Some in Wellington Heights skeptical of city plan to turn vacant building into community resource center

CEDAR RAPIDS — Some Wellington Heights residents are pushing back on potential city plans to renovate a vacant building into a community resource center with a shelter, fearing that such a facility would destabilize a neighborhood already striving to lower crime rates.

Cedar Rapids officials are looking to revamp the old Colonial Centre at 1500 Second Ave. SE into a community resource center using $2.6 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds. The facility would include an emergency shelter for part of the year, helping to serve a need that exists particularly in the winter months or that arises from disasters such as the pandemic or last summer’s derecho.

Community Development Director Jennifer Pratt said this property is ideal for such a center because it is centrally located, is near transit and grocery stores and serves low- to moderate-income residents.

“With the pandemic, and then the derecho on top of it, it really became apparent that having those resource centers that the city has control over and can access and can be available (is) critical to our communities,” Pratt said. “So, as we want to become a more resilient community, it's important to take a look at that.”

Details and specific services are not yet final while staff gets input from residents. Possible uses include providing computer and internet access, library services and housing. Residents also mentioned dedicating space to nonprofits or other groups to use at a low cost.

The grant funding is contingent on including a shelter component and provide community services to be accessed particularly during bad weather or disasters.

City staff attended the Tuesday night Wellington Heights Neighborhood Association meeting for feedback on the project, where residents shared concerns.

While some indicated they wanted to support homeless individuals, they also wanted to ensure such a project does not result in more police calls or pose a safety threat to children — specifically while youth engagement remains a priority in the neighborhood.

Like several who spoke Tuesday night, resident Kim Phillips wanted assurance that if the city takes on this project, there also would be an effort to provide long-term support to homeless individuals who might come to the neighborhood to use this new center.

“We’re all big proponents of slowly over time as we’re able, solving problems in our neighborhood,” Phillips said. “Bringing new problems in our neighborhood only adds onto the pile of things that we’re trying to check off the list.”

Phillips said she also wants to limit potential redundancy of city efforts with neighborhood initiatives like the association’s search for a resource facilitator to manage the community’s resource house and organize events.

Jorel Robinson, another Wellington Heights resident, said the project should be advanced to help the issue of homelessness “and not just be rushing it through to meet a grant date.” He wanted to see a recreation center like the one in the northwest quadrant, but a place solely used for that purpose so children could safely use it and parents would feel comfortable bringing their kids there.

“We're just trying to do our best to protect our community and make sure that we don't become the dumping ground for what the city or other people views as the less-desirables, or people they don't want in their community,” Robinson said.

The perception of the area as a dangerous, crime-ridden place already makes people fear this part of town, Robinson said. He feared that putting in shelters and services primarily there — in an area with a more racially, ethnically and socioeconomically diverse population — would further concentrate minorities in this part of Cedar Rapids and lead to more policing and homelessness.

"I don't want that to be my community,“ Robinson said. “And I'm not saying that's what homeless people bring. It's the issue of how it's being presented to us and a lack of information going forward, so if you tell a homeowner that we're doing this in your area, and then you say we have no idea what this building's going to be like in five to 10 years — we want more information.”

While Pratt said there are examples of public facilities around the country that have had a negative impact on the neighborhood if they are not maintained and operated properly, others — like the one the city hopes to establish here — can stabilize the neighborhood and have a positive impact by bringing a vacant, dilapidated building to life.

Pratt said the property must first be rezoned to allow for future city use so the city can obtain the federal funding, which must happen before Cedar Rapids buys it.

This proposed rezoning is scheduled to come before the City Planning Commission at a meeting set for 3 p.m. Thursday in the Cedar Rapids City Hall Council Chambers, 101 First St. SE. The City Council would consider approval of the rezoning in August. The council may consider acquiring the property at its Sept. 14 meeting.

Over the next two months, Pratt said city staff will meet as many times as the neighborhood association requests to discuss how to mitigate concerns and report back to the council on feedback before the council decides. She encouraged residents to turn to the neighborhood association for continued information on the development.

Eric Gutschmidt, president of the neighborhood association, said that as a landlord, he sees firsthand the limited affordable housing options in the city. But he said the neighborhood feels vulnerable and unheard right now as the city appears to be moving forward. He would like to see more time taken to explore possibilities.

While neighborhood residents remain uncertain about this potential project, Gutschmidt said he feared those outside the area may misunderstand the pushback.

“I know the neighbors and I know the neighbors are some of the most caring people that I’ve met who help each other out without a second thought all the time,” Gutschmidt said. “I just don’t want this to come off as though the neighbors are heartless. I think this is more a reflection of the neighbors feeling unheard.”

Council member Dale Todd, who represents District 3 — which encompasses downtown, including Wellington Heights — said cities cannot make homelessness go away, so they must work to manage the issue. Much of the problem-solving falls on the shoulders of police, he said, “and we all know that this is not the right answer.”

“Like everyone who lives here I have concerns, especially when you are talking about developing a project in an already destabilized and struggling section of our community,” Todd said. “Will it attract more, or will it help us stabilize what we have in place and build from it with a revitalization strategy for the surrounding area? These are all questions that need answers, but at the end of the day are we not our brother’s keeper? Pretending the issue will go away on its own is a disservice to us all.”

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