Planning and Zoning Commission - Regular Meeting

Okay. Okay. It's 5:32. I'd like to call the meeting to order, please. Roll call. Kger here. Johnson here. Mavis. Molen here. ODM here. Riggs is here. Sardids here. Whitten here. Right. Uh, is there any public comment? And I don't mean on each specific public hearing item. You'll have an opportunity to speak on that. But if you have any other public comment on this time, you're welcome to come up. Hearing none. Uh, we have approval of the February 4th, 2026 meeting minutes. Is there a motion to motion?

Second. Motion by Whitten, second by Sarids. I might make just one comment. There were some quite a few issues that came up a good discussion that occurred. Um, and this I don't normally say that but I wish the minutes might be a little more detailed because one of the last points on the thing that we were discussing so they said then after the vote there were some discussion among the commission with good ideas

and none of them were recorded. And so if I if people in the council got the minutes they would say but that's interesting. I wonder what ideas came up and they're not in there. So I guess if there'd be a way just a little when there's clearly an issue seems controversial or whatever and if their ideas come out for the commission maybe a little bit more detailed coverage. Is there anything you'd like to add to the last month's? No, that be that would be too extensive. That just it's a suggestion for the future. Sounds good. Okay, we have a motion by witness, second by Sards, and there's been discussion. All those in favor say I. I. Opposed?

Motion carries. There's no old business. So, we'll move into the public hearings. The first public hearing is 2026. Public hearing request from Mary Gordon to consider a use authorization from the Rock Island zoning ordinance for property at 70220 Street in an R2 two-unit residential district. Ununice. Um so this request is for um a use authorization. Um there'll be eight separate sleeping units. The applicant proposes to rent out seven of those to um tenants and occupy the eighth unit herself. Um the kitchen and living areas will be shared amongst the residents and each tenant will have access to a private bathroom. Um just based off of um the international building code staff believed the the request is in line with um congregate living arrangements as defined in the international building code. Even though in the zoning ordinances says um boarding and lodging houses should come before the commission for authorization. Um staff believed if it fell under that category, hence the use authorization um request. Um the property is also a landmark property um within the Broadway Historic District. So this went before the Historic Preservation Commission for review and for comment. Um there was a lot of discussion on the use of the property. Um some commissioners in the historic preservation um did not agree with staff's um recommendation for approval, but um they also made a motion or made a suggestion that instead of a use authorization, a uh a special use permits be given to the property in that um if there's any new owners

um is it would be subject to review and in that special use permits the stipulation would be that it is owner occupied at all times. Staff believe all the three conditions for approving a use authorization had been met and um um we recommend that the planners running commission make make an approval for this request.

Thank you. Unice. Is there anyone in the audience who wishes to speak in favor of this item? Is the applicant here? Yeah. Would you like to say anything in favor of the request?

Okay. Is there anyone in the audience that would like to speak against this? Oh, excuse me. Okay. We do have an interested party list. Can I have the names? Uh, if we can go first with the U interested parties is Ernie C. I don't know if I'm okay. Thanks. Sorry. Thanks. How do you say your last name, sir? Ernie Chos. Chihos. Thank you. That was close.

It's Polish. I apologize. Uh, first off, my name is Ernie Chos. I live at 73520th Street, the Worshshire Apartments, uh, that I own and live in. And I just want to give a little background of myself and I do have some questions for Miss Gordon and the plans and how she plans to run the property. So, I guess I I'll just get started. I'm a third generation landlord. Uh, I grew up in downtown Chicago on Ashlin Division. Was growing up in Chicago from the 70s through the early 2000s. So, I got to see a lot of how that city worked. And because I lived downtown, I had a great experience with a lot of great different uh, diverse people. Uh, and I moved to Quad Cities in the early 2000s. And since then, I've owned properties throughout Rock Island. I own three different properties, multi-units. Uh I live within a few hundred feet of 702 and I have lived there probably for nine years now. And I guess the what I want to do is ask Miss Gordon a few questions in regards to her background in running a boarding house like this one. Also, what is the screening criteria that will be used for these tenants? I know personally at least four different households who have children between the ages of five and 15. So, that it'll be very important to me because I myself run background checks at all my tenants before they move in. And since these tenants sound like they're going to be more transitory and not have really ties to the neighborhood, my question is, you know, how are we going to determine when things go ary? and they will go ary because I've seen this over and over in

Chicago in the 70s and 80s growing up because these tend to escalate into whether it's a situation where you get tired of running the building, the cost of running the building or just because life happens and someone else takes over that doesn't have the same spirit that you may have when running this building. What's the city planning to do when this happens? Because I've seen too many times where these buildings turned into something more than just short-term rentals and then the city doesn't really want to deal with it or the police do don't really want to deal with it. But who gets stuck with it are all the tenants that are around the building to do so. And that would be predominantly what I would like to know. Um, and that would pretty much be all I would have to ask Miss Gordon right now. So if that's allowed in the record.

Yeah. As an as an interested party, you are able to ask questions of the applicant. So you can go ahead. So I guess my first question is what what kind of screening are you going to do with these tenants that you're going to allow to move in? Yeah. Just a little bit of my background. I've been dealing in the real estate business for 50 plus years. Sir, can you come up to the microphone? Yeah. So we can hear you. And can you state your name too for the record, please? William Bill Gordon.

Thanks. Um, this is my mother, Mary. We've been in the rental business. Myself, I've been in for 50 plus years. She's the one that taught me what I what I know. I've got several rental properties in Rock Island, Dampport, Molen. Um, I've been dealing with city of Rock Island for probably the last 25 27 years. Um, we have a an application. We run a background check on all of them. This is not a I guess what I just want to say this. They have a one-year lease. These are not I mean it's short term, but it's a one-year lease just like all my other properties are run. Uh there's an application. I give it to my attorney. They run through background checks. Um you know, right up front, you know, no serious felonies, no ch child, anything involving a child, things of that nature. are screened right off the bat before they ever, you know, then we address have an interview with them and it goes from there. Um, and like I said, most of them are elder or older, you know, disabled maybe. So, I mean, they're looking for like a long-term it's it's long term. It's not just a short term.

Okay. That was under your question. That's that. So, I mean, that was the main one I had. I mean, so I mean, as far as the background checks and then I mean, I was under the impression it was going to be shorter term. So, my thought process was if it is going to be shorter term, you know, I understand some people want to help the homeless or help people who are having trouble. My my thing with that is a lot of times, you know, you're dealing with mental illness, things like that. What's your qualifications in dealing with that? Things like that. So, I mean, you can see how this can escalate into no one really wants in their neighborhood, right? If

No, and I fully I mean I understand because we have been approached by some agencies, whatever, which there's nobody there at this time. My mother is a registered psychiatric nurse. So, just for future reference, she's retired a long time ago. But yeah, but I mean, no, that's that's not what we're designed for. This is just long-term rentals. It's not a, you know, halfway house or what have you, which that works for me, then. Okay. All right. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Um, there's another interested party, Jeremy Craftton. Would you like to speak? Yes. You're Mary. I'm Mary.

