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Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Johnson County looks to expand its non-metro area, while balancing growth
County undergoing housing needs study to be completed in November
Sep. 28, 2025 5:30 am
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IOWA CITY — Johnson County is in the process of examining housing needs in its growing non-metro area that consultants estimate will need about 950 housing units over the next 10 years to keep up with growth and demand.
But increasing housing isn’t as simple as just building more houses. Any plans for increased growth are meant to be smaller, incremental changes that factor in preservation of small-town character, agricultural land, and local municipality priorities.
“It's like Jenga … You pull a piece out, that whole thing might come down. And so before you pull a piece, you gotta be damn sure that the piece can come out or the whole thing collapses, because that's really what this has become,” Supervisor Rod Sullivan said.
Johnson County is in the midst of a study that began in April, and has included a series of public meetings and focus groups held throughout the county. The consultants, CommunityScale, plan to deliver final recommendations to the Board of Supervisors in November, but have already begun sharing preliminary findings.
The final recommendations are meant to serve as a guide to staff and elected officials that can support equitable housing access, remove barriers to development, land use plans, and other local policies.
So far the county’s recommendations include investing in small-town downtowns, expanding water infrastructure, increasing incentives for infill development, as well as direct investment from the county in expanding housing stock.
The county has not made any final decisions on what actions it would like to take following the completion of the study. The board approved up to $150,000 for the study.
Housing development peaked in the 1990s, has slowed since
In the last five years there have been just 299 building permits issued outside Johnson County’s metro area, which equates to about 2 percent of the total housing stock. Housing development peaked in the 1990s when nearly 2,400 building permits were issued over a 10-year period, making up around 20 percent of the housing stock outside the metro area.
Outside of the main metro area, Johnson County includes the six small cities of Shueyville, Swisher, Hills, Lone Tree, Oxford and Solon.
Jeff Sauser, part of the consultant team, has been looking into why development has stalled. Some of the problems identified so far are being seen across the country, such as rising construction and land costs, as well as home insurance rates.
CommunityScale also has noted that the majority of housing units outside the non-metro area are single family homes. The team is looking to explore infill development opportunities that can provide different housing types to prospective residents.
“The county is growing at a faster rate than the non-metro area. The non metro area could capture more of that growth with the right investments in housing, the right inventory,” Sauser said at a Johnson County supervisors work session. “The non metro area is very well located, and it's not a big county. People feel like you can live in unincorporated Johnson County, or where the small cities are and be close to your job.”
Beyond the non-metro areas’ location in the county, the consultants are looking to expand on county strengths such as its flexible zoning code and ability to collaborate with local municipalities.
Working off, expanding existing infrastructure
The majority of the board of supervisors has expressed that they want to work in tandem with the smaller cities, while allowing them to make final decisions, and explore investing in private partnerships to increase housing stock.
“The county can offer inducements and assistance and our bond capacity to the smaller cities, but at the end of the day, it's their decision to be made. I certainly want to continue investigating and investing in those partnerships, but also recognize that there may be some small, incremental improvements elsewhere,” Supervisor Jon Green said at a board work session.
Not all of the county’s six small cities have a public water system or septic system suitable for development. And some parts of the county don’t want them. In Swisher, residents have historically opposed establishment of such a system. In 2023, voters there defeated a proposal to develop a public water system. The measure needed 50 percent approval to pass, but it received less than 16 percent approval.
The lack of public water and septic systems in an area can deter dense housing development and developers tend to shy away from such areas. In unincorporated parts of the county, similar problems can exist, leading the board to want to focus efforts in certain areas of the county.
“I think a lot of this ties back to infrastructure. It's not sexy, and nobody wants to talk about it. And talk about it that way, but that is 100 percent where I see a big barrier … when I look at small city partnerships, direct investment, the missing middle housing component, that's where I see a lot of the potential is adjacent to our smaller towns and cities,” Supervisor V Fixmer-Oraiz said at a board work session.
Revitalizing Johnson County’s small town downtowns
Some of the proposed recommendations would build off ongoing efforts across the county.
In Swisher, local business owner Sonya LaGrange is expanding downtown offerings with the Rose Barn. Located on Swisher’s main street (Second Street SE), the barn serves as retail space for small businesses and community events. Swisher Sips, a shop offering protein shakes and teas, opened in February.
The barn is looking for tenants such as an aesthetician, massage therapist or retail store to fill out the remaining spaces.
“Swisher has a lot of potential. It used to have a lot of things in town, and then everything kind of started to die off. I feel like it's finally starting to come back with some options,” said LaGrange, a lifelong Swisher area resident.
Local business owners, including LaGrange, formed the Swisher Economic Alliance in the spring of 2024. The group meets monthly and has worked with county staff on securing grants for city branding. Additionally, the group is in the process of working on a mural and improving parking in the downtown area.
While the economic alliance looks to support businesses in the area and potential new ones, balanced growth still is at the forefront of the group’s mission.
“It's a small town and it's a very tight knit community, so you don't want to see it just go gangbusters and turn into a town you don't recognize anymore. We want to keep that small town feel. … we just need to learn how to use what's here and be able to put as many businesses as we can to provide services for people,” said LaGrange.
Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com
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