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Home My WebLink About2025-10-21 Bd Comm minutesItem Number: 4.a. CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT October 21, 2025 Board of Adjustment: September 10 Attachments: Board of Adjustment: September 10 MINUTES BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT FORMAL MEETING EMMA HARVAT HALL SEPTEMBER 10, 2025 — 5:15 PM FINAL MEMBERS PRESENT: Larry Baker, Nancy Carlson, Mark Russo, Julie Tallman (via zoom) MEMBERS ABSENT: Paula Swygard STAFF PRESENT: Sue Dulek, Anne Russett OTHERS PRESENT: James Kincade, Audrey Wedemier, John Hagedorn, Del Holland CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 5:15 PM. ROLL CALL: A brief opening statement was read by Baker outlining the role and purpose of the Board and the procedures that would be followed in the meeting. SPECIAL EXCEPTION ITEM EXC25-0005: An application submitted by the Iowa City Bike Library requesting a special exception to allow a parking reduction in an Intensive Commercial (CI-1) zone for the property located at 1222 Gilbert Court. Baker opened the public hearing. Russett began the staff report with a map showing the location of the property on Gilbert Court. She noted the property is zoned Intensive Commercial and the surrounding properties are also zoned Intensive Commercial. In terms of background, the specific request is to reduce parking by 50% on the site. The Iowa City Bike Library owns and operates the site, they purchased it in 2021 and have been operating from this site since then. Russett explained the existing land use requires five parking spaces, so with the 50% reduction they would be required to provide two, and the remaining area would be used for green space and bike parking. Staff found a building permit from 1987 that shows that the City approved six parking spaces on this property, back then all those spaces were located in the front of the building and they are all currently non- conforming in that the way that they are designed because they required that cars back out onto the street, and it would not allow any space for green space or bicycle amenities. Russett shared some photographs of the property and the site plan that was submitted with the application. She noted the property is paved from property line to property line so what they're proposing is to repave the sidewalk, to do some repaving of the drive access, incorporate some green space within the right of way between the street and the sidewalk and add additional green space on the site, they would be providing a covered parking area and bicycle service area, and then the two parking spaces. Board of Adjustment September 10, 2025 Page 2 of 13 The role of the Board is to approve, approve with conditions or deny the application based on the facts presented. To approve the special exception the Board must find that it meets all applicable approval criteria, the specific standards and the general standards. With regards to the specific standard, a parking reduction for other unique circumstances where it can be demonstrated that a specific use has unique characteristics, such that the number of parking or stacking spaces required is excessive, the Board can approve a special exception to reduce the parking by up to 50%. Staff finds that the property is owned and operated by the Iowa City Bike Library and their vision is to empower people to make bicycling a primary form of transportation in the community. Due to the work that they do, the use has unique characteristics that require fewer vehicular parking spaces because primary patrons of the Bike Library travel on bike to service their bicycles, trade in or participate in bicycling related activities. Russett reiterated in 1987 the City approved six parking spaces on the site however, they are not striped, and they are non -conforming based on today's standards because they would require backing out onto Gilbert Court, which is no longer allowed by the zoning ordinance. Additionally, the Bike Library also needs space for bicycle parking and amenities, as well as green space. The current site is paved from property line to property line, so they'd like to improve the site by removing some of the paved area and replacing it with green space. The reduction in parking will allow the Bike Library to provide some on -site parking, while incorporating these other amenities. In terms of the general standards, the first standard is that the specific proposed exception will not be detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, comfort and general welfare. Russett stated the proposed project will improve the site by incorporating additional green space and bike amenities. Without this parking reduction, the property would not be able to incorporate the amount of proposed green space and finding space for bike amenities would be a challenge. She noted access to surrounding properties will not be affected and access to the subject property will remain the same but improved with new pavement. The second criteria is that the proposed exception will not be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other property in the immediate vicinity and will not diminish property values. Staff finds that the proposed site improvements will not impact the ability of neighbors to utilize and enjoy their properties, nor will it negatively impact property values in the neighborhood. The only changes to the property are changes to the site, not the operations of the Bike Library. Therefore, no increase in traffic to the site is anticipated. The third criteria is that the establishment of the proposed exception will not impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of the surrounding properties. Staff finds that the surrounding property is already fully developed with a variety of commercial and semi industrial uses. Criteria four is that adequate utilities, access roads, drainage and other necessary facilities have been/are being provided. Staff finds that the subject property is already developed and all utilities, access roads, drainage and necessary facilities are already established in this neighborhood. Russett noted there's pedestrian access provided by a sidewalk along Gilbert Court and the closest Iowa City transit stop is at Gilbert Street and Kirkwood Avenue. She reiterated that many visitors will utilize the City's bicycle infrastructure. The fifth criteria is that adequate measures have been or will be taken to provide ingress or egress designed to minimize traffic congestion on public streets. The project includes Board of Adjustment September 10, 2025 Page 3 of 13 improvements within the public right of way, including repaving of the public sidewalk and adding new pavement for the access drives. No changes are proposed to the existing street and the on -street parking that's allowed on the western side of Gilbert Court will continue. The sixth criteria is that except for the specific regulations and standards applicable for the exception, the exception in all other respects conforms to the applicable regulations of the zoning code. Russett stated the subject property meets the requirements of the base zone and again, going back to that permit from the 1980s that was using the applicable codes at that time regarding the use at that time, the number of spaces, size and location that was required by the zoning ordinance at that time, which was six parking spaces, those spaces are now non- conforming and do not meet current standards. With the approval of the proposed parking reduction, all parking on the site would comply with current regulations. The final criteria is that the proposed exception will be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan of the City. Russett stated the Comprehensive Plan identifies this area as appropriate for general industrial land uses. The Comprehensive Plan also has goals to accommodate all modes of transportation and encourages walking and bicycling so a parking reduction would align with the Plan's vision to promote more bicycling in the community. Staff did receive two pieces of correspondence from neighboring properties which were provided to the Board earlier and copies were made available tonight. Staff recommends approval of EXC25-0005, to reduce the onsite parking requirement by 50% (from 5 to 2 parking spaces) for the Bike Library located at 1222 Gilbert Court. Carlson asked for an explanation of the parking situation now with the six parking spaces and where the parking spaces would be with the new plan. Russett showed that from the 1987 plan there were six parking spaces, all were angled so that one would have back out onto the street, which was allowable at that time. They could keep the parking as is, and let it continue as non- conforming parking but the issue is that is the only area for parking on the site and they want to use it for other things. So they're proposing two spaces, orienting them in a way where they would not have to back out onto the street, and adding in green space and amenity space. Tallman asked if there has there been any use of those six existing parking spaces. Russett doesn't believe so. Baker asked for clarification on page two regarding these spaces are currently non -conforming and to allow the Bike Library to remove parking for green space and bicycle amenities, is an amenity different than parking and are bicycle parking racks, for example, considered an amenity. Russett explained it's both bicycle parking spaces, but also things like bike pumps and things that people can use to service their bicycle. Baker noted it also states with the proposed request green space and amenities added, the requested two parking spaces would meet current standards. Does that mean if this lot were empty and someone built the same building on it, they would only be required to have two parking spaces. Russett explained that current standards determine parking in terms of the dimensions, the location and that type of thing, whereas the main thing with the parking from 1987 was orientation. Current standards are not just about how many spaces but also how the parking is oriented. Board of Adjustment September 10, 2025 Page 4 of 13 Baker asked if there is a City regulation about when the requirement for a handicap parking space kicks in. Russett confirmed there was when 10 spaces or more are required. Carlson noted the current sidewalk is somewhat hazardous the way it is currently laid out. Russo had a question concerning the language unique circumstances and the language in that clause is pretty much devoted to historic structures so what makes this business any different than any other business in terms of a unique circumstance. How did the City come to the determination that this qualifies under that clause. Russett explained the standard is that they have to demonstrate one of two things, one that the specific use has unique characteristics, such that the number of parking spaces is excessive, or will reduce the ability to use or occupy a historic property. In this case, it's not a historic property but it is a use that has unique characteristics, where the parking is excessive. Russo asked if they are setting any precedent. Dulek replied no, a special exception is specific to the exception. Baker noted however that one of the compelling factors in favor of the applicant is the current use of the business is the bicycle use but if this business were to be sold and another business went in there and it is allowed to have only two parking spots, now that's permanent. Russett stated it would depend on what the new user was doing, staff would take a look at any site changes and if it was to be something like an expansion that would trigger a zoning review. Baker stated but if the same property, same building, just a new use takes over once they put in place this two parking space exception it's going to stay unless there's compelling reasons on the dramatic change of use. Russett confirmed that was correct. James Kincade (Civil Engineer, Axiom Consultants) is representing the Bike Library and from the staff discussion it sounded like there were some questions he hopes to answer sufficiently. They find themselves seeking this exception because the Bike Library is interested in the rehabilitation of the front area, which includes removal and replacement of a lot of the poor condition pavement and replacing that with beautification in the form of green space. The implication of wanting to do those improvements means anything proposed needs to be code compliant. So if the Bike Library chose to do nothing and keep the poor condition out front, they could rely on the 1987 site plan as their guiding document for what's allowable, even though that layout could never be approved in the current code. Upgrading the site into nicer pavement and green space means they now need to provide a code compliant parking lot, which means a 22 foot wide drive aisle with 18 by 19 stalls and a turning movement that doesn't cause patrons to back out into Gilbert Court. They find themselves having to be code compliant as well as address the historical use of the Bike Library. His understanding and conversation with staff is that, although not delineated that way now, the two stalls is how it's functioning for patrons in that area so that was the basis of the ask to get a reduction down from the required five spaces in the code, as well as acknowledging it is the mission of the Bike Library to promote bike travel. They know historically that a lot of the patrons do bike to the Bike Library and this beautification is providing additional exterior bike parking to further encourage bike travel in lieu of vehicular parking stalls. Another note Kincade wanted to address is the question about ADA because one of the correspondents from a neighbor asked about ADA, and although they are not required to delineate an ADA stall being only two stalls, they are providing both stalls as ADA design Board of Adjustment September 10, 2025 Page 5 of 13 compliant so if somebody found themselves parking in either one of the stalls they would be able to function out of that stall in the same way they would a delineated ADA stall. Carlson noted the Bike Library hours are from noon until 5:OOpm, two days a week, and from 10:00am until 3:OOpm on Saturdays, so on those days how many individuals come to avail the Bike Library services via cars. Kincade replied it's a hard question to answer with a substantive number, he knows through conversations that the orientation that is being proposed is how the site is more or less being used now. The Bike Library wants to provide enough parking for the use of the patrons so he would assume two spaces would be adequate and has traditionally and historically been adequate. He noted there is an explicit ask for some additional bike parking on the north area of the drive aisle, which is why they want to create some green space and have very clear bike stalls there. However, the use of the site historically in normal nonevent scenarios, two has been deemed adequate by the owners. Carlson noted two days a week they have groups that come in, a teenage group and a women group, do they all come at the same time and do they all usually ride bicycles. Audrey Wedemier (Director, Bike Library) stated on Tuesday nights from 6:OOpm to 8:OOpm they have 15 to 20 people showing up for Women Transform Night. She estimates about 75% of people are arriving by bicycle, and they arrive at different times throughout the night. On Thursdays, from 3:OOpm to 5:OOpm is Outspoken Teens, and as far as she knows none of the teens are driving and they get dropped off by their parents. Most of the parents do not stay and there are anywhere from 5 to 15 teens showing up to work on their "earn a bikes" that they get to work on for a month before they get to take those bikes home for free. If their parents are not able to drop them off, then they either arrive by bus or on a bike that they already have. Russo asked if they have had any parking issues. Wedemier stated the way they use the parking spaces now is really just the two spots that they try to encourage people to use. They're not striped, and they have signs posted in three different places that say "please do not use neighbors parking". They have had Nancy Footner and Arnold Motor Supply come to them previously and let them know that they don't want the Bike Library patrons or staff to park in their parking lots, which is understandable so they asked Bike Library staff and patrons and volunteers not to use that parking across the street or any neighbors parking and to just park on the street. She talked to a customer today who showed up at about 3:30 and he said he didn't have a problem finding any on street parking, and that when he can't find on street parking within a few yards of the Bike Library he doesn't mind walking down the street a bit. Wedemier noted they do have informal agreements with some neighbors, Advanced Electric and I Corps (on Highland and Gilbert Court) that any overflow parking for after 5pm activities that happen, either on a Friday night or a Saturday for a special event, they could use their parking lots for overflow parking. Russo noted the two letters of concern, in one the yoga person referred to something resilience. Wedemier stated Nancy is a longtime friend of the Bike Library and she helped them find this location when they were looking for a location to buy in 2021. Nancy also spearheaded an effort a few years ago to get a sidewalk put in south of the facility because they do have people in wheelchairs that are using South Gilbert Court as a thoroughfare to go to lots of different social service agencies and also using the Bike Library. Regarding resilience, the City has named the Bike Library as one of two resiliency hubs in Iowa City, The Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County and the Bike Library have been named a resiliency hub and what that Board of Adjustment September 10, 2025 Page 6 of 13 means is that the Bike Library receives funding from the City of Iowa City to be an emergency location in the event of a climate emergency. So if there is a situation where power is out, there is a heat wave, there is a really cold snap, any kind of climate emergency people know to come to the Bike Library to warm up, charge their cell phones, cool down, etc. They now have AC, for the first time in 21 years, and have just installed 80 solar panels and will be fully running off of solar power very soon. Wedemier noted they work with lots of different populations and the City has named them a resiliency hub because they have closer contact with populations than the City can. For example, they have a program off site that is specifically for Latina women to learn how to ride bikes and they meet every Wednesday at Terry Trueblood, they have a very large group of people that have been coming to that program for years now so they are easily able to communicate with those populations in the event of emergency. While they won't serve as a shelter, they do serve as a centralized location for getting information out to people quickly. Russo noted concern about an increase in traffic or the parking pressure in such an emergency situation. Wedemier noted in the event of an emergency situation that shouldn't matter and just taking care of people is the biggest priority. Russett added she spoke with the City's sustainability coordinator about this designation too and she agrees with what Wedemier is saying that the resiliency hub designation is not going to be increasing traffic nor going to add more programming, it is a way to get information out to the community. Russo asked about the improvements to the parking. Kincade noted they would be adding in a five foot wide sidewalk to replace the current narrow sidewalk and will be adding markings to the ground to indicate area for movement through there for walking and discourage somebody from parking there. There will be other pavement for the private access to get Bike Library vehicles back to their overhead doors and where some gutters discharge on the north side of the property. He noted these improvements would further ensure some security from rainwater finding itself back into the structure and getting that rainwater into Gilbert Court's gutter and help push storm water more quickly. Russo asked about the green space. Kincade stated it will be grass and some plantings. Iowa City Engineering will definitely have some feelings about what those sections look like and how they're planted and that will come during the site plan review. Russo asked about the service pad area. Kincade noted that area will be covered but not enclosed. Carlson asked with regards to parking spaces, on an average day how many people are working or volunteering at the Bike Library. Wedemier stated they have five staff that are there four days a week, and two of them are there on Mondays. She stated more than 50% of the time staff are biking to work, they all live in Iowa City within a three mile radius so it's easy for them to bike there. When they are open for those 10 hours during the week when patrons are arriving by foot or by bike or by car she estimates 25% to 35% of people are arriving in their car. She added that does not include the people who are dropping off bikes for donations, which is something different. On any given Saturday, they could have upwards of 35 bikes donated in one day and people usually just park in front, unload their bike and they leave. Most people who drop off donations are there for less than five minutes. Board of Adjustment September 10, 2025 Page 7 of 13 Carlson asked for the staff that do drive, where do they park. Wedemier stated they can park anywhere on the property, or they can use on street parking when the Bike Library is not open. During the times the Bike Library is open to the public staff will use on street parking and those two spots will be dedicated for patrons. Russo noted the landscape down there is a mess with undefined boundaries, overlaps, different materials, and bringing some order to this is certainly an attractive prospect. However, one of the major concerns as a Board is loss of parking, Iowa City is parking heavy and spots are harder and harder to get so they are a reluctant group to give up any kind of parking. Wedemier acknowledged that is understandable which is why it is their mission to empower to get more people on bicycles. They all own cars, most people at the Bike Library own a car, but getting more people to choose to bike for two to three miles, which is the majority of the trips that are made around town, helps everybody because it reduces congestion, which is also good for motorists because they want to drive and park in places that have reduced congestion, it's good for pedestrians and cyclists because it makes it safer for people to walk and bike somewhere. So their mission is to get more people on bikes and to empower people to make biking a primary form of transportation and to encourage people to choose to bike for those short trips around town to see a reduction in the number of people that are driving short distances in their cars. 20 bikes can fit in an area where one car fits. The Bike Library's plans are very much in line with the City's Strategic Plan to help reduce emissions and become net zero by 2050. Baker asked for clarification on employee parking. Wedemier stated if this plan is enacted, they will not allow employees to park in those two spots during the 10 hours the Bike Library is open, however, outside of those 10 hours they do allow parking anywhere on the property, including those two delineated parking spots. Baker noted there is currently a bike rack blocking off the current access, making it really so there are only two parking spots and wondered how long that has been there. Wedemier stated they have really been operating with two parking spots since they purchased the building in 2021 and currently the non -delineated spots require people to back out onto Gilbert Court, which is not ideal, but that is just the way it's set up. Otherwise, if they took away that bike rack that sits in front, that's blocking where now they plan to have the entrance, the car parking would get a little chaotic because there are no lines, and people will park any which way. Baker stated the reason he asks is because of the concern about the consequences of approving this special exception, but it appears they have been working with two parking spaces since they opened the business for four years. So have there been any issues, neighbors have sent a couple of letters, but how often do they get complaints about the parking situation from neighbors or complaints from patrons or volunteers. Wedemier admitted there have been a few, but it's not very often. She noted they have pretty good relationships with most of their neighbors. For example, the City of Iowa City is right next door and they have great relationship with them, in which the Bike Library has a three year lease with them to paint on their property, and then the neighbors to the north, that building is owned by Sharpless, Brad Sharpless, and they have a good relationship with him, he's currently looking for a renter for his building. Baker asked how many bicycle racks they plan