Hi, Mary. I'm Jeremy Crafton. I'm your neighbor at 72519th Street. Are you already living in the house? I'm sorry. My amplifier went dead. I didn't have time to even get what I'm We'll we'll let William answer the questions for you. I was asking if you were living in the house yet. Are you living there? Yes. Okay.

All right. I'll be okay with William answering some questions. Um, watching the preservation commission talk about this and reading stuff that I received, uh, it's coming across as a business proposal. So, I have some businessminded questions as someone that's not as business savvy. And I just want to make sure that things that I would have thought about are being thought about by people that are going to use a home next door to me as a business. Who owns the home? I do.

Okay. So, the application was submitted under Mary's name. Mary will live in the home. So, who's really running the business? Is she sublenting the home and reporting all of the income on her taxes or is it going to go under a business of yours? Basically, I'm paying the bills. She's living there. So, she's managing it, running it, you know. been doing it for about 10 years. It was her idea.

I I wanted the house 35 years ago. I came back to visit him, saw it was I thought, "Oh, man." So, it's one way for me to get to live in that house. And Miss Parker Parker is thrilled to death, too.

I totally understand that. I just want to make sure that if it becomes a nuisance property in the future, we've had problems with rental properties where we can't trace down who owns the property and we don't know what the situation is. So, if it becomes a problem, is Mary the person that has to answer or is William the person that has to answer? And Mary has applied for the resoning, but William owns the home. It just seems to be a little bit sticky in that situation. I love the idea of you living in the home by me, Mary. I I love that. And I love the idea of being able to find a way to bring in some income so that you can afford to live in the home. I'm on board with that. And I I I want to find a way for all of us to work together. And I look forward to having you as a neighbor and I hope that you can keep that home and stay there. We just have concerns. Um, so some of the questions I think were answered previously. Mary, will you own another home in your name or under an LLC that you operate?

Do I own one that's under an LLC? Okay. She has a home in Florida. Okay. So, will Mary be here in the Quad Cities 12 months a year or is she what they call a snowbird and she'll go down there? I've been here all winter for going on two years now. So, I'm assuming she stay. Okay. She does have a home down there that she leads us out. I'm sorry to interrupt. Please use the mic if you can because we're streaming it on YouTube so no one will be able to hear you if they're watching it if you're not speaking into the mic. Okay. So the home in Florida is rented out right now? Yes. Okay. So right now you don't have the option to go back down there.

No, not until I won't be going until to visit. And if down there if she were to, you know, go down there for, you know, a month or whatever. I live here, have lived here. I'm not going anywhere, you know, and I can oversee, you know, the short term that she's gone. Is this home insured as a business, a rental, or an owner occupied property? As a it's just owned as a residence. Who's going to do all the yard work? I am. You I own a company, Kimble Complete Care. Okay. So,

the property, as you can see, we've done quite a bit of work there already. Yes. In the yard, I I have be more. And do you guys have a yard waste card out there? Do you have a plan with all those trees? Your property has a very unique number of trees compared to all the other houses on the neighborhood. That's my job. Okay. We I have a suck a leaf sucker truck and have a crew that takes care of all that and we haul it off. Have you guys written up a list of house rules that have been made for your future tenants? Did you bring the house rules with you if you've already written a list?

House rules. They have to sign that. Yes, definitely. And they know we don't have it. I'll put them out if they don't. But you've already thought of it and you have a list of house rules. Listen. And they sign it as part of their lease. Will you allow the tenants to have air fryers, microwaves, carriages inside their private rooms? No, there it's in a It's got a kitchen up there. I had a kitchen installed up there. There was at one time there was one there and I just turned it back into a community kitchen. They have a microwave in the kitchen. No stove. Is the room rate 650 per month?

Is the room what? 650 a month. One is the There's one 550 uh one 650 and the rest of them are six. It's because one room is small, one's real big, and the rest of them are equal. And there are seven rooms. Yes. Eight and counting yours. Mine downstairs. Okay. I also have a bedroom, a guest bedroom downstairs, but nobody only my company. Does that rate include all utilities and or Wi-Fi?

It includes everything. Furniture, Wi-Fi, water, gas, everything. Okay. When I looked online and I looked at the taxes, I saw that there was a senior freeze and a senior exemption and an owner occupied. I assume if William owns the property and isn't living there that all of that is going to be lost within a year or two when you guys did your budget did you plan for that increase?

Yes. And we were not I mean before we ever closed I was notified I mean I knew ahead of time and my attorney took care of you know informing to me and the bank that you know that will all be addressed when it's re-evaluated. Do you have a capital improvement plan or property maintenance plan already developed? Do you have a yearly amount that you anticipate spending based on that plan? And do you have a budget set aside for the current rotted wood outside of the house?

Yes. Are these I mean just just a personal question. I mean, this seems to be a little bit abnormal.

You'll understand after I'm done with my questions why I got into it like this. The city of Rock Island is proposing that your home is a business. So, the people that live in Broadway want to make sure that you can run a business. And while you can sit here and tell me about yourself, I don't know who you are and I don't know about Kimble. So, I just wanted to ask a few basic questions to ensure that you can run a business because this document says your house is not a house, that your house is a business.

I I I don't know that that's actually accurate. I think it's a it's a rental since the terms, but I I don't know that it actually says it's a business.

