IOWA CITY — Community members across Johnson County are coming together to visualize the economic future of three hyperlocal districts in Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty.
Greater Iowa City Inc., launched Strategic Investment Districts last year and brought together property owners, urban planners and leaders within the public sector to develop plans targeted at economic growth efforts in those districts.
The teams recently completed plans for each of the districts, which are not meant to be a final draft, but rather a guide to future economic development and place-making efforts throughout the districts in both the public and private sector.
“Each city had a unique process, a unique team and a unique outcome. And that’s what I love about it, is that just speaks to the uniqueness of Johnson County,” said Cady Gerlach, vice president of programs and executive director of Better Together 2030 for Greater Iowa City. “There’s something for everybody. There’s a community for everybody, and there’s so many more communities out there that we haven’t even gotten to yet.”
The three districts chosen include:
Cherry Street’s project was all about connecting two smaller districts within one district. On the west end is planned new development in the Urban Central District — 65,000 square feet of commercial space and 350 apartments across 20 acres. The other end is North Liberty’s civic center with city hall and landmark businesses such as Heyn’s Ice Cream.
“Cherry Street is really the connecting part between these two districts. So thinking about more of the streetscape levels. So when you’re in one area, you know that there are some tendrils, some breadcrumbs, that are going into another district. … It’s not a development project or one business, but it’s a place that you can linger and enjoy your time there,” said Corey Scott, urban planner with RDG.
To build those connections, Cherry Street needs to be compatible with all forms of transportation. Plans also call for public art between the two districts.
While development plans on the west side of the district are underway, plans on the east side call for a more gradual and limited infill development.
Andrew Ballard, architect with Studio Combine, has his office on Cherry Street near North Liberty’s fire station. Ballard build a set of 3D-printed models of the existing buildings within the neighborhood and models that represent potential infill development.
Beyond the team that worked on the draft plans, Ballard said other neighbors have stopped by to take a look at the models.
“My impression is they’re in favor of us densifying and developing this to a low degree, like to a walkable, shaded downtown kind of feel, but it really needs to be sensitive,” Ballard said of the neighborhood.
In Iowa City, the planning team focused its efforts on the area in and around Sycamore Mall, which had an occupancy rate of nearly 80 percent before the closure of Joann Fabrics.
Plans call for a continued exploration of investment in the mall, providing different small retail opportunities, as well as mixed-use development that includes affordable housing.
The plan also explores transitioning different tenants at buildings that already exist within the district and potential new build projects.
“There’s so many existing businesses and we don’t want to displace it anymore. So it became like a shell game of what can we do? First, provide space and then we can move people, and how do we use some of the open space?” said Mark Seabold, architect with Shive-Hattery.
Additionally, stakeholders call for an abundance of public art, additional landscaping, and improved pedestrian connections throughout the district.
“We just wanted to create a district that had its own character and its own identity. And we don’t want to compete with downtown. We want to be a different place to go to,” said Seabold.
Coralville’s Fifth Street corridor will look to establish a district identity that encourages walkability, in a way that separates itself from other parts of the city such as Iowa River Landing.
The team’s draft plans highlight the neighborhood’s diversity through unique art, food and opportunities for small businesses.
The process begins in part with signage that will look to highlight existing businesses, as well as establishing the Fifth Street corridor as its own district within the city.
The team hopes to create a gradual transition between some of the single family residential homes on the west side of the district, and the mixed-use development on the east side that culminates with the Iowa River Power building.
Draft plans show the need to support in-home businesses and entice food trucks to the area, and they explore opportunities for infill at underdeveloped sites in the area for a potential food hall or small retail.
A longer term goal includes establishing a self-supported municipal improvement district (SSMID) to fund upkeep of future district amenities. Plans also call for review of the city’s zoning in the district to support mixed-use development.
While most of the efforts moving forward will formalize in the new year, Greater Iowa City Inc. has already begun taking the plans to property owners, investors and members across the civic community.
Gerlach said the team would like to see at least some progress on each of the initiatives by 2030, and will continue to workshop different implementation strategies.
“We’re going to learn a lot through these first couple of years, and we may have to pivot and move, but we’re going to continue working on these things, because we know that these are the places we can have the most impact,” she said.
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