The City of Cedar Falls (pop. 41,000) is located along the Cedar River in northeast Iowa. It is home to the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), one of Iowa's three public universities. College Hill is the neighborhood that surrounds the UNI campus. What is referred to fondly as "The Hill," is a small business district with a main street character, dominated by bars and restaurants, with a few retail shops. The residential neighborhoods surrounding UNI were primarily developed from the late-nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century, with ongoing infill and redevelopment up until the present day. Over the past few decades, there have been ongoing community discussions about the importance of stabilizing and revitalizing the area. In 2020-21, the City conducted an area-wide visioning effort involving business owners, residents, rental property owners, UNI students and officials, and other area stakeholders, which culminated in the adoption of the Imagine College Hill Vision Plan (Vision Plan) in May of 2021. New policies and zoning regulations will be necessary to implement the vision.

The primary area of focus for policy and zoning updates will be the commercial district (The Hill), and the immediately adjacent areas near the campus. In the Vision Plan this area is described as Character Areas 1, 2, and 3. As noted in the Plan, adjusting City and UNI parking policies and regulations is the key to unlocking development potential in this area, so this will be an important aspect of the project. A secondary area of focus will be on evaluating and updating the College Hill Overlay Zoning District and underlying zoning districts with an eye toward considering policies and regulations that will help stabilize the traditional neighborhood areas that comprise the remainder of the study area.

The City is seeking a qualified consulting firm to lead the effort to review existing plans, policies, and regulations; gauge public support for the objectives of the Vision Plan; make recommendations on the best approach to updating codes and policies; and draft new zoning regulations accordingly. For more details on the Imagine College Hill! Vision Plan and the study area, follow this link: https://www.cedarfalls.com/1617/Imagine-College-Hill-documents.

For a detailed description and expected scope of services for of the College Hill Zoning Update Project, follow this link: https://www.cedarfalls.com/collegehillzoningupdate