Waverly council hears housing study briefing, directs staff to research reuse of Washington Irving school site

Brian Schon, a planner with the Iowa Northland Regional Council of Governments (InterCOG), briefed the City of Waverly City Council on a recently completed housing study and walked council through local tools the report recommends to spur more housing, including possible reuse of the city-owned Washington Irving Elementary School site.

The study, which Schon described as “70 pages plus long,” groups recommendations into three broad housing categories—general-occupancy, for-sale and senior housing—and lists about 13 challenges and roughly 27 potential actions for local leaders to consider. Schon told the council many of the items can be addressed at the local level, while others will require state or federal programs or funding.

Why it matters: Council members said the shortage of affordable, starter housing is affecting local employers and commuters, and the Washington Irving site—city-owned and vacant since the 2008 flood—was identified as a candidate for a pilot project that could produce for-sale workforce housing, duplexes or other relatively affordable units.

Schon reviewed local tools and program options discussed in the report: accessory dwelling units, density bonuses, fast-track permitting, first-time homebuyer/down-payment assistance, historic-preservation partnerships, trade partnerships with schools, home-energy loans, infill and land-acquisition strategies, tax abatement and tax-increment finance (TIF) approaches, waiving or rebating development and hookup fees, and use of state programs such as the Iowa Finance Authority and Iowa Economic Development Authority. He also flagged the Homes for Iowa modular-home program as a lower-cost supply option, noting the program’s units have been priced in the roughly $70,000–$95,000 range historically and that recent material-cost increases have pushed prices into the mid‑$90,000s.

Council members pressed staff on several practical hurdles for the Washington Irving site: whether any FEMA hazard-mitigation deed restrictions remain on the parcel (a restriction would limit reuse), whether local flood-mitigation projects (the “dry run” and the dam) have changed the floodplain, and whether existing utility capacity—especially sewer—can support new units. Brian Schon cautioned that deed restrictions from hazard-mitigation buyouts are common and can be permanent; he recommended the city check title records and suggested photographing the site for the record. Schon said councils should group the study’s many recommendations, then prioritize and pilot specific tools: as he put it, the work must be approached “a bite at a time.”

Council reactions and next steps: Councilperson Bergen summarized the local need: “The housing study was very clear. We need affordable housing,” and added that affordable homes differ from subsidized low‑income housing and are aimed at workers such as first‑year teachers, nurses and law‑enforcement staff. Several council members said a smaller cross‑section task force or working group of staff, developers, bankers, the planning commission, Waverly Light and Power and community partners would be the practical way to move from study to projects.

City staff (James) told council members they would pull existing files and records and return with what they can document; staff estimated a 30–45 day timeframe to assemble deed/title, zoning and service‑capacity information. Council reached a working consensus to proceed with staff research on the Washington Irving site and to convene a small group to consider project options once the factual checks are complete; no formal vote on a disposition or development strategy was taken at the meeting.

Pilot ideas discussed included modular homes (Homes for Iowa), tiny‑home clusters and targeted waivers or rebates (permit fees, hookup fees) combined with incentives such as density bonuses or TIF set‑asides for low‑ and moderate‑income households. Council members repeatedly emphasized the need to be clear about what uses and densities the city would accept on the Irving site (single‑family, duplex, townhomes, etc.), because developers generally will not invest time on proposals if the city will not commit to rezoning or density allowances.

What was not decided: Council members did not adopt any zoning changes, sell or lease the Washington Irving parcel, or approve funding allocations at this meeting. The discussion ended with staff directed to gather documentation and return with options; councilmembers asked staff to check deed restrictions, floodplain mapping, utility capacity and prior legal opinions, and to identify who should sit on any working group.

Votes at a glance: • Motion to approve the meeting agenda as presented: moved and seconded; passed by voice vote (outcome recorded as unanimous in the minutes; individual tallies not specified). • Motion to approve the consent calendar: moved and seconded; passed by voice vote (recorded as unanimous; individual tallies not specified). • Council announced a budget hearing “on the seventh of seventh” as stated in the meeting; the date was not further specified in the transcript and staff was asked to include scheduling details in follow‑up materials.

Ending: Council members thanked Brian Schon and InterCOG for the briefing and agreed to use the housing study as the starting point for staff research and a small, focused working group to test a pilot project, beginning with the Washington Irving site pending the title, floodplain and utility checks required to move forward.