The Community Development Division through its Green Streets initiative continues to realign its operations and programming to integrate a consistent, environmentally conscious approach to growth and development, while ensuring long-term economic growth for Iowa communities. The Iowa Department of Economic Development is building upon the strong foundation laid last year by the Green Streets Initiative to provide bold support in helping community sustainability efforts across Iowa in FY '09.

In FY '09, the Green Streets Initiative generated the following outcomes:

Supported nationally recognized sustainable community demonstration efforts demonstrating the holistic and integrated use of sustainable community practices to support the economic, environmental and social revitalization of Iowa’s Main Street communities in the department’s two model green pilot communities — West Union and Woodbine
Worked with West Union and Woodbine to complete energy audits for more than 120 businesses and to establish incentive programs for energy performance improvements
Contracted with Center on Sustainable Communities and partners to develop and deliver sustainable community and green building training programs across Iowa in fiscal year 2010 with an emphasis on rebuilding efforts in natural disaster impacted areas
Organized an ongoing bi-weekly meeting of state government organizations involved in green building training related efforts to leverage existing resources and reduce duplication. Participating organizations have included: Office of Consumer Advocate, Iowa Utilities Board, Board of Regents, Department of Human Rights, Department of Public Safety, Office of Energy Independence, Iowa Environmental Council, Department of Education, Iowa Energy Center, Iowa Community College Trustees, One Source, Iowa Workforce Development, Iowa Utility Association, and Center on Sustainable Communities
Funded the first 110 projects following the Iowa Green Streets Criteria, a set of green design and construction guidelines for building projects
Revised the Iowa Green Streets Criteria promoting public health, energy efficiency, water conservation, smart locations, operational savings and sustainable building practices in IDED Housing Fund, Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) Community Facilities and Services Fund, and Main Street Iowa Challenge Grant projects
Partnered with Department of Natural Resources, Office of Energy Independence, Iowa Power Fund, Community Corrections Improvement Association and Center for Energy and Environmental Education to establish a Green Iowa Corps to improve community energy efficiency by training young adults on energy efficiency practices and the importance of community service
Supported the establishment of Conservation Corps Iowa in partnership with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to provide ten AmeriCorps members to assist local governments and nonprofits with natural resources and conservation projects
Published 12 issues of GreeNetwork, a monthly sustainable community practices resource newsletter
Added extensive green sustainable community resources to Web site, http://www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/community/resources/default.aspx
Drafted in-house green purchasing and meeting policies and external green meeting policies for adoption in fiscal year 2010
Conducted in-house training programs to build internal knowledge capacity of green sustainable community practices
Selected the first pilot communities for the department’s newly created Urban Commercial Neighborhood program modeled after the Main Street Program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation to bolster revitalization of commercial neighborhoods in Iowa’s larger communities to maximize utilization of Iowa’s existing infrastructure and businesses
Launched the Web site, http://www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/community/neighborhood/default.aspx?id=1, for the newly created Iowa Neighborhood Resource Center to bolster IDED efforts in support of sustainable community practices and maximize utilization of Iowa’s people resources
Initiated two new CDBG funding activities to support downtown revitalization and sustainable community demonstration projects
Applied for and received a three-year matching grant from the USDA Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) program to build local capacity for Iowa’s rural, local Main Street program staff and volunteers, and Woodbine Municipal Light & Power (municipal utility in the Main Street community of Woodbine) to apply “green” sustainable community principles in concert with downtown revitalization.
With support from USDA RCDI funding, organized 3 trainings for Main Street communities about how to implement energy efficiency and infiltration-based stormwater management projects, and contracted with IBC Engineering, Inc., to conduct a feasibility study for a district geothermal heating and cooling / snow and ice melt system for the downtown Main Street district in West Union.

Community Services

The Community Services, CDBG water/sewer fund, received 68 applications requesting $21.1 million. Thirty-one projects were funded in the total amount of $10.8 million. Local funds in the amount of $29.5 million were leveraged.

An additional 15 water/sewer projects were funded with CDBG funds received under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Fifteen projects were funded in the total amount of $6.6 million. More than $23 million in local funds will be leveraged.

The CDBG Community Facilities and Services Fund provides grants to communities for a variety of projects and activities primarily benefiting low- and moderate-income persons including child care centers, community health centers, and facilities to serve mentally and physically challenged persons. Projects are required to incorporate Iowa’s state sustainable principles. Eighteen applications requesting $8.1 million were received. Four projects were funded in the total amount of $1.6 million. Local funds in the amount of $1.9 million were leveraged. Three of the projects funded were child care centers.

Under the imminent threat section of the contingency fund, $357,900 was awarded to the City of Crawfordsville in order to connect to a regional water system. The only city well collapsed leaving the city with no source of water.

Searchable Database

The Community Development Division administers funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. CDBG funding is used for a variety of programs targeting assistance to low- and moderate-income families and individuals. Project activities include water/sewer infrastructure, community facilities and services, day care centers, imminent threat assistance, disaster recovery assistance and more. The Community Development Division also combines HOME Partnership program funds and CDBG funds into the Iowa Housing Fund. View the Searchable Project Portfolio.