The Cedar Rapids City Council voted Tuesday, Oct. 21 to advance a rezoning proposal that will allow a developer to convert the former Garfield Elementary School into 30 apartments.
The project is being developed by Evolution LLC, an entity of local developer Steve Emerson.
The Cedar Rapids Community School Board voted unanimously in a special meeting June 24 to sell the former Garfield Elementary building, at 1201 Maplewood Dr. NE, for $160,000 to Mr. Emerson.
Plans call for the 24,065-square-foot Garfield building, constructed in 1914, to be converted to 30 market-rate apartments, including 10 one-bedroom units and 20 two-bedroom units.
Mr. Emerson said his plans for the project are similar to his renovations of the former Cedar Rapids school district administration building and a district warehouse after the 2008 flood.
“My goal is to provide additional workforce housing,” he told the Cedar Rapids School Board in June. “The state has identified a need for about 20,000 houses in the state of Iowa, and Cedar Rapids has been struggling to replace the housing need because of the derecho. There’s been derecho grants from the state that clearly just can’t be fulfilled because of the cost of construction. So workforce housing, market-rate housing, is what I do.”
Mr. Emerson said his plan includes consideration for preserving Garfield’s historic elements and significance. Cedar Rapids zoning administrator Seth Gunnerson confirmed Tuesday that Mr. Emerson is proposing no exterior changes to the building, and is seeking state historic tax credits for renovation. He also noted the site would utilize existing school parking.
The project is estimated to cost $12 million to $14 million, with completion expected by the end of 2026.
A neighborhood meeting on the project was held with neighborhood residents Sept. 18, and no objections were raised, Mr. Gunnerson said.
The purchase agreement with Mr. Emerson includes a provision that two apartments in the building will be reserved for rent-free use by district employees, student teachers or others affiliated with the district. Those tenants will only be required to pay for utilities.
Mr. Emerson has also said he plans to preserve the five acres of green space around the Garfield building, rather than building “a ton of townhomes.”
The City Planning Commission voted unanimously Oct. 2 to recommend the proposed rezoning, which will change the 5.5-acre property’s zoning to Suburban Residential Medium Flex Zone District to allow for residential use.
Council member Ashley Vanorny said she was pleased to see the Garfield redevelopment moving forward.
“I think this is a great story,” Ms. Vanorny said. “I’m sure every council member here has been contacted saying, why don’t you just do this and turn these old schools into (housing)? We see stories of that happening nationally, but easier said than done. Obviously, the Ambroz property has been up here many times, and we’re still working through some plans on that. But it is very promising that we’re this far, only two years after this building has been vacated, and there is an appropriate use in a very residential area to have more residences there. So I’m excited that this is coming through.”
The rezoning requires two more council readings before officially taking effect.
Both Garfield Elementary and Arthur Elementary, at 2630 B Ave. NE, were closed at the end of the 2023-24 school year, and students from both schools were moved to the new Trailside Elementary School at 320 27th St. NE.
The former Arthur building was sold to the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy (EIAA) for $130,000, and after renovations, the EIAA moved its operations into that building in February.
