Iowa City congregation approves purchase of Coralville site, enters agreement to sell current one

IOWA CITY — With another overwhelming vote of approval, the Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City congregation is one step closer to building a new church in Coralville.

On Sunday, 91 percent of the 222 attending members of the society voted to buy 5.5 acres of land at 2355 Oakdale Road, which is planned to be home to the society's new place of worship.

The society also has entered into a purchase agreement with Iowa City's Jesse Allen, of Allen Homes, for its existing church at 10 S. Gilbert St.

Adam Ingersoll, a member of the society's board of trustees, said Sunday's vote marks a 'major milestone.'

'We're just thrilled. The congregation has really stuck with this, and it's been extremely complex and at times contentious and controversial,' Ingersoll said. 'What we did was hard emotionally and complex and difficult, but we feel like today really demonstrated that the steps we took were necessary so that we could reach a point that we could move forward.'

A sale of the current property is set to close in mid-November — officials have estimated it will sell for $2 million or more — and a formal purchase of the Coralville site should take place in September, Ingersoll said.

Society members now are focusing on designing the new church with Neumann Monson Architects, with hopes of opening the building in early to mid 2017.

Discussions with Allen Homes are underway to explore options for preserving the Gilbert Street building's 107-year-old sanctuary, Ingersoll said.

Of the roughly 20 prospective buyers for the downtown site, Ingersoll said Allen Homes was by far the most flexible and creative in terms of discussing preservation.

Ingersoll said it's likely some sort of agreement between Allen Homes and the city — possibly including incentives in exchange for preservation — will be needed to save the sanctuary.

With the demolition permit for the site valid through Sept. 26, such an agreement will have to come together this summer, he added.

'The window of time is about 90 days for the developer and the city to see if they can put together a plan to save it, if they want,' he said. 'By Sept. 26 the church will have to start demolition.'

Society members anticipate a 15- to 18-month transition period before the new church is finished and are in negotiations with educational and religious institutions, as well as commercial locations, to find a temporary home.

About a month ago, society members signed a $600,000 purchase agreement with property owners Duane and Jill Miller for the property west of 12th Avenue, south of Oakdale Boulevard and north of the Lantern Park nursing home in Coralville.

The Rev. Steven Protzman said the congregation's support of the new property has been overwhelmingly positive.

'The old building, as much as we love it and cherish it, has held us back. I think this new facility will offer us even more opportunities,' he said. 'I'm really proud of the way the congregation has worked together in this journey so far, the inclusion and the transparency.'