Civil and Municipal - Jan 2024

we have developers that have expressed interest in doing that,” Gaul portrays. “Through our planning process, we found that there are at least 4,200 people on a daily basis driving into Le Mars to work.And we don’t have 25 housing units available for sale or rent right now. So, our thought is, if we get scale in housing, we can continue to attract those workers that are already coming here and provide opportunities for new workers as the industry continues to create jobs.” DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Le Mars is dedicated to the revitalization of its downtown area, adopting a community development plan known as Vision 2045, and aspiring to create a lively hub for tourism. “Downtown development with upper-story housing is a big key to that. We’ve had a local developer invest heavily in a number of our downtown buildings to renovate them, and to create some upper-story housing where people want to live,” remarks Gaul. “Tourism is also a big portion of that because we have the Wells Ice Cream Parlor and Visitor Center. That is one of the top tourist attractions in the state of Iowa. It brings in excess of 350,000 people to our community on an annual basis.” The vision includes providing visitors with distinctive shopping experiences, and entertainment at Browns Century Theater, along with a diverse calendar of events, including the renowned Ice Cream Days, the Plymouth County Fair, Hometown Christmas celebrations, and vibrant parades. “What we’re going to do with our downtown is try to create that destination where not only can you go to the unique niche shops, but where folks can come and enjoy the tourism experiences and then have opportunities to dine, shop, and just spend time downtown,” he portrays. PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION Recognizing the importance of small businesses, Le Mars supports its entrepreneurs in collaboration with Plymouth County and the neighboring counties of 197 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 5, ISSUE 01 LE MARS , IA