U.S. EPA awarded the City of Waterloo an FY 2020 Hazardous Substances and Petroleum Assessment Grant to investigate sites with actual or perceived contamination. 151 communities across the United States received 155 grants totaling $65.6 million in funding.  The City was one of eight recipients in EPA Region 7 that includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska…. Read more »

City Council approved additional incentives for the construction of a new 5-story building located at 801-805 Commercial Street on the former flea market site. The development agreement provides 20 years of 75% tax abatement on the former brownfield property. The 5-story structure will include both residential and commercial components and is expected to open in… Read more »

The City closes out its FY16 EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant today. It marks the end of another successful brownfield initiative for the community. The Assessment Grants remain a crucial linchpin in the City’s ability to return blighted properties back to productive reuses. Investigations conducted with the funds cleared 17.07 acres which leveraged nearly $8.7 million… Read more »

EPA has awarded the City of Waterloo $2.65 million in brownfields grants since 2000. These funds have helped inventory, prioritize, assess, and cleanup numerous blighted properties across the community. Here are a few of our favorite “before and after” photographs. Cedar Valley SportsPlex City of Waterloo Public Works Building Grand Crossing 1 and 2 SingleSpeed… Read more »

EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant funds assisted the City of Waterloo in acquiring three blighted parcels along its riverfront. A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) allowed the City to complete its All Appropriate Inquiry (AAI) due diligence prior to taking title. Adopted long-range planning documents depict future multi-family residential development for the area. Visit our… Read more »

MercyOne is relocating a downtown clinic to the Grand Crossings site. The move allows them to serve patients within the community’s emerging “Sports and Entertainment” district. The office is located next to the Cedar Valley Sportsplex and Hawkeye Community College, as well as numerous other new residential developments. The City of Waterloo relied heavily on… Read more »

Art Bloc, a 7-story mixed use building located along Waterloo’s downtown riverfront adjacent to the Phelps Youth Pavilion and SingleSpeed Brewing, is currently under construction. The impressive new structure will feature a lobby and parking along Cedar Street, offices and commercial retail uses on the amphitheater level, and 70 market-rate residential units on the upper… Read more »

Boys and Girls Club of the Cedar Valley held its grand opening of the new Teen Center on January 16, 2020.  The facility features space for tutoring, computer and digital graphics skills development, music creativity, college testing preparation, counseling, direct homework assistance and supervised recreational space.  The $3 million project was constructed on the site of… Read more »

The City contracted HR Green, Inc. to complete a Phase I ESA on four adjoining parcels generally described as 325 West 13th Street. The investigation allowed the City to satisfy All Appropriate Inquiry prior to acquisition of the single-family home and surrounding vacant lots. City officials plan to market the properties for redevelopment opportunities that… Read more »