HomeMy WebLinkAboutStrategic Plan Final Report May 20222020-2021
May 2022
Strategic Plan Summary Report March 2022
Contents
3 Introduction and Overview
Iowa City’s Strategic Plan Goals 3
Executive Summary 4
COVID-19 Pandemic 4
Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement and Systemic Racism 5
7 Strategic Plan Accomplishments
Advance Social Justice, Racial Equity, and Human Rights 7
Demonstrate Leadership in Climate Action 10
Strengthen Community Engagement and Intergovernmental Relations 13
Invest in Public Infrastructure, Facilities, and Fiscal Reserves 15
Foster Healthy Neighborhoods and Affordable Housing Throughout the City 18
Enhance Community Mobility for All Residents 21
Promote an Inclusive and Resilient Economy Throughout the City 24
Cover image: Windsor Ridge Park, Iowa City
Strategic Plan Summary Report March 2022
The City Council’s 2020-2021 Strategic Plan intends to foster a
more inclusive, just and sustainable Iowa City by prioritizing the
physical, mental and economic well-being of all residents.
City Council members are,
from left:
John Thomas, District C
Megan Alter, At-Large,
Mayor Pro Tem
Laura Bergus, At-Large
Janice Weiner, At-Large
Bruce Teague, At-Large, Mayor
Pauline Taylor, District A
Shawn Harmsen, District B
Janice Weiner, At-Large
Iowa City’s Strategic Plan Goals
Iowa City City Council’s 2020-2021 Strategic Plan goals include:
Advance social justice, racial equity, and human rights
Demonstrate leadership in climate action
Strengthen community engagement and intergovernmental relations
Invest in public infrastructure, facilities, and fiscal reserves
Foster healthy neighborhoods and affordable housing throughout the City
Enhance community mobility for all residents
Promote an inclusive and resilient economy throughout the City
The City regularly posts Strategic Plan updates on its website at icgov.org/StrategicPlan.
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Strategic Plan Summary Report May 2022
Executive Summary
March 10, 2020 kicked off the City Council’s strategic planning process for 2020-2021. Just a few
days before, the first COVID-19 cases in the state had been confirmed in Johnson County and a
few days later, the nation would experience an unprecedented shutdown that disrupted all levels
of households, businesses, non-profits, and governments. By June 2020, when the City Council
formally adopted the 2020-2021 Strategic Plan, Iowa City was also navigating racial justice demon-
strations and calls for police reform in response to the murder of George Floyd. Not only was a
considerable amount of time, attention, and resources diverted to these two major events over
the past two years, but substantial progress was made on each of the City Council’s 2020-2021
Strategic Plan Objectives. This success is a direct result of the dedication and passion of the City
Council, City staff, community partners, and the public.
COVID-19 Pandemic
The global COVID-19 pandemic has caused
continued disruptions in nearly all City operations
in some way. In response to these far-reaching
impacts, some of the key actions taken by the
City include:
• Developing innovative and flexible service
models to ensure residents could continue to
access critical City services safely and without
disruption and find new ways to participate in City-sponsored programming from their homes.
• Disseminating consistent and accurate public health information, masking requirements, and
public and private facility and service changes.
• Providing free masks, face shields, and hand sanitizer to non-profit organizations.
• Assisting in hosting vaccine clinics and participating in regional response and recovery activities.
• Temporarily suspending the City’s water shut-off policy and late fees, offering payment plan
options to aid households in addressing delinquent accounts, and delaying a scheduled water
rate increase for one year in recognition of household financial pressures.
• Investing approximately $1 million in housing assistance programs including eviction
prevention, rent and utility assistance, and support for homelessness services; $536,532 in
grants for non-profit agencies to provide services in response to the pandemic; and $448,678
in small business assistance.
• Holding extensive public input sessions on use of the City’s entitled American Rescue Plan Act
funds to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Strategic Plan Summary Report March 2022
Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement
and Systemic Racism
Widespread racial justice demonstrations swept the country throughout the summer of 2020 and
led to transformative commitments in Iowa City to restructure the police department toward
community policing and take other steps to dismantle systemic racism in our community. Work
began with the City Council approving a 17-point resolution of actions that included establishing
a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, exploring changes to the Community Police Review Board,
and developing a plan to restructure the police toward community policing. Substantial progress
has been made on several of these fronts, including:
• Developing a plan to restructure the police towards
community policing using a continuum of responses
including prevent, divert, co-respond, and stabilize
and connect.
• Establishing an Ad Hoc Truth and Reconciliation
Commission.
• Completing an independent investigation of the June
3, 2020 BLM protest incident with recommendations
for improving future operations.
• Approving Juneteenth as an official City holiday.
