Marissa Payne

Frew Development is seeking workforce housing tax credits to support a $34 million housing project to add 200 units as part of the Westdale Mall redevelopment. City Council also OK’d projects in NewBo, the northwest quadrant and former TaxAct site.

Award-winning Swiss artist duo NEVERCREW is creating a mural in downtown Cedar Rapids to honor the community effort that fueled the $20 million ConnectCR project to transform Cedar Lake and build a pedestrian-bike bridge spanning the Cedar River

Public transit agencies in Eastern Iowa are seeing their ridership numbers slowly increase but challenges remain. Agencies are grappling with workforce challenges and how to best meet the needs of riders.

The $1 million Cultivate Hope Corner Store, operated by nonprofit Matthew 25 at 604 Ellis Blvd. NW, has opened with a focus on reduced-cost, healthy food in Time Check. Its mission is to educate residents on nutrition and promote food access.

The city is preparing to distribute hotel-motel tax revenue to nonprofits, which will reboot a funding source that was halted at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. But there will be some changes to the grant application process.

Prompted by a contentious and costly local election cycle, the panel reviewing Cedar Rapids’ charter is exploring whether to recommend doing away with runoff elections and instead establish ranked-choice voting -- should Iowa lawmakers allow it.

Alliant is working in partnership with Trees Forever to help 33 communities -- including Marion, Hiawatha and Ely -- with grants to plant trees. A total of $120,000 in tree grants are being awarded.

The $81.5 million First and First West project roughly doubles the investment in Kingston Village. Plans to fill the flood-damaged site with a casino were dashed, but the Cedar Rapids neighborhood quickly grew while the prime real estate sat empty.

Several Cedar Rapids organizations that serve people of color, women and youth voters are banding together to boost voter turnout and registration.

The city of Cedar Rapids will use about $1.39 million in federal funds to renovate the vacant property in Wellington Heights and create up to 25 affordable residential units before turning ownership and maintenance over to a nonprofit.

The Charter Review Commission now has until June 30 instead of May 1 to complete its review of the city charter and consider recommending changes such as language to adopt ranked-choice voting if it becomes allowed under state law.

The redevelopment of long-vacant city-owned property known as First and First West will start this spring, bringing a mix of restaurants, housing, a Big Grove and other uses online now that the City Council has approved a development agreement

After voters in November opted to extend the local option sales tax that funds Cedar Rapids’ street work, the city has begun work on over 40 projects for 2022. Here’s where to expect road construction this year.

The federal government will cover a larger share of the cost for disasters that occurred in 2020 and 2021, a move that will save Iowa communities millions on 2020 derecho recovery expenses.

Two area nonprofits, Monarch Research and Trees Forever, will continue to help Linn County residents replant trees downed in the 2020 derecho with tree distributions this spring.