Hunter
08/04/25
A new study shows a significant demand for additional housing over the next decade in Johnson County.
The Press-Citizen reports Johnson County’s 2025 Housing Assessment Study aims to help the communities of Solon, Lone Tree, Swisher, Oxford and Hills understand the future of rural housing.
The county’s Director of Planning, Development, and Sustainability Josh Busard believes the study is the first of its kind. It was conducted by national urban planning and analysis firm CommunityScale, and determined that the Iowa City metro area will need to add total of 950 housing units over the next decade to account for rising demand and a growing county population.
The study says housing construction has slowed considerably compared to its peak in the 1990s and the current rural single-family housing does not address the needs of lower-class residents.
The assessment is expected to continue into the fall, with CommunityScale and the county to host public input sessions next month in two yet-to-be-named rural communities.