Fairfield council passes second reading of ordinance to rezone Lincoln school

FAIRFIELD – The Fairfield City Council voted to approve the second reading of an ordinance to change the zoning of the former Lincoln School.

The vote, taken during the Monday, Oct. 28 meeting, was six council members in favor and one against, with Elizabeth Estey, Tom Twohill, Judy Ham, Terri Kness, Doug Flournoy and Matthew Rowe voting in favor, and Paul Gandy voting against.

Jim and Teresa Huffman purchased the former elementary school from the school district this past summer, and are remodeling it into an events center. To fulfill their vision for the building, the Huffmans have asked the council to rezone the property, located at 401 W. Stone Ave., from an R2 General Residence District to an MU Mixed Use District.

Before Monday’s vote to pass the second reading of the ordinance, Gandy motioned to send the matter to the Public Safety and Transportation Committee for further study, and possibly grant the Huffmans a conditional use that satisfied the concerns of the neighbors while still allowing the Huffmans to hold their Christmas-themed events there this year.

Estey, a member of the Public Safety and Transportation Committee, said it would not be up to the committee whether an events center is a permitted use, since that matter would go to the Board of Adjustment. She said that, as far as protections for the neighbors are concerned, those are already included in the Mixed Use zoning ordinance such as parking setbacks, lighting restrictions, and maintaining the characteristics of the residential neighborhood.

“I don’t see that there’s anything for us to consider at a committee meeting when it’s really just about the rezoning, and I would not be able to say in good conscience that we would prohibit the rehabilitation of a building that’s going to continue to degrade,” Estey said.

Gandy’s motion to send the matter to the PSAT Committee failed on a 3-4 vote, with Gandy, Rowe and Ham voting in favor, while Estey, Flournoy, Kness and Twohill voted against.

Lincoln School was last used as an elementary school in 2013. After that, the building housed classes for the Career Academy. The high school’s drama department stored costumes there, and it served as a polling place for Fairfield’s Second Ward as recently as 2022. As of April of this year, when the school district announced its intention to sell the building, the district had stopped running electricity to it.

Several people who live in the neighborhood spoke during the council meeting, lodging complaints or worries about the proposed events center. They said there isn’t enough parking to accommodate all the people who will visit during the proposed special events, especially in light of how popular the Huffmans’ events have become.

The number 7,000 came up frequently in the discussion, which was the number of people who attended the Huffmans’ “Ho Ho Ho Wholiday” last November and December at their shop JC Huffman Cabinetry on West Burlington Avenue. Other people, including council members, clarified that the 7,000 figure referred to the total number of guests and that the highest number of visitors in one night was 1,000.

Resident Jan Campbell said the building was not just going to become an events center but rather a “tourist attraction” that drew people from surrounding states. She said the ordinance that defines Mixed Use indicates that properties in this zone would need to be compatible with residential uses, and she argued that she and other neighbors have made it clear they do not feel an events center is compatible with residential use.

A few speakers told the council that they were worried about getting into and out of their driveways during these events. Some said they feel they would have no choice but to sell their homes if this rezoning took place.

One resident said the city should not allow the former Lincoln School to become an events center, but rather keep it zoned residential, since the city needs more housing anyway.

Fairfield Mayor Connie Boyer said the city’s comprehensive plan called for the area around Lincoln School to become mixed use, and that was why the planning and zoning commission recommended this proposed change from R2 Residential in zoning to MU Mixed Use.

“It might have been great if someone came along and bought that building to put in condos, but that hasn’t happened,” Boyer said.

A man who identified himself as portraying Santa the last five years, including the last two with the Huffmans, said there was no reason to worry about “wild parties” causing a nuisance at that property.

“I have been right in the trenches every minute of their celebrations, and there isn’t anything out of line beyond a Christmas celebration,” he said.

The man said there was one interaction from last Christmas that stuck with him. While portraying Santa at JC Huffman’s, a little girl came up to him with tears in her eyes. She whispered in his ear, “Can you help me get my mom and dad back together?” He gave her a hug and told her he would say a little prayer for her. He told the council that that’s what the Huffmans’ Christmas celebration is really about.

“They’re not wild partying families,” he said. “These are people who want to give their children a Christmas event that is special to them.”

The man said that what the Huffmans are doing is “very beneficial for this community.”

Resident Elaine Hughes said she has lived in the neighborhood for 13 years, and she bought her house under the assumption this was a residential neighborhood. She asked the council how they would feel if 900 people were to show up in their neighborhood.

Paul Miller of Miller Law Office spoke on behalf of the Huffmans. He said he understood the concerns of the neighbors, but argued that “there has been no legal reason given tonight for you to deny the rezoning.”

Miller said that, in order for Fairfield to remain relevant, it must “find new uses for old buildings.” He said that Fairfield’s businesses need consistency from their city council in how it enforces zoning.

“If you make different sets of rules for various organizations and people, you’re not going to add to the stability of the business community, the longevity or the viability of this community,” Miller said.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com