I'm not the smartest person in the world. So, the way that I interpreted it was that All right, we'll just move on. I have no further questions for them. I don't want this to feel like I'm trying to attack them. I like Mary. I don't like the perception here that one person has bought a property and another person has applied to reszone the property. I have three rebuttals to the city's three bullets from this document that was online under the memorandum. Uh to save time because there's plenty of people here to number one, the property in question. Single family homes are not income generating by default. Yet, the city staff appears to be evaluating this property as if it was a commercial investment. Zoning regulations are not designed to guarantee investor profitability, nor does the city set home prices to ensure returns from rental activity. Number two, I'm talking about the three bullets, the plight. The claimed hardship arises from the owner's decision to purchase a home without regard for its zoning limitations while intending to use it as an income producing property. This is self-created. It's not caused by zoning. Homes in the Broadway area are well known for their larger size and flexible room configurations. features are common being this large and this many bathrooms rather than exceptional. I use my home as a threebedroom, but the next person that

comes and lives there could easily use my home as a 7bedroom home. And the third bullet that I dispute is this property is located in the Broadway district, not the downtown area. the district. The distinct boundaries between the zones exist for a reason, and the staff's analysis appears to blur those established lines, potentially altering the character of the neighborhood. City staff seems to be treating the single family home as a business, in my opinion, rather than a residence. If evaluated from a true business model perspective, maximizing profit would involve a BNB or a modern Airbnb. A maximum return, as so many times a return was brought up in here, a maximum return on this property would have seven bedrooms rented for $75 per night for 15 nights a month. That's a 50% vacancy rate and it would yield 7,700 $7,875 per month, significantly more than the monthly rate of root renting rooms. monthly. The There's wording in here that makes me feel like the monthly room rentals are being framed as affordable housing, yet sustainable affordability typically requires nonprofit or government involvement. Private individuals must prioritize adequate revenue to maintain and reinvest in a property. Short-term rentals like Airbnb, they offer accountability through reviews. If you're not maintaining the property, you're not cleaning it, you're going to have bad reviews and people are going to stop coming.

With long-term rooming situations, if the property is not properly taken care of, we are relying on hope. There's no structure. And as the people sitting here today know, the city's not going to come help us when it's not maintained. They're going to say their hands are tied. And in a situation where someone owns the property and someone else is applying to reszone the property, it it can get sticky. The return, and I want to use that word because too many times I saw the word return in this document, the return on all single family homes around this home are equally important as the return on their home. I'm not saying I don't want you, Mary. I like you already. Haven't had to talk to you. I'm saying a permanent reszoning was inappropriate to ever have been brought forward. And I think that many people would be more receptive to a special use permit that has to be renewed.

Thank you, Mr. Croftton. Uh going then down in the list there. Yeah, I think they're all here on that probably. I thought uh the next person that's on the list is Brian Pshell. Puchell Potchell. Sorry. Thank you.

Brian Patchel. Uh I'm the owner of 8:16 20th Street just uh down the block and I restored the house next door to my own at 82420th Street and I'm here to speak in opposition of granting a special exe exemption to operate a boarding house at 702 20th Street. Um this property property has a very specific history in our neighborhood. The previous owners, the Parkers lived in the home for more than 80 years. Uh when the city approved the bed and breakfast uh exemption for the Parkers, it reflected who they were. Uh they were long-term stable, known residents, uh always in the home when the with with the bed and breakfast residents. Um and they uh they had a good record of uh stewardship within the neighborhood. Uh it was also a low impact use with short-term guests and minimal risk to the neighborhood. Uh bed and breakfast is is fundamentally different from a boarding house. A BNB serves short-term visitors typically with higher incomes who stay with for a few nights. Uh the average occupancy is relatively low. If a guest is disruptive, they simply leave. There's no eviction process. no long long-term tenency and no ongoing impact to the neighborhood. Um, this is why the zoning codes treat the B&Bs and and uh boarding houses as distinct different categories. A boarding house is the opposite. in involves long-term residents, higher density, more people, more cars, uh lower income occupants, and the very real possibility of eviction when

problems arise. Um it creates a different level of risk for the neighborhood and a much higher level of responsibility for the operator. These differences are exactly why the the boarding code separates these uses u and why the neighborhood intentionally downzoned away from highdensity lowincome boarding houses and apartments. When this property was sold, any request for a boarding house exemption really should have gone through planning and zoning as a condition of the sale, not after. um if the viability of the sale depended upon the income from the boarding house, that should have been evaluated openly and with public notice. Uh so the city could determine whether such exe exemption was appropriate and necessary. Um and that process would protect both buyers and and neighbors. Granting a new boarding house exemption today, especially without occupancy of the owner being assured or required, undermines the purpose of the resoning that was adopted to stabilize property values in our neighborhood. Uh protecting longer term investment and uh to ensure predictable land use expectations for residents. Uh a special exemption like this should not run with the property. uh it should be tied to the specific owner whose conduct, president's known history and accountability uh justify the exception. Um that does not appear to exist and I'm a little bit confused as to how that would work here. Allowing a long-term highdensity boarding house at this location would introduce significant risk to the neighborhood. Uh it would set a precedence precedence that weakens the

zoning protections that residents rely on when making significant investments in property. And for these reasons, I respectfully ask the commission to deny the special exemption. And I don't know if anybody I know there's a number of residents here from the neighborhood if they want to stand up. If they're in agreement, I would ask that they do that. Thank you. Thank you.

Uh Brandy G, did you want to speak as well? Okay. And then Bill and M Mary Gordon are on the list. Is there anything else you wanted to add that that hasn't already been said? I'd just like to say a couple words. Sure. Just to address. Um and I have a question. It's at this present time it's R2A. Correct. It's R2 R2 and we're looking to go R2B. Um so for zone in a zone R2 the occupancy would be a different um from A or from 14A to 14B international from from the board or from the yes

breakfast to a boarding house is basically the only difference that we're making here. So correct. That'll be that'll be based on the international building code. So that'll be on the um inspections or rental side of things. But zoning will just look at what um district it falls under. Yeah. I just want to Yes,

that was a question that I had for myself, but I just would like to reiterate to the neighbors and everybody here that we've been doing this for well my whole life basically and majority of her life. Uh, we have several properties. I have properties in the Broadway district right now that are rentals and city comes in, they inspect my properties annually, every two years at least. I get noticed, they come in, they take care of it. Um, I pride myself on taking care of my properties, my tenants. No, numerous times. numerous times

few years back regarding I'm not going to get into that just because I mean I haven't that property burned down what 10 years ago 15 years ago so I I mean I I'm being a dead horse I guess I just want to say that no I've I've had properties in Rock Island I pride myself on my properties. I do not I mean city inspectors you can check with them. If they call me I address the issue immediately. So that's all I have to say. Thank you. Thank you sir. Uh Dylan Parker, would you like to speak?

