Housing, retail projects lining up along Ellis Boulevard

CEDAR RAPIDS - A planned four-story condominium complex on Ellis Boulevard NW overlooking the Cedar River is moving forward after years in the works.

Jim Happel and Steve Emerson are partnering on the estimated $6.2 million Ellis Landings project that will introduce 27 condo units to a northwest neighborhood still recuperating after hundreds of homes and businesses fell victim to the record 2008 flood.

'I hope this helps set the tone and gets others to invest in the area and make it a little more upscale,” Happel said. 'The view is gorgeous right there.”

A wave of development representing more than $7.1 million in investment along Ellis Boulevard NW could signal a strengthening pulse in this partly vacant corridor that once was a vibrant, walkable neighborhood with businesses intermixed with homes.

Ellis Landings, at 1871 and 1895 Ellis Blvd. NW, is the largest of at least four sizable projects in various stages, also including a new restaurant called Blue 42, the renovation of an abandoned old auto part store and a flood memorial dubbed West Side Rising. All four properties have been sitting unused for several years.

'We do see people are wanting to invest more money in this area because they feel this will be a really viable area of the city like it was, with a mix of small business, residential and recreation,” said Linda Seger, a longtime resident and active member of the Northwest Neighborhood Association.

Ellis Landings

The condo complex would sit at the end of Ellis Boulevard's north trajectory between the road and the river where a warehouse once stood. The base of the condo structure, reserved for parking, will incorporate a segment of the city's eventual permanent flood system.

Across the street is Ellis Park. A bike trail would run along the river on the backside of the structure with a dock on the water, Happel said.

The condo structure needs special permission because the height exceeds a three-story cap for the area, isn't set back far enough from property lines, has only 46 parking spots instead of the 60 required and would leave less than 15 percent of the lot for green space, according to city documents.

One-time talk of an adjacent restaurant still is in the cards, but would be a later phase. The condos are priced at $180,000 to $375,000, and 14 of the 27 are already spoken for, Happel said.

'It will be nice to have neighbors again,” said Stephanie Gilbertson, who lives immediately north of the property.

The City Council unanimously approved a first vote for rezoning the land and could give final approval at its meeting Tuesday. Happel said the building could be done by this time next year.

'Any time we can get a structure that incorporates a portion of our flood wall, it's a benefit to our community,” said council member Ralph Russell when the matter came up last month.

Blue 42

Stuwart Kee is general manager of Blue 42, a planned sports bar and grill at the south end at 629 Ellis Blvd. NW at the intersection with F Avenue NW. The tentative opening date is the last week of February.

'There's definitely a buzz,” Kee said. 'We have people stop in all the time wondering what's going in here and when we are going to open. ... I think this side of town needs another place to go.”

Some in this area recalled the 1969-built brick building's past, such as when it was called Johnny's Parkway, where patrons could cash their paycheck, Kee said. Most recently it was the Double Inn, which closed in 2014.

On Thursday, workers were installing rails to separate dining from a dart area; others were working in the kitchen and coolers. The full-service restaurant will have 21 TVs and a patio and offer typical 'fan food” with everything made from scratch, Kee said.

Kee's business partner, Jake Roetman, who bought and remodeled the building with three other investors, said they have at least $450,000 invested in the project.

K Avenue building

The Neighborhood Development Corp. took over the one-story brick building at 615 K Ave. NW, at the corner of Ellis. It had housed a barbershop and a drugstore and still has a sign for Lint's Performance Parts but has been vacant since the 2008 flood, said Al Pierson, who is a board member for the nonprofit Neighborhood Development Corp.

It got permit to build last week, and the goal is to be finished in late spring or summer, Pierson said. He hopes one or two small businesses, such as a coffee shop or breakfast spot, move in, said Pierson, who also owns the nearby Pierson's Flower Shop and is active in the neighborhood association.

The Neighborhood Development Corp. has reinvested at least $200,000 in the property, according to its website.

'They told us after the flood it would take 10 years to recover,” Pierson said of the neighborhood. 'We are 8.5 years into it. Ellis Boulevard has lagged behind some other areas, but we are starting to see things happening and we are not yet at 10 years.”

Pierson said he believes once developers and investors start to see new projects happening, it will only perpetuate more. The revitalization of the New Bohemia District is an example of what's possible, but he said neighbors want to preserve a residential feel that's long defined the Time Check area compared to the urban-minded NewBo.

Westside Rising

Pierson and Susie Weinacht, a Cedar Rapids City Council member, have been involved in an effort to erect the Westside Rising memorial on vacant land where homes once stood.

The $250,000, 26-foot-tall sculpture with a 30-by-30-foot footprint is planned northwest of Sixth Street NW and O Avenue NW. It pays tribute to the hundreds of destroyed homes and foreshadows recovery in the Time Check neighborhoods that historically supplied workers for railroads and staple industries.

They have raised about $195,000, thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation and a $75,000 matching grant from Hall-Perrine Foundation. The goal is to have the memorial built by June 13, which is the nine-year anniversary of the flood, Pierson said.

Weinacht pointed out these latest developments on Ellis are just a piece of what has happened in the area.

The city and school district partnered on the new Northwest Recreation Center, which opened last summer paired with Harrison Elementary. Harrison at one point was pegged for closure, but was saved and has seen enrollment rebound to 335 after dwindling post-flood to 311.

Matthew 25 established and operates an urban farm on F Avenue NW, an old school district warehouse was renovated into apartments called Ellis Lofts, new row houses went up on Ellis Boulevard, and perhaps most notably 118 new homes were erected through the ROOTS program, which set out to restore housing lost to the 2008 flood.

The city also has established a Northwest Neighborhood Action Plan and an overlay district for Ellis Boulevard to create a process for residents and city leaders to optimize redevelopment. The final community forum for the plan will be in late January or early February.

'Growth is imperative to our community,” Weinacht said. 'The northwest area is embracing the river. They are making bold moves and the resiliency is shining through.”

l Comments: (319) 339-3177; brian.morelli@thegazette.com