UPDATE: On April 15, 2025, the applicant withdrew the request for a conditional use to allow Level III Tobacco and Alcohol sales.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — New Pioneer Food Co-op is concerned about the potential conversion of a former restaurant into a liquor and tobacco shop next door to its Cedar Rapids store.
The proposed buyer of the building at 3358 Center Point Rd. NE — most recently a Papa John’s Pizza — has requested conditional use for Level III Alcohol and Tobacco sales at the location. Level III refers to an alcohol and tobacco retail store that derives more than 50 percent of its revenue from the sale of alcohol and/or tobacco products.
More than 500 signatures have been collected from neighbors and customers of New Pioneer, which sells local, organic and natural foods at its Cedar Rapids store at 3338 Center Point Rd. NE, next to the vacant building.
“New Pioneer and surrounding neighbors are not opposing the potential buyer himself, nor liquor/ vape retailers in general,” said Gina Molby, manager of the Cedar Rapids store, commonly known as New Pi. “Rather, we feel the city is over-served with these establishments, and as the petition indicates, they have the potential to bring with them various risks to the community.”
The Cedar Rapids Board of Adjustment will hear the request for the conditional use at its meeting at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 17, 2025, in the third floor Council Chambers of City Hall, at 101 First St. SE. Anyone is welcome to speak at the meeting and/or send an email to the board at: zoning@cedar-rapids.org and cityclerk@cedar-rapids.org
Written comments and petitions received on the day of the hearing may not be taken into consideration by the Board of Adjustment. The board has the final decision over the request.
“We believe this establishment would be detrimental to the quality of life and safety within the neighborhood of which we live and/or patron,” one of the petitions states, in part. “We believe the city of Cedar Rapids is overserved with alcohol and tobacco retailers, businesses which are susceptible to opportunistic crime including robbery and theft, loitering, and pollution of surrounding areas.”
City staff noted that a similar request was made at 3905 Center Point Road NE, less than one-half mile north of the location, for a Tobacco Shop. That request was denied by the Board of Adjustment by a 5-0 vote.
Staff cited 12 existing businesses located in the general vicinity between 29th and 42nd Street NE along
Center Point Road, as well the intersection of 32nd Street and Oakland Road NE that offer retail sales of
alcohol and/or tobacco products for off-premise use, and recommended that the board deny the request.
City staff noted the following in their recommendation:
The Board of Adjustment’s previous action, within the last 5 years, denying a Level III
Tobacco use at 3905 Center Point Road; neighborhood opposition to the request, including immediately adjacent businesses; the immediate vicinity (the intersection of 32nd Street NE and Center Point Road NE) is served by several retailers of tobacco and liquor products; the proposed use is adjacent to homes and residential zoning, whereas existing uses in the vicinity are further removed from the neighborhood.
Anil Singh of Cedar Rapids, the proposed owner of the building, said he was at the April 3 neighborhood meeting that included neighbors opposed to the intended use of the site, but he was unaware of opposition.
Singh said he has owned a tobacco and liquor store at 1545 First Ave. SE for nine years that has been successful and is looking to expand.
MoonRock Massage Therapy & Spa, 3356 Center Point Rd. NE, is in another portion of the former Papa John’s building.
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