Demolition permits issued for Iowa City cottages; buildings ruled historically significant

IOWA CITY - Iowa City's Historic Preservation Commission has voted that the mid-19th century cottages on South Dubuque Street are historically significant.

The commission Thursday voted unanimously that the cottages, which reached public attention in recent weeks after property owner Ted Pacha proposed a rezoning last month that would potentially demolish the buildings, meet the required criteria to be designated as historic local landmarks.

Committee member Kate Corcoran responded to criticism that the application, filed by Friends of Historic Preservation, was a rushed effort.

'I'm very persuaded by the application,” Corcoran said. 'Personally I don't think there is anything haphazard ... I think that all that has happened was necessary.”

The cottage discussion now heads to the Planning and Zoning Commission for review.

While points raised by several residents attending the meeting delved into the structural integrity of the cottages, the development project initially proposed for the site and the manner in which individuals on both sides have approached the issue, Ginalie Swaim, chair of the commission, was clear on the board's focus.

'The role of the Historic Preservation Commission is to decide on whether the cottages are historically significant,” Swaim said. 'While there's many ways of looking at what to do with these cottages, our role is very precise.”

Before the commission vote, Kelsey Pacha, son of Ted Pacha, argued against the Friends of Historic Preservation's application, claiming the document to be a 'haphazard collection” of unfounded facts. Kelsey Pacha also criticized the group's last minute attempt to deter his father's requested rezoning of the properties.

'A vote for preservation is a vote for this last minute process,” he said.

Alicia Trimble, executive director with the Friends of Historic Preservation, said plans for a study of historically significant properties in the Riverfront Crossings District - where the cottages are located - was planned for completion next year, but said last month's rezoning request for the properties rushed the need to complete an application for historic landmark designation.

'Extraordinary circumstances have made that impossible,” Trimble said.

A Dec. 5 letter from Ted Pacha to Friends of Historic Preservation detail an offer to donate not only the three buildings, but $25,000 per cottage toward the cost of relocating the structures.

The offer, which would be open for 30 days, is contingent on the group making arrangements to move the cottages within a 'mutually agreeable time” and that Friends of Historic Preservation obtains appropriate insurance to take all liability of the structures, according to the letter.

According to online records, the city Wednesday issued demolition permits for 608, 610 and 614 S. Dubuque St. The permits will be valid for 180 days.

However, if the Iowa City Council sets a public hearing to discuss an application for historic landmark designation for the properties, a 60-day moratorium would prevent demolition as long as significant progress had not been made on tearing down the buildings.

Next the Planning and Zoning Commission must discuss the issue before the item returns to the full council - which voted Tuesday 4-3 against speeding up the process and setting a public hearing to discuss the historic landmark designation.

The mid-19th century cottages, which have been deemed unstable and unsafe in one engineer's report and structurally sound in another, once housed working class Iowa City residents and were most recently home to the Book Shop, Suzy's Antiques and Gifts, and Moy Yat Ving Tsun Kung Fu Academy.