Revisions allow new Corridor Business Journal office in North Liberty

NORTH LIBERTY - Approved revisions to one of North Liberty's office zones will allow for smaller lots and provide an opportunity for the Corridor Business Journal to return to its city of origin.

Tuesday, the North Liberty City Council voted unanimously, with member Annie Pollock absent, to amend the city's Office Research Park zone to reduce the size requirements of future development within the area known as The Villas at Liberty Executive Park, located between Kansas Avenue and Interstate 380.

'I'm glad you're deciding to expand and relocate into North Liberty,” council member Coleen Chipman said to CBJ representatives.

CBJ has been at is current space at 845 Quarry Road on Coralville's Iowa River Landing for close to a decade.

The amendment, which saw condensed passage of the second and third reading Tuesday, along with council approval of platting and site plan for a new CBJ building, allows for construction on the media company's headquarters to begin this year.

The amendment reduces the minimum lot area from 2 to 1.5 acres, the minimum lot width from 200 to 150 feet and the side yard setbacks from 50 to 20 feet.

The amendment is associated with a request for plat and site plan approval from the CBJ, which wants to build a corporate headquarters on the west side of Landon Road, north of the University of Iowa Community Credit Union building. However, that site plan could not be approved without the amendment to the zone.

Other than the UICCU building, which opened roughly two years ago at 2355 Landon Road, the area has remained largely undeveloped - yet still classified as development ready - since 2008, according to a staff report.

City Administrator Ryan Heiar said in a memo that the amendment adds growth flexibility to the entire area by allowing smaller projects, which could spur more office development.

John Lohman, chief executive officer and publisher of CBJ, said in a letter to the council that relocating to North Liberty would actually mean a move home for the media company, which will house between 12 and 14 employees in the new space. CBJ was founded 12 years ago in Lohman's basement, according to the letter.

In the letter, he requested condensed passage of the amendment's three required votes, citing time as a factor.

'In an effort to expedite development and construction for this new building and ensure that we begin work this fall so as to meet current springtime lease constraints, we need to have construction begin as soon as possible,” he wrote.