New Coralville Hy-Vee opening delayed

Changes in the design of a new Hy-Vee Food Store on the border of Coralville and North Liberty will delay the opening of the supermarket until the spring of 2017.

The 96,000-square-foot store at 3285 Crosspark Road will be slightly larger than the Hy-Vee store on Waterfront Drive. A Hy-Vee convenience store at that location is scheduled to open next month.

West Des Moines-based Hy-Vee, which operates a store at 1914 Eighth St. in Coralville and three stores in Iowa City, bought the land for a second Coralville store more than five years ago.

The new supermarket will be similar in appearance to others in the Corridor. Plans call for a Market Grille restaurant, a wine and spirits section, pharmacy and Starbucks coffee kiosk.

When it disclosed plans for a second Coralville store, Hy-Vee said it was responding to growth in Coralville and North Liberty.

From 2000 to 2010, North Liberty was the second-fastest growing city in Iowa. Since 2000, the community has experienced population growth of 125.55 percent.

A special census conducted in 2015 determined that North Liberty's population is 18,228, a 36 percent increase over the last five years.

Coralville's population grew from 15,123 in 2000 to 18,903 in 2010.

The second Coralville Hy-Vee will compete with a Fareway in North Liberty, Wal-Mart in Coralville and a new 17,826-square-foot Aldi store at 2750 Heartland Dr. in Coralville that opened in November.

As of 2015, Hy-Vee employs over 78,000 individuals and is the largest employer in the state of Iowa. The company has annual sales over $8.7 billion.