This housing study is focused on the non-metro area, which comprises the unincorporated area (including the villages) and smaller cities of Hills, Lone Tree, Oxford, Shueyville, Solon and Swisher.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The public is invited to attend two public input sessions Thursday, June 26,  to learn about and share ideas on housing issues in the County’s non-metro area. The sessions will be led by CommunityScale, a firm with expertise in housing assessments and solutions, and will include information on existing housing and projected needs. Each public session will include a brief presentation on the study’s initial findings, followed by informal discussion:

Residents and interested participants are welcome to attend any session, regardless of where they live or work within the county. Printed information will be available in Arabic, English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.

In addition to the public sessions, the consultants will be convening focus groups and meeting with elected officials in each non-metro city. A public survey available in multiple languages, along with other public input events, will follow in the coming weeks and months. CommunityScale will develop an online dashboard to engage with the public.

For more information about the events, contact the Planning, Development and Sustainability Department at 319-356-6083.

BACKGROUND

Why do a study?

Housing affordability and availability is a concern throughout Johnson County and a crucial component of keeping a community strong.

As part of its comprehensive planning, economic development and other planning initiatives, the County has contracted for a housing assessment study.  The study will provide needed detail on housing issues in the non-metro area-- the unincorporated area and six smaller cities of Hills, Lone Tree, Oxford, Shueyville, Solon and Swisher.

Iowa City has contracted for a study of the metro area. Taken together, the two studies should point the way toward solutions that work.

What will the study provide?

The study will provide a print report and digital version. The report will include recommendations and a digital map to help with planning. Results will be posted online (website url pending).

The report will include the following sections:

• Growth trends
• Housing needs and demands
• Expected production targets and gap analysis of what type of housing is missing
• Policy and regulatory issues
• Recommendations that are immediate and impactful, and which the Board of Supervisors can prioritize.

Project Timeline to Date (completion goal is November 2025)

April 2025: County staff began coordinating with CommunityScale team (selected through a competitive request for proposals)

May 2025: Scheduling and outreach began for focus groups, meetings with smaller cities, and open houses/public input sessions, for the last week in June

June 2025: The focus group, city meetings and open house/public input sessions are scheduled for June 24-26.

Who is leading the study?

Johnson County's Planning, Development and Sustainability Department, along with the Social Services Department, issued a request for proposals as directed by the Board of Supervisors. Ten proposals were received, two finalists interviewed, and the selected firm is CommunityScale.

CommunityScale has experience with housing studies in both large and small communities, including counties like ours that have a mix of urban-rural housing. In addition, Iowa City is currently working with a different consultant on a housing study of the metro area. Taken together, the studies should significantly help our community overall.

Will the public be able to contribute?

There will be several opportunities for the general public to share their stories, ideas and questions. There will be a survey in multiple languages plus community workshops held in person and online.

Local governments in the smaller towns have been scheduled for one-on-one meetings with the consultants.

There will be special meetings for stakeholders: housing advocates and nonprofits, economic contacts, financial experts and developers, and residents of manufactured home parks. These are taking place the week of June 22.

All input will be summarized and used to create recommendations specific for our area.

CommunityScale will build a website just for Johnson County. We will provide that link as soon as the site is ready.

What data, information and issues will be studied?

The study Request for Proposals  (which closed in December 2024) details the many data and review aspects that will be covered. To highlight a few here:

Housing, demographic and community information and data including cost burdens for housing, needs of people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, building conditions and vacancies,

Special attention to manufactured home parks

Information from other housing-related reports and plans

Existing policies, initiatives and codes and how they might be used or altered to advance housing goals

Public and municipal input as described above

To learn more

This backgrounder provides more details on activities to date and includes a budget summary.