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Community Corner

Chicken Ordinance Gets First Thumbs Up from Iowa City Council: Daily Iowan Reader, Nov. 14

Also inside: Ferentz irked by Gray questions, Longfellow Elementary warms Iowa City, Gangnam Style rocks Tippie.

Iowa City city councilors move forward with chicken ordinance

Iowa City residents who want to keep their own backyard chickens may soon get their wish.

The Iowa City City Council voted 5-2 on the first consideration of an amendment to the citys zoning code and establishing a permit process, which would allow residents to keep chickens at single-family detached residences. Councilors Michelle Payne and Terry Dickens voted against the measure.

The proposed amendment would require would-be chicken owners to obtain permits from the city.  The fee for an initial permit would be $100; it would cost $75 to renew the permit.

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Several requirements accompany the permit system as proposed, one of which is that the applicant would need to provide written verification that he or she notified all abutting property owners that he or she is submitting a chicken application.

An ordinance requires three votes in the council to pass. The third consideration of the ordinance will tentatively take place on Dec. 4, after which the zoning code would be officially amended.

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Though the council only voted on the change to the zoning code of the city and not any specific policies, Mayor Matt Hayek said the ordinance should allow neighbors to have a say.

“The [chicken] policy itself is something I’ve had a problem with from Day One,” he said. “Neighbors should have a period of time to object to a permit.”

Read more here.


Ferentz grows testy when asked about Peter Gray allegations

Iowa’s head coach objected to a question about the accusations against Peter Gray.

Read more here.

 

UI officials plan to look further into Peter Gray allegations

University of Iowa President Sally Mason said while the UI will not comment on any investigation of the Gray allegations, the UI will continue to look into the allegations and what if any future action should be taken.

Read more here.


Supervisors hesitant about Johnson County Ambulance Service's desire for new facility

Officials estimate that a new facility would cost roughly $3 million.

Read more here.

 

Iowa City Trueblood Park on track for completion

A one-time quarry used to mine sand and gravel on the far-South Side of Iowa City is being transformed into the city’s newest and largest park.

Read more here.


Longfellow Elementary School kids warm up Iowa City

Longfellow Elementary School exceeded their second goal of 1,000 items.

Read more here.


Gangnam Style rocks the Tippie College of Business

In an effort to encourage conversations, the Tippie College of Business delves into the success of Gangnam Style.

Read more here.

 

Wrestling notebook: Grothus gets out of his “funk”

Brody Grothus and Bobby Telford claimed starting spots after Iowa’s wrestle-offs, but are aware that anything can still happen.

Read more here.

 

Editorial: Repeal the bar zoning ordinance

We believe the city council should take the first step toward repealing this zoning ordinance and lift the restriction for new businesses outside the “University Impact Area” — downtown and the area directly surrounding the University of Iowa campus.

Read more here.

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