Downtown Cedar Rapids vision plan foresees activated, connected city core

A far-reaching visioning plan for downtown Cedar Rapids envisions a rejuvenated mixed-use city core with evolving recreational and entertainment opportunities, a renewed focus on embracing the Cedar River and improved connectivity with adjacent districts and neighborhoods. And even as the plan was formally adopted by the Cedar Rapids City Council Tuesday, Dec. 5, a number of questions remain unanswered, including how the plan will specifically be implemented. In the works since spring 2023, the plan was developed by Progressive Urban Management Associates (P.U.M.A.) of Denver, Colorado, with support from the City of Cedar Rapids, the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance and the Downtown Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID) and in partnership with Linn County and the 2001 Development Corporation, a group of local business leaders focused on downtown development initiatives. The plan, designed to guide the growth and development of downtown Cedar Rapids over the next five years, was presented to the council by P.U.M.A. president Brad Segal and vice president Amanda Kannard. In essence, the plan focuses on three primary goals: Embracing the Cedar River as a key component in downtown revitalization, ensuring downtown is “activated and vibrant,” and improving connectivity within downtown and to adjacent districts and neighborhoods, including the MedQuarter and the Czech Village/New Bohemia districts. Ms. Kannard noted that community engagement was a key element in developing the plan, including engagement with downtown stakeholders, regular check-ins with local working group members, roundtable meetings and individual interviews. More than 1,400 respondents to an online survey representing a wide range of ages and incomes, Ms. Kannard added.

Goals, strategies and ‘catalytic projects’

The first portion of the report keyed on a trio of overarching goals, including:

• Embrace the Cedar River – A top community priority will create an activated downtown waterfront by incorporating the Cedar River into the built environment. Second Avenue could be converted into a curb-less festival street in the short term, which could be closed temporarily for festivals and other events, and a linear park in the longer term. And an activated Mays Island would incorporate a public plaza and flexible lawn area, a boardwalk and fishing area, and a picnic and beach area.
• Ensure an activated and vibrant downtown area – A clean, safe and welcoming downtown area would regularly draw visitors from across the city, in part by converting Third Street SE to a “festival street” and rerouting the Cedar Valley Nature Trail to connect with Third Street. Regular programming in downtown public spaces would also be offered, with public art and other physical enhancements, and retaining downtown jobs would become a focal effort. A broader range of social options, including the potential for riverside dining venues, would also improve the area’s cross-generational appeal.
• Improve connectivity within downtown and to adjacent districts and neighborhoods – Creating a more consistent and cohesive urban experience would include improvements in accessibility, improving physical connections to neighboring districts, enhancing the downtown parking experience, provide more outdoor recreation opportunities and improving wayfaring signage. A catalytic project would building on ConnectCR by expanding the Cedar Valley Nature Trail to incorporate the railroad crossing between Quaker Oats and Cargill.

The plan also includes an extensive implementation framework, determining an advisory timeline for nearly 70 certain goals and strategies as well as recommendations for a lead organization for pursuing each initiative, “most of which will be piloted by the City of Cedar Rapids, the SSMID, and/or the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance,” the report indicates. “Many initiatives also require support from other civic partners that include public, private, and non-profit organizations in the Cedar Rapids region.”

City has proven its resiliency

Several visioning plans have been prepared for downtown Cedar Rapids, most recently in 2017, but the current plan includes not only aspirational goals, but a framework to help bring those goals to fruition, Mr. Segal said. In addition, having previously worked in Cedar Rapids in 2007, Mr. Segal said he was struck by the community’s ability to recover from setbacks, both economic and physical. “Coming out of the (2008) flood and then not only the pandemic, but also coupling that with the derecho, it’s pretty astounding how this community has bounced back,” he said. “Downtown (has) many assets, but we feel that downtown needs more consistent activation to attract people down here and more reasons to come downtown.”

Leaders welcome findings, stress need for action

And for their part, city leaders eagerly embraced the report’s key recommendations. Council member Ashley Vanorny noted the city has been in “some form of recovery” for nearly half her life, from floods to wind events. “But now, after years of hard work and strategic initiatives, we're finally getting to a place where we can continue that resiliency and that next phase of resiliency, prioritizing our quality of life and ability to invest in our downtown and everything that comes with a bustling and vibrant downtown,” she said. “Cedar Rapids is already a really great place to call home. There will always be people who have critiques and criticisms. But when I talk with other council members and cities of our size, they are just in awe of the things that we're doing, and not without good reason. This continued activation will help retain and capture the 45 and under part of our population that we continue to talk about, but not necessarily engage and retain. It will also help us recruit people to stay and grow here as well.” Council member Ann Poe said she welcomed the report's recommendations, but said more details are needed on bringing those recommendations to fruition. "There's a lot of work to do, not just in the long term, but within the next year," she said. "So I guess my question would be, who's going to do that work? ... So many of these things I love and I agree with, and I can see how they're going to help. But I've got to know how it's going to happen." Council member Dale Todd said the report could help address a “gradual disconnect” that’s developed between the council and the downtown area, “not necessarily in terms of vision, but in the implementation and the day-to-day operation.” He referenced previous projects that languished for years because of a lack of decisive action, including the recreational trail along the Fourth Avenue railroad tracks. “While we've got a lot of great things going on downtown, at the same time, it's still pretty fragile,” he said. “I appreciate task forces, but I think a lot of this stuff is things that can be done in an afternoon by sitting some people in a room and trying to figure out who's going to take what piece … I’m in favor of approving the plan now and dealing with the minutiae (later), who’s going to ultimately drive and operate it.” Cedar Rapids mayor TIffany O’Donnell differed with Mr. Todd’s assessment. “It is not minutiae,” she said of the plan's framework. “It may be potentially one of the most important things about getting this plan done. The organizational structure of this is extremely important … You hear me say all the time that a healthy, vibrant, relevant downtown is really the difference between a city that survives and one that just thrives. Our city right now is electric. In every quadrant, there are reasons to celebrate … The devil is always in the details. This is an innovative, creative and fairly involved plan, and it's going to require innovation and creativity that we haven't seen, which is why these future conversations about organizational structure are going to be critical.” The visioning plan recommends the formation of an task force to set overall priorities and ensure initiatives are implemented. Ideally, that task force will include representatives from the city, the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, the downtown SSMID and Linn County, along with other key development stakeholders.

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