Parking in Cedar Rapids

I'm new to Cedar Rapids, so I will admit there are issues I don't understand the full complexity.

One of these issues is the apparent parking problem in downtown Cedar Rapids. I say there is a parking problem because there are currently two ongoing issues which need to deal with the parking problem.

The first issue is where to build the new library. Not only is no one raising the idea of just reusing the existing location (after adding some flood gates to the existing earth berms,) but it appears the two best locations have been ruled out due, in part, to a lack of parking.

 "The losers were the TrueNorth and Banjo Equipment blocks, both between Fourth and Fifth Avenues SE, to the south and east of Greene Square Park. Library board members said both sites were plagued by uncertainties, especially parking and flood insurance."

I have to scratch my head over the uncertainty of parking, because if the TrueNorth site was selected, it would be right next to a 9 story parking structure, which is ~half empty during it's peak time (full disclosure, I park in this garage, I never have to drive above the fifth level to find a spot). In addition, it would be diagonal from another parking garage.

The second issue is Doug Neumann, president of the Downtown District stating that downtown needs a new parking ramp. This statement is at odds with the consultant hired to manage the parking system in Cedar Rapids, who said that there is no need for a new parking garage.

As the consultant said, there are 918 unoccupied parking spaces in the parkades during peak occupancy. 918! That is literally a parking lot the size of several football fields. But we need more parking ramps.

Neumann says "If we don’t want to significantly hinder this community’s efforts at job creation and economic development, we do, indeed, need a new parking ramp in the vicinity of the new federal courthouse," this statement doesn't address the fact that the area bounded by 8th Ave E, 2nd St SE, 12 Ave E and the river, is one giant parking lot.

As Chuck Wieneke suggested, maybe these people should walk more and lose weight.

My final word, take a quick look at the parking map, provided by the Cedar Rapids parking system. It doesn't even show all of lot 44 (or any of the private lots around downtown), but it does a pretty good job illustrating how much parking is available in the off-street system around downtown.


Drive less, walk more, lose some weight.

In which I ramble about the Cedar Rapids Library and downtown.

The Cedar Rapids Public Library opened a location in downtown for the first time in a year. I was very pleased as my use of the library dropped off without one, and the library was an important part of the downtown.

The fact that they opened the location in the Armstrong building made me think. Why is the city looking to build a new library when there are so many vacancies downtown? Wouldn't a commercial store front, or an office space serve the needs of a library just as well as a custom build building?

I would think a partnership like that would serve both parties well, the library would benefit from existing infrastructure, parking is available (especially after 5 and on weekends), there is as much bus access as Cedar Rapids will currently provide, and a location in the core of downtown would allow the library to better benefit from the numerous events in downtown. The surrounding area would benefit by the increased draw outside of the Monday-Friday, nine-five time slot.

With a large amount of the Linn County government currently located in previous retail space, I'm surprised that I haven't heard similar discussions about the Library's permenent downtown location.

A secondary argument can be the environmental impact. Alliant Energy has spent a lot of money putting up billboards with the message "Rebuild green," which is a good message (as much as I hate the term "green"). But it overlooks the most enviromentally friendly option, not building new at all, simply work with what we currenlty have, and we currently have a lot of empty office and retail space in the downtown.

The Armstrong building is so called, because it used to be a department store (Armstrong's department store), which has since closed and been turned into retail and office space. If the library were to have a large location in it (or a similar building), people going to the library would be more inclined to go to a store or restaurant as the walk past, and we might actually have a chance to recreate a vibrant commercial area in downtown Cedar Rapids.