Plan to Bring A&W Back to Ellis Boulevard Moving Forward

By Rick Smith, Reporter

The Ellis A&W restaurant, 1136 Ellis Blvd. NW, remains untouched at the corner of Ellis Boulevard NW and K Avenue NW in the heart of the Time Check neighborhood after the June 2008 flood on May 18, 2009. Owner Doug Ward plans to find another home for his restaurant - away from the Cedar River. Cedar Rapids Assessor Scott Labus said the city lost about $70 million in commercial valuation because of last year’s flooding as well as $11 million in industrial and $138 million in residential valuation. Janet Rorholm/EdgeBusiness

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By Belinda Yeung

Story Created: Sep 23, 2012 at 9:54 AM CDT

Story Updated: Sep 23, 2012 at 11:01 AM CDT

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A local developer’s year-old plans are moving ahead to return the flood-damaged A & W Family Restaurant in the heart of a piece of Ellis Boulevard NW that the neighborhood hopes to see become a thriving commercial corridor.

Joe O’Hern, the city’s flood recovery and reinvestment director, this week said that the state of Iowa has approved a request to allow the A & W to be redeveloped even though it was purchased with federal buyout money and part of it sits in the 100-year flood plain.

O’Hern said he expected the project to be in front of the City Council as soon as Tuesday so the council can approve aspects of the property sale before the renovation begins.

Earlier this year, the council agreed to a development agreement with developer Baron Stark of Stark Real Estate Holdings Inc. who wants to bring the A & W at 1132 Ellis Blvd. NW back to life.
Stark’s interest succeeded in pulling the building off the city’s buyout demolition list.

He has said he intends to restore the restaurant to its historic, carhop past and to add a new section to the structure so customers can eat inside or on an outdoor patio.

Richard Luther, a Cedar Rapids development consultant with Creative Development Solutions, has worked with Stark on the project. Stark is ready to finalize the property acquisition and get to work with the hope of opening in the spring, Luther said this week.

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