Planning and Zoning Commission approves zoning-code cleanups, ADU and cell-siting edits

The Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve zoning-text amendments introduced as REZ 25-0004, accepting staff recommendations to correct typographical errors, reconcile conflicting sections of the code, and implement changes required by recent state law.

Planner Lisa Schroer told the commission the package combines routine code cleanups with edits needed to comply with state preemptions. “When this happens, we must update the zoning code to ensure compliance with state law,” Schroer said, summarizing the rationale for the changes.

Key changes approved include: clarifying that stairways that serve as the principal access to upper-floor multifamily dwelling units must be enclosed and may not extend into required setbacks; increasing the Board of Adjustment approval validity period from six to 12 months; replacing outdated map graphics without changing mapped boundaries; and clarifying tandem-parking language so garages, carports or driveways (or combinations) can satisfy tandem-space requirements.

The package also removes legacy provisions that limited two-family and attached single-family uses to corner lots, updates department names and procedural references to the Department of Neighborhood and Development Services, and exempts manufactured-housing-park units from a per-unit 500-square-foot detached open-space requirement.

The amendments reconcile conflicting multifamily open-space standards by removing a 225-square-foot 'compact area' metric and establishing a 20-foot minimum dimension, and they explicitly allow rooftop or upper-floor terraces and certain porches to count toward RS-12 open-space requirements. The commission raised concerns that the 20-foot minimum could be difficult to meet on narrow infill lots and that rooftop solutions can be costly or trigger elevator requirements on smaller projects; staff said the change is presented as a code-cleanup to align text and that broader policy changes could be returned to the commission if desired.

On state preemptions, the commission approved edits responding to the Iowa Cell Siting Act (Iowa Code chapter 8C) that remove a local approval criterion requiring applicants to demonstrate a proposed tower cannot be served by existing towers or antennas on existing structures. The package also incorporates changes required by Senate File 2369 and Iowa Code § 364.3 for accessory dwelling units: an ADU is allowed on a lot where a single-family residence is an allowed principal use; the allowed ADU floor area excludes unfinished basements and is limited to 1,000 square feet or 50% of the primary residence; and the Historic Preservation Commission retains authority to review ADUs in historic districts but may deny an ADU only after making and recording a specific finding of incompatibility.

Staff recommended approval and described the schedule for the next steps: Planning & Zoning Commission recommendation to City Council, with Council to set a public hearing and hold first consideration at upcoming meetings. (The staff presentation referred to the case once as REZ26-0004; the matter was introduced in the meeting as REZ 25-0004 — the record contains both references.)

Commissioner Miller moved to approve the staff recommendation; Commissioner Townsend seconded. The chair called for the vote and members answered 'Aye'; the motion carried. The motion was recorded as approved on the record; individual roll-call votes were not read aloud.

What happens next: the commission recommended the amendments move forward to City Council for public hearing and consideration as outlined by staff.