• Offering multiple trainings and educational opportunities for the community at no cost on topics
Following the death of George Floyd in May 2020,
protesters took the the streets of Iowa City to
support the Black Lives Matter Movement.
The Oracles of Iowa City. Created by Antoine Williams and
Donté K. Hayes, in partnership with Public Space One and
the Center for Afrofuturist Studies
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Strategic Plan Summary Report May 2022
Joah Seelos,
Mental Health/Law
Enforcement Liason
Introduction and Overview: Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement and Systemic Racism
such as implicit bias, white privilege, and cultural
competency.
• Updating several Iowa City Police Department
General Orders (G.O.), including revised crowd
control policies, banning the use of chokeholds,
and enhanced reporting requirements related
to the Body Cameras and In-Car Recorders G.O.
• Budgeting a $1 million set-aside for racial
justice initiatives.
• Signing a Duty to Intercede MOU with five
area law enforcement agencies and completed
department-wide Active Bystander for Law
Enforcement (ABLE) training.
• Honoring Black lives through the renaming of a
public park in honor of James Alan McPherson
and installation of the Oracles of Iowa City
mural on the Capitol Street Parking Ramp.
• Adding several civilian positions both within
the ICPD and in partnership with social service agencies including replac-
ing one full-time officer with a civilian Victim Support Specialist, partner-
ing with Shelter House to jointly fund a new Street Outreach & Engage-
ment Specialist, partnering with CommUnity and Foundation2 to hire a
mental health liaison, hiring a new civilian Community Outreach position
focused on the immigrant and refugee population, and hiring a full-time
Public Safety PIO to enhance transparent communications.
• Adopting an Unbiased Policing Ordinance.
• Receiving a First Amendment analysis from the City Attorney’s Office to
guide future decision-making.
• Implementing improvements to the Community Police Review Board; including amending the
CPRB Ordinance to expand the Board to seven members, lengthen
the time allowed to file a complaint, and allow the complainant to respond to the Police Chief’s
report; and improving outreach and access through a new digital webform, approving an
outreach budget for the CPRB, and printing CPRB information on police officer business cards.
• Publishing additional budgetary and calls-for-service information online and initiated a
redesign of the City’s public safety website pages.
• Investing in expansion of the community’s mobile crisis outreach services using American
Rescue Plan Act funds.
Creekside Park was renamed after
University of Iowa professor James Alan
McPherson, the first African-American
writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
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Strategic Plan Summary Report May 2022
Advance Social Justice, Racial
Equity, and Human Rights
Ensure City progress towards increasing diversity of staff in a manner that is
reflective of community demographics
The City continues to strive for increasing the diversity of City employees to be more reflective of
the community demographics. The City’s 2020 Racial Equity Report Card showed a slight improve-
ment in the ratio of white and non-white City employees. Several actions have been taken to
continue to improve City staff diversity:
• An updated City employment promotional flyer was shared with over 300 organizations and
local contacts. Materials were translated into Spanish, French (Africa), Arabic, and Swahili.
• A Staff DEI Committee was established and is charged with fostering an inclusive and
welcoming work environment through peer education, enhanced DEI training opportunities,
and hosting special events designed to celebrate and recognize diversity.
• Following a report on diversity within City employment in August 2020, several DEI initiatives
were implemented into City recruitment, hiring, and retention practices, including:
»Requiring all interviews to include at least one question on diversity,
equity, and inclusion.
»More consistent data collection on how candidates learn
about positions.
»Providing hiring managers with current employee demographics at
the beginning of the hiring process as well as post-hire recruitment
analysis reports.
»Providing candidates with interview prep time prior to the start of
an interview.
»Providing candidates with “Interview Tips for Success” when scheduling interviews.
»Incorporating DEI evaluation criteria into employee performance evaluations.
»Requiring all City positions to be posted externally, eliminating internal-only hires
and expanding the pool of applicants and opportunities.
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Strategic Plan Summary Report May 2022
Strategic Plan Accomplishments: Advance Social Justice, Racial Equity, and Human Rights
Complete the phased effort to raise the minimum wage for
temporary employees to $15.00 per hour by July 1, 2021
Adoption of the FY22 budget approved a wage increase for all hourly
employees to a minimum of $15 per hour, which became effective July 1, 2021.
Over the preceding two years, the City had incrementally increased hourly
employee wages by $1.75 per hour to achieve the $15 per hour minimum wage
goal. The estimated annual recurring cost of this new minimum wage level is
approximately $952,000 per fiscal year.
