Founding members of the Iowa Real Estate Developers Association include (left to right) Jerry Waddilove of Merit Construction, Jenna Kimberley of Kimberley Development, Joe Mitchell of J. Mitchell Real Estate, Chris Costa of Knapp Properties, Tim Rypma of Rypma Properties and David Barker of Barker Apartments. Special photo in the Company File
Several Iowa developers have formed the Iowa Real Estate Developers Association, a group whose goals include advocating for a positive environment for economic investment and providing professional development opportunities for other developers, announced the members.
The founding members of the group want to use their collective voice to focus on issues important to real estate development in Iowa, they said in a press release.
“The founding members of [the association] drive growth in their individual communities,” said Jenna Kimberley of Ankeny-based Kimberley Development Inc., group vice president. “We have come together to preserve a continued direction for growth across the state.”
While recent Iowa legislative sessions have seen the expansion of housing tax credits and workforce redevelopment, there have also been limits to historic preservation, the group said. in the press release. The group’s role includes educating legislators on how the tools work with others such as tax-raise funding.
Initially, the development group will focus on policy areas such as taxation, economic development incentives, deregulation and zoning at the national and local levels. The group’s long-term goals include increasing membership and providing opportunities for those involved in real estate development.
Founding members include Barker Apartments (Iowa City), Focus Real Estate Development (Bettendorf), Rypma Properties (Des Moines), Denny Elwell Co. (Ankeny), Kimberley Development Corp. (Ankeny), J. Mitchell Real Estate (Mount Pleasant), JSC Properties (Des Moines), Knapp Properties (West Des Moines) and Sherman Associates Inc. (Des Moines).