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.

Other notable items the board approved: - Rezoning of 1.27 acres for a single-dwelling residential lot for an application identified as PCC-24-28602 (Michael Eichorn). Planning staff noted the property lost nonconforming status when a prior dwelling was removed and that subdivision and likely sensitive-area mitigation will be required before building permits are issued. A landowner who said they have owned the property for 45 years raised questions during the public hearing about whether parts of the site should be designated as woodland and about how woodland percentages are calculated; staff clarified that the board was acting on rezoning tonight and that any mitigation or site-specific conditions would be addressed in permitting and subdivision steps. - Several lot splits and subdivision plats were approved as resolutions (including PCC-24-28563 to correct conservation-easement boundaries in Hidden Ridge Subdivision after contractor grading extended into a conservation area; PCC-24-28586 for a Shagbark Lane outlot conversion; PCC-24-28605, PCC-24-28606 and PCC-24-28604 for two-lot subdivisions or buildable-lot creations). Staff said required mitigation plans or stormwater measures are in place or will be required at permitting. For the Hidden Ridge matter staff explained that, after construction impacts, off-site woodland mitigation credits were purchased and a revised plat was prepared to show actual impacted woodland bounds.

Votes at a glance (motions and outcomes taken from the meeting record): - PCC-24-28601 (Fiddlehead Gardens LLC) — Motion to waive three readings on the proposed ordinance and to approve first and second consideration; moved by Green Douglas, second by Remington; roll-call votes recorded as Green Douglas: Aye; Remington: Aye; Sullivan: Aye; outcome: ordinance actions carried (3–0). Notes: conditional zoning agreement signed by applicant; county engineer conditions require single access at least 500 feet west of Hurt Road; staff recommended approval. - PCC-24-28602 (Michael Eichorn) — Rezoning from ag to residential for 1.27 acres to reestablish a dwelling; motion to waive readings and approve moved by Green Douglas, second by Remington; roll-call votes Aye (3–0); outcome: approved. Notes: subdivision and likely sensitive-area mitigation required before permits. - PCC-24-28625 (Herbert Farms) — Rezoning to create a 1.6-acre residential parcel around an existing 1950 house; motion to waive readings and approve moved by Green Douglas, second by Remington; roll-call Aye (3–0); outcome: approved. Notes: health department recommends installation of wastewater system or demolition agreement prior to permitting. - PCC-24-28563 (Allen/Benson — Hidden Ridge) — Resolution to amend the subdivision to relocate a portion of a conservation easement after construction impacts; moved by Green Douglas, second by Remington; roll-call Aye (3–0); outcome: approved. Notes: woodland mitigation credits purchased; new plat and legal documents complete. - PCC-24-28586 (Richard & Joyce Barta Revocable Trust — Shagbark Acres) — Resolution to convert an outlot to a buildable lot; motion moved by Green Douglas, second by Remington; roll-call Aye (3–0); outcome: approved. Condition: Lot owner must join the Shagbark Acres Homeowners Association before building permit issuance. - PCC-24-28605 (Austin & Elizabeth Miller) — Two-lot subdivision splitting an existing house from farmland; moved by Green Douglas, second by Remington; roll-call Aye (3–0); outcome: approved. - PCC-24-28606 (Dale & Edith Marlene Schrock — Truman Second) — Two-lot subdivision (prelim/final plat) creating a 1.75-acre buildable lot and an outlot; moved by Green Douglas, second by Remington; roll-call Aye (3–0); outcome: approved. Note: rezoning for Lot 1 was approved by the board in the prior month. - PCC-24-28604 (Mitch Olsen) — Two-lot subdivision around an existing dwelling; moved by Remington, second by Green Douglas; roll-call Aye (3–0); outcome: approved.

Board and staff comments stressed that many of these approvals are conditioned on follow-up work before building permits are issued (stormwater, wastewater, sensitive-area mitigation, and road-access permits). Planning staff and the county engineer remain the point of contact for driveway location and road-access restrictions; in one case staff noted the county will not grant new access onto a Level B road and that any new access must meet the county engineer’s spacing and safety criteria.

The planning and zoning commission recommendations were noted in staff reports: most P&Z votes were 5–0 in favor except where noted at the commission meeting record. The board’s roll-call votes on the docket items were unanimous in the meeting record.