HomeMy WebLinkAboutSection 3 Growth and land use 19
How we grow
It is clear from planning workshops for the IC2030 update and various district plans, as well as public in-
put regarding recent zoning and development applications, that people care deeply about how Iowa City
grows. There is a tension between the sense of smallness and tradition that people value and identify as
being uniquely Iowa City and the uncertainty that comes with change in a growing community. At the edge
of the city, residents often view with consternation the development of agricultural land, woodlands, and
open vistas. Likewise, residents of established neighborhoods near the downtown and campus feel threat-
ened as the demand for rental housing (esp. short-term, student rentals) results in increased density or
other changes that alter the character of neighborhoods.
As stated in the introduction to this plan, Iowa City’s population has increased in every decade for the last
century, even during the years of the Farm Crisis when the state lost population. People continue to relo-
cate to Iowa City for the very things that attracted most current residents: access to high-quality jobs and
education, a positive business environment, safe neighborhoods, exceptional healthcare, senior living op-
tions, and a lively arts and culture scene. The question is not whether Iowa City will grow, but rather how
we will grow. The IC2030 Plan builds upon the 1997 Plan, including the District Plans, to support sustaina-
ble growth: development that preserves what is best about our community in terms of both built environ-
ment and undeveloped areas, while maintaining Iowa City as an attractive, safe, affordable, and accessible
place to live.
Creating and sustaining healthy neighborhoods
When asked what they like best about Iowa City, participants in an on-line survey and in planning work-
shops consistently describe a community that offers big-city culture and diversity with the charm and con-
venience of small-town living. The ease of getting around town and ready access to parks, schools, shop-
ping, and healthcare are not by accident. Current City policies support the efficient use of land for new de-
velopment by encouraging compact, contiguous development at the edge of the City while focusing greater
urban density close to our employment centers, especially in the Downtown and near campus areas. Iowa
City’s Zoning Code and Subdivision Regulations, along with the strategies contained in the District Plans,
focus on the creation of neighborhoods that provide housing for a diverse population, a mix of land uses,
public spaces that provide a focal point for the neighborhood, accessible open space for recreation and
social interaction, integrated civic and commercial centers, and a network of streets that provide safe and
efficient travel for cars, buses, bikes, and pedestrians.
A compact neighborhood in Iowa City’s Southeast
District.
Compact, contiguous neighborhood design
benefits developers, homeowners, and tax-
payers
Uses less land (slows outward growth of
the city).
Provides opportunities to preserve
unique features of a site, such as natural
areas, historic features, and open space
that add character and amenity value to
the new neighborhood.
Less costly to construct and maintain
public infrastructure—streets, water,
sewer, other utilities.
Less costly to provide public services—
including transit, waste and recycling pick
-up, snow removal, public safety and
emergency response.
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What follows is a list of Iowa City’s principles for creating and sustaining healthy neighborhoods. These
principles are woven throughout Iowa City’s eight completed District Plans, as well as the Master Plans for
Towncrest and the Downtown and Riverfront Crossings:
Preserve Historic Resources and Reinvest in Established Neighborhoods: Adopting strategies to as-
sure the stability and livability of Iowa City's historic and established neighborhoods helps to preserve the
culture, history, and identity of Iowa City. Investing in the neighborhoods that are closest to major em-
ployers in the city preserves opportunities for people to live close to work, school, and shopping; pro-
motes walking and bicycling; and reduces vehicle miles traveled. In addition, many established neighbor-
hoods contain affordable housing options along walkable, tree-lined streets where City services and infra-
structure are already in place and where neighborhood elementary schools and parks are the focal point
of neighborhood activity and identity.
Compatible Infill Development: Quality infill development plays an important role in neighborhood re-
investment and may include rehabilitating existing structures or encouraging new development of vacant,
blighted, or deteriorated property. Development of infill sites should add to the diversity of housing op-
tions without compromising neighborhood character or over-burdening infrastructure, including alleys
and parking.
Diversity of Housing Types: A mix of housing types within a neighborhood provides residential opportu-
nities for a variety of people, including singles, couples, families with children, and elderly persons. Inte-
grating diverse housing sizes and types throughout the community increases the opportunity for people to
live in the same neighborhood throughout the stages of life. A rich mix of housing within a neighborhood
may include single-family homes on small and large lots, townhouses, duplexes, small apartment build-
ings, and zero-lot-line housing, as well as apartments in mixed-use buildings located in neighborhood
commercial areas and the Downtown.
