions that were platted in previous years and the demolitions are a little more sporadic, but many are for projects that the City has been in contact with developers on and there's an anticipated upcoming project and that's why the demolition has occurred. Schaefer stated they also look specifically at the permit activity within the University Impact Area because this includes residential neighborhoods near the University of Iowa campus that contain higher levels of undergraduate students, including, but not limited to, the Northside, Goosetown, College Hill, Melrose and the Miller Orchard neighborhood. Changes to the University Impact Area are often attributed to large scale redevelopment projects in the Riverfront Crossing Districts, those larger scale rental developments or student housing type projects. In 2024 there were three single family detached homes and one townhome style multifamily development developed in the University Impact Area for a total of eight units added in 2024 and no residential building permits were issued for the Riverfront Crossing District portion of the University Impact Area. She pointed to the difference in 2023 where they saw a large influx of permits and multifamily. The last group of data that they look at is the City's vacant lot supply and how those properties may develop. A build out analysis of the vacant lot supply estimates how long it would take for the current number of vacant buildable lots to be developed, based on 10 year averages and building permits issued per year. Shaefer explained several factors can improve that outlook, such as construction of infrastructure for unimproved lots. Overall, this analysis is more important to single family and duplex development because they're easier to predict the number of units versus multifamily where those numbers can fluctuate. Based on 2024 data it's anticipated that it would take three years to fully develop all buildable, vacant, single family detached lots that are in Iowa City, 5.3 years for single family attached lots, 7.6 years for duplex size lots and two years for multifamily lots to be totally built out. Therefore, the anticipated build out time frame for vacant single family lots increased from 2023 and this was due to the low building permit numbers in 2024 and the construction of new infrastructure, which made more lots come online. Schaefer also wanted to note the duplex timeframe, since it is a striking difference from last year. Staff believes this increase happened due to the recent creation of duplex lots that they're seeing in some of the newer subdivisions. There was a lack of those duplex permits for 2024 specifically so it is assumed they're just in the development process and it hasn't occurred yet. Schaefer stated the last projection is to determine if Iowa City's anticipated needs will be met, the City compares the numbers of permits recently issued to the expected population growth. The population projection they're currently using is from the Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County, and in a previous report they projected that Iowa City's population will reach approximately 85,070 residents by 2030 so they're using that number for this analysis. That number is an increase of around 10,240 new residents from 2020 to 2026 and suggests a demand of over 4610 new dwelling units needed within that timeframe to meet the new Planning and Zoning Commission June 4, 2025 Page 14 of 16 population growth. Using the recent permit trends, this suggests that the City will only see 3120 new units in that same timeframe which accommodates just 68% of the projected housing demand, leaving a deficit of 1490 units. This shortfall represents an increase from last year of 430 units so Iowa City is even farther behind then projected last year again, indicating that that housing deficit is growing in Iowa City based on permitting trends. She noted this projected deficit may encourage additional growth in nearby cities such as Tiffin and North Liberty, which has seen a proliferation of new residential development and can negatively impact the City's environmental goals as homes are built further away from those employment centers and the commuting distances, car dependency and traffic congestion all increase as a symptom of that. In addition, an insufficient supply of housing can increase housing costs which the supply cannot meet. When the supply cannot meet the demand of new dwellings Iowa City will become less affordable if this trend progresses. So consequently, it's important to continue encouraging residential growth in areas that have access to City services such as infill locations as well as the City's designated growth areas which are anticipated to become a part of the City's boundary in the future. Elliott asked whatever happened to the Carson farm, is that land included in this report. Russett explained that land was part of an annexation several years ago that was ultimately withdrawn because there seemed to be lack of support from City Council. The ownership is going to change soon so they may be seeing some activity out there. The City did recently put in a trunk sewer to provide more infrastructure to that land and is working on a regional storm water system for that area as well, which should help with the growth. Wade noted this last year, ADUs and duplexes were two significant changes to hope to spur growth in that area, however they're not seeing the result to that, do they think it's a time issue and it needs more time, or are there some other challenges. He spends a lot of time driving around North Liberty, Tiffin, and some of the neighboring communities, and duplexes are everywhere left and right so it's not based on a regional market demand. Russett said it goes