El Dorado Mexican Restaurant closes in Coralville

El Dorado Mexican Restaurant in Coralville appears to have closed, at least temporarily, after a sign was posted on its doors announcing the news. The restaurant, located on the Coralville Strip near Exotic India and Tabooleh, has a sign on its front door that reads, "El Dorado is temporarily closed due to a family emergency. We apologize for any inconveniences." As of Nov. 8, El Dorado's website is shut down and its phone number is out of order. The company's last post on Facebook was July 3. Google search results currently show the business as "permanently closed." In August, a rezoning and establishment of a master plan called Gather Iowa by Texas-based developer RaelCorp was passed by Coralville City Council. The plan aims to revitalize a 12-acre stretch — which include's El Dorado's location — called the southeast commercial district subarea with a six-floor, mixed-use building plus other lots with housing and restaurant space. It could potentially eliminate affordable housing units and demolish buildings in which there are minority-owned tenants, as Coralville mayor Meghann Foster and city councilor Hai Huynh pointed out during an August city council meeting. City council agreed to move forward with the plan at a following meeting once the developers pledged to incorporate affordable housing elements to the plan, satisfying previous concerns of Ms. Foster and Ms. Huynh. The Gather Iowa project must still have a site plan approved by city council at a later date, said Coralville City Administrator Kelly Hayworth. It's likely rent for businesses and residents in the redeveloped area would be higher than before. Pita Pit, Old Chicago and Guild on the Coralville Strip also all closed in recent months, with many businesses in the region struggling to find workers.