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Downtown Assessments

Downtown Resource Center

Identifying Opportunities for Downtown Revitalization

Downtown Assessments

What are your downtown's strengths? Weaknesses? What can you do make it more attractive to customers? The Iowa Downtown Resource Center (IDRC) offers a variety of services to help communities identify these strengths, weaknesses and solutions.

Downtown Assessment Visit ($2,500)
IDRC staff and downtown professional consultants perform an intense, on-site study of your downtown, including a public presentation and 20+ page written report that can be used in your planning efforts. A two or three person team will tour the community and downtown, visit local businesses and interview stakeholders. The team provides an honest assessment of the downtown with short- and long- range recommendations specific to your downtown's challenges. Participating communities receive two free registrations to the next Iowa Downtown Conference.

Downtown Walk Around ($300)
This quick visit offers communities an honest first impression of your downtown. IDRC staff members and professional consultants spend a morning or afternoon in your downtown. IDRC staff take a short walking tour of your district with community leaders and walk the district on our own with stops in businesses. Strengths will be identified, and issues needing attention will be called out as part of the review. The tour will be followed by a brief meeting with community leaders and a two-page summary of the visit. "Downtown Walk Arounds” are designed for communities under 10,000 population. Participating communities receive one free registration to the next Iowa Downtown Conference.

Downtown Exchange
This is an excellent opportunity to find out how others envision your community. You are matched with another community, similar in size. Volunteers from each community make impromptu visits to your downtown and assess features such as cleanliness, entrances, signage, business mix, etc. Visits will be followed with a report of honest "first impressions" from and to each participating community.

Any community in Iowa can sign up to take part in any of the Downtown Assessment services.
Contact the Iowa Downtown Resource Center to learn more.
For more information, contact:

Jim Engle

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