Continue emphasis on human rights-based training for City employees,
boards and commissions, and the community
• The Office of Equity and Human Rights provides and partners to provide a significant number
of training and educational opportunities throughout the year. Recent examples include:
»Annual Fair Housing Training, including
segments on assistance animals and implicit
bias geared towards property managers
»Implicit Bias Training for Board and
Commission members
»Free screening of ‘White Privilege 101:
Getting in on the Conversation’
»Cultural Proficiency Training by Dr. Eddie
Moore for City and County staff
»LGBTQ 101 and Best Practices training
and LBGTQ Bias panel
»Expungement and Employment Barriers
Resource Clinic
»School-to-Prison Pipeline training series
»Disability awareness training
»Summer Implicit Bias Series
»Power and privilege, diversity and
leadership, and microaggressions
training series
»Various Know Your Rights training
throughout the year
$15
MINIMUM WAGE
for temporary
employees
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Strategic Plan Summary Report May 2022
Strategic Plan Accomplishments: Advance Social Justice, Racial Equity, and Human Rights
• Other City departments and divisions also offer educational programming and events
on social justice, racial equity, and human rights issues. For example, the Senior Center
has offered training programs on racial equity and white privilege, Braille training, and inter-
cultural presentations. The Library has offered trainings on implicit bias in housing policy and
realtor practices, critical race theory, and LBGTQ+ issues.
• Over 150 City employees participated in the United Way of East Central Iowa’s 21-Day
Equity Challenge.
• The City sponsors several partner trainings and events throughout the year including National
Black Voter Day, the NAACP’s annual Iowa Summit on Criminal Justice and Racial Disparities,
and a Humanize my Hoodie Event in January 2021.
Establish priorities and ensure resources for increased access
and translation of critical City messages
• Recently, the City Manager’s Office and Communications Division developed Translation
Guidelines and disseminated to City staff to help guide and prioritize effective and
equitable translation of critical City messages and materials.
• Additionally, in recent years, annual operat-
ing budgets have included sufficient funding
for translation of critical City messages.
Continue partnerships with
community organizations through the
City’s Social Justice and Racial Equity
grant program
• The City has continued to fund the Social
Justice & Racial Equity Grant Program
annually at $75,000 and continues to receive
a high level of interest and participation in
this program. The Fiscal Year 2023 Budget
recommends increasing funding for the SJRE Grant
Program by $25,000, bringing the total to $100,000.
• Regular updates about Social Justice and Racial Equity
activities, including quarterly reports and a monthly
newsletter can be found at icgov.org/SJRE.
Strategic Plan Accomplishments: Advance Social Justice, Racial Equity, and Human Rights
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Strategic Plan Summary Report March 2022
• Additional $1 million set-aside for social justice and racial
equity initiatives through June 2020 BLM resolution
Develop a coordinated effort across City
departments to expand social and recreational
programming for special populations
• Several departments and divisions have enhanced social
and recreational program offerings for underserved
populations and populations with unique needs. Some
examples include:
»The Senior Center also consistently
offers social and wellness programming
geared towards persons managing
specific conditions, such as dementia,
Parkinson’s, arthritis, and blindness.
»The Library implemented bi-lingual story
times for children.
»Parks and Recreation has more than doubled the number of free neighborhood parks
events during summer 2021.
ICPL display case
Demonstrate Leadership
in Climate Action
Adopt and begin implementation of the Accelerating Iowa City’s Climate
Actions Report
Several actions have been completed and more are underway or in the preparation stage of
implementation. Staff report bi-monthly on progress and updates are available at
icgov.org/ClimateAction.
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Strategic Plan Accomplishments: Demonstrate Leadership in Climate Action
Track and effectively communicate progress toward reaching the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) carbon emission
reduction targets adopted locally by the City Council in 2019
Iowa City’s goal to achieve a 45% reduction in community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2030
was achieved in 2020.
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Strategic Plan Summary Report May 2022
Strengthen Community
Engagement and
Intergovernmental Relations
Initiate a redesign of the City’s website
A firm has been selected to lead the City’s website redesign process and a kick-off meeting was
held in February 2022. Communications staff continue to work with departments and divisions to
audit and revise page content and identify improvements. Internal and external stakeholder input
processes began in March 2022 and the new website is expected to launch by spring 2023.
Pursue creative engagement techniques with a focus on reaching diverse
populations and neighborhoods
• Equitable outreach and engagement efforts have been grounded in meeting diverse
populations where they are in order to disseminate City messages and hear from these
individuals. For example:
»2020 ClimateFest was held as a weeklong event to ensure activities took place in
different geographic areas of the city, which increased opportunities for various
neighborhoods to participate more easily.
