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Medical District Announcement Milestone for Downtown Progress

Cedar Rapids, IA-Today’s announcement that Physicians Clinic of Iowa intends to build a $40 million downtown medical mall and participate with Mercy Medical Center and St. Luke’s Hospital in development of a medical district is one of the most significant announcements for downtown since last year’s flood. Related development in the medical district could easily reach hundreds of millions of dollars over the next decade.

“This is a fantastic collaboration, and it’s a wonderful commitment and sign of confidence in the future of downtown,” said Downtown District President Doug Neumann.
Neumann noted that PCI had many viable development options outside of downtown. Leadership from the hospital boards, downtown stakeholders and city government believed so strongly in the long-term plan for downtown that they were able to put together a compelling vision and package for the doctors’ group to stay downtown. At a morning news conference, hospital and PCI officials commended City Manager Jim Prosser for bringing the deal to the table, and the Cedar Rapids City Council for its support and vision.

The medical district idea first got traction with the 2007 Downtown Framework Plan from JLG Architects. That plan was put together with cooperative support from the City, Linn County, the Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown District and the downtown business improvement district (SSMID). The development plan, which has been further detailed through the work of Sasaki Associates and the City’s Neighborhood Planning Process, suggests that a strong medical district is likely to spur additional interest in downtown housing and ultimately in retail, commercial and riverfront development.

“Strong medical facility development has been a key component of several of the most successful downtowns in America,” Neumann said. “It’s certainly has been a key component in our planning, so we want to extend our sincere gratitude to all who made this happen.”

For more information on the medical district plan history from the JLG plan, visit downtowncr.org