- Are you for or against the "One University Place" development project?
St Andrew has been an important part of University Heights for fifty years. It’s fine with me if they decide not to move. But in the event they do decide to move, the next use of this parcel needs to be a tax paying proposition. There has been much discussion about what type of project should be supported here, but the city does not set the value of the property and the value of the property will drive the type of development.
We have all heard that Maxwell has offered the church $4 million dollars for this property. The “One University Place” development is based on this value. At the present time the final design is still not decided. There have been many changes made to the original plan, many of them at the request of the community such as the height of the building, the setback, the number of units, the number of parking spaces.
When the plans for the “One University Place” development are agreed upon by the developer, the council and members of the public, I will be for this project. I did not come to this decision lightly. I gave it a lot of thought. Like it or not, our community is at a turning point. I want the University Heights of the future to be a vibrant and independent community and I feel that the One University Place development will help us reach this goal.
- What kind of development is appropriate at the St. Andrew church site?
An appropriate development will use sustainable building designs and practices.
An appropriate development will pay property taxes.
An appropriate development will include commercial space that attracts and caters to University Heights residents and to the residents of the development.
An appropriate development includes a community space that is made available for residents to use.
An appropriate development will include a place for the city to conduct the public’s business.
An appropriate development will have outdoor public space.
An appropriate development is one that will help University Heights remain independent.
- Are you in favor of TIF financing for development at the St. Andrew church site?
TIF financing has been around since 1952 and there are TIF laws on the books of 48 states and the District of Columbia. I am not in favor of TIF financing that involves selling bonds and using the proceeds to incentivize a developer. It’s risky, especially for a city like ours that has a low constitutional debt ceiling. Being risk averse, I prefer funding on the “pay-as-you-go” basis. Under this method the developer finances the cost of improvements and constructs the improvements. In this way, the developer bears the risk that sufficient tax increments are generated to pay project costs.
A TIF must benefit the city too, not just a developer. We need a good analysis of our financial situation and projection of upcoming needs before a final decision on the amount of TIF is made. This will include knowing the cost of the improvements that benefit the city if the city were to finance them.
Like the final design we do not have a final TIF proposal. I think we need to be firm in any of the future TIF negotiations. I for one am not entirely in favor of the TIF revenues being used to incentivize residential. But on the other hand I do believe that we need to negotiate for development that provides benefits for the community, for example the Melrose/Sunset intersection and a community space. A united council can do a lot of negotiating when it comes to the TIF proposal. We want to maintain the upper hand in these negotiations.
How do you view the financial condition of University Heights and how would you monitor and make adjustments in the future, if necessary?Are you in favor of the City using the PUD process, development agreement, TIF and/or other means as a way to prevent ownership of the church property by a tax-exempt entity?
As I see it, the only way the city could guarantee that the St Andrew property not become tax exempt is if the city is the owner of that property and then sells it to a developer. Otherwise the city has no control over who an owner sells a property to. It is not the city’s business to interfere with any owner’s right to buy and sell property.
The city also can’t restrict the sale of residential property. If we could, wouldn’t we prohibit the sale of property to non-residents? If we could do that, we could have avoided some of the negative impacts that rental housing has had in our community.
I’m surprised when I hear people say the city shouldn’t have let the University buy the Athletic Club. What was the city supposed to do? When a buyer and a seller agree on a price, real estate changes hands.
If the city enters into a financial arrangement with a developer (such as TIF) this is the place to restrict a transfer to tax-exempt status.
We should be more concerned about the church property becoming owned by a tax-exempt entity before we have an agreement with the developer.
- How do you view the financial condition of University Heights and how would you monitor and make adjustments in the future, if necessary? Do you think city services and city infrastructure are adequate in University Heights?
For another year we’ll be pretty flush because we’re banking $10,000 a month from the local option sales tax. There’s no guarantee that this will be extended beyond next year. There is a lot of anti-tax sentiment in the country these days and the last LOST election was pretty close in Iowa City. I’ll be surprised if LOST is reauthorized.
I hope none of you put much faith in that initial “viability” report from Terry Lockridge and Dunn that was presented at the September 13th council meeting. It used inflated growth patterns which resulted in showing a cash balance of almost $900,000 in 2026.
Their second analysis which was based on more accurate assumptions and more precise data shows that the city runs out of money in either 2022 or 2024.
It is apparent to me that the first thing that the new council should do is get an accurate analysis of our financials. Then we need to agree on a plan that can address the future. While historical data can be of some benefit it is rarely used by other cities when setting budgets. When I talked to financial administrators in Johnson County cities I learned that they don’t rely on data more than 3 years old.
I believe that our current services and infrastructure are adequate but if that is the case we certainly do not want to cut them and make them inadequate. Each expenditure must be carefully reviewed.
I realize that one of our major costs is our law enforcement but how many of us want to cut one of the only services that the city directly provides for its citizens? I remember the Bob and Garry days but times have changed, policing has changed and the community has changed. I think a strong and professional police presence is one of the great assets of University Heights.
- What are your favorite things about University Heights?
One of my favorite things about University Heights is the street I live on, Ridgeview Avenue.
I’ve lived in enough neighborhoods to realize that it’s not the name or the location of a place that makes it special, but rather the people. I look at the street I live on as an example. Our Ridgeview address is one of the few similarities we share, other than that as individuals we’re a great bunch of people. I bet most of you could say the same thing about your block too.
Another favorite thing is the sense of safety that I feel in University Heights. I’ve never lived anywhere where I didn’t feel safe though I’ve been places where I didn’t feel safe. I feel very safe here. I take it for granted until I hear someone say they can’t remember the last time they saw a police car on their street and I know I see one every day. I’m grateful that they recognize us, that they know our children and they even know the pets that we walk.
