Preparation — Main Street Iowa
Developing the Game Plan
Main Street is a comprehensive approach to commercial district revitalization. It is imperative
that a community fully understands the program and its requirements prior to application.
Experience has shown that communities typically take between one and two years to
learn about the Main Street Iowa program and its processes before they are ready
to commit to the necessary funding. The following four-step process is suggested
for a community considering application.
- Request program materials from Main Street Iowa.
- The organizing group calls a town meeting to inform local residents about the Main
Street program. Invite a representative from a Main Street community to speak to
the group about their local program.
Reach consensus about whether or not to proceed.
Form a core group to conduct a thorough investigation of the program.
The group should travel to three or four Main Street towns of similar size to experience
local programs.
Following the community visits, a second meeting is held. Invite all who attended
the first meeting and any other interested groups and individuals to hear the group's
results. This will build consensus on whether to proceed to the application stage.
Main Street Iowa representatives may be invited to speak at this meeting.
Begin a media campaign to inform the community about the program and the results
of the core group's findings.
- Consensus has been reached. The decision to proceed should be supported by local
government, development groups, commercial district building and business owners, industry,
service groups, etc. Their support must be both financial and philosophical.
Continue the media campaign to keep the local citizenry informed of progress.
- Contact Main Street Iowa about the next application cycle. Applications are usually
sought annually, but cycles are dependent on state funding.
Completed applications are accepted and reviewed by the Main Street Iowa Advisory
Council or Main Street Iowa Urban Advisory Council, which makes selection recommendations
to the Director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development. The two councils are broad
based, have extensive Main Street experience, and include representatives from both the
public and private sectors.
New programs are announced and begin the start-up phase.
Application information may be requested by contacting:
Main Street Iowa
Iowa Downtown Resource Center
Iowa Department of Economic Development
200 East Grand Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
USA
phone: 515.725.3056
fax: 515.725.3010
mainstreet@iowa.gov