What kind of history is in the making?

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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A n overflow crowd at Tuesday's Gazette/KCRG-TV9 forum on the city's emerging medical district delivered one overriding message: The district concept has value but be sure the historic and environmental components get respect as plans are finalized.

Historian Mark Stoffer Hunter, one of the four panelists, summed it up most succinctly: “A future with history, not a future vs. history.”

We respect the desire for that kind of balance, and believe it can be achieved with broad benefits for the community. The devil's in the details, of course, and all the parties to this development must seek common ground. City Council leadership is a must.

The expected medical district encompasses more than 50 blocks near downtown Cedar Rapids. It surrounds the two hospitals as book ends, additional existing medical buildings and expectations of others. It also includes 90 non-medical buildings, of which eight are

on the National Register of Historic Places and 17 others look “very eligible,” Stoffer Hunter noted.

Physicians' Clinic of Iowa is advancing plans to build a large medical mall in the district after the City Council approved its request to close two blocks of Second Avenue in October.

The forum audience and the panel, which included City Council members Pat Shey and Monica Vernon and Historic Preservation Commission Chairwoman Maura Pilcher, largely supported the PCI project and medical district concept. Even many who opposed the street closure believe, as we do, that the district can improve Cedar Rapids' position as a medical services destination and help spur economic and residential growth in and near the downtown area.

However, PCI's plans for several surface parking lots, in addition to a ramp, drew critics. They worry that so much space devoted to parking will lead to demolition of many historic buildings and problems with runoff from hard surfaces.

The city has some ability to address these concerns. Such as its rule requiring seven parking slots per 1,000 square feet. Does that make sense at a city's core? Does it discourage pedestrians and use of public transit?

Disappointingly, MedQuarter declined to participate in the forum. But its leadership did issue a statement citing continued commitment to the community's health, economic development and historic preservation. PCI's recent changes to lessen the ramp's impact on the nearby Grant Wood Studio is evidence of willingness to honor that commitment.

Shey and Vernon expect MedQuarter will be a great neighbor. They also seem eager to ensure that “proper” guidelines are in place for the medical district as it unfolds. Good.

We urge the City Council to take up the task, and soon. History is in the making. Let's make sure the new is in tune with the old.