Overall, owner-occupied and rental housing conditions throughout the community are good to excellent. There are very few structures that are in extreme disrepair. In 1982, the City designated five neighborhood improvement areas generally in the older parts of the community, and there has been a concentrated effort to upgrade and maintain the housing stock in those areas. Over the last ten years the City’s Housing Rehab program has assisted homeowners citywide. Additionally, an effective rental housing inspection program helps to maintain the rental housing stock.
Iowa City has been steadily growing. There are several areas of new housing construction (west of Mormon Trek Boulevard, south of Highway 6 and east of the Iowa River, and on the east side of town in the Scott Boulevard area). Housing conditions in these sections of town are excellent and are integrated well into the existing neighborhoods. Building permits were issued for over 200 new single-family and 150 rental units in 1998 and through the first quarter of 1999.