Affordable Housing: By allowing for a mix of housing types, moderately priced housing can be incorpo-
rated into a neighborhood, rather than segregated in one or two areas of the community. Small multi-
family buildings can be incorporated on corner lots adjacent to arterial streets, and townhouses and du-
plex units can be mixed with single-family homes within a neighborhood. Apartments located above com-
mercial businesses provide needed housing while increasing the local customer base for the commercial
establishments.
Neighborhood Schools: Neighborhood schools, particularly elementary schools, are an integral part of
healthy, sustainable neighborhoods. Schools serve not only as centers of education but as a focal point for
IMAGE courtesy U.S. Department of Transportation,
Federal Highway Administration.
A well-planned neighborhood on the top
half of the image, is contrasted with urban
sprawl on the lower half of the image.
Neighborhoods with connected street net-
works allow residents to move throughout
their neighborhood with ease and to travel
to nearby commercial or employment cen-
ters via multiple routes. A compact neigh-
borhood with a well-connected street
pattern also allows the community to pro-
vide utilities and services in the most effi-
cient manner, which saves money for tax-
payers.
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community gathering and neighborhood identity. In addition, the school grounds provide
opportunities for exercise and recreation for neighborhood residents throughout the year.
Neighborhood elementary schools have a symbiotic relationship with the surrounding
neighborhood where the school is an essential element that contributes to the quality of life.
This in turn contributes to the social connections, identity, safety, and well-being of the fam-
ilies whose children attend the school.
Neighborhood Commercial Areas: Neighborhood commercial areas can provide a focal
point and gathering place for a neighborhood. The businesses within a neighborhood com-
mercial center should provide shopping opportunities within convenient walking distance
for the residents in the immediate area. The design of the neighborhood commercial center
should have a pedestrian orientation with the stores placed close to the street, but with suf-
ficient open space to allow for outdoor cafes and patios or landscaping. Parking should be
located to the rear and sides of stores with additional parking on the street. Incorporating
apartments above shops and reserving public open space are two ways to foster additional
activity and vitality in a neighborhood commercial area. Some aspects of commercial development such as
auto-oriented uses, parking lots, bright lights, and signage needed to be located, screened, or buffered so
that they do not detract from nearby residential uses.
Interconnected Street System: Grid street systems help to reduce congestion by dispersing traffic, since
there are multiple routes to get from point A to point B. In addition, by providing more direct routes, inter-
connected streets can reduce the vehicle miles traveled each day within a neighborhood, provide more
direct walking and biking routes to neighborhood destinations, and reduce the cost of providing City ser-
vices.
Streets as More than Pavement: Streets and the adjacent parkways and sidewalks can be enhanced and
planned to encourage pedestrian activity. Street trees, benches, sidewalks, and attractive lighting along
the street help create pleasant and safe public spaces for walking to neighborhood destinations and for
socializing with neighbors. Streetscape amenities help establish a sense of distinction, identity, and securi-
ty within a neighborhood. In residential neighborhoods, narrower street pavement widths slow traffic,
reduce infrastructure costs, and allow for a more complete tree canopy over the street.
Shallow Front Yard Setbacks: Placing homes closer to the street allows more backyard space and room
for garages and utilities if there is also an alley located behind the home. Shallow setbacks (15-20 feet is
the code standard for residential uses) combined with narrower street pavement widths, create a more
intimate pedestrian-scale public space along the street, which encourages walking and social interaction.
A concept design included in the Southwest
District Plan shows a future neighborhood with
public open space, trails, and commercial are-
as integrated into the neighborhood. Within
the neighborhood there are opportunities for
single-family housing as well as multi-family
and townhomes. Woodland areas, are pre-
served as features that add value to the neigh-
borhood and stormwater management creates
a small lake that could serve as a neighbor-
hood focal point.
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Narrower Lot Frontages: Compact development makes efficient use of land and reduces costs associated
with the provision and maintenance of public improvements, such as streets, sewers and water lines. This
benefits developers and tax payers. Narrower lot frontages combined with smaller lots sizes reduces the
overall cost of new housing construction, creating opportunities for more moderately priced housing.
