14-story project for downtown Iowa City lowered to 7

A 14-story building proposed for downtown Iowa City will be half as high as originally planned.

Kevin Monson, president of Neumann Monson Architects, earlier this year had proposed a 14-story building for a parcel at 7 S. Linn St., but after a Wednesday vote by the Board of Adjustment, the new building will be seven stories tall. Early plans show commercial space on the first floor, with apartments on the upper floors.

"I think this is a missed opportunity," Monson said after the meeting, citing a rising need for more housing in the downtown area.

The 14-story proposal was tabled in June after the Iowa City Council voted against a request for funding. To move the project forward, Monson recently submitted plans to the city's Board of Adjustment and sought a waiver of the city's on-site parking requirement.

Aside from the parking requirement, the land's zoning allows the building to be built at 14 stories. Given the size of the parcel, though, developers will not be able to build any on-site parking and the waiver was a necessary approval.

The board on Wednesday unanimously approved a waiver of up to 18 spaces, subject to a Design Review Committee approval of the building's final design. The decision essentially limits the number of housing units and, by extension, the height of the building. The vote came after a motion to approve a waiver of up to 36 spaces, which would have allowed construction of the 14-story building, failed 3-2.

Board Chair Larry Baker and member Tim Weitzel voted in favor of the larger waiver, saying it did not make sense to limit the height of the building given the number of apartments it would have included. Members Becky Soglin, Connie Goeb and T. Gene Chrischilles voted against the 36-space waiver, citing concerns that the taller building would not fit with the character of the block and would further constrain parking in the downtown area.

Monson said he again will seek council support for workforce housing tax credits, but at seven stories the building will include 36 workforce housing apartments compared to the 72 that would have been included in the 14-story proposal.

In June, Monson asked the City Council to make a $72,000 investment and write a letter of support to the Iowa Economic Development Authority Board. The commitments, required by the state board, would have allowed Monson to take advantage of the Workforce Housing Tax Credits program.

Although the city's director of transportation services, Chris O'Brien, said during the hearing Wednesday that existing parking structures and those under construction would likely handle the need created by the taller building, a majority of board members were skeptical.

"Demand for parking downtown is never going to decrease, and I know that there's new parking ramps that are being built and probably will be built in the future, but they may not always be right where people want to use them or close enough to where people want to use them," Chrischilles said during board discussion. "Secondly, due to the guidelines of the comprehensive plan, I agree with the fact that corner locations should be reserved for taller buildings, creating a block structure with taller buildings on the corners and lower scale buildings between them."

Baker said during the hearing that the higher density building would help to prevent housing spreading to the east. He added that a future development of the nearby U.S. Bank parking lot could potentially provide on-site parking.

"The parking issue is not a reason to restrict this particular project. With the trade off of height and density in this area, I think the developer has made a very good effort to be compatible with the existing historic structure, the ground level and first and second floor levels ... this is a notable improvement to this particular area and I think we need to do whatever we can to facilitate that happening," he said.

The parcel is the site of the former Van Patten House, which was destroyed by fire in 2011, and sits next to a nearly 100-year-old building that is designated as a local historic landmark. To give the building a little "breathing room," Monson has proposed a 6-foot buffer between the building and the new development, one foot more than originally planned.

Alicia Trimble, executive director of Friends of Historic Preservation, spoke Wednesday night in support of the project.

"Kevin has worked really hard on this to listen to everyone's desires," she said. "He's changed the design, he's increased the gap between the two buildings, and I think a project by him should definitely go here."

In a report to the board, city staff recommended the lower-scale project.

Reach Andy Davis at 319-887-5404 or at aldavis@press-citizen.com, and follow him on Twitter as @BylineAndyDavis.