Highway 14 Corridor Study
Location
City of Marshalltown, Iowa
Overview
“Bolton & Menk used steering committee input to have the first public discussion of the corridor. The public input sessions also provided much-needed information to the residents about the nature of the project.”
– Stephen Valbracht, Marshalltown Plan and Zoning Commission
Solutions
Sectors
As a transportation backbone bisecting the community, the Highway 14 corridor is crucial to the success of many local businesses and to the people who depend on it for daily travel. The quality and functionality of the corridor has declined over time. The Highway 14 Corridor Study is the pivotal first step for the City of Marshalltown to improve public safety, enhance community pride, and better the economic and social vitality of the corridor.
Study areas were identified following extensive outreach and community discussions with more than 800 participants. Areas included properties forecasted to turn over or become vacant and sites that presented the greatest safety concerns, blight, or incompatible land uses. Illustrations of various redevelopment scenarios demonstrated potential land use changes, incorporation of a more active streetscape, and opportunities made possible by a four- to three-lane road diet. Study outcomes outlined the potential for reinvigorating impoverished neighborhoods and improving vehicular and pedestrian safety while creating a beautified and user-friendly streetscape corridor.
This corridor was impacted by a devastating tornado in 2018, making the recommendations in this study increasingly relevant. Bolton & Menk is currently under contract to develop a new mixed-use zoning district for this corridor, along with preparing appropriate zoning map amendments for adoption.
Awards
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Iowa Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architecture – 2019 Honor Award
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Central States American Society of Landscape Architecture – 2019 Merit Award