P&Z Commission recommends landmark status for cottages

IOWA CITY -- Another Iowa City committee has given approval of historic landmark designation for three mid-19th century cottages.

The Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday voted unanimously to send the rezoning application attached to the Dubuque Street cottages' historic landmark designation to the Iowa City Council with a recommendation for approval.

Despite claims made by members of the public on both sides of the issue arguing the other side is rushing to either save or demolish the buildings, commission chair Ann Freerks said the issue could use more consideration.

"I don't think it's rushing. If anything I think it is allowing some better timeframe for discussion," she said. "Our charge here is simply to review the designation based on its relation to the comprehensive plan."

The council will likely take up the issue in January and, once a public hearing is scheduled, a 60-day moratorium on any demolition of the cottages will begin as long as significant progress hasn't already taken place.

Property owner Tad Pacha, who spoke Thursday in opposition to the historic designation rezoning, expressed frustration over the way his initial request to rezone his properties in October has carried on several months and how historic preservationists have been approaching the issue, particularly the second structural engineer's visit to the cottages, which Pacha said took place without his permission.

"The only clarity I see is that I don't have any say in this," he said. "It's apparent that everyone had more rights here than the property owner."

As the fate of the three cottages continues to take shape, related storylines have been developing for some of the main individuals involved on both sides of the argument:

• According to municipal infraction documents filed Dec. 12, Pacha has been issued three $250 civil penalties for violating city code by maintaining three dangerous buildings — the structures were deemed unsafe in VJ Engineering's November report on the cottages. Pacha is scheduled for a Jan. 8 court appearance.

• Attorney Rockne Cole, has been retained by William Ingles and Susan Hultman, tenants of 608 and 610 S. Dubuque St., respectively, and is attempting to address the second structural engineer's report of the cottages, which states the cottages are structurally sound.

• Friends of Historic Preservation have been seeking a historic landmark designation for the three cottages since the topic reached public awareness last month.

A number of reasons for the historic significance of the cottages were detailed in the group executive director Alicia Trimble's application document including their location in the railroad district, home to notable figures and connection to 19th century working class Iowa Citians.

However, a letter from Trimble to the Historic Preservation Commission provided to the committee before its Dec. 11 vote on the historic significance of the buildings indicates that the application had a few inaccuracies, namely that the buildings are not tied to three of the eight notable families listed in the application.

Historic Preservation Commission chair Ginalie Swaim said, despite the slight inaccuracy, the cottages were still determined to be historically significant.

Robert Miklo, Iowa City Senior Planner, said the discrepancies are minor in the grand scope of the findings in the application.

The commission agreed with a unanimous vote that the buildings meet the criteria to be named historic landmarks.

Also on Dec. 11, Pacha sent a letter to Trimble indicating that, due to comments she made at a Dec. 5 council meeting, his original offer of donating the cottages and $25,000 per building to have the three structures moved was retracted.