CORALVILLE, Iowa (KCRG) - The demolition process has started for the “Gather Iowa” development on the Coralville Strip.
The 10-acre area is located on the southeast side, near the University of Iowa softball and track facilities. It will include new retail space and apartments in phase one and a hotel and affordable housing in the second phase.
According to city administrator Kelly Hayworth, the development has been in the works for quite a while.
“We’ve been working with different developers on this for over ten years,” he said. Now, Rael Development Corporation is tackling the project.
The apartments, which are already approved, will have more than 290 units and are aimed at young professionals.
Hayworth said the council approval process is underway for phase two to begin next summer.
“So all of this should be completed in 2027,” he said.
The second phase will include 34 units of affordable housing, but those income levels are still being discussed with the developer and the city.
“[The mayor and council] wanted to see the redevelopment, but they wanted to make sure that we still offered those opportunities for people to be able to afford to live here,” said Hayworth.
Melanie Bimson, an economic development program manager with Greater Iowa City, says having a range of housing available for different income levels helps spur development.
“Anytime we can have more dense housing throughout the community in ways that make sense for the community I think is great,” said Bimson.’
The area will also include recreational and community spaces to serve the various apartment complexes.
“Throughout this community, we need a lot of different housing options,” said Bimson. “This is going to be an opportunity to have housing throughout all different income sectors.”
This area was previously home to businesses such as the Middle-Eastern restaurant Tabooleh and various small groceries - which took time and collaborative efforts to relocate, says Hayworth.
Technical concerns like the floodplain location and electric transmission lines running diagonally across the acreage also caused delays to the redevelopment project.
The area is part of a “strategic investment district” named by the Greater Iowa City team last November.
The Sycamore Mall area on the east side of Iowa City and Cherry Street in North Liberty are two other nearby strategic investment districts.
Greater Iowa City is working with city officials and residents in these areas to stimulate economic growth.
“This is just going to be a catalyst project in the area. It can be an anchor for our strategic investment district,” said Bimson. “It’s just taken some time to re-imagine the space and we’re excited to see it go up.“