Commission advances rezoning for new Dunkin’ at former Western Fraternal Life building

The Cedar Rapids Planning Commission has advanced a rezoning proposal that would transform the former Western Fraternal Life building at 1900 First Ave. NE into a Dunkin’ restaurant, a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop and a commercial bakery. David Houg, a planner with Cedar Rapids Development Services, said the planning commission recommended approval of the rezoning plan at their meeting May 4. The Cedar Rapids City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposal May 23, which could then be followed by second and third readings of the rezoning ordinance as soon as June 13. The rezoning proposal, requested by developer Reif Oil Co. of Burlington, would change the zoning of the property at 124 19th St. NE, formerly a church and an Oddfellows Hall, from a traditional residential flex district to traditional mixed use center district, so that the building’s associated parking lot can be used for the new venture. There’s been no plans proposed thus far for the church building itself. Other properties are also included in the rezoning request, including 1903, 1907, 1911, and 1917 A Ave. NE. The Western Fraternal Life building itself is already appropriately zoned for the new use. A Avenue NE in the area functions more as an alley for mixed use development along First Avenue East, according to Planning Commission documents, and city staffers are proposing a condition that a privacy fence be constructed along A Avenue to screen the commercial parking lot from homes in the neighborhood. According to a Corridor Business Journal article from July 2022, plans are underway to transform the site in northeast Cedar Rapids, where neighbors turned out in force against a proposed convenience store, into the headquarters for Eastern Iowa Food Service and a Dunkin’ shop. The former BetterLife building, 1900 First Ave. NE, built as headquarters for the Western Fraternal Life Association in 1958, would have been demolished under plans by Kwik Star, which had proposed a convenience store and car wash at the location. Neighbors circulated a petition and showed up at meetings to object to the convenience store, which would have operated 24 hours per day, seven days a week, with fuel pumps and a car wash. Instead, the building will be repurposed, with a Dunkin’ franchise on the top floor, which has direct access to the parking lot, and offices and a bakery on the lower level. “We love the building,” said Andrea Farley, who oversees Dunkin’ franchises — formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts — for Eastern Iowa Food Service. “It’s so well-built, it’s so well-made. You don’t see buildings like this anymore.” Constructed with five types of stone, the building features 7,500 square feet on each of its two levels. Then known as ZCBJ — for Západní Cesko-Bratrská Jednota, or Western Bohemian Fraternal Association — the building opened to a three-day ceremony during its dedication in 1959. The association provided life insurance and a social connection to members’ Czech/Bohemian origins. The Western Fraternal Life Association, as it was later known, became BetterLife and moved its headquarters to Madison, Wisconsin, in 2021. Interior features include long-lasting terrazzo flooring in the entrance lobby, various designs of tile in restrooms and kitchen, and detailing on stair railings. “It makes great economic sense to save a building,” Ms. Farley said, citing costs of demolition and materials for new construction. “It’s extremely costly to put up a building that’s of lesser quality and beauty. This building would cost a fortune to tear down and it’s beautiful, so we said, ‘let’s make it work.’” Eastern Iowa Food Service had previously repurposed a Sonic building in Coralville as a Dunkin’ shop, for example, while the mid-Century BetterLife building not only made economic sense to keep, but had a history and character that added to its appeal, she said. The family-owned company has 17 Dunkin’ franchises in Iowa. Ms. Farley said the Cedar Rapids site will be the first-ever corporate headquarters for Eastern Iowa Food Service, which includes Reif Oil Co., a separate division. She confirmed there are no plans for a convenience store at the Cedar Rapids site. In addition to offering Dunkin’s menu of breakfast sandwiches, doughnuts, beverages and more, the building will serve as a dedicated training site. Plans also include a Dunkin’ drive-thru. According to the city assessor’s office, the site was sold for $1.3 million in late May. The property includes a wall made of natural field stone, once part of an estate, that the city’s Historic Assets Subcommittee asked to include on the Cedar Rapids historic assets list. The site also includes the 1960’s former Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building behind it — later an Odd Fellows hall — and a large vacant lot next to both buildings. Freelance writer Cindy Hadish contributed extensively to this article.