City of Council Bluffs

This document is Amendment #3 to the Amended and Restated Consolidated Urban Revitalization Plan for the City of Council Bluffs, Iowa. The plan's objective is to encourage development, redevelopment, and revitalization within designated areas by offering property tax development incentives, thereby aiming for a long-term increase or stabilization of the tax base. This amendment specifically designates two new subareas, the '2nd Avenue & 28th Street Subarea' and the 'Eastern Hills Subarea,' expanding the overall Revitalization Area to promote further rehabilitation and new construction.

This Brownfields Revitalization Plan presents findings and recommendations for the redevelopment of Brownfields sites within the City of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Initiated by a 2019 Brownfields Assessment Grant, the plan outlines extensive community engagement, environmental assessments, and cleanup activities across two key planning areas. Planning Area I focuses on the former Reliance Battery Factory site, recommending redevelopment into housing and community spaces. Planning Area II addresses the former Federal District Court building and surrounding Bayliss Park neighborhood, proposing solutions for affordable housing, mixed-use commercial developments, and public green spaces. The overall objective is to mitigate environmental hazards, enhance community well-being, and stimulate economic revitalization through community-supported projects.

The City of Council Bluffs' Consolidated Plan serves as a five-year roadmap to address priority housing and community development needs, utilizing federal HUD funds. The plan focuses on strategic goals encompassing affordable housing development and preservation, public services for low- to moderate-income and special needs populations, improvements to public facilities and infrastructure, slum and blight removal, and effective program administration. The overarching aim is to foster a suitable living environment and provide safe, decent, and affordable housing for residents of Council Bluffs.

This Housing Development Program outlines the City of Council Bluffs' commitment to creating 1,300 new residential dwellings across all income levels over the next 10 years. Key focus areas include funding for acquisition, infrastructure, developer incentives for multi-family and 'missing middle' housing, and administration. The program prioritizes projects within specific development corridors and areas, aims to create a long-standing initiative through fund recirculation, and establishes metrics to track unit creation, expenditure, and income levels served. The City will administer the program, grant funds to developers, and utilize internal projects to create 'site-ready' development areas, evaluating applications based on criteria such as units created, design, income targets, location, and secured incentives.

The 2025 Annual Action Plan for the City of Council Bluffs outlines specific projects and activities to address housing and community development needs for low- to moderate-income individuals and special need groups. This plan is the second year of the 5-Year 2024-2028 Consolidated Plan and focuses on five priority areas: Affordable Housing Development and Preservation, Public Services for Low-to-Moderate Income and Special Needs, Public Facility and Infrastructure Improvements, Slum and Blight Removal, and Effective Program Administration. Key objectives include funding homeownership opportunities, homeowner rehabilitation, supportive services for the homeless, housing counseling, and improvements to public facilities and infrastructure, with an overall aim to provide safe, decent, and affordable housing, and improve the quality of life in target areas.