Reimagine Marshalltown

Join our January Design Charette!

Join your neighbors on January 6th and 8th for a hands-on Design Charette to plan the future of Marshalltown! Learn more below.

About the Project

The City of Marshalltown is updating its Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan is an important tool that provides guidance to community leaders and decision-makers for sound and efficient community growth and public investment.

A Comprehensive Plan establishes a vision for the City and helps guide policies, priorities, and the City’s capital improvement budget. Common elements addressed in a Comprehensive Plan include:

Housing (this process includes a detailed Housing Study to help meet future housing needs in Marshalltown)
Infrastructure & Public Facilities
Transportation & Mobility
Parks & Open Spaces
Land Use & Development
Economic Development
Social & Civic Health

Your input is needed! Resident and stakeholder involvement is the cornerstone of Reimagine Marshalltown. A successful plan is developed not just with the elected and appointed officials of the city who adopt it, but with the entire community who will help draft it and want to see it followed and maintained.

Scroll through this webpage for ways to be involved in the process to ensure a bright future for all in Marshalltown!

Get Involved

January Design Charette

Join us on January 6th and 8th for a hands-on Design Charette to plan the future of Marshalltown. This interactive event gives residents the chance to collaborate with planners and designers in real time to shape the future of Marshalltown. Participants will help sketch ideas for land use and design in key areas, including the former hospital site, key corridors like Iowa Avenue, and more.

Your input will directly influence the vision for Marshalltown's future. Whether you have big ideas or just want to learn more, your perspective is essential.

Event Details:

Date/Time: Tuesday, January 6^th from 5:00 – 6:30PM and Thursday, January 8^th from 12:00 – 1:00PM
Location: Veterans Memorial Coliseum (20 W State St, Marshalltown)

Residents are welcome to stop by anytime during the event. Can't make it? Take one of our surveys and spread the word by downloading the event flyer in the document library below.

Your voice matters - let's design together!

We want to hear from you!

Help us understand housing needs in Marshalltown by taking the survey today.

For residents:

Community Housing Survey

For landlords and housing providers:

Landlord & Housing Provider Survey

Timeline

Timeline item 1 - active

Fall 2025
Kick-Off, Mobilize, and Launch
- Steering Committee Kick-Off Meeting
- Community Tours
- Website Launch
- Listening Sessions
- Community Roundtable
- Data Gathering
Timeline item 2 - incomplete

Winter 2025
Learn, Discover, and Design
- Design Workshop
- Data & Input Analysis
- Land Use & Population Forecasts
Timeline item 3 - incomplete

Spring 2026
Define and Refine
- Draft Land Use Plan
- Focus Area Concepts
- Design Refinement
- Planning Elements
Timeline item 4 - incomplete

Summer 2026
Implement & Celebrate
- Draft Plan Comments
- Community Open House
- Public and Staff Review
- Plan Adoption

Plan Updates - Fall 2025

In October, the planning team connected with residents, students, organizations, and community leaders to gather input for the Reimagine Marshalltown Plan. These conversations are helping shape priorities and opportunities for Marshalltown’s future.

Listening Sessions (October 13–15)

Over three days, the planning team hosted a series of focused listening sessions with:

Builders, developers, and lenders
Major employers
Faith-based organizations
Community organizations and service providers
Middle school, intermediate, and high school students
Small business owners
City and County department leaders
Realtors, landlords, and property managers
Arts and culture organizations
Young professionals and renters

These discussions provided a broad range of perspectives on housing, transportation, community identity, economic vitality, and public services.

Students Session – October 14, 2025

The planning team met with Marshalltown elementary, intermediate and high school students to gather youth perspectives on community needs and opportunities.

Community Roundtable – October 14, 2025

Residents were invited to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum to learn about the planning process and share their ideas. Community input centered on housing quality, neighborhood improvements, transportation safety, parks and recreation, and downtown vibrancy.

Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Updates

Kickoff Meeting – September 23, 2025

The Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee held its first meeting on September 23. The session introduced the project team, reviewed the purpose of the Comprehensive Plan, and outlined the committee’s role in guiding the process. Members discussed what “success” should look like for Marshalltown and identified early priorities such as community identity, housing, economic growth, and environmental sustainability. The meeting also covered the overall timeline, engagement approach, and major elements that will shape the plan.

Meeting #2 – October 14, 2025

The second committee meeting took place on October 14 as part of the broader week of community listening sessions and engagement activities. The planning team provided an update on the project schedule and shared what they had been hearing from residents, students, businesses, and community groups during the October outreach events. Committee members participated in a goals exercise to help refine the major focus areas of the plan, including land use, mobility, housing, parks and greenways, downtown, infrastructure, and arts and culture.

Housing Steering Committee Update

Housing Steering Committee Orientation – November 12, 2025

The Housing Steering Committee met on November 12, 2025, to kick off the Housing Study. Members reviewed the study’s goals, their role in the process, and early themes such as housing gaps, affordability challenges, tight rental conditions, and barriers to new development.

What’s Next

Feedback from these sessions is now being incorporated into draft goals, strategies, and early concepts for the Comprehensive Plan. Updated materials and presentations will be added to the Document Library as they become available.

Accessing Meeting Materials

Presentations and summaries from recent engagement events are available in the Document Library below.

Document Library

Missed a meeting? Download past presentations to stay up to date.