Good evening everybody. My name is Dylan Parker. I live at 10:30 23rd Street in Rock Island in the Broadway Historic District. I also have the privilege of serving on Rock Island City Council. So, I usually sit in that seat uh here during city council meetings. So, the property in question is in the ward that I represent. So, I'm here both as a resident, the neighbor, and the older person whose ward is impacted by this decision. Start out by thanking you, the commissioners, and city staff for your commitment to our city. Uh it's a volunteer gig. um you get the privilege of deliberating and managing conflict in our community and that's sort of the nature of community, right? We all have our different perspectives, our different needs and wants and yet we all live in one big happy community together which uh we do we do our best to navigate disagreement and conflict and you're part of that. So, I appreciate you being here on a uh weekday evening volunteering your time for our city. And also, I want to say thank you to the new owners. Uh thank you for your investment in Rock Island's Fifth Ward. And uh I don't want that to be left unnoticed. Tonight, I am speaking in opposition to the specific item being considered by the commission this evening. I'm no stranger again to deliberating and managing complicated conflicting issues. I sit in that seat twice a month uh and I have for nearly nine years now where that's pretty much all we do is manage difficult complicated situations where people have different wants and perspectives. There is you you should take into consideration issues like personal

property rights. Um the owner of the building has certain rights to do things with their property. But that doesn't diminish the fact that we also have other things to take into consideration like historical context, like neighbors and how it impacts the greater community. Um, if you follow Rock Island local government, these are issues that this past year have been very front and center for the city council here in Rock Island is how do we balance these competing needs in our community? Uh, the historical context is important here, right? This neighborhood fought several decades ago to get the zoning that we have in our neighborhood for good reason. There are legitimate reasons to worry about opening the door to what this neighborhood experienced half a century ago, 75 years ago when GI vets were coming back from World War II and we were chopping up our beautiful historic mansions into multi-unit uh apartment buildings. It overall over the decades, while people may have had good intentions, the reality is it had a negative impact on our community. So much so that our neighborhood organized and said, "No, we're going to stop this. We want uh single family homes or duplexes." And that has stabilized our neighborhood. This is a specific sort of niche situation. It was a board a bed and breakfast, right? It is not the case that this is a previous single family home and is now being chopped up like many of our homes were into multipplex apartment building. Uh it sort of is already set up to this purpose and I think that's kind of what staff was getting at in their

recommendation to you all tonight that this is a unique situation. Uh ultimately however as decision makers while there may be valid points on multiple sides you do have to make a decision and again I have some familiarity with that. Uh the decision you make doesn't necessarily negate the valid points that the other side has but you do need to make a decision and again I encourage you to vote in opposition to what has been proposed here tonight. Uh, I do believe that there is a way, as has been expressed by some of my neighbors, for a compromise to be met here. Um, I hope the neighborhood has communicated that we are open to possibilities here, but we also want to feel safe and protected in our own community and have some uh control and guarantees about what's going on here. uh like the preservation commission which I attended that meeting as well. Uh a special use permit is really the more appropriate vehicle for this situation. Uh frankly I think we need to revisit the zoning code. I think when you have sort of blended residential commercial activities like we're talking about tonight that is a special circumstance and it should require a special use permit. the special use permit goes with the property owner, not the building uh in perpetuity. Right? These owners may have noble intentions and may do a fine job, but what happens when they sell the property? If the property is already zoned for this use, there's no control that the public and neighbors have over what happens in the future. A special use permit says you can do this with these specific requirements and under these circumstances and if you violate those, we're taking this away, which is sort of the security that neighbors are asking for tonight. But if we change the

zoning, we've been here before. It opens the floodgates. It uh it changes our neighborhood. And boy, have we fought tooth and nail in Broadway to change our neighborhood over the decades. and I don't want to go back and none of these people want to go back either. So I encourage you tonight, vote no to our new neighbors. That doesn't mean that the doors closed. It just means we need to modify our approach. There is a possibility to go forward here, but it is not what is being proposed here tonight. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Joey Joey Rose Allen like to speak.

Hi, council. Nice. Uh, good evening. Um, I live at 22157th Avenue in Rock Island on in the Broadway district. Again, I just at this point I'm just repeating what everyone else is wanting. The main question I have is how is this not setting the precedent and allowing other investors to roll in and just rent out all the rooms and all the houses that they can gobble up for these affordable prices in the entire Quad Cities. We are already fighting this from out of state investors for just regular rentals and this is just amplifying it if we were to change the zoning is how I feel. So, yep. That's all I have. Thanks. Thank you.

Is there anyone else in the audience that wishes to speak tonight? Yes, ma'am. Will you state your name for the record, please? Sure. Uh, my name is Jen Phyllis. I live at 53119th Street. So, I am your neighbors. I'm not in the district, which is maybe why I didn't get a tote bag when I moved here, but that's okay. Uh, my husband and I bought our house about a year ago. We stayed at the B&B when we looked at our house. We met Barbara. Um, and um, I just want to ask a clarifying question of the neighbors before I say anything. Would you be down with a special use permit? It's just permanently reszoning the building you're against. I'm getting a couple nods. Not

It's a possibility. Yes,

it's a possibility. I think I think that would be good. I think this is a good idea. I think having lived in the neighborhood for a year, um having uh more options for people, um that are stable, that are affordable, would improve the neighborhood if it's done correctly. It sounds like these two have a lot of experience doing it. Um, I understand the concern of not permanently changing the building, but tying it to experienced um, landlords, real estate managers, whatever you want to call it. Um, so I just want to say that I am in support of this if it's done correctly. Um, and I think, um, you know, if a bunch of like cool older people move into the neighborhood and hang out, that would be really nice and I would like that. Um, so I just wanted to throw my support behind the Gordens.

Thank you. Is there anyone else you can come up?

Will you state your name for the record, please? Yep. It is Sanjana Yatu. Do you want me to spell that? No, it's okay.

Okay. Um, I'm sorry I didn't speak sooner. I was kind of shy and embarrassed to come to this. Um I me and my husband we bought our house about two two three years ago. We live directly across from the inn. Um we have seen the inn ownership recently from the Parkers to the Gordens. Um if you could pull the picture up of the inn, it's like that looked totally different before they bought it. Um, I mean, sorry, it looked like that before they bought it, but then they recently made a bunch of modifications. I've seen Kimble vans and vehicles for weeks on end taking down all this very ugly outside um like just brush and like just how the place has just degraded like in the hands of the parkers. Um, my husband and I are actually in support, but we actually do agree with the neighbors as well. um it should be a temporary basis because investors will invest and and in in a time like this when economy is crashing, they're going to come in and take their chance. But I believe me and my husband, we walk we walk the neighborhood every day, sometimes a mile, sometimes five. We especially on 20th Street, so much has changed. We have seen the decay of houses, then we've seen some houses built back up from scratch. it. What I can say is every day I wake up and that's what I see. That's that's my view and it is the most gorgeous view. I think I'm so lucky and blessed to see someone taking care of this beautiful house and bringing it back to some glory it was. All I can say is I'm actually kind of excited to have more neighbors on 20th Street is one of the quiet quietest streets ever. Me and my husband, we were I'm only 24. My husband's 28 29. We were

once kids before we we had we had to find affordable housing, which is really difficult to do, especially when you're young. Um, regardless of whatever age, it's hard to find housing nowadays. I think it's a good idea that they're putting affordable housing to members of our community. Um, some would argue that yeah, they might bring in bad bad eggs, bad people. That's okay. There's ways to avoid that with background checks. And I have no doubt that Mr. report and can find people and vet them out. Um, and yeah, that's all. Thank you. Is there anyone else that wishes to speak? Yes, Mary.

