The Waukee City Council this week approved the site plan for a commercial retail center proposed at 505 E. Hickman Road. Construction is expected to begin this fall with a summer 2023 completion. Rendering by Simonson & Associates Architects

A multitenant retail center is planned on a nearly 3-acre undeveloped parcel on the northwest corner of East Hickman Road and Northeast Westgate Drive in Waukee.

The Waukee Planning and Zoning Commission this week approved the site plan for the $8 million project being developed by Knapp Properties Inc.

The development site is less than one block west of a Hy-Vee grocery store and southeast of the Palms Theatres & Imax.

The one-story, 18,900-square-foot building has 12 spaces for tenants, including about 7,000 square feet for a restaurant. A drive-thru is planned on the west side of the building. The site will include 165 parking spaces.

Knapp Properties is working on lease agreements with five potential tenants, Chris Costa, the company’s CEO and president, told the Business Record.

“We’re extremely pleased with the level of leasing activity,” he wrote in a text message. “The Hickman corridor in Waukee continues to be very popular for retail.”

Construction of the center is expected to begin this fall and be completed by next summer.

Also this week, the commission:

•Approved a site plan for a restaurant project proposed at 185 W. Hickman Road. A 7,307-square-foot, one-story building constructed mostly of stone, glass and vertical siding is planned on the site. The building will be home to Guadalajara Restaurant. The restaurant will include a covered patio.
•Approved a site plan for a 40-foot-tall structure that will house U-Haul storage containers. The multistory storage facility will be located at 245 S.E. Alice’s Road, just south of U-Haul Moving & Storage of Waukee. The new facility will not be able to be accessed by the public, according to information provided to the commission. The new structure will be built mostly with precast concrete.

The City Council must approve the site plans before building permits are issued for the projects.