»Various public input efforts to inform the
development of the Recreation Facility
Master Plan, an updated Affordable
Housing Action Plan, and American Rescue
Plan Act spending priorities were conducted
using a variety of platforms (online and
in-person), across a variety of events
(Farmer’s Market, Party in the Park, etc.)
and through focused stakeholder groups
in collaboration with community partner
agencies, such as Open Heartland.
• In some cases, the pandemic accelerated more
creative and innovative outreach and engagement.
For example:
During the Willow Creek Park Climate Fest
on Sept. 24, 201, visitors were invited to
provide public input for the Gather Here
Recreation Master Plan.
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Strategic Plan Summary Report May 2022
Joshua Dabusu,
The Iowa City Police
Department’s first
Immigrant and Reugee
Communicy Outreach
Assistant
Strategic Plan Accomplishments: Strengthen Community Engagement and Intergovernmental Relations
»The Senior Center has been providing a robust line-up of online programming
throughout the pandemic to safely sustain engagement of the community’s
older adults. The Center also provided extensive technology support to help
seniors build technology skills and stay connected with the many aspects of life
that moved online in 2020-2021, such as attending church services, grocery shopping,
and checking out library books.
»In 2020, the City Council held six listening posts on policing and systemic racism. Small
Groups of individuals were able to safely spread out in parks and community gathering
spaces to share comments with Council.
• In March 2020, the City Council approved a half-time Outreach and
Engagement Specialist position in the Communications Division of the
City Manager’s Office and the position was hired in May 2022. The
position will assist with more equitable outreach and engagement in
neighborhoods and through other community organizations.
• The hiring process is completed for a new civilian community
outreach position within the Iowa City Police Department focused on
the immigrant and refugee population.
Work collaboratively with other local governments and
strengthen ties with our state and federal elected
delegation
• City Council has adopted annual legislative priorities each
year prior to the start of the State legislative session.
Throughout the session, staff are engaged with our elected
delegation to advance these priorities and share how filed
legislation will impact our community.
• The City Manager’s Office has also worked closely with our
federal legislative offices to communicate priorities and
impact as COVID relief legislation and infrastructure
legislation has passed.
• Over the course of the pandemic, collaboration between
entities has been essential. Teams of staff from each
municipality, Johnson County Emergency Management
Agency operations, area non-profits, health organizations,
and state and federal elected officials have continued to
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Strategic Plan Summary Report March 2022
Strategic Plan Accomplishments: Strengthen Community Engagement and Intergovernmental Relations
communicate and coordinate supplies, actions,
and messaging on a daily to weekly basis. The
Project Better Together coalition has collaborated
to launch several pandemic-related programs and
are currently engaged in a visioning process to
identify how inter-agency collaboration can
continue to be leveraged beyond the pandemic.
• Completion of the Iowa City Area Transit Study was
a result of significant collaboration between Iowa
City, Coralville, and the University of Iowa.
Resulting fare changes implemented in 2021
aligned Iowa City and Coralville’s fare and transfer
policies to improve rider experience between
transit systems.
• Iowa City joined Johnson County and several community and regional partners in celebrating
the opening of the Guidelink Access Center in 2021. Through the support of Iowa City and
many other sponsors, Guidelink is a critical resource for individuals in need of crisis stabiliza-
tion, sobering services, detoxification, or referrals to other agencies and providers. The Iowa
City Police Department works closely with Guidelink to connect individuals in need and reduce
the number of calls for service that end in ER-visits or arrests.
Governor Kim Reynolds visited the
Guidelink Access Center in Iowa City in
February of 2021.
Invest in Public Infrastructure,
Facilities, and Fiscal Reserves
Carefully prepare for significant financial challenges projected during the
final years of State property tax reform mandates through FY 2024
• Elimination of the backfill and lower rollback rates have compounded
the fiscal impacts of the 2013 property tax reform. Prudent financial
decisions in recent years, such as building up facility reserve funds, have
prepared the City to weather these impacts. However, continued financial
prudency will be required, particularly through the next couple of years.
• Aaa Moody’s Bond Rating maintained (May 2022)
Aaa Moody’s
Bond Rating
Maintained May 2022
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Strategic Plan Summary Report March 2022
Strategic Plan Accomplishments: Invest in Public Infrastructure, Facilities, and Fiscal Reserves
Strive to continue to reduce the City’s overall
property tax rate
The City has reduced the overall property tax rate for the last 11 years.
This has been possible through prudent debt strategies. However, looking
ahead, the City anticipates the property tax rate will remain stable at the
rate adopted through the FY23 budget.
$15.77 FY 2021
Tax Levy Rate
Evaluate Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) and other alternative revenues that
may be needed to achieve Iowa City’s strategic objectives and reduce reliance
on debt and property taxes
• Federal pandemic relief funds have provided opportunities for the City to expand assistance
programs and make other transformative investments.
