Iowa City committee asks for second review of cottages’ stability

IOWA CITY - Iowa City's Planning and Zoning Commission is seeking another structural review of the three cottages south of downtown before formally voting on proposed rezoning that could mean the demolition of the mid-19th-century buildings.

The commission Thursday voted unanimously, with committee member Carolyn Dyer absent, to defer a vote on the rezoning of 2.3 acres on the corner of Dubuque and Prentiss streets from two commercial zones to the Riverfront Crossings zone.

The two-week deferral will give property owner Ted Pacha time to have an independent certified engineer inspect the stability of the three cottages.

'It's difficult for us to mull all of this over in a moment or two,” committee chairwoman Ann Freerks said. 'I feel that we need to in good faith have this looked at on all sides.”

The vote came after more than two hours of discussion in a packed City Hall with members of the public in support of the rezoning largely outnumbered by area residents - many wearing stickers emblazoned with 'Save the Cottages” - who spoke out with pleas to preserve the three workers' cottages at 608, 610 and 614 S. Dubuque St.

Residents opposed to the rezoning talked about the importance of the cottages, from their historic significance to the businesses and residents now located on the block. They also expressed opposition to the conceptual design of the cottages' proposed replacement.

More than 130 years old, the cottages are home to three businesses: the Book Shop, Suzy's Antiques and Gifts, and Moy Yat Ving Tsun Kung Fu Academy. The site also contains a small mixed-use building with The Broken Spoke bike shop and three apartments; a single-family house; a small strip commercial building with various small businesses; and Plumb Supply on Prentiss Street.

A concept plan for proposed development on the site details a long four-story building that would mix retail and residential use.

Kevin Digmann, with Hodge Construction, said the building would increase the property's assessed valuation from $1.08 million to more than $10 million.

'It would be a substantial gain,” he said.

But residents argued the historic value of the cottages outweighs the increase in property tax revenue.

'Most workers' cottages of everyday people have been destroyed because people didn't value them,” Angie Trimble, executive director with the Friends of Historic Preservation, said before the meeting. 'These are among some of the last freestanding houses like that.”

Iowa City transportation planner John Yapp said at the meeting's start that an engineer's inspection received Thursday found the cottages to be structurally unsound.

'We are taking it very seriously, the evaluation notes that the buildings are unstable,” Yapp said. 'We are obligated to follow up on that information and post notice if necessary if the buildings are deemed unstable irregardless of what happens at this meeting.”

Photos shown from a Monday inspection of the cottages detailed gaps in the interior foundation walls, floor joists that had been cut and deteriorating mortar and bricks.

That said, committee member Charlie Eastham said he would feel more comfortable having another pair of eyes survey the cottages before the ultimate vote is made.

'This is a very important decision about those three buildings,” he said. 'It's not unusual to get more than one professional opinion.”