The Iowa City City Council on Tuesday discussed housing developments in the Riverfront Crossings District.

The city’s policy, which requires a percentage of housing be set aside for low-income residents, is the first such policy in the state.

The policy lays out the goal of having 10 to 15 percent lower-income residents per complex. The calculations are based on gross incomes, not net income.

City Councilor Michelle Payne expressed concern over concentrating groups of different social classes in single areas.

Furthermore, the Riverfront Crossings development will be proximal to three separate school districts, which helps alleviate any additional stress on a single school district.

City Councilor Susan Mims floated the idea of exempting Riverfront Crossings from this policy to simplify proceedings.

The new housing could potentially be occupied by university students upon completion; the low-income designated portion could be rented by students who are independent of their parents’ income or those whose parents make lower incomes. Students who rely on their parents’ income, and whose parents make higher ranges of income, would not be eligible.

Typically, undergraduate students may not qualify for this type of housing, but some graduate students and financially independent students may be eligible.

— by Anders Frieberg