Vision based on research, planning

By The Gazette Editorial Board

--

A vibrant downtown is literally central to new Iowa City City Manager Tom Markus' vision of a deliberately planned city with a strong core and concentric growth.

But exactly what that should look like - he's not quite ready to say.

When they hired him, Iowa City councilors characterized Markus as curious, thoughtful and poised, with a good head for finance and economic development.

Those qualities came through when he met with members of The Gazette's editorial board last week. To the list, we'd add candid and deliberate.

In our conversation, Markus consistently came back to two words: Research and planning.

We were impressed by his upfront, candid review of Iowa City's vision and potential for growth.

We also like some of his ideas, such as his thoughts on how to guide downtown's evolution from alcohol-fueled entertainment district.

And we're interested to know if some of Markus' past successes can be replicated here - such as streamlining city permit processes to help make the process less cumbersome.

A handful of bars have closed since councilors passed, and voters affirmed in November, an ordinance barring 19- and 20-year-olds from the establishments after 10 p.m. But Markus says it's important not to panic.

“Everybody's in a hurry to backfill those spaces, but to me there's a lot of homework that needs to be done,” he said.

He told us it didn't seem much thought went into downtown Iowa City's shift the last time it underwent a major shift - from retail center to entertainment hub.

As city manager of the Detroit suburb of Birmingham, Markus helped navigate that town's similar transition in the mid-1990s.

“I can tell you there's great potential, in my opinion,” he said of Iowa City. But he wants ideas to come from the community, not City Hall.

Before he even arrived in town, Markus said his top priorities would be economic development and increasing Iowa City's tax base. His experience with those issues is one of the reasons councilors chose him for the job. Still, we're glad to see Markus is not interested in cookie-cutter approaches.

We were also impressed by Markus' willingness to talk straight about economic development incentives. We agree with his view that such incentives should be based on reasonable limits and a high bar - not a giveaway.

Prudence, planning, engagement - so far, we like what we hear.

n Comments: thegazette.com/ category/opinion/editorial or editorial@sourcemedia.net