Coralville council advances plan for West Village, ‘new urbanist neighborhood’

The Coralville City Council approved the first step of a proposed 28-acre mixed-use development with a focus on “pedestrian and resident experience.” At its meeting July 24, the council passed a resolution adopting the preliminary plat for West Village, located at the southwest corner of Oakdale and Jones Boulevards. Additionally, a third and final ordinance was passed to rezone the site to R-PUD 1, or Residential Planned Unit Development One District.

Designed around pedestrians

Dubbed a “neo traditional” or “new urbanist” neighborhood, West Village is designed for walkability, with access to amenities and recreation in mind. The development will feature 452 residential units in a variety of housing options, including single-family detached homes, townhomes and multi-family units. Of these, 107 of the multi-family units will be constructed above first floor commercial space in two mixed-use buildings, according to Tuesday’s agenda. Underscoring the fact that vehicles are not the key focus in the design layout, street widths are “the minimum required for fire and emergency apparatus” and garages will be accessible at the rear only from a private alley. Plans include a .70 acre park with a playground and gazebo, a dog park, and a sedge meadow stormwater feature with a walking path that connects commercial areas of the development to Crossing Ridge Drive. The parks will only be accessible for residents of West Village, council member Mike Knudson said.

“(I) just wanted to make sure everybody's aware of that,” he said. Construction will occur in three phases over an eight-year period, beginning this year with 46 residential units. Phase 2 is estimated to begin in 2026, with 116 residential units, and phase 3 will occur two years later with 290 residential units and 33,190 square feet of commercial space. The West Village development coincides with the new Clear Creek Amana elementary school, which is being constructed adjacent to the site and across Crossing Ridge Drive.

Development will help meet housing need

The council began working with the West Village developer – West Village LLC – in 2022. Dave Johnson, Coralville’s community development director, said staff found the development will “address growing residential demands in our community” at the Sept. 27, 2022 council meeting. Johnson County’s population of 152,854, ranks as the fourth largest county in Iowa, according to the 2023 Johnson County Affordable Housing report, experiencing consistent growth over the last several decades. Since 2000, the county’s population has increased 38%, making it one of the fastest growing counties in Iowa. “Housing in Johnson County is expensive, in part, because the housing supply has not kept up with the rapidly growing population,” the report stated. The development has yet to break ground, pending council approval of the construction process for phase 1. The commercial portion of West Village will be relegated to the intersection of Jones and Oakland Boulevards, on 2.64 acres.