Can you hear? Is it on?

Yes, I am a pride of ownership and my son is also he would keep the place up. He does redo. He just redone one of his house immed just a few days ago and uh it takes the income to fix something up and soon as spring comes I've already matter of fact when we were sitting here I asked him where do I go to get permission to repair the porches paint the house because I am a pride of ownership as well as my son. He would never let it run down. If anything, it'll look much better. And the difference between having my people there and bed and breakfast is really not that much because I've had experience with friends having bed and breakfast. And you get people from all over, actually all over the world. And my friends had a lot of problems with their bed and breakfast so much they quit with the parties they're drinking. Yeah. People are on vacation and they're celebrating. My people in there are working. I have two that do not. One is retired, one is disabled. And I guarantee you the place will look better. The lady will enjoy her walk in her appear looking at it even better. And that's all I just would like. I mean, I have to be able to do it. That's my been my desire for 35 years is to live in that house. And I do.

Thank you. Anybody else? Are there any questions of the applicants by the commission?

Yeah, we I wasn't sure whether we could ask some of the individual speakers when they were up here because you they they had the right to finish their statements. So

yeah, if you have any questions, that'd be fine. uh I guess to those in in both sides uh and that is for me I'll admit ahead of time the only way I'd vote for this if it is special use permit I'll be can at the beginning and so therefore I'm wondering for some of the people who spoke on that side uh are you truly okay with the special use permit with the owner occupied provision in there I'm for that I'll admit it uh and how about the people who were who are wanting this thing. Uh are you are you accepting of the idea if it were just to be with this owner and when they sell the property then it's back to the the old zoning? I think let's ask on that side either alderman or anybody else.

I can't speak for my neighbors. I think a special use permit is a reasonable compromise in this situation and so I would support a special use permit. Again, I do not support what you are considering tonight, but I would be fine with a special use permit. I would also ask that the special use permit include requiring a valid residential rental property license. The city licenses rental properties. Uh you you they have one already now.

That's fine. I just the special use permit should be contingent on them also having that license. The reason that I bring that up is if there are issues with some of what the neighbors are talking about about the quality of operating a rental business, the city has the ability to revoke the license to operate a rental property. The special use permit should also be connected to that, too. If you don't have a license to run a rental property, you don't have the authority via a special use permit to use that property for that use. I would connect those as well. But yes, I'm okay with a special use permit. Are the Gordon's Are you okay with it?

I just want to say that have the income to fix it up. Allow the UC request, but would require owner occupancy by Mrs. Gordon. And um it would not be a reasonzoning. It would be only for the for while you use it yourselves. Okay. And you're all right with me living there instead of my son, right? No, that's fine. I mean, it's it's an it's an option. Yes. I mean, I would not, you know, say no. Any Was there another comment in the back? Ernie, did

I have a question in regards to special use permit? If Uh they once it's sold, is there a chance that it can go back to being a single residence again instead of being zoned as it is today? If there was a reszoning, I think it would automatically go back to the existing zoning, which is R2. R2. Well, that's what I was wondering. Can it's not going through that.

It's currently not going through a reszoning. So, it's it's the use that's going into the building that is being um up for discussion. So, the zoning stays the same. is still going to be a two-unit residential zoned property. Um the special use permits would as as a few a few of you have said would be to have stipulations that go along with it. If there's a change of ownership at that point, there has to be a special use amendment. So it would have to come back before the commission at that time if there is a change of ownership.

I was just wondering so we're not back here in two to three years with the same thing. If it can go back to it residential use only then I'd be that'd be awesome for me but I I don't know enough to these two gentlemen here. So they seem to know and the other thing I think to note is even under the existing zoning and correct me if I'm wrong unice they can have up to five unrelated people rent now so that which is why I'm asking because I would like that too. So really it's just a question I have a commercial building I have like nine units

it's a question of between five people and eight people at this point really. Okay. Any other questions? I have some other thoughts, but that's when we're ready. I'm If anybody else has questions of them, I'll let them go first. Anybody else? Just a quick question. Mrs. Gordon, you said you have disabled somebody who's disabled. Well, they're not They get disability, but they're totally Oh, okay. Gotcha. Just because all your all your tenants are on the second floor, so I didn't know if you had handicap accessibility. No. And then so nobody's signed a lease yet? Oh, yes. Oh, they have.

But they're all they're totally capable of going up and down and there's and the inspector came out and everything was fine. I mean Okay. Thank you. Anybody else? Seven people. Six of those people. So you have it fully leased. Yes. Gotcha. Anybody else?

And just to clarify, the reason that this was brought before you is because neighbors saw an advertisement for renting the property out, right? So, this activity, which does not conform to the zoning, has been happening, right? They just, for the lack of a nicer way to put it, it was discovered. It got caught that this was happening. And that's why we're here tonight is because the city started the process of saying, "Hey, you're doing something that does not conform with the zoning of this property." And so now they've come before the planning and zoning commission to say, "Oh, well, we still want to do it. Can you just change the zoning to allow it?" Right? So there's some sense too, we're talking about trust, we're talking about community. Uh neighbors have a sense of this has already been going on and it wasn't allowed. Why is that the case? So, I hope you can understand some uh lack of trust going on here.

Well, I do have to say, Mr. Parker, that our job on this commission is unfortunately, I'd say over 50% of the people that come in front of us are like, "Hey, I didn't know. I didn't know." They don't do it in mal mal intention. Um, but our I think our job collectively is to figure out what's best for the community, the neighbors, and try to work with those people, too. So, I don't I don't want to put a dark cloud and say that they were doing something untrustworthy because they knew they were breaking rules because I don't know what's in their head, but I just wanted to put that out there that most of the cases we see are I'm sorry, I didn't know.

Microphone. Just for clarification, commissioners, I I think there was some language used that um may not have been accurate based upon the current zoning. The um current owners actually do have the uh right to rent at this time up to five tenants. Um so that is not illegal. the difference in what you're currently doing and what you're asking for is a difference of five tenants versus eight tenants. So, seven really cuz she lives there. Okay. Um, so just for clarification, right?

