Grow Fairfield announces 35-acre housing subdivision

FAIRFIELD — Grow Fairfield Economic Development Association has announced that it has acquired a 35-acre parcel of land near the Jefferson County Health Center that it will develop into a housing subdivision.

The new subdivision will be called Sunrise Trail Subdivision, and will be accessed from Libertyville Road. The land it’s on is located just southwest of the new Cambridge Little Achievers Child Care Center. Joshua Laraby, Grow Fairfield’s executive director, said this subdivision is expected to accommodate 30-40 new housing units.

“We’ve been assessing areas throughout the community, and the southern end of town was toward the top of our priority list because of new infrastructure improvements and developments on that end of the city, including Highway 1 reconstruction, a number of sanitary and water developments in the area, new businesses, and the fact it’s neighboring the four-lane interchange for access to Highway 34,” Laraby said.

Laraby said the decision to purchase land for a new subdivision comes on the heels of a partnership with the City of Fairfield’s Housing Task Force. The task force completed a study showing that Fairfield will need at least 220 new housing units in the coming decade.

In a news release, Grow Fairfield reported, “The recently completed housing study highlights ‘workforce’ and ‘middle’ housing as one of the critical priorities within our community. In response, the new residential subdivision will primarily focus on fostering these housing types. The initiative aligns with a developing comprehensive strategy to meet the diverse housing needs in the community, including a priority of retaining and growing a robust workforce.”

The news release stated that Grow Fairfield’s acquisition entails collaborative agreements with the new Cambridge Little Achievers Center for a future access drive to the site, and upon request, the City of Fairfield extended partial financing support, approving a repayable $200,000, zero-percent loan to Grow Fairfield for the acquisition, reaffirming housing as a top priority for growing Fairfield.

Curtis Smith, Board President of Grow Fairfield, said, “This acquisition aligns with our strategic goal of spearheading housing initiatives. With our collaborative partnerships, our objective is to reduce the entry barriers for builders, and aspiring homeowners as much as possible. We extend our deepest appreciation to the City of Fairfield and Cambridge Little Achievers Center for their support in this pivotal phase.”

Site and infrastructure planning will begin this fall.

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com