Oaknoll Retirement planning second campus in Johnson

Oaknoll Retirement Residence is looking to build a second campus to handle a backlog of applicants.

Iowa City-based Oaknoll has begun a search for 15 to 30 acres of land in the Iowa City-Coralville area for the expansion.

The waiting list for apartments in Oaknoll has tripled in the past five years to more than 100 individuals and couples,l Administrator Steve Roe said. He said the natural turnover in residents would require many years to deplete even the existing waiting list if Oaknoll doesn't expand.

"We have people planning as far out as 2023," Roe said.

The search for a site is not limited to Coralville or Iowa City, but Oaknoll hopes to find land it can acquire that is within city limits or annexable to a city.

Oaknoll is a LifeCare community offering a full continuum of living arrangements. Roe said that fact, and the fixed pricing available regardless of the resident's future care needs, are the primary things that set Oaknoll apart in the market.

Board President Ginny Clemons said the second Oaknoll site would be used to offer the entire continuum of Oaknoll options from independent living to onsite nursing care. The Oaknoll board hopes to include green space, walking trails and unlimited parking in addition to the amenities on the existing campus.

Oaknoll's current campus has 280 residents who live in 165 independent living apartments, eight independent living houses, 33 assisted living apartments and 48 licensed nursing care beds. The campus occupies seven acres of land at 1 Oaknoll Court on the west side of Iowa City.