Iowa City planners recommend amendments to form-based zoning code; commission forwards changes to council 6–0

Iowa City planning staff presented a package of proposed text amendments to the form-based zones and standards in Title 14 — and corresponding, informational updates to Title 15 — aimed at clarifying standards, removing barriers to development and improving implementation. The Planning & Zoning Commission voted 6–0 to recommend the proposed zoning code amendments to City Council.

Rachel Schafer, associate planner, said the form-based code adopted in 2021 has produced little development and that feedback from developers indicated parts of the code were unclear or impractical. Staff proposed changes across multiple topics to improve feasibility and plan-review clarity, and to better align the form-based code with real-world construction and market realities.

Key proposed changes described by staff included: reducing minimum side-yard setbacks in the T3NE and T3NG zones from 10 and 7 feet, respectively, to 5 feet to match other form-based zones; allowing accessory-structure side setbacks for parking (for duplex side-by-side and attached townhome building types) to be reduced to zero where used for parking; increasing wing (attached addition) maximum dimensions from 20x20 to 24x24 feet and creating exemptions to the wing-offset requirement in interior locations; allowing larger single-story, rear-loaded duplex main-body dimensions (up to 60 feet wide and 70 feet deep) to support ranch-style duplexes;…