Cedar Rapids schools purchasing parcel adjacent to Van Buren Elementary to build access road

CEDAR RAPIDS — A letter of intent has been signed for the Cedar Rapids school district to purchase a property adjacent to Van Buren Elementary School, allowing the district to relocate an access road that will be built to service the new school building planned for the site.

The service road initially was planned to run through Van Buren Park, owned by the City of Cedar Rapids.

District spokeswoman Heather Butterfield said details of the purchase — including the cost, size of the property and who it is being purchased from — won’t be shared until the sale is finalized.

The district is using funds from the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy to purchase the property. This is a property tax levy approved by voters that can be used for the purchase and improvement of grounds, among other things.

“We want to sincerely thank all of you who voiced your concerns and participated in conversations about how we could better balance school access and community green space. Your input has been valuable throughout this process,” Chad Schumacher, director of operations for the district, said in an email Tuesday to 10 Van Buren neighbors that was shared with The Gazette.

“We especially want to recognize and thank the neighbor who alerted us that this property was potentially available for purchase. Your initiative and communication helped lead us to a creative solution that we hope the entire neighborhood will view as a positive step forward,” Schumacher said.

The purchase of the parcel was unanimously approved by the board after it exited closed session Monday, according to board minutes.

Three neighbors of the school voiced their concerns Monday about the proposed road’s proximity to residential properties and the park during a public hearing for the project.

The Cedar Rapids school board tabled the bid issuance for Van Buren Elementary School following the public hearing.

A new school is planned to be constructed adjacent to the existing Van Buren building at 2525 29th St. SW, Cedar Rapids. The existing school will remain open during construction. The building will be demolished after the new school is completed. The cost of the new school is estimated to be $40 million.

The plan to construct two new elementary school buildings on the Van Buren and Hoover school sites was approved by the school board in August 2024.

The schools have seen large increases in the size of their student bodies in recent years and have exceeded suggested enrollment capacity, even building temporary walls in classrooms and common areas to create more learning spaces.

The projects are being funded by SAVE — Secure an Advanced Vision for Education — an existing statewide sales tax allocated to districts based on certified enrollment.

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