Iowa City eyes 9 more buyouts in flood plain

The city of Iowa City has bought out and razed more than 90 homes since 2008, when the area suffered the worst flooding in its history.

A year after yet another Iowa River flood — though on a much smaller scale in 2014 — the city is again looking to secure funding to remove houses from the flood plain through voluntary buyouts.

The city plans to apply for more than $1 million in federal and state funding to purchase up to nine properties within the 100-year flood plain. The targeted properties are along the Iowa River on Parkview Terrace and Taft Speedway, as well as along Ralston Creek near Creekside Park.

The money would come from FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which is being provided to the state after a Presidential Disaster Declaration was issued in 2014 in response to a string of strong storms, tornadoes and floods across Iowa.

The city plans to apply for about $1 million in FEMA funding, coupled with $136,000 in state money. Because the city would have to provide a 15 percent match, it plans to put $204,000 toward the estimated total cost of $1.36 million to buy out the nine properties.

The funding application is subject to approval by the Iowa City council, which will vote on the matter at its meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

"As our famous former public works director (Rick Fosse) used to say, the most significant flood control you can provide is moving occupants and businesses out of the path of the flood," City Manager Tom Markus said. "I think that's a fairly accurate way of describing what this program attempts to do."

The city purchased 94 properties in two rounds of buyouts following the 2008 flood. The purchases totaled $22.5 million and included 88 properties in Parkview Terrace, five on Taft Speedway and one near the Trueblood Recreation Area. This would mark the first time since 2008 that buyouts would be offered to property owners along Ralston Creek.

Tracy Hightshoe, the city's neighborhood services coordinator, said 26 eligible property owners in the 100-year flood plain have been notified about a potential new round of buyouts, and nine expressed interest. She said that while a majority of those nine properties had been offered buyouts before, some may have new owners since 2008.

"They'll be demolished and dedicated to green space to eliminate the flood risk," Hightshoe said. "And the Creekside properties, which are adjacent to the park, would become part of the larger Creekside Park."

Hightshoe said $1.36 million might not be enough to cover all of the targeted buyouts, but staff has prioritized the nine homes and would negotiate sales in order of priority until the money runs out.

Reach Josh O'Leary at joleary@press-citizen.com or 887-5415, and follow him on Twitter at @JD_OLeary.