back to the conversation earlier this evening about all the complications that come with land development, and they can only control the regulations and have tried to do everything they can to make it easier, at least from the regulatory side, to build these types of units but there's still property ownership and financing. Even with ADUs, they've gotten a lot of inquiries on ADUs but it's a lot of money. So they aren't seeing a huge change from those regulations but maybe over time they will see some more come online. Wade asked with the form based code down in the Sycamore area that they just made some changes on, are there any duplexes there or is that all single family development. Schaefer replied that will be a mix of housing types, there's a wide array of housing types from single family, duplex, some townhome style. Elliott noted with the ADUs they restricted it to owner occupied and if staff hears a lot of requests for non -owner occupied, will they come back to the Commission with that. Russett explained the State actually preempted them from regulating ADUs to some extent and the City can no longer require the owner occupancy and as of July 1 that will change and Iowa City will be required to implement that new state law. So if a landlord comes in and wants to build an ADU and rent both the single family unit and the ADU that will be allowed. CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: MAY 7 2025: Planning and Zoning Commission June 4, 2025 Page 15 of 16 Hensch moved to approve the meeting minutes from May 7, 2025. Townsend seconded the motion, a vote was taken and the motion passed 7-0. PLANNING AND ZONING INFORMATION: Russett noted this is Hensch and Craig's last month with the Commission, she wanted to share how much their commitment to the Commission has been appreciated. Craig asked what the status is of the Governor Street project. Russett replied the applicant requested deferral of the third reading because they wanted it aligned with the approval of the final plat. Craig noted there's a rezoning sign on the corner of Scott and Rochester, what is happening there. Russett said that will be coming to the Commission, they actually might see that at the next meeting. ADJOURNMENT: Hensch moved to adjourn, Craig seconded and the motion passed 7-0 PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2023-2025 1216 12120 1117 217 2121 4/3 511 6126 914 9118 11120 1214 2119 315 517 614 CRAIG, SUSAN X O/E X X X X X X X X X X X X X X ELLIOTT, MAGGIE X X X O/E X X X O/E X X O/E X X X X X HENSCH, MIKE X X X X X X X X O/E X X X X O/E X X MILLER, STEVE -- -- I -- -- -- -- I -- -- -- -- -- -- I -- -- -- -- X X X X X X X X PADRON, MARIA O/E X X X X O/E O/E -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- QUELLHORST, SCOTT X X X X X O/E X X X X O/E X X X X X TOWNSEND, BILLIE X X X X X X X X X X O/E X X X X X WADE, CHAD X X X X X X O/E X X X X X X X X X KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Not a Member Item Number: 4.f. a CITY OF IOWA CITY "QF T-4 COUNCIL ACTION REPORT July 8, 2025 Planning & Zoning Commission: June 18 [See Recommendations] Attachments: Planning & Zoning Commission: June 18 [See Recommendations] r ��_..® CITY OF IOWA CITY MEMORANDUM Date: July 3, 2025 To: Mayor and City Council From: Anne Russett, Senior Planner Re: Recommendations from the Planning and Zoning Commission At its June 18, 2025 meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission have the following recommendation to the City Council: By a vote of 6-0 (Miller absent) the Commission recommends approval of REZ25-0007, a proposal to rezone approximately 7.76 acres of land located on Lot 66 of Monument Hills subdivision northwest of Rochester Avenue and N. Scott Boulevard from OPD/RS-5 zone to OPD/RM-12 zone. 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 J U N E 18, 2025 — 6:00 PM —FORMAL MEETING E M M A J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Susan Craig, Maggie Elliott, Mike Hensch, Scott Quellhorst, Billie Townsend, Chad Wade MEMBERS ABSENT: Steve Miller STAFF PRESENT: Alex Bright, Madison Conley, Liz Craig, Anne Russett OTHERS PRESENT: Michael Welch, Larry Luebbert, Camryn Current, Angie Smith RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: By a vote of 6-0 the Commission recommends approval of REZ25-0007, a proposal to rezone approximately 7.76 acres of land located on Lot 66 of Monument Hills subdivision northwest of Rochester Avenue and N. Scott Boulevard from OPD/RS-5 zone to OPD/RM-12 zone. CALL TO ORDER: Quellhorst called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. REZONING ITEMS: CASE NO. REZ25-0007: Location: Northwest corner of Rochester Ave and North Scott Boulevard. An application for a rezoning of approximately 7.76 acres of land from Low Density Single Family Residential zone with a Planned Development Overlay (OPD/RS-5) to Low Density Multi -Family Residential zone with a Planned Development Overlay (OPD/RM-12). Conley began the staff report with an aerial map and a zoning map of the subject property. To the north is single family with Harvest Preserve, zoned OPD/RS-5 and ID-RS zone, which is Interim Development Single Family Residential Zone. To the south, is single family zoned RS-5, to the east is vacant and zoned ID-RS and to the west is single family zoned OPD/RS-5. The applicant for the proposed rezoning is Monument Hills LLC and this rezoning is needed due to a change in ownership and to allow for a senior living community with three duplexes and a 100 unit multifamily independent living building. In terms of case history, the subject property was rezoned and subdivided in 2022 and 2023. It was a rezoning of 64.38 acres to OPD/RS-5 and 0.31 acres to OPD/ID-RS in August 2022 and this rezoning included conditions