Any other comments? Yeah, I have several and I've been around in this area a long time and one of my closest colleagues, a geographer, an urban geographer who knows this stuff very very well. He lived in that neighborhood and as did a number of other people from the college that I knew and I know as the alderman mentioned they worked so hard so hard to get rid of the R six, the R5 to get this down to an R2 because there were so many houses where there were more quite a few people of unrelated connections that were living there. And they worked so hard to get it to that point. And once that was all taken care of, then the people in the city will know how suddenly then the property values tended to go up. Uh because that meant that there was a collective decision that this neighborhood is going to be protected. So if I'm going to buy that house, I know that for now and into the future suddenly the house next door is not going to get changed again. And that's across the country. when you have historic preservation efforts, it first you think that puts new restrictions on the owner. Um, but yes, it does put restrictions on the owner, but it means that any future buyer into that neighborhood knows exactly what they're buying into. There were some people that were grandfathered into that as the time go. They had a deadline to get out. And when my colleague lived there and I visit many times, the problem properties were the ones where they were not owner occupied and where there were more people in them who were unregulated, unrelated. Uh and so I know they put up with that. Every these people were all doing the people in the streets were all doing good thing except that house and that one's grandfathered in and they've got more people and this is literally how it would go. And so I experienced that so many times. So that's why I and there is a difference between a bed and breakfast with eight rooms than eight

rooms with unrelated people with no kitchen potential. Bed and breakfast people when that was the case, the expectation even if they're full, yeah, a lot of different unrelated people, but they're going to come down and they're going to have breakfast together. That's not going to be happening here. So it's a whole different story. The last thing I'd say and that is I'm fortunate to serve on the statewide board of that that approves national register of of historic places. We had the meeting just last Friday for the current group. I've been on that uh several times and we know that anytime even though officially some of you may know that officially something on the national register doesn't really have a lot of protection simply can't use federal dollars for it or it will precipitate a kind of study for it. But otherwise, people can almost do what they wish. But the community has worked hard in these other places in here to get places on the register because it's good for the community for that to happen. And they kind of expect that it will be kept up and so many times what things that we on the plan on the statewide commission have approved and it's gone on to get national register when you go back to see it. Oh man, what happened to that building? Well, the owner who was committed to it is no longer alive or moved and the current owners don't care much about it. Well, officially it's on the register, but it's not what the people in the community who supported the National Register nominations wanted and they just think, "Oh, that's an embarrassment, but we don't have the authority to change it now because that's allowed at the site." So just for all those reasons for me at the minimum uh if we approve this it should be a special use permit with owner occupancy there uh and that way if these folks are really good okay but if they as the gent somebody mentioned if they might be very

good people but two years from now or two months from now they decide to sell it we have no idea and no control whoever else moves in and they can very easily say, "Well, yeah, the council planning commission and the council, they approved it, so you can't now discriminate against us because we're not the same kind of people." That's so awkward for anybody to do. So, I just make sure that if we don't have that cont that procedure in there as a special use, I don't see that, Norm. I just don't see it. Pardon? I just don't see that. Just because they're going to be sitting down for breakfast together, I mean, they're going to have a shared kitchen and if they want a share meal, they can do that. I'm still saying that

this man is not going to place his mother with a bunch of hooligans. His mother is living in the same residence. Sorry. You know the level of scrutiny he's going to put on the residence that they're picking to go in there. I just

my comment was not to dispute that because again my point on that is only that it's a special use permit because then it's what they want to do. We understand that. But if they say that and you they then but if they sell it to somebody else the city has lost total control over it. So but you may your point may be a very valid one as for this group these owners and and therefore you could approve that as a special use permit and I have no control. It's just people living in a house together. It's a congregate setting. They have shared spaces and they have private spaces. They're all living together in the same house.

Yeah. But that's I don't know if there's a question or not. I'm saying it's different for if these we trust that when they say they're going to run a congregate house because people have said they know them. That's one thing. But we have no idea who who a future owner would be and how they would handle the property if we reszone. Especially this permit they'd have to come back and petition and again judgment could be made. So and so they're good people and we can do that. I do think there's some safety net in having Mrs. Gordon live in the house. I believe that.

It seems to me based at least on the comments we've had so far that perhaps we should entertain a motion to approve what the historic preservation commission did with the special use instead of changing the to the zoning use. Does anyone want to make such a motion? So moved with also the provision in there about owner occupied. What about the fact that Mrs. Gordon is not the owner of record? What what about the fact that Mrs. Gordon is not the owner of record? So you

the son is not Mrs. Gordon. I that I'll leave up to to me I agree with the people that have stated that is awkward because again if something would come back the the record for the city would be on the owner not the person for whom he was helping the record is there the person whose name is on the record so I wish that be changed but I'll leave that up to the legal people to have that one I mean she's the applicant so perhaps we can say that It's contingent on the applicant residing in the in the house. So for most up,

I don't think you need to have that. I just don't I mean I don't know though. I could see someone coming in and just buying that and renting it out to any, you know, any I agree with the special use, but I don't think you have to have an odor occupied. What about applicant occupied? If we're doing the special use since it only goes with the applicant, every application um if it's not, let's say it's not owner occupied and um whoever lives there needs to come before the commission, staff would always um require that there is an owner authorization um form that is filled out. That means the owner has to know that this is going to happen within their property before they're given the go-ahad.

Okay? So the owner has to approve the special use permit by the applicant for every application. If it's whoever is putting in the application is not the owner will require um an an owner authorization that is also notorized as well. Oh notorized. Yeah. May I make a recommendation to the commission?

Uh within the zoning code there are different standards for different zoning actions. The staff report that was created was based on a set of criteria for use authorization. There's three different criteria for a special use permit authorization. I believe there are seven different criteria. Um so if there was a desire to consider a special use permit, it may be appropriate in fact to refer this back to staff in order that a new analysis could be completed against those different set of standards. that may also help to facilitate some further dialogue if there is a consensus that that is the appropriate kind of path to go down. I offer that as a suggestion.

I think that makes sense. Do you need a motion to for that direct staff direction? Okay. Then I would move to uh direct this item back to staff to do the analysis for a special use permit to allow up to eight residents. Second. There's a motion and a second. I hear the motion to to refer the item back to staff to do the special use analysis to see if it would qualify so that it's not a change in the zoning. It's just a change in the use that only goes with the applicant. But then they would do the staff report more thoroughly with the

Yes. Because there's more criteria for the special use than for this. Okay. There's a motion in a second. Roll call, please. Uh, Odami, yes. Wright, yes. Johnson, yes. Rigs votes yes. Whitten yes. Molen, yes. Sards, yes. Kger, yes. Eight eyes, no nays. Motion carries.

