Wednesday, December 5, 2012
The council expressed concern with a bag ban after receiving advice on the issue from city staff, despite a community push for the ban.
After hearing from city staff, the Iowa City City Council at a Tuesday worksession largely dismissed the notion of instituting a ban on plastic bags in Iowa City, instead encouraging the use of more recycling options. The discussion came after a push in the community, such as a rally hosted by the loca 100Grannies.org group, to ask the city to ban the use of the bags, which are troublesome since they easily blow about as litter and are designed not to biodegrade quickly. Council member Susan Mims said originally she was in favor of banning the bags, but changed her mind after learning more about the issue. "On the one hand I'd love to see the ban," Mims said. "(but) I believe it's more complicated than I initially thought." Jennifer …
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Residents spoke out on Tuesday evening to urge Iowa City Council to reduce the number of tenants who can live in a rental unit.
Several residents who live near downtown Iowa City urged City Council to approve a rezoning plan to redefine the term "household" in neighborhoods surrounding the hub of the city, during a City Council meeting on Tuesday evening. However, the city deferred voting until April 3. The ordinance would reduce the number of unrelated tenants who can live in a dwelling from as many as five in some areas to three people. Three is the maximum in the rest of the city. Neighbors have complained for years about raucous parties, loud noise and other unwanted behavior in rental properties dominated by college students. This ordinance is seen as a way to combat that. "In my opinion, they are worse than unsupervised dormitories," resident Sarah Clark …
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Public Hearing set for March 20 on a change in zoning laws for high-density apartmentws.
Councilor Susan Mims was one of four Iowa City councilors Tuesday who gave a nod of approval for a public hearing in one of three amendments aimed at reducing high-density housing in the eight neighborhoods surrounding the city’s central business district. The amendment, reducing the number of unrelated persons in one-dwelling units to a maximum of three, causes an immediate 60-day moratorium on all construction projects in the area. "Is it better to do it now or is it better to do it later, as we get into the construction season?" Mims said. "There would be a few properties who would possibly have gotten in (a project) under the wire." A few properties had submitted plans for construction in the affected neighborhoods affected by the …
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
At a joint meeting of local governments at the school district's new administration building, the Iowa City School Board received some criticism for not supporting its centrally located neighborhood schools.
The meeting may have been hosted by the Iowa City School Board, but that didn't mean they got a free pass. At a joint meeting of city, school and county elected officials held Wednesday night at the Iowa City School District's Education Services Center, members of the city council criticized the school district for favoring schools at the edges of Iowa City over neighborhood schools in the city's interior. City council member Connie Champion said the closing of Roosevelt Elementary School hurt the Roosevelt neighborhood, and that council members and parents are worried that the same could happen to the aging schools in other established Iowa City neighborhoods. "Now we're concerned about other core areas of Iowa City that have older …
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Monday, November 7, 2011
Iowa City Council candidate wants to make Iowa City a dynamic, affordable, sustainable and resilient region.
Retired UI planning professor James Throgmorton is running unopposed for Iowa City District C seat that Regenia Bailey currently holds. Throgmorton said among his priorities are attracting new investments, creating networks for innovation and creativity, and responding effectively to competition from nearby cities, 1. Where are you from originally and what is your tie to Iowa City? I was raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and have lived in Germany, France, Kansas City, Los Angeles, and Chicago prior to moving here in 1986 to teach urban planning at the U of Iowa. 2. How old are you and how long have you lived in Iowa City for? I'm almost 67 and have lived in Iowa City since 1986. 3. What is your profession? Retired professor of urban and …
Patch.com is doing profiles on all of the candidates for City Council before the elections so you can be informed before you make your vote.
This profile is on Jarrett Mitchell, owner of Wake Up Iowa City. Mitchell, a proponent of sustainable living and backyard chicken ownership, is seeking one of the two At-Large seats up for grabs in Tuesday's election, filling the slot by At-Large council member Mike Wright, who decided not to run. Iowa City Patch: Where are you from originally and what is your tie to Iowa City? Jarrett Mitchell: I am from Keokuk. I attended U of I from 1996-2000 and moved back to Iowa City in 2009. Iowa City Patch: How old are you and how long have you lived in Iowa City for? Mitchell: I am 33 years old. Iowa City Patch: What is your profession? Mitchell: I am an artist and also own a coffeeshop. Iowa City Patch: What motivated you to run for city council…
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Pros and cons emerge as candidates weigh in on cycling issues.
At a City Council candidate forum on Wednesday evening tailored to bicycling, candidates called for more streets with bike lanes, more bike racks, more bike law education and enforcement of laws that pertain to where cyclists and motorists intersect. All seven candidates spoke generally in favor of enhancing bike use in Iowa City and creating a safer community for all modes of transportation, but some backed off on some topics, such as the controversial proposal to convert Gilbert Street to three lanes. “I don’t know yet. I am open to those kinds of discussions,” said Iowa City Mayor Matt Hayek, who is competing against three others in his reelection bid for an at-large seat. Roughly 50 people attended the two-hour forum. The turnout from …
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
The City Council will vote next Tuesday evening on whether or not to declare the Riverfront Crossings district as an urban renewal area.
The expansion of downtown could become a reality as part of proposed new development along the Iowa River. The Iowa City Council will vote at its Tuesday, Oct. 18 meeting on whether to designate a 44-acre area between Riverside Drive and Gilbert Street, Highway 6 and Burlington Street, as an Urban Renewal Area. “We’ve known for years there’s one direction downtown can grow and that’s south,” said Jeff Davidson, Iowa City's planning and community development director. “What accelerated it was the flood of 2008.” Davidson said the city roughly has $60 million at its disposal to relocate and clean up the current wastewater treatment plant, located at 1000 S. Clinton St. The funding he said came from a combination of federal funding, state I-…
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
The project is intended to move a wastewater treatment plant, establish park space in the flood plain and encourage developers to reinvest in a neglected area of town.
It may take a few decades to be fully realized, but the Riverfront Crossings District project cleared another early hurdle Tuesday night. Iowa City Council members unanimously approved the initial sub-area plan for the district on Tuesday night during their formal meeting. The area that was approved includes a space defined by Riverside Drive to the West, Gilbert Street to the East, and Highway 6 and Burlington Street as the bottom and top boundaries respectively. The point of this phase of the project, said Robert Miklo, senior planner with the city's planning and community development department, is to turn a negative into a positive. Since the city will have to move the wastewater treatment plant at 1000 S. Clinton St. out of the Iowa …
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Patch.com is doing profiles on all of the candidates for City Council before the elections this fall, so you can be informed before you make your vote.
This profile orginally ran this summer, but in the interest of being fair as the October 11 city council primary approaches, I decided I would run it again. Eklow is one of seven candidates facing off in the primary election. Josh Eklow says he is running for the At-Large position of Iowa City Council. Eklow, of 618 E. Court St., said he’ll seek one of the two At-Large seats up for grabs in the Nov. 8 election, filling the slot by At-Large council member Mike Wright, who will not run. Iowa City Mayor Matt Hayek is also running At Large. Iowa City Patch: Where are you from originally and what is your tie to Iowa City? Josh Eklow: I was born in Chicago, IL and my family moved out to the suburbs when I was about three. We lived in Grayslake, …
Megan VerHelst
9:11 pm on Tuesday, March 20, 2012
To me, it doesn't seem as if this ordinance will really do much for the issue at hand. A rule simply stating how many people can LIVE in one apartment won't do much to curb the tenants inviting their friends over for a party on the weekend. Has this ordinance helped curb noise and disruptions in other parts of the city? I'd be curious to hear from people who live in areas where the three-person … more ›