that related to trail and access easements, right of way dedication and traffic calming devices, Conley noted all those conditions have been fulfilled. Then in September 2022 a preliminary plat was approved. Following, in April 2023 a final plat was approved that shows a conservation easement, and this approval also included the approval of a final Sensitive Areas Development Plan. With this proposed rezoning, the applicant has submitted a rezoning exhibit, applicant statement, elevations and an updated traffic study that was requested by City staff. A good neighbor Planning and Zoning Commission June 18, 2025 Page 2 of 11 meeting was held on June 5, and staff has received late correspondence that has been printed and provided at this meeting. In terms of zoning Conley reiterated the current zone of the subject property is OPD/RS-5 and the OPD overlay allows for a mix of housing types. The RS-5 zone encourages lower density development with larger lot sizes and greater setbacks which allow flexibility in design within a low density single family zone. Previously, there was an approved development of 12 single family homes, three duplexes, a 29 unit multifamily building and a private clubhouse for a total of 47 units on the lot. The proposed zone would be to the OPD/RM-12 zone which supports diverse housing types with a focus on compatible site and building design. This proposed rezoning includes the construction of three duplexes, a 100 unit three story multifamily building, which is a total of 106 units. Conley shared an image of the preliminary OPD plan noting there are three duplexes located along Heron Drive, and the multifamily building is positioned at the corner of Rochester Avenue and North Scott Boulevard which she noted are two main arterial streets. In the middle of the multifamily building is a pool, bocce ball court and pickleball court and to the east is a garden and dog run. Conley showed the updated preliminary OPD plan that staff received today as well as the landscaping plan. It shows the street trees required in addition to screening requirements for this particular zone. Conley next reviewed the plan development approval criteria and how the proposed development fits in with the policy vision of the City. The planned development approval criteria consists of four elements. One, density and design is compatible with adjacent development. Two, development will not overburden existing streets and utilities. Three, development will not adversely affect views, property values and privacy. And four, land use and building types will be in the public interest. Additionally, with all rezoning cases there's rezoning review criteria which consists of one, consistency with the Comprehensive Plan, and two, compatibility with the existing neighborhood. The first approval criteria is density and design compatible with adjacent development and in the OPD/RM-12 zone there's a max density of 15 units per net acre. The proposed development would total for 106 units on that 7.76 net acres of the subject property, which results in a 13.7 units per acre density and complies with the zoning standards. The proposed land use, which is the senior living community, consisting of three duplexes and the 100 unit multifamily building, expands housing diversity and meets growth, additionally, senior housing is in demand. Conley noted there is a conservation easement at the northeast corner and no development is allowed to occur on a conservation easement so the development has been clustered away near the arterial streets away from the sensitive areas that are found to the north also on the site. There is an adjacent outlot to the north, which is permanently undevelopable. New construction must meet multifamily site development standards and this will help ensure compatibility with nearby single family homes. Conley explained with the first criteria mass, scale and general layout need to be analyzed and considered. Staff found that the proposed development allows a skilled transition from the adjacent single family homes, duplexes are placed next to Heron Drive and the larger building is located at the corner of Rochester Avenue and North Scott Boulevard, which again are both arterial streets. The project must comply with multifamily site development standards to help promote attractive, pedestrian friendly design. Conley stated the applicant has requested two waivers through the OPD process. The first Planning and Zoning Commission June 18, 2025 Page 3 of 11 waiver being a height waiver to increase the building from 35 feet to 40 feet in order to accommodate the site slopes and the pitch roof design. The added height would allow vaulted ceilings and still would meet the open space requirements. There's a proposal of 182 bedrooms with this development, and that would require 1820 square feet of open space which will be met through amenities like the pool, courts and garden. The second waiver is a front setback waiver to reduce the arterial setback from 40 feet to 32 feet. This would be at the corner of Rochester Avenue and North Scott Boulevard. She stated most of the building exceeds the 40 foot arterial setback required, and the design meets the criteria for privacy, light, air circulation and the tree plantings. Also, there's a 20 foot separation maintained from the multifamily building to the duplexes. Continuing with the approval criteria, open space and traffic circulation have been analyzed. The development must meet open space requirements per City code section 14-2A-4E and again with the proposal of 182 bedrooms that requires the 1820 square feet of open space, compliance will be confirmed during site plan review. Traffic access is limited to a private drive from Heron Drive on the west