[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6206370,"mediaKeyId","3763264-01d0af2d5887c910d7e46f1af0a84859","parentId",3763264,"title","Planning Commission approves May 7 minutes and later moves to adjourn","audioSeconds",207,"startMs",6034000,"endMs",6241000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3763264-01d0af2d5887c910d7e46f1af0a84859&start=6034&end=6241","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3763264-01d0af2d5887c910d7e46f1af0a84859/thumbnail_6034000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6206370/Iowa-City/Johnson-County/Iowa/Planning-Commission-approves-May-7-minutes-and-later-moves-to-adjourn","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6206370-ee1babf76ae2224997c5528bb555123c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770430536&Signature=a30q9Bx8iqDYvHskDH~b94X6i-rqUwGSywaZO7C9bsd0iZY~Pj8It8TMY-Jz11~cO-rMJnw8qEUN6~tEtqO4Zg2inXnS8H4WpVROTjUfWkKdFMek4CovKDex6DFmnxXNu5jMrKLE6u25qEr56WYkyxcGL4IN78HypqQn3qde1gfZQQCt-65ndbLuSRLszWzpcxrM5PAnHgnVA42CDuihelOxnnDwIC~5q99jU9pTN2i481gpTUZyW8RKSvbCAcusrFIbA9KVplFLbeEbmTnwbx4ONLKeePwUXRf75qG7QXv~QNN~J7IgynTxJd4d-ryg7DClZ~4YqRm5WLmusRGxNg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Iowa City","date","2025-06-06T00:00:00Z","article","During the meeting the commission handled routine procedure items.

A motion to approve the May 7 meeting minutes was moved by Ange and seconded by Townsend. The chair called for the question; members responded \"Aye,\" and the chair announced the minutes were approved unanimously.

Shortly before the meeting ended, a motion to adjourn was moved by Hench and seconded by Craig. The chair acknowledged the motion and the meeting was declared adjourned.

No recorded roll-call vote tallies beyond the unanimous approval of the May 7 minutes were included in the transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting of June 4, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Iowa City Planning Commission approved minutes from its May 7 meeting and later approved a motion to adjourn; motions were moved and seconded on the record.","taxTitle","Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa","taxId",4187,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6206375,"City report: 2024 residential permits fall; analysis projects housing shortfall of about 1,419 units by 2030 if trends persist",1085,4433000,5518000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3763264-01d0af2d5887c910d7e46f1af0a84859&start=4433&end=5518","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3763264-01d0af2d5887c910d7e46f1af0a84859/thumbnail_4433000.jpg","/articles/6206375/Iowa-City/Johnson-County/Iowa/City-report-2024-residential-permits-fall-analysis-projects-housing-shortfall-of-about-1419-units-by-2030-if-trends-persist","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6206375-bba70df3d30e5537dcfe5ad97a5ca64d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770430536&Signature=k8uwDa7SSbj4FzZmwZTuZpnPjfhOOZoRXGcakFPuM7kCVRPzN3ubl~Lz4H~mWN7c~MuLmub94SKbl3Bn5z9~kNsAr2dp9iLY-LlFqx0VdGPMzeguTBbChR9NVlKSJJRrS1FKrQnKOpOJkPY4ociFo9unI2cwqctZ9bdwEMWnM~IhFyl3n4dPKM4wLw7RKhqBvEix4I2rF0PKZk4pbrlA5k0a1YAUamh80r~TDy2PyC9L2MEI6TjstvPlQK7nTaDmB1VlEAB1mb5i9zsYQFTfVRRUfBQpdnjGci8XXarfSMYmMNk-lIVIgNpW8siEyr3p~10bCYXf1MZO3ufcR3UvKg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Rachel Schaffer, associate planner for the City of Iowa City, presented the 2024 Residential Development Analysis to the Planning Commission and summarized recent permitting, platting and vacant-lot trends.

