After footprint stagnates, Cedar Rapids hits growth spurt in 2016

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids has hit a growth spurt.

The land mass that is Cedar Rapids is roughly 71 square miles as of the 2010 census, bumping into Marion and Hiawatha to the east and north and mostly farm land on the other sides.

But this year, the city incorporated more at its fringes in any year since 2006 — before the housing crisis, the recession of the late 2000s and the 2008 flood.

'Since the flood of 2008, the majority of the council's focus and staff focus has been to grow from the inside out, to rebuild our core, not just flood-impacted areas but the core of the community,' Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett said during an annexation vote at a Dec. 6 council meeting. 'There's been very little, if any annexation, by the city of Cedar Rapids in the past eight years, especially compared to surrounding communities Marion, Hiawatha or Fairfax.'

The city council unanimously approved the voluntary annexation of 70.9 acres east of Ely Road SW and south of Ivanhoe Road upon request from Marcia Correll, who owns the land and hopes to eventually put in a housing development. This was the third-largest annexation in a year that saw seven annexations totaling 284.33 acres.

This came after nine years of very little unincorporated land absorbed into the city' borders. It's the most since 887.08 acres were annexed into Cedar Rapids in 2006.

In 2005 and 2006, Cedar Rapids annexed 14 properties totaling 1,930.9 acres. By comparison, the city has approved 23 annexations totaling 753.69 acres since 2007 — 38 percent of which joined the municipality this year.

In 2008, 2009 and 2010, the city annexed no land, according to city data.

'The main emphasis had been urban core redevelopment, and I think a concern from developers was whether that would be as big of a market,' said Jennifer Pratt, the city's community development director. 'But it wound up being a huge market. People wanted everything to be walkable, be close to school and the store.'

Meanwhile, the market for new home construction languished. Now housing demand in Cedar Rapids has picked back up, and so to have the annexations.

The Cedar Rapids Area Association of Realtors recorded 346 home sales last month, up from 325 in November 2015, and homes were moving more quickly.

Dustin Kern, a developer who partnered on a 63.5 acre annexation in January 2014 for what has become Wexford Heights — a planned 83-home subdivision off Blairs Ferry Road and Milburn Road NE — said the housing collapse was one factor. Another was Cedar Rapids didn't have many places to annex.

'I also believe that Cedar Rapids didn't have a significant amount of geographic areas that were serviced or serviceable with city utilities, and the city had a few 'island' areas that needed to be cleaned up through proper annexations, and in doing so, provided additional adjacent areas to be pursued for annexations and the extension of city services, i.e., sewer, water, roads, etc.,' he said in an email.

A driving force in the Wexford development was a new city policy in which lift stations — used to pump wastewater — could be designed on a more regional basis, he said. That way, adjacent areas can be served instead of having smaller lift stations that only can serve a single development.

'The city took a new approach, and in doing so Wexford Heights — and a significant area outside and adjacent to Wexford — can and will be served by a regional lift station that is owned and maintained by the city but was constructed by the developer,' he said.

The city doesn't proactively seek annexations, Pratt said. Rather, it responds to requests for annexations made by land owners or others who may want access to city services or see inclusion in the city as making the land more marketable.

Annexation requests are evaluated to ensure the land meets the city's goals for growth, and that public services, such as sewer, street services and water are available to the area, according to the city's application process. Extending services to annexed areas are often born by the developer, but a groundswell of new rooftops still can lead to expense for cities or other public agencies, such updating roads or intersections.

The city's comprehensive plan, EnvisionCR, maps out future growth areas. The maps help developers and even those considering purchasing a home or starting a businesses make decision based on the city's future plans.

'What we hope the future land use provides is that guide for people that are looking to buy land, to develop land, that they can see these are the easiest areas for the city to serve, the least cost to get those services and the least problem trying to coordinate with the city,' Pratt said.

The growth map identifies six fairly large unincorporated Linn County areas where Cedar Rapids expects to stretch out.

There's an area to the north between Marion and Robins, to the northwest between Hiawatha and Palo, a large segment to the west along the Highway 100 extension to the Benton County line and near Fairfax, two separate southwest segments south of Highway 30 between Interstate 380 and 151, and a another very large segment south of Highway 30 along I-380 toward the Johnson County line and easterly approaching Ely.

Since 2007, Cedar Rapids has grown the most in the southwest quadrant, adding 467.85 acres, followed by the 187.77 acres in the northwest quadrant, 97.24 acres in the northeast quadrant and just .83 acres in the southeast quadrant.

Annexations are not limited to those areas. For example, the Ivanhoe Road annexation is not in a designated growth area yet was approved.

The largest annexation since 2007 was a site formerly known as the Barta farm owned by three sisters, who sought annexation for the 89.18 acres immediately east of I-380 and just north of Shueyville to help market the land for future development.

City sanitary sewer and water already were available to the site. In addition, city services including police and fire protection, street maintenance, and garbage and recycling collection also were available because the site is adjacent to the city limits, according to a staff recommendation for the annexation last February.

No residents protested the annexation, but in the case of the December annexation off Ivanhoe Road, a petition with 118 signatures came forward and seven neighbors objected at the city council meeting, contending a housing development was not part of the city's growth plan, would clog up traffic, produce too much stormwater runoff and would bog down the lift station, which manages water pressure.

'We just moved in Aug. 19 and were hoping this area wouldn't be touched by development given the future land map,' said Brian Grove, also pointing out the city's own research identified traffic connection issues at Ivanhoe Road and Highway 30.

City council members and staff said annexation doesn't bind the city to a specific development plan, which separately must get approval by the council before construction. However, city officials also weigh the eventuality of future growth.

'Long term, we are going to have more development in this area,' Kris Gulick, a city council member, said before his vote to support the annexation. 'We need single family homes. It is going to develop into something.'

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