Developer wants delay on home demolitions next to Czech Village

A last-ditch effort to save the residential neighborhood next to Czech Village hinges on City Council intervention and a historic determination.

Charles Jones, president of Green Development LLC of Iowa City, has proposed re-evaluating the neighborhood to see if it could be eligible as a historic district.

First, dozens of homes would have to be stripped of vinyl siding and porch additions or other changes that altered their architectural significance.

A survey conducted by the Louis Berger Group of Marion determined 21 of the 150 or so homes in the southwest Cedar Rapids neighborhood could be individually eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, but not the neighborhood as a whole.

Architectural Historian Camilla Deiber said it's possible the changes could make a difference.

“That's something that's out of the norm, but that's the crux of the issue,” said Deiber, who conducted the Louis Berger survey.

Jones proposes using AmeriCorps volunteers to remove the siding and other alterations, something that could be done in about 30 days, he said.

John Riggs, city project manager for flood demolition, said demolitions could begin in 10 days to two weeks on about 60 homes that are on the city's “imminent threat”  list for health and safety reasons.

Jones and Richard Luther, a consultant for Green Development, are asking the City Council to delay demolition on homes between 17

^th

and 23

^rd

avenues and A and C streets SW.

Luther is also working as a volunteer with George Joens, a longtime Czech Village business owner who hopes the homes can be saved.

If the neighborhood is eligible as a historic district, tax credits could be used for rebuilding, even before the area is officially listed on the National Register.

Jones estimated rebuilding costs of $60,000 for each home, half of which could be recouped in the form of tax credits.

Luther said the goal is to preserve about 93 homes, either through Green or other developers. Even homeowners might change their minds about having their homes demolished if they knew what incentives were available to rebuild, he said.

The homes that are on the imminent threat list don't necessarily have structural damage, Luther said. Many are on the list because of mold contamination, which could be remediated, he said.