Oskaloosa Seeing Development And Growth
Location of a potential new entertainment complex in Oskaloosa.
July 8th, 2023
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Several developments have occurred in Oskaloosa over the past year. Housing starts, restaurants, retail and apartment development, and a new entertainment venue are some projects either underway or soon to start.
Oskaloosa News caught up with two people involved in these projects. The first is Oskaloosa Council Member Bob Drost and then Matt Jacobs, President of Evolve Hospitality, to talk about projects each is familiar with.
Drost spoke about the development of retail space and apartment housing coming to the Gateway Commercial Park. It’s a project being developed by Brian Ridge and will feature retail or commercial space on the first floor, with apartments on the second and third floors of the building. There will be parking below in an underground garage.
Ridge is also the developer behind revitalizing the old post office at A Ave and Market.
Drost said that Ridge is from the Cedar Rapids area, and after many stops in Oskaloosa, he fell in love with the old post office “and decided to take that on as a project.”
Drost’s daytime job is facilities development at Musco, “and that kind of extends into community projects.”
Musco owns the Gateway Commercial Park, and in that capacity, Drost has worked with not only Ridge but also Jacobs from Evolve Hospitality.
An entertainment development was recently announced, and this past week cleared the Oskaloosa Planning and Zoning Commission on its path to city council consideration.
Matt Jacobs is no stranger to Oskaloosa; his group manages the Fairfield Inn and Suites, also in the same development.
The new entertainment venue will sit next to the hotel, and Evolve Hospitality will manage both.
Jacobs said the new facility will be approximately 46,000 square feet and include a restaurant, three theaters, pickleball courts, golf simulators, and tennis courts.
“We’re excited to break ground and get opened in a little over a year,” said Jacobs.
And the end of the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, Shawn Christ with the City of Oskaloosa said that the new Domino’s continues after sanitary sewer repairs were made.
Make sure to watch the video for even more in-depth information.
