703 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City - one of three parcels acquired by Breckenridge Apartments
A three-lot cluster of properties in the 700 block of South Dubuque Street in Iowa City that sold recently to Breckenridge Apartments could be rezoned for a four-story apartment building.
Breckenridge Apartments paid $1.57 million to acquire 703, 705 and 709 S. Dubuque Streets. The structure on the parcel includes a 137-year-old, two-story house and the Bill's Plumbing & Heating office at 703 S. Dubuque St.
The parcels were sold by Dorothe Connell estate on Nov. 16.
The buyer has submitted an application to rezone the property from an intensive commercial zoning to the city's Riverfront Crossings Central Crossings zone. It has also submitted a concept plan calling for about 60 apartments in a four-story configuration, according to Bob Miklo, senior planner for the city of Iowa City.
Breckenridge Apartments' concept for the site resembles in many respects a five-story project the company recently completed on the north side of Iowa City, Mr. Miklo said. The Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission will take up the request during its meeting at 7 p.m. on Dec. 21.
A rendering showing Peck's Landing CREDIT Fusion Architects
The Peck's Landing retail power center planned in northeast Cedar Rapids appears set to get off the ground with the recent sale of a 10-acre parcel at Blairs Ferry Road and Edgewood Road NE.
Buyer Peck's Landing LLC acquired the longtime location of Peck's Green Thumb nursery and Peck's Flower and Garden Shop for $4.3 million in October. The businesses closed at the end of the summer season, leaving 9.65 acres at 3990 Blairs Ferry Road NE and a single-family home at 3950 Blairs Ferry Road NE.
Peck's Landing is being developed by Ahmann Companies. Plans call for the initial 10-acre phase to consist of retail buildings facing Blairs Ferry Road. That will include four retail buildings and 154,000 square feet or retail or mixed-use space, according to the project website. It is being marketed by Pivot Real Estate, an Ahmann company.
The project is expected to expand to 20 acres in later phases. A key selling point will be the nearby high-traffic intersection, which handles about 20,000 vehicles per day, and close proximity to Ahmann Companies' nearby development, The Fountains.
Residential building activity in the Corridor as measured by building permits has been a bright spot for the first 10 months of 2017, and appears likely to show a strong gain for the year.
The number of residential building permits issued in Iowa City through October were up 23 percent to 1,921. The increase was second-highest among Iowa metro areas. Ames has seen a 50 percent rise in permits, to 709.
Building permits issued in the Cedar Rapids metro for single-family and multifamily projects were up 21 percent through October, to 787, led by multifamily projects.
Residential permit activity was down in most other metro areas across the state, as tracked by the National Association of Home Builders, with large declines in Dubuque (51 percent) and Waterloo (46 percent). Permits issued in the Des Moines metro were down 16 percent, but remained by far the highest of any metro. Sioux City showed a 5 percent increase.
Across the United States, residential building permits issued were up 7 percent for the first 10 months of the year, led by a 10 percent rise in single-family home permits.
Branch bank locations for Wells Fargo in Cedar Rapids and Central State Bank in Iowa City were sold in November.
Daniel Bontrager acquired the Central State Bank branch at 202 N. Linn Street on Nov. 2 for $1.1 million. The price is the equivalent of $427 per square foot for the small office, built in 1958.
The building is part of a site rezoned earlier this year on an application by Iowa City Realtor Ross Nusser for a mixed-use project. Early concepts for the project included two ground-floor commercial spaces, six one-bedroom condos on the second floor, three two-bedroom condos for sale on the fifth floor, and housing on the third and fourth floors reserved for residents 55 and older. Underground parking and a rooftop terrace were also shown in project plans.
Mr. Nusser was not immediately available for comment on the project's status; no building permits have yet been issued for the project.
GLD Properties acquired a Wells Fargo branch bank property at 3406 F Ave. NW, Cedar Rapids on Nov. 21 for $575,000. The property includes a 4,076-square-foot building and one acre site.
Cedar Rapids' NewBo District, shown from above in a 2015 photo. CREDIT Andy Sommer
The city of Cedar Rapids has been awarded a regional Phoenix Award for the redevelopment of the New Bohemia District.
