Oskaloosa City Council Hears Presentation On Housing
Oskaloosa City Hall
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Oskaloosa City Council met in regular session on Monday, August 6, 2018, where they heard from Andrew Jensen, Development Services Director for the City of Oskaloosa.
Jensen lead the discussion with the council on the progress made in regards to the 2015 Housing Action Plan, which passed the council in August of 2015.
The plan included four broad goals that included; improving the quality of existing housing stock, bring the appearance up of the community through better maintenance of homes, improve housing options for current and prospective employees, and to reduce the barriers for home builders and developers.
Jensen told the council that much of the plan has been implemented , but there remains “much work to be done.”
The rental inspection program is part of the broader initiative the council has taken to improve the housing of the residents of Oskaloosa.
Other steps being taken to allow the building of new housing in areas of Oskaloosa has included work by Planning and Zoning to make it easier to build on nonconforming lots in earlier sections of the community.
Recent announcements of new subdivisions and the work with developers to make new housing options available were also highlighted by Jensen.
Continued work to bring downtown housing has taken place, and another recent study indicated the need for more downtown living options. “This is done mainly with Main Street. They have a good relationship with the downtown property owners,” said Jensen.
Jensen said that meetings with builders and contractors have taken place, in step with MCDG (Mahaska County Development Group), to continue those discussions “to make sure we are in good communication and responsive to what their needs are, and their ideas to what they are seeing in the housing market.”
Jensen said that when it comes to improving existing housing stock to enhance the quality of life and increase median home value by twenty percent, “We have seen a big increase in the value of homes. That really reflects home values across the country, and certainly across Iowa as well.”
Another goal was to increase owner-occupied housing, said Jensen. “It had been at about 56%, we are up over 57%”, says Jensen of the goal to hit 60% by 2020.
With the rental inspection program, many former rentals are now contract sales, and the increase “may be unintended consequences of that rental inspection program of pushing more homes to contract sales,” added Jensen.
Making the community appear better through the maintenance of homes was the next subject Jensen touched on. “The goal stated was to reduce the number of dilapidated houses along arterial and collective roadways by 50%.”
No baseline data was collected on this, Jensen explained. “What we have in anecdotal data.”
Jensen said that along A Avenue, the city has taken down a number of “rough homes, and really cleaned up the community in many ways, and made some developable lots,” which may be more suitable for commercial development in the future.
“I would have to say not everything is an unqualified success,” said Jensen of the city’s efforts.
In regards to increasing the number of housing units by 250, which came from the 2012 housing study done by the University of Iowa.
“It’s a little difficult to show exactly how we’re meeting this. So we’ve constructed 132 units since 2012,” said Jensen. “So that’s good. We’re moving it in the right direction. “At the same time, we’ve demolished 114 units. So the net gain is not very much.”
“Significant progress in the right direction,” Jensen said. “Although, we’re certainly not hitting that 250 units.”
“There are some big projects that could substantially move us towards that goal,” added Jensen.
Reducing barriers to home builders is something Jensen also touched on. “How can we reduce the regulatory hurdles where appropriate for builders.”
According to Jensen, they have reduced ordinances on the zoning side, “to allow more infill and duplex development.”
Those changes also included modification to the subdivision code, as well stating they have increased administrative processes for “turn around time,” added Jensen.
“Taking some significant action to allow new homes to go up where appropriate,” added Jensen.
The council then approved a resolution approving a traffic study along the Highway 92, Highway 63, and Highway 23 corridors.
A 2016 study by Snyder & Associates to consider actions to improve traffic efficiency and safety, minimize traffic delays and congestion; and allow for future planning, including some short term and long term recommendations that include:
Update traffic signal timings and coordinated signal plans by the time of day for all signalized intersections. At A Avenue and Market Street, remove existing protected left turn signal phasing for A Avenue. Remove the existing traffic signal and install stop control on Highway 23 and 3rd Avenue.
Long-term improvements could include an upgrade of A Avenue traffic signals to fully actuated signals at L Street, Market Street, 1st Street, 3rd Street, and 11th Street, including pedestrian push buttons.
Convert A Avenue into a three-lane with a continuous left turn lane from Highway 432 to east corporate limits. Market Street changes would include changing four-lane cross section and two-lane cross sections to 3 lane cross sections with continuous left turn lane from 16th Avenue to 2nd Avenue.
The plan would be to also install fully actuated traffic signals at the intersections of C Avenue and Market Street, as well as 15th Avenue and Market Street.
The council approved the study unanimously.
The next council meeting will be August 20th, 2018 at 6 pm at the Oskaloosa City Hall.