side, and there's no access proposed from North Scott Boulevard or Rochester Avenue, which minimizes traffic impacts on the arterial streets. Conley shared an image of the elevations for the duplexes. The second approval criteria includes ensuring development will not overburden existing streets and utilities. For the subject property sanitary sewer and water services are already provided. Additionally, staff has required the updated traffic study to be submitted and this traffic study evaluated the impacts of the proposed development, in addition to the entire Monument Hill Subdivision, and the study found that there will be a projection of about 1004 new daily trips by the year 2026, this would project about 69 new AM peak hour trips and 92 new PM peak hour trips. Additionally, key intersections along Rochester Avenue were analyzed and are expected to operate at an acceptable level-ofservice C or better, under both baseline and future conditions. Staff has reviewed the study and agrees with the findings. The third approval criteria states the development will not adversely affect views, property values and privacy. For the surrounding development Conley stated part of lot 66 and the area to the north are protected by a conservation easement, which prevents development. The existing single family homes are located along Heron Drive to the west and north and across Rochester Avenue to the south. Duplexes are adjacent to the single family homes, while the larger multifamily building is positioned at the corner of the two arterial streets which helps provide a natural transition in building scale. The multifamily site development standards include screening requirements and help support neighborhood compatibility. Overall, staff finds that the design minimizes impacts on nearby residences and is comparable to what could be expected with conventional development. Four, land use and building types will be in the public interest. The preliminary OPD plan includes a mix of duplexes and multifamily units, expanding housing choices and addressing the City's need for senior housing. The proposed development balances increase housing supply with environmental protection by helping to preserve sensitive areas through the conservation easement and clustering development appropriately. Moving onto the rezoning review criteria, first is consistency with the Comprehensive Plan and the IC 2030 Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map is a vision for what the City would like to see in the future. The IC 2030 Plan Future Land Use Map shows this area appropriate for Planning and Zoning Commission June 18, 2025 Page 4 of 11 conservation design. This designation is primarily due to the sensitive features located in this area, like slopes and woodlands, the proposed development aligns with this designation by clustering development away from these areas and preserving them through a conservation easement. Additionally, staff needed to look at the Northeast District Future Land Use Map, and staff found that this envisions the area for townhomes and small apartment buildings and the Plan encourages development similar in scale to single family homes and suggests more intense housing be located near arterial streets which the proposed development shows. When staff looked at compatibility with the existing neighborhood there are existing single family homes located to the northwest and south of the subject property and the proposed development does consist of three duplexes and a 100 unit multifamily independent living building and this building is located at the two arterial streets at the southeast corner of Lot 66, Rochester Avenue and North Scott Boulevard which overall provides for a smooth land use transition from low to high density development. For these reasons, staff finds the proposed development compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. Conley reiterated that throughout this presentation she has mentioned the environmentally sensitive areas located on the property, these include steep slopes, critical slopes, woodlands and wetlands. The approved final Sensitive Area Development Plan will not be changing with this proposed rezoning. Additionally, the conservation easement that was established during the final plat will also remain unchanged and undevelopable. Therefore, staff recommends approval of REZ25-0007, a proposal to rezone approximately 7.76 acres of land located on Lot 66 of Monument Hills subdivision northwest of Rochester Avenue and North Scott Boulevard from OPD/RS-5 zone to OPD/RM-12 zone. Upon recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission, a public hearing will be scheduled for consideration by the City Council. City Council will schedule the date for the public hearing during the next Council formal meeting on July 8. Quellhorst asked about the height requirement and proposed waiver, if that is in part to accommodate the sloping nature of the property what is the impact, if any, that would have on the view of the folks that live across Rochester. Conley stated it would not be much different from conventional development, with this design the developer was interested in having vaulted ceilings so that's why they're asking for the height increase. Russett added staff didn't analyze what impact it would be from across the street if it was 35 feet or 40 feet. She believes it will change their view, especially for those homes that are closest to the building; however there would not be much difference between a 35' height and a 40' height. Russett stated that the applicant can probably speak to the sloping nature of the site and how the increase will help them with the complexities of the site. Quellhorst also asked about the traffic study that was funded