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Goal Five - Plan for balanced growth that integrates all elements of the community
Objective: Develop an aggressive and creative strategy / master plan to capitalize on local resources and maintain small town character.
Strategy One: Identify existing conditions and projected needs of the community. Develop a program that recognizes current and future needs of the City, the Schools, Transportation, Housing and Commerce.
Beautification
Sustain
- Simpson Campus Day
- Chamber Beautification Award Program
- Well Maintained streets and public properties
- Programs to encourage attractive homes and businesses
Attain
- Chamber should involve, educate and provide incentives for entire community
- Ensure subdivision regulations require developers set aside land suitable for a neighborhood park.
- Ensure city develops and maintains vacant undeveloped lots that were originally designated for parks when the development was approved
- Encourage bike and walking paths
- Get youth involved (those who hang out on the square also)
Economic Development
Sustain
- Continue Indianola Development Corporation
- Continue partnering with Warren County Economic Development and Warren County Supervisors
Attain
- Consider adding a professional associate for the Chamber/IDC office who will assist with active recruitment of new businesses and environmentally friendly industries
- Network with companies in Des Moines who might consider a satellite location
- Improve tourism opportunities for value added dollars to city
- Establish a city foundation for gift/will opportunities
- Engage community to help develop a more responsive city and county government
- Treat those who show interest in growing in our community with positive, encouraging and helpful communication and develop user friendly forms
Marketing the Community
Sustain
- Continue with Des Moines Chamber Alliance membership
- Send representatives to Washington DC with Des Moines group
- Maintain Chamber of Commerce Office
- Support local media
- Continue signage improvements on highways
- Continue Commerce magazine and Intro promotions
Attain
- Be more proactive; use TV; go outside our local area
- Send representatives to trade shows
- Send ambassadors to other communities to work together and help promote each
other.
- Use a percentage of hotel/motel tax to market the city
Support for local business
Sustain
- Continue activities on the square to get people downtown
- Keep buildings occupied
- Maintain current mix of businesses
- Maintain architecture
Attain
- Work with local media
- Improved business mix
Action Steps:
Form a broad-based group to prepare a questionnaire that would ask what kinds of stores and services are wanted; distribute the questionnaire and tally results
- Store hours more compatible with 2 wage earners schedules
- Promote customer service
- Cause downtown to be alive with people
- Office building (3-4 stories)
- Multifamily (3-4 stories)
- Pedestrian friendly
Housing
Sustain
- Maintain green space
- Keep developments attractive and neat
- Continue tax abatement
Attain
- Establish a consistent, enforceable and uniform building code
- Provide affordable housing
- Have a mix of size, shape and price to permit people at all ages to stay in their neighborhood
- Promote infill housing
- Have tenant do some of the maintenance work
- Encourage energy efficient building codes
- Use foreclosed properties for affordable housing rather than reselling
Education
Sustain
- Fiscal responsibility
- Focus on student achievement
- Facility maintenance
- Parent/community involvement
- Safe Schools
- Curriculum development cycle
- Support technology
- High expectations
- Assessment
Attain
- Broaden tax base
- Increase instructional funding
- Expand early childhood education programs including all day/everyday kindergarten
- Increase infrastructure funding
- Long range facilities plan
- Expand technology to support the curriculum
Strategy Two: Define Indianola. Determine "what do we want to be."
The City of Indianola should strive to be a livable cutting edge residential and business community while retaining its small town traditions and charm to preserve its identity in an effort to provide a high quality of life for all of its current and future residents.
Strategy Three: Review current zoning and subdivision regulations; ascertain whether they meet the goals of the community. Amend and update subdivision regulations and zoning ordinances as necessary.
Strategy Four: Prepare a Comprehensive Plan that is relevant to the Strategic Plan.
Action Steps:
- Plan for future growth in Indianola, both in population and square miles.
- Determine reasonable City boundaries and be aggressive and consistent with annexation plans.
Objective: Seek out and develop partnering opportunities
Strategy One: Identify opportunities for partnering and outline the benefits of community partnerships.
Action Steps:
- Meet with Simpson College leaders and establish mechanism for community partnerships.
- Meet with representatives of Warren County government and develop productive working relationships with their Agencies
- Establish cooperative efforts with the schools, libraries, recreation, elderly care, transportation, and utilities.
- Meet with representatives of the corporate sector and identify the opportunities for Community / Business partnerships.
- Meet with representatives of state and national organizations and agencies. Seek to establish joint partnerships in areas of mutual interest including health care, elderly care, education, recreation, and funding opportunities.
All would agree that new businesses and industry are needed for additional tax base and additional local employment. Balanced growth should be controlled by zoning ordinances and by addressing the indicators of a livable community.
Balanced or smart growth is the desire of this community. Because balanced growth must address so many indicators, it is recommended by this committee that the city employ a professional city planner for a predetermined length of time to develop a master plan for future growth.
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