News Track: ‘Gateway’ to Coralville development plan amended

Background

The Coralville City Council approved a plan in 2023 for the redevelopment of approximately 12 acres at the corner of First Avenue and Second Street that would create a “gateway” between Coralville and the University of Iowa. The council approved the site for rezoning a year earlier.

The Gather Iowa Project by Dallas-based Rael Development Corporation proposed a mix of residential, commercial and retail options, with green space, bicycle and pedestrian access mixed into the development.

The site, in the southeast area along the Coralville strip, had been of development interest due to its highly visible location and proximity to the University of Iowa.

However, Coralville City Manager Kelly Hayworth previously told The Gazette that development on the site had been difficult because of the area’s location on a flood plain, a utility line that cuts across the site, as well as replacing other infrastructure such as streets.

Throughout the planning period there have been concerns about access to affordable housing and displacing existing businesses in the development district.

The city and the development team were working together to identify potential options, such as reserving a number of housing units for affordable housing, increasing housing density or using other city-owned land.

“The conversation is headed in the right direction,” Mayor Meghann Foster said at an earlier city council meeting. “I'm grateful that we have someone that's willing to engage in the creative problem solving with this.”

What’s happened since

Last month, the Coralville City Council unanimously approved an amendment to the developer’s master plan and preliminary plat for the project.

The project is slightly smaller in scale, from 12 acres to 10, and now includes fours lots to be developed simultaneously as opposed to the previous five.

The plan for two lots — 0.66 and 0.79 acres in size — will include one-story buildings for retail and restaurants facing Second Street, to allow for maximum visibility and pedestrian access.

Additionally, a 4.37-acre lot will hold a 295-unit six-story multifamily residential building with a pool and courtyard. A five-story parking garage will accompany the residential building.

Development plans also include a 34-unit multifamily residential building on a 1.49-acre lot, set aside for affordability efforts. The specifics on the affordability efforts are still being finalized.

The fifth lot, at 1.94 acres, has been changed from a mixed-use building with residential options, to allow for a future hotel. That project was not included in the vote or the review process, but was included to ensure a future development would have adequate parking.

Greater Iowa City Inc. has had discussions with city staff and the development team about potential relocation options or other programs for existing businesses in the area and may be involved in those efforts.

The economic development agency supports the development as it falls within the organization’s strategic investment districts.

“The proposed development is positioned to transform this under utilized area into a dynamic hub with a diverse range of housing options and commercial opportunities, while honoring the diversity of the surrounding area,” Mackenzie DeRoo, senior director of advocacy at Greater Iowa City Inc., told the city council.

  Buy Photo

Next Steps

Now that the initial platting has been approved, the development team will work toward detailed building design and landscaping. Once completed, final designs will go back to the city council for approval.

There is no definitive timeline for when construction could begin on the project.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com