24-04-2025
$35M UIowa project will raze, move Center for Disabilities and Development. What to know:
Citing outdated conditions at its 1950-era facility and a need to free up space for a new inpatient tower, the Iowa Board of Regents approved the University of Iowa's request to raze and relocate the Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD).
The university will enter a 20-year lease at a former office building 15 minutes from the main medical campus to house the many offerings of the CDD.
The demolition project is anticipated to begin in late 2026. Renovations at the new building are expected to cost $35 to $40 million.
The CDD, built in 1954 at 100 Hawkins Dr., is in the path of the planned new UI Health Care inpatient tower. Ongoing construction, according to board documents, is hampering local clinical services, including the cytogenetics lab and the sleep disorders clinic, making it 'difficult, if not impossible, to continue to occupy the building."
The UI also said the 100,500-square-foot building needs 'significant renovations and upgrading' and has "no significant architectural or historic significance.' The building's demolition is expected to eliminate $20 million in deferred maintenance costs.
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The CDD serves all 99 of Iowa's counties, and about '70% of CDD's patients come from outside Johnson County.' Services at the CDD center focus on providing diagnostic and therapeutic care for individuals with complex disabilities, addressing a range of medical, physical, and behavioral conditions.
The CDD will relocate to a 58,000-square-foot building at 2610 Northgate Dr., Iowa City, near the N Dodge Street Interstate 80 exit and the Highlander Hotel. The lease will last 20 years, anchored by four five-year renewals.
'Moving to this new location will give us the opportunity to create a more innovative and state-of-the-art environment for individuals with disabilities and their families to receive care, as well as conduct research, and lead community engagement efforts and interdisciplinary training,' said Jim Leste, chief administrative officer for UI Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital in a news release.
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The University and UI Health Care believe that the services offered will be 'more successful' thanks to the new building's "convenient access" to the interstate and additional space.
'This will be a huge benefit for the many patients who travel to us for specialized care from all over the state," Leste said.
The CDD's services are not expected to relocate until late 2026 or early 2027 to allow time for necessary renovations at the Northgate facility.
The new CDD will include patient clinic rooms, diagnostic and treatment areas, specialized patient rehabilitation spaces, a lab, faculty offices, and nursing/staff support spaces, along with an exterior playground.
As part of the lease agreement, the landlord will build a 15,000-25,000 square-foot addition and will be solely responsible for the costs of a new roof, replacing the air handling units, upgrading the surface parking lots, and making other landscaping improvements.
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The total estimated cost of the renovations is $35 to $40 million, which UI Health Care will pay for 'upon substantial completion.'
The full lease agreement has not been made public. UI Health Care will pay approximately $2.89 per square foot annually for operating and maintenance costs and real estate taxes.
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@ or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: UI plans to raze, relocate Center for Disabilities and Development
