An Open Letter To The Iowa City City Council. No. 2.

To The Iowa City – City Council – council@iowa-city.org

RE: Landmarking 302-316 Bloomington St.

May 9, 2024

First, allow me to express my deep appreciation to the six of you who voted ‘YES’ on May 7th – agreeing that our city choose to “landmark” Slezak Hall (Pagliai’s) & the surrounding buildings (302-316 Bloomington). This historic property has so much intrinsic value to not only the people of Iowa City, but to all who live in Johnson County, and the entire state of Iowa, it MUST be saved!

As you prepare, on May 21, for the third and final vote on this important decision, I encourage you, once more, in the facts that have been presented to you:

  1. The city’s Historic Preservation Committee, the city’s Planning & Zoning Committee, and city staff members have all done their homework and have found that this property does, indeed, meet all the strict qualifications needed to be re-zoned as a city landmark.
  2. Public support for this “Yes” vote is extremely high. Even Mayor Teague mentioned the high volume of communication that the council has received on this important subject.
  3. Despite the present owner’s claim that there is no personal advantage to landmarking the property, there are a variety of financial opportunities available if, and only if, he agrees to list the property as a historic landmark. On this subject, I am in full support of Pro Tem Mazahir Salah’s request that our city become more aggressive in supporting owners of historic properties. Added staffing and budgeting to our Historic Preservation teams would certainly allow Iowa City to catch up with other Iowa cities (like Dubuque & Cedar Rapids) who have invested fully in finding economic reasons to save and preserve our historic properties.
  4. Indeed, a city that spends time, energy & resources on preserving historic properties is not only honoring the past, but is also developing new revenue sources. Consider, for example, what a restored Slezak property might do in helping build a vibrant and economically-sound historic retailing & housing area in the neighborhood.  

As I see it, if you, as council members, say to your city constituents that you are in favor of historic preservation and economic growth here in our community, then a “YES” vote on this property is, quite simply, a no-brainer. And, indeed, the opposite is true. A “NO” vote here truly tells the city that you have little-to no-interest in preserving our rich historic heritage, nor are you interested in finding creative ways to blend historic preservation with long-term investments in our city’s future.

Again, thank you for those of you who are allowing your “YES” vote to speak for the best interests – today and tomorrow – for our city.

Sincerely,

Marty Boller, 2616 Catskill Ct. Iowa City, Iowa