• Long-term financial stability will likely require alternative revenue sources and LOST remains
one of the remaining untapped revenue sources available to Iowa City, aside from bonding
and increasing property tax rates.
• LOST remains an option for discussion in the coming years, particularly as one-time federal
relief dollars are exhausted, and the most impactful years of the state property tax reform
are phased in.
Develop a long-term plan to
improve the pavement condition
of City streets
• The City completed a Pavement
Management Plan and presented the
report to City Council in March 2021.
• Significant resources continue to be
dedicated to major street reconstruction
projects and the annual asphalt overlay
program:
»Major pavement condition projects completed in the last two years or with
ongoing construction: Muscatine Avenue, Clinton Street, First Avenue, Jefferson
Avenue, Melrose Avenue/IWV Road, 2nd Avenue Bridge, Orchard Street, and
A residential crosswalk gets a fresh coat of paint
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Strategic Plan Summary Report May 2022
Strategic Plan Accomplishments: Invest in Public Infrastructure, Facilities, and Fiscal Reserves
American Legion Road.
»Upcoming pavement condition
projects in next five years:
Benton Street Rehabilitation,
Rochester Avenue Reconstruction,
Fairchild Street Reconstruction,
Dubuque Street Reconstruction,
Court Street Reconstruction,
Gilbert Street Bridge Replacement,
Park Road Reconstruction,
Taft Avenue Reconstruction,
Dodge Street Reconstruction, and
the Market and Jefferson Streets
Two-Way Conversion.
Example of 'Very Good' pavement conditions in Iowa City
Example of 'Fair' pavement conditions in Iowa City
Initiate physical and financial planning efforts to modernize and expand
critical public facilities
• The City has built a facility reserve fund with a fund balance of approximately $13 million.
• Upcoming facility priorities:
»Fire stations: At the end of 2020, the City closed on land purchases for the future sites
of fire stations #3 and #5. Design funds for both stations have been budgeted in 2026
in the current CIP.
»Recreation: A Recreation Facility Master Plan is underway, and the final version is
expected to be completed by summer 2022 with recommended priorities for investing
in athletic field, aquatic, and recreation facilities. Renovation of City Park Pool is planned
for 2024 in the City’s Capital Improvement Program.
»Senior Center: An Accessibility Study and Master Plan is nearing completion on a space
needs study and master plan that will guide the next few years of budgeted priorities.
Funding for exterior facility improvements have been budgeted for 2022 in the current
CIP and interior improvements are budgeted for 2024-2025.
»Transit and Equipment: The City has identified a portion of the existing Public Works
campus to accommodate construction of a joint Transit and Equipment Facility. The City
is actively pursuing federal funding opportunities to support replacement of the transit
facility and funding has been programmed in 2024 of the current CIP.
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Strategic Plan Summary Report March 2022
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»Police: Facility needs and location study for the Police Department will be
pursued in 2022-2023.
»Landfill: An Iowa City Landfill Master Plan process is underway, and the 2022
CIP includes funding to replace the Landfill equipment storage facilities.
Consider establishing a cost of development framework that can help guide
decisions on how best to accommodate future growth
• This item remains on the City Council’s Pending Work Session List.
Foster Healthy Neighborhoods
and Affordable Housing
Throughout the City
Identify new efforts to expand and adapt the City’s
affordable housing and neighborhood improvement
strategies to meet long-term needs throughout the
community
An updated Affordable Housing Action Plan was delivered to City
Council in Spring 2022 for Council consideration. To view the proposed
plan and related information, visit www.icgov.org/AffordableHousing.
Consider and adopt the South District form-based code
and ensure it can be adapted to other parts of Iowa City
• On October 5, 2021, the City Council adopted an amendment to the South District Plan that
creates new goals, policies, and land use designations that align with form-based principles.
• On November 16, 2021, the City Council adopted an amendment to the zoning code to create
new form-based zones and standards. This amendment also included changes to Title 14 and
Title 15 to ensure consistency with the new form-based zones.
Strategic Plan Accomplishments: Invest in Public Infrastructure, Facilities, and Fiscal Reserves
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Strategic Plan Summary Report May 2022
Strategic Plan Accomplishments: Foster Healthy Neighborhoods and Affordable Housing Throughout the City
• In winter 2021, the City solicited grant applications for funding to assist with design
and engineering of future development projects in the South District Form-Based code
planning area. One application was submitted and was awarded $30,000.
• Planning efforts are underway to apply the form-based code framework to a future west
side growth area.