on having on that new pad area. Wedemier stated more than just the one they currently have, one bike rack does not give enough range as there are many types of bikes and they all take up different amounts of spaces. One bucket bike probably takes up as much room as two and a half bikes and one recumbent bike takes up Board of Adjustment September 10, 2025 Page 8 of 13 maybe one and a half bike parking spots. Overall, they'd like to be able to park 20 bikes there. Baker asked how many can park there now. Wedemier stated with the current rack that's there maybe seven to 10 and with this new layout they will be able to facilitate more actual parking for bikes available. Carlson stated if the Bike Library's busiest day is Saturday, how many of the other businesses around there are open on Saturday. Wedemier stated Arnold Motor Supply is open on Saturday and a couple of the auto shops might be open but is unsure if the yoga store is open. Carlson also asked about the women's night and what the time frame for that event was. Wedemier said they meet on Tuesday night from 6pm to 8pm and that is a time frame when the other businesses in the area are not open. Carlson asked about the teen event on Thursdays. Wedemier reiterated that is from 3pm to 5pm on Thursdays but the teens don't drive and usually their parents drop them off. Carlson asked how many attend that event. Wedemier stated it is 5-15. Carlson asked if the Bike Library wanted to increase the number of people who use the facility in the future, how might that affect the parking. Wedemier stated they do not anticipate adding any more programming or any more open hours and will operate as they always have. She noted they do a lot of work during the day when they're not open, lots of behind the scenes work. If they were to plan to increase their hours it would be on Wednesdays and Fridays after 5pm but doesn't anticipate a big increase in traffic because maybe more people are finding out about the Bike Library because they want to bike more often. John Hagedorn (Store Manager, Arnold Motor Supply) stated they sent an email earlier about their concerns about the parking reduction. He stated their issue with the parking reduction is on the donation of the bikes, because people are not riding there to donate or for the bike repair, and they do have influx of people parking in the Arnold Motor Supply parking lot and that is their concern. Carlson asked about the congestion problem. Hagedorn there is already a problem with their street being congested with people dropping off donations, dropping off repairs, stuff like that. He noted they run a delivery service and need to get in and out of their parking lot frequently and with all the on street parking during their times of business it does oppose safety concerns for them because of going in and out, the influx of bike traffic, the influx of pedestrians coming in and out of there as well. Baker asked if the Arnold Motor Supply parking lot is marked as customer parking. Hagedorn stated it is not, they have discussed about doing that and making it as Arnold's patrons only. Carlson noted when she drove down to the area this morning, the Arnold Motor Supply parking lot was pretty much filled with vehicles, do they have customers that come to the store as well as delivery services. Hagedorn confirmed their parking lot is full mainly of employees that work for them but they do have spots for the customer parking as well. Carlson asked about Arnold Motor Supply's Saturday hours. Hagedorn stated they are open on Saturdays from 7:30am to 1:OOpm and the Bike Library has their donations on Saturdays and they do have people parking in their spots, which is a safety concern with their delivery service. Carlson noted the major concern is the conflict that can arise between the Bike Library and Arnold Motor Supply on Saturday mornings. Hagedorn confirmed that is the main concern, they've had instances in the past of bike patrons test driving a bike in the Arnold Motor Supply parking lot, almost hitting their vehicles, or the delivery drivers almost hitting them because they're not paying attention. Board of Adjustment September 10, 2025 Page 9 of 13 Hagedorn stressed it is a very big safety concern for them because of liability and because it's on their property. Russo asked about the layout of their parking lot and how may parking spaces they have. Hagedorn said they one just one access drive but was unsure of the actual number of parking stalls. Baker noted it seems like they are not talking about a future problem but rather some relief for a current problem so this new exception doesn't change the circumstances that create the problem. Hagedorn stated currently the Bike Library does not have designated parking, and the overflow is the street, or wherever people park, which is in their parking lot when they are donating bikes or bike repair. Baker asked if delineated spots in the future for their property would affect or improve the problem. Hagedorn stated that they currently aren't using the six stalls they have for the Bike Library customers, they're currently just using two so that is why there is the issue of parking. Baker agreed and noted to remediate the current problem is going to require something between Arnold Motor Supply and the Bike Library and that's going to be necessary regardless if the Board approves or doesn't approve this exception, the Bike Library is still operating with the same two spaces. Hagedorn stated his stance is the Board should require the Bike Library to operate with the six stall because they are currently not and not in compliance. Russo asked if someone is dropping off a bike, what's the dwell time. Hagedorn stated it is a very short dwell time, but it is the consistency. Wedemier explained usually people just drive up, take the bike out, or someone will see them drive up, and then a staff person will come and help them unload, and then they drive away, so they don't really need a parking spot. Baker noted one of the concerns was that people actually using their bicycles on the other property. Wedemier stated that one of the things that they've done this summer was installed a bike skills test ride loop and that is on the area where they have signed an agreement with the city of Iowa City to paint on their side of the property. So between 1222 and 1306 Gilbert Court there is a shared courtyard area and that's where they tell everybody that they should be test riding their bikes. Carlson asked how long that has been in existence. Wedemier responded for two months. Russo asked if Mr. Kincade was aware of the parking problem with Arnold's Motor Supply. Kincade replied he was just made aware of it this morning through the correspondence. Kincade reiterated the use of the neighbors parking lots is not encouraged nor permitted through any action of the Bike Library. In conversation with staff during high volume events there is signage noting where to park and for overflow parking to be on the street. There is good faith efforts and instruction from the Bike Library to get overflow parking into places where it's permitted public parking. He acknowledged it's a tough effort to tell humans to do something they're not supposed to if that thing is convenient. He has worked on other projects in the capacity of an engineer where there are very concise efforts to delineate parking to own patrons only. He works across from the Starbucks on Burlington and there's very clear signs that say parking only for Starbucks customers under threat of towing. It is his understanding that neither of the properties west of the Bike Library employ any of those efforts and it's not something that the Bike Library can do for them. Again, there certainly have been efforts to alleviate that in the Board of Adjustment September 10, 2025 Page 10 of 13 same way that there might be some issues with individuals biking places they should not be biking. The Bike Library will do every effort possible to get those individuals to be safe but they can't control everybody. Kincade also wanted to point out, although the exception is framed as a reduction, it's not a literal reduction of parking stalls because the site exists currently with two, what they are wanting to do is improvements, which means they have to be code compliant. The request asking for a reduction is what the code demands, but the use of the site is not going to change substantively based on this approval, they are not creating a problem, they just haven't solved the current problem. Wedemier reiterated that 10% of the people who are dropping off donations are there for more than five minutes and if the Bike Library staff see them right away, they'll come out and help them and expedite the process of unloading the bike, give them a receipt for their donation, and then they leave. When people bring their bikes to work on if they drive their bike to the shop and work on it, then they end up staying for longer and perhaps that is the source of the parking issue for this gentleman. They do have three signs posted and would be happy to work with the neighbors, Arnold Motor Supply, Advanced Electric, Friendship Yoga, to find a solution to this current issue through signage. She thinks perhaps their signage could be improved, and maybe the neighbors would want to have their own new signage to let people know that there's no Bike Library parking allowed. Del Holland (Board Member, Bike Library) acknowledged the Board of Adjustment is often put in this position of that there's not enough parking in Iowa City, they need more parking, and yet that's kind of in conflict with the City's goal to decrease the amount of vehicle traffic in town. One of the things that they are trying to do is model where they can provide not only this new bicycle parking that will be more parking, but it's going to be covered parking. They're trying to model not only for them, but for the community at large. There's a strong movement toward less parking as seen at the new Roosevelt school development where there is actually no parking required, and yet there's going to be 145 residents or something. They're trying to encourage people to ride bicycles, to walk, to take transit, and the Bike Library is trying to be a model of how that can happen esthetically pleasing in a neighborhood. Baker closed the public hearing. Carlson moved to recommend approval of EXC25-0005, to reduce the onsite parking requirement by 50% (from 5 to 2 parking spaces) for the Bike Library located at 1222 Gilbert Court. Russo seconded the motion. Tallman noted right now there is no delineated parking and that is creating problems so by designating the parking, improving the planted barriers, restoring the sidewalk seems all favorable. She stated in essence she feels like they're dealing with an existing situation and an existing use, a use that is ongoing, that has effectively no parking. And this is an application with an idea of how to establish parking, parking that is in compliance with design regulations. Russo questions is this problem solvable, the Bike Library parking, and that seems to be the issue, and the challenge. He has pretty high confidence that everyone can handle this, it's just a matter of logistics, communication, etc. Board of Adjustment September 10, 2025 Page 11 of 13 Carlson thinks there are two things that they have been discussing but what can they rule on, they are supposed to rule on whether reducing the parking to two spaces, rather than the six that are there now, make sense, and right now the six there are not in compliance with the standards that the City has. If they approve the two spaces, and they put them in the right way, then they will be in compliance with the current regulations. Keeping the current situation is not in compliance and is dangerous because people back out onto the street and to approve the exception provides a safer access and exit for the people using those parking spaces. She acknowledged she is concerned about the congestion problem, but that's not what is before this Board and that has already existed, changing these parking spaces to two is not going to make any difference as far as that problem goes. Calson also noted the sidewalk on that side of the street is abhorrent for anyone in a wheelchair or really anyone trying to walk on it. She was there at 11:30 this morning and the Bike Library was not open and there were more parking spaces available on that street than are available on her residential street at home. She went back down there at 3:30 this afternoon when the Bike Library was open and there were still more available parking spaces on that street than there were on her residential street at home. Baker basically agrees with everything that the rest of the Board has said, he doesn't think they're creating a new problem, but they haven't resolved a current problem, but that's out of their domain and that's left up to the property owners. Russo asked if this property were sold, could this property become a bar or would it have to be rezoned. He asks because they don't want to set a precedent here. Dulek replied the special exception does stay with the property but it's not precedential in the sense that if someone on 123 Main Street asks for a parking reduction, just because the Board granted it here they don't have to grant it there if it is not right for that location. Russett stated regarding if a bar were to go into the location, she would have to look into that, she is not sure if drinking establishments are allowed in this zone or not. There are a couple down there so it might be an allowed use, but there also is the 500 foot requirement too. Tallman stated unless the rules change significantly, any change in use would require compliance with current regulations and she doesn't see how this building could be converted to a bar. She stated they are approving a special exception for a warehouse use, so if someone were to come in and say they want to change this building to a clothing store or a bar, they would have to go through an entirely new and separate process for approval, including compliance with parking regulations for a retail store or a bar. Russett stated that can get complicated because a change in use doesn't trigger a zoning compliance review nor a site plan. So unless they're doing something to the property that would maybe trigger a building permit or improvements or something like that, the City wouldn't be aware of the change in use. Carlson stated regarding agenda item EXC25-0005 she does concur with the findings and conditions set forth in the staff report of September 10, 2025, and concludes that the general and specific criteria are satisfied, so unless amended or opposed by another Board member she recommends that the Board adopt the findings and conditions in the staff report for the approval of this exception. Carlson believes that with the approval of the proposed parking reduction, all parking on the site would comply with current regulations. The six parking spaces that are there now have been non -conforming for some time and this use has unique characteristics that require fewer vehicle parking spaces. Board of Adjustment September 10, 2025 Page 12 of 13 Russo seconded the findings of facts. A vote was taken and the motion passed 4-0. Baker stated the motion declared approved, any person who wishes to appeal this decision to a court of record may do so within 30 days after this decision is filed with the City Clerk's Office. CONSIDER JULY 9, 2025 MINUTES: Carlson moved to approve the minutes of July 9, 2025. Russo seconded. A vote was taken and the motion carried. BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT INFORMATION: Dulek noted there is a training for board and commission members at Terry Trueblood on Monday, the 29th of September, at 6:OOpm. More information will be coming. The training is for open meetings and open records that Council wants all board members to attend. If you have already completed the training online please send Russett the confirmation that it has been completed. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 6:50 pm. Board of Adjustment September 10, 2025 Page 13 of 13 BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT ATTENDANCE RECORD 2023-2025 NAME TERM EXP. 1118 12113 3113 4110 8122 10/1011/13 118 2120 3112 718 9110 BAKER, LARRY 12/31/2027 X X X X X X X X X X X X PARKER, BRYCE 12/31/2024 X X X X X O/E O/E -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- SWYGARD, PAULA 12/31/2028 X X O/E X X X X X X X X O/E CARLSON, NANCY 12/31/2025 O/E X X X O/E X X X X X X X RUSSO, MARK 12/31/2026 O/E X X X X X X X O/E X O/E X TALLMAN, JULIE 12/31/2029 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X X Key: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused -- -- = Not a Member Item Number: 4.b. CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT October 21, 2025 Civil Service Commission: October 7 Attachments: Civil Service Commission: October 7 Minutes — Final City of Iowa City Civil Service Commission Tuesday, October 7, 2025 —10:30 a.m. City Manager's Conference Room Members Present: Rick Wyss, Ashley Jennings, Eleanor Dilkes Members Absent: Melissa Jensen Staff to the Commission Present: Karen Jennings, Tracy Robinson Other Parties Present: Chris O'Brien, Sam Brown Recommendation to Council (become effective only after separate Council action): None. Call to Order: Wyss called the meeting to order at 10:31 a.m. Certification of promotional list for Deputy Fire Chief: After a brief discussion, Dilkes moved and A. Jennings seconded to certify the list as presented. All were in favor. Fire Department promotional testing: After a brief discussion, A. Jennings moved and Dilkes seconded to approve the process as proposed by staff in the October 2, 2025 memo. All were in favor. Adjournment- Dilkes moved and A. Jennings seconded to adjourn, all were in favor, and the meeting was adjourned at 10:43 a.m. October 7, 2025 To: The Honorable Mayor and the City Council RE: Civil Service Promotional Examination — Deputy Fire Chief l r I �iZ I' 04C CITY OF IOWA CITY 410 East Washington Street Iowa City, Iowa 52240- 1 826 (319) 356-5000 (319) 356-5009 FAX www.Icgov. org We, the undersigned members of the Civil Service Commission for Iowa City, Iowa, do hereby certify the following named person(s) as eligible for the position of Deputy Fire Chief. 1. Zach Hickman Iowa City Civil Service Commission Eleanor Dilkes Ctb$e1o'f Melissa Jensen L ATTEST: ��, I � o C'� Kellie Grace, City Clerk Board/Commission: Civil Service Commission Attendance Record Last 12 months (Meeting Date) Name Term Expires 4/3/28 10/29/24 2/21/25 4/21/25 5/30/25 X X X 7/16/25 9/4/25 10/7/25 Rick Wyss X X X X X X Ashley Jennings 4/6/26 X j X X X X Eleanor Dilkes 4/1/29 --- --- X X X X X Melissa Jensen 4/1/29 --- --- --- --- --- --- O/E Chi O boko 4/7/25 O/E O/E --- --- --- --- --- KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = No Meeting --- = Not a Member Item Number: 4.c. a CITY OF IOWA CITY "QR T-4 COUNCIL ACTION REPORT October 21, 2025 Climate Action Commission: September 8 Attachments: Climate Action Commission: September 8 MINUTES IOWA CITY CLIMATE ACTION COMMISSION SEPTEMBER 8 — 4:00 PM — FORMAL MEETING EMMA J. HARVAT HALL APPROVED MEMBERS PRESENT: Michael Anderson, Emma Bork, Ben Grimm, Nadja Krylov, Wim Murray, Brinda Shetty, Michelle Sillman, Angie Smith, Robert Traer MEMBERS ABSENT: Jamie Gade, Zach Haralson STAFF PRESENT: Daniel Bissell, Sarah Gardner, Diane Platte OTHERS PRESENT: Chelsea Cozad APPOINTMENT OF TEMPORARY CHAIR: Due to the absences of both Gade and Haralson, Smith volunteered to serve as temporary chair to run the meeting. CALL TO ORDER: Smith called the meeting to order at 4:01. APPROVAL OF AUGUST 4, 2025 MINUTES: Traer moved to approve the minutes, Krylov seconded, and the motion carried. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Action items from last meeting (staff): Gardner sent an email reminder for open meetings training. Staff followed up on a question about the EV chargers at Dubuque St. Parking ramp being out of service and confirmed they are again operational. Gardner shared EV charging data with commissioners. Commissioners were invited to do some preliminary thinking about prioritization scoring for transportation action items in the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. Events: • Volunteer Bike/Ped Count, Sept. 9-11 • Climate Fest, Sept. 19-25. Event descriptions and details at icgov.org/climatefest o Pop -Up Pocket Park, Sept. 19, 3:30-5:30 p.m., City Hall o Drive Electric Car Show, Sept. 20, 7:30 a.m.-noon, Farmers Market o Solar Energy Art Show and Tour, Sept. 22, 4-6:30 p.m., Airport o Tending Iowa's Land Read Aloud, Sept. 23, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Lagoon Shelter House o Resilience Hub Hang Out, Sept. 24, 5-8 p.m., Bike Library o Film Screening, Sept. 25, 6:30-8 p.m., Dream City • Other events in the community (commissioners): Smith shared information about an event on Oct. 22. The author of When Driving Is Not an Option book will give a noon lecture at UIHC, Climate Action Commission September 2025 Page 2 of 5 conduct a bike audit in the evening, and possibly hold conversation with transportation leaders in between. The public is invited to the lecture and the bike audit. OLD BUSINESS: Comprehensive Plan Discussion, continued • Smith shared a summary of public input sessions provided to the steering committee by the consultants. Priorities identified included: housing, mixed use development, senior housing, more trails and parks, expand public transit, bike safety improvements and shared use paths, green infrastructure, home improvement assistance, street trees, and public art. • Gardner suggested picking up the discussion of EVs from the last meeting, noting that the Accelerating Iowa City's Climate Actions Plan calls for implementing recommendations from the EV Readiness Plan to meet the goal of accelerating EV adoption. Based on this, she suggested identifying key themes from the EV Readiness Plan that should be included in the Comprehensive Plan. • Krylov expressed a concern that business, not government, should be driving the installation of EV charging stations, noting decision -makers should be mindful of where the tipping point might be in letting private entities take over the installation of chargers so that government is not competing with a business. • Traer expressed curiosity about how usage data compares for specific charging systems (Tesla, DC Fast Chargers, etc.). Not every vehicle can use a Tesla charger, so this may leave behind EV owners who do not have a converter. Data collection on usage of various available systems would be useful. • Gardner noted in Iowa City there currently are more privately -owned chargers than public chargers, and that owning some chargers allows the City access to data it would not otherwise have about how the stations are used. The City is also able to offer lower -cost charging than private entities to help ensure people are universally served. • Gardner asked for details about concerns regarding charging in parks. Krylov expressed a seasonality concern and noted that workplace charging is reported to be most useful. Traer noted he did not feel concerned about wildlife impacts but thought dwell -time at different parks should be considered. There was consensus that placing chargers in parks with amenities like sports fields and swimming pools should be a higher priority than placing them in parks where people may not stay as long. • Krylov expressed concern about rising costs of electricity as a result of Al and data centers. Gardner noted that powering a vehicle using electricity is far cheaper than powering one using gas, so even if rates rise, it would still likely cost less to fuel a vehicle using electricity for the foreseeable future. • Grimm asked if we know at what point the market would be saturated with EV chargers across town. Gardner shared that during the development of the EV readiness plan, a target of 450 charging ports per million residents helps spur EV adoption. • Bork asked how many charging stations are in Iowa City, both public and private. Bissell answered there are 16 public charging ports. Including privately owned, there are 30 ports. DC Fast Chargers are all privately owned. City chargers are Level 2. Climate Action Commission September 2025 Page 3 of 5 • Bork asked for information about the usage of City chargers. Bissell estimated 400 charging sessions per month, characterizing it as steady demand. • Traer asked if the hospital has chargers. Bissell answered in the affirmative, noting that the hospital charges 40 cents per kilowatt hour, whereas the City charges 16 cents per kWh. He noted as an EV driver himself 40 centers per kWh is more in line with what he would expect to pay for DC fast charging rather than level 2 charging. • Gardner asked if commissioners thought EV charging should be included in the amenities available within a 15-minute walk anywhere in the city. • Shetty suggested focusing on intentional planning of housing types should be prioritized with a focus to start with ensuring charging is available within 15 minutes of apartments or condos rather than within 15 minutes of every household. • Smith suggested amenities for all