Relocating substation could harm development

By Robert Chadima

Alliant Energy's proposal to relocate its substation to the old Iowa Steel properties would be nothing less than a disaster.

The City Council and the City Planning Department have long encouraged and facilitated redevelopment of the old industrial and flood- damaged neighborhood south of Eighth Avenue along two complementary and mutually reinforcing paths: affordable housing for downtown and hospital workers and job creation through development of Third Street as a cultural and entertainment district.

The City Council has led, aided and encouraged the construction and development of the WaterTower Place condos, the Bottleworks condos, the Skogman Company's construction of 20 family homes, and the Hatch Development Group's construction of two buildings of 24 units of affordable apartments in each. These are bringing several hundred residents to this neighborhood.

Numerous homeowners in the neighborhood also have rebuilt their homes from the flood damage with city and federal assistance.

The city's support of commercial development of Third Street south of Eighth Avenue has helped lead to the establishment of two restaurants and the intended establishment of four more, the $6 million revitalization of CSPS and Legion Arts, renovation of St. Wenceslaus Church, creation of a tax increment financing district for streetscape improvements, and rehabilitation of several historic structures in the Bohemian Historic Commercial District.

In sum, more than 250 companies and individuals have invested in this neighborhood as a place to live. None of these people and investors had any notice when they made their decisions that their property would be degraded by a three- to five-story substation usurping more than an acre of land.

The site proposed by Alliant for its substation would be much better for a park and playground for this developing residential neighborhood.

We realize that Alliant needs to relocate the substation. Our neighborhood needs reliable power as do downtown, Penford and Cargill.

But we fail to see why Alliant should harm us further when the site at 1600 Third St. would meet its needs and avoid damage to all of the residents and investors of the area.

Robert Chadima, businessman, developer and Cherry Building owner, has been active in New Bohemia Group, Fifteen in 5 Third Street Initiative, Legion Arts, the Linn County Historical Society and the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library.