Iowa River Landing growing, opening new businesses

CORALVILLE - The opening of Fuzzy's Taco Shop last week was just the latest in a string of recent developments for Coralville's Iowa River Landing.

Work in the 180-acre district, one of the major projects into Coralville, has picked up steam in recent years, thanks in part to the Iowa Arena project and the anticipated October opening of Trader Joe's grocery store.

The IRL developers expect to see between six and eight stores open in the next year and to contain almost 200 completed residential units by the end of 2018, said Deanna Trumbull, director of leasing for IRL.

'2017 and '18 are going to be busy years for us,” Trumbull said.

About 40 acres of IRL have been developed so far, with just more than 119 apartment, condo and town house units and a score of shops and restaurants.

This paints a vastly different portrait of the IRL than many saw a decade ago when the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center was being built and much of the district was simply open space.

Coralville Mayor John Lundell said the hotel acted as a catalyst for other buildings to follow. The Von Maur department store - which moved from Iowa City - and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics location have had similar effects on the area, he said.

The city's next big IRL project will come in the form of a 6,216-seat arena, which triggered 'more than $190 million of new developments” in the district, according to Coralville's website. That estimate includes museums, a sports performance institute and a parking garage, among other venues.

'It's exciting that nearly every council meeting right now has some action related to the district down there,” Lundell said.

CULTURE

Julie Kunze, owner True Style, a woman's clothing boutique in the IRL, has had a front-row seat to much of the growth in the district since she was recruited some three years ago to consider opening a store.

Kunze said she was impressed with Coralville's vision for the IRL. When she first opened the IRL store, she or a representative from her first West Des Moines would drive back and forth each day because they enjoyed the culture at the IRL so much.

Foot traffic has been a benefit for True Style, Kunze said, so she welcomes future growth in the IRL.

'That was really a big draw for me,” Kunze said, adding that her first store is located in a mall. 'I have really built my business on people walking by because I'm small and they don't know who I am.”

Stephanie DeJong, store manager of Scratch Cupcakery, agreed that foot traffic was a major benefit to the store's IRL location, which was one of the first businesses to open in the district about three years ago. She said people often walk by and get intrigued by what they see in the window.

'As a consumer, if you have four businesses that you love, how awesome would it be that they're all on the same street?” Kunze said.

Now that people have begun moving into some of the residential units, the IRL is feeling more energized, Kunze said.

Josh Schamberger, president of the local Convention & Visitors Bureau, said developments such as the IRL, which only have began popping up around Iowa in the past five or 10 years, are sought after by those in the area. They allow people to live, work, shop and find entertainment all in one specific area.

Schamberger pointed out these 'transit-oriented developments” don't necessarily require residents to have a car because everything they need is all in one place.

CONSTRUCTION and vision

The IRL developers have been 'very cautious” in choosing businesses for the district, Lundell said. A case in point, Lundell said, is Trader Joe's.

'It's exactly the type of big-bang new business that we are looking to add to what we already have,” Lundell said.

Another one of those new businesses is Louie's Wine Dive. Work on its new location, planned for just across the street from 30hop and near Adeva Salon, is expected to begin in mid- to late May, Trumbull said.

In addition, the IRL will see a boost in residential units. Construction also is underway on a Watts Group mixed-use building with planned commercial or office space and 40 residential units, Trumbull said.

District architects, developers and the city recently sat down at a planning session to answer the question of just what the IRL will look like in the future, Mayor Lundell said.

The vision for some of that land is clear. Construction on the Iowa Arena project, a $70 million multiuse complex and a 180-room Drury Inn is expected to begin next year.

The Iowa Area is designed offer an ice rink as well as a space for events such as wrestling, basketball and concerts. The arena project also includes homes for the Iowa Fitness and Sports Performance Institute as well as the Antique Car Museum and Johnson County Historical Society Museum.

For some of the undeveloped land, Lundell said he expects even more entertainment and housing. But for the rest of the land, especially plots that are the most visible, the IRL will wait for just the right projects.

'There's still some large pieces of land that could really be something spectacular,” Lundell said.

l Comments: (319) 339-3172; maddy.arnold@thegazette.com