Use of Alleys: Providing parking and utilities from a rear alley or private lane is particularly advanta-
geous in neighborhoods with narrower lot frontages. This arrangement reduces driveway paving and in-
terruptions to the sidewalk network, allows more room for front yard landscaping, and increases the
availability of on-street parking for visitors. In addition, when garages are accessed from alleys, vehicular
traffic and congestion on residential streets is reduced.
Pedestrian/Bikeway Connections: Important neighborhood destinations, such as parks, schools, bus
stops, and neighborhood shopping centers should be readily accessible by pedestrians and bicyclists. This
requires a continuous sidewalk system, strategically located trails, and on-street bicycle facilities. Bike
routes that intersect with key neighborhood destinations may be aligned along neighborhood streets or
constructed in stream buffer areas or within major sanitary sewer easements. A pleasant streetscape with
trees and appropriate building setbacks and driveway separation creates an environment that is safe and
appealing for pedestrians and cyclists.
Parks, Trails and Open Space: Neighborhood parks are small, one- to seven- acre open spaces that pro-
vide a focal point for informal gatherings and recreation within easy walking distance from most homes in
the neighborhood. Neighborhood parks should be centrally located or situated adjacent to a school or a
neighborhood commercial area and designed as an integral part of an interconnected system of open
space with trails or wide sidewalks to connect neighborhood parks with larger community and regional
parks. Preservation of sensitive areas, such as wetlands, woodlands, and stream corridors and their buff-
ers, provides an opportunity to shape and enhance a neighborhood, while maintaining scenic and natural
resources and wildlife habitat. Wherever possible, natural features, such as waterways and woodlands,
should be incorporated as key amenities within parks and along trail systems.
Buffer Residential Development from Incompatible Uses: To help assure the long-term livability of
neighborhoods, provide sufficient buffers between residential development and land uses and activities,
such as the waste water treatment plant, Interstate 80 and Highway 218, and the landfill.
Public Safety: Iowa City works to ensure public safety throughout the community. The establishment of
Fire Station 4, the Police Substation at Pepperwood Plaza, and cooperative efforts with neighborhood
groups, schools, and the University of Iowa demonstrate this commitment. Resources are directed toward
education, crime prevention, and enforcement to enhance the quality of life in Iowa City.
Photo of Brookland Park. Parks provide a focal
point for the surrounding neighborhood and an
opportunity for social interaction and recreation.
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Land Use
Vision:
Iowa City guides development and growth in order to make wise and efficient use of land and infrastruc-
ture. In order to create a quality living environment for all area residents, the City will protect and pro-
mote the character and integrity of existing neighborhoods, while encouraging new development that is
designed in a manner that is efficient and sustainable, compatible with and connected to surrounding de-
velopment, and sensitive to its environmental context. Future development should adhere to the City’s
neighborhood principles for compact and contiguous development.
Land Use Goals and Strategies:
Encourage compact, efficient development that is contiguous and connected to existing neighbor-
hoods to reduce the cost of extending infrastructure and services and to preserve farmland and
open space at the edge of the city.
Focus growth within the Iowa City urban growth area by using the City’s extra-territorial review
powers to discourage sprawl and preserve prime farmland.
Guide development away from sensitive environmental areas, such as floodplains, wetlands, wood-
lands, steep slopes, flood hazard areas, and streams.
Recognize the important relationship between transportation and land use by requiring new neigh-
borhoods to be designed in a manner that contributes to the larger interconnected street pattern of
the city and that provides for safe, efficient and orderly movement of vehicular, pedestrian, and bi-
cycle traffic.
Blocks should be limited in size and be laid out in a pattern that ensures the connectivity of streets,
provides for efficient provision of public and safety services, and establishes efficient and logical
routes between residences and non-residential destinations and public gathering places.
Identify areas and properties that are appropriate for infill development.
Ensure that infill development is compatible and complementary to the surrounding neighborhood.
Iowa City requires all new subdivisions to con-
nect into existing street networks and to pro-
vide opportunities to link into future develop-
ments by building stub streets. This not only
builds continuity and connection for neighbor-
hood residents, but allows for better traffic flow
and more efficient provision of sewer, water
and City services, including fire fighting and po-
lice protection, waste and recycling collection,
and transit.
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Plan for commercial development in defined commercial nodes, including small-scale neighbor-
hood commercial centers.
Use the District Plans to identify appropriate commercial nodes and zone accordingly to focus com-
mercial development to meet the needs of present and future population.
