Opinions on Residential Zoning Changes for Roosevelt Shared

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The City of Ames will hold two public hearings Tuesday on changes to city zoning laws that would allow a developer to convert the former Roosevelt Elementary School in to a 23-unit condominium complex.

The hearings are part of the City Council's regular meeting which begins 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 515 Clark Avenue.

Real Estate Services Group purchased the 1923-year-old building from the Ames Community School District earlier this year and hopes to renovate the historical structure and add a 23-unit garage on site.

However current zoning laws do not allow new multi-family buildings or densities greater than 7.26 homes per acre in that neighborhood. City staff have suggested changing two zoning laws that would make the project possible, according to the council's agenda packet.

The laws would allow this specific project to move forward and allow future projects to exceed set residential density limits as part of adaptive reuse plans only with council approval.

The proposed change would allow Roosevelt to be renovated into a 23-unit building as part of an adaptive reuse plan (and reuse of former school buildings in the future with the council's approval.) Another ordinance would be changed to say that projects could exceed density limits as specified in an adaptive reuse plan approved by the city council.

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