Iowa Citians Share Input on College/Gilbert Street Project Finalists: Emphasize Size, Aesthetics, Sustainability

Dozens of people lined up in a crowded Iowa City Council Chamber Tuesday evening at the Iowa City Council meeting to give their say on the five finalist proposals vying to replace the current location of the Bike Library at the intersection of College and Gilbert Streets.

For more in depth info on the five proposals, read here.

The speakers said a little bit of what they liked, and shared a whole lot more of what they didn't. Included in the crowd that spoke were members of the nearby Trinity Episcopal Church, environmental groups, citizens of Iowa City, and members of New Pioneer Co-Op and Iowa City FilmScene.

To give a quick overview of the many comments:

• Most commenters seemed to think that a building over 10 stories, such as the Chauncey project, would be too tall and dense and wouldn't fit the character of the neighborhood.
• Several speakers commented on the aesthetics of the project, and how it would be a good time to renovate Chauncey Swan Park at the same time to provide a complete package accross from City Hall.
• There was a general emphasis that the building should be environmentally sustainable as possible.
• There also was a concern about the type of residential spaces offered within the projects, that they be both affordable and of value to a wide variety of potential tenants.
• There was support for both the New Pioneer Co-Op and for the idea of a movie theater downtown. Nobody mentioned supporting bowling, which is another aspect of the Chauncey, but perhaps the bowling fans will come later.

Karen Kubby, director of the Iowa City Downtown Association, said there were good ideas in all five plans but none of them seemed perfect. She suggested that perhaps another plan could be created which could incorporate the movie theater idea, as well as holding space for the bike library and the Co-Op's desire for expanded space.

"There's so many things that good about all of them, let's try to develop a proposal that has all of the best things of all of them." Kubby said. "I think FilmScene and New Pi can both be in the property." 

Kubby also suggested that the city council add sustainability as one of the city's litmus tests for approving the project, as the public clearly was interested in that being part of the final project.

Matt Hartz, New Pioneer Co-op general manager, argued that the Co-Op is an institution that draws people and business into the downtown, and an expanded Iowa City store would achieve this to an even greater degree.

"We see that we are center of gravity pulling people from outside of downtown," Hartz said. "We're a local business, we want to grow, we want to invest in Iowa City." 

Four of the five finalist proposals include a space for the Co-Op in their plans. The Chauncey high rise proposal being the only proposal that currently does not.

Andrew Sherburne, co-founder of Iowa City FilmScenespeakers who argued passionately about the need for movie theaters to return to the downtown. He said the Chauncey would be a beacon for the arts that any city in America could be proud of, but more than that it would be provide an avenue for film to be celebrated as par of Iowa City's rich arts heritage.

"Film deserves a permanent place here, and as an artform it has been neglected," Sherburne said.

The Iowa City City Council will be able to weigh in for the first time on the proposals at its next meeting on Dec. 18. This is also the earliest the council can make a decision on which proposal to support.

Earlier this year, the city put out a call for developers to submit plans for the lot at the College/Gilbert Street location, which was the former location of a bus station and the John Wilson’s Sporting Goods. A city committee then narrowed the list down to nine finalists and then to the final five that are still competing for the spot.

Jeff Davidson, with the city's development department, said the city has also received 71 pieces of various correspondence related to this decision. There still is an opportunity for the public to comment more before a final decision is made.

The public is invited to review the five proposals on the City's website at www.icgov.org/cgproject and submit e-mailed comments to the City via the link provided, at cgprojectinput@iowa-city.org.