Despite initial concerns that the Park 201 building would not be finished on schedule, officials maintain the building will be completed in December, as expected, and ready for tenants to move in upon completion.

There is no exact date for the official opening in December, but Marc Moen and Bobby Jett, the developers of the Park 201 project, said the building would be ready for tenants to move in when they originally planned. Jett said move-ins are scheduled for sometime in early January.

“The residential units will be done in the time that we promised when we sold and leased the units,” Moen said.

Construction was hindered by weather as well as being “tight for space,” Moen said, but the building’s completion date has not been changed.

“We’re still pretty close within our original planning schedule,” Moen said. “We had a target range of November to December, and the project will come in on that schedule.”

Moen said that everyone involved in the project is “very happy with our progress.”

The 14-story high rise will include a two-floor Buzz Salon, three floors of office space, and 26 residential units from floors five to 14. Prices will range from $250,000 for a 750-square-foot apartment to $380,000 for a 1,200-square-foot unit.

Iowa City Mayor Pro-Tem Susan Mims said the wait has not been “unusually long,” and she looks forward to the building’s completion.

“I think it will be a positive addition to the downtown area,” she said.

Mark McCallum, a real estate agent who is part of the group Coalition Against the Shadow, said he had no qualms about Park 201.

“I personally don’t have a problem with the Ped Mall property, because it’s a downtown site,” he said.

The Coalition Against the Shadow has protested another Moen Group building, the Chauncey, a 20-story high rise. The group said the building would be inconsistent with the surrounding Iowa City neighborhoods, among other reasons, but McCallum said this would not be the case with Park 201.

“[Park 201 is] consistent with the downtown layout,” McCallum said. “I have nothing against the zoning or Moen’s ability to build it.”

Jett said some tenants have bought out entire floors, which equals three or four units, and will rent them out themselves.

The building will also feature Buzz Salon, which sits across the Ped Mall at 115 S. Dubuque St. The current salon occupies 1,000 square feet with nine salon chairs, but the new space will have an additional 800 square feet and 15 chairs.

Moen said Buzz will not open with the rest of the building but will instead open after the first of the year.

“We are very happy with our progress. The living spaces and commercial spaces are going to be exceptional,” he said.