Would You Support Iowa City's Natural Food Co-Op in Marion?

Supporters of downtown Iowa City's iconic but floody weary natural food cooperative are reassessing options for where to build, and that may not include the downtown area its called home for 43 years. 

Marion is in the mix. 

Leadership of the New Pioneer Co-Op have been looking for a new location, but were left out of a preferred plot a few blocks away in favor of a high rise with a movie theater and bowling alley.

The current downtown building at 22 S. Van Buren St. is said to be under-sized and susceptible to flooding.

The Co-Op has its sites on opening a third location - it's been in Coralville for 12 years - in possibly North Liberty, Marion, Cedar Rapids or elsewhere in Iowa City. While the board isn't giving up on relocating downtown and will continue looking, the likelihood of finding a suitable location is "remote at best," Board President Sarah Walz said in a letter to members.

The Co-Op board is asking for its 28,000 members to vote them permission to pursue a third location, or relocate in Iowa City. The letter reports that New Pioneer is in "strong financial shape with a $9 million balance sheet and no debt."

While the board is looking elsewhere, it's not planning to leave downtown.

"The Board of Directors is unequivocally committed to keeping a downtown Iowa City store," an FAQ in the letter to members states. "While it is quite unlikely that we will find a suitable relocation site within the downtown in the near future, we want to keep that option on the table. Opening a new store elsewhere will allow us to mitigate our risk of flooding while absorbing additional market demand. We will continue to evaluate options for relocating the Iowa City store in the future as the floodplain risk is ever present. In the meantime, we will keep the current Iowa City store in the best shape feasible."