Downtown master plan discussed at City council
The Marshalltown City Council discussed the Downtown Master Plan as part of the council meeting Monday night.
Michelle Spohnheimer, housing and community development director, explained the plan to the council as being a living document which is subject to change and that accepting the plan as it is now doesn’t mean that everything within the plan has to be accepted.
“I know that plans are not always agreed with 100% and that’s OK,” Spohnheimer said. “I think it’s really important to note that not everything in this plan has to be agreed upon by everybody and accepting the plan does not commit us to every single thing in this plan.”
Councilor Leon Lamar asked about when forms for the zoning changes and design standards included in the plan will be brought to the council to be voted upon. Spohnheimer said that the ordinance forms will not be finalized until the end of the year, but she is encouraging businesses to comply with these suggestions to keep the historic business district uniform.
Jenny Etter, executive director of the Marshalltown Central Business District, said that her group fully supports the plan and is impressed with the way community has been involved.
The decision to accept or deny the plan will be voted on at the next council meeting.
Parts of the master plan call for redeveloping the downtown area with a mix of renovated and new buildings with a variety of new public gathering and green spaces. These ideas include adding trees along Main Street, converting Church and Linn Streets from one-way to two-way streets, adding up to nine “pocket parks” and streamlining downtown parking options. A big push within the plan is to revitalize and coordinate the historic downtown district design by restoring the facades on historic buildings and setting standards that all current and future buildings within the district must abide by.
For more information, and to view the Downtown Marshalltown Draft Plan, visit (www.downtownmarshalltown.com).
The full plan will be available online soon, Spohnheimer said.
“This plan is not just a city plan, it is not up to the city to implement everything in this plan,” Spohnheimer said. “This is a community plan, and it is up to the community to help do this.”
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Contact Logan Metzger at 641-753-6611 or lmetzger@timesrepublican.com