citizens regardless of their income status are the ones to prioritize in 15-minute cities: groceries, doctor, work, and the like. • Sillman noted that used EVs and used hybrids are going to become more accessible to people, thus more income levels will be represented by the EV market. • Smith noted that our transportation planning is still car -centric. Anderson added that the 15- minute city should require no car, so EVs are not really part of that conversation. • Traer suggested staying time (shopping, business, hospitals) should be a better measure of where chargers should be located. • Krylov asked why — in the CAAP — the stated goal was for only 50% of City vehicles be electric, why not 100%. Gardner noted she was not present for the development of the plan and so could not say with certainty how that number was chosen, but speculated one possibility might be the lack of viable electric models for certain large vehicles such as snowplows making it difficult at the time the plan was written to set a target of 100%. • Gardner summarized the emerging consensus as not including EV charging as an amenity in the 15-minute city concept, as it is focused more on walkable and bikeable spaces, but as far as the City's strategy for public EV infrastructure, it should be to locate charging where people spend a significant amount of time. • Smith offered an analogy to advancing bike usage as requiring infrastructure, shaping human behavior, and organizational partners. The EV equivalent would be building charging stations, promoting EV usage, and working with organizations like workplaces and hospitals to help accelerate EV adoption. Prioritization scoring of Accelerating Iowa City's Climate Actions Plan • Commissioners responded to the final scoring of action items relating to buildings, as outlined in the agenda packet. "Net zero public housing" as a Tier 1 priority was discussed, and it was decided that "increasing energy efficiency in public housing stock and moving toward net zero" would be a better characterization of this goal. • Gardner asked about updated wording of specific actions. Commissioners affirmed that the updated wording in the agenda packet was acceptable. • Gardner asked about combining items such as BE-1, BI-1, and BI-3. Commissioners determined it was best to leave them separate. • Gardner asked if every action item should be given a verb and commissioners affirmed yes. Climate Action Commission September 2025 Page 4 of 5 • Scoring of action items related to transportation — preliminary review will take place before the October meeting. • Sillman asked if TCP-1 "Establish and electric and fuel -efficient vehicle purchasing policy" meant City purchasing. Gardner affirmed it did. PUBLIC COMMENT OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: • None RECAP: Confirmation of next meeting time and location: • Monday, October 6, 4-5:30 p.m. Emma J. Harvat Hall Actionable items for commission and staff: • Gardner will email the transportation report and scoresheet. Commissioners will score them and send scores back. Gardner will average the scores and present them at the next meeting. ADJOURNMENT: Shetty moved to adjourn, Sillman seconded, and the motion carried. Meeting adjourned 5:31. !9 Climate Action Commission September 2025 Page 5 of 5 CLIMATE ACTION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2024-25 l0 0O N F- N F- N W AU, Ql CO l0 NAME TERM EXP. W N V N �' 0 N N 0) N W N W N V N U, N N N A N CO N A A A AU, cn cn cn cn cn cn cn Michael 12/31/2025 X X X X X X O/E X X X O/E X Anderson Emma Bork 12/31/2026 O/E X X X X O/E X X Michal Eynon- 12/31/2024 X X X X Lynch John Fraser 12/31/2024 X X O/E O/E Jamie Gade 12/31/2025 O/E X O/E X X X X O/E X X X O/E Ben Grimm 10/31/2026 X X X X X O/E X O/E O/E X X X Zach Haralson 12/31/2025 O/E X X X X X X X X X X O/E Nadja Krylov 12/31/2026 X O/E X X X X X X Wim Murray MiclAmerican X X X O/E X O/E X X O/E X X X Rep Michelle Sillman 12/31/20025 X O/E X X X X X X X X X X Brinda Shetty UI Rep X X X X X X X X X X X X Angie Smith 12/31/2025 X I O/E X X X X O/E X X O/E O/E X Gabe Sturdevant 12/31/2024 Robert Traer 12/31/2026 X X X X X X X X KEY: X = Present 0 = Absent 0/E = Absent/Excused NM= No Meeting * No longer on Commission Item Number: 4.d. I, CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT October 21, 2025 Economic Development Committee: August 6 Attachments: Economic Development Committee: August 6 Approved - p. I Council EDC, 8/6/25 Minutes City Council Economic Development Committee August 6, 2025 Emma J. Harvat Hall City Council Economic Development Committee Members Present: Josh Moe, Laura Bergus, Oliver Weilein Members Absent: None Staff Present: Eric Goers, Rachel Kilburg Varley Others Present: Cady Gerlach and Mackenzie DeRoo (Greater Iowa City) Call to Order Councilor Moe called the meeting to order at 8.32 a.m. Consider approval of minutes from the April 23, 2025 Economic Development Committee meeting Bergus moved, Weilein seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the August 6, 2025 meeting. Motion passed (3-0). Arts Alliance Feasibility Study Update Rachel Kilburg Varley introduced the item sharing that since the Economic Development Committee has historically considered annual funding requests from arts and culture organizations, she wanted to update the Committee on an Arts Alliance Feasibility Study currently underway. Group Creative Services has been hired as the Consultant and the Study is sponsored by the City, Iowa City Downtown District, and Think Iowa City. Kilburg Varley presented a brief presentation outlining the Study's purpose, goals, timeline, scope, and stakeholders. Moe asked if the University of Iowa is represented on the Study Steering Committee and staff noted the various UI departments represented. Moe also asked how a proposed alliance could address collaborative needs. Staff stated that collaborative fundraising, large grant applications, and shared administrative support are a few examples. Moe also asked about public perception being listed as a challenge, and staff noted that could include both advocacy on the economic impact of the arts and elevating Iowa City to be viewed as a true arts community. Bergus asked what staff envisions for the outcome and how it will impact the annual arts & culture funding requests. Kilburg Varley stated the Consultant is now developing different scenarios and models and any changes would best be considered after the final report is available and a recommendation is made by the Steering Committee. Bergus also asked Approved - p.2 Council EDC, 8/6/25 about whether fundraising efforts led by an Alliance would impact individual organizations' campaigns and staff shared the Steering Committee is discussing this and aiming to protect individuality of the groups, while also looking for ways to cost -share or joint-fundraise in ways that are agreeable. Finally, Bergus asked how the "X Marks the Arts" Cultural & Entertainment District relates and Kilburg Varley shared that it's possible that branding could be encompassed under a future alliance and that there is a lot of overlap in the stakeholders, so it is a focus of that group right now. Kilburg Varley shared that as the Study is completed and a recommendation is finalized, the results or resulting requests may be brought before this Committee or the full City Council. Presentation of Think Iowa City's New Strategic Plan — Josh Schamberger, Think Iowa Citv Josh Schamberger, President of Think Iowa City, presented briefly on the history and focus of the organization and presented an overview of their new Strategic Plan. Weilein asked what data is used to track visitor spending and Schamberger explained the various software tools that enable their organization to collect visitor and spending data for conferences, athletic events, and other events. Weilein also asked about the process for attracting new route markets to the Cedar Rapids Airport and what the municipality's role is. Schamberger explained the history on the airport commission and how these markets can be secured and local entities can help financially invest to secure the route. Moe highlighted the importance of the focus on the River and asked Schamberger what he views the actionable steps are. Schamberger explained the need to expand upon the Pedal - Paddle initiative by convening a committee of key stakeholders and possibly a consultant. Moe asked if there is financial participation needed from the City and Schamberger stated they need to get further into the process to figure out what the next steps and associated costs will be. Bergus asked about the hotel/motel tax collections and Schamberger explained how the hotel/motel tax collection and revenue allocation currently works. Weilein asked about the possibility of increasing the hotel/motel tax rate cap and Schamberg explained the concerns about that held by many state legislators. He also pointed out new legislation that sets aside million in state funding that communities like Iowa City can apply to for major events that bring in significant tourism, such as the Panamerican wrestling championships. Finally, Moe asked about what happens next since the Pop-up Metro initiative has stalled. Schamberg views Think Iowa City as a support role in those efforts. Councilors thanked Schamberger for his time and presentation. Staff Updates None. Old or New Business Approved - p.3 Council EDC, 8/6/25 Bergus suggested engaging the Committee with developers and builders, especially in context of the City Council's focus on increasing housing supply across the board. Weilein noted that he is interested in the Sycamore Strategic Investment District process as that moves forward. Adjournment Bergus moved, Weilein seconded that the meeting be adjourned. Motion carried (3-0). Approved - p.4 Council EDC, 8/6/25 Council Economic Development Committee ATTENDANCE RECORD 2021-2025 TERM 11/29/22 9/25/23 7/1/24 8/12/24 8/16/24 10/16/24 1/8/25 4/23/25 8/6/25 NAME EXP. Josh Moe 12/31/25 --- --- X X X X X X X Mazahir Salih 12/31/25 --- --- --- --- --- --- X --- Laura Bergus 1 12/31/25 X X X X O/E O/E X X X Oliver Weilein 4/23/25 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- X X Andrew Dunn 12/31/25 --- --- X O/E X X --- --- --- John Thomas 01/02/24 X X --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Megan Alter 01/02/24 X X --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Susan Mims 01/02/22 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Key: X = Present O = Absent --- = not a member O/E = Absent/Excused Item Number: 4.e. a CITY OF IOWA CITY "QR T-4 COUNCIL ACTION REPORT October 21, 2025 Historic Preservation Commission: August 14 Attachments: Historic Preservation Commission: August 14 MINUTES APPROVED HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION AUGUST 14, 2025 —5:30 PM —FORMAL MEETING E M M A J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Margaret Beck, Kevin Burford, Andrew Lewis, Ryan Russell, Deanna Thomann, Nicole Villanueva, Frank Wagner MEMBERS ABSENT: Austin Curfman, Carl Brown STAFF PRESENT: Anne Russett OTHERS PRESENT: Jennifer Miller, Chad Miller, Matt Pemble 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: HPC25-0036: 311 Brown Street - Brown Street Historic District (front porch roof replacement and removal of internal gutter, removal and replacement of crown molding): Russett noted this is a contributing property in the Brown Street Historic District, the home was built in 1898 and is a two story wood frame home that incorporates aspects of both Victorian and Georgian Revival architecture. The house retains its original front porch and features a complex roof pattern with returned cornices, which is a special feature of the house. The item tonight is related to the front porch roof and some modifications that need to be made to properly function, a portion of the roof has been repaired but Russett showed photographs provided by the applicant of some standing water on it. She shared another photo and pointed out the gutters look quite shallow and the issues that the applicant is having with this roof is that it's not properly draining and it's causing damage to both the floor of the porch, as well as some of the trim and crown molding around the roof. The applicants were originally proposing to cut out the internal gutters and to remove the crown molding and then replace the crown molding and re -roof the front porch. After some more discussions internally and with the applicants, staff is recommending an alternative solution that will not impact the historical character of the house but solve their water problems. Staff is recommending to fill in the internals gutters and add sheathing and then roof over the gutter and the roof with EPDM, which is a membrane roof. Russett noted the guidelines that relate to gutters recommend repairing original built in gutters. Regarding mass and roof lines, it's important to preserve historic trim, such as crown molding and decorative material, and the section on demolition also disallows removing any architectural features such as decorative trim. She noted there is an exception in the gutter section of the guidelines that allow the Commission to approve the removal of built in gutters that are unable to be repaired and this can be done on a case by case basis if the gutter is not able to be repaired and properly function. Additionally, staff can administratively approve replacing an existing metal roof on a front porch with EPDM. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION August 14, 2025 Page 2 of 5 Staff recommends approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness for the project at 311 Brown Street to fill in the internal gutters on the front porch roof, add sheathing as needed, and roof over the metal roof and gutters with EPDM through the use of an exception to remove the internal gutters, since they continue to poorly function causing water damage. Burford asked if gutters would be put in place of the internal ones or would there just be no gutters at all. Russett stated staff recommends half rounds on the external portion of the front porch. Thomann asked if using the half rounds would all the trim and the molding be preserved. Russett explained yes, the original proposal was to impact that, but what staff is recommending is not to impact that, just fill the gutter in, add the sheathing, add the new roof material and leaving the crown molding in place. Thomann asked if the half round gutter then cover or conceal the crown molding. Russett stated it may cover a portion of the crown molding, but with the half rounds it will show more of the historic trim than a case style gutter. Jennifer Miller (311 Brown Street) stated when they moved into this house in 2021 they met with Jessica Bristow on site and learned about this process. In 2022 they called the people on the list and most people say they can't do this kind of repair so they got the front porch and back porch patched and repeated that in 2023. In 2024 they were told by their insurance that they were going to be kicked off their insurance because of the age of the roof. Luckily, they found new insurance just in the nick of time this summer. In 2024 they gathered bids from people including $32,000 for a whole new roof, which is outside of their budget, but at the beginning of 2025 they met with Bristow and Russett again to discuss how they could get their porch fixed for the sake of the house. Miller wanted to stress that they've been proactive and have called the contractors from the list but that had to be expanded because so many people said they wouldn't do it. Finally, they found Tomlinson Cannon and feel like their proposal and their suggestions are sound. She acknowledged they lost a lot of time as it's already August and they really wanted to make this happen for the sake of the house. Chad Miller (311 Brown Street) added when they first moved in there was already dripping and leaking through the porch roof, both front and back, damaging the soffit, the porch, the front steps. Yes they had it patched but patches don't last and the leaks come back. He can see out from their bedroom to the gutter on the northwest corner and it's practically flat. The water is supposed to go north, then east and around the corner and then south, but at that corner there's really no slope there so it goes right over the roof and into a standing puddle situation. Therefore, by patching the roof it just makes a longer lasting puddle. He doesn't see how to fix that and how to recreate enough slope and enough fall to make that flow properly. He doesn't know how to do that without rebuilding it completely. Miller reiterated they do not want to change anything architecturally for the historic value, they just want something that functions because the porch is getting destroyed, the soffit is getting destroyed, and those are also historic features that are actually more visible than the gutter. Matt Pemble (Exterior Operation Manager, Thomlinson Cannon) has been a finished carpenter in the field for 21 years and been in the construction industry for 30 years. Thomlinson Cannon has been around in Iowa City since 1948 doing gutters, but internal gutters, the built in systems are a poor design and the problem is everything's internal. They leak, they clog, there is settling, they cause other issues. It is hard to keep maintenance on internal gutters because you don't see it, at least not until it starts getting too late. Thomlinson Cannon doesn't do repairs on internal gutters, a lot of companies don't repair Yankee gutters because they fail, so their proposal was to redo the roof and close off the built in gutters because they're causing problems with the soffit internally. Because the gutters are built into the roof system they're causing potentially structural damage to the roof and they don't know how bad until HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION August 14, 2025 Page 3 of 5 they open it up. Again, their proposal was to try to preserve as much as they can, yes the half round will be visible but they will still be able to see the crown molding and the crown molding can be fixed and preserved. The half round would have to be applied with straps because of the crown molding there's no fastener to go straight into the fascia but they wouldn't see the straps except where they barely come up and still be able to see the crown molding. Thomann asked how they fill in those gutters. Pemble explained they will go over the tin with half inch OSB, putting a wood structure, kind of like a roof decking, all completely over. They will build pitch wedges, to get the proper slope on the front porch roof but also getting the slope so the water will come down into the gutter system, wrap it around. Thomann asked if the half round gutters are something typically seen on that era of house. Pemble replied absolutely and a lot of the historical homes around Iowa City still have half rounds. They've came a long way with half rounds, they used to come in 10 foot sections and were put together, now they have the opportunity to have a seamless machine to make them continuous. Additionally, they can still use the downspouts on the older homes or they can get the round down spouts that aren't like the typical modern ones now. Thomann noted they don't generally have much to say about gutters but was just curious about the style. MOTION: Villanueva moves to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness for the project at 311 Brown Street to fill in the internal gutters on the front porch roof, add sheathing as needed, and roof over the metal roof and gutters with EPDM through the use of an exception to remove the internal gutters, since they continue to poorly function causing water damage. Beck seconded the motion. Burford noted there are a lot of interior gutters built into the houses on Brown Street, he has them on his house, and standing water goes with interior gutters they can't really escape it. He stated they are more esthetic, in his view, than the half rounds, however he understands the practical need to make the change and would therefore be in favor of it. Villanueva stated on her house they also have a front porch with internal gutters and they are having the exact same issue and can't find anyone to repair, remodel or rebuild the gutters. She is impressed with this approach and is in favor of this. She also noted that perhaps since there's such an issue with finding people to help with built in gutters are the guidelines out of date and there is a need for a much bigger discussion. A vote was taken and the motion passed 7-0. REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF: Minor Review - Staff Review: HPC25-0043: 406 South Summit Street - Summit Street Historic District (porch roof replacement) HPC25-0045: 1022 East College Street - East College Street Historic District (garage roof replacement) HPC25-0048: 332 East Davenport Street - Northside Historic District (roof shingle replacement): A roof shingle replacement for the main house. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION August 14, 2025 Page 4 of 5 HPC25-0047: 821 North Linn Street - Brown Street Historic District (roof shingle replacement with standing seam metal roofing) Intermediate Review— Chair and Staff Review: HPC25-0049: 810 North Johnson Street - Brown Street Historic District (radon mitigation system installation): Russett stated this is a corner lot and there's one piece of the piping that runs down the south side of the home, which technically fronts a street, but the house has two sides that front a street and the piping is just on the south side. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR JULY 10, 2025: MOTION: Wagner moves to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's July 10, 2025, meeting. Villanueva seconded the motion The motion carried on a vote of 7-0. COMMISSION INFORMATION: Open Meeting Training Requirements Russett stated the State recently passed a law that all new board and commission members need to go through an open meeting training that's provided by the State. The City would like all members of boards and commissions to take the training, however the rollout of the training has not gone well and given the fact that people can't get into trainings, and there's not enough trainings, she recommends Commissioners other than Curfman and Villanueva, who were both appointed in July, hold off on trying to get in until others have completed it. COMMISSION DISCUSSION Lewis noted they switched to doing it in February and starting to plan it in August last year so it's time to begin thinking of scheduling the first subcommittee meeting soon. Friends of Historic Preservation will still be involved, but perhaps different people than last year since some of those people who were involved last year are maybe no longer part of Friends. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:00pm HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2024-2025 TERM 9/12 10/10 11/14 12/12 1/9 2/13 3/13 4/10 5/8 6/12 7/10 8/14 NAME EXP. BECK, 6/30/27 X O/E X X X X X X O/E X X X MARGARET BROWN, 6/30/26 X X X X X X X O/E O/E X X O/E CARL BURFORD, 6/30/27 X X X X X O/E X X X X X X KEVI N CURFMAN, 6/30/2028 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- X O/E AUSTIN LEWIS, 6/30/26 X X X X O/E X X X X O/E X X ANDREW RUSSELL, 6/30/27 X O/E X O/E O/E X X X X X X X RYAN SELLERGREN, 6/30/25 X X X X X X X X X X --- --- JORDAN THOMANNN, 6/30/26 X X X X X X O/E X X X X X DEANNA VILLANUEVA, 6/30/25 X X X X O/E O/E X X X X X X NICOLE WAGNER, 6/30/26 O/E X X X X O/E X O/E X O/E O/E X FRANK WELU- 6/30/25 X O/E X X X X X O/E X X --- --- REYNOLDS, CHRISTINA 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 October 21, 2025 Parks & Recreation Commission: September 10 Attachments: Parks & Recreation Commission: September 10 IOWA CITY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 10, 2025 ROBERT A. LEE RECREATION CENTER — MEETING ROOM B Members Present: Connie Moore, Missie Forbes, Michael Gaunt, Jeff Mallory, Rachel McPherson, Caleb Recker, Alex Stanton Members Absent: Brian Morelli, Virginia Hayes Staff Present: Juli Seydell Johnson, Tyler Baird, Gabe Gotera Others Present: Anne Jensen CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Moore called the meeting to order at 5:02 p.m. RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council action): None OTHER FORMAL ACTION: Moved by Gaunt, seconded by Haves, to approve the August 13, 2025, minutes. Motion passed 6-0 (Haves, McPherson, and Morelli absent). PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: None LOCAL OPTION SALES AND SERVICE TAX (LOSST) — Assistant City Manager Kirk Lehmann; City Manager's Office Commissioner McPherson arrives at 5:03 p.m. Assistant City Manager Lehmann presents the attached PowerPoint regarding the proposed Local Option Sales and Service Tax (LOSST). Commissioner Recker asks, regarding large projects akin to the City Park Pool project, if these projects could potentially be funded through tax relief instead of through the bonding process. ACM Lehmann confirms that that is correct. Recker asks if this tax relief would fall under the PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION September 10, 2025 Page 2 of 9 10% of funds that would allocate towards Parks, Public Streets, and Facilities and if so, how is the use of the funds determined between the three areas. Lehmann explains that the categories for fund allocation are broad by design. This is to preserve some flexibility for how the funds will be used in the long-term, noting that there is no proposed sunset for LOSST. Lehmann gives the example, that if there is another pandemic that was not anticipated for, then the focused use of the funds can easily be pivoted to address more pressing needs. Lehmann says that the tax relief could go towards Parks if deemed necessary and would be detailed annually as part of the budgeting process. Commissioner Gaunt asks if it has been quantified how much revenue will be lost from state property tax reforms, compared to the projected potential of 8-10 million dollars in LOSST revenue gain. ACM Lehmann explains that when discussing state party tax reforms, he is referring to four different reform packages that have occurred since 2013. The biggest of which was the reduction of how multi -family properties are taxed. In Iowa City, these properties were previously taxed at the commercial rate, 100% of their property tax evaluation. Over the past 10 years, this has been reduced to the residential rate, less than 50%. This would be the biggest lost revenues source that the city has seen. Lehmann says that he does not know the exact number, but that he can follow up on that. Lehmann explains that there have been reforms more recently that have limited the city's ability to capture growth. If the city grew by a certain percentage, then the municipality automatically reduced the property tax rate by a certain percentage, limiting the ability to capture growth moving forward. Lehmann notes that the state is discussing property taxes with a package expected to pass the following year. Currently, the exact details of this reform are unknown. These discussions put uncertainty in the city's future, prompting the city council to add the LOSST to the ballot sooner rather than later. Commissioner Forbes asks, assuming that LOSST passes and 10% of the revenue is allocated towards the category including Parks, who is determining how the money is used. Would department staff come to the Commission with a proposal, which if approved, would get recommended to city council? Dir. Seydell Johnson says that it would likely follow the current capital improvement process. Staff would come to the commission to gather ideas and then later input CIPs. There are already many requests that have funding, so the first couple rounds of new requests would likely come from the unfunded list. AMC Lehmann says that this revenue is seen as a way to accelerate the projects that can be acknowledged while providing a realistic opportunity to work on the unfunded list. Commissioner Mallory asks, considering the size of tourism and visitor income, why are hotel and motel exempt from LOSST. AMC Lehmann explains that hotels and motels are exempt from LOSST, because they have their own type of tax and aren't subject to sales tax. The revenue that would be obtained primarily from visitors are people that are eating out, buying tickets, and many other things in the community. In Iowa, there is a limit to the amount of each type of tax, with hotel and motel taxes already maxed out in Iowa City. This is why the LOSST is one of the last large revenue options available. Mallory asks for confirmation that it is a state cap on taxes charged to hotels and motels. Lehmann confirms that this is accurate before explaining that Iowa provides municipalities options for tax rates that can be chosen within certain parameters PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION September 10, 2025 Page 3 of 9 Commission Mallory asks if University of Iowa (UI) properties are tax exempt. ACM Lehmann confirms this. Mallory asks if there is any compensatory balance from the state because of this. Lehmann says that there is no such compensation as UI is a state entity and is not within city zoning control. Lehmann notes that there are some agreements on certain services. For example, the city gets funds from UI for providing fire services, while the university provides their own police force and transit. Mallory asks if there has been an attempt to get compensation for cities with state universities. Lehmann says that there are examples in other states called pilot, where cities are paid in fees in lieu of taxes, but that this has not been a discussion in Iowa. Lehmann adds that recently there are university properties that are being leased. Leased properties are privately owned and do pay property tax. There have been a lot of recent expansion of leased properties, bringing in some tax revenue. Lehmann acknowledges that this relationship can be a challenge but states that Iowa City would not be what it is without the university, noting the importance of the partnership and understanding between the two entities. Commissioner McPherson asks if there are any chances that the state could change how LOSST funds are collected and allocated. ACM Lehmann confirms that this is a possibility and that all taxes are submit to changes by the state. The state has already proposed collecting LOSST at a state level then allocating to local governments. The League of Cities has concerns with this because in the past, the state has given out backfill payments making up for lost taxes but were eventually phased out. Lehmann clarifies that what has been seen with LOSST is that it's widely used across Iowa cities, has been very popular at the state level, and has not yet been changed for communities that have already implanted LOSST, but will always be subject to possible change from the state. Commissioner McPherson asks, who or what department were the ambassadors that went to North Liberty and Coralville to encourage the LOSST. Dir. Seydell Johnson responds that it was Greater Iowa City, Inc. that discussed with other cities. ACM Lehmann clarifies that the city is not permitted under state law to advocated for the approval of LOSST and instead acts in an informational role. Greater Iowa City, as a private organization, has taken on an advocacy role, encouraging Coralville and North Liberty to act at the same time as Iowa City. McPherson asks what Greater Iowa City is. Lehmann explains that Greater Iowa City is a combination of both the Chamber of Commerce of Iowa City and the Iowa City Area Development Group, acting as an economic development entity within Iowa City. REPORTS ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF Parks and Recreation Director — Juli Seydell Johnson Commission Business: Dir. Seydell Johnson reminds the commission to sign up for open meeting trainings from the Iowa Public Information Board. Seydell Johnson acknowledges the difficulty in signing up for the online training due to the limited capacity across the state. To combat this, the city has scheduled a local in -person training scheduled for Monday, Sept. 29, at the Terry Trueblood Lodge. Seydell Johnson reiterates that the training is required for all local commission and board members but clarifies that any civil penalties detailed during the training would only be pertinent to new commissioners appointed after July 1, 2025. Seydell Johnson recommends PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION September 10, 2025 Page 4 of 9 that any members who are unable to attend the in -person training, to sign up for the online courses as soon as possible. Commissioner Mallory, having previously completed the online course, recommends the online course to the Commission. Mallory compliments the depth and breadth of the training. Commissioner Stanton recalls that Iowa State University has offered a course on the material for a $50 registration fee. Stanton asks, assuming that this would be the only option available, would the city offer reimbursement for the registration fee. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that she does not know the answer to that specifically, but notes that there are more online courses being offered every day. Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that Chair Moore, Vice Chair Morelli, and Commissioner Forbes are nearing the end of their first terms at the end of the year. City council is expected to open up applications for filling the spots. Seydell Johnson reminds that all three members are allowed to apply for a second term. Terry Trueblood Recreation Area: Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that earlier in the day, a deceased body was found near the edge of the waterline at the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area, outside of view of the main trail. Staff has very little information on the topic while police are investigating. The area was closed off around noon to 4 p.m. but has since been reopened by the police. Seydell Johnson says that this should have no impact on rentals in the area but adds that patrons have been given option to cancel their reservation if they are uncomfortable. Park Projects: Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that fences have come down regarding the summer park projects. Seydell Johnson gives updates on the following parks: • College Green Park's new playground and basketball court is fully open and has been receiving lots of use. • Calder Park's new trail is open and usable. • Brookland Park is open with new playground and new pathways to the playground. • Adelaide Joy Rogers Park is nearly fully open. The trails are walkable, but staff are currently installing the playground and should be open shortly. • The small playground that was previously located in Upper City Park before being removed for the nearby construction has been installed in Lower City Park. The playground is located at the western entrance of the park near the City Park baseball fields. • The Mercer Park athletic fields are moving along with the changes to the softball fields. This project is managed by the Iowa City Community School District. • The final design details are being finished on the City Park shelter and restroom renovation project. • This fall, there will be a public meeting regarding an upcoming project at North Market Square Park. • Staff are completing the bid documents for the Terrell Mill Roller Park. The federal funds have been released, so bids will be going out soon. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION September 10, 2025 Page 5 of 9 Commissioner McPherson asks where North Market Square Park is located. Dir. Seydell Johnson responds that the park is located next to Mann Elementary School. The project is a playground replacement with some enhancements to the field area. Commissioner Recker asks if the Mercer Park athletic fields project is on schedule. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that there are intermittent delays, but nothing substantial to warrant a change in estimated completion. Recker notes that the project is managed by the school district but asks if there are any stipulations or obligations in the contract where if work goes beyond a certain amount of time, work will stop to allow recreational use of the other fields. Seydell Johnson responds that Fields 2 and 3 are unaffected by the construction, but in the scenario that the project is not completed in time, access to the fields may be difficult. Commissioner Stanton asks when the public meeting for North Market Square Park be. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that a date has not been scheduled yet. National Recreation and Parks Association: Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that the following week, staff including herself, Supt. Barker, Supt. Baird, and Facilities Mang. Worrell will be attending the National Recreation and Parks Association conference. Recreation Superintendent — Brad Barker Facilities: Supt. Barker announces that the Mercer Park Aquatic Center (MPAC) swimming pool roof project has been completed. The MPAC pool was closed for approximately one month. To compensate; operation hours were extended at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center (RAL). Staff worked with the school district, who uses the MPAC pool for practice, to start using the RAL pool during the closure. MPAC pool was reopened the previous day and both MPAC and RAL pools have returned to normal hours. Supt. Barker relays that Fin & Feather H2O have recently announced that they plan to vacate the boat rental facility at the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area. Fin & Feather intend to sell their equipment, leaving the vacated property. Barker explains that staff have looked through the space and are planning to propose transforming the facility into an enclosed park shelter. Between the patio area and natural light, Barker believes that the building has potential as an event rental space for the public to use. Barker adds that it can be used for recreation programming, specifically nature education. Staff: Supt. Barker announces that Megan Hill is the new Recreation Program Supervisor for Arts, STEAM, Summer Camps, and Nature Education. Hill began working in August 2025, after the position was vacant for eight months. Hill had been working for the city's Climate Sustainability Office for three years, but prior to that, she had worked with Green Iowa AmeriCorps and was a part-time employee in the Recreation division for Arts programming and Customer Service. As such, Hill already knows most of the staff and has worked well with them in the past. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION September 10, 2025 Page 6 of 9 Events: Supt. Barker announces the following upcoming Recreation events: • The third annual Get Outside! recreation festival will be held in the morning of Sunday, Sept. 28, at Lower City Park. Staff has partnered with 15 different organizations in the community to bring different recreation opportunities for people to try out. • The Indigenous Peoples Day event will be held from 2 — 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 12, at the Terry Trueblood Lodge. Typically, the event is held in the evening on Indigenous Peoples Day, but to see increased attendance, it has been moved to daylight hours on the weekend. There are many different groups and entertainment represented at the event. Commissioner Forbes asks to speak more on the lake levels at the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area. Dir. Seydell Johnson states that the lake levels no longer support paddle boarding or canoe rentals. Initially, staff thought that the low lake levels were related to the low river level, but now the river level has come back up while the lake remains low. Staff have consulted with several different people, but an exact cause has not been identified. The leading theory is that the nearby housing developments to the east has diverted storm water that was previously adding to the lake level. Unfortunately, there is no economical way to fill or dredge the lake. Forbes asks if this means that the area will turn into an empty basin. Seydell Johnson says that unless a different option is determined, the area will turn into a wetland natural area. Staff will continue to search for a solution, but it would likely take a lot of funds to restore the lake to its previous water level. Commissioner McPherson asks if the extended pool hours at RAL Pool will remain, now that patrons have gotten used to the new pattern. Supt. Barker responds that the extended hours are not expected to remain. The hours were temporarily extended to include 1 — 4 p.m. Barker explains that a large factor against keeping extended hours is that swim lessons take up the time slot in the pool. Chair Moore says that she received an email from Cycling without Age, inquiring about storing a Triot, a type of adaptive bike, at either the Ashton House or at the old H2O boat rental facility for use in their respective areas. Supt. Barker says that he has spoken with Program Supervisor Malory Smysor, who is working with the group to store several Triots at the Ashton House. Barker says that unfortunately, storage at the old H2O building would not work after it is turned into an enclosed shelter. Moore asks how much space is available at the Ashton House, recalling that Cycling without Age could provide a trailer that could house the actual bikes. Dir. Seydell Johnson and Barker explain that there is limited space at the Ashton House because the garage space is used by Project Green. There should be space available for a few bikes in the Ashton House basement, but not for an entire trailer on the grounds. Commissioner Stanton asks what the expected timeframe is for the conversion of the old H2O building into an enclosed shelter. Supt. Barker says that the timeframe would be highly dependent on the budget, would has already been requested. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that it would be installed by the next summer at the earliest estimation. Stanton asks if the reservations would be handled through the department. Barker confirms that the reservations would be handled by Recreation staff. The use and rentals of the facility is expected to be similar to the community space planned for the new City Park Pool. Seydell Johnson recalls that the Recreation Facilities and Program Master Plan called for a need for programming in satellite PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION September 10, 2025 Page 7 of 9 sites across the city. Seydell Johnson says that is it exciting to see these satellite sites being fulfilled at the Ashton House and eventually both City Park Pool and TTRA. CHAIRS REPORT None COMMISSION TIME/SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: Commissioner McPherson recalls visiting Upper City Park and noticed about 20 old -growth oaks that are fenced inside of the construction area around City Park Pool. McPherson asks if the trees health is still being prioritized. Dir. Seydell Johnson explains that staff have been working with the contractor regarding the trees since before construction started. The trees have been fenced off primarily at their drip line for their safety, but they will still be impacted with construction being so close. Seydell Johnson says that it is an ongoing conversation but reiterates that the trees are one of the top priorities for the project. Ideally, all the trees will be saved, but likely a few of them will fall within years of the facility being complete, due to their age and the impact from the construction. McPherson asks for confirmation that the construction crews have been made aware of the trees as a high priority. Seydell Johnson confirms this, adding that they have been notified of the priority multiple times. Commissioner Recker asks how trees are being evaluated for if they are safe to remain. Dir. Seydell Johnsons says that the city's arborists have been making the evaluations and that Mark Vitosh from the state has been on the grounds to inspect them at least once, among other experts. Commissioner Mallory notes that there are some items on the Aquatics webpage that need to be updated regarding new programming. Mallory says that some patrons have told him that they had a communications misunderstanding about the pool closing early on the previous Sunday. Mallory asks if it is possible in the future to have signage posted on the exterior doors regarding pool hours. Mallory acknowledges that there are already posted hours for the larger facility. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that staff can look at that but notes that generally the door signage is not changed unless for emergencies and holidays. Commissioner Stanton says that he was at the new College Green Park playground, which is not only fun but packed after the Farmers Market. Stanton recalls being at a party at Happy Hollow Park and receiving questions from parents regarding the new playground. The playground has a bridge with hand holds that are flared out wide and low. Stanton was unsure if this was for accessibility reasons but notes that parents had concerns about kids younger than five falling through a hole on the bridge. Stanton asks what the reason is for the arms of the bridge to be designed like this. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that she is not familiar with the playground off the top of her head but notes that it can be looked at. Chair Moore explains that she had attempted to visit Sand Prairie Park but that she was unable to find the entrance when visiting the addresses noted on the Parks webpage. Dir. Seydell Johnson PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION September 10, 2025 Page 8 of 9 notes that because the park is a prairie preserve, staff don't encourage much use at the moment, so there is a lack of signage or trails. Staff have been doing lots of restoration work on one of the last remnant prairies, so it is more ecological focused than visitor focused. Seydell Johnson recommends Moore to reach out to Parks and Forestry Superintendent, Tyler Baird, about being shown around the area. ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Mallory, seconded by Gaunt, to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed 7-0 (Haves, and Morelli absent). PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION September 10, 2025 Page 9 of 9 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD NAME o T 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 k 0 0 k 0 0 TERM EXPIRES M IV tr) AG r— 00 01 Missie 12/31/25 NM O/E NM X NM X X X NM O/E O/E X Forbes Michael 12/31/28 * * * X NM X X X NM X X X Gaunt Virginia 12/31/27 NM O/E NM X NM X X O/E NM X X O/E Hayes Jeff 12/31/28 * * X NM X X O/E NM X O/E X Mallory Rachel 12/31/26 NM X NM O/E NM X O/E X NM X X X McPherson Connie 12/31/25 NM X NM X NM X X X NM X X X Moore Brian 12/31/25 NM X NM X NM X X X NM X X O/E Morelli Caleb 12/31/26 NM X NM X NM X O/E O/E NM X O/E X Recker Alex 12/31/27 NM X NM O/E NM X X X NM X O/E X Stanton KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting LQ = No meeting due to lack of quorum * = Not a member during this meeting Item Number: 4.g. I, CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT October 21, 2025 Planning & Zoning Commission: August 27 [See Recommendations] Attachments: Planning & Zoning Commission: August 27 [See Recommendations] r ��_..® CITY OF IOWA CITY R& MEMORANDUM Date: October 16, 2025 To: Mayor and City Council From: Anne Russett, Senior Planner Re: Recommendations from the Planning and Zoning Commission At its August 27, 2025 meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission have the following recommendation to the City Council: By a vote of 6-0 the Commission recommends approval of CPA25-0002, an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan future land use map from Public/Semi-Public to Residential 16-24 du/acre and the Southwest District Plan future land use map from Public Services/Institutional to Medium to High Density Multi -Family for approximately 9.9 acres of land located at 611 Greenwood Drive. By a vote of 6-0 the Commission recommends approval of REZ25-0010, a request to rezone approximately 9.90 acres of land located at 611 Greenwood Drive to Medium Density Multi - Family Residential with a Planned Development Overlay (OPD/RM20) zone subject to the following conditions: 1. Prior to issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, installation of a 10' wide pedestrian connection and dedication of an associated public access easement along the eastern portion of the property to extend from W. Benton Street to Greenwood Drive. Pedestrian path shall also include pedestrian scale lighting to be reviewed and approved by the City during the site plan review process. Lighting shall be installed and maintained by the Owner. 2. Vehicular access to the site from W. Benton Street is restricted to emergency vehicles only. 3. Prior to issuance of Certificate of Occupancy, installation of a raised crosswalk across Greenwood Drive near the entrance to the site subject to review and approval by the City Engineer. 4. As part of the site plan approval, ensure that the design of the access drive from Greenwood Drive to the subject property is at or near a 90-degree angle subject to review and approval by the City Engineer. 5. Increase from S2 to S3 screening along the eastern parking lot. 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 AUGUST 27, 2025 —6:00 PM —FORMAL MEETING E M M A J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Kaleb Beining, James Davies, Maggie Elliott, Steve Miller, Billie Townsend, Chad Wade MEMBERS ABSENT: Scott Quellhorst STAFF PRESENT: Liz Craig, Anne Russett OTHERS PRESENT: Jackson Taylor, Kory May, James W. May, Jr., Mary Knudson, Anna Buss, Jon Marner, Lindsay Park, Paula Swygard RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: By a vote of 6-0 the Commission recommends approval of CPA25-0002, an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan future land use map from Public/Semi-Public to Residential 16-24 du/acre and the Southwest District Plan future land use map from Public Services/Institutional to Medium to High Density Multi -Family for approximately 9.9 acres of land located at 611 Greenwood Drive. By a vote of 6-0 the Commission recommends approval of REZ25-0010, a request to rezone approximately 9.90 acres of land located at 611 Greenwood Drive to Medium Density Multi - Family Residential with a Planned Development Overlay (OPD/RM20) zone subject to the following conditions: 1. Prior to issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, installation of a 10' wide pedestrian connection and dedication of an associated public access easement along the eastern portion of the property to extend from W. Benton Street to Greenwood Drive. Pedestrian path shall also include pedestrian scale lighting to be reviewed and approved by the City during the site plan review process. Lighting shall be installed and maintained by the Owner. 