Continue implementation of the
Parks Master Plan and complete
an accompanying Recreational
Facilities Master Plan
• Parks Master Plan projects com-
pleted or initiated in the last two
years: Playground and shelter con-
struction at Wetherby, Willow Creek,
Fairmeadows, Scott, Glendale, Napo-
leon, and Lower City Parks. Ecological
restoration at Hickory Hill Park, Terry
Trueblood Recreation Area, and Whis-
pering Meadows Wetland. Additionally,
ADA and pathway improvements have
been completed at multiple parks.
• Upcoming Parks Master Plan
projects: Playground and/or shelter construction on the Pedestrian Mall and at Chadek Green,
Whispering Meadows, and Court Hill Park. ADA improvements at Harlocke Hill Park,
Oak Grove Park, and Ryerson Woods.
• A Recreation Facility Master Plan is underway, and the final version is
expected to be completed with priority facility investments in summer
2022. Recommendations are expected to address, among other things,
ADA compliance issues, investments in aquatics facilities, recreation
centers, and athletic fields, and program offerings for all ages and abilities.
Monitor and report biannually on building and rental permit
trends in the former rental cap neighborhoods
• Neighborhood and Development Services issued their first 2021 Neighborhood and Develop-
ment Services Annual Report, which includes statistics on building and rental permit trends.
A 3D rendering depicts the final design of the
playground in the heart of Iowa City’s Pedestrian
Mall downtown.
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Strategic Plan Summary Report May 2022
Strategic Plan Accomplishments: Foster Healthy Neighborhoods and Affordable Housing Throughout the City
The City started tracking the number of rental permits for single family and duplex
dwellings in University impacted neighborhoods in November 2017. As of June 2020,
there has been a total addition of 79 rental permits in the University Impact Area since
November 2017, representing a 3.4% increase, an average increase per
neighborhood of 0.6%.
Support neighborhood activities and improvements that create vibrant,
creative spaces and inspire a sense of place and community
• The City continues to contribute financial and physical resources for placemaking and commu-
nity gathering. Some recent examples include:
»Partnership with the Iowa City Downtown District for the installation of the Creos Loop
interactive public art structures throughout the downtown pedestrian mall.
»Partnership with FilmScene to build an outdoor cinema in Chauncey Swan Park to host
free movie screenings and other community events incorporating film.
»Support for downtown street and sidewalk cafes, including waiving café fees during the
COVID-19 pandemic and approving a permanent seasonal closure of N. Linn Street to
provide additional seating and gathering spaces in the Northside Marketplace.
»Sponsorship of various public art programs, including a community-painted mural on
the Resource Management building and new sculpture installations at Riverfront Cross-
ings Park, Terry Trueblood Recreation Area, and Mercer Park.
Volunteers helped paint a colorful new
mural, designed by artist Erika Danner,
on the City’s Resource Management
building during Climate
Fest 2021.
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Strategic Plan Summary Report May 2022
Enhance Community Mobility
for All Residents
Continue implementation of the City’s Bicycle Master Plan and pursue Gold
Bicycle Friendly Community status from the League of American Bicyclists
• In pursuit of Gold Bicycle Friendly Community
status, the City has made rapid progress on
implementing the Bicycle Master Plan.
»Recently completed projects (since 2020):
+Muscatine Avenue (Burlington to
Iowa) – bike lanes
+Burlington Street – bike lanes
+McCollister Boulevard – road project
with bike lanes and sidepath
+Foster Road – road project with bike lanes and sidepath
+New bike box installations at
Jefferson & Dodge, N. Governor & Market, and Madison & Burlington
»Upcoming or ongoing projects:
+Keokuk Street (HWY 6 to Sandusky) – 4-to-3 lane conversion with bike lanes
+S. Gilbert Street (Southgate to McCollister) – 4-to-3 lane conversion with bike lanes
+Southgate Avenue (Keokuk to Gilbert) – bike lanes
+W. Benton Street (Mormon Trek to Greenwood) – road project with bike lanes
+Rochester Avenue (1st to Montrose) – road project with bike lanes
+American Legion Road extension – road project with buffered bike lanes and
sidepath
+Madison Street (Burlington to Iowa) – 4-to-3 lane conversion with bike lanes
+Market/Jefferson Streets – existing bike lanes upgraded to buffered bike lanes
+Emerald Street – bike boulevard
+Arlington Street – bike boulevard
+Oakcrest Avenue – bike boulevard
+Series of bike boulevards in South District Neighborhood
+Highway 6 – trail extension (Heinz to Fairmeadows)
Burlington Street bike lane
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Strategic Plan Summary Report May 2022
Strategic Plan Accomplishments: Enhance Community Mobility for All Residents
Complete the Iowa City Area Transportation Study, pursue
recommended changes, and evaluate implementation outcomes,
to ensure community needs are met by system changes
• The City has completed its transit study and presented
recommendations to City Council in October 2020 and
the City Council approved the Iowa City Area Transit
Study Plan and recommended changes on June 1, 2021.
