Commission backs land‑use change and three rezonings for former ACT campus to enable mixed housing and commercial reuse

The Iowa City Planning & Zoning Commission on July 16 recommended approving a comprehensive plan amendment and unanimously approved two rezonings tied to redevelopment of the former ACT campus, a package intended to allow mixed housing and commercial uses on about 57 acres south of Interstate 80 and east of North Dodge Street. "This is a public hearing on a proposed comprehensive plan amendment. It is for 57 acres of land that's located South Of I 80 and East Of North Dodge Street," said Anne Russett of Neighborhood and Development Services.

Commissioners and staff said the change responds to market and employment shifts since the city's IC 2030 plan was adopted in 2013, when the site was occupied by ACT and designated for office/research park use. Russett noted the campus once employed about 1,200 people in roughly 353,000 square feet; she said ACT currently has about 75 employees on site in about 54,000 square feet. "There has been a lot that has changed, since the comp plan was originally adopted," Russett said, and staff recommended the amendment to the future land use map to allow general commercial, mixed use and public/private open space on the 57‑acre area.

Why it matters: the amendment unlocks two rezoning requests that the applicant has filed for parts of the campus. Staff described three coordinated applications: the comprehensive plan amendment for the 57‑acre area; a rezoning of roughly 22.5 acres on North Dubuque Road to mixed use (allowing multifamily and pedestrian‑oriented commercial); and a rezoning of about 33.6 acres east of North Dodge to the community commercial (CC‑2) zone. "The rezoning requests align with what you see here on this map," Russett told the commission.

Key conditions and concerns: staff recommended several conditions intended to ensure compatibility with existing neighborhoods and infrastructure. For the 22.5‑acre mixed‑use rezoning staff recommended: requiring preliminary and final platting to establish street networks; bringing North Dubuque Road up to city standards with curb, gutter and sidewalks; conducting a sanitary sewer flow study for the northeast trunk sewer; requiring a 30‑foot landscaped buffer where commercial abuts residential; and requiring full‑cutoff lighting for commercial development. On the eastern parcel rezoned to CC‑2 (about 33.64 acres), staff recommended a similar subdivision requirement, a 10‑foot multiuse sidewalk along the eastern portion of North Dodge from North Scott to the future ACT Circle intersection, and traffic improvements including applicant‑installed southbound left and northbound right turn lanes and construction of a fourth leg at North Dodge and ACT Circle. The traffic analysis also recommended a traffic signal at that intersection; staff said the city will install the signal and associated pedestrian elements.

Applicants and community input: Steve Long, a member of the property owners' group, told the commission the ownership is actively marketing and planning reuse. He said the owners have started site work and are pursuing senior housing projects on the campus. "We've already started working with an architect to convert some of those buildings into, senior housing 55," Long said, and added that the ownership applied for and received Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) approval for a 44‑unit senior building at Scott and First. Katie Gerlach, vice president of programs at Greater Iowa City Inc. and executive director of Better Together 2030, testified in support, saying the package "repurposes an underutilized employment center" and "supports compact, sustainable development patterns."

Traffic, sewer and pedestrian access: staff presented results of the traffic study and said congestion at the North Scott and North Dubuque intersection is an existing, localized AM‑peak issue tied to nearby commercial uses; the city engineer reviewed and concurred with the study. On sewer capacity, staff said a flow study of the north branch of the northeast trunk sewer to its connection point will be required before final approval. Commissioners repeatedly pressed applicants and staff on how sidewalk connections, trail links, and buffers would be implemented; staff answered that many specifics would be resolved during the subdivision and site‑plan processes.

Outcome and next steps: the commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of CPA‑25‑001 (the comprehensive plan amendment) and to approve the two rezoning requests (REZ24‑13 for 22.5 acres to mixed use and REZ25‑8 for ~33.64 acres to CC‑2) subject to the staff‑recommended conditions. Russett said the items move next to the City Council, which will set public hearings and consider the final actions. "In terms of next steps, we will be asking the city council to set a public hearing after a recommendation from the commission," Russett said.

What remains open: the commission approved policy‑level changes and rezoning requests but did not approve any final site plans. Commissioners and staff emphasized that detailed street layouts, building placement, parking configuration and final landscaping/lighting will be resolved through the subdivision, plat and site‑plan review processes; several commissioners asked staff to watch for impacts to existing single‑family neighborhoods and to ensure preservation of woodlands, ponds and trail connections where feasible.