Hiawatha hosts State of the City, plans for thriving future

Around 100 attendees gathered at the Crystal Group office for the Hiawatha’s annual State of the City event Thursday evening.  Among the slated speakers and Hiawatha council members in attendance were Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell, Marion Mayor Nicolas AbouAssaly, and representatives from the offices of U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and Sen. Chuck Grassley.  The […]

Around 100 attendees gathered at the Crystal Group office for the Hiawatha’s annual State of the City event Thursday evening.  Among the slated speakers and Hiawatha council members in attendance were Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell, Marion Mayor Nicolas AbouAssaly, and representatives from the offices of U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and Sen. Chuck Grassley.  The overall theme for this year’s event was expansion and growth. The Hiawatha Economic Development Corporation (HEDCO) gathered a plethora of data to showcase how the city continues to see development, which were presented by HEDCO Chair and Alliant Energy Account Manager Emily Kaiser.  Through surveying the 520 businesses in town, HEDCO determined that 63% plan to expand and 12% will modernize over the next three years. These figures bode well when compared to the Iowa Economic Development Association’s (IEDA) rate of 49% for statewide business expansion for the next three years.  HEDCO also found that 94% of Hiawatha businesses said the community provides the recreational culture and housing needed to attract and retain their workforce.  Hiawatha Mayor Steve Dodson shared the next round of statistics, but not before presenting the city’s third-ever Fay Clark Award for community service to Peg Bader, who has organized the Hiawatha Kids League for more than 40 years. The award’s namesake, Fay Clark, was Hiawatha’s founder and its first mayor.

Housing 

Mr. Dodson went on to discuss a core area of expansion for the city, which was backed by data gathered from a housing needs assessment study done by Thomas B. Miller and Associates.  “Housing is the key to our growth,” Mr. Dodson said. “The saying made famous from the Field of Dreams: ‘You build it, they will come,’ is a pretty penny for us. So we went to work.”  The study found that the city is on track to reach over 10,000 residents by 2029. It was found that 2023 proved to be the biggest year for new construction in Hiawatha’s nearly 75-year history.  The city saw 32 new single-family dwellings valued at nearly $12 million, eight new apartment buildings with 236 units valued at more than $40 million, and 12 new commercial buildings valued at $14 million. Mr. Dodson noted that by the close of the 2024 fiscal year this June, property valuation proved to be the second highest ever, at more than $84 million.

“When you drive around Hiawatha, you'll see what I'm talking about,” Mr. Dodson said. “In terms of commercial growth, such as businesses expanding, remodeling, building, we have more than 80 permitted projects. We're pleased to welcome all this expansion and growth to Iowa.”  Some of the main housing developments Hiawatha is focusing on include Del Ridge Pines at Turtle Creek, Rolling Prairie, Edgewood Village, Timber Creek, High Hill and Heritage Green. Mr. Dodson noted that all but Heritage Green are within walking distance to Turtle Creek Park, a new 18-acre park with several recreational amenities. Additionally, the city saw the construction of The Crossings, a $35 million multi-family development with 196 apartments across seven buildings. It will also soon see the completion of the Hiawatha Village Center Apartments, with 48 units, underground parking and ground-floor retail, as well as 40 additional units at the new Harold Senior Apartments. Still, as Mr. Dodson noted, the housing needs assessment study found that another 824 units will be needed for Hiawatha by 2029. 

Public works

Mr. Dodson also noted several road construction projects and public service updates for Hiawatha in the coming years.  He said there will be major progress to the I-30 interchange at Boyson Road. with construction of a diverging diamond interchange scheduled to be completed by fall 2026 — similar to the interchange at Tower Terrace Road, which was finished this summer.  Hiawatha will also see a few new roundabouts at multiple intersections, as well as more progress on the ongoing project at I-380 and Blairs Ferry Road by this fall.  “As many of you have noticed, Blairs Ferry and 380 is a little bottled up,” Mr. Dodson said. “Hiawatha is working with Cedar Rapids and the Iowa Department of Transportation on the bridge deck overlay, new traffic signals and the new sidewalk, which should be completed by this fall.”  There will also be an extension made to Edgewood Road N.E., connecting it to Emmons Street, slated to be completed in fiscal year 2026. In addition to road projects, the mayor spoke on the city’s new fire station building, located steps away from the Crystal Group’s office. He said most of the funding came from a local option sales tax at a cost of $6.1 million.  “Just this week, we had a ribbon cutting to celebrate a public safety building. It was essential to protect our growing community,” Mr. Dodson said. “Construction started in August of 2023 and it would be fully operational by early September. From groundbreaking to the ribbon cutting was 363 days, and we were under budget.”  He also noted the construction of new pickleball courts at Guthridge Park, which should be opened by late September. Wrapping up, Mr. Dodson briefly touched on the importance of the Cedar Rapids Economic Alliance and its multi-year Collaborative Growth Initiative.  He noted the ongoing search for a new full-time Talent Attraction Director for the program, which aims to boost the alliance’s strategic growth overall. 

Workforce growth 

HEDCO’s Economic Development Coordinator, Liz Mathis, expanded upon workforce retention and collaborative efforts between regions. 

“We found that almost every Hiawatha business identifies workforce issues, whether it's shortages or training or retention, as their highest concern,” Ms. Mathis said. “And when we presented a list of 14 efforts, Hiawatha businesses prioritize the issues that affect their long term viability and competitive life competitiveness.”  She said 87% of businesses polled found that available workforce was their biggest concern, followed by childcare, talent attraction, taxes, and then factors like arts and entertainment and recreation.  In terms of drawing more people to work and live in Hiawatha, Ms. Mathis said the five main regions they plan to target are Wisconsin, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, and LA and Long Beach to Sacramento.  With 300 people surveyed in these regions, they identified these career factors as most important for relocation: salary and benefits, job opportunities, and work life balance. However, Ms. Mathis said, they also found a general lack of awareness about the Cedar Rapids region for those target markets.  47% of external talent could not identify where the greater Cedar Rapids area is located, while 21% were unfamiliar with the area as a place to work. But of those surveyed who were familiar with the area, 55% said they would consider relocating.  “This underscores the importance of visitation, so getting them here to see us and meet us, with friends and family who live here,” Ms. Mathis said. “So over the next three years, we need to tell people our story and roll up our sleeves and get this job done, and we need your help doing this.”

Ms. Mathis went on to introduce a panel of local business leaders to speak on how they found success in building and retaining a workforce. Panelists included Heather Fleming, director of people and culture at World Class Industries; Tom Casey, owner of Home Town Restyling; and Dan Lough of Cedar Rapids schools, who heads the Student-Built House Program at Kennedy High School. Next year’s State of the City event will celebrate the city’s 75th anniversary, and cover the annual accomplishments and goals for the future of Hiawatha.