The Waterloo City Council on Monday approved a series of property sales, development agreements and a small rezoning, while members of the public pressed for clearer accounting of tax‑increment financing (TIF) and city investments.

Council adopted a resolution supporting the rezoning of roughly 0.15 acres west of 207 Hope Avenue from a conditional R‑2 district to an R‑2 1 & 2‑family residence district and then suspended rules to pass the ordinance for second and third readings. The council also adopted resolutions authorizing sale and conveyance of city land to private developers: approximately 0.19 acres west of 720 Upton Avenue to Half Dozen Properties LLC for $5,000; roughly 0.2 acres northeast of 326 W. 14th Street to 5 B's LLC for $1; and property south of 427 Iowa Street conveyed to Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity for $1 for rehabilitation.

Eric Schrader, city planner, described the Half Dozen and 5 B's projects as standard infill agreements with a $5,000 minimum purchase price refundable on completion and an infill incentive of $5,000 per unit (the duplex proposal carries a $10,000 incentive). Schrader said the western portion of one parcel already hosts a commercial building with a high assessment and that the new residential and commercial work would add tax base.

Public commenters pressed fiscal details. David Dreyer asked how much the city had spent on parcels that are being sold for nominal prices; Forrest Dillabue argued downtown TIFs redirect taxes away from general taxpayers and said TIFs "do not pay back" to homeowners. John Brindratt, representing 5 B's LLC, said the half‑block sale had been purchased years earlier for about $19,000 and that a neighboring commercial building is assessed at about $1 million, adding that the new building should produce substantial tax receipts.

Council approved development agreements and resolutions by recorded roll call votes; the motions carried. For the Half Dozen sale the council approved an infill incentive and a development agreement describing a two‑family dwelling with an approximate market value of $320,000. The sale to 5 B's LLC included a development agreement for a 2,560‑square‑foot building assessed at approximately $178,000 with options for additional land. The Habitat for Humanity transaction was approved to rehabilitate a single‑family home in the Walnut neighborhood.

Council members said staff would follow up on specific purchase‑price history and tax maps when residents requested detail. No member indicated the council would rescind any approvals.

Taken together, the votes move multiple small infill and rehabilitation projects forward and reflect the city’s standard practice of using nominal sale prices plus post‑completion incentives to encourage private development.