A massive renovation of Iowa City's Pedestrian Mall attracting new businesses and a new performance venue.
A new University of Iowa hospital in North Liberty.
High-end apartments popping up across the metro.
Mysteriously empty lots in the middle of downtown Iowa City awaiting development plans to be announced any day now.
These are amongsevenprojects and developments breaking ground, breaking news and breaking budgets in Johnson County in 2022. Some are set to be complete this year, while others are set to make significant strides towardbecomingreality soon.
Here's a closer look at growth and development towatch for in the Iowa City area in 2022.
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1. Tailwind Project will come to fruition by end of the year
The Tailwind Group's $56.4 million redevelopment of the Iowa City Pedestrian Mall is set to wrap up as developers secure tenants forthe remaining commercial business space and the 11-story midrise directly behind it. The project was greenlit last year by the Iowa City Council with$12 million in tax-increment financingfunds.
Brandon Smith, the vice president of operations anddevelopment with The Tailwind Group, told the Press-Citizen that the historic Ped Mall buildings that are kept will be repurposedfor commercial use.
More:Tin Roost owner seeking approval for new North Liberty microbrewery. Here's a first look at the plans.
Several businesses have opened or are planned for these spaces, such as Roxxy Iowa City, a 1980s, '90s and early 2000s-themed bar, whichopened in November; Revival ClothingStore has been open for about a month; The Stuffed Olive Bar and Restaurant is under construction next to Roxxys.In the basement of this building,Smith said another bar with a retro arcade theme isin its concept phase.
Much of the remainder of the block that is still under construction will become a multi-level brewery. Smith said this has juststarted construction and he is hoping for a summer to early fall opening in 2022.
The Riverside Theater is also taking up a new space in the Crescent Block Building on the Ped Mall and will open its doors there Feb. 4.
The midrise building, known as The Nest, will include 184 bedrooms, or 96 units, of residential housing that is being marketed towardstudents and young professionals.
Smith said the first floor of apartments have already been framed and the tower will continue to go vertical this year, but cold weather and supply-chain shortages have caused some setback. He said it is reasonable to expect The Nest can open in August or September, and they are already signing leases with tenants.
"It is really satisfying and really rewarding," Smith said. "This has been a concept and a plan that has been going since 2015 or 2016, and we've been really fortunate to partner up with a lot of great commercial tenants."
More:Development in Johnson County: A look at the projects that will change the face of metro Iowa City
2. Downtown Iowa Cityempty lots and stalled projects
Downtown Iowa City has a number of projects in progress, like the Tailwind's Pedestrian Mall renovation, plusmidrise buildings at 12 E Court St.and atthe corner of Prentiss and Gilbert streetsthat have yet to break ground.
In addition, several open lots on prime real estate in the middle of downtown Iowa City could end up being the sites of new development. The site of what used to be The Mill at 120 E Burlington St., plus land at 21 S Linn St. and 325 E Washington St., arethree of the major spots to keep an eye on in 2022.
The 21 S Linn St. site is owned by CA Ventures, a Chicago-based real estate firm that has previously come before the city with plans for a high-rise mixed-use residential and commercial building. While this plan was rejected in August, CA Ventures recently demolished the only structure on this land:an old bank building.
The Mill is set to be demolished any day now, according to developer and property owner Marc Moen of The Moen Group.Moen told the Press-Citizen that he is planning a development for this site that could include a performance venue, but it is in its early stages with more details possibly becoming available this year.
The old Chamber of Commerce lot at 325 E Washington St. has sat vacant since the buildingwas demolished in February 2020. The property is owned by Cc-1 LLC, according to the Johnson County Assessor's Office. In documents filed with theIowa Secretary of State's office, Bryan Clark is listed as the officer, director and business manager of Cc-1 LLC as recently as March.
It's anotherlot sittingin the middle of downtown Iowa City that could be the site of new development.
More:5 developments to watch in the Iowa City area in 2021
3. Tiffin's Park Place could drive next 10 years of growth
Tiffin's largest projectis still underway alongInterstate 380, with single-family homes already for sale as the larger development takes shape closer to the highway.
Park Place is a mixed-use commercial and residential development by The Ders Group.According to the project's website, it will costan estimated $275 million, and takes up about450 acres. The development includes about 2,000 apartments, a bank, a church, offices, retail, restaurants and 200 single-family homes.
In September, Park Place's Facebook page posted an update saying several businesses have committed, including IGYM, a nail salon, aMexican restaurant, a Speedy Mike's Car Wash, Farmers State Bankand Toptracer.
Toptracer is agolfing and driving range technology company and subsidiary ofTopgolf that wants to build aa facility housing52covered and heated driving range bays, plus four suite bays, allconnected to a36,000-square-foot full-service bar and restaurant, with another 1,000 square feet that can be rented for meetings or events.
Tiffin is one of Iowa's fastest-growing cities over the past decade according to the U.S. Census, more than doubling its population to 4,512. The Press-Citizen previously reported that Tiffin city officials expect this trend to continue and for the population to double again by 2030.
Park Place is at the center of the city's population and commercialgrowth, and its progress will transform the small city once it is completed.
4. Solar Triangle project looks to get a utility company as a backer
Sean Kennedyof Megawatt Photovoltaic DevelopmentInc., a utility-scale solar developer, is still seeking to turn about 1,200acres of land in Johnson County into a massive solar farm he dubs the Solar Triangle.
Kennedy's vision includes spending about$200 million on constructing this solar farm, adding photovoltaic infrastructure to provide up to 150 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power 30,000 homes.
"There's a lot of enthusiasm among the people we've talked to about the project. Johnson County is considered the greenest county in the state, and people want to 'walk the walk,'" he said.
