Developers seek county land near public health building for townhouse project; county to consult city engineers
April 15, 2026 | Des Moines County, Iowa
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A pair of developers asked Des Moines County supervisors during an April 14 work session to consider selling a strip of county land adjacent to the county public health building so they can build townhouses aimed at middle‑income buyers and older residents.
John Rashid and Kathy Ratchet told the board they recently purchased nearby property and want to expand with about 20 townhouses along the east side of a ravine next to the health department. They said units would be affordable but not subsidized, include layouts for home offices and some accessible units for seniors, and would require rezoning from R2 (single family) to R4 (multifamily) through the city planning process.
Board members and staff raised multiple site constraints that must be resolved before any sale: proximity to a freeway ramp and Iowa DOT access limits, sanitary sewer lines and a catch basin that currently handle stormwater from the public health site, and engineering requirements to maintain equivalent post‑construction runoff. County staff repeatedly advised the developers to consult the City of Burlington planners and engineers and to provide engineering plans addressing stormwater, access, and sanitary sewer impacts.
The board emphasized the county’s transparent sale procedures. "Whatever the decision is, if we would make a decision, it would have to be perfectly transparent and we can't just make a deal with somebody — we would have to go through the attorney and get, you know, is it a sealed bid or a public auction," the meeting transcript records a supervisor saying.
No sale or formal commitment was made. Supervisors directed staff to examine the county’s needs for the property, check boundaries needed for public health operations (for example, retention areas and future parking), and consult the city on engineering and zoning. The developers agreed to take those steps and return for another working session once they have city feedback and engineering input.
John Rashid and Kathy Ratchet told the board they recently purchased nearby property and want to expand with about 20 townhouses along the east side of a ravine next to the health department. They said units would be affordable but not subsidized, include layouts for home offices and some accessible units for seniors, and would require rezoning from R2 (single family) to R4 (multifamily) through the city planning process.
Board members and staff raised multiple site constraints that must be resolved before any sale: proximity to a freeway ramp and Iowa DOT access limits, sanitary sewer lines and a catch basin that currently handle stormwater from the public health site, and engineering requirements to maintain equivalent post‑construction runoff. County staff repeatedly advised the developers to consult the City of Burlington planners and engineers and to provide engineering plans addressing stormwater, access, and sanitary sewer impacts.
The board emphasized the county’s transparent sale procedures. "Whatever the decision is, if we would make a decision, it would have to be perfectly transparent and we can't just make a deal with somebody — we would have to go through the attorney and get, you know, is it a sealed bid or a public auction," the meeting transcript records a supervisor saying.
No sale or formal commitment was made. Supervisors directed staff to examine the county’s needs for the property, check boundaries needed for public health operations (for example, retention areas and future parking), and consult the city on engineering and zoning. The developers agreed to take those steps and return for another working session once they have city feedback and engineering input.
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