When the floods hit in June of 2008, the Czech Village was among the hardest hit areas of the city and was submerged in over 8 feet of water. All of the businesses in the neighborhood, and many residential structures, were damaged. Given the intimate nature of the area and the leadership provided by residents and business owners, the floods affected not only the physical character of the neighborhood, but undercut the human and financial sources that had driven its revival. For most, the devastation was so far-reaching that there is not even money to replace their core possessions and home, let alone re-invest in the community.

Heavy damage to civic infrastructure further complicates the situation in the Czech Village. Streets, sidewalks, water services, electrical systems and other critical utilities were damaged, if not destroyed, by the flood waters. While basic services were quickly restored and repaired, there remain a variety of major infrastructure projects to complete, in addition to upgrades and the complete replacement of some services that will be necessary to comply with new flood plain rules that have not yet been issued. Long term local government investment is also dependent upon decisions regarding potential levy building, which will require local government investment not just in contributions to levies, but also in adapting civic infrastructure to accommodate construction.

Further complicating matters in the neighborhood is the extensive loss of multi-family and rental housing. While individual homeowners have been provided with some options for reinvestment and support, and other options will be available in the future, few such programs exist for investment-driven housing. Multi-family and low-income housing is more often subject to insurance claims for replacement, and those replacement funds are often linked to requirements that rebuilding occur where future flooding is not a concern. Where rebuilding is allowed, building designs capable of offsetting future flood concerns add substantial cost to such projects — costs which are often difficult to reclaim through reasonable rental rates. In order to ensure the diversity of housing options necessary to preserve the character and past success of the neighborhood, approaches must be found to make replacement of multi-family and low-income housing economically feasible.

Additionally, the very character of the Czech Village, and the key to its past success, is deeply steeped in the historical nature of the neighborhood and the public spaces that surrounded it. Preserving that character will involve preserving the historical buildings and open spaces throughout the area. Historical preservation, however, is expensive even in the best of development situations. Conducting such preservation in post-disaster situations, when resources are difficult to obtain and competing, immediate needs make the “luxury” of preservation harder to justify, can be difficult if not impossible. Furthermore, the extent of rebuilding necessary in preservation efforts often involves a degree of structural work that requires upgrading buildings in ways not normally required. Even if owners are committed to restoration, they often find that reality of costs and requirements involve a commitment far beyond the budgets provided.

The Recovery

Despite the level of destruction experienced, the city, residents and local businesses have expressed a firm commitment to not only rebuild, but to preserve the unique character of the area that made it such a coherent and livable neighborhood for so long. There is little doubt that the commitment, and eventually the resources needed, exist to see the project through to completion. But the success of these efforts will require patience on the part of the community, the dedication of political and governmental bodies to allow the process to unfold comprehensively, and carefully constructed plans and community-wide partnerships at all levels to ensure that the vision is not only developed, but pursued and maintained as the many uncertainties in the redevelopment process continue to introduce challenges while the process unfolds.

Post flood damage in the Czech Village

Following the floods, the community came together to engage in the Neighborhood Planning Process. This process of community meetings provided the framework for any future development in Cedar Rapids as a whole, and individual neighborhoods in particular. Within the Czech Village community, a high percentage of residents and businesses desired to remain and rebuild, pending governmental decisions on re-zoning, flood plain planning and flood control. The priorities that emerged from the process in Czech Village include historic preservation, redevelopment of mixed use affordable housing, and the rehabilitation of flood damaged homes.

Future planning in the Czech Village depends upon decisions yet to be made by several government entities. The development of new flood plain maps by FEMA is scheduled to be completed in the not too distant future. Local development efforts are largely contingent upon the boundaries of the 100 year flood plain, as zoning, investment and insurance criteria will be dictated by by this decision. Homes within the flood plain will be subject to a variety of new rules, some of which may prevent rebuilding. A Voluntary Property Acquisition program is in place to assist homeowners affected by these decisions, but many payments can not be determined prior to flood plain designation. Homeowners, in the meantime, are faced with uncertainty and theinability to finalize insurance claims and rebuilding plans.

Businesses are likewise affected by these future decisions. While some have re-opened and are willing and capable of assuming the financial challenges the risk of being designated within the flood plain may carry, many are not in such a position. Private investments needed to promote additional development will simply not be made on any large scale until the flood plain designations are made. Likewise, the city itself is limited in its ability to respond, as the ability to fund and insure roads, utilities and other necessary infrastructure, as well as to plan for potential flood control projects, depend upon the extent of the flood plain and the financial costs associated with the designations. Additionally, upon receiving the designations the city will be required to adapt established planning to match the flood plain development criteria, which will include potentially time consuming re-zoning and refinancing efforts prior to the initiation of new development programs.

The City of Cedar Rapids has worked with the Corps of Engineers to establish temporary planning arrangements, and to determine basic redevelopment and construction guidelines within the expected flood plain, to the extent that likely future of some areas can be determined. Within these guidelines, there will be projects to encourage redevelopment in the Czech Village as well as efforts to support existing organizations like the Czech Village Association. New ideas that are not dependent upon the flood plain designation are being explored to use the unique character of Czech Village, such as Summer festivals and ways to use the river as an amenity.