Plans in the works for massive C.R. water park

Plans are taking shape to build a more than five acre water park in Cedar Rapids.

Nick Ford, with Cedar Rapids company Perfect Game, is spreading the word and collecting investors for his vision of Cedar Bayou, an indoor/outdoor water park that would include rides, a mid-ranged hotel, RV park, a lazy river, a food court with restaurants and shops, and a more traditional swimming pool with lap lanes and room for swimming lessons and therapeutic sessions.

The indoor facilities will be roughly 62,000 square feet and the outdoor water park would span five acres, Ford said.

'It's going to be a pretty beautiful facility,' Ford said. 'This will draw people to the community.'

Ford hopes to build the Cajun/bayou-themed Cedar Bayou water park on vacant property south of Lincolnway Park near the intersection of 66th Avenue SW and J Street SW. The property is currently owned by one of the park's investors and Ford estimated the project to cost more than $60 million.

Ford said, if everything comes together, he hopes to break ground on Cedar Bayou next spring and have the facility completed in 2018.

Ford admitted the project may seem daunting, but said he enjoys a challenge.

'This is a challenge, but I think it's very possible,' he said.

Steve Doser, community relations director with the College Community School District, said Ford presented district officials with his plan Monday.

Doser said the traditional pool proposed in the project could benefit the district, which currently shares swimming arrangements with Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School.

'If it would be built we would definitely have an interest, it would be a great thing for the community, especially in the southeast side,' Doser said.

As plans continue to formulate on his water park, Ford said he doesn't anticipate Cedar Bayou to clash with Waterloo's Lost Island Water Park, which has been operating for about 15 years.

'They have their niche up there and we have ours here,' he said.

However, Eric Bertch, Lost Island general manager, said he is concerned with a water park in Cedar Rapids, less than an hour's drive away.

'It's very concerning to me to hear that another developer so close to us is wanting to jump into the pool with us,' Bertch said.

Bertch said the Waterloo park, one of the largest in the Midwest, draws considerable traffic from Linn and Johnson counties, with the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids area representing nearly 50 percent of their season pass holders.

'I can understand why a developer would want to go after the low hanging fruit that's right in their backyard,' Bertch said. You're not capturing new customers by building another major water park player in the area, all you're doing is cannibalizing the existing potential guests.'