Iowa City gave final approval to a rezoning along North Governor Street that could pave the way for two 42-unit apartment buildings.
The third and final vote finalized the conditional rezoning in the 900 Block of Governor and Dodge Street. The Tracy Barkalow-owned TSB Holdings, LLC plans to develop the Goosetown Apartments on the rezoned land. MMS Consultants prepared the rezoning documents.
The council first considered the new ordinance on April 1. Rezonings must be passed three times by the council before they take effect. The first two votes came in May, when Barkalow pitched a proposal for the city to purchase the land at market value.
The council twice delayed the third and final consideration in June, first for the developer to finalize changes and address residential and council concerns, and then again for further consideration.
The seven-member board approved the rezoning by a vote of 6-1 during its regular council meeting Tuesday, Aug. 19. Councilor Mazahir Salih voted against the rezoning for a third consecutive time.
Goosetown Apartments would create 84 units
Preliminary plans call for each building in the Goosetown Apartments development to be three stories tall.
A preliminary first-floor plan identifies eight one-bedroom and eight two-bedroom apartments. Each apartment in the first-floor includes a porch. The two-bedroom apartments will have access to two bathrooms.
A lower level would be reserved for parking, with some parking also available above ground.
The two buildings would essentially be copies of one another.
Realtor.com shows that a slice of the rezoned property, between 902-906 N. Dodge St., is now listed for sale for $5.65 million. Barkalow noted in his city proposal he was no longer interested in being a landlord and hoped to leave the market.
Planning & Zoning emphasizes affordable housing need
During a consultation with the Planning & Zoning Commission before its formal meeting on May 6, the seven-member board emphasized the need for housing in Iowa City, saying it should not turn down an opportunity to expand the supply even if it is not specifically designated as affordable.
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-1 to approve the rezoning in May.
Iowa City property has controversial history
Barkalow has owned the property, sandwiched between the parallel one-way streets of Dodge and Governor, for nearly two decades. He has tried to rezone it before.
Plans for a smaller apartment complex were denied by the city council in 2011 due to “a significant amount of opposition from neighborhood residents.”
A legal battle ensued which eventually reached the Iowa Supreme Court in 2018. The court scrapped the city’s new zoning ordinance, allowing multi-family development on the property.
The 18-unit multi-family complex has yet to be built.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa City approves Governor St. rezoning, paves way for 84-unit Goosetown Apartments
Reporting by Ryan Hansen, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
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