2. Vehicular access to the site from W. Benton Street is restricted to emergency vehicles only. 3. Prior to issuance of Certificate of Occupancy, installation of a raised crosswalk across Greenwood Drive near the entrance to the site subject to review and approval by the City Engineer. 4. As part of the site plan approval, ensure that the design of the access drive from Greenwood Drive to the subject property is at or near a 90-degree angle subject to review and approval by the City Engineer. 5. Increase from S2 to S3 screening along the eastern parking lot. CALL TO ORDER: Elliott called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 2 of 20 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ITEMS: CASE NO. CPA25-0002: Location: 611 Greenwood Drive; Former Roosevelt Elementary School A public hearing to consider an amendment to change the Comprehensive Plan future land use map from Public/Semi-Public to Residential 16-24 DU/Acre and the Southwest District Plan future land use map from Public Services/Institutional to Medium to High Density Multi -Family for approximately 9.9 acres of property. Russett stated this amendment would be a change from the public designation to a multifamily designation. She shared an aerial photograph of the subject property, to the south is West Benton Street and to the north is Greenwood Drive. The current zoning is Neighborhood Public (P-1), there is some single family to the east, as well as some multifamily to the east. Across Greenwood Drive is also some single family zoning and some multifamily zoning. There are a couple of parks in the area, so some additional public zoning to the south and to the north. In terms of background, Russett explained this is the former Roosevelt Elementary School. The property was sold by the Iowa City Community School District in 2021 and was purchased by a private affordable housing developer who is requesting the Comprehensive Plan Amendment to change the land use designation for the 9.9 acres from the Public designation to Residential 16 to 24 dwelling units per acre in the IC 2030 Plan, and to Medium to High Density Multi -Family in the Southwest District Plan. The applicants did hold a good neighbor meeting on May 29 and a summary of that meeting was provided in the agenda packet. Russett stated there are two criteria that staff looks at when evaluating a Comprehensive Plan Amendment, the first is that circumstances have changed and the second is that the proposed amendment aligns with other policies and provisions in the Comprehensive Plan. In terms of that first criteria, this was the former Roosevelt Elementary School site and is no longer a school. The school was closed in 2012 and after that closure it was still operated as an educational center until 2019 and then in 2021 the School District sold the property to TWG. The building is currently vacant. This proposed amendment recognizes the change in ownership from a public entity to a private entity and it creates more opportunities for much needed residential development in the community. The second criteria is that the proposed amendment is compatible with other policies and provisions in the Comprehensive Plan. Russett explained the IC 2030 Plan was adopted when the Roosevelt Educational Center was still fully operational, aligning with that existing land use. Additionally, the Plan recognizes the importance of having a diversity of housing options within the community and within all neighborhoods. There are also multiple land use goals and strategies that speak to the importance of infill development and redeveloping properties that have access to infrastructure and transit within the community. There are housing goals that talk about ensuring a mix of housing, supporting infill development and concentrating new development in areas that are contiguous with existing neighborhoods and there's also sustainability related goals that again speak to discouraging sprawl and promoting infill development. Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 3 of 20 Staff has received four pieces of correspondence related to this Comprehensive Plan Amendment, one of those letters was in opposition to the proposed amendment. Staff recommends approval of CPA25-0002, an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan future land use map from Public/Semi-Public to Residential 16-24 du/acre and the Southwest District Plan future land use map from Public Services/Institutional to Medium to High Density Multi - Family for approximately 9.9 acres of land located at 611 Greenwood Drive. In terms of next steps, the public hearing at City Council has already been set for September 2 Miller asked if there are any special considerations or additional conversations at a staff level when moving land from a more public service to residential other than just recognizing that they're losing a public facing asset. Russett noted there are some additional things that will be discussed within the rezoning application, such as pedestrian connectivity. Elliott opened the public hearing. Jackson Taylor (Senior Development Director, TWG Development) stated they believe this project will make a meaningful impact on housing in Iowa City. They're proposing 187 units of affordable multifamily housing located at 611 Greenwood Drive. This project is designed to serve working families, seniors and individuals who are currently struggling to find safe, stable, affordable housing and this development will provide long term affordability while enhancing the surrounding area. Taylor first gave some background on TWG, they've been around for the last 18 years focused exclusively on building housing that strengthens communities, and the majority of that is affordable housing. Over that 18 year span they've developed over 11,500 units nationally, $2.5 billion in transaction costs, and are in 23 states. Out of those 23 states, their home base is in Indianapolis, but the first state they expanded to, and actually their second largest presence is in Iowa and are here quite frequently. They pride themselves on thoughtful design, community engagement and bringing long term assets to the neighborhoods they serve. The current project's working name is Roosevelt Ridge and Roosevelt Ridge will include dog parks, it'll be designed to NGBS Silver standards where potential tenant amenities include a fitness center and in -unit washer and dryer. There are also community amenities nearby, such as close proximity to transportation and all the things that make a project great. Taylor noted they've worked very closely with Iowa City Planning and incorporated a pretty extensive planning process. As previously mentioned, they purchased the project back in 2021 which was in the heat of covid and throughout that time the economics have changed quite a bit so the project has changed a little bit. However, throughout each of those iterations and revisions they've been very thankful to staff and the planning team and it was actually, all told, a great experience and now what they're presenting they feel really incorporates community values and the community's priorities at this time. Therefore, to make this vision a reality, they are requesting a rezoning and a change to the Comprehensive Plan. Taylor stated these changes are essential to allow for the density and layout needed to support affordability while maintaining compatibility with the surrounding area. He acknowledged they understand the importance of responsible growth and are committed to being a transparent and collaborative partner throughout this process. Ultimately, this project is about creating opportunity, giving families a chance to live in quality housing they can afford, in a neighborhood where they can thrive. They respectfully ask for support in approving the rezoning request and the Comprehensive Plan Amendment so they can move forward in building a more inclusive and resilient future for Iowa City. Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 4 of 20 Kory May (612 West Benton Street) is speaking on behalf of his mother and siblings. He stated he wears a size 15 shoe so he knows what it is like to search for something that fits, not just something that looks good, but that supports, protects, and lets you move freely. May stated Benton Street has shaped itself over decades to fit the lives of families like his and the Roosevelt Ridge proposal as it stands feels like a shoe that wasn't made for this block. It might be well intentioned, but it doesn't match the contours of the community and feels shoehorned in. He wanted to make two points, first are the traffic patterns from Benton Street and Riverside Drive to Sunset Street, there are no traffic lights. And then down Greenwood Drive, the only traffic lights are at Riverside and Myrtle and to the north, those are on Melrose and Melrose Park. The second point is there are children and elderly in the area. The children at Early Explorers Daycare on Greenwood, and just above that is Briarwood, so there is not the capacity for more. May stated they want to protect the soul of their home, his mother has lived next door to Roosevelt School for almost 70 years. May, as well as his siblings, graduated from Roosevelt, and it was a sad moment to see Roosevelt close. This is where his family has walked and lived and grown for three generations. What they're asking for is thoughtful adjustments, like moving parking further away from their property, and because all of the property is set toward the east side, and managing drainage responsibly. There is one drainage opening on Benton Street Hill from the north side of Miller all the way to the top of the hill. That's right in front of 600 West Benton Street where the Coopers formerly lived. They are also asking for buffering light and sound, if parking is supposed to be on the east side of the property the light and sound is going to be coming toward their property and even into their home. That's problematic. May stated a good shoe supports without squeezing and development should do the same. There are a proposed 187 units with 113 parking spaces. Doing the math, if every person in there has a car that's 315 cars for 113 parking spaces, the math doesn't math. They need to balance size with support. May stated this isn't a case of not in my backyard, they support affordable housing and inclusive growth, but when a project is too big for the infrastructure beneath it, it stumbles. They've all seen what happens when you cram a foot into the wrong size shoe, it hurts the foot and ruins the shoe. This proposal as currently designed does not fit the neighborhood's scale, rhythm or infrastructure. In conclusion, if the Roosevelt Ridge project doesn't fit, they must not permit. James W. May, Jr. (612 West Benton Street) stated his dad bought the property at 612 West Benton Street when he was five years old and he lived there up until 20 some. There are two things that he would like to express. Number one, along the east side of Roosevelt School there's usually parking for football games and a lot of money is made doing that. There's a fence and then there's his mom's property, but there is so much trash after almost every football game. He realizes there's an easy solution to that, garbage cans, some people use them, some people don't, but if that's all parking and it's already going on, it's going to go on and he would presume more, so that's a concern. When he goes out and cuts the grass and polices the area he has to take a garbage can or a bag with him in order to be able to take care of the property. Number two, they use very little fertilizer and try to use natural minerals for the property to have the property fallow as much as possible, because if someone wants to go out there and work it, they can have their own garden. The caveat of that is that there's walnut trees there, and there's a substance that they put out called juglone and there's certain properties that juglone affects as far as the oxygen in the soil that the plants allowed to use. They have a variety of urbanized wildlife, from deer, possum, voles, moles, raccoons, groundhogs, squirrels, not even to talk about the birds, they have bald eagles that come and sit in the trees there. May is not sure how this Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 5 of 20 development would affect their property but doesn't exactly feel that it would be all that good so he appreciates the time to be able to express these concerns. He noted Iowa City has certain laws and has passed ordinances that support that and maybe things will be changed, and maybe they won't, but he wanted to be able to express this and have someone at least consider this. May acknowledged it's good having these things for people and affordable housing and good parking, but these things are already there and he's not sure how they would still be affected. The animals come next to the house and lay down during the day, even if someone's out there working and they'll just sit, they feel safe, they're urbanized wildlife and he just wanted their voice to be heard. Mary Knudson (725 West Benton Street) lives directly across from where they are planning to build and wanted to note she is particularly concerned about the parking. There's not a lot of on - street parking around Roosevelt so if they have 113 parking spots, and that many people living in those spaces, where will everybody park. To think everybody will take a bus that doesn't have a parking spot is unlikely. If they have to find parking, they have to go down the hill and find a spot down on Miller, because on Greenwood there is no parking on the street. Another thing she wanted to mention is just the number of people. Has Benton Street been looked at for a traffic report, to note the cars that are going to be exiting onto Greenwood perhaps going up to Benton Street, and to look at the dynamics on Benton Street to see what will happen. Finally, she wanted to say something about the park, Benton Hill Park, she was on that committee and they knew that they didn't have enough green space for the neighborhood but Roosevelt School was in existence then so Roosevelt School's playground was for older kids, like kindergarten and above, and then the Benton Hill Park would be for the younger kids. She is now concerned about this won't be enough green space for the neighborhood and the housing development. Anna Buss (525 West Benton Street) stated she has lived in that neighborhood for 40 years and has watched what happens with the traffic, and the traffic is really horrendous. They refer to Miller and Hudson as the Miller and Hudson 500 because people come off the Highway to avoid the stop signs and other things. Putting this amount of traffic on Benton Street, and it will end up there, there is no way to divert the traffic so no matter what it's going to end up on Benton Street, and that is a dangerous enough street the way it is. She has seen this happen time and time again, every time something else is added the traffic is worse. Buss would just wish that they would consider, if nothing else, downsizing it so there's not so much traffic. Elliott closed the public hearing Miller moves to recommend approval of CPA25-0002, an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan future land use map from Public/Semi-Public to Residential 16-24 du/acre and the Southwest District Plan future land use map from Public Services/Institutional to Medium to High Density Multi -Family for approximately 9.9 acres of land located at 611 Greenwood Drive. Wade seconded the motion. Davies asked about things Mr. May brought up about like traffic lights or parking. Russett stated that would be discussed next as part of the rezoning, right now they're considering the Comprehensive Plan Amendment. Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 6 of 20 Townsend noted her mother-in-law is at Briarwood right now and the traffic in that area is not that great, and there needs to be something done with that. She noted having the Roosevelt property be 9.9 acres of affordable housing sounds like an amazing idea and is in full agreement of that. A vote was taken and the motion passed 6-0. REZONING ITEMS: CASE NO. REZ25-0010: Location: 611 Greenwood Drive; Former Roosevelt Elementary School An application for a rezoning of approximately 9.9 acres of land from Neighborhood Public (P-1) zone to Medium Density Multi -Family Residential Zone with a Planned Development Overlay (OPD-RM-20). Russett stated this is the rezoning of the same property just discussed from Neighborhood Public (P-1) zone to Medium Density Multi -Family Residential Zone with a Planned Development Overlay (OPD-RM-20). Again, the zoning map shows multifamily zoning and single family zoning and public zoning surrounding the subject property. She stated the applicant is proposing 187 units of housing, all of which would be affordable if they secure those low income housing tax credits (LIHTC) which they are currently seeking. Their application to the State for those low income tax credits would make this a 100% affordable housing project. Russett shared some photographs of the property noting the change in topography on the property and the ravine and woodland. She also noted where there is an existing pedestrian crosswalk. The current zone is Neighborhood Public (P-1) and Russett explained the purpose of that zone is really for governmental property which allows for schools, parks, police and fire stations, other civic buildings that have governmental purposes. The proposed zoning is Medium Density Multi - Family Residential Zone with a Planned Development Overlay (OPD-RM-20) and the Planned Development Overlay is due to some impacts to sensitive features, particularly the slopes on the property. She stated there are multiple approval criteria that staff looks at for Planned Development Overlay rezoning. The first is related to density and design. The allowed density in the proposed zone is 24 dwelling units per acre, and the proposed density is 18.8 dwelling units per acre, so they are within that requirement. Russett next explained the difference between a regular rezoning and a Planned Development Overlay is that the rezoning is actually tied to this Plan and any development on this property must substantially comply with this Plan. If there are any substantial changes it has to go through the rezoning process again. Russett shared the site plan of the proposed building, it's one building with 187 units. There's a courtyard in the center, there is parking to the rear of the building, and then there's parking on the eastern side of the property. The building is set back 40 feet from West Benton Street and the building has a large setback due to the location of that parking lot from the eastern property line. Staff worked with the applicant to address some concerns related to pedestrian connectivity. They originally explored having a sidewalk along Greenwood Drive but that was not possible due to the ravine and the topography so they worked with the applicant to incorporate a north/south pedestrian connection to provide a connection from Greenwood to Benton and there's two routes, there's an accessible route that is a little bit longer due to the topography, that connects Benton to Greenwood, and then there's a non -accessible entrance to that pedestrian way that incorporates Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 7 of 20 stairs up from Benton Street. Staff is recommending a couple of conditions related to that. One is the installation of that 10-foot wide pedestrian connection, the incorporation of a public access easement and then pedestrian scale lighting. Related to open space, Russett noted the plan incorporates a courtyard which has a playground and an open space area as well as some seating. She also noted on the plan where the dog park is located. The applicant has incorporated screening along the eastern property line to screen that parking lot from the neighboring property owners and they've incorporated some street trees to the south. Access to the property will be limited only to Greenwood Drive. There is an access off of Benton Street but staff is recommending a condition that access is only available for emergency vehicles. The applicant is also requesting a waiver from the height standards to increase the maximum height from 35 feet to 42 feet. Russett showed more renderings of the buildings and the elevations. The proposed building incorporates some design aspects that mimic town homes with separate entrances, the building also incorporates a step back between the second and third stories to help break up the mass of the building. There are design features also related to articulation and different building materials and changes in roof lines will help break up the scale. The next criteria is that development will not overburden existing streets and utilities. Russett noted the property can be served by existing sanitary sewer and water infrastructure. Staff did request that a traffic study was prepared as part of this rezoning and it determined that the proposed development would result in 86am peak hour trips and 82pm peak hour trips, and that the surrounding streets would still operate at an acceptable capacity and level of service despite the increased traffic. However, staff is recommending a couple of conditions. One is to install a raised crosswalk on Greenwood Drive. The raised crosswalk would help to slow down speeds and also provide a better pedestrian connection for those people walking in the community. The other condition is that the access drive to Greenwood be at or near a 90 degree angle, subject to the review of the City Engineer. The next criteria is that development will not adversely affect views, property values and privacy of neighboring properties. In terms of the surrounding the neighborhood Russett explained it is a mix. There's multifamily development, there's single family and there's even nonresidential uses with the early childhood education center and the long-term care facility. She noted there is a single family home that abuts the subject property to the east but the proposed building is set back approximately 140 feet from that eastern property line. The parking area is in that location, but it will be screened with some plantings. Russett noted there's also a significant grade change between the location of the proposed building and the existing home. Development to the north and to the west is buffered by the existing ravine. The homes to the south are across from the West Benton Street public right of way. The fourth criteria is that land use and building types will be in the public interest. Russett stated this proposal not only incorporates multifamily housing but aims to provide more affordable housing within the community. For the most part, it also protects the ravine and the woodland, and it would be redeveloping an underutilized site that's been vacant since 2019. In terms of consistency with the Comprehensive Plan, the Commission just considered that amendment and this proposal would align with the new designation of multifamily. Again, there's Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 8 of 20 multiple goals and strategies within the Comprehensive Plan that align with this proposal related to compact and efficient development and redevelopment, discouraging sprawl. In terms of compatibility with the existing neighborhood, again there really is a mix of land uses, there's single family to the north, there's multifamily to the west, there's nonresidential uses to the east, some single family to the east and the existing City park to the south with another City park to the north. This existing ravine and woodland would largely remain untouched. There are slopes, woodlands and wetlands on the site so that is why the Planned Development Overlay is required, Russett noted there are some slopes that were human made, which will be impacted but the natural protected slopes on the site would not be impacted. 