Neighbors protest massive electrical boxes related to Cedar Rapids casino installed in front of homes

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Clint Lunden was shocked to watch the giant metal box installed next to his front yard this week in northwest Cedar Rapids.

“We didn’t know anything about it,” he said of the Alliant Energy switch boxes, which span more than 7 feet wide and long, and nearly as high as Lunden, who stands 6 feet tall.

Two of the metal boxes, with signs warning about the risk of death, were installed Sept. 24, 2025, in the residential neighborhood along F Avenue NW.

Workers told Lunden and others they are needed, in part, to power the new $275 million casino being built blocks away along Fourth Street NW between F and G avenues near the riverfront.

Cedar Rapids officials, who issued the permit for the equipment to be installed in the city right-of-way, said they are in conversations with Alliant Energy.

Zoning Administrator Seth Gunnerson said the forthcoming casino “was a partial driver” of the new equipment, and while his department signed off on Alliant’s permit, “what we received didn’t show that scale.”

In response to a number of questions regarding the utility boxes, Alliant officials issued this statement: “Alliant Energy is conducting installation of equipment in the right of way of F Avenue NW in Cedar Rapids. The equipment is critical for the electrical underground system reliability and allows to switch between various sources of power, providing quicker energy restoration in emergency situations. While there may still be Alliant Energy crews in the area, there are no plans at this time for any additional equipment be placed in the right of ways.”

Melissa McCarville, senior communications partner at Alliant, who sent the statement, said her team was looking into other questions, including why the neighbors were not notified before the equipment was installed.

Lunden’s neighbor, Nikki Halvorson, whose home is sandwiched between two of the boxes, started a petition after reaching out to city and casino officials and Alliant.

The two discussed the petition during last night’s Northwest Neighbors Neighborhood Association meeting.

“These are giant eyesores,” Halvorson said at the meeting, comparing the boxes to giant Dumpsters. “It’s a blight, and we’ve already had enough blight in our neighborhood.”

In addition to lowering property values, the boxes will likely have a “humming” noise level once they are activated and obstruct the view of motorists, she said, particularly at the intersection with Eighth Street, where drivers must pull past the stop sign to see around the box.

Most significantly, the equipment poses a danger to the neighbors and the high number of children who walk to school and play in the area, Lunden and Halvorson said.

Three young children could be seen playing next to the new equipment the night the boxes were installed.

A label warns of hazardous voltage in the box, which can “shock, burn or cause death.” The children playing next to it were likely too young to read.

Lunden, who uses an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, or ICD, wondered what other health implications the equipment might pose, along with the dangers of vehicles hitting the boxes or lightning strikes.

Homeowners are not allowed to plant anything taller than 12 inches in the city right-of-way, and must remove plantings if anyone lodges a complaint.

City Engineer Ken DeKeyser noted that private utility fixtures are generally allowed in the right-of-way, except at corners if they affect visual clearance.

DeKeyser wrote in an email that private utility companies are allowed to build in the right-of-way, whereas residents’ activities are more restricted, because the companies have agreements with the city to allow their infrastructure to go there and the utilities serve a public purpose for many residents and businesses.

Additionally, he wrote, if private utilities in the area are damaged, utility owners are responsible for the cost of repairs, but if a private property owner’s “mailbox, sprinkler head, bush, etc., is damaged, they expect the City to pay whether or not they received permission to put something there.”

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