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Planner previews first form-based-code development south of Iowa City, council to consider rezoning tomorrow
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Summary
Senior planner Anne Russett told the Sustainability Commission the city has its first rezoning request under the form-based code for an infill parcel south of town, describing a mix of small houses, townhomes and cottage courts, pedestrian connections to Wetherby Park, and measures to protect nearby Sand Prairie preserve.
Anne Russett, the city’s senior planner, told the Iowa City Sustainability Commission the city has received its first proposed development under the form-based code and that the rezoning will be on the City Council agenda tomorrow. The project is an infill site on the city’s south side adjacent to Wetherby Park and near McCollister Boulevard and Gilbert Street.
Russett said the form-based approach focuses on building an interconnected street network and housing types that support walkability and multimodal travel rather than mandating a single housing type. “The whole goal of the form-based code policy, the land use policy, and the regulations is really to encourage a diversity of housing types in our community,” she said, describing sidewalks and an 8‑foot sidepath that will connect new streets to existing trails and parks.
The developer proposes primarily residential uses with a range of unit types: detached 'house small' units and duplexes at the lower-intensity edge, clusters of townhomes, block-scale townhomes of up to five or six attached units, and cottage courts of six to nine small homes around shared greens. Russett said smaller unit footprints are intended to lower price-per-unit costs without tying units to income‑restricted programs.
Commissioners focused questions on transit access, retail potential, and environmental protections. Russett said the nearest bus stops are on McCallister and Gilbert and that the zoning includes an 'open' zone that could allow nonresidential uses in the future, though the current developer (identified in the presentation as Navigate) expects to build residential structures. On the adjacent Sand Prairie preserve, Russett said the developer will install fencing along rear lots to make property boundaries clear and is dedicating a small remnant prairie parcel to expand the park to limit damaging foot traffic and protect sensitive soils and species.
Staff noted the developer has a record of meeting high HERS energy-efficiency thresholds for prior projects, and commissioners flagged the project’s alignment with city climate and housing goals. The commission did not take formal action; Russett said the rezoning request will be before the City Council the next day.
