North Liberty eyes affordable housing, brewery developments

Several development projects are on the horizon in North Liberty. The first project, by the name of Quarter Moon Farms, seeks to hold commercial buildings, 110 single-family lots, housing geared toward older individuals, as well as multifamily housing options that “don’t exist in North Liberty and very rarely exists in the Corridor,” according to Brandon Pratt, owner of Lions Development Group. The new housing options would sit on 80 acres of land east of the Whirlpool distribution center. Mr. Pratt, a lifelong North Liberty resident who works as a licensed real estate agent and as the co-owner of Tin Roost and Pizza Ranch, hopes to bring more affordable single-family homes to the area. The Brewland project aims to build Field Day Brewing Company, a 17,000-square-foot micro-brewery, restaurant and entertainment facility, behind Speedy Mike’s Car Wash and near the Liberty Centre Pond. Mr. Pratt views the brewery as a premier nightlife destination and sees the two projects as an opportunity to “not only bring eyeballs to the City of North Liberty, but keep them there.” To pull off this feat, the Tin Roost team is partnering with the original developers of the Liberty Centre. They hope to be operational by 2023. “What typically happens in North Liberty is couples will get together and meet at Tin Roost, they’ll go eat dinner, maybe have their first cocktail, and then they leave,” he explained. “They end up going to Iowa River Landing or downtown Iowa City, and we lose some revenue dollars.” The North Liberty Planning and Zoning Commission already approved the Field Day Brewing Company business plan.  The North Liberty City Council will hear the proposal on Jan. 25.  Mr. Pratt said they are also in conversations with the city regarding the Quarter Moon Farms development. The city has seen the first preliminary plat. Under the Quarter Moon Farms plan, approximately eight and a half acres of commercial buildings will sit on Penn Street. Directly behind it will be the 20 acres of multifamily ground. They’re working with a partner to build that section out. The plan is for the apartment complex to include a state-of-the-art swimming pool, workout facility, common area green space, and more. North of the multifamily ground will sit the 110 single-family lots. They are working with a builder for that portion to bring “a little bit of a different product” to North Liberty and “aggressively meet affordable housing prices.” Single-family home construction will begin as soon as early spring or the summer. “The entry point for housing is just very expensive, compared to areas outside the Corridor,” Mr. Pratt said. “We hear people say all the time, ‘Man, I’d love to live in North Liberty, but I just can’t afford it.’” By acquiring the ground and partnerships that can accomplish these developments in large chunks, the groups should be able to cut down on costs and interest that eats into these projects, he added. On the furthest northeast corner of the plot, the group is working with retirement communities to bring housing for older residents. Although proposals range from an assisted living facility to a housing complex, the details are not concrete yet. The Planning and Zoning Commission also approved a new site plan application for a Taco Bell at 1000 Liberty Way. Lion Development Group continues building the Penn Street Place apartments, which are more suited for higher-end apartment living. The estimated completion date is winter 2022 or spring 2023.