CONTRIBUTED PHOTO The scaffolding going up in front of the old Hopkins building on West Main Street is another sign of progress as redevelopment and demolition projects move forward across the downtown area in Marshalltown.

As the calendar turns to spring, big things are happening across downtown Marshalltown, and local officials are excited about the prospects for redevelopment as the four-year anniversary of the 2018 EF-3 tornado nears.

“Appearances matter. We can say we don’t judge by appearances, but we do,” Marshalltown Central Business District (MCBD) Director Deb Millizer said. “So being able to start tackling some of those buildings that were devastated from tornado or derecho and maybe needed some updating, I’m pretty excited about that. It’s going to be huge for the downtown.”

The city has been working with contractors to ensure that more dilapidated buildings are demolished, and several of those projects are currently moving forward. In addition, county officials have recently reported steady progress on the courthouse, and earlier this week, work also started on the redevelopment of the Willard’s and Hopkins buildings on West Main Street as scaffolding went up in the front of the Hopkins building.

Joe and Janelle Carter are the owners of the properties, which received a total of $650,000 in grants from the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and Main Street Iowa in October, and they plan to create a total of 14 upper story housing units. Because of the grants involved, Janelle said the project requires an increased level of communication with state agencies.

“We’re just really trying to figure it out. It’s being analyzed at this point because it kind of has to go back together like a puzzle,” Janelle Carter said. “There’s a lot of hoops. You take one brick down and go ‘Oh, what’s that behind there?'”

Those who travel through the downtown area may notice construction equipment and some slight delays in the coming weeks and months, Millizer said, but it’s all part of the process and will most certainly pay off in the end.

“It’s just a catalyst for lots of great things and just a piece of what’s coming,” she said.

Mayor Joel Greer has communicated with mayors in other Iowa cities hit by natural disasters like Cedar Rapids and Parkersburg, and they told him that the five-year anniversary is generally a major “turning point” in the process. Greer expressed excitement about a host of recent developments including the near completion of the new south side UnityPoint hospital, the courthouse progress and movement on the downtown buildings.

“I think those sorts of things are going to spur other investments and other developments, so those we may not see in the next two months but I think we’re going to be able to see things start to snowball,” Greer said. “I shouldn’t use that term in April when we’re having a little snow, but I really do think that’s going to happen.”

City Administrator Jessica Kinser said the removal of hazardous material from properties at 102 W. Main St. and 15 S. First St. should start next week when workers from Lansing Brothers Construction arrive. The city also recently put out demolition bids for 101 W. Main St., and the plan is to award a contract at the May 9 council meeting. Kinser hopes to move forward on 10 and 12 W. Main St. within the next month or so, and she aims to have 24 N. First Ave. demolished before the end of September.

“I would say there’s a good mix of development and demolition,” Kinser said. “I like to say that it’s been three years of planning to finally get to the point of implementation.”

Another key piece of the puzzle going forward will be community engagement sessions to get a better grasp on what kind of businesses should go in the new buildings, and Kinser said she has already heard the call for more retail space. City Housing and Community Development Director Michelle Spohnheimer said the sessions could begin as early as June.

“I hope that we get something built up to add to our tax base, whether it be retail or dining or housing or something creative that we’re not thinking of,” Spohnheimer said. “There’s a lot of opportunities for us on these two corners, and they’re significant corners for us. So I hope people will get creative.”

While Kinser remains highly optimistic about what the future will look like in downtown Marshalltown, she’s also doing her best to stay realistic.

“I think the hard part is setting expectations. I don’t think we’ve done the best we could do in terms of setting expectations with downtown building demolition, and that’s a lot of what I’ve heard from people,” Kinser said. “I totally own that. I agree. It’s been a rough go where we don’t always know when and where things are going to happen and how they can happen. So we just want to make sure the community does understand that it could be years that these corners might sit vacant, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t opportunity out there. It just might not be right now.”

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com