IMG_7537For the past year, The Lakota Group has been working in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on developing a master plan for the newly-created MedQuarter district. While Lakota’s work on the master plan is nearing completion for the Self-Supporting Municipal Improvement District (SSMID), it looks like there is some other news taking place in the district.

Recently, a couple from Cedar Rapids purchased a 2,900 square foot historic home from Mercy Medical Center for $1 so that they could relocate the historic property from the MedQuarter to the Oak Hill Jackson neighborhood–about 10 blocks away. The home, according to an article in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, is 117 years old and was owned by the town’s former newspaper editor and publisher. The couple plans to live in the home once it has been restored.

The MedQuarter was created from previous planning efforts following a flood in 2008 that destroyed much of downtown Cedar Rapids. The 55-block area is funded through a 20-year self-imposed tax and is governed by a commission of representatives. Three major medical service providers are located in the MedQuarter, including Mercy Medical Hospital, Physicians Clinic of Iowa and St. Luke’s Hospital.