“In 2024, 145 units were permitted,” Schaffer said. She reported 11 dwelling units were demolished in 2024 and that total permitted units were well below 5- and 10-year averages, with multifamily permits at a decade low.

The nut of the analysis: using the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s population projection for the city and recent permit trends (2020–2024), the analysis concluded the city would produce roughly 3,120 new dwelling units by 2030 while projected demand would require about 4,610 units, leaving an estimated shortfall of roughly 1,419 units — about 68% of projected demand met if permitting rates do not increase.

Key data points Schaffer highlighted:

- Final plat activity was low in 2024: the city approved six final plats; most created small single-family infill lots. Four plats accounted for 13 single-family lots, and one large replat (the Western Homes 55+ development) accounted for the majority of the larger planned-unit development capacity cited in the presentation.

- Building permits: 145 units were permitted in 2024, a figure below the five- and ten-year averages; single-family detached permits slightly exceeded recent five-year trends, but multifamily permits were at a decade low and duplex/attached single-family permitting was minimal.

- Demolitions: 11 units were demolished in 2024 (down from five-year and ten-year averages of 34 and 39).

- Vacant lots and buildout timing: a methodological change in counting buildable vacant lots (removing a prior assumption that adjacent-owned outlots would always be sold together) increased the reported available lot supply. Based on current permits-per-year averages, Schaffer said the city’s vacant supply would take about 3 years to build out for single-family detached lots, 5.3 years for attached single-family lots, 7.6 years for duplex-sized lots and about 2 years for multifamily sites.

- Forecast: using the MPO projection of about 85,070 residents by 2030, the city calculated demand of roughly 4,610 new dwelling units and estimated that current permitting trends would yield about 3,120 units, producing the identified shortfall.

Schaffer and commissioners discussed causes and implications. Commissioners and staff observed multiple contributing factors beyond local land-use regulations: acquisition costs for land, fragmented ownership that can leave developable parcels land-banked, infrastructure extension costs, financing constraints for small developers, and developer preferences for neighboring communities where land or entitlement conditions are perceived as simpler. Staff noted some regulatory changes — reduced minimum lot sizes, ADU code changes and form-based allowances in certain new neighborhoods — are intended to expand housing options but may take time to affect permitting and construction.

Commissioners asked follow-up questions about specific sites (Carson Farm, a large undeveloped area where annexation was previously withdrawn), the Western Homes plat, and whether duplex and ADU permit changes are producing immediate results. Schaffer said recent regulatory changes had not yet produced a marked increase in permits, and that some outcomes will appear with more time and as final plats and building permits progress.

The analysis warned that insufficient new housing in Iowa City can push growth to surrounding cities such as North Liberty and Tiffin, increasing commuter distances and car dependence and undermining local environmental and affordability goals. Schaffer said the report will inform both the comprehensive-plan update and council discussions about infrastructure and housing strategy.","City staff told the Planning Commission that 145 building permits were issued in 2024, demolition activity declined, and current permitting trends would meet only about 68% of projected housing demand through 2030 — a deficit the report estimated at roughly 1,419 dwelling units.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6206380,"Iowa City planning consultants seek commissioners’ input on comprehensive plan update; river access, annexation and housing top concerns",2111,2369000,4480000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3763264-01d0af2d5887c910d7e46f1af0a84859&start=2369&end=4480","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3763264-01d0af2d5887c910d7e46f1af0a84859/thumbnail_2369000.jpg","/articles/6206380/Iowa-City/Johnson-County/Iowa/Iowa-City-planning-consultants-seek-commissioners-input-on-comprehensive-plan-update-river-access-annexation-and-housing-top-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6206380-7189324efb1182cd9590ce2827b53503/orig.mp4?Expires=1770430536&Signature=J7PG6u~6IcpQ2Wfa2OmEksvrSPDYg-kBHqprVp4uMwYxhEJdc08PCbjfxEOAEPh7W7SnOrFw2Rt5z60~dYgGT~dE6gCFfGFZ0-9SCEOb8zDNg6p6mks4aJxzVP4Qut5iQ~9zmccdhMAnTGVz~GddByXyZ-YzG43z7I9aU3mJDiWGgg6iGmzhkRUXMJJToVk5XjJZ0l995QnBwz9P5jaNCW0mguHgPG59yQp1cC7guX-aYVFAHg530w2p7thGmd0LWuyHJGiX79SGTrzoeAHLbdY3Nd5huANM3sIRNNSW6dxFPhPgg5vREERMQDy2l3L9AcTPYJOw2NX4~ado-oMCpg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Christopher Shires, principal with Confluence, the consultant hired by the City of Iowa City to update its comprehensive plan, briefed the Planning Commission on the update process and asked for the commission’s early reactions and priorities.

