The Muscatine City Council will be asked to approve a $1.3 million contract with Cornerstone Commercial Contractors for the Downtown Revitalization Project during the Council meeting Thursday, October 19. The Council will also conduct public hearings on a proposed new City board and City owned real estate.
The public is welcomed and encouraged to attend the City Council meeting that begins at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, 215 Sycamore St., Muscatine.
Several options are available for those who want to watch the proceedings but cannot attend in person. The City Council meeting will be broadcast live on the City of Muscatine YouTube channel and on Civic-TV (Muscatine Power & Water Cable Channel 2). A virtual option is also available for those who want to watch on their desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Information on joining the virtual session is listed below.
Each year the Iowa Economic Development Association (IEDA) allocates Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to the Downtown Revitalization (DTR) Program to assist communities in improving the attractiveness of their core business district. Community Development Director Jodi-Royal Goodwin said that this was primarily a façade program that required defining a target area with at least 25 percent of the buildings in fair or poor condition.
The north side of the 200 block of East 2nd street was selected as the target area where a façade project would have the most impact. The City Council approved the application for a DTR grant at its Oct. 10, 2022, meeting, and a grant award of $650,000 was accepted by City Council at its March 16, 2023, meeting. There is no impact to the General Fund as the expenses will be paid with grant funds, tax increment funds allocated to the downtown façade program, and private investment.
The first public hearing Thursday concerns the proposed establishment of a Construction Appeal and Advisory Board. Assistant Community Development Director Andrew Fangman said that the development, administration, and implementation of building codes would be more effective with a dedicated board of qualified community members appointed by the City Council. The board would have knowledge, training, and experience relating to building construction, would be responsible for hearing appeals of actions, determinations, or decisions made under the building codes, and for making recommendations on amendments to the adopted building codes. The first reading of an ordinance establishing this Board will be read later in the Council meeting.
The second public hearing is on a proposal to declare four parcels of City owned property as surplus and to affirm that 35 other parcels have been previously declared as surplus. The four proposed properties have no proposed public use and would be disposed of through a closed bid process. The properties are located at 713 Locust, 409 East 6th Street, 2456 Sampson Street, and 1246 East 5th Street. A resolution declaring the properties as surplus and approving the sale of the properties will be voted on later in the meeting.
Information on the other agenda items can be found by clicking AGENDA to download a PDF version of the City Council agenda and/or attachments.
Muscatine City Council Meeting | Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (CDT)
Join the virtual Zoom meeting from your computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone by clicking the following link: Muscatine City Council Meeting.
Meeting ID: 825 5169 1259
Passcode: 927879