Iowa City Council approves Scott Boulevard development with housing and Scooter's Coffee

Iowa City Council has approved a rezoning request for developers seeking to build nine townhomes, a Scooter's Coffee outlet and additional residential and commercial space just off one of the city's three Interstate 80 exits.

The council voted unanimously Tuesday to redesignate for low density multi-family residential and community commercial uses the slightly less than 4-acre site at the corner of North Dodge Street and Scott Boulevard. It had been zoned for a commercial office district.

In addition to the coffee shop and townhomes, the development by Mark Holtkamp of Solon will include a two-story, mixed-use building that will have a restaurant on the first floor and eight apartments above, and an ATM drive-through, for which the developers will need to seek a special exception from the Iowa City Board of Adjustment.

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The development also will need final plat approval from the council and permit approval from city staff.

Brian Boelk with Axiom Consultants told City Council in February that his company and Holtkamp feel the development is a good fit for the site, which presents some challenges and it has sat undeveloped for a long time despite its proximity to the exit. It's a sensitive area with slopes the developers will need to work around, including adding retaining walls on the western side.

"As we know there are some challenges and difficulty with it and... though we are impacting some critical slopes, we are having the least impact as we can to the sensitive areas as a whole,' Boelk said.

Iowa City Development Services Coordinator Danielle Sitzman said the developer will need to help fund an additional right turn lane on Scott Boulevard and make sure there is a safe pedestrian crossing with a refuge island on the south side of North Dubuque Road.

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Council member Megan Alter lauded the project. The site is across the street from Iowa City Fire Station 4 and adjacent to the Iowa City Community School District's administrative offices.

Alter says project will be welcomed by nearby workers

"There really isn't anywhere to go to eat or get coffee or anything like that that is walkable" from that corner, Alter said. "There's a lot of workers in the area (for whom) this would be a really welcome place."

Green State Credit Union currently owns the land, which it purchased the land from the Iowa City Press-Citizen in 2002 for $375,000.

"This (development) provides an opportunity for some nice mixed use here on both commercial as well as different levels of residential," Boelk said.

Thomas expresses concern about traffic

Council member John Thomas said he thinks the development is an interesting proposal. He said that while it wasn't a critical issue, he'd like to see renderings of the buildings.

"It is in a very visible location, so architecture will matter on this project," Thomas said.

In the February meeting, he had expressed concerns about the effect on traffic at the intersection, saying North Dodge Street goes from two lanes to one too quickly has heard from residents that there are a lot of near misses when drivers merge.

"(This development) isn't helping. It's adding the right turn lane, more movements coming from different directions," he said.

But Sitzman, the development coordinator, said there will be less effect on traffic than from other residential and commercial developments because most of the business it draws will be from people already driving by.

"This would not be necessarily a destination retail, but one more of convenience," she said.

In response to a question from council member Megan Alter, Sitzman said the development won't impede firetrucks leaving and entering the fire station.

Alter, who works at the ACT nonprofit to the south of the intersection and drives often in the area, said she doesn't think it is as dangerous as Thomas fears and believes the roadway is clearly marked.

George Shillcock is the Press-Citizen's local government and development reporter covering Iowa City and Johnson County. He can be reached at (319) 214-5039, GShillcock@press-citizen.com and on Twitter @ShillcockGeorge

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Scooter's, restaurant slated for site rezoned by Iowa City Council