Coralville project may include funeral home, office building

An office building and combination events center-funeral home may go up on a prominent intersection on the Coralville and North Liberty border.

The Coralville City Council on Tuesday will hold the second consideration of a rezoning request for land southwest of 12

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Avenue and Forevergreen Road. The council approved the first of the three required considerations earlier this month.

MLV Properties LLC has submitted a site plan that calls for a 4,800-square-foot commercial building, a 7,500-square-foot events center and a 7,500-square-foot life center, which would essentially be a funeral home.

Mike Lensing, a member of the investor group, said Friday the plan is a concept only and could change. Specifically, he said the events center and life center could become one building that could host a variety of gatherings, including weddings, parties and funerals.

No cost estimates are available on the buildings yet.

Lensing, co-owner of Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service, said the funeral home would replace his company's Holiday Road location in Coralville. But it would not have a crematory, he said.

He also said that although city documents say the buildings will go up one a year starting this year, there is no firm timeline. It's possible construction could start this year on the commercial building, which would rent space to small businesses, but that's to be determined, he said.

With North Central Junior High School across the street from the site, some Coralville Planning and Zoning Commission members expressed concern about the safety of children with increased traffic. But Lensing said they usually have police escorts for funerals.

“Our biggest goal is that I want this to be very neighborhood friendly because this is the entrance to that area of Coralville,” he said.

Forevergreen Road and 12

The land immediately south of Forevergreen Road between 12

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Avenue were built for heavy use and can handle more vehicles, said Jim Kessler, Coralville's planning and zoning official.

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Avenue and Highway 965 is targeted for commercial development, and this project would fit right in, Kessler said.