But there would be now the understanding, I hope, with the staff that there seemed to be, we don't know because we didn't have to vote, but there seems to be some kind of interest in the special use option rather than the other. So, it's not like we're going to bring this whole thing back. Well, may all have to come back again, but that there's kind of an understanding of where we hope the staff will will put in its extra work.

I I would just uh as an aside encourage the commission that if there are similar cases like this in the future where there is some feeling that a different thing should be considered, you always can refer it back to us and give clear direction about what it is you would like our analysis to be composed of. So, I guess that being said, is everyone pretty much on board with going down that path of the special use as opposed to the zoning change? Do we actually have to deny the variance request? No, I think it just dies for a lack of motion. Okay. I'm just

I want to make sure that we don't leave the applicant and the owner out of the conversation. Um the commission has determined that what might be in the best interest is to bring it back and consider a special use. But is that um where they have landed or um did they want to continue down the original path for a vote? I just don't want to leave them out of the conversation. I think she didn't he answer. They kind of I think you said that you were okay with that potentially, right? I think he did. Yeah, Mr. Gordon, I think you had indicated that you would be okay with a special use.

Yeah, I mean, I would prefer the reszoning due to the fact it's just the numbers, but I mean, you know, if that's what we have to do, that's what we have to do. Okay.

Are you okay? Are you good with that? Okay. All right. Anything else on that item? And I think we're on to the next. Thank you all for coming. Uh the next item is public hearing 20267. A request from the city of Rock Island's Community Development Department to consider a resoning from C2 Nature Conservation District to B4 highway business district or property in a city. Ununice. Um so the reasonzoning um will will fall will be in particular um for a strip of the property the southernmost part of the um parcel will be an 80 ft by 20 2,253 feet um of area um on the southeastmost part. What's is happening is the city together with um the Cordic family would want to um sort of create some regular um lot sizes um for all properties. Um a portion of it will be so um will be given to the city at reasonable prices. Um city would also like to de have a portion of those um properties um for future business development. At that time the land had been a vacant property had been used for farming since 1960s. Um it sits within a 100year flood plane but um the part where it would be developed mainly for um economic purposes would sort of um not fall within that 100 flood plane. What the Accordic family would like to do is keep part of that property for hunting purposes, maybe for recreational purposes, potentially hunting purposes um for that that part of the property they get to keep. Um so at this time, staff is recommending that um the the

reszoning is approved and a recommendation is made to the city council for that. Thank you, Ununice. Is there anyone in the audience that wishes to speak in favor of this application? Before Before that, I would ask that folks in the rear of the room, if they're going to keep speaking, that they leave the chamber. Thank you.

I I do want to add that this actually is coming from me specifically, this item. Um the Cordic estate reached out to staff essentially to let us know one that Mr. Cordic had unfortunately passed away. He had been leasing that corner property from the city to farm uh for quite some time. Uh two, they wanted to confirm that since he had passed away and they were dealing with his estate if there was any outstanding payments owed to the city or other business that needed to be uh taken care of. That conversation evolved into one around well are you selling your pieces of land there? would you consider selling some or all of it to the city? Um what we talked about eventually was that a northern piece uh which is shown here kind of going off into the wetlands. They wanted to keep just as family hunting ground. The uh Cordic family is mostly in Chicago at this point but they were still coming out here to do that. the kind of Lshaped parcel that would be created that is on the west north side. They already have an arrangement to sell that to another party and then the city wanted to just sort of square off the piece that would be retained that's right at the intersection just to make it square and a little more sensibly arranged. So in a sense what we're doing is we're doing a little bit of a switcheroo combination reszoning alto together here and we are on a bit of a tight timeline because of that uh commitment on the cordex uh to sell uh that one piece to the third party.

Correct. Can you uh scroll to the actual uh like you can see what we're really talking about is we're just trying to move the property line up somewhat uh to conform to the shape that the third party is looking to get. Um so again that northern piece would remain zoned for conservation and they're just going to use it for hunting ground. Is there anyone in the audience that wishes to speak in favor of this item? Come on up. Will you state your name, please? Lauren Lassoule. What is uh I'm just curious. Is this the city requesting this or the Cordics? Is that correct?

It's it's both in effect. Yeah. So, it's both the Cordic estate and the city coming forward because we're we're two property owners there involved. Okay. And we're looking to go B4, which is great. Um, are you looking to develop that property and bring businesses out there? Can you scooch the mic a little closer to you? So, it's going to be proposed to go B4. Are you looking to bring businesses out to that area and develop that?

That the lower pieces have been zoned B4 for a very, very long time. Um, so it's a long-term goal that there would be some sort of development there compatible with the surrounding uses. Um, as you know, that's an industrial corridor through there. So, there's different things that could potentially go there that would be appropriate for the B4 uh district uh in service of that surrounding industrial area. A previous proposal many years ago now had been for some sort of corner gas station or convenience store. That unfortunately did not move forward for different reasons, but

I recall that one thing. Um, I also recall in the past they talked about grazing that property, putting in sumps, some kind of uh water pump systems and everything, elevating the property, getting out of the flood zone. Yeah, I'm not I'm not intimately familiar with that kind of conversation from the past, but the site, if it were to be developed, would need some sort of earthwork, I suspect.

Okay. I've been watching the property for 15 20 years, so a little familiar with it, but I was hoping to see some development out there. Um, if this gets approved, are you looking to along with the B4 create a TIFF district perhaps or I know that's been done that is already inside of a TIFF district. Oh, okay. I thought the tiff district out there had expired years ago. No, the uh the tiff district which is centered on what is now B's conceded uh actually has a few years left in it. Okay.

It was expand the geographic boundary of that tiff was recently expanded. So that might be what you're thinking of. That could be um I guess where could I learn more about the tiff district the expansion of it? You can stop by our offices here on the second floor of city hall at any time. Myself, Ununice, or any of our colleagues would be happy to speak to you about that. Okay, that sounds Are you Are you looking to propose a development there on the corner? Uh, no. I don't have those kind of resources at my disposal. I was going to say something to propose something if you have it in mind.

I would like to see that area developed. There's there's a lot of traffic and I I feel there's a lot of potential servicing that Rock Ridge district and going into Mercer County that passes through there. So, I would like to see some development there and uh some help from the city with whoever has the resources to do that development. We're always we're always uh happy to speak to anybody who has some ideas for uh investing in Rock Island. All right. Thank you. All right. Thank you.

Anyone else in the audience audience wish to speak on this matter? Anyone against this matter? Hearing none. Is there a motion? And let's I just have one question. The the report notes in there it says the property is in a flood plane and so I presume that if a development would occur there all of the rules that apply to floodplane development, i.e. the base has to be at least at the 100redyear level, all of that would be in place if it actually is developed. Correct. That is correct. Thank you. Is there a motion to approve this item?

