The Downtown Cedar Rapids Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID) has announced a series of transformative initiatives funded by its 2025 budget, aimed at enhancing the vibrancy, connectivity and economic vitality of the downtown area. According to the SSMID, the initiatives “reflect a commitment to fostering a dynamic and inclusive urban environment where residents, businesses and […]
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Click here to purchase a paywall bypass linkThe Downtown Cedar Rapids Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID) has announced a series of transformative initiatives funded by its 2025 budget, aimed at enhancing the vibrancy, connectivity and economic vitality of the downtown area.
According to the SSMID, the initiatives “reflect a commitment to fostering a dynamic and inclusive urban environment where residents, businesses and visitors can connect and thrive.”
The initiatives include:
Mays Island activation
Mays Island, an historic centerpiece of Cedar Rapids, will undergo a significant transformation in 2025, supported by $75,000 from the Downtown District. The initiative aims to activate the island with new amenities, programming and public spaces designed to encourage community engagement and highlight the island’s unique position within the city.
Plans include enhanced green spaces, new Cedar Rapids signage, art installations and improved accessibility.
Ms. Bassett said the new sign, which will spell out “Cedar Rapids” in bold block lettering, will measure nine feet high by 27 feet.
“It’ll be interactive,” she said. “People can touch it, climb on it, take photos in front of it, that kind of thing. We want people to be able to hang out at Mays Island, at Greene Square Park. Just really teaching people in the community about other things to do in downtown Cedar Rapids.”
Mr. Knutson said he was surprised when he came to the Cedar Rapids interview and saw that the Mays Island green space was essentially vacant.
“On my walking tour with Jennifar, we walked by and I asked ‘what’s going on here? Why are there only geese here? This is a great empty spot,’” he said. “And she just chuckled and said ‘oh yeah, we’re working on that.’ That space is just really awesome, and what we’re going to do with it – I hate to use the word activate, because it’s such a cliched word, but we’re really going to activate that space with programming, encouraging people to host events there, little concerts, festivals, things like that, just to get people out and about. That’s incredibly important. The pandemic really changed how people work, how people interact. It sped up the workforce by 10 to 15 years. We’ve got to be just as innovative at that speed-up, making sure that there’s something for everyone.”
Revival of Race for the Space
As part of its mission to support local entrepreneurship, Downtown Cedar Rapids is relaunching the Race for the Space program in 2025. The “pitch competition” initiative connects small businesses with vacant storefronts, awarding a selected winner a free one-year lease and strategic support to establish a presence downtown.
The program, funded by $30,000 from Downtown Cedar Rapids and $10,000 from the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, seeks to fill vacant spaces, drive economic growth and support entrepreneurs who bring unique offerings to downtown.
Mr. Knutson said the revamped program is being implemented by “a small committee” of downtown stakeholders, including representatives from the Fun Not Fancy restaurant group, Foundation 2 Crisis Services and the Metro Economic Alliance.
“It’s some of the best minds that we have,” he said. “And we’re looking at it and saying, what are best practices? How can we help these businesses be successful? We’ve got the foundation there. We’ve got the great name, and it’s just building upon that. That’s something I am super excited about for 2025. In our shared drive, it’s called Race for the Space 2.0.”
Second test run for downtown trolley
Downtown Cedar Rapids is allocating $30,000 to fund a second test run of the Downtown Trolley in summer 2025. The trolley will provide free rides to key destinations within the district, making it easier for residents and visitors to explore downtown. It will also play a crucial role in supporting major attractions and events by improving connectivity throughout the area.
Mr. Knutson credited Ms. Bassett for the pilot launch of the downtown trolley program during the holiday season, which was designed in part to alleviate parking concerns in the downtown area.
“It was a lot of work, and we’ve had great ridership,” he said. “It’s about being innovative. It’s having a board and a city that sees things that are important and wants to address them in different ways. Jennifar did such an amazing job on that, we’re so excited to hear the feedback and learn how we can move forward.”
“The trolley ridership has been great,” Ms. Bassett said. “You’ve got your trolls on social media that always have something to say, I couldn’t really care less about that. I care about who it’s impacting in a positive way. We had NewBo request that it run on one Saturday during the day, and the ridership was up. That’s the stuff that drives me. That’s the stuff that makes me happy.”
More live events, programming
Downtown Cedar Rapids will be expanding its calendar of live entertainment and programming in 2025. From concerts and outdoor events to cultural festivals, the district will offer numerous opportunities to celebrate the community’s spirit, showcasing local talent, attracting visitors from across the region and creating memorable experiences.
Ms. Bassett said Downtown CR will be offering more sponsorship opportunities for those events.
“We’ve built out an event process,” she said. “If somebody wants to do an event downtown, they can apply for sponsorship online and it goes through an event subcommittee that vets it, as opposed to us actually doing the planning. We really want the community to get back involved, but if you want to do a program downtown or have an event – we’re here for it, if it fits the initiative and it’s fun and family-friendly let’s facilitate that. It’s giving the power back to the people, if you will, letting them know that there is support here.”
“We are excited to kick off 2025 with these bold initiatives that reinforce our commitment to creating a thriving, inclusive downtown district,” said James Klein, chair of the Downtown Cedar Rapids Commission. “Each project represents an investment in our community’s future, and we look forward to seeing how they will enrich the lives of residents, support local businesses and attract new visitors to our city.”
