JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

Board defers vote on Windham Village plan

Public hearing set for March 8

By Paul D. Bowker
Posted 1/20/23

IOWA CITY

Windham Village remains the last Johnson County village without an official development plan.

At least, for now.

Following a long discussion and public hearing at its formal …

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JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

Board defers vote on Windham Village plan

Public hearing set for March 8

Posted

IOWA CITY

Windham Village remains the last Johnson County village without an official development plan.

At least, for now.

Following a long discussion and public hearing at its formal session Dec. 8 during which charges of distrust were tossed across the room, the Board of Supervisors chose to defer voting on the village plan for three months.

Jon Green, a former Lone Tree Mayor and member of the board since 2021, moved for the delay and was backed up by a 3-1 vote (Supervisor Lisa Green-Douglass voted against the delay and board chair Royceann Porter was not present for the vote).

The next public hearing is scheduled for March 8.

More than 10 Windham residents and other area residents spoke against a “yes” vote with many hoping for a delay while a newly formed committee in Windham takes time to examine the issue even more closely. Among those speaking in favor of a delay were Dawn Driscoll, a Republican state senator from Williamsburg, and Phil Hemingway, a resident of rural Johnson County who was a Republican candidate for Supervisor in the November election.

One resident was in tears as she spoke.

“My family chose to live in the country,” said Brenda Mougin. “Now you seem to want to take that right away from me by putting development in our backyard.”

The move to create an official county plan for Windham, which is located a couple of miles north of Frytown and southwest of Iowa City, began in July with the first of two public meetings held at Renee’s Roadhouse in the middle of the village on Black Diamond Road SW.

Windham Village is the last of nine small towns, or villages, in Johnson County that were targeted by the Board of Supervisors to develop official growth and vision plans in a process that has taken years to complete. Other villages with adopted plans include River Junction (2019), Joetown (2014), Sharon Center (2014) and Frytown (2008).

The proposed Windham Village plan, which was approved 4-1 by the county’s Planning & Zoning Commission in November on a revised boundary zone presented by Windham resident Pat Mougin, is focused on protecting the rural area property and preventing large subdivisions, county staff members say.

“Let us live in rural Johnson County the way we were raised and continue what our fathers and our forefathers’ legacy was that they created for this community,” said Pat Mougin, who requested a vote delay of three to six months.

One resident of River Junction said the board did not listen to residents when River Junction’s plan was finalized three years ago.

Supervisor Pat Heiden, who attended both summer meetings in Windham, said she also attended meetings leading up to the River Junction agreement and voted against the proposal.

“I’ve heard you,” Heiden said. “I heard what you said. Your concern about the growth area.”

Trust came up during an emotional discusson in both public comment and supervisor comment.

“The problem is, you don’t trust us,” Heiden said. “You don’t trust county government.”

“You guys don’t trust us,” said longtime Supervisor Rod Sullivan. “Let’s be honest, there’s nothing we’re going to do here that’s going to change that. I can vote with you, I can vote against you, it doesn’t matter. You guys just don’t trust what we’re going to do here.”

The plan currently includes two boundary zones: one, proposed by county staff, covers 196 acres; another, proposed by Pat Mougin, covers about 155 acres. Windham’s proposed boundary would be the second-smallest village zone in Johnson County. River Junction’s is about 136 acres.

About 200 signed a petition requesting the Supervisors not approve any kind of a plan.

Josh Busard, Director of Johnson County Planning, Development and Sustainability, was in favor of moving ahead with the vote last Thursday.

“I feel that my staff has done an excellent job at trying to pull together all the public comments while still coming up with a plan that is just going to be supportive of our comprehensive plan and the other board policies,” Busard said.

But at the end of the discussion, three of the four supervisors present opted to defer a vote for 90 days so that Busard and other members of the county staff can work with the Windham residents committee.

“I really think that this (the proposed plan) is the best way to protect the things that you think are important,” Green said, addressing the residents. “However, I also acknowledge that while we may have fulfilled our legal obligations, it’s quite clear we are not there yet in terms of there being buy-in from area residents.”

To view the proposed Windham Village plan, go to: johnsoncountyiowa.gov/windham-village-planning.

Board Action

The board approved Peterson Contractors of Reinbeck to do a bridge-replacement project on James Avenue SW over a branch of the Picayune Creek, north of 540th Street SW. Peterson had the low bid of $319,627 for the project. Work is expected to be done in the spring.

Another bridge-replacement project will come before the board at its Dec. 15 meeting. Jim Schroeder Construction of Bellevue is the low bidder for a bridge project on Utah Avenue SE near Lone Tree. Schroeder’s bid is $760,145 for work that would begin around May 1, 2023.

The board approved a number of fundings for social services emergency assistance, including the Shelter House for $53,880.

Johnson County, Board of Supervisors, Windham Village