Witwer officials pitch New Bo senior housing development

It's more of a concept now than an actual plan, but how about a residential development for senior citizens in southeast Cedar Rapids' New Bohemia neighborhood?

That's the very preliminary pitch Linn County supervisors heard this morning from officials at the Witwer Center, the non-profit agency providing services to area senior citizens. Executive Director Myrt Bowers was accompanied by a few board members  to request up to $5,000 for a feasibility study.

The project, on city-owned former Iowa Steel property south of 12th Avenue SE and east of Fourth Street, would include residential units, a cafe, and a learning center or "gathering place" for educational and other programs, said Phil Wasta, a member of Witwer's executive committee.

It would be a new permanent home for the Witwer Center, routed from its former downtown home by the June 2008 flood. Since then, Witwer activities have been housed at the Ecumenical Center, 601 Second Ave. SE. The center took its name for the county-owned Witwer Building, sold to private owners since the flood.

Witwer Center, which has officially dropped "Senior" from its name,  spun off the preparation of Meals on Wheels to Horizons in an effort o better focus in its core mission of educational and health information services for older residents, said Bowers.

The center could serve congregate meals at the new location, Bowers said.

"We would be a dining site for those people who wanted to come to congregate meals but we'd also have a cafe that would serve the younger adults," said Bowers.

"Food draws people," said Wasta.

Supervisor Lu Barron, D-Cedar Rapids, said the city has indicated willingness to sell the property, which is a brownfield in need of clean-up, for a nominal price.

"The city is anxious to get that off their inventory," she said.

Wasta said the Iowa Steel site offers cultural and other attractions near downtown but also has enough space for parking.

Witwer would host educational programs on computer skills, finance, and health and fitness at the new facility, Bowers said.

"The health promotion piece is going to be very, very large," she said. "We are going to be focusing on the education programs that are evidence-based."

Developer Kyle Skogman said he participated in the Witwer board's “very preliminary” effort.

“We were brainstorming and were asked if we could also provide some affordable housing around it,” said Skogman. “There seemed like there might be some possibilities and that's where we are.”

Skogman, president of Skogman Homes, said he's not sure his firm would be part of the project. He said a feasibility study would go a long way toward determining what type of housing – apartment, townhouse, or condominium – and how many units would be part of the project.

“Until you know how the building might sit and how much land and how many units it's pretty much up in the air,” he said. “We wouldn't have a clue at this point.”

Supervisors will act on the agency's request, which would be funded from the county's economic development fund, next week.

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