North Liberty gets pushback from landowners on plans for new fire station and 42-acre city park
The North Liberty City Council voted Tuesday to move forward on projects that would create a new fire station on the west side of town and a new city park on the north along a busy corridor.
North Liberty is growing and city leaders are planning to expand services offered to residents. The city says it needs a new fire station to provide improved emergency service response times. The city wants to acquire about four acres near Centennial Park for the fire station.
Also on Tuesday, the city discussed acquiring about 42 acres along Highway 965/Ranshaw Way for a new park.
While the City Council approved both resolutions, the projects still have a long way to go before they become a reality. Both resolutions allow the city attorney to initiate negotiations with the property owners to see if an agreement can be reached. No purchase would take place without the City Council approving an amount to pay the landowners.
City Attorney Grant Lientz said the resolutions also establish a preliminary site location and authorize the use of eminent domain. He said there isn't an obligation to proceed and there is an appraisal underway for the land.
But at Tuesday's meeting, landowners of the parcels in question or lawyers representing them showed up to voice concerns about the acquisitions.
Mayor Chris Hoffman said he thinks the proposal for the fire station offers the best location to serve the community in a timely fashion while also requiring minimal development. He said the location has several benefits, including reducing the impact of noise from the fire engines and helping create a better sense of community.
"It's not as if we have the world to choose from and we just chose to pick this property," Hoffman said.
Hoffman also advocated on behalf of the park space, saying the city shouldn't wait longer to begin negotiations.
Between 2010 and 2020, North Liberty grew 53.1%, from 13,374 people to 20,479.
A recent report presented by the Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County on the organization's Long Range Transportation Plan suggested the city could pass Coralville as the second-largest in the Iowa City metro by 2050, ballooning to 40,532 people.
As North Liberty grows, it is likely to continue expanding city services, like these proposals and the upcoming project to build a new City Hall.
Owner suggests land along Ranshaw Way could be commercial space rather than a park
The Meade Family Real Estate Limited Partnership, a group of five members, currently owns the 42 acres that the city is considering acquiring for a new park on the north side of town, according to Johnson County property records. This undeveloped land is west of Highway 965/Ranshaw Way, north of West Penn Street and south of 240th Street.
The 2021 assessed value of the two parcels of land at issue totals $69,100, according to Johnson County Property records.
A map in Tuesday's agenda packet laid out each of the city's 23 parks, from the four-acre Beaver Kreek Park on the east side near Buford Garner Elementary to the 32-acre West Lakes Park on the west side, which is predominantly a pond. The map showed up to ½-mile service areas around each park and where gaps in access to parks exist in the city.
The new northside park would become one of the city's largest and fulfill one of the identified gaps. That area of town is set to grow even more over the next couple of years as a 71-acre mixed-use development is set to be built next to this land to the west, called Solomon's Landing.
Molly Parker, an attorney at Shuttleworth & Ingersoll Law Firm in Coralville and Cedar Rapids, spoke on behalf of the landowners at Tuesday's meeting and requested that the City Council table the resolution for two months.
"The Meade family does not dispute that there is community value in a park, that that is a valid purpose for the council to be pursuing," Parker said.
Parker said the land has "significant commercial potential" that could also benefit the city. She said using a different portion of the Meade family's land could provide the same access and resources for a park while preserving the potential for commercial and industrial growth.
The Meade family owns two other land parcels adjacent to the ones the city is considering. Parker said the Meade family is ready to negotiate with the city, but wants more time to engage in informal discussions.
City Planner Ryan Rusnak told the City Council that commercial use in that area is dependent on demand and market conditions, with more potential near the intersection of West Penn Street and Ranshaw Way. He said North Liberty's land use in that area is "healthy" but demand is weaker the farther north you move from that intersection.
"It's remained vacant for all these years, so the demand hasn't been met yet," Rusnak said.
Lientz advised the City Council that tabling the motion would present some difficulties while proceeding with the proposal wouldn't "hurt anybody's feelings," noting that the city has a great relationship with the Meade family.
"These are savvy folks that understand we are operating under what we think is the city's best interests and you're making the best decision you can with the information you have available," he said.
Hoffman said that, while he doesn't get to vote on the resolution as mayor, he thinks development is more likely to the south of the land and didn't think it would make much difference if the City Council tabled the resolution.
"I don't think there is better space identified in this part of the city that is better-suited for a park than this space right here," he said.
The four city councilmembers present passed the resolution unanimously.
More: Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Christina Bohannan look to make inroads in conservative Warren County
City Council moves forward with Westside Fire Station plans despite landowner worries
The land for the proposed fire station is north of St. Andrews Drive and Centennial Park, adjacent to a single-family home subdivision. The larger 40-acre parcel of land is owned by Harold Cameron, according to Johnson County property records.
The 2021 assessed value is just over $60,000. The city is only seeking to purchase four acres in the southeast corner of the lot.
North Liberty City Administrator Ryan Heiar said the city has been looking to build a new fire station on the west side of town for "quite some time" and has evaluated sites along Kansas Avenue and St. Andrews Drive.
"We also wanted to find a site that ... was big enough to accommodate what we know we're going to need immediately and what we anticipate needing down the road," he said.
Heiar said the city knows that area will be mostly residential in the future and wants to minimize the effects on the neighborhoods. He said the city likes it being directly across the street from the park in addition to the potential to have a "clearing house" or an area for residents to gather when there are big events.
Cameron, who lives in Iowa City, showed up Tuesday to ask questions about the project. He said he was first approached around August last year by the fire chief and Heiar.
Cameron said an earlier proposal would place the fire station on his land nearer to North Bend Elementary and questioned this placement because kids would likely "jump up to the window" every time an emergency vehicle would leave.
He said he was concerned about the location of the proposal near the Harvest Estates neighborhood to the east and suggested it should be moved farther west.
He said the latest proposal came after the parcel to the west was deemed difficult to develop.
"That's why the location came to my doorstep," he said.
Heiar told Cameron that the city wanted to be sure the site was big enough to accommodate an ambulance.
He said the city has also held informal conversations with Johnson County Emergency Management about potentially having another facility in this location for them. He said the challenge is that EMA needed a building there much sooner than the city would be able to construct anything.
Cameron said it is a "pretty large site" just for a fire station without Johnson County being involved.
City Engineer Kevin Trom pointed out to Cameron that the city wants to buy a small site that doesn't cost too much, but is also big enough for storm water management.
"We feel this one will be best for our fire service and something that we can move on in terms of getting a project going in the next couple years," Heiar said.
More: Coralville avoids ACLU lawsuit by modifying panhandling ban. Here's what new ordinance says.
George Shillcock is the Press-Citizen's local government and development reporter covering Iowa City and Johnson County. He can be reached at (515) 350-6307, GShillcock@press-citizen.com and on Twitter @ShillcockGeorge
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: North Liberty looks to add new park and fire station for growing city
