Council amends Western Home OPD to substitute 5 single-family lots with 16-unit senior building

The Iowa City Council approved a conditional rezoning amendment to the Western Home planned development that substitutes five single-family lots on Camille Court with one 16-unit elder housing building and an on-site rehabilitation and wellness area for residents.

City planner Daniel Sisman said the change modifies the previously approved preliminary OPD plan for about 31.65 acres and slightly alters the overall unit tally; the substitution is a substantive change that required council consideration. He told the council that no conservation-easement impacts are proposed—the wetland, streams and woodlands on the site remain protected—and that site renderings show screening and a wall to buffer parking areas.

Staff recommended approval with three continuing conditions from the original rezoning and one new staff-recommended condition to clean up the plat to remove Camille Court from the public-street network on the final plat. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval and suggested a fourth condition restricting the height waiver so that only the portion of the lot beyond the first 90 feet would receive the increased height.

A representative of the project team confirmed the development is under construction and that roads are expected to be paved in spring. Council discussion noted the project’s mix of housing types and staff’s explanation that the additional four units proposed across the plan have negligible impacts on utilities or traffic. The council moved first consideration (motion by Moe, seconded by Moe in the record) and approved the measure by unanimous roll call, 5–0.