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KLM temporarily withdraws request for business zoning
by Rick DeClue · News · May 26, 2016


“We’ll slow down, then,” Mayor Roger Laughlin said after the city council approved by a vote of 4-0 to table the second reading of KLM’s request to rezone 12.77 acres near West Branch High School and another smaller parcel for business use.


Because of the large parcel’s proximity to the school, the council wants a more specific use or a specific buyer before approving the rezoning from R-1 single family residential to RB-1 residential/commercial.

Brad Larson of KLM Investments agreed to table the next reading for three weeks.

Larson told the council of two preliminary inquiries on the property that he received after the 3-2 approval of the first reading on the rezoning at the May 2 council meeting. One wants to build four-plex and/or eight-plex housing. The second inquiry came from an Iowa City party seeking a minimum 10-acre site for a senior or assisted living facility.

He said this interest directly resulted from the rezoning effort.

“If it is not rezoned, people are not going to look,” he added.

After a slow response for a motion and a second to start the discussion, Laughlin acknowledged potential difficulties from the council members on the issue.

Helen Fawcett of Cornerstone Realty pointed to the city’s proposed redevelopment of the Croell Redi-Mix on the city’s east side as, by itself, insufficient for the city’s need for commercial space. Those looking for professional service sites “will prefer the west side, not the Croell site,” she said.

Kathy Fait of 911 West Main Street expressed what she said were long-standing concerns about traffic near the high school.

She also referenced the city’s comprehensive plan that resulted from an extensive process of community input. She said the plan was clear about concern for student safety and the preference to keep commercial activity downtown.

Council member Colton Miller said he was concerned about traffic and potential use under the proposed zoning. He suggested the council may want to slow down and focus on the city’s subdivider’s agreement and other issues for KLM’s Meadow’s Phase 2, which were discussed earlier on the agenda.

Council member Jordan Ellyson said the council was “throwing so much out there” in terms of development activity and rezoning actions. Without a specific plan, she considered this request one of the hardest votes since she joined the council.

After talking to several school board members, council member Mary Beth Stevenson said the board members seemed more concerned about traffic and that the city’s development aligns with school district plans for the high school area.

Council member Tim Shields said added traffic or trucks could be a negative “where we already have issues, especially during events at the school.”

Shields, who voted no on the first reading, repeated his concerns about a potential commercial business that might draw students across the busy street.

“If it was a flat road with two miles of visibility, it wouldn’t be an issue,” he said.

Council member Brian Pierce was absent Monday.