Convention complex: City on right track

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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A new Cedar Rapids Convention Complex project, coupled with upgrades to the U.S. Cellular Center and Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel, hold great potential for reviving downtown.

The project already has

leveraged an unprecedented

$35 million grant from the federal Economic Development Administration and a $15 million state award. Architectural drawings released last week illustrate the exciting prospects for a downtown transformation.

And that's why we're behind the city's tenacious efforts to keep the project on track.

Certainly, the significant increase in the project budget approved this week is worrisome, and hopefully a one-time event. Environmentally responsible construction plans and property acquisition have proved to be more expensive than the city anticipated. We expect the city to control costs. But we believe, as the City Council does, that the project's importance warrants some adjustments.

We also agree with city officials that acquisition of the Crowne Plaza is essential to the project's aims. The hotel sits in the middle of the project and will play a critical role in its success. But fulfilling the role hinges on whether the hotel undergoes critical renovations and upgrades. It appears that can only happen if the city is able to buy the hotel, which sits on city-owned land.

The city has been in talks with the hotel's current owner, CWCapital LLC, for months, but negotiations have yielded mostly sticking points. Mayor Ron Corbett says seven to nine disputes still are unresolved. And time is of the essence if hotel renovations are to be completed in tandem with convention complex construction.

Within that context, we support the mayor and city manager's decision to consider taking control of the hotel through use of eminent domain. We're always wary of any government move to take private property, but in this case, the power would be wielded appropriately as a last resort. And it's possible that the city's move may help break open deadlocked negotiations.

Between exciting sketches and grand openings, there's much tough work and difficult detail. So far, we think the city is on the right track.