Iowa City commission approves exception for new garage at landmark 416 Reno Street after permit error

The Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission on June 12 approved a certificate of appropriateness by exception for a newly constructed two-car garage at 416 Reno Street, a property designated as a local historic landmark.

The commission approved the garage “as presented in the staff report through an exception to the guidelines,” moving that the garage “does not substantially alter or destroy the defining architectural character of the site or neighborhood” because its location, general size and overhead doors comply with the guidelines, Planning staff said.

Staff planner Anne Russ of Neighborhood and Development Services told the commission the lot’s new front-gabled garage has two single overhead carriage‑style doors, LP SmartSide lap siding with a simulated wood grain texture, shingle siding in the gable and a fiberglass passenger door. Russ said the material and some design details do not directly align with the city’s preservation guidelines — specifically that simulated wood grain on siding and the garage’s roof slope differ from the principal house — but recommended approval through an…