Hiawatha to Undergo Big Changes with New Development [PHOTOS]

Hiawatha is not yet 70 years old but is growing rapidly and a major development project will help accelerate the city's growth and enrich those who already live there. Just over 10 years after City Hall was built, Hiawatha is going to be seeing a lot of construction in the same general area over the next four to five years.

The project, designed by Side by Side LLC of Cedar Rapids, is called 'Hiawatha Midtown' and will include a variety of buildings. According to Side by Side, the $72 million project is the largest private investment in the history of Hiawatha. The Gazette reports it will be centered at 155 Robins Road in Hiawatha, just off Center Point Road.

It will be built in four phases and will include all this:

• 36,300 square feet of Commercial/Retail space
• 203 Apartments
• 66 Senior Living
• 58 Townhomes
• 18 Condominiums
• 10 Live/Work spaces that allow business owners to live adjacent to their business.
• 3 Patio Homes

A press release from Side by Side envisions H'iawatha Midtown' acting as "the Heart of Hiawatha," with a walkable residential, retail, and entertainment district. It will cover nearly 13 acres, with 7.5 acres developed and another 5.24 acres of open space. Ground is expected to be broken for the project this fall.