Jim Prosser, City Manager

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• Jim Prosser, City Manager
• October 3, 2008

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Cedar Rapids Goal Vision

• To not just recovery and be better, but greater.
• Cedar Rapids, a vibrant urban hometown a
  beacon for people and businesses invested in
  building a greater community for the next
  generation.

3
City Council Flood Recovery Goals

• Ensure people are safe.
• Provide improved flood management.
• Restore safe short-term housing and long-term
  affordable workforce housing.
• Ensure vibrant neighborhoods.
• Restore business and downtown vitality, retaining
  and attracting jobs, and attracting the next
  generation workforce.
• Restore community vitality.

4
Cedar Rapids 2008 Flood Impacts

• Cedar River crested June 13 at 31 feet.
• 10 square miles, 14 percent of City
• 18,623 people
• 5,390 residences
• 1,133 commercial/industrial properties
• 486 tax exempt properties (government, schools,
  churches, non-profits)
• 5 feet above 500 year flood level

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Cedar Rapids 2008 Flood Impacts

• Housing
• 5,390 homes impacted
• 944 damaged beyond reasonable repair
• 75 low income/substandard
• 1,100 residents formally express interest in
  Hazard Mitigation Voluntary Grant Program

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Cedar Rapids 2008 Flood Impacts

• More than 300 public buildings including city
  hall, police fire stations, Public Works,
  Transit, County buildings
• Roads, bridges, utilities railroads
• 3 of 4 city collector wells disabled, water
  plant, 46 vertical wells
• 500 million city infrastructure damaged
• 2.4 billion CR/Linn County total damage

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Flood Recovery Strategy

• Initiate 120 day planning process for flood
  control, neighborhood and business revitalization
  
• Address immediate (interim) housing needs
• Identify permanent housing options
• Develop community response resource team
• Facility recovery and replacement
• Long-term economic recovery

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Recovery and Reinvestment Coordinating Team

• City
• County
• Schools
• Labor
• United Way
• Downtown Council

• Affordable Housing Network
• Chamber of Commerce
• CR Neighborhoods
• Next Generation Council

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Immediate Crisis Response

• All flood-impacted city departments relocated and
  operating in five days
• CR Transit modified operations in 1 week
• 72,428 tons of debris collected and removed to
  landfills (as of 8/29/08)
• 447 housing assistance applicants in FEMA mobile
  homes
• FEMA provided rental assistance to 2,882
  homeowners and 1,764 renters.

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Immediate Crisis Response

• 211 Information and referral service answered
  more than 22,000 calls in June
• Salvation Army provided 400,000 meals to
  residents/volunteers
• Faith-based groups and corporate volunteers have
  recorded more than 44,000 hours with estimated
  value of 750,000

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Cedar Rapids Flood Recovery Plan

• The Challenge
• Mobilization of resources
• Restructuring staff and processes
• Quick answers vs. long-term solutions
• Information overload, information demand
• Communications, communications, communications

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Cedar Rapids Flood Recovery Plan

• Flood Control
• Immediately began work on solid flood protection
  plan framework for reinvestment
• River Corridor Redevelopment Plan, public
  participation to determine best flood management
  strategy
• Framework for Reinvestment Revitalization to
  Council in October
• Prioritization of initial projects for next year

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Cedar Rapids Flood Recovery Plan

• Hazard Mitigation Plan
• Flood management plan provides framework for
  community planning
• Phase 1 Identify substantially damaged property
• Draw line of property needed to be acquired and
  those not to be acquired
• Phase 2 Establish neighborhoods and a
  neighborhood planning process

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Cedar Rapids Flood Recovery Plan

• Replacement Housing
• Identified housing needs based on Maxfield
  Research housing analysis
• Need for 466 rental units
• 150 market rate
• 230 affordable
• 86 low income
• 10 - 15 senior
• 10 - 15 large families

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Cedar Rapids Flood Recovery Plan

• Need for 420 owner-occupied units
• 210 market rate
• 210 affordable
• Rent to own - 30 to 40
• Affordable in-fill 60 to 90
• New subdivision/mixed income 60 to 90

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Cedar Rapids Flood Recovery Plan

• Neighborhood Planning
• Reshape neighborhoods to address new land forms,
  rehab housing, infill for demolished housing
• Seven neighborhood planning areas
• Planning teams including facilitator, housing,
  design, schools representation
• Sustainable, mixed income expectations
• Plans complete by spring 2009

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Cedar Rapids Flood Recovery Plan

• Housing Resource Needs
• Land acquisition - 150 million
• LIHTC - ? 25 million
• Historic Tax Credits - ?
• CDBG - ?

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Cedar Rapids Flood Recovery Plan

• Business Reinvestment
• Flood Management Plan will help guide focal
  points for business and downtown redevelopment
  and reinvestment
• Job Business Recovery Fund established, City
  grant of 3 million
• Adopt a Business program
• Initial River Corridor Reinvestment project
  construction in Spring 2009, future phases

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Flood Recovery Resources

• Coordination critical to rapid recovery
• Recovery Reinvestment Coordination Team
• City, County, Schools, non-profits, business
  community, others, problem-solve, coordinate
  responses
• EPRC Economic diversification Next Generation
  workforce
• Seeking State and Federal Resources
• Opportunity for revenue diversification

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Flood Recovery Resources

• Public Participation
• Neighborhood meeting process
• River Corridor Redevelopment Plan open houses
  July, September, October
• Stakeholder meetings
• Ongoing RRCT meetings
• EPRC meetings

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Flood Recovery Results

• Coordination One-stop shopping for residents
• Coordinated funding requests of State and Federal
  governments
• City Replacement Housing Task Force developing
  longer-term housing plan by October
• Flood management plan by mid-October
• River Corridor Redevelopment Plan late October
• City working with State and Federal agencies on
  property acquisition for overall flood mitigation
  strategy

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Flood Recovery Results

• Construction of first replacement workforce
  housing (500 to 750 units) in next months
• A long-term recovery committee established to
  coordinate human services with more than 70
  agencies participating
• Opportunities for co-location of facilities are
  being explored.
• Community Coordination Committee created to
  assist with ongoing communications

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Cedar Rapids Flood Recovery Needs

• Recovery will be ongoing for many years.
• State and Federal funding for recovery needs
• Revenue diversification to help Cedar Rapids
  support its own recovery
• Other?