Tiffin Comprehensive Plan – Updated 2018

Profile and Analysis There are basically four types of cities within the region. 1) Large metro area cities (Cedar Rapids, Iowa City) 2) Cities directly adjacent to the metro areas (Tiffin, Fairfax, Ely, Robins, etc.) 3) Mid-size, stand-alone cities (Vinton, Anamosa, Washington, etc.) 4) Small, rural towns and villages (Garrison, Luzerne, Mount Auburn, etc.) The cities located directly adjacent to Cedar Rapids or Iowa City, such as Fairfax and Tiffin, have experienced substantial growth during the 1990s and 2000s. Population trends of this nature may come with substantial negative costs to a city, such as lack of housing space, loss of farm land, increased need for infrastructure and other services, and the extreme cost of those services, as well as the loss of the small-town character. Many other cities near the Cedar Rapids metro area have experienced growth rates in the upper teens and even more as well, such as Hiawatha and Center Point, or the Iowa City metro area like North Liberty or Coralville. Cities such as Vinton, Anamosa and Washington are all stand-alone cities. They are the employment centers of their respective counties. These cities have not seen the double and triple digit percentage growth rates like North Liberty, Fairfax and Tiffin have seen. But they have seen steady growth. Population increases between 5 and 10% are generally more likely for these communities. Many cities find it easier to plan and budget for infrastructure costs when the growth rate is in the 5 to 10% range. When much larger growth rates are projected, it is imperative that the community has a plan for the logical extension of services to manage the growth. City of Tiffin 2018 City of Tiffin, Comprehensive Comprehensive Plan Plan 15