Uptown assessment identifies first steps of revitalization

Recommendations for improvements to Uptown Creston from the uptown assessment that was completed by the Iowa Economic Development Authority include beautification, sidewalk reconstruction, outdoor dining areas and alley improvements.

The walkability study commissioned by the Union County Development Association earlier this year recommended many of the same improvements.

The assessment goes further and makes proposals on how to accomplish these ideas. Mayor Gabe Carroll spoke of the goals the Creston City Council had when commissioning the study.

“Our goal with this was, one: to find things that were missing, that we didn’t have a group working towards right now and, two: kind of get everything solidified into an action plan ... so we can see what’s our timeline,” Carroll said. “Let’s get this project done first and everybody on board with this and then let’s get to the next one instead of everybody working their own direction.”

The first step is to form a task force, which the study recommends be headed by a group like the Union County Development Association, to ensure that all of the energies being directed into uptown are focused on the same goals. Carroll said some of the ideas presented in the assessment are already being done by various groups, but there’s no one overseeing it and coordinating with the city.

“There is no clear vision or plan for Uptown,” the assessment states. “Without this established plan or vision, attracting investment becomes much more challenging since an investor cannot be assured that the initial investment made will be supported by additional city investments or regular additional private sector investments.”

Wayne Pantini of the UCDA said, the assessment was city-led and the role of the UCDA would be as a partnering organization. He will be bringing the idea of leading the task force before the UCDA board.

The task force should also include business and building owners from uptown.

“It’s just trying to bring everybody who has any stake in this area and get them together,” Carroll said.

The assessment team recommended that the improvements focus on a small area first.

“The first two blocks of Maple going north from the Depot could be the initial target areas,” the report said. “This area definitely has the ‘feel’ of the core downtown area.”

Communication is key to success, the study said.

“Communication ... is a critical piece of downtown revitalization, especially in rural communities that depend on volunteer efforts to get things done,” the report stated.

Sharing relevant information on an email chain is a no-cost way to keep everyone informed. The study also pointed out the positive effect of “Taste of Union County” on networking and promoting uptown businesses. A community calendar could be created to inform residents of events happening uptown.

Small projects

Several small projects are listed in the report as “low hanging fruit” or ideas that can be quickly implemented to jump start revitalization.

Providing a directory of businesses would allow residents and visitors to know what is available uptown. Wayfinding signs placed in the area would help shoppers find those businesses.

Easy beautification projects such as weed and litter removal could be accomplished by service groups or business owners to make a “quick, low-cost visual impact.” The study recommends adding window displays in vacant buildings to promote existing businesses and upcoming events or show the potential for new businesses.

The study recommends helping business owners improve the walkability of uptown sidewalks by allowing payments to be spread across several years, grouping several businesses into one project to reduce the costs, and/or dedicating a portion of the Local Option Sales Tax to a sidewalk improvement program.

The installation of parklets in outdoor spaces was suggested by the walkability study and echoed by the uptown assessment.

“Outdoor dining adds energy and a visual sign of vibrancy to a downtown,” the study stated. “Outdoor dining can also generate additional income for restauranteurs and make a downtown feel safer.”

Alleyway improvements could facilitate the movement of pedestrians through uptown. The study suggests beginning with the alley north of Adams Street from Adams Street Espresso to Iowa Focus to help move people from the Fareway parking lot to Maple Street.

“Creston has several Uptown alleys that could be enhanced to improve the pedestrian experience, connect destinations, and create opportunities for outdoor dining and art,” the report said.

Community led

Not all of the ideas in the assessment will become reality. The choice of which projects would be most helpful to Creston will be at the discretion of the task force and the local business owners.

“These are all just ideas and they have to be tailored to our community,” Carroll said. “There’s some stuff in here that might not fit real well with what we want to see going forward.”

Carroll spoke to the objections that were voiced about parking and traffic flow after the walkability study was completed.

“Anything we do ... we need to do incrementally,” Carroll said. “The idea that one year we would decide to put in a whole bunch of greenspace ... and take up one lane is probably not realistic. But that doesn’t mean we can’t, for a weekend, set up cones in that driving lane and block out and put up some shaded areas and seating and let people see what that would conceptually look like.”

City council discussion

City council members discussed the assessment Tuesday at their regular meeting. Terry Freeman commented that some of the suggestions are already in place and asked what the rest of the council thought was needed from the study.

Brian Davis agreed with Freeman and said, “We could partner with some of the businesses ... and just get the word out. There are places uptown that a lot of people don’t know about. We could do something about that.”

Rich Madison spoke to the fact that there were no specific proposals in the report about ground floor apartments.

The report does mention several times that store front apartments are not a good idea, but it does not go into detail about how to abate the existing apartments.

Carroll said he has received emails from the assessors regarding those proposals that he will forward to the rest of the council.