(Delayed until I needed fillers. — Ed.)
Despite annexations in the southwest quadrant of Cedar Rapids over the past half-decade, the city limits have never touched Fairfax. The right-of-way for Williams Boulevard (US 151) around the intersection with Stoney Point and Beverly roads remains part of unincorporated Linn County.
This summer, however, the cities found a common boundary — to Fairfax’s southeast.
In July and August, the Fairfax City Council introduced and approved annexation of land between the CRANDIC Railroad and 76th Avenue SW. At the same time, Cedar Rapids was working on an annexation just to the east of that. The latter annexation, which Cedar Rapids approved on Sept. 26, moves past a previous line the two cities had agreed on. The annexation plan also involves a large study about water consumption for the area because Cedar Rapids wants to add its section to an industrial park.
These annexations automatically preclude the cities from joining together at Williams Boulevard. The area at the Williams/Stoney Point/Beverly intersection will be the only connection from an area of unincorporated Linn County between the CRANDIC and US 30 to the rest of the county. (Technically, there are two intersections of Williams and Beverly, to avoid a skewed-angle intersection.) The situation is exactly identical to why the US 65 beltway in Polk County can’t be annexed by anyone.
Unrelated to the above, Cedar Rapids also annexed a small parcel of land west of what’s now named 80th Street Lane. There’s a finger of city land going up the relocated 80th Street SW to E Avenue and this adds to that. However, Morgan Creek Park remains half-in/half-out.