Greater Iowa City proposes strategic investment districts, plans charettes for Sycamore, Cherry Street and Fifth Street

Greater Iowa City Inc. presented a plan to create three strategic investment districts and outlined a private-sector-led charette process to design neighborhood-specific reinvestment strategies, presenters told the Iowa City Economic Development Committee. The groups highlighted Sycamore, Cherry Street in North Liberty and Fifth Street in Coralville as initial focus areas and said they will seek resident and business input before producing design books for each district.

The proposal, presented by Katie Gerlach and Nancy Bird of Greater Iowa City Inc., frames the districts as place-based economic-development efforts focused on retention, housing, walkability, childcare and locally led investment. "We are launching a charrette process to help design the strategic investment district plans," Katie Gerlach said. Nancy Bird emphasized that the work is intended to inform — not obligate — municipal action: "We have been very clear that we are not committing the city of Iowa City to adopt these plans, although it would be nice if at the end it was something that you all felt like would be adoptable."

Why it matters: presenters said the districts are intended to channel…