61.5% of the woodlands would be retained and that does not include the 50 foot buffer that they are also incorporating into the project. Russett stated there are a couple of wetlands on the property and the applicant has reached out to the Army Corps to see if those are jurisdictional wetlands and whether or not they would be regulated by the city of Iowa City. They do not have that determination yet but the project would not impact any of the wetlands that exist on the site. The applicant is also generally maintaining the existing buffers on the site for those wetlands but the required buffers for wetlands cannot be met on this site because of the existing driveway and the existing parking area so that's essentially non -conforming and would remain as is. Staff has received the four pieces of correspondence that related both to the Comprehensive Plan Amendment and this rezoning, one in particular being in opposition to the rezoning. Staff recommends approval of REZ25-0010, a request to rezone approximately 9.90 acres of land located at 611 Greenwood Drive to Medium Density Multi -Family Residential with a Planned Development Overlay (OPD/RM20) zone subject to the following conditions: 1. Prior to issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, installation of a 10' wide pedestrian connection and dedication of an associated public access easement along the eastern portion of the property to extend from W. Benton Street to Greenwood Drive. Pedestrian path shall also include pedestrian scale lighting to be reviewed and approved by the City during the site plan review process. Lighting shall be installed and maintained by the Owner. 2. Vehicular access to the site from W. Benton Street is restricted to emergency vehicles only. 3. Prior to issuance of Certificate of Occupancy, installation of a raised crosswalk across Greenwood Drive near the entrance to the site subject to review and approval by the City Engineer. 4. As part of the site plan approval, ensure that the design of the access drive from Greenwood Drive to the subject property is at or near a 90-degree angle subject to review and approval by the City Engineer. Elliott asked about the 90 degree angle drive angle and is the new drive going to be currently where the old drive is. Russett explained they are going to have to reposition it so it's more at a 90 degree angle but it's going to be generally in the same location. They just want for safety purposes, that it's perpendicular. Elliott asked about the buffering that would be particular to the May's house, what level is that. Russett stated it would be S2 screening, which is between three and five feet high. Elliott asked about the lighting. Russett stated the pedestrian lighting will need to be certain Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 9 of 20 height and because of the adjacent single family the applicant will have to meet the City lighting standards to not have any spillover onto the neighboring property. Elliott noted traffic has been brought up and her interpretation is the study showed that the traffic generated by this new building would not be enough to make any alterations in the current road conditions, like more stop signs or anything like that. Russett confirmed that's correct. Elliott asked if there is a time that the City can come back and re -look at this and see what the effect is, or do they just look to see if there's more accidents. Russett acknowledged for things like stop signs and traffic signals they have to be warranted, and there's certain standards that need to be met for those to be installed. She can't say at which point something would trigger a new stop sign or anything like that. Wade stated sticking with the traffic patterns asked for more detail on the decision to exit to the north rather than on Benton Street. Russett explained it is the City's policy generally to try to restrict access onto arterials, and since this property has another access, on Greenwood Drive, that was the rationale to restrict it, and they can still meet the fire code standards by providing that emergency access off of Benton Street. Davies asked what would happen if someone's parking in those spots by the Benton Street access. Russett stated there will be a gate there. Beining noted there were some concerns brought up about sustainability and the naturalness of the area so he was just wondering if there's any intention or an opportunity to install sustainable planting, such as a rain garden or bioswale within that courtyard area. Russett stated that is not being proposed at this point and the zoning code would not require that, they will be required to meet the stormwater management standards as part of the site plan review, but they can meet that through other methods. Townsend had several questions, one is regarding the actual driveway onto the property that goes up to this new structure, if turning out of this driveway on the left there is the childcare center and then straight up the hill is Briarwood so now there are not only two but three different driveways coming out and no stoplight and no stop signs. She knows it's a problem is because they go there almost every day and already it's a concern when the people are picking up their kids from the daycare. Now they're going to have 187 units of maybe 300 people coming down that entryway to Greenwood and not have them using the Benton Street driveway. Is all that traffic on Greenwood feasible. Russett stated based on the traffic study the streets will still operate at an acceptable level of service. Townsend noted that traffic study was done before occupancy of the big unit on Myrtle and Riverside so are they going to reassess it after the full occupancy of that Myrtle property. Russett cannot say how the City approaches that, but for the purposes of this rezoning there are no traffic signals warranted and there are no stop signs warranted because of the proposed development. Townsend asked regarding the affordable housing, how long is that for. Russett stated that's a question for the applicant. Townsend also noted affordable housing based on the formula they're currently using is $1,000 for a family. Russett stated that is established by the state of Iowa for LITHC, not the City. Townsend noted that really is not affordable for most people that need Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 10 of 20 affordable housing. Miller asked if Russett could illuminate some of the conversations that staff has had with the development team in regards to the public open space and the access agreement, the intention of that 40 foot buffer, and that 10 foot sidewalk. Russett stated the 40 foot buffer toward Benton Street is the standard setback for an arterial street. Davies noted then there is a 10 foot public access easement for the sidewalk so his concern is the neighborhood losing an important asset in terms of public open space so what conversations were had in terms of restoring that or providing some sort of public open space. Russett noted there are two parks that are within walking distance of the proposed project. Townsend stated another concern is they tear down the school and build a three story building that's going to look like a palace on the hill, is that fitting into the neighborhood. Russett noted there are some homes to the north but the ravine is probably going to obscure the building. Wade noted the basketball court always got used a lot at Roosevelt and he doesn't see any kind of outdoor activity. He also asked if there is any kind of entrance signage on Benton Street prohibiting using that drive. Russett reiterated there will be a gate there. Wade noted to the earlier point on Briarwood, it is a very close double drive entrance, which is probably going to create a little bit of confusion or some turnaround activity. Miller went back to the question about the two driveways close to each other and the traffic study, were the uses and driveways acknowledged. He pointed out on page 33 of the traffic study it showed a couple potential site driveway improvements, where it made it more perpendicular so is that what is being proposed back to the design team to revise their drawings. Russett confirmed the condition staff is recommending is to make sure it's perpendicular to Greenwood. Beining is concerned about codifying that closure onto Benton Street and does it present an issue on Greenwood, he would just like to be able to revisit that and maybe having that be a condition of the redevelopment. Russett stated the City Engineer and transportation planner would state having access onto Benton would create the problems. Again, with any development in the City they avoid access onto an arterial street if possible. Elliott opened the public hearing. Jon Marner (MMS Consultants) are the civil engineering team working with TWG on this project. Taylor did a great job earlier of covering their vision for the property, their experience with this type of development, both in Indiana and Iowa and in the region. Marner will try to address some of the questions. Regarding the intersection for the entrance onto Greenwood Drive, as opposed to Benton Street, one of the constraints with Benton Street was how to enter, the entrance at the current Roosevelt School, where there it's centered on the hill, it is part ways downhill and that's not an ideal location. Further to the west is too close to the crest of the hill and also closer to the Greenwood Drive intersection. Because it's an arterial road they don't want to have those two street connections or those entrances too close together. To another point, some of the concerns that were expressed routing traffic on the Benton, while they understand the concerns about all the traffic going to Greenwood, and that connection, routing traffic onto Benton would potentially amplify some of the other concerns from the neighbors, as far as traffic and the speeds and Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 11 of 20 going up and down the hill, and that traffic going onto Miller and Hudson, so all of those were conversations that were had with staff in planning to come to the appropriate solution. The entrance onto Greenwood Drive, as the traffic studies mentions, and is one of the conditions that specified, there is an opportunity there to do that raised crosswalk. If there's not a stoplight there that raised crosswalk can help slow speeds, and it helps draws attention to pedestrians and people entering and exiting from those sites. So it serves for both protecting pedestrians and also serves to help delineate to vehicular traffic that there's entrances there and slows them down. Regarding the parking and the building placement Marner stated one of the things they worked with staff was the discussion to place the building closer to the existing school location, or to slide it farther to the east, or to put the parking to the east and after a lot of back and forth between staff and the development team they all came to the same conclusion that the best option would be to have in its current location as it reduces the impact of the building itself from the neighborhood to the east and to the south. Marner understands the concerns with the parking that's why City code requires the screening that's needed along that east side to address some of those concerns. Lastly, Marner discussed the setback from Benton Street, they do meet the 40 foot setback in the southwest corner but most of the rest of the building, all the way along the length of Benton Street, is actually set back an additional 40 to 50 feet so that reduces the impact to the Benton Street corridor by pushing the building back further. He acknowledged there's also building design elements that the architect worked with City staff on, and they tried to incorporate varied roof lines, low roof lines, similar to prairie style architecture to try to match the grade going down Benton Street. He stated that's the part of the vision behind the setback between the second the third stories as well, and then again those roof lines vary and they start to reduce the building height as they approach the eastern side of the property. Marner stated with regards to the wetland buffer and the sensitive areas, the existing drive is the preexisting condition and they're generally putting the road back in the same location that the existing drive is. If they tried to move the existing drive or the proposed entrance to a different location, in addition to the potential impacts to the wetlands, they would also have to remove quite a few trees and impact some of those sensitive grades. If they tried to fit another drive entrance through that location it would take out one of the valuable components of this site, which is that wooded area and the ravine. There are paths through there, some trail systems, that can still be beneficial for the residents of this project. Jackson Taylor (Senior Development Director, TWG Development) wanted to address the point about the area median incomes and the way that those are calculated to make sure everyone was clear about the affordability component of this project. It is very geographic specific and it's based on US census data each year. It is also the median income, not the mean income, so there is no averaging or outliers skewing it way up with high earning income individuals. Once they set the median income statistically whatever that baseline median is, they have to be below even further a percentage of that. To give an example with very round numbers, if the mean is $100,000 then a 60% AM household would be restricted to earning $60,000 and the rents themselves, the benchmark standard as far as housing affordability, is that housing should not take up any more than 1/3 of an individual's income, a lot of that's incorporated into some of the underwriting standards as well for compliance and tenant approvals. Townsend asked for Iowa City aren't they using the HUD formula which for a family of four it was somewhere around $90,000 Taylor doesn't want to say anything's incorrect without having all that information in front of him so he doesn't want to comment on that. He just wanted it to be on record that that is the affordability they're talking about. Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 12 of 20 Regarding how long the affordability will last, Taylor stated when they receive these tax credits they're required to buy, hold, own, and operate these properties for 15 years. Beyond that 15 years they also have an additional 15 year compliance period. That means during the initial 15 years they're totally locked into the property. If within that time period they were to mess up their tax credit commitments or potentially try to sell the property to someone else, the property would actually lose its tax credits, which through the IRS would be a total disaster for any deal because they have investors who come in, and there's personal guarantees that get signed. The extended use period is an additional 15 year period where IFA, the state agency, will award a project these affordable housing tax credits, but to ensure that they remain committed long term as affordable they'll record a land use restriction, a restrictive covenant that gets recorded to restrict it very specifically to the unit account and the income levels at the property. That way it'll run throughout that period of time. Townsend noted they're only guaranteed 15 years, the additional 15 years is based on the covenant so it's not a guaranteed 30 years. If they are trying to fix the affordable housing problem, 15 years is not a long time. Townsend asked if these are all rental units. Taylor confirmed that was correct. He added part of why they deviate between the 15 years and the 30 year period is because from a public policy perspective, the 30 year period is designed to ensure the long term affordability of that asset itself, but the 15 year lifespan is a little bit different and once they surpass that 15 year threshold the developer is actually eligible to go in and get additional tax credits to improve capital expenditures, everything else that's sorely needed at the property to through the exact same program. Townsend stated so the guarantee is only 15 years, and the additional 15 for affordability is contingent upon them receiving more tax credits. Taylor stated the 30 years is guaranteed for affordability. Miller asked what would happen if they were not awarded the LIHTC credits to the project, would it essentially kill the project. Taylor confirmed yes, they are an affordable housing developer and have only considered the site as affordable housing. That is what they do. He did note they have owned this property since 2021 waiting for the economics to turn around. Historically, especially once they are committed to a site, they've gone in for multiple rounds of tax credit applications until they are eventually able to get something to work. Marner noted there was a late correspondence asking some questions about parking, and somewhat related to that question is about a year ago the City Council passed the code amendment for the affordable housing and the parking component. If everything fell through, and this OPD still has to be conformed to for any development, but because there wasn't an affordable housing component, a developer would have to revert back and provide parking based on the current City code. He just wanted to clarify that the parking requirements by the City differ for affordable housing. It is based on the amount of affordable housing units and in this case, what's proposed is a 100% affordable housing project, so it has zero required parking. Marner added at the good neighbor meeting what was presented was 113 parking spaces for the 187 units, roughly 61 % and they heard a lot of the concerns at that meeting related to both traffic Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 13 of 20 and parking. So understanding that the City ordinance requires zero but there were concerns related to parking, they looked at other opportunities to add parking and added two parking bays right behind the northwest corner of the building and were still avoiding the protected slopes. So now they have 162 spaces and approximately 86%. Davies asked about the stormwater, how do they plan to meet the City's stormwater requirements. Marner explained everything that's in the new building and in the parking is all going to be routed to the existing area already functioning as a detention basin on the property in the wetlands, as that's an allowed use. It's allowed within both the Core and City code. It is still to be determined whether that's jurisdictional or not and they are awaiting that confirmation from the Core. What they've presented is based on a presumption that they still need to adhere to the city of Iowa City's ordinance related to sensitive areas, and that it may be jurisdictional, though the stormwater would be detained in that current existing area and then outlet it back into the storm sewer system and get into the city of Iowa City public storm sewer system. Wade asked if the building will be roughly where Roosevelt School is now at the crest of the hill or very close. Marner replied it is maybe just a little bit farther out, but it's very close to that same area. Beining asked the developer if he could elaborate on what AMI specifically they're targeting, because he has heard of some projects that are going closer to 30% and going after that extremely low income versus just a moderate low income. Taylor acknowledged there are different types of tax credit programs, and the different programs tend to incentivize slightly different. IFA has what's called the 9% program, which generally provides more subsidy per unit to the project. There are smaller deals in general, and get less funds in general from IFA, but those are more competitive. Those are the traditional programs with developers trying to outscore everyone. Whereas the 4% program is a lot less subsidy per unit, but that's generally made up in terms of scale to development, so you'll generally see the larger developments and they've historically been less competitive as well. But part of that reduced subsidy per unit is they do need some of that rental revenue since they're financing more with debt with that piece. Taylor stated they will be doing 60% of AM I. Townsend had one more question on regarding the parking traffic business. What are they doing now for football season, is that lot being allowed to be parked on, there's a lot of parking on the Roosevelt lot right now. Taylor stated they actually got alerted to that and were getting some notices from the fire chief and from the City as well so they will be putting out towing signs to protect the residents. Townsend stated the concern about traffic from the 187 units going onto Greenwood and there not being a stop sign on Greenwood. Marner reiterated they initiated the traffic study at the request of staff, they consulted with staff and the traffic engineers and all the traffic counts at Benton and Greenwood at the current existing entrances were used to monitor that traffic and they incorporated those based on that direction from City staff at the time. He also added regarding the question about the impact of the new building at the corner of Myrtle and Riverside Drive, they were provided data from the City, a traffic study that was done as part of that project and incorporated some of that information as well in this determination. Townsend noted however that building is still not fully occupied, when they did the traffic study, Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 14 of 20 school was not in session, so they didn't have the students. Marner stated they did obtain additional data pertaining to traffic counts that were done when school was in session, and they incorporated some of that those figures as well in trying to make any adjustments that were necessary. Again, they worked the traffic engineer, worked back and forth with staff to do the best to account for those specific instances and concerns that everyone is speaking about. Davies asked for one more quick clarification on the affordability, Taylor said the 4% tax credit program is 60% AMI, and that limits housing costs to a third of an income. A four person household in Iowa City, based on HUD, is $69,240 so they would take that times a third and that's how much they could spend per year, and they would divide that by 12, and that would be the monthly rent. Taylor confirmed the concept is correct but part of what they also factor into that are the utility allowances such as water, sewer, electric and there's actually a formula the state agency requires them to use and they either need to gather that information from local public housing authority, or get it commissioned by a licensed energy rater who can study the building and calculate an average tenants consumption per unit, etc. All gets reviewed, submitted to IFA and justified. Miller noted when reading a little bit about Roosevelt School, the importance of that ravine was emphasized in quite a few articles, so what is the state of the trail system in there and is there any sort of intention of using that as an amenity for the community or the residents of this particular development. Marner will defer to Taylor on the potential uses from an amenity standpoint and for the neighborhood, but the current state of the area is there's still a little bit of a trail through there and there is likely an ability to amplify or enhance it a little bit without disturbing the remaining portion of the wooded areas and ravines. Taylor added it's always been in the back of their minds to try to find a creative use of the area and part of what they are waiting to get back is that official Army Corps of Engineer data because they won't be able to touch any of that if it is within Army Corps jurisdiction. Once they get past that hurdle they can maybe look at some designs and try to find a good way to do that. Right now they're a little bit budget constrained, and then also it if they did make it open to the public how do they make that accessible. There are a lot of considerations they need make. Miller stated there's two amenity spaces identified within the building, one on the Benton Street side and one on the northeast side, assumably those are private building amenities. There is also the dog park, a large green space and then the central courtyard. One member of the public commented about losing the public amenity along with losing Roosevelt, so will any of these be amenities for the public. Marner stated obviously anything on the interior courtyard, and within the building will be private, the developer also confirmed this is going to be a private dog park. Manner stated there will be a small play structure in that central courtyard and they're also strongly considering incorporating a fitness facility. Taylor stated they've also looked at various iterations of community gardens as they are also big fans of sustainable development. As he mentioned a little bit earlier they are planning to design this to NGBS Silver which is a much higher energy commitment than what was previously done. Beining stated with regards to sustainability, when it comes time to start moving dirt and such hopefully they will be willing to watch out for the nature in the area. Taylor confirmed 100% they will. Personally, his approach has always been to be good neighbors to people when coming into their community and respect each other. He acknowledged that requires a little bit of give and take and they have incorporated a variety of mechanisms of screening to try to block out some of Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 15 of 20 the eyesight. Marner added for all the ravine, the protected slopes, the wooded areas, the potential wetlands anything even contemplated would have to comply with the city of