Gather Iowa gathers steam: Coralville city officials give update on southeast commercial district project

Coralville city officials, along with a representative from Shive-Hattery, gathered Monday afternoon at Coralville City Hall to share updates with community stakeholders on Gather Iowa, an ambitious mixed-use development planned for the city’s southeast commercial district. The meeting, a network event facilitated by Greater Iowa City Inc., gave a detailed overview of a vision promising walkability and connectivity as key features in a project anticipated to further promote Coralville’s position as a “gateway to the University of Iowa.” Gather Iowa “checks a lot, if not all, of the boxes,” Coralville community development director David Johnson said, in regards to Coralville’s 2014 community plan. Under the plan, three of the city’s subareas – identified as underutilized buildings or land – are recognized as potential catalysts for community and economic development. In 2014, the southeast commercial district subarea was characterized as having dated strip malls, poor site design, an overabundance of curb cuts and surface parking, which created “substantial opportunity for more efficient, safer and better design development to make this (the) gateway,” Mr. Johnson said. “There was also needed enhancement for pedestrian and bicycle connectivity, access management improvements, as well as a set of improvements within the district.” It also lands squarely within Greater Iowa City, Inc.’s strategic investment district, which runs along Fifth Street. The organization’s strategic investment districts plan to drive sustainable growth by leveraging each area’s distinct characteristics to create a framework to attract investment, create jobs and improve the quality of life for city residents.

A mix of retail, restaurant, and housing

Dallas, Texas-based Rael Corporation plans to construct two one-story multi-tenant buildings designated for retail and restaurant use on a 10-acre site near the southwest corner of the First Avenue and Second Street intersection.

One of the larger components of the project will be a 5 ½ -story parking garage wrapped by a six-story multifamily building, with the residential portion offering 280 units – some designated for affordable housing – along with amenities, including a pool and courtyard in the interior. Additionally, lot space is being reserved for a 105-room hotel. “The landscaping details are really still being baked, but the intent is to hopefully have some kind of water feature,” Mr. Johnson said. “They've also talked about outdoor kitchens, outdoor areas for games, fire pits, a media wall, shared use paths, connections to the trail system,” said Nick Hatz, civil engineering managing director with Shive-Hattery. “So the developer really understands the importance of connecting people to places, but also connecting these people to our sidewalks, our bike paths, and being part of that larger effort, walkability, as well as pedestrian-oriented design.” Enhancing the walkability feature, Coralville city engineer Scott Larson pointed out that the recent pedestrian bridge on Highway 6 has the potential to lead to a longer-term trail project. “Here we have the opportunity to take a trail north past one of our stormwater pump stations, put in a new pedestrian bridge over Clear Creek, and make it a direct connection to the Clear Creek Trail system on the north side,” he said. “So that would be just another way that people can flow to and from not only Gather Iowa, but Second Street in general.”

Proposed development located in floodplain

The project site is located in a floodplain, adding a layer of complexity to infrastructure planning. Past floods have made it harder and harder for the neighborhood to bounce back, and the project structures will need to be elevated, Mr. Johnson said. “All of these sites have to be raised. We're looking at not only the buildings being above the flood elevation, but infrastructure and a lot of very important, important pieces. So planned and broad scale redevelopment has been necessary to make sure this development is elevated above the floodplain, access is safe, and development opportunities and vehicle and pedestrian access is also interconnected,” he said, adding that work will tentatively start this summer. “All of Coralville that was impacted by the 2008 flood is actually now protected to that flood event, plus an additional foot of elevation,” Mr. Larson said. Even though infrastructure protecting properties is now in place, “we can't officially remove any of those (areas) out of the 100 year flood plain yet, because of some nuances with language with FEMA, but it is something that we are continuing to look at.” Preparation for the revitalization of the area has already begun along Fifth Street, with all overhead and communication utilities moved underground and additional street lighting added. Sidewalks are also being widened and will eventually connect to 20th Avenue, where Hy-Vee sits, further enhancing a walkable neighborhood.

Working with uprooted businesses

Greater Iowa City has been working with Coralville officials to explore relocation and offer resources to businesses that will be uprooted during the project, through its Underestimated Business support group and the Business Resource Center. The organization is also consulting with the developer to possibly reinstate the businesses in the area. “They represent a really diverse group of local grocers and amenities. We want to make sure they land somewhere that they can stay in business,” said Cady Gerlach, Greater IC’s senior director of community development and executive director of Better Together 2030. “And then going forward, we're working with Gather Iowa because it meets all of the goals of walkable, bikeable, pedestrian friendly communities with all the assets you need,” she continued.