Concerned, but open-minded, about The Chauncey

So… The Chauncey.

The above picture of Marc Moen’s twenty-story tower, which the Iowa City city council favors for the underused northeast corner of Gilbert and College Streets, has been sitting on my MacBook desktop for over a month. The CRG from January 9 has also been hanging out on the dinner table. Posting has taken a back seat recently and I thought it was high time to toss in my two cents (or whatever it is I have to offer) regarding The Chauncey.

First of all, I would like to say the northeast corner of Gilbert/College is a sorry sight. It always has been, really. For a long time it was the location of the cheerless Greyhound depot. The building was demolished after the city transport terminal was placed at the Court Street ramp. Since then, the lot has remained a vacant slab of concrete next to the former Wilson’s Sporting Goods store, which now houses the city’s Bike Library. On the lot’s north side is a parking lot, apparently owned by the city. (It is, I believe, off-limits to the public. I certainly have never parked there.) Aside from the Bike Library building, with the old school Wilson’s sign painted on the side, the location is pretty depressing — which is why the city has targeted it for redevelopment.

After receiving a number of proposals, some including a relocated New Pioneer Co-op, and trying to get the public to weigh in on preferences, the council picked The Chauncey. According to the CRG, the building would “house two movie theaters, a bowling alley and café on the first floor, two floors of office space, a 35-room hotel and 12 floors of residential units.” Though each proposal for the site asked for city assistance, Moen is asking for the most: a $13.45 million TIF to cover a quarter of the cost.

Moen is no stranger to downtown redevelopment. He was the man behind the Plaza Towers and Vogel House. His group is currently involved in the renovation of the former Vito’s building and the fourteen-story tower being constructed on the Ped Mall. His cachet and reputation have served him well: the council has decided to trust him again — much to the ire of the city’s most vocal fuddy-duddies.

Once the city selected The Chauncey, the proverbial shit hit the fan. Many were not pleased with the council’s choice and have voiced their disapproval in letters to the local media. A group of concerned citizens, the Iowa Coalition Against the Shadow, has been formed with the hopes of stopping or altering the project. As far as I know, the deal is not set in stone yet; changes could be made, or a different project selected. But I think it is unlikely. I am pretty sure Moen has this one wrapped up.

Look: Iowa City and its beloved downtown are in a precarious place right now, and we have had this conversation before. Coralville is the big box capital of Johnson County and that is not going to change. Retail franchises want visibility from the Interstate, wide boulevards for easy (albeit usually congested) access, and acres of parking. Downtown Iowa City offers none of that and hopefully never will. So what do we do? Build multipurpose towers, supposedly.

Mass market consumerism and its treeless stretches of concrete and cheap jeans have been conceded to Coralville. However, people want to be downtown. Some need to be downtown for school or work. Downtown offers unique shopping, dining, and entertainment venues, as well as bars for every preference of nightlife. For a while it served as the region’s party destination, but I think that thankfully changed since the twenty-one-only cull. Downtown does offer an alternative and I think we are apt to nurture that. But will the building of multiuse high-rises — complete with spacious apartments for young professionals (with large disposable incomes (or a lot of credit)), office space, and retail on the first floor — accomplish that?

Hmm… I do not think we know that yet.

Supporters of The Chauncey point to Moen’s other projects as evidence the council made the right choice: his buildings are occupied. That is what we want. However, what kind of businesses and residents have they brought downtown? I do not know this for sure, but I am willing to bet the apartments in the Tower Plazas and Vogel House are not cheap. Before the Bread Garden Market opened at the base of the Tower Plazas, it was located on Clinton Street and was mostly an eatery. In fact, the current incarnation of the Bread Garden replaced the original grocery store on the ground floor of Tower Plazas, which failed. (At least I assume it did.) And before AKAR occupied the street-level space of the Vogel House, it was in the basement below a coffee shop (Terrapin?). Though hotelVetro is a very swanky place, it hosts many wedding receptions (my cousin’s was one of them) and conferences. Formosa, which looks to be a classy sushi place, also calls the Tower Plazas home.

Though Moen’s past projects have endured growing pains, they are contributing to the downtown core — much more than what they replaced (a parking lot and a derelict house, the attic of which was weighed down with so much bird feces that it compromised the whole structure). However, these projects seem to serve a demographic with more money they your average Iowa Citian. And while I think those options are okay downtown, I do not want them taking over and pricing out everyone else. For every Formosa and hotelVetro, I want a George’s and Oasis. For every Austin Burke, I want a Ragstock. I want a downtown that caters to every taste and price range.

Could that happen? Or is it too idealistic? The balance seemed to be there when I was growing up, but I wonder if it is possible to have again. High-end options tend to displace those of more modest means when rent and land values increase. Increased land values are not necessarily a bad thing for the city since it means more property tax revenue (unless a TIF is active), but it can be detrimental in terms of consumer choice and diversity. I think downtown Iowa City is reaching that point.

What will The Chauncey bring? I am unsure. The theaters and bowling alley would be great options to have, but what will a movie or ten frames cost? Who will operate them, as well as the proposed café? Is there a market for another hotel? Will there be parking for it? Will the residential units be affordable and “workforce”-friendly, which the council has stressed? I doubt the Iowa Coalition Against the Shadow thinks so.

Honestly, I think I am still opened-minded about this. Concerned, but open-minded.