The Main Street Iowa program has chosen an area north of downtown Des Moines as one of its initial three Urban Neighborhood Districts in the state. The district, designated as the Sixth Avenue Corridor, extends from just south of the Mercy Medical Center campus north to the Des Moines River. The neighborhood has a number of brick structures with a mix of retail shops and nonprofit social services agencies, interspersed with aging bungalows in need of renovation. Other Urban Neighborhood Districts that were named are the Czech Village/New Bohemia area in Cedar Rapids and Hilltop Campus Village in Davenport.

The Iowa Department of Economic Development also announced that four other Iowa cities — Ames, Colfax, Fort Madison and Manning — have been chosen to participate in the traditional Main Street Iowa program. The addition of these new communities brings the total number of Main Street programs in the state to 47.

“Increasing the number of Main Street communities in Iowa is a top priority of the Culver/Judge administration,” Iowa Department of Economic Development Director Michael Tramontina said in a press release. “We are committed to doing all that we can to keep Iowa’s downtowns strong and vibrant for business owners, workers, residents and visitors.”

The downtown revitalization program provides participating communities with technical assistance and training; it does not make direct monetary awards of state funds. State officials estimate that the program has resulted in more than 1.6 million hours of volunteer time being spent by residents to improve their city centers, and millions of dollars in private investment to purchase, construct and rehabilitate downtown property.

The Urban Neighborhood District program will apply the principles and practices of Main Street Iowa to urban areas that have significant development and revitalization needs. The new program was piloted with the Beaverdale neighborhood in Des Moines, but this is the first time that urban districts have competed for the designation, said Jane Seaton, state coordinator for Main Street Iowa.

Each urban neighborhood will be assigned a consultant to work directly with businesses and homeowners, Seaton said. An initial meeting and public presentation for the Sixth Avenue Corridor is tentatively scheduled for June 16.