An open letter to the people, government, and developers of Iowa City:

I am proud to live in Iowa City. As we consider the development on College and Gilbert streets, please ponder some points. If a tall building is built, it will infringe upon the view from our historic neighborhoods, altering them forever. If property tax-related incentives for development are provided, an increased burden is placed upon all Iowa City property owners. Consider the full impact on local infrastructure, services and utilities.

The current development across from New Pioneer has altered the neighborhood permanently. It’s already terribly difficult to find free parking to facilitate spending money with local merchants. My block has at least 50 commercial rental units. Some exemplary, others, not so much. They all contribute to the atmosphere, congestion and density. Do we need to add large numbers of units on the east side?

A massive building sounds like a perfect fit for the Iowa River focus area.

I’ve spoken with others who feel as I do. Show some respect for the people who value our town and work hard to make it a great place to live. Find a development respecting the transition from commercial downtown to traditional residential housing.

Save the new, large-scale developments for south of downtown to help make that area a reality.

Zarmun Duke

Iowa City