96-unit housing development planned for North Liberty

NORTH LIBERTY — A 96-unit multi family housing development is planned for Jordan Street on the south side of North Liberty. The building is tentatively set to open in the summer of 2027.

The planned four story building, on a little over 2.5 acres, is just northeast of the University of Iowa Medical Center’s North Liberty campus. The development will feature market rate housing, with a mix of bedroom types still yet to be finalized.

The project received $1 million in workforce housing tax credits through the Iowa Economic Development Authority. The program is meant to encourage the development of housing in Iowa communities looking to attract new members of the workforce.

As a part of the workforce housing tax credit application, the City of North Liberty had to commit $1,000 per unit for a total of $96,000. The development is the first workforce housing tax credit project in the city’s history.

“I think we're hearing multiple things. It’s the workforce itself, the people and then housing that would have to follow, or be here and bring them here. … It's a bit of a chicken and egg, although you do need the housing for people to come, so absolutely, housing and workforce are related. We do hear that from folks, whether it's people looking to relocate or even folks looking to expand,” said Ryan Rusnak, director of Planning, Building & Development for the City of North Liberty.

The city council unanimously approved a site plan for the development as well as an update to the city’s future land use map at its meeting Tuesday night. The site had previously been identified for development with lower density.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com

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