New Waukee school to sprout development; here’s who owns the land
KENT DARR May 17, 2016 | 7:58 pm [wp-word-count-reading-time after="min read time"][wp-word-count after="words"]All Latest News, Business Record Insider, Real Estate and Development
The city of Waukee will pay $39,000 an acre for 160 acres of land that will be part of a joint project with the Waukee Community School District.
The majority of the land will be used for the development of a second high school for the district, while the balance will used for a city-owned recreation complex. Under an intergovernmental agreement, the city is responsible for the purchase of the land and will share planning and development with the school district.
Waukee Development Director Brad Deets said that true to form with other school projects — when an elementary school is announced, the area is surrounded by new homes before the school gets completed — city officials are hearing from developers interested in putting more homes in the area, which is located west of 10th Street and north of Hickman Road.
The Edward J. Broderick Family Trust owns the majority of the land, while Norma Broderick owns a nearly 5-acre parcel and Joanna McCarthy owns 40 acres. The Waukee City Council approved a purchase agreement Monday to acquire the properties, including right of ways, Deets said.
Various members of the Broderick family are among several families who own large swaths of farmland in and around Waukee along or near Hickman Road. Some of the land is within the city’s borders and some will be annexed into the city.
Of the land planned for annexation, 80 acres is owned by a small school district in Oklahoma, which acquired the land via an estate. “The district is well aware that it owns some valuable development ground in Iowa,” Deets said.
The high school development includes land for the school building, parking, a track, four ball fields, practice fields and a pond. The high school is expected to open in 2021.
The city sports complex will include 12 softball/baseball fields and parking. One of those fields is being held as a potential field to serve individuals with disabilities, should the need and support be identified in Waukee, according to a release.
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