“The public input process is underway,” Shires said. “This is really a time when we wanna hear from you as the planning commission, your thoughts and ideas to kind of give us some of that initial feedback.” He described a five-step schedule that includes analysis, public engagement, goal-setting, plan drafting and an adoption phase that will return recommendations to the City Council.

Why it matters: the comprehensive plan guides future land use, zoning recommendations and priorities for public investment. Commissioners and the consultant said the update will also refresh the city’s future land use map, coordinate fringe-area planning with Johnson County, and inform policy decisions that affect housing supply, parks, transportation and economic development.

Commissioners raised several recurring themes for the update. Commissioner Mike urged the city to re-orient planning toward the Iowa River, describing the river as “an economic and recreation opportunity” the city has historically underused. He also recommended encouraging annexation — both voluntary and, where necessary, involuntary — to expand developable land and the tax base. “We need to turn our back away from the Iowa River now and face it, because it’s how we got here in the place,” he said.

Affordable housing and how it is produced drew sustained discussion. Commissioners urged the plan to go beyond broad goals and list concrete strategies, such as partnerships with developers, targeted acquisition for affordable units, down-payment assistance, and measures to increase homeownership among lower-income residents. One commissioner said rental opportunities for non-students should remain a priority alongside homeownership support to meet diverse household needs.

Transportation and connectivity were also flagged: commissioners said Highway 6 creates a significant barrier for pedestrians and cyclists in southern neighborhoods and recommended more and safer crossing points and continuous sidewalks. Commissioners asked the plan to reinforce internal multimodal connections — bike lanes, trails and transit — and to strengthen regional connections to make Iowa City more attractive and walkable.

Several commissioners recommended consolidating or updating the city’s many out-of-date district plans. Confluence staff expressed support for integrating district-level guidance into the comprehensive plan where possible and for singling out a limited number of areas that still merit separate, detailed plans (for example, downtown or special redevelopment zones).

Commissioners and the consultant discussed process issues that affect development outcomes: predictability of approvals when applicants comply with standards; the costs and time delays associated with repeated hearings; and the need for clearer, more consistent guidance where rezonings are sought. Shires advised the plan could increase predictability by aligning land-use designations, recommended zoning, and guidance on where higher-density development is appropriate.

The session closed with a reminder of ongoing public-engagement events, including workshops and an online mapping/comment tool that will remain active through the next phase of the project. Shires said the project remains on a roughly 18-month schedule and that the team will return with draft goals and policy language for commission review before the plan goes to council for adoption.","Consultants from Confluence presented early findings from Iowa City’s comprehensive-plan update and asked the Planning Commission for initial feedback. Commissioners emphasized greater emphasis on the Iowa River, more aggressive annexation strategies, clearer affordable-housing actions and improved cross-highway pedestrian connections.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Planning Commission approves May 7 minutes and later moves to adjourn

City report: 2024 residential permits fall; analysis projects housing shortfall of about 1,419 units by 2030 if trends persist

Iowa City planning consultants seek commissioners’ input on comprehensive plan update; river access, annexation and housing top concerns