Okoboji Grill eyeing North Liberty

The owner of Iowa City's Okoboji Grill restaurant is eyeing a second location off Highway 965 in North Liberty.

A site plan slated for North Liberty City Council consideration Tuesday night shows the restaurant in the Corridor Commercial development east of Highway 965 and north of Forevergreen Road.

Okoboji Grill is an Iowa-based casual dining concept with a broad menu including sandwiches, salads, platters, burgers, pasta and Mexican dishes, and appetizers. Mike Waltz is the Okoboji Grill franchisee for Johnson County.

Rooflines seem to be the only potential sticking point raised by the city staff with the project. The City of North Liberty has been recommending hip roof or gable roof lines rather than flat roofs in commercial developments, according to a memo to the council from the planning director. It says the pitched roofs “continue a design theme in North Liberty of personal scale and residential character emphasis.”

Waltz has requested a flat roof hidden  parapet walls. He maintains the parapet wall-flat roof arrangement, similar to the roof lines of the Granite City Food & Brewery in Cedar Rapids, would be better for concealing heating, cooling and ventilation equipment on the rooftop.

Waltz operates the Okoboji Grill at Sycamore Mall in Iowa City. He said Monday that he's hopeful the city council will approve the site plant, but the restaurant plan still faces several other hurdles before he can pronounce it a “go.”

Okoboji Grill would be one of the larger restaurants yet developed in fast-growing North Liberty. The project includes outdoor seating areas, outdoor awnings, and parking that significantly exceeds city requirements.

Despite the roof issue, it is recommended by the staff for council approval.