Commission defers decision on second storefront and egress at 203 North Lynn Street; owner seeks entrance to enable upper‑floor apartments

The Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission deferred action on a proposal to add a secondary entrance on the North Lynn Street façade of 203 North Lynn Street, a local historic landmark that is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Anne Russett, senior planner, told the commission the three‑story Greek Revival building (original portion built about 1862, enlarged in 1893) is historically significant and the owner proposes dividing the large first‑floor commercial space into two smaller storefronts, and renovating the second and third floors now occupied as single‑room‑occupancy (SRO) units into conventional dwelling units. Russett said staff had requested the applicant explore changes on the Market Street (south) façade and coordinate with Public Works about improvements in the public right‑of‑way; staff asked for more time to resolve access and right‑of‑way issues and recommended…