The Iowa City City Council voted in favor of a public hearing on the Towncrest area and urban renewal at Tuesday night’s meeting.

The hearing is scheduled to take place at the counil’s Dec. 7 meeting, and it will help the council decide whether to determine whether Towncrest is an urban renewal area or not.

The decision was prompted by a staff recommendation to wait until after the Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission reviews the topic at its meeting Thursday.

The plan covers about 50 acres at the intersection of First Avenue and Muscatine and, if approved, would be the first step in creating a tax increment financing district for the area.

— by Alicia Kramme