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Iowa City council gives first reading to form‑based code revisions aimed at enabling missing‑middle housing
Summary
Council advanced a package of zoning text amendments to Title 14 and Title 15 to clarify and relax several form‑based code standards — including ground‑floor glazing rules, setback and porch dimensions, cottage court allowances and administrative flexibilities — after staff and developer partners reviewed practical constraints.
Iowa City Council on April 15 advanced zoning text amendments to the city’s form‑based code that staff said are intended to make the rules more feasible for actual development while preserving the code’s design principles.
The ordinance package, developed by Neighborhood & Development Services with input from developer partners, amends multiple Title 14 sections and related Title 15 subdivision language. Staff said the changes respond to practical issues identified during design work and a 2022 grant program that encouraged developers to pilot form‑based approaches.
Key changes include: - Reduced required ground‑floor glazing from 30% to 15% (minimum one window per building side still required), a change staff said Opticos Design (the city’s original form‑based consultant) reviewed as reasonable in other communities. - Adjustments to setback and building‑placement rules to allow slightly larger building footprints on very small lots and to permit slightly revised rear/garage configurations for duplexes and townhouse types that reduce unnecessary wall area. -…
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