Gazette Daily News Briefing, August 17
This is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette Digital News Desk, and I’m here with your update for August 17, 2023.
According to the National Weather Service it will be sunny with a high near 80 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area on Thursday. On Thursday evening there will be clear skies, with a low of around 53 degrees.
The city of Iowa City is looking at whether changes in property regulations can increase affordable housing and improve housing choice in the community as demand grows.
Zoning code plays a factor in affordable housing by allowing a diversity of options, which is why staff is presenting the five changes.
The goals of the proposed amendments include increasing housing supply and the diversity of housing options, incentivizing development of income-restricted affordable housing and addressing fair housing issues.
During Tuesday’s City Council work session, city staff presented five proposed changes to the zoning code that are intended to increase housing supply and diversity of housing options. Since it was a work session and not a formal meeting, council members asked questions and shared general thoughts, but couldn’t share their positions until a public hearing is closed.
An analysis looking at residential development in 2022 found if residential growth continues at the current pace, the demand will not be able to keep up with housing supply. The city will be able to accommodate less than 6,300 new residents by 2030, compared with a projected demand of 10,240.
The council will hold a public hearing on the proposed changes during its Sept. 19 meeting, which also will include the first consideration of the amendments.
Collins Aerospace has been awarded a $24 million contract for production and delivery of electric generators with containers to the U.S. Army’s Anniston Depot in Alabama.
The Collins’ generators deliver 50 percent more onboard power to the M1A2 Main Battle Tank, enhancing the tanks’ survivability and reliability, Collins said in a news release.
The Collins-designed generators fit in the same space as the legacy system without requiring major changes to the tanks or their existing electrical systems.
Collins Aerospace is the largest employer in Cedar Rapids, with nearly 7,000 of its 9,000 Iowa employees based in the city.
