First phase of Coralville’s ‘Gateway to Iowa City’ project moving forward

Mix of residential, retail and restaurant space within development

A development on 10 acres at the corner of First Avenue and Second Street in Coralville will include restaurant, retail, commercial and multifamily housing as part of the Gather Iowa redevelopment project from Rael Development Corporation. Renderings created by Dwell Design Studio. (Provided by city of Coralville)

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CORALVILLE — The first phase of the 10-acre “Gather Iowa” development, designed to connect Coralville and Iowa City, is moving forward after the city council approved site plans for the project.

The project includes plans for two one-story 7,000 square-foot buildings meant for a mix of retail and restaurants. The two lots — 0.66 and 0.79 acres in size — face Second Street.

“Orienting these buildings close to Second Street is intentional, as it is important to have a strong commercial pedestrian presence. … and parking is predominantly provided behind buildings,” Coralville Community Development Director David Johnson said at a city council meeting.

Additionally, a 4.37-acre lot will hold a 295-unit six-story multifamily residential building with a pool and courtyard. A five-story parking garage will accompany the residential building.

The entire Gather Iowa complex will have around 490 parking stalls. There is not a firm timeline for when the project will be completed.

Initial rezoning was approved in 2022

The site, in the southeast area along the Coralville strip, had been of development interest due to its highly visible location and proximity to the University of Iowa.

However, Coralville City Manager Kelly Hayworth previously told The Gazette that development on the site had been difficult because of the area’s location on a flood plain, a utility line that cuts across the site, as well as replacing other infrastructure such as streets.

The Coralville City Council approved an initial rezoning request for the site in 2022, followed by site plans in 2023.

Since 2023, the Gather Iowa Project developer, Dallas-based Rael Development Corporation, has downsized the scale of the original project from 12 acres to 10.

Future development plans

The second phase of the Gather Iowa project includes plans for a hotel and another multifamily residential building, near First Street.

The planned 34-unit multifamily residential building sits on a 1.49-acre lot, and has been proposed as a site for affordable housing, though specifics on the affordability efforts have yet to be finalized. The lot for the hotel is just under two acres.

Final site plans for the second phase have not yet been approved by city council.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com

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