Davenport City Council Work Session with Zoning Board of Adjustment – September 2, 2026
Davenport City Council Work Session with Zoning Board of Adjustment – September 2, 2026
This was a joint work session between the Davenport City Council and the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA), the first such meeting in several years due to the pandemic. The purpose was an open discussion about the ZBA's operations, challenges, and any support needed from the council. ZBA chair Dan Darrell and other members described the board's role, typical caseload, common types of cases, and their appreciation for city staff support.
Discussion Items
- ZBA Role and Composition: Dan Darrell, ZBA chair for 3-4 of his nearly 6 years on the board, explained that the ZBA is a quasi‑judicial board that makes final decisions on hardship variances, special use permits, and appeals of code interpretations, rather than making recommendations to the council. The board has five members appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council. State law requires at least three affirmative votes for approval; if only three members are present, a vote must be unanimous.
- Caseload and Trends: The number of cases has dropped significantly since the 2019 zoning code update, which addressed common issues. Annual cases range from 8 (in 2022) to about 25, whereas under the old code there were up to 80 per year. The board meets twice a month (second and fourth Thursdays) if petitions are filed, averaging 16‑18 meetings annually.
- Types of Cases: Most hardship variances are dimensional (setbacks, garage size, swimming pool placement) while special use permits focus on whether a use (e.g., a small engine shop) is appropriate in a neighborhood. Cases are roughly half commercial and half residential, with occasional city projects (e.g., Fire Station #3). Appeals of administrative interpretations are rare—only one since 2019.
- Key Challenges: Board members discussed the difficulty of saying “no” to petitioners, especially when neighbors support a project, because the board must enforce the code strictly and consider long‑term impacts. One past case involved an auto dealership that the board approved based on personal feelings; the city sued (the suit was later dropped), reinforcing the need for strict code adherence. Members emphasized that recommendations from staff are valuable but the board makes final decisions.
- Staff Support: Multiple board members praised city staff (development and legal) for their guidance, knowledge of code changes, and help in navigating decisions. The Iowa State Sanction Service and legal department also assist with case law.
- Example Decisions: The board approved a handicap ramp that encroached 3–7 feet into a 25‑foot setback because it was the right thing to do. They also approved a pool on a triangular lot with streets on three sides where the only feasible location was in a backyard that abutted a street. Another case allowed parking near the front of a house due to topographical hardship.
- Council Questions: Aldermen asked about the criteria for board membership (must be a legal resident with “strong positive experience or interest in urban planning, urban design, and city development”) and the distinction between Planning & Zoning (advisory to council on rules) and ZBA (adjudicative on individual cases).
Key Outcomes
- No votes or formal decisions were made during this work session.
- The council expressed appreciation for the ZBA's volunteer service and the important role they play.
- The ZBA chair noted that continued excellent staff support and careful zoning in new developments would help the board going forward.
- The meeting was adjourned informally with thanks for everyone's flexibility in rescheduling.
Meeting Transcript
So I'll be chairing this city council work session with the zoning board of adjustment. So for some of you if you haven't been with the ZBA or even on city council very long, we are supposed to meet with our boards and commissions on a somewhat routine basis. We have done a pretty good job of that prior to the pandemic and then after the pandemic, we haven't done a good job of that. The mayor board has been focused on uh trying to get these meetings back on our Tuesday schedule. Um so what we have on our agenda is just an open discussion about the the ZBA, how things are going for you, what kind of support if any you would need from us, and so what we'll do is we'll go around the room, we'll have everybody uh tell us who they are, uh their capacity, and how long they've been doing it, and I just want to start off the conversation by thanking everyone on the ZBA because you are volunteers and you do a very important job, and so we appreciate the time that you give uh to the city of Davenport uh freely. So thank you, and we'll start with Alderman Blunk and go around this one. I'm uh the fifth ward representative and uh starting eight months and uh learning every day something's up to see. All right. Uh I am Dan Darrell and I'm the chair of the CBA. Um I also chair improvement commission. Um I have been in this role for I've been in the CBA for not quite six years. I've been chairing it for at least half of that. I'm not exactly sure how much, but three or four of those years. Um I'm in the fifth board, uh, board and race and battleport. And um, yeah, and we'll talk more later about how we think things are going. Uh my name is John Clefman. Uh I've been on the ZBA now for I believe it's just over a year, year and a half, maybe something like that. Uh been a great experience, uh, eye-opening to say the least. Uh and uh I'm from uh I live in the first board, I guess. My name is Mike Gallier. Um I'm vice chair of the ZBA. I think I've been on the on that board for four years now, I believe. Um living the sixth board. I'm Bridget Callison. I've been on the board about five years, I think. CD five years. I was vice chair at one time. And I also work for the Putin here today. Nicole Cleason, um, I'm the assistant city administrator. I'm full of courts director. Joyce Mill, Sam's back there. Um corporation counsel. I'm Joyce Miller, I'm just a citizen. Rick done first world all of them. I'm my second term. Mark Holloway, seventh ward autumn. This is my first term. I guess third work all the way. This is my first term. Tim Duncan World Albert, second term. Jane Rick Holder, board alder women, second term. Ben Jobson, sixth board person, and I'm on my fourth term. Uh Richard's wall, director of development neighborhood services. Scott Coats, my name is okay. Matt lead and eighth board first term. Kristen Cofford, I'm on TBA, just about a year, I think. Um, everyone. Uh Kyle Griff, Alderman at large, uh, 11th year uh on the city council. And I live in the sixth board. So I'm gonna open it up to Dan as the chair if you want to start the conversation.
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