Former IDOT office may become new Cedar Rapids day care

A building that formerly housed the district office of the Iowa Department of Transportation may become a day care facility this fall.

Developer Steve Emerson is seeking rezoning of the two-story, 7,680-square-foot building at 430 16th Ave. SW from public to office/service use. IDOT staff moved out of the 96-year-old building in 2012 to an office at 5455 Kirkwood Blvd. SW.

The Cedar Rapids Planning Commission on Thursday voted unanimously to recommend approval of the rezoning.

Commissioner Carletta Knox-Seymour asked Emerson how many children the facility may accommodate. He said about 90 students would be the maximum allowed under Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) guidelines, but the total will likely be much lower.

The Cedar Rapids City Council on June 14 is expected to set a public hearing for its June 28 meeting. The first reading of the ordinance also could occur at that meeting if a sufficient number of council members are present.

Emerson, interviewed Thursday after the planning commission meeting, said he plans to lease the building to an experienced day care operator who may provide third-shift child care.

'We are making sure that it is designed architecturally to meet code so that she could do that,” Emerson said. 'She will not offer that right away, but that's something she has talked about. There are some specific DHS and code requirements that allow for that.”

Emerson said third-shift day care is needed in the community.

'When everybody in the sheriff's department is promoted, they go from day shift to jail to night shift,” he said. 'The hospitals also have employees who work third shift. There also are manufacturers in the area with third-shift employees.

'It's not anything that really exists right now and I think it will be a great opportunity to help out the community.”

Emerson said the building, which has been well maintained, will require very little in the way of interior renovations and no external changes.

'It has low grab bars and normal grab bars, so it's perfect for kids,” he said. 'It's considered historic and I have to leave them, which is fine. With a large yard where children can play, it's a fantastic building for this kind of application.”

Emerson said he plans to seek state historic preservation tax credits for the building, which was constructed in 1920.