Westdale focusing on road, utilities

CEDAR RAPIDS - Construction equipment is very visible right now amid the $90 million redevelopment of Westdale.

Underground utilities are being put in and JCPenney is completing an extensive remodeling project.

Lisa Rowe, vice president/retail at Frew Development Group and Westdale general manager, said utilities have been installed in the center of the property.

'What used to be the mall common area will have several multitenant buildings and a park area,” Rowe said. 'Our contractor is working on grading those pad sites for foundations and hopefully getting that paving done. We are moving forward very quickly through the interior of that area.”

Rowe said construction should begin either late this year or early next year on the first of the multi-tenant buildings, depending on weather.

'We are trying to get all the infrastructure done up front so we can roll with those,” she said. 'We want to have commitments before we start the building, but we're getting very close on several deals.

'We also have a pad site along Williams Boulevard under a purchase agreement that's moving forward fairly quickly. We have significant interest in three other pad sites along Williams.”

Rowe said the north entrance to Westdale on Edgewood Road SW has been closed or restricted as the connection with a new ring road is completed. She said the final segment of the road should be completed either late this year or early next year.

Separately, JCPenney is moving toward completion of a $3.5 million interior and exterior remodeling of its 94,000-square-foot store.

Barry Donovan, JCPenney store manager, said a new north entrance facing Edgewood Road SW will be completed in time for the opening of a Sephora store on Oct. 16. It will provide additional parking where a former tire and battery center was demolished.

Work also is progressing on a new entrance on the south side of JCPenney that will face the new park area of the 72-acre retail development.

'That work will be completed by the end of the month, but the entrance will not be accessible until that area is developed,” Donovan said. 'Construction will begin on the east entrance in March and should be completed by the time of our grand opening for the store in July.”