Westdale work steps up

By George C. Ford, The Gazette

CEDAR RAPIDS The $90 million redevelopment of Westdale Mall has shifted into high gear with a combination of exterior and interior activity.

Frew Development and city officials broke ground Friday for the 10-year project, which will include retail, commercial, office, entertainment, residential, hotel, green space and connecting trails.

The Cedar Rapids City Council agreed to provide $5 million in upfront money for Westdale and will recoup the money from tax-incentive revenue that comes with the added value of the redevelopment.

John Frew, president of Frew Development Group in Denver, Colo., on Friday said seven pad sites along the Edgewood Road SW side of the property have been sold. He confirmed that Chick-fil-A and U.S. Bank will occupy two of the sites, but he declined to identify the remaining buyers.

Chick-fil-A, an original tenant of Westdales in 1979, has been constructing stand-alone buildings with drive-up windows, similar to its Lindale Mall venue, as part of its current business model.

U.S. Bank is relocating to Westdale because the building housing its existing office at 2350 Edgewood Rd. SW was acquired by F&M Bank of Manchester, which has offices in northeast and downtown Cedar Rapids.

Airtight, watertight

Leading up to Fridays groundbreaking were a series of actions most behind the scenes required to prepare for demolition of the main portion of the mall.

Construction of three semi-permanent walls separating the main portion of the mall from JCPenney, Younkers and the former Von Maur building began weeks ago and is progressing rapidly, according to Lisa Rowe, vice president-retail for Frew Development Group and Westdales general manager.

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Westdale work steps up