Johnson County approves multiple zoning and subdivision requests, including rezoning for Fiddlehead Gardens

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 9 approved a package of rezoning and subdivision actions affecting properties across the county, including a conditional rezoning that will allow Fiddlehead Gardens LLC to relocate its landscaping operations to a 9.23-acre site west of Iowa City.

The approval for Fiddlehead Gardens — granted after a public hearing and accompanied by a conditional zoning agreement — allows agribusiness/commercial agricultural use on the parcel with conditions set by the county engineer that limit access to a single driveway and require the driveway location to be determined by the county engineer. Planning staff recommended approval with those conditions, and the applicant signed a conditional zoning agreement reflecting them.

Why it matters: the approvals change land-use designations or plats that affect where dwellings, business operations and driveways can be located; they also carry requirements for sensitive-area mitigation, road access controls and wastewater or stormwater work that must be completed before further development or building permits are issued.

Most items on the planning and zoning docket drew limited public comment. Curtis Schindler, owner and designer of Fiddlehead Gardens, spoke in support of his company’s move and described the business’s growth: “I started a business 18 years ago on my bicycle, in a small garage on the North Side of Iowa City…we have 15 employees now.” He also told the board his proposal intends to preserve an on-site woodland and stream as a buffer and locate the shop behind that area.