As written. Motion by Wright. Is there a second? I'll second. Second by Oda Y. Any discussion? Hearing none. Roll call, please. Odi, yes. Wright, yes. Johnson, yes. Rigs votes I. Whitten, yes. Moline, yes. Sards, yes. Kger, yes. Eight eyes, no nays. Motion carries. Uh, other business presentation on proposed land purchase and land sale policy.

Ununice, could you bring up that web page? All right, this is briefly on this and I do apologize for being late in getting any kind of draft on this to everyone and it appears sending Ununice the wrong copy of the draft. Um, uh, Tanner Osen, who you may have noticed I am not, uh, had was not able to get this finished because he has a new child, uh, that arrived over the weekend. So, congrats to him. Um, and sympathies to me, please. Um, uh, the city council recently passed a resolution directing that staff, working with all of you good folks, develop a clearer land purchase and land sale policy. Um, over the years that I've been here at least, we've gone through a few different versions of of this sort of thing, often a lighter set of procedures. Um, the city historically has owned quite a lot of vacant lots and vacant properties and has sold them off in different ways at different times for different reasons at different prices. The goal of having a policy uh developed that's a little bit more detailed and clear is to establish some baseline standards for the requests that come in, how they should be evaluated uh and make sure that there's transparency uh for everyone involved. The proposed policy that you have the incorrect version of uh basically goes through a series of basic uh categorizations. So depending on what the type of property is, its size, uh you would consider it for different types of sales. The different types of sales that are mentioned are side lot sales, uh neighborhood lot sales, infill housing lot sales, homestead sales, and then properties which are held for future development. U most of these are pretty straightforward, right? So sidelot sale would be I live in this house. there's a city-owned lot next to

me. I would like to purchase it to expand my sideyard. Right? Neighborhood lot sales are lots which may not be suitable uh for infill development of any kind, but let's say a small neighborhood group or a block club wants to buy it for a small uh garden space or to just maintain it themselves as part of neighborhood beautifification. They can certainly apply for that. Infill housing lot sales, as you might imagine, is about someone wanting to build a house on a lot that's appropriately sized for that. Uh those three things are all for vacant lots. The homestead sale uh idea here is that the city occasionally, and we're trying to get more and more into this, is buying properties that have long been vacant or abandoned. So by this I mean not a vacant lot, but a vacant house. Right? So this is part of our kind of overall land banking effort. What we would like to do is set up some clear rules around how we might make those properties once they're in city possession available to local developers uh for rehab uh to maintain the housing stock that we have return it to productive use. We also have done some of these projects ourselves in house. We'll keep doing that. We also are talking with various uh other groups trying to find partners who might want to do that more in the nonprofit space. Right. Uh and then finally, real estate held for future development. These are where you might have larger properties or a set of properties on a site which lend themselves to some sort of larger undertaking. So this might be properties where we think if we can assemble them into a large enough site, we could do a commercial development or a larger scale residential development. Um the idea here with these policies, right, is that anytime the city acquired a property on the front end is we would declare kind of what the reason for its acquisition was and at that time try to categorize it so that we understood what the sale

process on the back end would look like. Right? Uh if a policy is ultimately adopted by the council, what staff plans to do once we have clarity about the basics being agreeable to everyone is go through the current um property list that um kind of has all the stuff the city owns in it uh and try to propose the categories for them. So assign them so that that could be approved at the same time. If you look at the um the categorization, so let's say that there's like a list of 30 residentially zoned vacant lots. We know what their sizes and dimensions are. So we could say, you know, these are too small for infill developments, so we're not going to categorize them as that, but they might make good neighborhood lots. There are other ones that might be so narrow they would only ever make sense as a side lot uh sale. So the idea would be that we try to categorize them that way. If at the time of adoption we've secured a few houses uh for potential rehab, then those would be homestead ones, right? There are other properties around the city that are part of are kind of being assembled uh for a larger development in the future. So we could categorize those as well. Um so that's the idea. And if you look

Yep. Yep. That's the idea basically. Just give it a little bit more rhyme and reason. So, if you look at the ordinance here, you can kind of see that what it's what we've set this up to do is just refer outward uh to policies that could be uh periodically updated as the need arises. You'll also see that um it includes a clause in there about having that list of properties get designated as part of the process. Um, if you look up on the screen, you'll also see that the uh staff here have put together a kind of uh general information page about this effort. Again, trying to improve some of our transparency and kind of explain a little bit more what it is we're trying to do and inviting the public to take part. Um, if you've watched city council meetings over the last so many years, you know that property sales can be somewhat contentious at times or have generated quite a lot of discussion. So, we want to make sure that if there are folks out in the community who feel strongly about this, that they can submit their questions, submit their comments, give their feedback. Uh, and we would encourage them again to show up at public meetings like this one to voice their concerns. Miles, so is the difference between side lot and infill lots just the size of the lot?

Basically, what we want to try to do is if there are lots which are reasonably large enough for a new house to go in there, we want to try to reserve them for that purpose. And if they're small, you just want the adjacent property owner to have opportunity ideally and then to combine the lots. Okay, that makes sense. there there will be times where there there's going to, you know, be properties kind of on the border between the sizes and we and we can talk more about uh how we would want to adjust for that um if if we want to. Why else I can't read that up there, but how long are you going to do the discussions?

So, this is the first kind of public listening session on this. You have an opportunity to do a second one uh and then a third meeting where you would actually cast a recommending vote. staff would also after that be giving a study session presentation to the city council which then would kind of go through its own you know two-step approval of an ordinance. So in total we're talking about one two three four five or six opportunities in public meetings for folks to show up and be counted. Okay. So we wouldn't be voting on this until May. Correct. Okay. Again the idea here is to try to give some time.

Yeah. so that people can participate if they want to. We know that this generated a lot of dialogue in past public meetings. We know we've heard a lot about it from different members of the community. So, we're trying to make it, you know, so that anyone who wants to give their two cents can. I love the Homestead program. I'm really glad that you guys are expanding that. Yeah, we're going to see where we can take it. you know, um the land bank, the Quad Cities Regional Land Bank Authority may be gone, but land banking isn't. So, we're trying to take that inhouse for this and many other reasons. So, you're not looking for any action tonight, right?

Nope. Nope. This was just to have the initial kind of introduction to this, kind of let you know about it, make sure the public knows about it, uh and encourage folks to participate. Any comments or questions for staff? And and I will send out the corrected version of this. By the way, I do apologize. Tanner leaves and it all just falls apart on me. I'm sorry. He's probably watching this right now.

Yeah. Doubtful. All right. There being no other business, we are adjourned. So,