The
Phoenix Awards are presented by the nonprofit Phoenix Awards Institute in recognition of outstanding achievement and innovation relating to environmental and community issues. Pr
ojects are judged primarily upon:
Magnitude of the problems and the project
Use of innovative techniques
Cooperative efforts of multiple parties
Positive impact on the environment, conservation or sustainability
Project's general and long-term economic and/or social impacts on the community
The New Bohemia Districts has been dramatically transformed from its industrial roots, which dates back to the 1870's and included food processing and packaging, steel work, ironwork, blacksmithing, and livestock industries. Over time, industries closed and were abandoned, leaving a vacant eyesore and environmental contamination.
The award recognizes three key development initiatives that contributed to the revitalization of the area.
The Geonetric Building represented an investment of at least $4.5 million, housing the company of that name, the Iowa Startup Accelerator, Vault Co-Working and the Iowa BIG program. The New Bo City Market was developed from a former Quality Chef Foods site at a cost of about $1.5 million, and has become a regional destination for healthy local foods, and an event center. The Depot is a mixed-use development by Ahmann Companies including commercial offices, retail space and market rate housing, representing an investment well over $17 million.
Partners on the redevelopment initiative include the City of Cedar Rapids, the Housing & Urban Development Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Iowa Department of Economic Development.
From around the web
Architectural Digest explores the benefits of movable sports stadiums made from shipping containers.
Mortgage News Daily reports that consumers are expecting strong housing price increases in the next year.
Crain's Chicago Business looks at what the elimination of the New Market Tax Credit in the Republican tax reform plan will mean for redevelopment efforts in Chicago's crumbling inner city areas.
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Ribbon Cutting: CarePro Home Medical, by Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce, 4 p.m., 474 First Ave., Coralville. Join the Chamber Ambassadors for this ribbon-cutting. Free.
Dec. 15
Innovation Ecosystem Tour, by NewBoCo, 3-4 p.m., Geonetric, 415 12th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. NewBoCo representatives will offer a public tour of the Geonetric building and some of the innovative things occurring inside, including Vault Coworking, the Iowa Startup Accelerator
and Iowa BIG. Free and open to the public. For more information or to register, visit
bit.ly/2wy4Auq.
Dec. 16
Code 101, by DeltaV Code School and NewBoCo, 8 a.m.-7 p.m., MERGE, 136 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City. Start learning how to code with DeltaV 101. This session is ideal for career switchers, college students and anyone looking to find out if a career in code is right for them. Cost: $99, includes light meals. For more information and to register, visit
bit.ly/2xhvztC.
Headlines from CBS2/FOX 28
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28
More than 200 rescued birds will soon be available for adoption. That follows a Johnson County animal welfare investigation at an abandoned farmstead. Iowa City Animal Services assisted the Johnson County Sheriff's Office in rescuing the birds from an owner who neglected to care for them. They issued a warrant on the owner and took the birds into Animal Services care on Saturday. The former owner is not facing any charges as of Tuesday. Jodeane Cancilla is one of three people who volunteered use of her farm to foster the birds before they can be ready to adopt. "We're having a little trouble counting them for sure, but we believe around 110 [or] 105," Ms. Cancilla said. She is fostering 110 ducks and geese. Meanwhile, two other farms are taking care of 76 chickens and 49 pigeons. Liz Ford, supervisor for Iowa City Animal Services, said her office received a complaint from a person who said animal abuse was taking place in the previous home. Ms. Ford then contacted the Sheriff's office. "The deputy did an investigation, and asked us to come and assist to check out the animals and see if they were being taken care of," said Ms. Ford. She found them malnourished and cramped inside the farmstead.
These news items are provided by CBS2/FOX 28
CBS2 Chief Meteorologist Terry Swails' Weather First Forecast
It will be cloudy and windy the rest of today. Winds will be increasing through the day and gusts could be as high as 40-50 mph. It will be cloudy and breezy through the night with temperatures falling down to near 20. Winds will calm by morning but tomorrow will be colder with temperatures just near 30 degrees in the afternoon.
Multifamily project proposed for S. Dubuque Street in IC 