by the applicant and wanted confirmation that staff was comfortable that the study is accurate and sufficiently independent. Conley confirmed yes and that staff also worked with the transportation staff and there was no major issues or findings within that study that was a concern for staff. Hensch asked what the width is of the right of way on Rochester Avenue, it appears the elevations on the homes to the south would appear just very slightly different. Conley was unsure of the width. Planning and Zoning Commission June 18, 2025 Page 5 of 11 Elliott asked what the current zoning of OPD/RS-5 would allow and the number of dwelling units. Conley explained that the previous rezoning was approved for 47 units. Elliott asked if the open space would just be available to the people within this development. Conley believes it will be just for the residents. Craig noted it was discussed that the need for additional height up to 40 feet because of gabled roofs yet none of the elevations show any gabled roofs but rather flat roofs. Conley showed an additional image that showed an additional little picture on the side that shows the height with a gabled roof. Craig asked about pedestrian access and remembered from when they rezoned this before there is a trail that's coming from another neighborhood that will go through here, is that still correct. Russett confirmed the trail will be there. Craig asked if when people get through that trail are they going to have to come out past this very big development on the corner. Russett explained there will be two access points from Heron Drive and Allison Way. Wade asked about the stub street that comes off to the northeast, is that a requirement for fire turnaround. Conley confirmed that yes, Troy Roth, the fire marshal, took a look at this development and made sure that they had adequate access for any fire lanes that were required. Russett clarified that it's not a street, but rather a driveway. Craig asked about the setback from the sidewalk to the duplexes. Conley stated there is a 15 foot setback from the street. Quellhorst opened the public hearing. Mike Welch (Shoemaker & Haaland Engineers) is working with Nelson Development, the applicant. First he wanted to highlight this was part of Monument Hills Subdivision, which was done a couple years ago, which was a total was 72 acres, and of those 72 acres about 34 acres was placed into conservation and in three separate outlots. As Conley stated that conservation easement does extend into this lot and will all remain unchanged. Welch stated when they started talking building heights and asking for additional height, there seemed to be a little bit of confusion. The gable roof, and the image that Conley referred to was actually for the townhouse duplexes, those will have a peaked roof. The previous iteration, when they did the original rezoning a couple years ago, showed the multifamily building as two stories with a pitched roof and the peak of that pitched roof was 38 feet above grade, in this proposal it's a three story building with a flat roof, and the third level is at 36 feet above grade, so actually a little bit lower. Welch explained the reason they're asking for 40 feet, even though the building is only 36 feet tall, is in City Code the building height is measured at average grade which would be a distant five feet outside the building, the ground elevation there. With this building there are two features on this building along Rochester, the first floor is elevated a little bit above the street to have a patio with a couple steps down allowing the people that have those ground floor units the ability to walk directly out of the building into that front yard space along Rochester. Because of those patios with a couple steps there, the grade goes lower, and therefore they are taller than 36 feet as it's calculated in City Code. The other piece on the northeast corner of the building where there is the driveway and the turnaround, that also is the entrance to the underground parking for the building so they were dropping about 12 feet there. Because they have to drop to get into the parking structure, the grade goes down and when they do that calculation of average grade, Planning and Zoning Commission June 18, 2025 Page 6 of 11 they're higher than 36 feet there. Again, that's why they asked for 40 feet, so they can meet that Code requirement. Regarding how the height will impact those who live across the street, they'll see a 36 foot tall building because the building is a foot or two above the sidewalk grade on Rochester, it's on the backside of the building that the building is actually taller due to the parking entrance being on the backside (north side) of the building. Hensch asked to clarify for people looking at the building from the south, the southern elevation, they're going to see a 36 foot height of a building. Welch confirmed that was correct, which is just one foot higher than the previously approved zoning of 35 feet and one foot higher than the Code allowed zoning of 35 feet. Hensch asked if Welch knew what the width of Rochester Avenue is. Welch replied that the width of Rochester varies, but it's about 66 feet per right of way with some of it at 63 feet and some of it at 60 feet, just based on how it was platted over the years. He also pointed out at the corner of Scott and Rochester, they dedicated a right of way to the City to allow for a future roundabout, and that's where they are requesting the 32 foot building setback. The request for that reduced setback was because they had that additional right of way for the roundabout, but they'll still be further away from the paving than what would be at a typical intersection. Welch also wanted to discuss the trail that comes out of