Iowa City Today

The North Liberty City Council heard a proposal and discussed the possibility of an entertainment district during the board's Jan. 24 meeting.

Developer Brandon Pratt presented his plan for an entertainment district called Solomon’s Landing, which would be located off of Penn Street and Jones Boulevard. He told the council that the first phase of the project would consist mainly of two large buildings in the district.

"The proposal would be to develop this ground into a new and very much-needed entertainment district that would provide amenities to the city of North Liberty," Pratt told the council. "Amenities that are requested and needed by the people, in my opinion, who live in North Liberty." 

Since North Liberty is mostly made up of families, Pratt said, more attractions were needed to "keep those family dollars kept and spent here locally. As I've said before, in front of this council, I believe that North Liberty needs to become a place where you can live, work and play, and I'm prepared to deliver on that vision."

Until recently, Pratt added, North Liberty was "a bedroom community where people primarily lived." As more industrial jobs have come in to the city, "the next step is for the city of North Liberty to now fill the gap of the play component and equally as important, keep those dollars in our community," he said.

The first part of Pratt's plan, located at the corner of Sarotoga Place and Penn Street, is called the Palestra, a 33,600-square-foot sports facility. It would have basketball, volleyball, indoor soccer, wrestling, agility training, e-gaming and the ability to host sports or gaming events. It would be the first building of its size ever built in North Liberty, so it likely could be used for a variety of other community events, such as indoor inflatables, birthday parties, fundraising events or meeting spaces.

Pratt also proposed a family entertainment center called Bulldogs in the space next door. This facility would be just under 33,000 square feet, located just east of the Palestra. The building would have a restaurant, bowling alley, social bar with televisions showing games from the sports complex next door, an axe-throwing event space, mezzanine with a lounge and small event space, and a gaming area.

The goal of the buildings would not only be to provide entertainment for local families, but also to attract tourism to the city to generate tourism dollars, he said.

The council was interested in Pratt's idea, and it was noted that Ankeny, Iowa, a city with similar demographics growth patterns, did a similar project working with a private development firm, which has been "wildly successful" so far. Council members asked about some details about potential costs and third party management, but agreed to meet further with Pratt to draft a formal partnership to create the entertainment district.