CEDAR RAPIDS — Developer Steve Emerson got the green light Tuesday from the Cedar Rapids City Council on a proposal to take ownership of the old Ambroz Recreation Center, demolish it and turn it into multifamily housing, potentially leveraging federal disaster recovery funds.
The proposed $17.5 million project from Emerson’s firm, Aspect Architecture, answers the city’s long-faltering calls to transform the vacant facility. But it upset some historic preservation advocates who opposed plans to demolish the brick building at 2000 Mount Vernon Rd. SE, and some neighbors concerned about the size of the project. The vote allows Emerson to move forward as the developer, but doesn’t finalize the design.
In response to the city’s fourth request for proposals in seven years to redevelop the building, Emerson submitted a proposal to shift $4.5 million in federal Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds to this site instead of the initially proposed location at 520 E Ave. NW.
Last year, Emerson was awarded a block grant to build 50 multifamily rental units — 26 of them affordable housing — using funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to the Iowa Economic Development Authority toward recovery from the 2020 derecho. That site had some environmental issues and other concerns that Emerson said posed a barrier.
The approximately 18,700-square-foot building on Mount Vernon Road has been closed since 2016 when the city’s Parks and Recreation Department moved to the new Northwest Recreation Center, 1340 11th St. NW. Before that, it was the Buchanan School.
History of 2000 Mt. Vernon Road SE
1902: Temporary wood frame Buchanan School is placed near the northeast corner of Mount Vernon Road at 20th Street SE.
1919-1920: New brick two-story Buchanan School is built next to the older wood-frame Buchanan. Completed in 1920.
Older wood-frame school is removed from the site shortly after 1920.
1962: Addition built along the west end of the 1920 Buchanan School structure.
1974: Buchanan School closes because of declining Cedar Rapids Community School District enrollment.
1975: School building converted/repurposed into city’s new Ambroz Recreation Center.
2016: City Recreation Center moves out. Building becomes vacant.
Source: Historian Mark Stoffer-Hunter
Nonprofit Save CR Heritage’s board of directors wrote a letter to the City Council about an alternative proposal submitted by a local developer “with experience and success in repurposing historic structures” that would have built 29 housing units within the school and in one- and two-story townhomes “built to fit the character of neighboring homes.”
“The proposal on your agenda would send the historic school to the landfill and build a generic four-story complex in the middle of this more than century-old neighborhood,” the board wrote.
Emerson said he has been part of four teams that have explored redeveloping the property and “nobody could make it work.”
“This building is real hard, and I’ve tried and I’ve given up. I’ve lost enough money this year on historic mistakes in Dubuque,” Emerson said of projects there.
Plans for Emerson’s project
The preliminary terms approved Tuesday will be included in a development agreement that will return to the council. It allows Emerson to own the property and proceed with redevelopment.
Details on the units — such as the total amount or make up of one- versus two-bedrooms — are not required for the block grant, so the council stripped language from project terms setting the number of units and stories “to leave as much flexibility as possible for the developer to work with the neighborhood,” council member Tyler Olson said.
The grant requires 51 percent of the units be leased to those earning 80 percent or less of the area median income, so that stipulation remained. The building is planned to have underground parking and a storm shelter.
Construction is slated to start in September and wrap up by October 2025.
Under the terms approved by the council, the city would reimburse 100 percent of the increased taxes the project generates up to a net present value of $1.7 million. It’s expected to generate about $4 million in taxes over 20 years.
“This building should not keep sitting there and I know Steve has the capability to get it done,” council member Scott Olson said.
Council member Dale Todd said this project should be something that “challenges the neighborhood but embraces the neighborhood.”
“Ambroz has been sitting there vacant …” Todd said. “It should be no surprise that something has to happen here.”
Assistant Community Development Director Adam Lindenlaub said city staff worked with a review committee to assess proposals and conduct an environmental review. The committee was made up of a representative of the Vernon Heights Neighborhood Association, the city Historic Preservation Commission, a financial lender and a non-competing developer.
Since the property is city-owned, Lindenlaub said the developer needed to be selected before proceeding with rezoning before the City Planning Commission and council.
The city received two proposals, but this panel deemed one incomplete and recommended the council accept Emerson’s proposal “based on the experience of the developer and the financial feasibility” of the project.
The initial E Avenue NW location of Emerson’s project offered proximity to trails, parks and bus routes. Emerson said the Ambroz site would offer tenants the same proximity to those amenities.
‘Work to do’ on site redevelopment
Jennifer Trembath, who lives next to the proposed site, said the building would “tower over” surrounding properties and not fit into the neighborhood because of its size.
Maura Pilcher, whose family is second-generation Vernon Heights neighborhood residents, said it’s “exciting to hear what’s happening with the Ambroz site” but she doesn’t think it’s the right fit. The southeast side needs more multifamily units, but she worried about the scale and design.
“What we do with this site will have lasting impact for neighborhoods,” Pilcher said. “What we have proposed right now is something that was designed for the northwest side being plopped down into our neighborhood.”
Emerson said he likes residents’ ideas of integrating stone and other historic elements, and he would consider a three-story instead of four-story building and shifting parking toward Mount Vernon Road. There will be opportunities for neighborhood conversations in the rezoning process.
“This is not a rush, it’s not an emergency. It’s looking to use a site for a very valid project and we’ve got a lot of work to do. We will involve the neighborhood,” Emerson said, but under block grant rules he said he cannot engage with neighbors at this point in the process.
Disaster funds fueling other projects
Emerson’s block grant award was part of approximately $8.8 million allocated to Cedar Rapids for multifamily housing construction. The funding will add 94 multifamily units — 48 of them affordable.
Other funded projects include High Development Corp.’s construction of 40 units — 21 of which are affordable — at 8600 Prairie View Lane SW. Charlie Nichols’ JPAC Investments will build four units — three of which are affordable — at 710/712 O Ave. NW, previously a city-owned lot.
The city also received about $2.5 million toward owner-occupied rehabilitation, $3.5 million for a tree canopy replanting program and $400,000 for a generator program for nonprofits, shelters, hospitals or other critical entities that would remain open during a disaster.
Comments: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com
