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 to other developers, members announced.

The group’s founding members want to use their collective voice to focus on issues important to property development in Iowa, they said in a news release.

“The founding members of [the association] drive growth in their individual communities,” said Jenna Kimberley of Ankeny-based Kimberley Development Inc., the group’s vice president. “We came together to safeguard a continued pro-growth direction across the state.”

While recent Iowa legislative sessions have seen the expansion of workforce housing and redevelopment tax credits, there also have been limitations to historic preservation, the group said in the news release. The group’s role includes educating lawmakers about how the tools work alongside others such as tax increment financing.

Initially, the development group will focus on policy areas such as taxation, economic development incentives, deregulation and zoning at the state and local level. The group’s long-term goals include increasing membership and offering opportunities for stakeholders in property 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).