Warren Downtown Planning Study, Warren, Minnesota

YHR was asked to provide assistance in the development of a downtown development program in support of another consultant specializing in assistance to flood ravaged communities.  Warren's small historic downtown was inundated in the spring flood of 1997 that struck many Red River Valley communities, with water in every basement in town and nearly every main level.  The program developed used federal and state funds applied in two categories, one to remedy technical deficiencies in flooded structures to a maximum cost of $35,000 and a second for approved aesthetic improvements aimed primarily at historic restoration of building exteriors, to a maximum of $25,000.  Once the program was implemented, YHR provided design assistance to applicants to guide their renovation and image improvements in an integrated context of historic preservation and an overall community image.