the park and goes up Allison, that stays an eight foot wide public trail with a five foot sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. Heron Drivie will have five foot sidewalks on both sides of the street and as each lot is developed, the developer or builder on that lot builds their section the sidewalk. Welch stated for their project they will be building a five foot sidewalk along the east side of Heron Drive adjacent to the property, and then along the north side of Rochester, from the intersection of Heron Drive going east to Scott Boulevard. He noted there is already a sidewalk along the west side of Scott Boulevard. Craig asked if where the eight foot sidewalk ends a five foot sidewalk begins. Welch explained no, the eight foot sidewalk is all on Allison Drive, and then Heron Drive is a typical city street with five foot sidewalks on both sides, but for the foreseeable future, until all the houses are built, there'll be gaps in that five foot sidewalk through the subdivision. Townsend asked about affordable housing in this unit. Welch noted they aren't planning any. They also talked about that during the Good Neighbor meeting too, as there'll be all rental units there. They also talked about the open space that is included in the courtyard and those features. Hensch asked if it's all a 55 plus community and are they all independent living units. Welch stated he would refer to it as active independent living and in the parking below the building, there's at least one space per apartment, so every unit has a parking spot if they want it. Wade noted one thing that's somewhat hard to distinguish looking at an image of the building, is it a completely flat wall or have insets and offsets. Welch stated the code requires certain fenestration and articulation on the building and where each patio door is the building steps in and out at those doorways which breaks up the building, also at the south elevation in the middle the building is recesses away from the street and towards the street. He added as part of the site plan approval that would all be reviewed and verified that they meet Code. Planning and Zoning Commission June 18, 2025 Page 7 of 11 Larry Luebbert (3269 Rochester Avenue) stated his house is on the corner of Rochester and Heron and his front porch faces north, so he's looking at Rochester, looking across the street. He has met with the staff a couple times and exchanged a couple emails. Additionally, he brought the Commission some better photographs. Luebbert stated he is a graduate professional engineer in the state of Missouri, he has a master's degree in mechanical engineering and has three US patents on downflows, a little crazy thing. His job for years was to deal with details, lots of details so he got into a lot of detailed discussions on this project. The thing he got into the weeds yesterday about was the loss -of -service calculations in the study, he got an explanation but didn't think it made sense. It wasn't right, the loss -of -service calculations in the study is based on some screwy numbers, the capacity through the four way stop at Scott Boulevard and Rochester is capacity limited because it's a four way stop. It's about 550 cars an hour. The study says the capacity of Rochester, in front of his house, is 1400 cars per hour, and he's struggled for days trying to figure out where that number came from. It comes from history of the manual that's used to do these studies, and it was the number that is for a rural road that has less than two mile segments that were interrupted by anything. And it went from 2000 to 1800 to, in 2010, down to 1700 and that's the base. Everything's reduced from that based upon things that apply. What Luebbert told the staff yesterday was a conversation about the study only discusses traffic. The problem is the manual that's used to do this requires that street to be an interrupted flow street, and the numbers that were being used were for continuous flow, rural street. It's a big difference. There's a whole section of this manual, which is three volumes long, and about 1000 pages, with more statistics in it than he's seen since he was in college, it's really hard to follow, but on page two of the first chapter, it defines Rochester as an interrupted street. That means they have to take into account traffic, bicycling, city busses and walkers, and none of that's in the study of the original one, and none of that's in the study of the second one. When Luebbert asked about it yesterday he was told it's not that big a deal. Luebbert took photographs this morning and saw runners crossing Rochester, and there were two cars stopped waiting for these runners. These are Regina runners, the City High runners run down Rochester, there are families in the evening with kids on little bicycles going right across the street, so his big concern is safety. Luebbert is making a formal request that this study be redone, because it doesn't follow regulations. Camrvn Current (3301 Rochester Avenue) stated her house is one lot in from Heron and they will be facing this development if it goes in. When they purchased their house in January, they were told that this development was just going to be the single family houses and the 45 unit whatever. With that she would still have some view if she goes outside her front door or look out her big front window that she loves so much to get natural light. She was looking forward to still having some view and now with this 36 foot massive building she is just going to be staring at a wall for the next 15 to 20 years until they pay off their mortgage and can finally move to a place for actual view, actual sunlight. Current stated it's just nice to be able to see outside on her days off, she works at the hospital