• Beginning in July 2021, changes to fare and transfer
policies were made effective which streamlined rider-
ship between Iowa City Transit and Coralville transit,
made transferring easier, and reduced or eliminated
fare costs for certain riders.
• Route and fare changes were implemented
in August 2021 and featured modified or
consolidated routes with more frequent
weekday service and increased weekend
service, among other features. More infor-
mation is available at: icgov.org/
TransitStudy.
• Planning for the next phases of transit
improvements is focused upon low-income
fare free policies, pilot Sunday service, and
late-night on-demand service.
• January 2022 marked the rollout of the
City’s first four all-electric transit buses.
Ensure ease and safety of travel for residents and visitors through expansion
of accessibility measures, improved connectivity, and use of adopted
complete streets design standards
• Streets and sidewalks:
»The Melrose/IWV Road Improvement Project improved a common-interest roadway,
improving road quality for rural-to-urban commuters.
»The Burlington Street Bridge improvement project was completed in fall 2021, which
improved roadway pavement condition, improved connectivity for bikers with buffered
Top: Riders visit with staff at an interchange info booth the week new
routes went into effect. Bottom: The electric bus fleet hits the streets.
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Strategic Plan Summary Report May 2022
Strategic Plan Accomplishments: Enhance Community Mobility for All Residents
bike lanes, and improved pedestrian safety through newly installed pedestrian
signalization and ADA improvements.
»In 2021, the roundabout at Scott Boulevard
and Muscatine Avenue was
completed, improving the safety and flow
of this major intersection.
»Sidewalk infill projects were completed
along Rochester Avenue and along Gilbert
Court, improving pedestrian connectivity
and mobility access.
»The long-awaited McCollister Boulevard
extension was completed in fall 2020,
providing a critical arterial link for vehicles
and a connection for bikers and pedestri-
ans between the Iowa River Trail and
Sycamore Greenway Trail or accessing
these newly developed neighborhoods.
»The upcoming Rochester Avenue
reconstruction project will improve safety and ride-quality for vehicles and
provide sidewalk connectivity along this collector street.
• Park accessibility improvements including accessible pathways, shelters, and restrooms
and more diverse play equipment have been completed at multiple park sites.
The intersection of Scott Boulevard and
Muscatine Avenue was converted into a
roundabout, which opened in 2021.
• Curb ramp construction, repairs, and replacements are completed
annually through multiple avenues, including the Annual Asphalt
Overlay and Annual Curb Ramp Programs, along with other public
improvements in new developments, and in conjunction with other
City street, utility, and park projects. The City maintains a database of
curb ramp conditions for over 6,000 curb ramps in Iowa City. Since
2020, nearly 500 curb ramps have been repaired, replaced, or
installed. More information about curb ramp improvements is avail-
able online in the Curb Ramp Annual Report and Transition Plan.
223
curb ramps
repaired, replaced,
or installed in 2020
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Strategic Plan Summary Report May 2022
Promote an Inclusive and Resilient
Economy Throughout the City
Through collaboration with local partners, increase opportunities for
marginalized and low-income populations to obtain access to skills training,
good jobs, and affordable childcare
• Childcare:
»The City provides annual funding support to the 4Cs of Johnson County to provide
technical assistance supporting the development of more in-home daycare providers.
»In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City helped sponsor the establishment of
neighborhood NESTs throughout the community, providing childcare and educational,
social, and emotional support to students.
»The City has identified various workforce and childcare-related opportunities to be
explored for possible investment using American Rescue Plan Act funding.
• Workforce:
»Beginning in 2021, the City provided start-up funding and has committed to ongoing
financial support for a BIPOC Business Accelerator Program through the Multicultural
Development Center of Iowa. This accelerator and incubator program provides a
16-week training program and technical assistance to startup and early-stage under-
served and historically disadvantaged businesses and entrepreneurs.
»The City has participated in and provided support to a series of job fairs held quarterly
by the Iowa Workforce Development Center. The most recent job fair took place in April
2022 and was geared towards high-
school aged job seekers and included a
mock interview component.
»In a partnership with Iowa State Build-
ing & Construction Trades, Iowa City
sponsored the development of a
brochure to market and promote the
organization’s apprenticeship
programs.
»Iowa City has continued to contribute
an annual financial commitment of
$25,000 to Kirkwood Community
Youth Job Fair 2022. Photo courtesy of Neighborhood
Centers of Johnson County.
