Waverly council signals support to seek R‑3 rezoning for Irving School site

At a study session on Aug. 25, the City of Waverly council directed staff to proceed with an application to rezone the city‑owned Irving School property to R‑3 (medium‑density residential) and asked staff to begin discussions with potential developers using an owner‑occupied, attached‑housing model shown in a staff‑prepared animated concept.

Connie Toland, planning and development specialist, described the model as a tool “to provide context and visuals to help guide discussion that will lead to next steps in the process.” Toland said the model used real Cedar Valley building examples scaled to the city’s R‑3 standards and that the illustrative site plan showed 13 units, an internal private street with two access points (Second Avenue and Sixth Street), visitor parking, and two small park areas at the triangle’s ends.

The concept is owner‑occupied housing, not rental or short‑term rental, Toland said; because the parcel sits in the 500‑year floodplain, designs assume no basements and require a minimum two‑stall garage per unit for storage. The model was drawn to meet R‑3 standards Toland cited: 25‑foot front and rear setbacks, 7.5‑foot side setbacks, two‑story height limits, and horizontally attached two‑, three‑ and four‑unit dwellings as typical forms.

Council discussion generally supported the project concept while raising practical concerns. Several council members said they favored the internal roadway and visitor parking shown in the model because those features reduce the number of new curb cuts on city streets and keep garage access internal. One council member urged preserving the visitor parking rather than adding another small dwelling unit in tight corners where setbacks limit buildable area.

Council members asked how owner‑occupancy would be enforced; Toland said enforceability could involve deed restrictions or covenants and that development agreements and legal review would be part of any future proposal. Council members also discussed price targets and affordability; Toland said staff’s preliminary research on comparable attached new construction suggested a price‑per‑square‑foot range in the mid‑$200s, with attached two‑story units generally less costly than single‑story detached homes. Toland noted the packet included links and assessed/market values for the reference buildings used in the model.

Council members identified potential city levers to lower consumer costs — for example, discounting the land or providing utility or street assistance — and Toland said ownership of the site gives the city flexibility. Toland and a council member also noted that if a developer pursued workforce housing tax credits, donation of the land could count toward the city’s contribution under those programs.

Several council members emphasized that the presentation was a conceptual illustration, not a final plan. Toland reiterated the staff request: feedback on whether the density, housing types, internal street, and owner‑occupancy approach were acceptable. After discussion the council reached a consensus to instruct staff to move forward with preparing an R‑3 rezoning application, refer the concept to the Planning and Zoning Commission, and begin preliminary developer outreach and negotiations.

Next steps identified by staff: prepare and file a rezoning application for review by the Planning and Zoning Commission, solicit developer interest consistent with the model’s parameters, and return to council with formal proposals and any recommended development agreements. No formal vote was recorded on rezoning at the study session; the council’s direction was recorded as a consensus to proceed.