Riverfront Crossings, medical facility rezonings pass first readings

IOWA CITY - Two Iowa City rezoning requests - one for a mixed-use project that spans almost an entire city block and another for a multi-use medical facility - have passed first readings by the Iowa City Council.

The council on Tuesday unanimously approved the first of three required readings for two rezonings; one for local developer Hodge Construction's second attempt to rezone seven adjacent lots on S. Dubuque St. and the UIHC request that would allow for a medical facility on Mormon Trek Boulevard and south of Highway 1.

' 600 block of S. Dubuque St.

The second time was the charm for Hodge Construction's requested rezoning of roughly 1 acre of land on the 600 block of South Dubuque Street to allow for a mixed-use building up to four stories in height.

The council on Tuesday approved the request to rezone the seven plots - 602, 604, 608, 610, 614, 620 and 628 S. Dubuque St. - to the Riverfront Crossings District's Central Crossings zone, subject to a conditional agreement that requires the inclusion of a pedestrian passage or mid-block forecourt frontage to provide additional open space for future residents or commercial tenants.

'I think it's great infill development,” said Council member Susan Mims. 'I think it's going to fit into the neighborhood very well.”

Council member Kingsley Botchway, however, expressed concern over a lack of an affordable housing element in the project.

'It's a struggle,” he said. 'I'm worried about us approving this and then it being a new development that doesn't have that affordable housing piece to it.”

Those issues could be addressed in future affordable housing requirements being explored by the city, but such discussions are ongoing.

Three of the seven plots - 608, 610 and 614 S. Dubuque St. - were home to three historic cottages until they were demolished, one last year and the remaining two this spring, after countless public meetings over the preservation of those cottages.

A similar rezoning request on the site was pulled by the applicant last year as the cottage debate reached a boiling point.

However, council member Jim Throgmorton noted that, this time around, the cottages are in the past.

'As contentious as that was, we have to put the past behind us and focus on the present and future,” he said.

' Mormon Trek Boulevard

The council also on Tuesday approved the first reading to rezone about eight acres of land on Mormon Trek Boulevard, south of Highway 1 and across the street from Billion Honda.

The plan, presented by University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, is to build a mixed-use building on the site, to continue to expand UIHC offerings throughout the community, and to decompress traffic at the main UIHC buildings off Melrose Avenue.

A city staff report on the rezoning request states the building likely will host a medical clinic, pharmacy, mother's milk bank and warehousing and distribution.

UIHC likely would lease the building from developer Built to Suit.

The rezoning was approved with conditions that the building not have outdoor storage or exterior lights that exceed 25 feet in height. Those conditions were added to reduce nuisances to nearby residences, according to staff.

l Comments: (319) 339-3175; mitchell.schmidt@thegazette.com