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Developers ask to buy county land near public health building for townhouse project; board asks for city engineering review
Summary
At a work session following the board meeting, John and Kathy presented a proposal to buy a strip of county land adjacent to the Des Moines County public health building to build up to 20 affordable (unsubsidized) townhouses; supervisors asked the developers to consult the City of Burlington and its engineers and said the county will measure retained property and consider public-health needs before any sale.
John and Kathy presented a proposal in a post-meeting work session to purchase a county-owned strip of land north of the public health building to expand a townhouse development, county staff said.
The presenters said the parcel is currently zoned R2 (single-family) and would need rezoning to an R4/multifamily classification through the City of Burlington planning process. They described plans for up to 20 units on the east side of a ravine, two floor-plan types (home-office and senior-accessible layouts), and said the units would be affordable but not subsidized.
Nut graf: Supervisors did not commit to a sale; instead they asked the presenters to consult the city planner and engineers and asked county staff to identify what portions of the land the county needs to retain for future public-health uses and stormwater infrastructure before the board considers any sale.
Key concerns raised during the session included access and roadway spacing near a freeway ramp (Iowa DOT rules may apply), a sanitary sewer main and a catch basin/retention area that staff said must remain to meet code, and the need for an engineered storm-water/runoff plan if impervious surfaces increase. Public-health staff noted the county purchased adjoining property with future mass-immunization and parking capacity in mind and cautioned that any sale should preserve necessary operational space.
Board members emphasized fiscal caution and transparency: if the county chooses to sell property it must follow established procurement procedures (legal review; sealed bid or public auction) and ensure decisions align with municipal finance constraints. Supervisors agreed the next step is for the developers to take plans to the City of Burlington — including the planner and the city engineer — and for county staff to prepare measurements and a recommendation about land the county needs to hold for future public-health or infrastructure needs.
Ending: The presenters agreed to consult the city and return; county staff will check parcel measurements and convene a follow-up working session once engineering and zoning feedback is available.
