Iowa City Council to vote on Tate Arms preservation, height bonus

IOWA CITY - The owners of property near the Tate Arms Building are seeking approval for a height bonus to build next to the historic Iowa City boardinghouse.

On Tuesday, the Iowa City Council will vote to transfer development rights to allow a height bonus for the properties at 912 S. Dubuque Street and 201 E. Benton St. to XJ-23 LLC, a limited liability company represented by the Clark family, which is one of the largest apartment providers in the city.

If approved, the height bonus would allow the company an additional floor - 7,400 square feet - of development rights while ensuring the preservation of the Tate Arms building at 914 S. Dubuque St.

The added floor only represents a portion of the density bonus - the Riverfront Crossings District's Central Crossings area allows four stories with the possible height bonus of up to four additional floors - and the company will be able to transfer another 27,400 square feet to other eligible sites, said Jeff Davidson, city economic development administrator.

'They could have had additional floors, but one more floor was all they wanted,” Davidson said. 'They could potentially use that somewhere else in riverfront crossings.”

Design renderings for the project detail a five-story residential structure with 20 multifamily units, structured parking and landscaping for shared open space.

As part of the height bonus, the company's plan also includes renovations the Tate Arms building that would turn the structure into a residential duplex. The building once served as a boardinghouse for black UI male students in the 1940s, when black students were not allowed to live in UI residence halls.

Davidson said it's likely the apartment complex will include the amenities to appeal to a range of tenants and fit well into the city's plans to increase residential offerings in the Riverfront Crossings District.

'We're trying to encourage, through some of these policies, residential housing being built certainly as a place for students to live, but in a manner that really encourages other people to liver there too, whether young professionals or retirees,” he said. 'This new building is a good example of that ... it's exactly what we're trying to encourage.”

At this point the height bonus is the only form of financial assistance requested by the developer for the project, Davidson said.