Imagine Downtown!

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Imagine Downtown Vision Plan and Zoning Code Update

Click to see the boundaries of the district in new window Opens in new windowOn November 18, 2019, the Cedar Falls City Council adopted the Imagine Downtown Plan based on input gathered from the community at various planning workshops, interviews with business owners, neighborhood residents, developers, realtors, property owners, and other stakeholders interested in the future of the Downtown District and surrounding neighborhoods. The plan will be used to guide policy decisions and to create zoning tools that will help to realize the vision over time.

The Imagine Downtown Vision Plan provides a framework for future growth and development in the Cedar Falls Downtown District while also providing inspiration for the quality and character of that development.

Implementation 

On November 1, 2021, the Cedar Falls City Council adopted new zoning for the downtown study area. The new Downtown Character District Code is an important tool that will help implement the Imagine Downtown Vision Plan adopted in 2019. 

To see the boundaries of the district more clearly click on the map.

The new zoning regulations were first presented to the public during a special virtual Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on February 17, 2021. After extensive public outreach, the Planning and Zoning Commission carefully reviewed the draft at four special work sessions and considered requests from the public for amendments. The Planning and Zoning Commission held formal public hearings in April and in May they voted to forward their recommended draft of the Downtown Character District Code to the City Council. After consideration at a number of Work Sessions, Committee meetings, and public hearings, the City Council adopted the new zoning code on November 1, 2021 and rezoned all property within the Downtown study area to Downtown Character District (CD-DT). A new zoning map called a “Regulating Plan” was also approved.  The new Downtown Character District Zoning Code and Downtown Regulating Plan can be viewed and downloaded by clicking on the links below.  

View and download the Imagine Downtown Vision Plan materials. 

  1. Adopted Downtown Character District Code
  2. Adopted Downtown Character District Code-low res
  3. Adopted Downtown Vision Plan
  4. Downtown Character District Facade Review Application
  5. Downtown Regulating Plan
  6. Imagine Downtown Rendering
  7. Planning and Zoning Commission Recommended Zoning Code Draft (May 2021)

Stay updated on the progress by signing up email/text notifications at cedarfalls.com/notifyme. 

Contact Us

Questions about the Imagine Downtown Project? Contact Karen Howard, Planning & Community Services Manager at the City of Cedar Falls at (319) 268-5169 or karen.howard@cedarfalls.com.