Gazette Daily News Podcast: Thursday, April 25, 2024

– Cedar Rapids awards incentives to proposed $21M commercial park

– You can vote on coolest thing made in Iowa

– Learn about renters’ rights through free workshop Thursday in Cedar Rapids

Episode Transcript

Coming up, Cedar Rapids is awarding incentives to a proposed $21 million commercial park

And later, what’s the coolest thing made in Iowa? You can vote now.

Plus, learn your rights as a renter at a free workshop tonight

Welcome to the Thursday, April 25 edition of the Gazette Daily News Podcast. This podcast gives quick bites from the latest headlines coming out of The Gazette newsroom. I’m Bailey Cichon.

This week, the Cedar Rapids City Council awarded incentives to a developer to build a $21 million commercial park in southwest Cedar Rapids. This would bring new warehouses online in an area where industrial development is booming. Airport Commercial Park includes the construction of five commercial lots along Wright Brothers Boulevard SW. This project was proposed by Iowa Development I LLC and would include a mixture of warehouse buildings, contractor suites and self-storage units. The project calls for construction on 15 acres. This meets the minimum acreage requirements to be eligible for incentives under the city’s master plan redevelopment economic development program. Under terms approved by the City Council, the project would also retain 40 jobs and create 40 new jobs. The city would provide a 10-year, 50 percent rebate of increased taxes generated by the project, which staff estimates would be $3.6 million in total taxes. $1.4 million would be rebated back to the company.

Additionally, Stone Meyer LLC was awarded incentives to expand its operations. Stone Meyer LLC is an entity of Corridor Construction Network and it’s looking to to build a new commercial building at 1265 Wilson Ave. SW. Corridor Network Construction has been headquartered in Cedar Rapids since 2015. Now, it’s looking to make a $5.4 million capital investment that would retain 70 jobs and create 20 new ones.

The proposed project details construction of a 50,000 square-foot commercial building. 42,000 square-feet would be for warehouse space and the rest would be office space. Under the city’s quote unquote “community benefit” incentives, the city would give a 10-year, 50 percent rebate of increased taxes generated by the project. Based on the investment and estimated post-development value, staff estimates it will generate $1.6 million in total taxes over a 10-year period. That would rebate $640,000 back to the company. The council unanimously approved incentives but council member Scott Olson recused himself from voting due to his role in assisting with the developer’s purchase of the land several years ago.

Development agreements for both projects should come before the council in June.

Next, what’s the coolest thing made in Iowa? Sixty-eight products are nominated for the award and you can vote for your favorite product. Here are a few of the nominees:

In Cedar Rapids, General Mills makes the fruity snack Gushers. In Iowa City, Big Grove Brewery’s Easy Eddy IPA is being recognized. Meanwhile, dandelion wine is made by Ackerman Winery in Marengo. In Maquoketa, Blue-9 Pet Products makes the KLIMB dog training platform and MCG BioComposites makes MCG bio plant markers. Find a full list of products made in Eastern Iowa at the story linked in this episode’s description. You can vote for your favorite Iowa-made products once every day until April 30. The “sweet 16” finalists will advance into a bracket and daily voting will return in May.

Next, renters can learn about their rights as tenants, for free, at a workshop today. The Renter Rights and Responsibilities Workshop will be held at Beems Auditorium in the downtown Cedar Rapids Public Library at 5 p.m. tonight. The workshop is sponsored by the Oak Hill Jackson Neighborhood Association and features a presentation by Iowa Legal Aid followed by a question-and-answer portion. Oak Hill Jackson Neighborhood Association president Dorothy de Souza Guedes said quote, “Oak Hill Jackson has an exceptionally high percentage of residents who are renting the home they live in, whether that be an apartment or single-family home.” end quote. De Souza Guedes said the neighborhood’s home ownership rate is 24.1 percent whereas all of Linn County’s home ownership rate is 74.5 percent.

The workshop will cover topics like landlord and tenant law, evictions, how to ask a landlord to make repairs, housing discrimination and more. De Souza Guedes said that in 2023, housing cases accounted for 43 percent of all cases filed with the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission. This, de Souza Guedes said, shows tenants need to be better informed about their rights as renters.

Find a link to each of today’s featured stories in this episode’s description or at thegazette.com.

Now let’s take a look at the weather in Cedar Rapids. Today will be partly cloudy. Expect a high of 66 degrees and a low of 46 degrees. Friday it will rain. Expect temperatures in the high fifties.

Thank you for listening to the Gazette Daily News Podcast. Stay updated with the latest Eastern Iowa news at thegazette.com. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com