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Iowa City's Magic Bus Brings Up Permit ConcernsBy Justin Foss, Reporter
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Hawkeye fans might not recognize Melrose Avenue this year as they head out for one of the many home games at Kinnick Stadium.
A fight over the future location of the the nationally-known Magic Bus has exposed a lingering problem – the need for permits to host commercial ventures near the stadium. The land those ventures, which include t-shirt sales, turkey legs and regulated tailgating - think Magic Bus – is zoned residential. Jann Ream with the Iowa City Code Enforcement Office said every commercial venture scattered along Melrose Ave technically needs a temporary-use permit to operate in a residential zoned area. Ream said the city has never asked those commercial ventures to acquire the required permits, “We just tolerated it.” However, this year, the city is asking the Magic Bus organizers to acquire a permit. Ream said the only reason they’re doing that, is because neighbors near the new location of the Magic Bus have objected to the change. Ream said if it weren’t for the squabble between the people who bought the land the Magic Bus used to use, and the Magic Bus organizers, the city wouldn’t have started to address the years of non-compliance. “It has drawn scrutiny to the entire situation,” said Ream. Jeremy Freerks,39, Iowa City, is a spokesperson for the Magic Bus. He said they are working to get those permits, which includes attending a public forum scheduled for Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at the Iowa City Library. “We’re not doing anything that every other yard around here, for the most part, does. We’re tailgating. We just do it a little bigger and louder, because we support live music,” said Freerks. However, Freerks said his group feels singled out by the city. And technically it is getting singled out. Ream said they have not asked any other commercial ventures to get those temporary-use permits. It’s unclear if the city will ask the others to get those technically required permits. Ream said it’s been rare for the Code Enforcement Office to approve the temporary-use permits like what the Magic Bus would need. She said her department is waiting for word from the city council before deciding how to proceed with the entire situation. More Good Stuff |
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