CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — More than 2,600 people signed a petition calling on the city to pause condemnation proceedings on a home that was rebuilt after the 2008 flood and has been occupied since.
Ajai Dittmar, of 1426 First St. NW, presented the signatures to the Cedar Rapids City Council during its meeting Aug. 25, 2026, but the council disregarded the petitions.
Related: Cedar Rapids couple continues fight to save their home
Council members unanimously voted to refer the total acquisition of the property, owned by Dittmar’s longtime partner, Greg Vail, to the Linn County Compensation Commission without mentioning the support the couple generated to save their home along the Cedar River.
“We are not asking the City to abandon flood protection. We are asking the city to choose an alternative that does not require destroying our home,” the petition on Change.org states. “Demolition should not be treated as the only option when preservation and relocation have not been fully exhausted.”
The petition garnered more than 2,400 signatures online, and hundreds more signed in person, including some residents who showed up at the couple’s home.
Cedar Rapids Flood Control System Manager Rob Davis said removing the couple’s home, either by demolition or moving it, if feasible, would satisfy regulations regarding flood protection in northwest Cedar Rapids, as the city cannot leave a home between the river and the flood control system.
Earlier this month, the council voted to establish the fair market value of the three-bedroom, two-bath home at $130,000.
Davis said the city can consider relocating the home, and that referring the matter to the compensation commission does not mean negotiations cannot continue.
So far, Dittmar and Vail have not met with city officials, as they maintain the city is violating federal code by beginning the eminent domain process.
Nearby roads have been dismantled and sidewalks removed around their home, which they bought nearly 20 years ago, attracted to the abundance of nature and scenic views of the river.
They rebuilt on their own after the record flooding in June 2008, even as neighboring homes have been demolished, one-by-one. Built in the 1890s, the home — which features 9-foot ceilings on its main floor — was inundated with 7 feet of floodwater.
Since the flood, voluntary acquisition has been completed on about 1,400 properties; eight properties went through condemnation proceedings and just a handful remain.
More: Cedar Rapids couple battles prospective eminent domain
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