Iowa City sensitive areas ordinance. Beining noted they are concerned about these trails in the background and what a wonderful component of the community they are. He uses the trails himself, he went to Roosevelt, people love nature so perhaps from a landscape, architectural perspective, if they have any opportunities to have a collaborative solution down the road for enchantments there that would help alleviate some of these concerns. He added then same with the detention base, maybe it's a plausibility to follow a stormwater code and have more sustainability efforts in there such as rain gardens or bioswales to help soak up some of that water. Marner stated to the wetlands question, or the area that's potentially a jurisdictional wetland, they're not proposing any grading in that area, they're only proposing to connect the storm sewer into that as it's already functioning as a de facto detention area. They are just connecting a new outlet pipe into it to get it routed correctly into the public storm sewer system. Yes, maybe there's an opportunity to do something different but then they would be disturbing what's already a natural habitat in that area. TWG is willing to as they get into the site construction to look into all the things. Lindsay Park (401 Douglass Street) moved to the Miller Orchard neighborhood in 1992 and loves his neighborhood, it was like they're a little Longfellow, a wonderful school surrounded by wonderful houses, they're like a little version of that. So then over these 30 plus years, it was sad to suddenly not see kids walking out of their houses and going to school and having to be bused elsewhere. That school was the only public thing, the center of the neighborhood and it died. It's not coming back. Park acknowledged when he thinks of this area there are things he is so grateful for, like that the ravine is going to still be there and everything. He definitely supports affordable housing, but when he walked up there this morning and looked at where this proposed stairway is, the east facing facade of the school, he wondered if they can preserve that concrete set of three arches somehow and make it a monument that still faces east or perhaps the sidewalk that comes up make it the center arch in honor of the history and the name Roosevelt, so that somehow something of that school still survives, that would that would be wonderful. James W May, Jr. (612 West Benton Street) has two questions, both about the ravine. First is how much of the stormwater has been projected to flow into the ravine, and how long is it going to stay in there because there's a lot of mosquitoes that come from that ravine and towards the back of their house and backyard, and that's dangerous, so will that be addressed because that is a definite concern, especially with various diseases that are out there now and coming to Iowa. His mom has already been bitten by ticks. May stated he is bringing up things that are a concern that a lot of people wouldn't understand until they're there, and having lived in the neighborhood and experienced them, so how this would affect the neighborhood is pretty paramount. His mom is 97 and he's 71 and have more time behind them than ahead but it's not just about them, it's about the neighborhood so if anything could be done it should be done. Paula Swvqard (426 Douglass Street) has two points, the first one is she appreciates the concern and the maybe attempts to rectify the traffic situation in the neighborhood, but it's gone too far beyond anything one can do. Those of them who drive Benton Street all the time know that going up the hill, if you had to stop as people are trying to turn right into any access, would create a backup on the hill that even the City busses don't attempt to use. And then coming Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 16 of 20 down the hill, if they were trying to turn left coming off of Benton at the top of Benton Hill, again, they're going to just end up with a lot of accidents. She drove her daughter to school there when they could use that entrance off of Benton Street and if one was to look back at accident reports from that period they would see there were many accidents. Also, the sun hits in the evening going up that hill and can blind a driver. The other point is for the parking on the east side, if there's going to be parking with any houses that are in close proximity, the Commission might consider instead of an S2 level of screening, which is two to four feet high going to the next level up S3, which is five to six feet and requires a certain amount of evergreen which might help screen just a little better. Mary Knudson (725 West Benton Street) wanted to back up what Swygard was saying about Benton Street, she lives in the middle of the hill and knows how dangerous it is to slow down and have cars coming behind her. She puts her blinker on at the bottom of the hill when she goes up the hill to give the cars a signal that they need to slow down behind her and not be bumper to bumper as she needs to go left into her driveway. Knudson taught two kids how to drive on that road, so they've learned how to read traffic really well, but it is a dangerous street. Knudson also had a question about the airport and the height of the building and if that was going to be a problem or not. Kory May (612 West Benton Street) noted a couple of things that they haven't discussed. At the bottom of Greenwood there is a rail line and when the train comes through traffic backs up on Greenwood, which backs up traffic on Benton, and then all of that outflow has to go somewhere, so maybe that goes on Woodside and Oakcrest, but this egress is going to be a problem, because that train comes through somewhat regularly and usually it's around five o'clock and that's where people are trying to get their children or visit mom and dad at Briarwood. And again, as everyone has pointed out, moving from Greenwood up to Benton is problematic because traffic is coming up at a nice rate of speed to get up the hill, and to turn right or turn left from Greenwood is an unregulated stop. Number two, is a concern about light pollution and air pollution. They have not discussed what the height of the parking is going to be relative to the May property so they can't necessarily guarantee that runoff is not going to come onto their property. He noted these are questions that are specific to their property, because they're the only ones with the adjoining property, but until those are addressed they've got outstanding questions. Anna Buss (525 West Benton Street) stated before any of them vote on this she invites them to come over between 7:30 and 9:00 in the morning and between 4:30 and 6:00 in the evening, Monday through Friday, and sit in the driveway that goes into Roosevelt, that should be a telling tale, right there. There's no way, no matter what anybody says, that they can control the traffic to not come out on Benton Street, it's going to happen. They've have lots of accidents over there and a lot of close calls. Elliott closed the public hearing. Wade moves to recommend approval of REZ25-0010, a request to rezone approximately 9.90 acres of land located at 611 Greenwood Drive to Medium Density Multi -Family Residential with a Planned Development Overlay (OPD/RM20) zone subject to the following conditions: 1. Prior to issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, installation of a 10' wide pedestrian Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 17 of 20 connection and dedication of an associated public access easement along the eastern portion of the property to extend from W. Benton Street to Greenwood Drive. Pedestrian path shall also include pedestrian scale lighting to be reviewed and approved by the City during the site plan review process. Lighting shall be installed and maintained by the Owner. 2. Vehicular access to the site from W. Benton Street is restricted to emergency vehicles only. 3. Prior to issuance of Certificate of Occupancy, installation of a raised crosswalk across Greenwood Drive near the entrance to the site subject to review and approval by the City Engineer. 4. As part of the site plan approval, ensure that the design of the access drive from Greenwood Drive to the subject property is at or near a 90-degree angle subject to review and approval by the City Engineer. Miller asked about adding a condition about upgrading the landscaping. S2 screening is only three to five feet and that might not actually screen the parking, headlights and stuff. Should they bump it up to S3 so it's taller and could potentially screen that more. Wade move to amend his motion to approve with a revision on the conditions to increase from S2 to S3 screening along the eastern parking lot. Miller seconded. Wade discussed other areas such as Briarwood, long term care is a use similar to residential use so suggested S3 screening be done the whole way, obviously it's probably a little more expense. Miller feels it is more impactful on the eastern edge of the property and at the north entrance onto Greenwood which is on the hill they wouldn't want that extra height to screen visibility so it should just be S3 at the parking lot edge. Miller asked about the parking lot lighting. Marner stated all lighting would all have to conform to City ordinance, they haven't received the detail lighting plan, but that would all have to conform to the standards for the residential. Wade noted change is difficult, but it is a use with the LITHC that makes sense for the area. He is glad to see a development or reuse of the Roosevelt School grounds and anything they can do to get additional housing in the community is needed. Miller would echo that but does think that the density may cause some traffic issues on Greenwood there, with that intersection, but other than that the City rightly removed the minimum requirements for parking, to encourage and incentivize affordable housing, and that's part of what's allowing this project to happen, and it is a good thing for the community. There is a bus stop right on that corner of Greenwood and Benton as well. This feels like an appropriate use and the scale is sensitively done with setbacks and the townhome scale, the parking is all hidden behind it and the addition of the S3 screening helps. Overall it's more good than bad. Beining has essentially the same things to say and is familiar with the area. This reminds him of when they had a new structure on the playground. As children, they erected it and he remembers Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 18 of 20 there were discussions in the principal's office of the safety. It's a very real concern and it's something they do need to prioritize but looking back on that the opportunities for growth as silly as it sounds, that that little structure gave them as members of Roosevelt School in a small, subtle way to come togehter.There is hope this project will honor Roosevelt by everyone coming together and incorporating some of those things, such as the S3 screening, to help alleviate the burden as long as they're holding up to these standards. Davies wondered how the ravine was used when it was a school. Beining stated they would look out at the birds and they had a class in school that used to take them around the woods to look at those little birds, pick the different leaves, take them home. Davies is generally supportive of affordable housing and the development, he thinks it's just really important to note to both the development team and to City staff that the really critical component an elementary school plays in a neighborhood, not just identity, but those green spaces and those public spaces are critical. It's identified in the Comprehensive Plan. Therefore he hopes that everything can be done to give something back to that community, whether that's access to the ravine, if that's possible with very simple trails or with the green space on the front of the building. They talked a little bit about a bus stop but with the parking reduced perhaps either making a dedicated bus stop or nicer bus stop would be nice. It's important to recognize what a community and a neighborhood loses when they lose an elementary school and that history so he would love to see just continued good neighbor efforts from the development team to do whatever they can to restore what has been lost in terms of public open space and what can be done in terms of dedication of public open space. Townsend acknowledged they do need the affordable housing and would hate to not vote on this for that reason, but she still has concerns about the traffic, about the parking and would hope that the City will look at that periodically to see how that unit is going to affect the traffic on Greenwood. Elliott is in support of all this, just for what's been said and would like to thank the public for coming tonight and for their comments. A vote was taken and the motion passed 6-0. CONSIDERATION OF MEETING MINUTES: AUGUST 6 2025: Beining moved to approve the meeting minutes from August 6, 2025. Townsend seconded the motion, a vote was taken and the motion passed 6-0. PLANNING AND ZONING INFORMATION: Russett shared updates from the last Council meeting. The City Council approved the Comprehensive Plan Amendment for the former ACT property, they approved the rezoning at 911 North Governor Street, and the rezoning at Monument Hills, which is the second rezoning that came to the Commission for the area at Scott and Rochester. Russett also wanted to mention the open meeting trainings, Beining and Davies are the two Commissioners that are required, per the law, to take this training because they were appointed Planning and Zoning Commission August 27, 2025 Page 19 of 20 July 1. The City had encouraged all board and commission members to take the training however the rollout of these trainings has not been going that well, so the rest of the commissioners don't need to worry about signing up right away. As more trainings become available and the rollout improves, staff will let everyone know. ADJOURNMENT: Townsend moved to adjourn, Wade seconded and the motion passed 6-0. PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2024-2025 4/3 5/1 6/26 9/4 9118 11120 1214 2119 315 5/7 614 6/18 7/2 7/16 816 8127 B E I N I N G, KA L E B -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X O X X DAVIES, JAMES -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X X CRAIG, SUSAN X X X X X X X X X X X X -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ELLIOTT, MAGGIE X X O/E X X O/E X X X X X X X O/E X X HENSCH, MIKE X X X O/E X X X X O/E X X X -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- MILLER, STEVE -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X X X X X X O/E X X X X PADRON, MARIA O/E O/E -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- QUELLHORST, SCOTT O/E X X X X O/E X X X X X X X X X O/E TOWNSEND, BILLIE X X X X X O/E X X X X X X X X X X WADE, CHAD X O/E X X X X X X X X X X X X X X KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Not a Member Item Number: 4.h. a CITY OF IOWA CITY "QF T-4 COUNCIL ACTION REPORT October 21, 2025 Planning & Zoning Commission: September 3 [See Recommendations] Attachments: Planning & Zoning Commission: September 3 [See Recommendations] r ��_..® CITY OF IOWA CITY MEMORANDUM Date: October 16, 2025 To: Mayor and City Council From: Anne Russett, Senior Planner Re: Recommendations from the Planning and Zoning Commission At its September 3, 2025 meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission have the following recommendation to the City Council: By a vote of 4-0 the Commission recommends Title 14 Zoning be amended, as illustrated in attachment one, to update requirements related to floodplain management standards for Iowa City residents and businesses to have continued eligibility to obtain insurance and participate in the National Flood Insurance Program. 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 SEPTEMBER 3, 2025 —6:00 PM —FORMAL MEETING E M M A J. HARVAT HALL, CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: James Davies, Scott Quellhorst, Billie Townsend, Chad Wade MEMBERS ABSENT: Kaleb Beining, Maggie Elliott, Steve Miller STAFF PRESENT: Madison Conley, Liz Craig, Sue Dulek, Anne Russett OTHERS PRESENT: RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: By a vote of 4-0 the Commission recommends Title 14 Zoning be amended, as illustrated in attachment one, to update requirements related to floodplain management standards for Iowa City residents and businesses to have continued eligibility to obtain insurance and participate in the National Flood Insurance Program. CALL TO ORDER: Quellhorst called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. ZONING CODE TEXT AMENDMENT ITEMS: CASE NO. REZ25-0013: Consideration of amendments to Title 14, Zoning related to the City's Floodplain Management Standards. Conley stated the purpose of this Zoning Code Amendment is to have Iowa City remain a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program in order to receive flood insurance for the community. To maintain eligibility and compliance within this program, Iowa City needs to do two things, one, adopt the new Flood Insurance Rate Map and Flood Insurance Study provided by FEMA, and two, align the local ordinance to the National Flood Insurance Program standards to ensure continued program compliance. Conley noted the last time these standards were revised was back in 2010 according to ordinance number 10-44-14, and the proposed amendments brought forth tonight are geared towards Iowa City's Floodplain Management Standards, which is found in Title 14-5J of the zoning code. Conley noted some key terms for the Commission, first is the NFIP, the National Flood Insurance Program and what it means to be a participating community within the NFIP. The NFIP provides federally backed flood insurance to property owners and businesses. In exchange for flood insurance, participating communities like Iowa City must adopt and enforce minimum floodplain management regulations to reduce flood risk. The NFIP offers coverage for flood damage to homes, belongings and businesses, and it's managed by FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The minimum standards can be found and defined in the Code of Federal Regulations. The next key term is the Flood Insurance Rate Map, known as FIRM. Once the current Flood Insurance Rate Map is adopted by a community that is used to determine the Planning and Zoning Commission September 3, 2025 Page 2 of 9 minimum flood plain management building code and flood insurance requirements under the National Flood Insurance Program. On the physical FIRM they are able to see the special flood hazard areas which entail approximate zones and the floodway is delineated on it. Flood lenders as well as certified floodplain managers utilize this FIRM as a tool to determine what structures may or may not be in a special flood hazard area and it helps determine insurance risk zones, provides the official data for flood hazard risk and influences decisions about flood insurance and construction regulations. Regarding background, Conley stated that in May 1977 Iowa City officially joined the National Flood Insurance Program, which allowed insurance for the community, specifically flood insurance and the first effective FIRM for the community. That FIRM was used all the way until February 16, 2007, at which time the current effective Flood Insurance Rate Map that is utilized today was created. In addition, all insurance lenders who are looking at flood insurance utilize this FIRM as well. Then in January 2020 FEMA, as well as the Iowa DNR who helps put together the information through different types of analyzes, released a preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Map and unfortunately there was some errors in that map so that pushed back the timeframe for the community adopting that FIRM as the new effective one. In April 2023 is when the Iowa DNR and FEMA released the revised preliminary FIRM and that FIRM went through an appeals period and comment period for about 90 days, and then after that was made final. Therefore, in June 2025 FEMA sent the City an official notice that the FIRM and Flood Insurance Study (FIS) are to become effective December 26, 2025 which signals staff that as a community they need to have these FIRMS and materials adopted by that date. Additionally, as a delegated community, Iowa City is responsible for locally enforcing and maintaining floodplain regulations. These proposed changes reflect FEMA and Iowa DNRs guidance and help ensure Iowa City continues to uphold and exceed minimum NFIP standards. Conley explained that exceeding minimum standards means not only as a community do they enforce the minimums that are set by the National Flood Insurance Program, they have chosen to adopt the higher standards to not only to help protect the community from flood risk and hazard but also because Iowa City is a part of a Community Rating System program. Conley explained a Community Rating System program is established by FEMA and basically it's a voluntary program that rewards communities with discounted flood insurance premiums for implementing floodplain management activities that go above and beyond the minimum requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program. Iowa City joined this program to receive discounts on National Flood Insurance Program premiums for residents by implementing advanced floodplain management activities that go above and beyond minimum requirements. Some of these requirements in Iowa City's ordinance include elevation and freeboard which means Iowa City as a community requires residential structures to be elevated at least one foot above the base flood elevation, above the minimum regulation of the 500 year flood plain, also known as the 0.2% annual chance flood hazard area. Iowa City regulates not only to the 100 year level, also known as the base flood and as the 1 % annual chance flood event but even further and regulate to the 500 year. Next is the substantial damage and substantial improvement which states that for any type of structure that has been damaged or is going through repairs there's a certain calculation that a certified floodplain manager utilizes to determine if this structure needs to kick in higher regulatory standards. For example, in Iowa City if there is a structure that exceeds the cost of 50% of the market value of the structure it would need to come into full compliance with what is Planning and Zoning Commission September 3, 2025 Page 3 of 9 in the floodplain management standards. Additionally, Iowa City also included an original floor area increase of 25% or more will require compliance. The next standard is the protection of critical facilities, this includes hospitals and jails. Iowa City has determined that Class 1 Critical Facilities are not allowed in flood hazard areas. Then there's enclosure design requirements, such as venting and elevation requirements for enclosures below the base flood elevation and lastly is dry-floodproofing. Conley explained dry-floodproofing is having a system in place to put barriers that protect the structure from water coming in. Iowa City requires not only to have a certification from a professional engineer, they also need to have a plan of action for when the flood actually does happen, to make sure there is a safety measure. Again, Conley noted these higher standards are utilized as a regulatory tool that gives Iowa City points in the Community Rating System. Conley stated that along with the higher standards, staff has a summary of the proposed amendments (Attachment 1) that was included in the agenda packet. First amendment is definitions, she noted a lot of the definitions in the current ordinance are based on 2010 ordinance language so the proposed amendments help align these terms with FEMA and Iowa DNR terminology and help add and clarify certain terms. Then there's development in the floodplain, currently they have a general development definition with limited examples and staff is proposing to clarify development activities, such as grading, fill, utilities and refine substantial damage and improvement criteria. For accessory structures Conley noted there are not many clear standards on this in the code floodplain section, so staff has established criteria for detached structures in flood hazard areas, which includes floodproofing or elevation. Enforcement and violations, the code features general enforcement language, but staff is proposing to clarify violation handling per FEMA and local expectations. Then for floodway and encroachment, Iowa City has a limited "no rise" requirement, which basically means they can't have any development in the floodway because that would increase the waters above the base flood elevation. That's the current minimum so staff is adding a requirement in the ordinance that a "no rise" analysis and certificate is required from a professional engineer for any development in the floodway. Next is the elevation standards, it is already determined that residential structures in Iowa City must be one foot above the 0.2% flood hazard area and staff is proposing to reaffirm this by clarifying venting, anchoring and structural compliance