STORIES

On September 18th, EDA announced that the NewBo City Market was awarded a grant for a renovation to support small businesses. The EDA...

The City of Center Point recently had the honor of welcoming the Iowa EDA to celebrate the completion of a 42 unit housing development....

Businesses in Marion and Iowa City have recently utilized Revolving Loan Funds (RLF) administered by ECICOG to expand and enhance their operations. In Marion, Iowa Kids Pediatric Dentistry (pictured) utilized $50,000 from the ECICOG and Marion RLF programs to open a new clinic along 6th Avenue in Marion. In Iowa City, Colonial Bowling Alley secured $260,000 from the ECICOG RLF to expand food and arcade options at their facility, which is currently under construction. In addit

The City of Mount Vernon recently adopted a zoning amendment ordinance prepared by ECICOG that added accessory dwelling units (ADU) as a...

A group of regional leaders convened on November 20th and 21st to learn the Strategic Doing method of group facilitation. Strategic Doing...

ECICOG is honored to have been awarded a 2024 NADO ALICEANN WOHLBRUCK IMPACT AWARD for work completed by our staff lead Deanna Robinson on a Housing Needs Assessment for 14 cities within Linn County, excluding the metro area, and an Equity Analysis for Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Hiawatha. These first of their kind assessments, revealed that despite relatively low housing costs, affordability remains a challenge for many households, driven by factors unique to each rural commu

ECICOG successfully obtained an Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant to accelerate work related to Envision East Central Iowa, the region’s comprehensive economic development strategy. The goal of the grant is to create a shared problem-solving framework (Strategic Doing) and to advance the work of the Envision East Central Iowa action teams by assisting with team development, meeting facilitation and accountability structures. The grant leveraged matching funds fr

The City of Belle Plaine was recently awarded $390,000 in CDBG Disaster Recovery funding to rehabilitate the upper story of the historic King Theater building in downtown Belle Plaine. The City and the developer, Homeplace Ventures, Inc, intend to preserve as much of the building’s historic character as possible, while updating the upper story to make it decent, safe, and sustainable housing for the community. The project will result in 4 newly remodeled rental units for inco

Hiawatha was recently awarded a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to fund the second phase of a water main replacement project. The city also received CDBG funding for the first phase, which is currently under construction and involves replacing aging water mains along Robins Road and Pirie Drive. ECICOG assisted the city by writing both of the CDBG applications. Phase two of the project includes replacing undersized 4-inch water mains with 8-inch water mains

Since its launch in 2018 the 380Express bus service between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City has seen continued growth in ridership. The service has proven to be an affordable, convenient, and reliable option for commuters on both end of the Corridor, as well as students traveling to and from both the University of Iowa and Kirkwood. Daily ridership has surpassed 420 riders per day in 2024, which demonstrates the popularity of the service. Funding from the DOT to continue operating

Linn County and the City of Ely recently completed an update to their existing fringe area agreement, which guides development that occurs in unincorporated Linn County and within two miles of Ely. The County partnered with ECICOG to coordinate the planning process and draft the update to the agreement. Working with County and City staff, the partners adjusted the boundaries of the area within the County best suited for city development in the next ten years and reduced the t

ECICOG is announcing the opportunity for local governments to apply for regional Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) and Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) funds. The STBG program is intended to aid jurisdictions with funding for any road or bridge projects on the federal-aid system. During this application cycle, the four-year targets for each county range from approximately $140,000 to $2.4 million. The TAP program is intended for construction, planning and/or

Join the Iowa Rural Development Council in Perry on October 29-30, 2024 for the 5th Annual Leadership Exchange event! The Annual Iowa...

Each year the Iowa Finance Authority recognizes someone who goes above and beyond to improve the lives of those around them and in their...

The City of North Liberty was recently awarded a $100,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-CV) on behalf of the North Liberty...

Is your community looking to highlight its hometown spirit and people that make it a great place to live? Do you want to showcase your unique community events and spaces that welcome visitors? Through the Iowans Create Community Mural Contest, the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) invites cities, municipalities and economic development organizations to submit short videos showcasing their community spirit and authentic sense of place. If voters like what they see

Homes for Iowa is a program that helps communities with affordable housing by providing quality-built houses that have been assembled by Iowa Prison Industries. Vinton recently had the first of several Homes For Iowa homes delivered and built in their Anderson Creek subdivision. There are different home designs to choose from, with 3 bedroom ($95,000) and 2 bedroom ($80,000) models available. Homes are built by Iowa Prison Industries at a facility in Newton and then delivered

ECICOG was recently engaged by Linn County to coordinate the Linn County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan update. The purpose of the plan is to identify how a community can minimize the negative impacts of hazards, and it must be updated every five years. Having a FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plan maintains eligibility to apply for FEMA hazard mitigation assistance programs. So far ECICOG has conducted 18 meetings with cities and school districts with a goal

Do you know of any ‘problem’ properties in your area? These could include abandoned downtown buildings, former industrial or commercial sites, warehouses, or closed gas stations. ECICOG will be seeking potential Brownfields properties in our region to apply for a US EPA Brownfields Assessment grant. Brownfields are properties that may be challenging to redevelop due to the potential presence of hazardous materials (such as asbestos and lead-based paint) or other environment

On July 9, the City of Oxford held a public hearing for the adoption of their updated comprehensive plan. The City and ECICOG worked together for the past year to conduct a planning process which included a significant public input effort. The plan provides the City with approximately 60 objectives to support 22 community goals. The future land use map was also updated to align with future development needs and the fringe area agreement between the City and Johnson County. Th

How aligned is your City Council? Reaching an agreement on common goals helps city government run smoothly and provides clear direction to staff regarding council priorities. This spring, ECICOG facilitated council goal-setting sessions for the City of North Liberty. While ECICOG was a new facilitation partner, North Liberty has a long history of making sure everyone is on the same page with biennial goals. The goal setting process involved workshops with the city council