so she doesn't see outside during her 12 hour shifts. As far as fitting in, she doesn't know what they really mean by fitting with a neighborhood but their houses don't look like this and it would be a total eyesore. It would just be such an incredible eyesore and would completely obstruct all of their views. Angie Smith (3310 Lower West Branch Road) lives in the same area, she also serves on the Iowa City Climate Action Commission and as part of that Commission she is also on the steering committee for the new comprehensive plan. Therefore, she is very familiar with some of the challenges that have been happening in the community. Smith has lived in her home for over 20 years and has been very aware of the zoning changes that have happened over the last few Planning and Zoning Commission June 18, 2025 Page 8 of 11 years with this plot of land. First, to see that nature preserve be zoned for housing was really devastating and really sad for her and the neighbors in the community. She also just wants to caution decision makers and the community to not fall prey to nimbyism that as part of this steering committee and all the things that they know are happening in the community, they need affordable housing. They need more affordable housing units, and in order to have more housing, they need more dense living. They know this, and so as a Climate Action Commissioner, in their city they value climate resiliency and know in order for the community to be climate resilient, they need more dense living. That is a way to solve and help the City be more climate resilient. Smith stated a lot of them are familiar with the 15 minute walkable cities. That only happens when they have more dense living. So when she sees this zoning, she would much rather there be dense living than single family, million dollar homes. She doesn't need million dollar neighbors, she would rather see affordable housing in this area. Smith stated they are headed towards a climate crisis and need to be planning for climate resiliency. She knows the community really cares about equity, and that this is part of that equitable housing, equitable transportation. Smith agrees that she's very concerned about the transportation in this area and when she talks to her neighbors the thing they all worry about is the volume of cars. Smith acknowledged they do live in a car centric United States, and there will the volume of cars coming out of this area, and then the speeds is concerning. Her preferred mode of transportation is bike and she bikes year round in the community, it's a very bikeable community, and she would love for more people to be biking in the community. However, it's hard to bike in some areas, she doesn't bike on Rochester, there are semis and too fast traffic, no one is going 35 miles an hour, so she would like to see more traffic calming measures taken. There are ways to calm traffic so that it's not going as fast and she is sure they are familiar with some of those traffic calming measures. When they talk about a wide street, cars go faster on wide streets. It's an arterial street and she understands that but are there ways that they can slow down the traffic or the volume of traffic in that area. Again, Smith thinks the City cares about climate resiliency and equity, and she would love to see more affordable housing units. If they are familiar with the Comprehensive Plan and need for more housing in the community, they're going to need more dense living. So where are they going to put dense living units, the decision makers need to be planning for some dense living opportunities but need to figure out and balance transportation speeds and the consequences of having more dense living. Quellhorst closed the pubic hearing. Hensch moved to recommends approval of REZ25-0007, a proposal to rezone approximately 7.76 acres of land located on Lot 66 of Monument Hills subdivision northwest of Rochester Avenue and N. Scott Boulevard from OPD/RS-5 zone to OPD/RM- 12 zone. Townsend seconded the motion. Hensch noted he is completely sensitive to the issues people brought up and how everybody feels when construction occurs that they didn't count on being but a couple of attenuating circumstances, he thinks at Rochester there is a 66 foot right of way so between the houses to the south and to the front of the building there's a sufficient distance for the height of the building on the southern elevation to be 36 feet, that's only one foot higher than it would have been at the already approved zoning of a maximum height of 35 foot. It is a corner lot and it's an arterial street, so this is exactly where they want that more dense development to occur and exactly what they've been striving for all throughout the City. He reminded everybody a similar concept, Planning and Zoning Commission June 18, 2025 Page 9 of 11 a multifamily rezoning, was previously approved. He does feel bad for anybody who was misled by realtors that it was all going to be single family, but that was never true. One of the City's goals is diversity of housing types and this continues that to help meet those goals. Another goal is to increase the housing supply and density, this is another move towards that and unfortunately there is no requirement for affordable housing in this particular district. Hensch acknowledged he likes the fact that right of way is being donated by the applicant so that there can be a future roundabout constructed at Rochester and Scott, that will help with traffic calming and vehicle movement efficiency. He thinks this application satisfies pretty much everything they've been doing for years through this Commission. He acknowledged change is difficult and it's not pleasant, but they have to look at what's best for the city of Iowa