DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) - Dubuque officials are launching an effort to revitalize a key commercial corridor in the hopes of making it more pedestrian friendly and lively.
City Economic Development Director Maurice Jones told the Telegraph Herald (https://bit.ly/2o76zVD ) that the city has partnered with Iowa State University Outreach and Extension to assist with design concepts for Central Avenue spanning eight blocks. Students also will identify business opportunities and assist with community engagement.
“We’re going to do a laser focus on the corridor,” Jones said, adding that officials will concentrate on infrastructure, streetscape and building facades and how to address some of the vacant storefronts.
Once work on a nearby freeway is finished in 2019, the corridor will see 600 fewer trucks per day, leaving an opportunity to change traffic patterns and make the area more pedestrian friendly, Jones said.
“The Central Avenue corridor connects Dubuque’s central downtown and Historic Millwork District to the city’s North End, and features a wide variety of historic buildings offering commercial and retail opportunities on the ground floor and residential spaces on upper floors,” he said.
Jones said the city will provide matching grants up to $10,000 for facade restoration of commercial buildings along the corridor and lend small amounts to help people start or grow businesses.
“This is an opportunity for that small entrepreneur that wants to come in and try something new,” he said. “It could be anything from pop-up shops, as well. We’re looking at trying to do a variety of things.”
The initiative coincides with a $10 million campaign by the Greater Dubuque Development Corp. to transform the city’s North End. The project places an emphasis on converting rental properties into single-family homes.
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Information from: Telegraph Herald, https://www.thonline.com
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