84-unit apartment complex proposed for Iowa City

IOWA CITY — The Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-1 in favor of rezoning an underdeveloped property in north Iowa City to make way for an 84-unit apartment complex, pending City Council approval.

However, some north side residents urged commissioners to vote against the rezoning over the size of the proposed project, directly north of Happy Hollow park, and saying it doesn’t fit with the rest of the neighborhood.

The proposed complex includes two buildings, each with 42 units, and offers a mix of market-rate one- and two-bedroom units. The buildings would be about 236 feet wide, which those opposed to the rezoning pointed out is the same size as some city blocks. The development also would include a surface lot and underground parking.

Commissioners who voted in favor of the rezoning cited the need to increase the city’s housing stock, regardless of concerns about building size.

“ … I think we need more housing. We pay too much for housing, and a lot of people can't afford to live here, and if we want to change that, we need to build more housing units. This is an opportunity to do that, which would bring housing prices down for all of us,” Commissioner Scott Quellhorst said at a meeting last week.

Commissioner Billie Townsend, the lone dissenting vote, agreed that adding more housing units should be a priority but disagreed with the proposal.

“I'll probably be the only no vote on this one, only because I'm looking at these units and the neighborhood, and they're huge. … I think it needs to be reconfigured, if it could be, but that's my opinion. It just doesn't fit in with the look of the neighborhood right now,” Townsend said at the meeting.

City acting as co-applicant in rezoning request

The city is acting as a co-applicant for the rezoning application for the 5.49 acre property in part with the developer, Tracy Barkalow’s TSB Holdings.

“The city would like to see a cohesive development on the subject property, as opposed to that which would be allowed under the current zoning,” Iowa City Senior Planner Anne Russett said at the commission meeting. “We'd also like to see compliance with our modern zoning regulations, which include our sensitive areas ordinance and our multi family site development standards, which regulate things like screening, parking, design and building materials.”

TSB Holdings is asking that the property be rezoned to high density single family zone and medium density multifamily zone.

The plan would be to demolish an existing vacant office building and two single family homes along Governor Street. Along Dodge Street, there are two existing duplexes and two multifamily residences. While they would remain, the development plan would convert one of the duplexes to a single family home to adhere to zoning standards.

Neighborhood concerns

Multiple residents have said they support redevelopment of the property, but are against the proposed rezoning due to the size of the building and other environmental concerns.

“The buildings are too large for the sensitive, sloped property and the scale of the development does not fit into the neighborhood. … The city will state that rezoning to a higher density is in the best interest of the citizens of Iowa City in order to increase available housing units in the city. That can still be accomplished in a sensible way by amending the proposal,” said north side resident Sharon DeGraw.

City staff have noted that the proposed development would impact 86 percent of the slopes of trees in the area. However, the property would not be subject to the city’s woodland retention program as the area is not considered a woodland.

The developer has said it will plant 54 trees and protect 15 mature trees in the area.

Other neighbors expressed concerns about increased traffic in the area.

Next steps

The proposed rezoning will go before the City Council, likely next month, and be subject to a public hearing. A final plat and site plan would also need to be approved by the council before construction could begin.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com

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