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Ottawa report identifies about 51 acres of potentially developable residential lots, urges infill
Summary
City staff told the Ottawa City Commission Jan. 8 that county records and staff review show roughly 67 vacant parcels totaling about 51 acres that the city considers potentially developable; staff described the list as publicly available information to encourage infill development and said inclusion does not mean an owner wants to sell.
Director Nies told the Ottawa City Commission on Jan. 8 that staff identified roughly 51 acres spread across 67 parcels in the city that appear, from publicly available county records, to be vacant and potentially developable.
Why it matters: Director Nies said infill development can lower infrastructure costs for both developers and the city, improve walkability by placing homes closer to downtown and schools, and help sustain neighborhood quality. "We've got 51 acres across the city," Director Nies said during the presentation.
Staff numbers and limits: City staff said the 67 parcels are the set they identified as likely developable from county records and other public sources. Of those totals, staff reported 9.6 acres across 43 parcels classified R‑2 and 10.38 acres across three parcels classified R‑3. Staff stressed that inclusion on the list "does not mean that the property owner is interested in selling the property." The city planner, Zach Martin, assembled and reviewed the data and flagged parcels as developable or not, and staff noted that some parcels identified at first glance may be limited by floodplain or other constraints.
Questions from commissioners focused on ownership and how the list will be used. One commissioner asked whether any of the parcels are city‑owned; staff said there would be "a few" and related one instance in which staff had corrected an apparent listing for a city park after receiving a developer inquiry. Another question asked whether the county GIS allows public searches for vacant parcels; staff confirmed that the list was derived from publicly available county parcel information and that the parcel search is available through the county GIS.
Historical context and capacity: Director Nies estimated that the city has seen roughly 25 infill lots developed per year in recent periods, though in some years the pace was higher; staff said that, if the city pursued infill more actively, the identified acreage could be absorbed over multiple years. Staff cautioned that not all 51 acres are immediately developable because of site‑specific issues such as floodplain.
Next steps: Staff said the list and maps are available from the planning office for developers, property owners and commissioners to review, and that the primary intent of the presentation was "receipt and filing" and to raise developer awareness rather than to compel sales or change ownership.
No formal action was taken; the commission received the report and discussed next steps and public availability of the parcel list.