City. Townsend asked how this property was designated before, and what it is the rationale for the designation from 47 units to 108 units. Russett stated as mentioned earlier the original project fell through and there is new ownership now and this is what they're proposing. Craig stated she is an east side person and lives right off of Rochester Street so she knows what it's like trying to get across Rochester Street at certain times of the day and is sensitive to that. She drove by the area several times today and came from Scott and from Rochester, while she agrees they have to have more dense development, her biggest concern is this is obviously more dense than what they approved the first time and the mass and scale relative to what is around it. She has no problem with the mass and scale within the development itself but the housing across on Rochester, and even the commercial development kitty corner, there's nothing that's 40 feet tall in there so she has big concerns with that. Elliott agrees with what Hensch said about the density and has walked on those nice sidewalks there, and it's a good location for a lot more people. Wade stated he also spent a lot of time driving around out there, especially in that neighborhood, which is out of his price range for houses, but very nice construction. This Commission just got done talking about the deficit in housing for the community and he sees this fitting in the community, just like Walden Place over on Mormon Trek, it is similar in functionality and also fitting within the neighborhood for height, so he doesn't have any reservations on this. He understands it's a change in what was originally planned but thinks it's appropriate for the area. Quellhorst stated he also was driving back and forth and awkwardly staring at people's homes and surrounding properties in this area, but agrees with Commissioner Hensch that they very much need additional housing in Iowa City, particularly for seniors, and it seems to him that this is a good place to put that housing, given access to arterial streets and the significant plot of land that's available. He really appreciates everybody that has spoken today and thinks there's been some fantastic input. He completely understands that this might not be aesthetically ideal for everybody, but the architects have done a really nice job with what they're working with. Quellhorst also thinks it is important to note that the property was already approved for fairly substantial development, and this is a relatively modest expansion of existing plans. As previously stated, it's front and center in the Comprehensive Plan that Iowa City has a housing crisis and needs to build houses to bring prices down, and what better place to do that than with an empty lot. Given that, he would be inclined to support this motion. A vote was taken and the motion passed 6-0. Planning and Zoning Commission June 18, 2025 Page 10 of 11 UPDATE AND DISCUSSION ON THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE: Hensch noted at least two of the steering committee members went to one of the community input sessions. Russett reported they did have a public workshop on Monday, and they will be at Fair Meadows Park tomorrow for the City's Party in the Park series. She attended one a couple weeks ago and it was a really great event and they got lots of great input. CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: JUNE 4 2025: Craig moved to approve the meeting minutes from June 4, 2025. Hensch seconded the motion, a vote was taken and the motion passed 6-0. PLANNING AND ZONING INFORMATION: Russett stated on the City Council agenda meeting last night the applicant for 911 North Governor requested a deferral for the rezoning and final plat to the August meeting. Russett also wanted to take an opportunity to introduce the new Assistant City Attorney, Alex Bright, Bright will be focusing on land use and zoning and attending future Commission meetings. Craig stated it's been a pleasure and an honor to serve on the Commission for the last five years, and added the City has a remarkable staff. Every Commissioner that she has ever worked with is as well and they're all striving for the same thing, to make Iowa City a wonderful community. They all do their best and they respect each other, and that's great, they could use a little more of that in this country. Hensch seconded what Commissioner Craig said, and this whole time he's never felt there's a commissioner that didn't have the best interests of Iowa City as a whole at heart in all their decisions. Maybe he didn't agree with them all the time, and they didn't have to agree with him, but everybody's always done what they thought was right for the whole of Iowa City, which makes it difficult for people when they come in, because most people are concerned with their neighborhood, but this Commission looks at the entire community, and he always felt like they've done a pretty good job, and he's always been pretty proud of that. ADJOURNMENT: Hensch moved to adjourn, Craig seconded and the motion passed 6-0. PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2023-2025 12120 1117 217 2121 413 511 6126 914 9118 11120 1214 2119 315 517 614 6118 CRAIG, SUSAN O/E X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X ELLIOTT, MAGGIE X X O/E X X X O/E X X O/E X X X X X X HENSCH, MIKE X X X X X X X O/E X X X X O/E X X X MILLER, STEVE -- -- I -- -- -- -- I -- -- -- -- -- -- I -- -- X X X X X X X X O/E PADRON, MARIA X X X X O/E O/E -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- QUELLHORST, SCOTT X X X X O/E X X X X O/E X X X X X X TOWNSEND, BILLIE X X X X X X X X X O/E X X X X X X WADE, CHAD X X X X X O/E X X X X X X X X X X KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Not a Member