WESTDALE AREA ACTION PLAN

Area and neighborhood action plans help the City prioritize public investment in a designated area. They build engagement of community stakeholders: businesses, residents, employers, and, ultimately, lead to a vision for the area with clear action steps and projects to reach that vision. This story map represents a look at the existing conditions of the Westdale Area and is not a completed plan yet. The Westdale Area Action Plan will be a component of the  City’s comprehensive plan, EnvisionCR , and is intended to guide future decisions.

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Since the 1960s, the Westdale area has grown rapidly with more rapid expansion happening in the last 30 years. During this time period, the area experienced a diversity of growth:

• Commercial uses developed along Edgewood Rd and Williams Blvd
• Multi-unit residences north of 16th Ave SW
• Industrial uses south of 16th Ave SW
• Mobile home parks along Wilson Ave SW

Swipe the map to see how the area has changed from 1960 (black and white aerial image) to 2020.

A large part of this growth is due to the area's location along major roadways. Williams Blvd, or US Highway 151, connects Cedar Rapids to Wisconsin cities. Highway 100, along the west boundary of the plan area was extended in 2018, completing a beltway around Cedar Rapids and offering a rapid connection from SW Cedar Rapids to NE Cedar Rapids. Highway 30 is another major cross-country road that offers an east-west connection, supporting large amounts of freight traffic.

Also associated with this area, but not included in the planning boundaries, is the Westdale Mall area. The Westdale Mall was completed in 1979 and had a total retail area of 854,000 sq ft. With waning retail activity, the mall was transformed in 2014 to a variety of uses.

Delaney Park, located within the plan area, and nearby parks (Cherry Hill Park and Jacolyn Park) provide recreational opportunities to residents in the Westdale area. However,  the area is called out in the recent Trust for Public Land ParkScore Index  as a priority area for new greenspace.

City Staff have engaged stakeholders in a variety of ways starting in the Summer of 2021.

If you have not had a chance to complete the Westdale Area Survey, please take a few minutes to fill out the survey linked below. The link will be open through the end of July.

• Internal stakeholder meetings with various City Departments
• External stakeholder meetings, which included:
  • Oscar Jimenez - resident
  • Monica Vallejo - Westdale Area Neighborhood Association
  • Mugisha Gloire - United We March Forward
  • Chuck Shillig - Large landowner and business owner
  • Stephanie Neff - Cedar Rapids Community School District and business owner
• Public outreach on all bus routes serving the area
• Phone calls and visits with local business and properties, including:
  • Hames Homes
  • Sadler Power Train
  • Don Miguel's Tienda
  • The Villas at Stoney Point
  • Ladd Library
  • African Family Market
• Online surveying
• Feedback sessions at Feed Iowa First's Mobile Pantry at Glenbrook Apartments and Westdale Court
• Walk audit of the planning area

Summary of online survey results of 45 respondents show that 66.7% of respondents work or shop in the Westdale area, while 21.2% of respondents also reside in the area. Responses were fairly well distributed across racial groups and representative of neighborhood demographics as shown below.

Household income information obtained through the online survey shows that a majority of respondents earn an annual income between $50,000 - and $74,999, while 33.4% earn below $50,000.

Reviewing responses from survey respondents, general themes became apparent on likes and dislikes about the Westdale Area. Overwhelmingly, respondents liked the commercial shopping and the people/diversity of the area.

In contrast, respondents noted the lack of greenspace and youth recreational opportunities in the area as a dislike, as well as the walkability or lack of sidewalks, need for social services that serve diverse populations, and perceptions of unsafe public spaces.

These responses will help guide City Staff in developing goals and action steps for the plan.

• Summer 2022 - City Staff is taking public input regarding the existing conditions report and general comments on the area.
• Fall 2022 - City Staff will use public feedback and analysis of the existing conditions to generate draft goals and action steps.
• Winter 2022 - Feedback on plan goals and action steps and plan adoption by City Council