Discourage linear strip commercial development that discourages walking and biking and does not
contribute to the development of compact, urban neighborhoods;
Provide appropriate transitions between high and low-density development and between commer-
cial areas and residential zones.
Focus industrial development on land suitable for industrial use with good access to rail and high-
ways, but buffered from residential neighborhoods.
Identify, zone, and preserve land for industrial uses in areas with ready access to rail and highways.
Ensure adequate roads and other infrastructure that will attract new employers to the community.
Plan for appropriate transitions between residential neighborhoods and higher intensity commer-
cial to ensure the long-term health of neighborhoods.
Provide adequate buffer areas between residential areas and intensive industrial activity to miti-
gate any negative externalities, such as noise, odors, dust, and vibrations.
Maintain a strong and accessible Downtown that is pedestrian-oriented with a strong and distinc-
tive cultural, commercial, and residential character.
Encourage continued investment in the Downtown to assure its place as the center of arts, culture,
entertainment, commercial, and civic activity within the city and the metro area.
Promote growth and development in the Riverfront Crossings District in a manner that increases
its residential appeal and enhances the commercial viability of the Downtown.
Preserve the historic, mainstreet character of the Downtown, while encouraging appropriate infill
development to enhance the economic viability and residential diversity of the area.
Iowa City’s principal industrial area is located in
the area between Highway 6, Scott Boulevard,
and the Iowa Interstate Railroad. Industrial uses
require large parcels on flat land with proximity
to highway and rail. The yellow line shows fu-
ture growth of the Industrial zone; the area in
red is a recently added section of industrial
property that is being marketed to firms associ-
ated with wind energy.
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Continue to protect our community’s historical, environmental, and aesthetic assets.
Develop strategies to encourage the protection of natural areas and historic features and support
the enhancement of areas that can serve as assets and/or amenities for adjacent development.
Use City projects, such as the riverfront redevelopment, as an opportunity to demonstrate the ap-
propriate relationship between development and environmentally sensitive areas.
Continue support for the Iowa City Historic Preservation Plan, the Sensitive Areas Ordinance, and
Open Space requirements.
Preserve and enhance the entranceways to the city. Consider the appearance of new development
from major entranceways at the time of rezoning.
Review zoning and annexation of undeveloped areas to plan for the development of sustainable
and livable neighborhoods.
Zone for neighborhood development in conjunction with annexation.
Continue coordinated efforts with surrounding municipal governments to plan for future growth
and development.
Historic preservation policies have not only
helped to save some of Iowa City’s most his-
toric buildings, but have also allowed creative
re-use of buildings like the Park House Hotel
at the corner of South Dubuque and Jefferson
Street and the Carnegie Library at the Corner
of South Linn and College Streets. Historic
Districts have helped preserve the distinctive
architecture of entire neighborhoods as varied
as the elegant homes of Woodlawn at the east
end of Iowa Avenue to the eclectic stone
cottages of the Moffitt District.
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The land use map is intended to serve as a general
guide for persons making decisions regarding the
development of land within Iowa City. The map
indicates appropriate land uses and density of
development in relationship to available infra-
structure, City services, environmental condi-
tions, and surrounding land uses. The map must
be viewed in the context of the overall Compre-
hensive Plan. Where District Plans have been
adopted, more detail regarding specific locations
and properties may be found in the District Plan.
In addition to the District Plans, the neighborhood
design principles, beginning on page 19, should be
considered when interpreting the land use map.
For example, if a property is located at the inter-
section of a collector and an arterial street, the
neighborhood design concepts indicate that alter-
natives to single-family development, i.e. neigh-
borhood commercial or multi-family develop-
ment, may be appropriate.
Areas that are shown as Rural Residential are
areas that are not projected to have the utilities
necessary for urban development in the foreseea-
ble future or are areas that have sensitive envi-
ronmental features that preclude development at
urban densities. As infrastructure is extended,
appropriate land uses or restrictions will need to
be evaluated.
Conservation design is appropriate in areas con-
taining steep slopes, woodlands, stream corridors,
and other sensitive features and balance the
protection of sensitive natural features with the
development rights of property owners. By clus-
tering development on more buildable portions of
the property, natural areas can be preserved.
Building sites are identified to take advantage of
the views of the preserved land, and streets are
designed to access the properties in a manner
that minimizes disturbance of natural areas. The
resulting subdivision has more compact areas of
development, but less paving and more open
space when compared to conventional develop-
ment.
Future Land Use Map