Ames council green-lights zoning changes to support 608 Burnett downtown housing push

Council members on May 12 directed staff to prepare code changes and other actions aimed at enabling a four-story, roughly 38-unit apartment project proposed for 608 Burnett.

Planning staff described the developer’s request as a bundle of zoning and financial adjustments: a parking reduction to one space per unit for two‑bedroom-or-smaller units, an increase in allowable height to four stories in the Neighborhood Commercial (NC) zone, and pursuit of incentives that could include tax abatement or a Workforce Housing Tax Credit. Developer Luke Jensen said the project is “a quintessential urban infill project” and that a successful pilot building would help catalyze additional downtown housing.

Council approved motions directing staff to: begin code changes to reduce NC parking minimums for new construction to one space per unit for units of two bedrooms or less; prepare amendments to allow four‑story buildings in NC and review NC design guidelines to ensure compatibility with urban apartment projects; and pursue Option Two — a site‑specific approach scoped to the Burnett block rather than a citywide rezoning.

On incentives, council voted to provide a letter of support for the Workforce Housing Tax Credit application and the $1,000 per‑unit municipal contribution the state program requires, a procedural step needed ahead of the June 10 program deadline. Because the applicant also requested a custom, higher‑value tax‑abatement schedule, council asked staff to investigate the legal and fiscal implications of creating an urban revitalization area with an alternative abatement schedule and to report back. Staff cautioned that recent changes in state budget law affect how first‑year incremental value is recognized and that a custom schedule could carry citywide implications.

Supporters including Ames Main Street and the Ames Alliance urged the council to remove barriers to downtown housing and highlighted the City’s Downtown Visioning Guide. Opponents and some council members pressed questions about parking spillover for surrounding neighborhoods, the potential for spot‑zoning, and precedent if NC standards are relaxed more broadly.

Kelly (city planning staff) told council the city could limit many of the changes to new construction only and tailor language to reduce unintended consequences elsewhere. Councilmembers emphasized design safeguards; motions included directing staff to propose design standards and special‑use review language that would preserve neighborhood character while allowing the infill project to move forward.

Council’s actions set a multi-step path: regulatory language amendments and design‑guideline work by staff, a letter of support for the Workforce Housing Tax Credit application, and a staff investigation of a URA/custom abatement approach that will return with legal and financial analysis.