Southtown development work may be starting this week

Work on the Southtown area of Kalona could begin as early as this week.

The Kalona City Council will vote on the preliminary plat for the North Ridge subdivision of the Southtown area at Tuesday night's meeting.

If the plat is approved, work will begin Wednesday, according to Adam Kos of CJ Moyna & Sons, the project developer.

'If everything goes well and the City Council lets us get started with construction, we'll be moving dirt on Wednesday,” Kos said Friday.

The North Ridge subdivision is the first phase of development planned for the 284-acre former Shiloh Church property, which was annexed by the city of Kalona earlier this year.

The preliminary plat, which was green-lighted by the city's Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday, consists of 64 lots on just over 56 acres.

Of those 64 lots, 51 are zoned R1 (single family residential), 10 are zoned R2 (two-dwelling residential) and three lots are zoned R3 (multi-family residential).

Kos said that the R2 lots are designated for zero-lot-line homes, while the R3 lots are designated for townhouse style homes.

'It gives us a little bit of diversity,” Kos said.

He said that the property features rolling terrain and mature timber.

'There will be some stunning lots when we get finished,” he said.

With work expected to begin this week, much of the site and infrastructure work will be done before winter.

'We like the way the timing is lining up,” Kos said. 'It will set us up to get the heavy lifting done this fall.”

If all goes as planned, Kos said that the final plat will go before the City Council in the spring, and basements of homes could be in the ground by June or July, with families able to move in by the 2021 holiday season.

Development of the property will include a number of recreation features covering 103 acres, including trails, a dog park, a naturescape area, existing ponds and a nine-hole disc golf course.

As part of the development agreement, the land set aside for recreational purposes was deeded to the city of Kalona.

The city is crafting a cooperative agreement with the Washington County Conservation Board for development and management of recreational features on the property.

'In early spring of 2021, the public will have access to some really unique amenities out there,” Kalona City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh said. 'We're excited about the recreational opportunities.”