Growing Community

Downtown Resource Center/Main Street Iowa

The Iowa Downtown Resource Center is where Main Street Iowa, the Department's highly successful downtown and traditional commercial district revitalization program is housed. These downtowns and commercial districts serve as Iowa’s living models of the sustainable community concepts being embraced throughout the country. Some of the sustainability concepts brought to life in these districts include pedestrian friendly, compact development, historic preservation, diversity in housing, mixed land uses, community collaboration, and strong local economies.

FY 2010 Accomplishments:

• Awarded the bid to host the 2011 National Main Streets Conference, which will bring a national audience of approximately 1,500 downtown revitalization professionals to Des Moines in May, 2011.
• Provided training, on-site technical assistance, presentations and information to representatives from approximately 200 Iowa communities
• Made presentations to approximately 2,500 Iowans at community meetings
• Provided continuing on-site technical assistance and support to flood damaged Main Street Iowa districts
• In collaboration with a USDA Rural Development grant, held ten “Filling Vacancies” business assistance workshops in Main Street districts to aid in supporting business development efforts.
• In collaboration with USDA Rural Development grant, held “Greening Your District” and “Complete Streets” workshops in over 30 Main Street districts.
• In collaboration with CDBG, approved Downtown Revitalization and Community Sustainability grants for projects in 7 Main Street districts which will leverage “sustainable” streetscape improvements in a couple Main Street districts and façade improvements to over 150 Main Street buildings.
• In collaboration with Preservation Iowa, local Main Street district Bankers, Iowa Foundation for Community Vitality and Microenterprise, and National Trust for Historic Preservation, created the nation’s first ever Main Street Development Loan Fund to assist start-up or expanding Main Street businesses.
• Provided market analysis follow-up assistance for 15 Main Street districts.
• Attracted over 230 people from approximately 85 Iowa communities to the 2009 Iowa Downtown Summit held in Ames.
• Awarded Main Street Challenge grants totaling $822,000 to 14 renovation projects in Main Street Iowa districts which will leverage $10.4 million in private sector investments. To date, 69 Main Street Challenge grants have been awarded for rehabilitation projects in 33 different Main Street districts.
• Held Main Street Awards celebrating the best in Main Street district revitalization. Approximately 433 Iowans attended to recognize award recipients
• Participated in technical assistance services for IDED’s two pilot green demonstration communities of West Union and Woodbine
• Conducted intensive downtown assessment visits in Emmetsburg, McGregor & Marquette.
• Conducted two ICN and two webinar training sessions for Main Street Iowa communities with total attendance exceeding 275 people
• Provided conceptual drawings for 225 potential building projects in Main Street districts.
• Provided over 200 on-site technical assistance visits to Main Street Iowa districts on design, real estate development, business improvement, market analysis, window displays, promotion & marketing, branding, interior design, minority outreach, fund raising, board training, workplan development, promotions, and visioning

Main Street Iowa Economic Impact FY 2010

Private sector dollars invested into MSI downtown buildings	$121,633,597
Building rehabilitation projects	490
Building purchases	126
Net gain of new & expanded businesses in MSI downtowns	173 businesses
Net gain of full time jobs in MSI downtown businesses	1,375 jobs
Volunteer hours invested into MSI organizations	158,231 hours
Value of volunteer hours (@$16.69 per hour)	$2,640,875
Leverage Ratio of state appropriation to private investment	$143.06 to $1
Leverage Ratio FY 1986 through FY 2010	$79.18 to $1

Additional Information:

• Iowa leads the nation with a 50 percent retention rate of Main Street communities who have participated for nineteen or more years. National average is 10 percent.
• Iowa leads the nation in Great American Main Street Award winning communities with seven: Dubuque (1995), Bonaparte (1996), Corning (1998), Keokuk (2000), Elkader (2001), Cedar Falls (2002), Burlington (2004)
• Iowa leads the nation with 31 Nationally Certified Main Street Managers (CMSM) having been so designated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation
• Iowa leads the nation with the largest number of communities with populations under 5,000 participating in the Rural Main Street program, 26, ranging in size from Bonaparte, population 458 to Osceola, population 4,659
• Iowa is the only state in the nation to have received seven HUD Grants totaling $4.9 million to support IDED’s Main Street Iowa program. These grants leveraged an additional $35 million investment into sixty-nine Main Street district building projects.
• Since FY 1986, Main Street Iowa districts have experienced a net gain of 3,388 businesses employing 10,517 Iowans full time.
• Since FY 1986, private sector investment into buildings in Main Street districts has totaled $971 million.
• The State of Iowa has seen a $79 return in private sector investment for every public dollar expended to operate the state Main Street program since its inception in FY 1986.
• Almost 1.9 million volunteer hours have been invested in Main Street Iowa communities since 1990.
• Main Street Iowa districts have experienced 8,001 building improvement projects since 1986.

Main Street Challenge Grants

Main Street Iowa Challenge Grants utilize funding provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Neighborhood Initiative (NI) account for special projects. All Iowa Main Street districts are eligible for the Main Street Challenge Grant funds. The Main Street organization may apply on behalf of one project/property. Eligible projects include building rehabilitations, facade improvements, new construction to infill vacant property, open air performance structures and improvements to a series of properties. View the Searchable Project Portfolio.