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Charles City schedules public hearing after EPA asks city to bar residential use near Shaw Avenue
Summary
City staff set a Sept. 15 public hearing to reclassify a narrow city-owned parcel from R2 to M1 after an EPA review flagged the site; council clarified the move is intended to prevent residential development near a former dump area and monitoring wells will remain in place.
Charles City officials voted to set a public hearing for Sept. 15 to consider rezoning a narrow city-owned parcel near Shaw Avenue from R2 (residential) to M1 (industrial), a change staff said is driven by guidance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
City Planner John told the council the parcel — a long, narrow strip between the Charlie Western Trail and Shaw Avenue — was flagged during an EPA five-year review. "The EPA does not want any property that could potentially have residential housing," John said, noting that M1 and M2 are the only districts that do not allow residential uses as either permitted or conditional uses and that the planning commission recommended M1 to remove residential potential.
The rezoning item was presented as Resolution 8825 to set a public hearing; council members moved, seconded and approved scheduling the hearing for Sept. 15 at 6:00 p.m. "What's before you tonight is simply setting the public hearing," John said.
Several council members described constituent calls following press coverage, including concerns that the city intended to "build on the old Shaw Avenue dump site." One council member responded: "That’s not even in question. We would never do that." Council members emphasized the purpose of the rezoning is to prevent residential development on or near the flagged parcel, creating a regulatory buffer between the parcel and the adjacent former dump area.
Council asked about monitoring wells and potential contamination. Staff said the city’s monitoring wells will remain in place and clarified the EPA request is not a local monitoring program but a federal recommendation to avoid residential use of the parcel. Council members discussed nearby land uses (houses at a distance, nearby cemeteries) and the rationale for choosing M1 as the more restrictive district.
What happens next: The council set a public hearing for Sept. 15 at 6:00 p.m. for public comment and the formal zoning amendment consideration. Staff recommended that residents with questions attend the hearing or contact planning staff in advance for clarification.
