BOONE, Iowa—The Boone City Council rejected the recommendation of the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission and refused a request from the Overland Property Group to rezone property on the southside of Boone to accommodate two-24 unit, three-story, apartment buildings. The project, called the Reserves at Hawkeye, was proposed for seven acres on the northwest corner of South Linn and Hawkeye Drive. That property is currently owned by Sally Courter.

Brett Johnson, a Managing Partner of the Overland Property Group, presented the project to the City Council, noting multiple housing surveys pointed to a need for more housing in Boone. Overland had previously secured tax credits through the Iowa Finance Authority and Johnson emphasized that the company was not seeking any additional financial assistance from the city. Johnson said the Reserves at Hawkeye was estimated to cost $12-million. Tenants would have to meet income guidelines, but would not be limited to seniors. Overland already has four other projects in Iowa, Storm Lake, Pella, Oskaloosa and Washington.

Originally, Overland had sought to rezone the property to R-3 Multi-Family residential, but the Planning and Zoning Commission recently amended the request, and recommended rezoning the parcel to C-2, Limited Commercial District from a C-1, Special Commercial District. Multi-family housing is permitted in a C-2 Zone, but not in a C-1. A traffic study had been conducted at the request Plan and Zoning Commission and had been reviewed by the city’s contract engineer SEH. The traffic showed the project would have limited impact on existing traffic flows during peak travel times.

The city had received a petition from neighboring properties requesting that the zoning be denied.

The Council voted 5-to-2 to deny the rezoning.