A city order halted a Habitat for Humanity and UI Homecoming Council project that would have given a home to a family in need.
A cease and desist order, issued Thursday morning, barred construction on the project after officials discovered the lot had been improperly subdivide.
Mark Patton, executive director of Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity, said the former owner of the property did not follow the correct procedures when he split the lot in 1992. He also said Iowa City changed its property tracking system in 1994, causing the irregularity to go unnoticed. Patton said Habitat for Humanity bought the land in 2007 and the city granted them permission to build on the site.
Habitat for Humanity had already laid a foundation on the site and construction was set to begin today.
“The city’s not mad at us,” Patton said. “They actually feel sorry for us because we put in all this time and effort.”
The project was a joint venture involving several different organizations and businesses, but its major sponsor was the UI Homecoming Council which pledged $40,000 towards the project. The Homecoming Council advertised the project as a “Blitz Build” in which they hoped to complete all major construction on the home in just two days. Several hundred volunteers from both the UI and Iowa City communities were expected to participate in the build this weekend.
Kevin Paulsen, outreach director for the Homecoming Council, said the goal was “to involve the university and to show that students do care and want to give back.”
Patton did not expect construction to take place in the near future and said Habitat for Humanity would seek compensation for funds already invested in the project. He said the organization’s goal is to provide housing for families in need, and if they are unable to do that on this lot, they would focus efforts on more promising projects.
“We wouldn’t be buying it just to have a piece of grass to mow,” Patton said.
