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“We hope this sustainablecommunities pilot will help us

learn how to bring new life tocommunities while preservingthe environment. We especiallypraise the city for their efforts.Local government makes thekey land use decisions.”  – KarlBrooks, EPA Region 7Administrator  

EPA Region 7

Iowa City, Iowa: From Disaster to Redevelopment - A New Neighborhood 

Fall 2013

Background

Iowa City is located in east central Iowa

with a population of 68,000. It is home

to the University of Iowa, which hasmore than 30,000 students. The Iowa

River flows through the center of the

city and the University of Iowa campus. In 2008, extensive flooding

impacted many areas of eastern Iowa, including portions of Iowa

City which was declared a national disaster area by the Federal

Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In 2009, the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was tasked by FEMA to

provide technical assistance to Iowa City and five other cities in

eastern Iowa as they embarked on the sustainable redevelopment of areas

impacted by the flooding. The initial technical assistance provided by EPA

included a Transportation Policy Options Memo, Market Study Overview,

and initial urban design options for the flood-impacted areas in the

Riverfront Crossings District (RCD), all of which helped motivate the city to

apply for additional technical assistance from EPA. The first project team

after the flood included consultants from ICF International, Nelson/Nygaard

Associates, and Dover Kohl. The Rebuild Iowa Office and Iowa Economic

Development Authority were also involved in the initial flood recovery grant

from EPA.

EPA Technical Assistance and Partners 

In 2010, Iowa City was selected by EPA as one of five communities in the U.S. to receive technical assistance as an

EPA Brownfield Pilot Project under the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. Through this Pilot, the project

team focused on a nearly 10-square-block area in the southwest part of the RCD that consisted primarily of underutilized industrial and commercial properties.

Consulting teams from SRA International, Inc., and HDR, Inc., all provided technical

assistance to the project team. The project team included staff from the City of 

Iowa City Departments of Planning, Transportation, Public Works, Parks and

Recreation, the Johnson County Council of Governments, and EPA Region 7.

Support was also provided by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)

Brownfields program, the Rebuild Iowa Office, and the Iowa Economic

Development Authority. Support partners for the brownfield grant included

representatives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

and Department of Transportation, as well as the IDNR Brownfields program. 

The goal of the Pilot was to create a plan to help transition the RCD into a more pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use

neighborhood, with a new riverfront park to minimize future flood damage and more sustainable transportation

options. The Pilot was conducted between August 2010 and April 2011, and included the development of three

key products:  Brownfields Inventory

  RCD Sub-Area Plan  Design guidelines and zoning code recommendations 

The inventory provided a framework for identifying brownfield sites and a strategy for acquiring resources for

assessment, cleanup and technical assistance.

Flood-impacted wastewater treatment plant in Iowa City

Project team discusses Sub-Area Plan

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“EPA technical assistance was helpful in many ways.It got us to get the ball rolling, so to speak, and thinkabout development and the river in a different way,and think about infill differently as well. Overall, theworkshop and other technical assistance were verypositive.”  – Karen Howard, City Planner of Iowa City

The Sub-Area Plan was based on six key goals:• Develop a mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented district

• Create a resilient riverfront park system

• Enhance Ralston Creek to become a community asset

• Develop a multi-modal transportation network

• Create a network of green streets

• Promote sustainable design practices

During the flooding, the city’s North Wastewater TreatmentPlant, located in the RCD, was inundated. The Sub-Area Plan

recommended that the plant be relocated and its location

redeveloped into a riverfront park including constructed

wetlands. The wetlands will absorb floodwaters, provide a

variety of public space along with access to the river, and be

a prototype for sustainable stormwater management. The

possibility of high-speed rail and light-rail service within the

RCD is also being considered. The former Rock Island

Railroad passenger station, just north of the Pilot area, has

the potential to be a stop on the high-speed rail connection being considered from Omaha to Chicago. The

technical assistance also included creating a set of design guidelines and zoning code recommendations focusingon land use, building height, frontages and setbacks, parking, and landscaping and sidewalks.

Actions Taken by the City of Iowa City Since the Pilot

  Used local ($120,000) and state funding ($50,000) to hire HDR, Inc., to expand the Sub-Area Plan to include

downtown and an additional 275 acres of land in the RCD on both sides of the Iowa River.

  Expanded Sub-Area Plan includes more bike lanes and routes, expanded bus service, and access to park.

  Secured local, state, and federal funding ($55+ million) to construct replacement wastewater treatment facilities in a

location away from the Iowa River. Once the new plant is completed in 2014, the North Wastewater Treatment Plant

will be decommissioned and removed to make way for the new riverfront park.

  Secured “Smart Growth Planning” and “Great Places Growth” funding from the State of Iowa. 

  Working with local and state partners toward goal of high-speed rail service from Omaha to Chicago along the Iowa

Interstate rail line that runs through Iowa City, with a future stop in Riverfront Crossings at the historic Rock Island

Rail Depot; continued long-term planning for local light rail service and commuter service to Cedar Rapids.

  Drafted a form-based zoning code, which will be a catalyst for mixed-use development and multi-modal

transportation in RCD.

  Received an EPA Urban Waters grant to redesign a dam in the Iowa River and expand the riverfront area near the

RCD. This grant was the catalyst for an additional city expenditure of $360,000 on design and engineering of the

expanded area. 

Expansion of bike paths Enhanced riverfront access Old waste water treatment building

For More Information 

EPA Contact: David Doyle, EPA Region 7, Lenexa, KS doyle.david@epa.gov

U.S. EPA Office of Sustainable Communities www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/iowa_techasst.htm 

U.S. EPA Office of Brownfields & Land Revitalization www.epa.gov/brownfields 

Artist rendering of Riverfront Crossings Sub-Area

Old train station to be rehabbed