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Strategic Plan Summary Report May 2022
Strategic Plan Accomplishments: Promote an Inclusive and Resilient Economy Throughout the City
College’s English as a Second Language (ESL) program, which provides free ESL
classes in Johnson County. Highlights of this partnership include:
+In 2021, Kirkwood expanded seat capacity for online sections by 84 seats. As
courses have returned to in-person, the increased participation has continued
with approximately 70 additional students over the
prior year.
+Through the Earn & Learn Program, Kirkwood has
partnered with three local employers to provide
ESL training to their employees . At one business,
four cohorts have been completed since May 2021
and a fifth is underway. An additional Earn & Learn
partnership with local childcare providers is in
early-stage development.
• The City and Kirkwood Community College recently partnered to
offer a Residential Construction Confidence Course for women.
Class participants learned remodeling and construction skills
through hands-on work at a duplex unit owned by the City that is
intended to be rehabilitated and sold through the City’s South
District Homeownership Program.
• The City launched a Targeted Small Business Grant Program
which provides matching grant funds to TSB small businesses and
micro-enterprises for one-time startup and growth expenses
such as office setup, storefront signage, software, or professional services.
Encourage healthy, diverse, and sustainable economic activity throughout
Iowa City, including taking steps to invigorate neighborhood commercial
districts and create new small neighborhood commercial nodes
• In 2021, City Council approved the Highway Commercial Revitalization Plan, which designated
tax abatement areas along Highway 6 and Highway 1 targeting older commercial areas with
local, small businesses that otherwise may not have access to or be eligible for certain eco-
nomic development incentives.
• To support sustainable economic activity, the City also launched Commercial and Industrial
Energy Efficiency Matching Grant Programs in the Sycamore/Heinz/Scott/6 areas and in the
Downtown, Northside Marketplace, and Riverfront Crossings areas.
• A code change approved in 2021 created the ability for owners of existing buildings in
“I’m always doing [do-it-
yourself projects] at my
own personal home, and
I just never really had an
opportunity to learn the
right way to do it.”
Mialisa Wright
Residential Construction Confidence
Course for Women participant
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Strategic Plan Summary Report May 2022
Strategic Plan Accomplishments: Promote an Inclusive and Resilient Economy Throughout the City
lower-intensity commercial districts in or near
developed residential neighborhoods to apply for
certain special exceptions to the zoning process.
The change is intended to encourage and simplify
building reuse. Thus, the incentive may not be
used for new construction, demolition of a princi-
pal structure, or for properties with historic desig-
nation. The redevelopment of a formerly vacant
building along North Dodge Street for reuse as a
coffee shop is one example of the opportunities
this code change created.
• In January 2022, the City Council approved the
South District Self-Supporting Municipal Improve-
ment District (SSMID), covering properties south of
Highway 6 in the Pepperwood Plaza. The SSMID is
expected to generate over $100,000 annually over
the next five years to help the district support the
businesses in the District through recruitment and
retention activities, placemaking, and other
improvements in the SSMID.
• The new form-based code adopted in the South
District creates additional opportunities for
developing vibrant commercial neighborhood
centers.
Effectively support growth and promotion of small locally-owned businesses,
women and minority-owned businesses, and the local foods economy
• The City has launched several assistance programs targeting small businesses throughout this
Strategic Plan period, including:
»The Small Business Resource Program provides matching loan funds or technical
assistance grants to small businesses and microenterprises.
»The Targeted Small Business Grant program provided matching grant assistance to
designated small businesses for one-time expenses such as office setup, signage, and
hardware or software.
»Several small businesses were awarded Climate Action Grant funds to undertake
Top: The current home of Press Coffee is
shown after redevelopment in March
2022. Bottom: The Press Coffee building
in 2021, before a code change made
redevelopment possible.
Photos courtesy of Press Coffee
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Strategic Plan Summary Report May 2022
Strategic Plan Accomplishments: Promote an Inclusive and Resilient Economy Throughout the City
sustainability and climate-action focused projects. For example, the Highlander
Hotel was awarded funding to install an EV charger and Beadology was awarded
funding to make energy efficiency improvements in their shop.
• Additional emphasis has also been placed on supporting BIPOC businesses or businesses
owned by other traditionally underserved populations, such as immigrant and refugees:
»Iowa City contributed funding to the Project Better Together BIPOC & Immigrant
Business Grant program.
»BIPOC and immigrant-owned businesses were prioritized in the City’s COVID-19 Small
Business Assistance Program.
»A comprehensive support framework for BIPOC businesses has been established as a
priority for use of Iowa City’s entitled American Rescue Plan Act funds.
• The City supports the local foods economy through a variety of avenues including sponsorship
of the annual Farm to Street dinner event, financial grants and assistance to local
organizations with local foods-driven missions, and through the annual Community Garden
Plot program.