Flood protection tops Downtown District priority list

The Downtown District this week placed flood protection and funding for a protection system at the top of its priority list for 2011.

“What we hear over and over again goes to the uncertainty,” Doug Neumann, president/CEO of the district, told district members at their annual meeting on Thursday evening at Theatre Cedar Rapids.

“Business people want to be able to develop business plans with as few variables as possible,” Neumann said. “And there's no greater uncertainty than whether or not your building is going to be on the wet or dry side of the levee and whether that levee will be built five years from now, 20 years from now or never.”

He said the City Council understands the issue, and he said the Downtown District is ready to help in any way possible.

The district, Neumann said, has issues that are “critical” and “urgent,” and he suggested that the district and the city, “in reality,” are closer to the beginning of the recovery from the 2008 flood than the end.

“This is a very fragile time for downtown businesses and for this community,” he said.

Even so, he said the downtown was entering into a period of construction activity that rivals any period in the city's history.

“One can't help but feel optimistic,” Neumann said.

He included these as Downtown District successes this year: the continued growth of the downtown farmers market; the return of The Roosevelt apartments; state I-JOBS funding for a riverfront amphitheater; the coming return of City Hall and the library to the downtown; and the preparation for construction of the new Convention Complex there. He also suggested a second hotel might locate downtown.

Neumann singled out the Downtown District's effort to take over the oversight of the downtown parking system from City Hall, a job that he said is nearly complete. He urged Downtown District members to continue to advocate for the change.

“Downtown parking is inextricably linked to downtown economic development,” he said. “We cannot be a vibrant, dynamic downtown without understanding those needs and making the necessary investments in infrastructure, customer service and technology.”

Neumann said the Downtown District still wants to see the city build a new parking ramp near the new federal courthouse, a position the district has among its priorities this year.

“It's not done yet, but we'll keep swinging,” he said.