Ames Main Street presents 55‑page guiding vision to boost downtown housing, streets and connections to ISU

Ames Main Street and consultants from Bolton & Mink presented a 55‑page “Downtown Ames: A Guiding Vision for the Future” at a special Ames City Council workshop Feb. 18, outlining recommendations to add housing, retool streets as public spaces and improve connections between downtown and Iowa State University.

“My name is Travis Tolliver. I serve as the executive director for Ames Main Street,” said Travis Tolliver, who opened the presentation and called the document “a roadmap for the future of Downtown Ames.” Andrew Dresner of Bolton & Mink led the consultant presentation and described the plan’s four big ideas: complete the downtown neighborhood with more housing and overnight visitors, treat streets as flexible public space, improve downtown entrances and strengthen connections to ISU and entrepreneurship.

The consultants said the plan covers the area generally between Grand and Duff north of the railroad tracks and recommends targeted changes rather than wholesale demolition. Andrew Dresner told council members the plan identifies opportunities for what it characterizes as roughly 800 to 1,000 new housing units within downtown and “a modest amount” of additional commercial space, concentrated along…