Reimagining Lincoln neighborhood
Apartments, townhomes, roundabout and more proposed
A neighborhood just north of downtown Fort Dodge has the potential to become the home for people living in a mixture of apartments, townhomes and small houses, according to a plan presented to the City Council Monday.
In the area known as the Lincoln neighborhood, “residential is the main use needed,” according to Carissa Harvey, the city’s strategic planner.
“We want people to live in this neighborhood,” she said.
The Lincoln neighborhood is bordered by North Seventh Street on the west, Dakota Avenue to the north, Ninth Street to the east and First Avenue North to the south.
The North Ninth Street portion of the neighborhood was the target of an effort about 10 years ago to turn houses that had been divided up into apartments back into single family homes. Some new houses were also built along North Ninth Street at the time.
More recently, the city government has purchased and demolished a number of older houses along North Eighth Street between First Avenue North and the Corpus Christi Church property.
About a year ago, SHYFT Collective, of Des Moines, was hired to prepare a plan for that area.
That plan, made public Monday, calls for:
Two two-story apartment buildings, with 32 one-bedroom units in each. One would face North Seventh Street, the other would face North Eighth Street.
One five-story apartment building facing North Eighth Street.
Four townhome buildings with four units in each.
Six small houses, each measuring 950 to 1,200 square feet.
Additional townhouses would be built on the north end of the Corpus Christi property, depending on market demand and available land. An open green space is also envisioned in that area.
The plan also calls for changing the intersection of Eighth Street and Third Avenue North into a roundabout intersection. Traffic going east on the roundabout would connect to North Ninth Street. Traffic going west would connect to North Seventh Street.
Councilman Dave Flattery proposed expanding the scope of the project east to North 10th Street and north to Dakota Avenue. He also asked about the condition of the infrastructure — roads, water mains and sewers — in the neighborhood.
Harvey replied that the infrastructure is in “pretty poor condition.”
The council took no action on the plan Monday.