The solar triangle would join asmaller utility-scale solar project that wascompletedin 2021 in Johnson County. It generates about threemegawatts of electricity to power roughly 400 homes. Both this smaller site and the solar triangle are located south of Iowa City near Hills.
Kennedy is seeking the approval of the first of three applications in 2023 and could get a utility company. Kennedy said several candidates have expressed interest already, including Mid-American Energy, Alliant Energy and the Central Iowa Power Cooperative.
Kennedy and his partners will also be submitting a two-year application through Midcontinent Independent System Operator. There will be a two-year study cycle that looks at this project and all others that are looking to come online throughout their service territory in the U.S.
This will all happen in the background in 2022, but Kennedy and his partners willcontinue to reach out to local groups forsupport. Kennedy said he doesn't expect anything definitive until 2023.
"Homegrown renewable energy not only says something about the community and the values of the community, but it also creates resiliency within the community," he said.
More:MidAmerican proposes adding enough wind, solar generation to meet all of Iowa customers' power needs
5. UIHC's new North Liberty hospital continues construction
The University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics has a long-range plan to expand capacity and services, and that starts in North Liberty this year with a$230 million, 300,000-square foothospital at the corner of Forevergreen Road and Highway 965.
The hospital, which will provide 48 new bedsand room for research and education through the university,broke ground in October and is set to be completed in 2025.
The new facility is envisioned as having two wings. Part of the building will carry the in-patient units, surgery services, emergency department, labs, pharmacy and space for research and education;another wingwould include space for clinics, faculty offices and research.
While this project is underway, UIHC did hit a major speed bump on its way towardgrowing its presence in the Iowa City areawhenCEO Suresh Gunasekaran announced he would be resigning to take a new hospital system CEO position in California by the end of February.
The hospital system's search for a new leader and how that personsees the plans set forth by Gunasekaran and UIHC could play a big role in the longer-term projects that Gunasekaran got approved right before he resigned.
More:Press-Citizen 'Person to Watch' 2022: Suresh Gunasekaran wants UIHC to thrive long after pandemic
6. New high-end apartments in Iowa City and Coralville
Two new apartment complexes in Iowa City and Coralville could make significant progress through 2022. Elevate in Coralville is just north of Interstate 80, while The James on Melrose sits next to Finkbine Golf Course on Iowa City's west side.
Elevate completed the first of three buildings in 2021 and is slated to open this spring. It sitsup the street from Iowa River Landing and its website says it offers one of the highest vantage points among condominiums in Coralville.
The $50 million development at 4 Russell Slade Blvd. will have50 condos to start off that can be purchased or leased. Two additional buildings would bring that total to 180 in the next three to four years.
The one-bedroom spaces range from 790 to 955 square feet, with lease pricesbetween $1,115 to $1,375 per month and purchase prices rangingfrom $229,900 to $319,900. The two-bedroom spaces range from 1,200 to 1,640 square feet, with lease pricesbetween $1,595 to $1,950 per month and purchase prices rangingfrom $229,900 to $774,900
The James on Melrose is marketed asluxury rental apartments coming to Iowa City in fall 2023. The building will be located at the corner of Melrose Avenue and Finkbine Commuter Drive.
The James will have 113apartments with 1-3 bedrooms each, up to1,907 square feet, in a five-story building.The building will also have a lobby, private gym,lounges, rooftop deckson the secondand fifthfloors andone parking space under the building for each home.
Prices rangefrom$1,863 for a one bedroom to $3,820 for a three-bedroom apartment, according to thewebsite.
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7. Iowa City streets improvements add roundabouts, bike lanes
Iowa City Engineer Jason Havel told the Press-Citizen that several projects are set to wrap up in 2022 that will help modernize Iowa City roadways to ease transportation across the city.
First,the reconstruction of American Legion Road in southeastIowa Citywill convertclose to a mile of roadway from a rural to an urban cross-section to look more like a city street. This project costs an estimated $9 million.
Phase 1 was completed last year with the roundabout at the intersection, while Phase 2 will finish reconstructing the roadway from Buckingham Lane to Taft Avenue.
This project will also add 7-footbike lanes with a buffer, sidewalks on both sides anda pedestrian underpass near Herbert Hoover Elementary. Havel said this reconstruction could also encourage future development south of the roadway.
Iowa City will also be constructing a roundabout at the intersection of Scott Boulevard and 1st Avenueat the entrance to the ACT campus. This project in the northeast part of town is expected to cost $1.7 million.
Havel said he hopes this new roundabout can help with traffic calming in the area, helping to keep traffic moving consistently and keeping speeds down. The construction on this roundaboutis set to start around April and end in mid-summer.
Rochester Avenue is set to be fully reconstructedfromRalston Creek to 1st Avenue on Iowa City'seast side. Havel said theproject will take roughly two years, starting around this summer because it has not yet been bid.
This project will reduce the roadway to two lanes, add a bicycle lane and some sidewalks.
"Pavement will be significantly improved because it is in poor condition right now," Havel said.
Havel also said theFairchild Street reconstruction in downtown Iowa City will happen in 2022, which is more unique than the others because it is a brick street. The bricks between Clintonand Linn streets, two blocks, will be lifted and the concrete underneath will be reconstructed.
The bricks will be put back in place for the most part after the $1.4 million project is finished.
More:Iowa City to roll out first electric buses starting Monday, hoping to reduce carbon emissions
George Shillcock is the Press-Citizen's local government and development reportercovering Iowa City and Johnson County. He can be reached atGShillcock@press-citizen.com and on Twitter @ShillcockGeorge
