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Commission approves rezoning and site plan to preserve historic Iowa River Power building, reconfigure parking
Summary
The commission recommended rezoning a historic riverfront site to C-PUD-2, approved a PUD-B site plan and final plat to support redevelopment of the Iowa River Power property, and accepted a parking reconfiguration that yields 150 stalls while staff said flood protection will not be affected.
The Planning & Zoning Commission on March 4 recommended rezoning an I-3 zoned parcel to C-PUD-2, approved a PUD-B site plan and approved a final plat to support redevelopment of the former Iowa River Power site.
Dave Johnson, Community Development Director, told commissioners the property has been commercially used for decades and rezoning would allow flexibility to preserve and adapt a historic building while accommodating new commercial uses consistent with the Coralville Community Plan’s Corridor Commercial designation. Johnson said MidAmerican Energy had previously allowed some parking on land south of the building; since that allowance has been reduced, staff and the applicant redesigned the parking lot and gained back stalls by removing perimeter and an interior parking island. The final parking count will be 150 stalls, compared with a previously cited expectation of 205 stalls and a former restaurant count of 162 stalls.
James Kincade, civil engineer with Axiom Consultants, described changes to the lot geometry that improve circulation and accessibility while maintaining fire access and flood mitigation measures. Mackenzie DeRoo of Greater Iowa City spoke in strong support, calling the approach thoughtful and preservative. Resident Larry Wilson asked whether public parking would be available for trail users; developer Tom Beardsley said parking will be private and managed by tenants, though nearby public parking options exist at Iowa River Landing and a park across the river.
Commissioner Wenman asked whether the revised parking configuration would affect the city’s flood-protection capacity; Johnson said it would not and that access, easements and flood mitigation had been maintained. The commission approved the rezoning, site plan and final plat by unanimous votes.
The approvals aim to preserve a historic structure while providing a flexible development framework and resolving parking-site constraints for the new tenants.