for new or improved buildings. Next is the permitting process and there is a permitting process that exists, but it lacks detail, so the staff proposal is to formalize documentation, such as elevation certificates, cost estimates and compliance steps. Then lastly is variance criteria. The current code references general zoning language, but this proposal adds flood specific variance criteria and a clear code reference, so it makes sure everything is consistent. Conley reiterated that Iowa City exceeds the minimum NFIP standards and are a part of the Community Rating System. She declared the Community Rating System has a total of 10 classes that communities participate in and these are based off a point scale. Each class then is determined by the amount of points a community receives as credit for floodplain management activities. There are four activity categories, such as public information, mapping and regulations, flood damage reduction, warning and response. The higher standards Iowa City has as a community continue to enforce allow the community to maintain a Class 6 ranking in the program, which provides the community members with a 20% discount on flood insurance. At Class level 10 they would not receive any discount and are just a participant in the Community Rating System program. Class 1, which is the most stringent class, receives a 45% discount. Planning and Zoning Commission September 3, 2025 Page 4 of 9 Additionally, the proposed amendments reflect collaboration between Iowa City as a delegated community and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which is the state agency responsible for reporting to FEMA that Iowa City, as a delegated community, is in compliance with the minimum requirements established by NFIP. Overall, the adoption of the new Flood Insurance Rate Maps, the Flood Insurance Study and the proposed amendments will ensure that Iowa City continues to remain a participating community that is eligible for flood insurance within the National Flood Insurance Program. Staff recommends that Title 14 Zoning be amended, as illustrated in attachment one, to update requirements related to floodplain management standards for Iowa City residents and businesses to have continued eligibility to obtain insurance and participate in the National Flood Insurance Program. For next steps Conley stated upon recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission, a public hearing will be scheduled for consideration by the City Council. The anticipated timeline includes September 16, where Council will set a public hearing, and then October 7, where Council has the public hearing and there is the first consideration. Quellhorst asked with regard to the amendments that staff is proposing, those are not necessary to meet the minimum federal standard, but the amendments are being proposed to improve or maintain the City's classification and reduce flood insurance premiums. Conley explained the amendments that are being proposed are actually things that the community is already doing, they just aren't written in the ordinance. The Iowa DNR has noted that FEMA requires the City to have this language written in the ordinance. Utilizing the proposed amendments will not move up the City to a different class, they are just making sure that the ordinance meets the minimum requirements established by the NFIP guide. The Iowa DNR comes for a community assistance visit and checks to see if the ordinance is up to date with the language that FEMA is looking for. Quellhorst noted this essentially was a circumstance where the regulations are a little bit ambiguous and so staff is proposing amendments to just bring it in line with current practices. Wade asked if the 0.2% is FEMA regulated. Conley stated it is not, that's a higher standard. The 0.2% Flood Hazard Area is shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map, but it is not regulated as a requirement for cities to regulate to by the NFIP as a minimum, it is something that the City has chosen to go higher on and regulate to, in addition to the 1 %. Wade stated the 0.2% means they need to be bring grade one foot above that. Conley confirmed that was correct and explained if there's a new home that wants to be built and the property is located in the 0.2% Flood Hazard Area, this is saying that the lowest floor will need to be built one foot above whatever the 0.2% elevation is at that location. Wade noted a particular building as an example, it seems to fall in that 0.2% area so if there was any kind of floor expansion or something like that, then would that trigger the requirement that it would have to be built at that one foot above grade. Conley explained the way that any type of compliance is triggered is if it qualifies as a substantial improvement. So if they're doing an addition, and the cost of that project goes 50% above the market value of the structure, then that's when the higher regulations kick in, and the full structure, including the addition, need to be brought into compliance and the whole structure needs to be elevated one foot above the 0.2% Wade noted the Ralston Creek area seems like most of that area falls within that regulation so Planning and Zoning Commission September 3, 2025 Page 5 of 9 Iowa Avenue, for example, all those properties would be impacted if they made an improvement, or if there was a turnover in housing that essentially that new standard would apply. He asked does that get the City more base points, and how does that benefit the property owner. Conley clarified that with certain additions they may not have to be brought completely into compliance it just depends where it falls with the cost analysis. But to answer the question, the City doesn't technically receive extra points for that, it's just a higher level of protection. The City generally get points for just having higher thresholds so for example, the 25% expansion of floor area is a standard that would give extra points. She acknowledged it might be a disservice to the homeowner or property owner who wants to build however that's why it's important to make sure the City and community are making homeowners aware of where they are in the Special Flood Hazard Area, or if they are even in one, and work with them to make sure if they do want to do a project that their project doesn't cross that threshold that kicks in higher standards. Russett also wanted to clarify that's an existing standard, since 2010 the City has required new construction within the 0.2% to be elevated by one foot above that elevation. They have been enforcing that and implementing that since 2010 and are not proposing to change that. It's been administered that way, it's just not been clarified in the code. Conley noted there are other things, like maybe the certifications or something like that, that needs to be clarified in the code as well. She noted the substantial improvement part of the code is clear it's just that, for example, documentation such as a cost estimate that is needed in order to determine what the actual amount of the project will be and since it doesn't clearly state that in the previous version, then it's hard to sometimes get the cost estimate. The Iowa DNR and FEMA are making sure that the City and community are receiving the materials needed to accurately assess or determine if it is actually a substantial improved structure or not. Wade stated in the booklet it references commercial as 14-5J-7f, how are commercial properties treated. Conley stated commercial is treated differently, residential structures are not allowed to be flood proofed at all but commercial has the ability to be flood proofed in a way where it can be d ry-flood proofed. For example, there was a Pancheros that was just built where they used flood proofing measures such as barriers and also utilized a tech spray around the bottom that went all the way up to the 0.2% Special Flood Hazard Area. Commercial properties have a little bit more flexibility to operate in a flood hazard area. Davies noted this is a good conversation and it helps with understanding how development is impacted by some of these rules. Just for clarification, the map is not changing. Conley stated the map is changing and that is one of the big parts of this proposed amendment is that the community has to adopt the new effective Flood Insurance Rate Map by December 26, 2025. Davies asked what the changes to the map are. Conley shared an example the map provided by FEMA Map Service Center, the National Flood Hazard layer. She noted she can't specifically sum up the changes but noted the floodway has increased in some areas and maybe has decreased in others, it just depends on the meandering of the stream and the river. However, to her knowledge there's no giant, crazy changes. Davies is particularly concerned along Ralston Creek. He acknowledged that most of the properties along the river are expecting to flood and have adapted their development but perhaps those along Ralston Creek are not as prepared. Conley noted a decent portion of her Planning and Zoning Commission September 3, 2025 Page 6 of 9 daily job is dedicated to flood plain development and permitting and making sure things are substantially improved and following the code. It appears the areas around Ralston Creek have generally decreased but there's still both flood hazards and a floodway. Davies asked for a residential property, like a $300,000 house, that wants to put on an addition worth $150,000 on build on an infill lot, is this a barrier to development. Conley stated it isn't a barrier, it is more of a protection measurement. If it was found to maybe appear as a barrier, there's certain ways with the cost estimate to cut back to make sure that they can get what they want at 49.9% and not at 50% where those extra regulations would kick in. Davies asked if there are steps the City or County can take to change that flood map, such as improvements to Ralston Creek, for instance. Conley noted the Ralston Creek flood levels shown on the map are predictions based on hydraulic and analysis, so they may not be accurate in some areas. However, the community has the ability to file for a letter of map change, which can remove their structure from the area, or ask for that area of the map to be revalidated. She also noted there is a hazard mitigation plan that has recently been released by Johnson County that talks about different ways of flood protection. She is not sure if there's any ways that the City would take steps to reduce the floodway in general, but they can be proactive and just try to prevent any damage from occurring, if possible. Townsend asked after the 2008 floods and the raising of Dubuque Street how did that change the maps. Conley stated after that work it has been updated and now it looks like the structure of Mayflower itself does not contain any flood hazard area. Russett added in 2008 that were probably areas that weren't included in a flood hazard area that flooded, again the analysis that is done is as best as can be done, but there's going to be areas that aren't in a flood hazard area that may flood in the future. Townsend asked about the mosquito flats area and if that area is buildable. Russett noted the City bought many of the properties in that area and they will not be built on but there is still some privately held lands. Dulek added that the City owned lands cannot be built on because the City got federal money to purchase. Townsend asked under 14-5J-8, Special Floodway Provisions, storage of materials and equipment, it says storage of other materials may be allowed if readily removable from the floodway within the time available after flood warning, what does that mean. Conley explained if as a City they know that there might be existing materials that can be easily removed if there is enough warning time, then they are to be removed prior to the flooding. Quellhorst asked what is the extent of federal flood insurance assistance that Iowa City receives, is it hundreds of 1000s, millions, 10s of millions, hundreds of millions. Conley is not sure but could say it is quite significant to be part of the NFIP because it allows Iowa City to access certain funding that nonparticipating communities wouldn't be able to. Davies asked for explanation of what the "no rise" means. Conley explained the "no rise" is strictly for the floodway and any type of development that is proposed in the floodway cannot cause a rise in the base flood elevation. So, if someone wanted to do a dam improvement or something, the City would need to have an engineer conduct a hydraulic analysis and have a Planning and Zoning Commission September 3, 2025 Page 7 of 9 professional engineer sign off on a "no rise" certification, also known as a no encroachment certification, to ensure no rise in the base flood, because otherwise it's going to cause a lot of issues for all properties that are downstream. Any development, like dredging, mining, grading, all of that needs to be reviewed if it is occurring in any special flood hazard area. Davies asked about mobile home impacts. Conley stated mobile homes actually have a specific section in the code and they are structures that also need to be protected and held to the same standard, one foot above base flood elevation, or 0.2%. There's a certain amount of provisions that come along with manufactured housing that floodplain administrators need to ensure are checked off before some can come in. Townsend asked about cases like the one in Fairfax with all those illegal wells that they found on property. Russett noted that is a zoning enforcement issue, they did something illegally. Conley noted in the ordinance they have linked the municipal infraction section in the violation section, so it brings readers of this floodplain management standards to that area of the code, so they understand the City's general enforcement measures. Townsend asked how things like that would affect the insurance. Conley stated it would reflect on the entire community as a whole and it would depend on the violation. Quellhorst opened the public hearing. Seeing no one come forward, Quellhorst closed the public hearing. Townsend moves to recommend that Title 14 Zoning be amended, as illustrated in attachment one, to update requirements related to floodplain management standards for Iowa City residents and businesses to have continued eligibility to obtain insurance and participate in the National Flood Insurance Program. Wade seconded the motion. Townsend stated it looks like something that needed to be done so it's a good thing to revise and make sure that it's correct. Wade agreed and is glad to see the language align with an administrative aspect of it. He did note the 0.2% sometimes gives him a little heartburn, because being in town for coming up on 48 years, a lot of those areas that are within that 0.2% have never experienced a weather event that's caused issues, and as a property owner, or somebody that looks at putting up a building, it does become a cost factor. Perhaps that's a future consideration, but based on what's presented today, it makes sense to bring it current. Quellhorst stated he really appreciates staff's work on this as flood prevention is important. The map was produced by experts so he doesn't have any reason to doubt that that map is current and accurate. He appreciates that they're codifying existing practice in a way that better protects the City and will guarantee federal funding in the future. A vote was taken and the motion passed 4-0. Planning and Zoning Commission September 3, 2025 Page 8 of 9 PLANNING AND ZONING INFORMATION: Russett presented updates from the City Council meeting on Tuesday, the neighborhood open space ordinance was adopted and the rezonings at the former ACT properties and the former Pearson property were also adopted. ADJOURNMENT: Wade moved to adjourn, Davies seconded and the motion passed 4-0. PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2024-2025 511 6126 914 9118 11120 1214 2119 3/5 517 6/4 6118 712 7116 816 8/27 9/3 B E I N I N G, KA L E B -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X O X X O DAVIES, JAMES -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- X X X X X CRAIG, SUSAN X X X X X X X X X X X -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ELLIOTT, MAGGIE X O/E X X O/E X X X X X X X O/E X X O/E HENSCH, MIKE X X O/E X X X X O/E X X X -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- MILLER, STEVE -- -- -- -- X X X X X X X X O/E X X X X O/E PADRON, MARIA O/E -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- QUELLHORST, SCOTT X X X X O/E X X X X X X X X X O/E X TOWNSEND, BILLIE X X X X O/E X X X X X X X X X X X WADE, CHAD O/E X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Not a Member Item Number: 4.i. CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT October 21, 2025 Public Art Advisory Committee: September 4 Attachments: Public Art Advisory Committee: September 4 Approved, p.1 Public Art Advisory Committee Mtg, 91412025 Minutes Public Art Advisory Committee September 4, 2025 Emma J. Harvat Hall Public Art Advisory Committee Members Present: Leslie Finer, Andrea Truitt, Scott Sovers, Tyler Baird, Rachel Kinker, Anita Jung, Nate Sullivan, Stephanie Brunia Members Absent: Sophie Donta Staff present: Rachel Kilburg Varley, Geoff Fruin Public Present: Rachael Arnone, Emily Magnuson Call to Order Truitt called the meeting to order at 3.33 p.m. Public Discussion of Any Item Not on the Agenda None. Consider minutes of the July 10, 2025 PAAC meeting. Baird noted an error in the attendance sheet. Finer moved and Jung seconded that the amended minutes from the July 10, 2025 meeting be approved. Motion passed (6-0). South East Junior High Longfellow Tunnel Painting Project Southeast Middle School art teacher Rachael Arnone presented the murals designed and selected by the 7t" and 8t" grade students for the 2025 Longfellow Tunnel painting project. Note that Nate Sullivan and Stephanie Brunia joined the meeting during this agenda item. Local Option Sales Tax Presentation City Manager Geoff Fruin provided a presentation to the Committee regarding the 1% Local Option Sales Tax ballot measure that City Council voted to include in the upcoming November 4 election. The presentation included an overview of LOST, mechanics of the tax, and proposed uses for revenue. Following the presentation, Truitt asked how the proposed use to support community partnerships will function. Fruin explained one example could be new or existing grant programs or cost -sharing community partnerships. Baird asked how quickly LOST revenue must be spent once collected and Fruin noted there is no deadline, and funds can be spent immediately or accumulated over time for bigger projects. Staff Updates Approved, p.2 Public Art Advisory Committee Mtg, 91412025 Kilburg Varley shared the following staff updates: • An agreement has been signed with the Midwest Arts Conservation Center for restoration and staff training of the bronze sculptures in the downtown and Northside Marketplace. The work will be scheduled for the Spring 2026. • The City Engineering Division is assisting with entering the public artworks and data collected through the Public Art Condition Assessment into the City's asset management software. This will enable better tracking of the artworks and costs, work orders, or maintenance associated with them. • In partnership with the Communications team, a social media content calendar was developed to help highlight public art efforts and reactive existing works. The 1 st Wednesday of the month will be the posting day. The first post, which featured the "Dorothy" sculpture and a "Guess this Artwork" quiz achieved a great rate of success, with some of the highest views and engagement of all City social posts in recent months. • The reveal of a the mural funded through a Public Art Matching Grant at the Iowa City Bike Library will occur this evening and all are invited. • Looking ahead, staff noted it would be good to discuss priorities for the 2026 Public Art Matching Grant Program in light of the new strategic plan. Additionally, conversations have begun with the Senior Center on a potential new collaboration which will come before the Committee soon. Old or New Business None. Adjournment Sovers moved to adjourn. Finer seconded. Motion passed (8-0). Approved, p.3 Public Art Advisory Committee Mtg, 91412025 Public Art Advisory Committee Attendance Record 2024-2025 Name Term Expires 8/1/24 9/5/24 10/3/24 1117/24 12/5/24 2/6/25 3/6/25 4/3/25 5/1/25 6/525 7/1025 9/4/25 Ron Knoche N/A X O/E X X* X X* X X* X X X X* Juli Seydell- N/A X X X* X X X X X X* X --- X* Johnson Steve Miller 12/31/23 X --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Eddie 12/31/24 --- --- --- --- --- --- -- --- --- --- --- --- Boyken Andrea 12/31/25 X X X X X X X X X X X X Truitt Anita Jung 6/30/23 X X 0 X X 0 0 0 O/E O/E X X Jenny 12/31/23 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Gringer Jeremy 12/31/25 X X O/E X O/E X X O/E --- --- --- --- Endsley Nate 6/30/26 X O/E X O/E O/E X O/E X X O/E X X Sullivan Leslie Finer 12/31/26 X X X X X X X X X X X X Rachel 12/31/27 O/E X X O/E X X O/E X X X X X Kinker Sophie 12/31/26 --- --- --- X X O/E X X X X X O/E Donta Key X = Present X* = Delegate attended O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Not a member Item Number: 4.j. CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT October 21, 2025 Senior Center Commission: August 21 Attachments: Senior Center Commission: August 21 Approved Minutes August 21, 2025 MINUTES SENIOR CENTER COMMISSION August 21, 2025 Room 302, Iowa City Senior Center Members Present: Nancy Ostrognai, Jay Gilchrist, Kate Milster, Lee McKnight, Warren Paris, Betty Rosse, Mary McCall Members Absent: None Staff Present: LaTasha DeLoach, Kristin Kromray Others Present: None CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Gilchrist at 4.00 PM. RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE JULY 17, 2025, MEETING: Motion: To accept the minutes from the July 17, 2025 meeting as amended. Motion carried on a 7/0 vote. McKnight/McCall PUBLIC DISCUSSION: 1► •17T� OPERATIONAL OVERVIEW: DeLoach reported on some recent programs including the Puzzle Competition, and the Voices of Experience summer concert. The Senior Center's SHIIP counselors continue to assist University of Iowa retirees who are navigating a change in one of the supplemental insurance options the University offers to retirees. DeLoach reported on the many upcoming programs in the September/October program guide. Highlights include trivia night with volunteers from a sorority, Cycling without Age (supported by a grant from the Senior Center), Grandbabies intergenerational story time, Soul Train Block Party, Pickleball Jamboree, new art classes, two new language classes (Russian and French), and multiple classes offered by commissioner McCall around end of life and legacy topics. 1 Approved Minutes August 21, 2025 LaTasha noted how proud she is of the Senior Center and the quality programs and services provided the community. Senior Center staff will have an in-service day on Friday, August 22nd DeLoach reported the window and door project has begun on the 3rd floor. Landscaping will be the last piece of the exterior work that is done. Interior design work will occur after the start of next year. The HVAC digital systems control project will be started this fall. COMMISSION OVERVIEW: Gilcrest requested native species and pollinators for landscaping. DeLoach noted the Senior Center will work with the City's parks department and that is a priority. Ostrognai requested better shade on the south side of the building. Gilcrest asked if rooms will be changed for the window project. DeLoach noted that things will be moving around as work occurs. Paris asked about the trainings for commissioners. Staff will resend the training details and let commissioners know of other upcoming trainings. Gilcrest asked about transportation to programs offsite for the walking groups who meet at different locations. DeLoach noted that community members can reach out to the Johnson County Transportation Coordinator for assistance in navigating public transportation. Additionally, TRAIL, does a lot of transportation for their members. Gilcrest asked that staff continue to come to future staff meetings. Commissioners are interested in hearing more about the LOST sales tax option. Milster voiced appreciation for the fall program guide. Meeting Adjourned. 2 Approved Minutes August 21, 2025 Senior Center Commission Attendance Record Term 9/19/24 10/17/2 11/21/ 12/19/ 1/16/25 2/20/25 3/20/25 4/17/25 5/15/25 6/19/25 7/17/25 8/21/25 Name Expires 24 24 24 Betty 12/31/26 X X X O/E X X NM O/E X NM X X Rosse Jay 12/31/25 X O/E X X X X NM X X NM X X Gilchrist Mary 12/31/27 -- -- -- -- X O/E NM X O/E NM O/E X McCall Angela 12/31/24 X X O/E X -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- McConville Lee 12/31/27 X X O/E O/E O/E X NM X X NM X X McKnight Kathryn 12/31/27 -- -- -- -- X X NM X X NM X X Milster Nancy 12/31/26 X X X X X X NM X X NM X X Ostrognai Ross 12/31/24 X O O O -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Taylor Warren 12/31/25 X O X X O/E X NM X X NM X X Paris Key: X =Present O =Absent O/E=Absent/Excused NM =No meeting -- = Not a member 3