Parkside Partners housing agreement approved 3-2 amid resident concerns about infrastructure and traffic

The West Branch City Council on Oct. 6 approved a development agreement with Parkside Partners for a proposed multifamily project of about 200 rental units, despite public testimony warning the addition could strain local services and infrastructure. The resolution passed on a 3-2 vote (AYES: Dean, Sexton, Miller; NAYS: Horihan, Stoolman).

Residents said the scale of the project — estimated in public comment to add roughly 500–600 people — would create pressure on the city’s water system, emergency services, schools and food pantry. "There are concerns of lack of resources for this big of a development with our emergency services teams," Faye Goodspeed wrote to the council during the hearing and urged the council to reconsider the plan.

Neighbor Michael Bayer told the council he was concerned about traffic impacts at Elm Street and Downey and the amount of green space in the proposal. JoAnn Armbruster said the area across from the site had been identified as blighted and said adding 200 rental units would exacerbate parking and resale-value worries.

Council debate focused on tax-increment financing (TIF) levels and the effect of Workforce Housing (WFH) tax credits. The draft agreement cited a 75% TIF rebate over 20 years; Councilmember Jodee Stoolman pressed for clarity on how WFH tax credits would change the city’s net payout and asked how long-term infrastructure costs would be covered. City Attorney Kevin Olsen explained the WFH credit process generally — that the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) awards credits which developers can sell to investors — but did not provide a detailed city-side calculation converting the 75% draft figure into a final net percentage. Stoolman asked whether the combination of WFH credits and other adjustments would reduce the effective payout to roughly 48%, a reduction she sought to see explained before approval.

Proponents and some council members argued the parcel had been planned for multifamily housing historically and that workforce housing credits can make projects financially feasible. Councilmember Tom Dean noted prior delays and financial strain the city absorbed during earlier stalled development in the area and moved to approve the agreement.

The council’s action establishes the developer agreement as approved; staff and developers will proceed to the next steps of permitting and infrastructure coordination. The record shows continuing questions about the exact fiscal impact of WFH credits on the TIF payout and about timelines for any water-system expansion the council acknowledged will be needed if build-out proceeds.

What’s next: The agreement passed at the Oct. 6 meeting; council and staff will coordinate infrastructure planning and permitting. The transcript did not include a detailed fiscal worksheet reconciling the 75% draft rebate to a 48% post-credits figure; that calculation remains to be provided by staff or developers.