Collins Aerospace proposes $22 million expansion project in Cedar Rapids

UPDATE: The Cedar Rapids City Council approved a resolution Tuesday, March 14 on a term sheet for a proposed expansion project at Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids, as well as authorizing sponsorship of a financial assistance application for state incentives for the project through the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s High Quality Jobs Program. The project comprises a minimum investment of $22 million, including $9.5 million for building renovation and $12.5 million for machinery and equipment. It includes renovation of an existing 20,000-square-foot light industrial building on the Collins Aerospace campus at 400 Collins Road NE, between Collins and Blairs Ferry roads. The project would include modernization and environmental controls to create a 6,000-square-foot class 100/1000 clean room, safe chemical storage and handling, water treatment, a 5,000-square-foot plating area, and associated equipment and furnishings. The project will allow the company to “develop and manufacture microelectronic (microchip) technologies for Collins Aerospace communications products and positions (the company) for future growth into adjacent commercial and defense markets,” council documents state. The project would begin construction in April and be completed by January 2026. As part of the agreement, Collins Aerospace will retain 25 existing employees and create at least 16 more full-time positions. All 41 positions would be paid at or above the state’s current High-Quality Jobs Program threshold, currently $25.20 per hour. Under the proposal, the city would also provide three consecutive annual economic development incentive payments of $350,000 each, from August 2025 to August 2027, from the Rockwell Collins Urban Renewal Area’s TIF fund. The standard 10-year schedule for those payments would be consolidated for completion before the TIF district expires, economic development manager Caleb Mason told the council. City leaders expressed their support for the plan. "Caleb, I want to congratulate you and the team in working with our largest local employer to continue to bring innovation to Cedar Rapids," council member Scott Overland said. "I don't think we can underestimate the importance of these type of employers that are engaged in high-tech products, and having them in Cedar Rapids pays big dividends in the long run. It's not easy to be sure those expansions happen with our existing facility all the time, but every time it does happen, it's a big deal." "We can't underscore how important it is to have Collins continue to reinforce its place here, not just with their current work but being a part of manufacturing chips, which we know is hopefully just the beginning," Mayor Tiffany O'Donnell added. "We know it was a competitive process. I also want to thank the folks at Collins that really took a hard look at what we have to offer here. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention our friends at the state the state of Iowa for recognizing Cedar Rapids (for) the opportunity to grow this industry in Iowa. We're seeing that their engagement at a level that we haven't seen financially in quite a while." The Iowa Economic Development Authority’s board of directors will consider the project’s application for state incentives at its meeting March 17, and city officials will formalize a development agreement to be considered by the council at a future meeting. Collins Aerospace officials declined to comment further on the project.