The City of West Liberty has partnered with Wilton, Muscatine and Muscatine County for an in-depth housing market analysis, according to a press release from the City of Muscatine.
The analysis is meant to help with future strategy and economic development, and will be conducted by the cities and counties in partnership with Atlas Community Studios, an Iowa-based firm specializing in strategic planning and economic development.
“With West Liberty’s businesses and industry growing at an accelerated rate, our need for housing has never been greater, and we want to be mindful of meeting the needs of the growing population,” said Kenneth Brooks, executive director of the West Liberty Economic Area Development Corporation. “This tool will make it easier to develop a comprehensive plan to serve our residents and businesses in the near future, and for years to come.”
The housing market analysis will be informed by existing plans and studies, community input, and local, regional, and national data so the County and Municipalities will have a better understanding of their housing challenges as well as the opportunities for development and rehabilitation.
The project will be completed in four phases:
Phase I: Community Engagement
Phase II: Data Collection + Research
Phase III: Market Analysis
Phase IV: Strategic Recommendations
The planning process will begin in August 2023 and will conclude at the end of February 2024, following a joint presentation to the county and municipalities in late January 2024.
The final deliverable will not only include a housing market analysis for Muscatine County, but will also offer standalone housing market analyses for the cities of Muscatine, West Liberty and Wilton, respectively, and strategic recommendations for consideration at the regional and municipal levels.
“Muscatine County offers the best combination of a rural and metro lifestyle – far enough from the metro areas to have the ideal locations to live and raise a family without the hassles of larger communities, yet close enough to take advantage of what the metro lifestyle offers”, said Danny Chick, District 1 Representative on Muscatine County’s Board of Supervisors. “This housing analysis will help guide us in developing strategies on how to best serve the housing needs of our current and future residents”.
The project officially launched on Thursday, August 17th at the Muscatine Housing Council meeting, with an online survey and community visioning meetings to follow shortly thereafter.
All information related to the project as well as a schedule of upcoming events can be found at engage.atlascostudios.com/muscatine-county.