Growing Community

Green Streets

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 continues to build upon the strong foundation laid the previous two years by the Green Streets Initiative, to provide bold support in helping community sustainability efforts across Iowa in FY '10.

In FY '10, 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 to leverage more than $7 million of outside funding for the community’s $10.2 million transformative Green Downtown Project.
• Assisted Woodbine residents to develop the Woodbine Sustainable Community Master Plan and begin implementation of the plan.
• With support of USDA Rural Community Development Initiative funding, IDED implemented trainings for all rural Main Street programs eligible for USDA assistance. These included webinars, ICN and in-person trainings in Main Street communities. Sustainability for local Main Street districts was the emphasis, which meant integrating environmentally sustainable practices and also providing for long-term viability of the district and its businesses. Expert trainers provided examples and explained how to manage stormwater sustainably, utilize district geothermal for energy savings, make the district safer and more accessible for pedestrians and bicyclists, integrate public art, analyze life-cycle costs for infrastructure options, and fill vacant or underutilized downtown properties. USDA funding also assisted the IDED green pilot community initiatives in Main Street communities West Union and Woodbine through training on branding and marketing, and supporting development of a Sustainable Woodbine Master Plan.
• Contracted with Center on Sustainable Communities and partners to develop and deliver 125 sustainable community and green building training programs to 2,244 attendees across Iowa in fiscal year 2010 with an emphasis on rebuilding efforts in natural disaster impacted areas.
• Organized regular meetings of state government agencies and 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, Department of Education, Iowa Energy Center, Iowa Community College Trustees, One Source, Iowa Workforce Development, Iowa Utility Association, and Center on Sustainable Communities.
• Saw the completion of the first HOME and CDBG – funded housing and daycare projects following the department’s Iowa Green Streets Criteria, a set of green design and construction guidelines for building projects.
• Applied the Iowa Green Streets Criteria to CDBG Community Facilities, dozens of Main Street projects and hundreds of housing projects funded by HOME the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and HUD Disaster Recovery funding.
• Received an EPA Energy Star Regional Excellence Award and an Iowa Stormwater Conference Award for Excellence for the Iowa Green Streets Criteria.
• Published 12 issues of GreeNetwork, a monthly sustainable community practices resource newsletter
• Added extensive green sustainable community resources to website.
• Adopted an internal Sustainability Policy guiding the department’s everyday actions to be greener and more sustainable.
• Conducted in-house training programs to build internal knowledge capacity of green sustainable community practices.
• Funded the first projects using two new CDBG funding activities to support downtown revitalization and sustainable community demonstration projects. These initial projects will demonstrate the implementation of district geothermal heating and cooling in an existing downtown and utilization of Iowa’s first Façade Master Plan to rehabilitate dozens of Main Street building facades.
• Established a Smart Planning Grant Program to assist Iowa cities and counties in developing comprehensive plans that integrate the Iowa Smart Planning Principles, guide long-term disaster recovery efforts and identify implementation methods to reduce risk in flood-prone areas.

Community Development Block Grant

The CDBG water/sewer fund, received 79 applications requesting $26 million. Thirty-four projects were funded in the total amount of $11.8 million. Local funds in the amount of $52 million were 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. Twelve applications requesting $5.2 million were received. Four projects were funded in the total amount of $2.1 million. Local funds in the amount of $4.6 million were leveraged.

An additional seven projects received $2.3 million in CDBG funding for downtown revitalization efforts. These projects were primarily for implementing façade master plan improvements in the designated areas established by the communities.

Under the sustainable community demonstration section of the contingency fund, $500,000 was awarded to the City of West Union in order to assist in the construction of a district wide geothermal system to serve the downtown. This is one component of the complete streetscape project that includes the reconstruction of all of the infrastructure from building front to building front in the designated area. This project was funded under the national objective of aiding in the prevention or elimination of slum and blight.

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. View the Searchable Project Portfolio.