Work on the Cedar Rapids LightLine Loop project near the Czech Village and New Bohemia neighborhoods – highlighted by a reimagined version of the iconic Roundhouse building – is expected to begin next spring, officials said at a public open house for the project April 10.
City engineer Ken DeKeyser said design work for the project is about 60% complete, and after the design is finalized and other pre-construction work is completed, the project is expected to begin in the spring of 2025.
The LightLine Loop is named to coincide with the upcoming LightLine bridge project nearby.
The project, with a total investment of $19.3 million, was launched as part of the Czech Village/NewBo Action Plan adopted by the Cedar Rapids City Council in 2019, and is intended to continue the economic revitalization of the area in the wake of the 2008 flood. It’s expected to provide an annual economic impact of up to $12.5 million, officials have said.
Along with a new version of the Roundhouse, the project, spanning portions of both the Czech Village and NewBo areas, also incorporates a festival street dubbed a “Woonerf” (Dutch for “street for living”), a lengthy pedestrian promenade, an extended 18th Avenue SW connecting to A Street SW, a series of gateway monuments, a mix of permanent and removable bollards that can be used to close streets in the area for festivals or other public events, a new parking lot that will expand the area’s off-street parking capacity by more than 100 spaces, and connections to existing recreational trails in the area.
The project will also incorporate festival lighting elements and extensive green spaces and plantings to create a “warm, inviting atmosphere,” project manager Mike Kurek of HDR Engineering said.
The overall concept for the project was guided by comments from a series of public design workshops in the fall of 2023, as well as more than 600 emailed comments. Input centered on goals including year-round use of a “unique community space” that highlights “cultures of the Czech Republic and Cedar Rapids and provides ample parking, seating and shelters.
Historic Czech sidewalk markers and other artifacts in the area will be removed during construction. Some will be reinstalled, while others will be returned to their owners, officials said.
The centerpiece Roundhouse will be designed with a domed ceiling and arched windows to echo the designs of the nearby National Czech and Slovak Museum & Library, and will have capacity for up to 200, officials said.
It will feature both indoor and outdoor bathrooms, heating and air conditioning and a catering kitchen, and will be available to rent year-round for parties, corporate events, small parties or other events while “still being able to accommodate that traditional farmers market that was used with the old Roundhouse building,” Mr. Kurek said.
However, the fully enclosed new Roundhouse will not be designed for pull-up access for farmers market vendors or patrons, officials said.
The project will require phased street restrictions or closures throughout construction, raising concerns from some Czech Village merchants regarding access for both customers and for delivery vehicles.
Leaders suggested deliveries might be able to access the area via 16th Avenue SW during construction, particularly when 17th Avenue SW is closed, but Ann Poe, program manager for The District – Czech Village and New Bohemia, said that wouldn’t be a feasible option.
“The communications team really has to do some outreach with those vendors,” Ms. Poe said. “And certainly the businesses themselves are going to have to tell them, you can’t come down 16th.”
In response, Mr. DeKeyser said project leaders could provide detailed maps to business owners throughout construction.
“If they want us to give them a map or specific set of instructions for each stage, we can do that,” Mr. DeKeyser said.
The project is expected to wrap up by the fall of 2026, officials said.
The project has been awarded a $3 million Destination Iowa grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority, and the city has already committed another $5.5 million. The rest of the project “will need to be supported with local dollars,” according to the LightLine Loop project website, but didn’t specify the source of those funds.
