City Hall moving quickly to unload former First Street SE fire house

CEDAR RAPIDS - If all goes as planned, City Hall in November will unload the former Central Fire Station at 427 First St. SE that in recent years has been home to the Cedar Rapids Science Station.

Last month, the Science Station's administrative board, the Science Center, asked to be let out of its $1 per year lease with the city at the former fire station property because the center does not intend to reoccupy the building or the two next to it. The center told the city it is in the process of selling the adjacent buildings, one of which is the former IMAX Dome Theatre.

The City Council on Tuesday was slated to set a public hearing Oct. 11 to seek proposals for the building's sale and redevelopment with a plan to evaluate proposals in November.

The entity bidding the highest price for the property may not obtain it. The city is interested in which entity has redevelopment experience and the financial ability to redevelop the property in accord with the city's long-range plans. The city also will assess the proposals' economic impact to the community.

The city first leased out the former fire house at 427 First St. SE for a science museum in 1984. The flood of 2008 forced the Science Station to a new site at Lindale Mall, where it currently operates. The First Street building has been cleaned up after the flood, but it has not been repaired, according to the city.

[mqMap align="center" key="XKKV" width="485" height="292" src="http://www.mapquest.com/embed?icid=mqdist_mb_wp&c=XKKV&maptype=map&zoom=12¢er=41.975097619302936,-91.66665&projection=sm&showScale=false"/>