Potential of Cedar Rapids-owned properties examined: 152 sites available now for redevelopment

CEDAR RAPIDS - A review of vacant city owned properties in Cedar Rapids found hundreds of parcels could be redeveloped, but many are hindered by zoning restrictions, 100-year flood plain rules and regulations tied to a federal property buyout program.

Cedar Rapids used federal money to purchase more than 1,000 properties through the city's voluntary property acquisition program after the 2008 flood. While some houses or businesses have seen revival, others sit idle, in limbo between past and future.

'I don't want to wait 20 years to get that area developed,” Ann Poe, a City Council member and chairwoman of the council's development committee, said at a meeting last week about the Time Check area. 'I really want us to see what we can do to spur some interest in that area in the next couple years. I'd be very interested in any further conversations with developers to see what it will take to start the momentum in that area.”

An inquiry from City Council leaders looking to restore vibrancy to neighborhoods and revenue to the tax rolls sparked the internal review about the extent of city-owned land in the core of the community and its development potential.

The review found 480 city-owned properties covering 83 acres could be redeveloped, largely in the Time Check area west and northwest of downtown. Based on a the city's future land-use map, which sets minimum and maximum density of housing units permitted per acre, the city estimates the land could serve 513 to 2,977 housing units.

'It's highly unlikely that complete build out will approach the maximum, but a number more in the middle of the range may be feasible,” said Seth Gunnerson, a city planner.

No formula exists to predict commercial potential, but generally more homes would drive demand for commercial services, city documents indicate.

The bulk of the properties are not far from the Cedar River in a 100-year flood plain, meaning a 1 percent chance of flooding in a given year. Federal money used for the buyouts came with strings attached, including a stipulation that sites are restricted from development while the land remains in the flood plain.

The state designated a 'viable business corridor” for the Ellis Boulevard NW area, Kingston Village and the Czech Village-New Bohemia district, which allows sidestepping development restrictions if the new structure is flood proofed or elevated above the 100-year flood plain, and the property owner carries flood insurance.

The exemption was granted because those areas were deemed critical to overall flood recovery of their neighborhoods.

The internal review combined adjoining properties from the 480 to produce a working number of 221 properties that could be redeveloped.

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Of that number, 152 sites covering 38.8 acres are available now for redevelopment because the sites are within a viable business corridor or outside the 100-year flood plain.

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Another 16 sites covering 19 acres aren't available now because they are within or adjacent to the path of the eventual flood-protection system. The land could be incorporated into the flood system or freed up for redevelopment pending the final layout of the flood-control system, which could take up to 20 years to construct.

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The final 53 sites covering 25.1 acres are in the 100-year flood plain but outside of a viable business corridor so they have site restrictions prohibiting construction. Once flood protection is built and the sites are out of the 100-year flood plain, they, too, could be redeveloped.

Properties face other barriers beyond state and federal rules. Some have odd shapes or are too small. That is why the city combined adjoining properties where possible for the purpose of the review. Other sites aren't served by utilities or might need a zoning change or variance.

Interest from private developers triggers a competitive process for the city to sell off city owned land, so city officials have been developing processes to make it more attractive for developers.

City staff researched 73 properties in the Ellis Boulevard viable business corridor to identify hurdles upfront rather than late in the process, and to identify contact points for city departments involved in permitting the land for redevelopment, said Ivan Gonzalez, a housing redevelopment specialist. They created a checklist to review what each property needs, he said.

Comments: (319) 339-3177; brian.morelli@thegazette.com

What city land can be redeveloped?

Here is a breakdown of the number of vacant city-owned sites available in Cedar Rapids, how many acres of land they cover, how many potential housing units they could accommodate and where they stand in terms of redevelopment potential.

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152 sites, 38.8 acres. Housing potential: 110 to 907 units. These properties are available now for redevelopment because they fall within the Ellis Boulevard viable business corridor from E Avenue to Ellis Lane NW or are outside the 100-year flood plain.

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16 sites, 19 acres. Housing potential: 275 to 1,286 units. These aren't available now because they are within or adjacent to the path of the eventual flood-protection system.

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53 sites, 25.1 acres. Housing potential: 128 to 784 units. These are in the 100-year flood plain but outside the viable business corridor so they have site restrictions. Once flood protection is built they, too, could be redeveloped.