CyTown Suites, the next planned construction project in the CyTown development in Ames, will enhance the business community’s ability to showcase what the region has to offer, officials behind the project said.

Construction on the high-end suites is expected to begin next spring in the space between Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum as the mixed-use district continues to take shape.

Ryan McGuire, senior associate athletic director at Iowa State University, said CyTown Suites are being marketed to donors and corporations, who he believes will find the suites attractive when they come to Ames on business or for events happening in the area.

“CyTown Suites will provide the opportunity to give them a place to land when they’re doing business in Ames,” McGuire said.

CyTown Suites will include two five-story buildings. Each building will have 30 suites, each offering about 1,300 square feet of space with two or three bedrooms and a private balcony. They also will include a kitchenette and a washer and dryer.

They will be equipped with a fully stocked refrigerator, and a cleaning service will clean each unit. Both buildings will also have entertainment decks that overlook other amenities in the development.

“They’re designed to come and stay,” McGuire said. “Everything is handled for you.”

McGuire said the suites are not designed for long-term stays, but do allow for staying longer than just game days or individual events, and will fit in well with the concept of CyTown and what it will offer when completed.

“It’s not just come and go to the football or basketball games and then leave,” he said. “There’s things to do. There will be an amphitheater. There will be restaurants. There will be places to shop. There will be places to hang out.”

CyTown was first announced in 2019. McFarland Clinic was the first to announce plans to build on the site with construction of that building well underway.

In January, the Iowa Board of Regents approved a development agreement with Omaha-based Goldenrod Companies, the real estate company the university hired to build CyTown. Goldenrod is overseeing all construction in the development, except for McFarland Clinic, which is doing its own project.

The total cost of construction for CyTown is estimated between $175 million and $225 million. Revenue from the development will help the university continue the revitalization of the Iowa State Center, which includes renovations to Stephens Auditorium and the Scheman Building.

No set price has been attached specifically to the CyTown Suites development.

Each CyTown Suites building will be about 70,000 square feet with ground-floor retail and suites on the upper four floors.

McGuire said there have already been about 20 commitments for the suites.

He said ISU is looking for a 10-year agreement for CyTown Suites, with a $50,000 payment to the university and then a $450,000 gift.

“Essentially, it’s a $500,000 commitment up front and an ongoing operations and maintenance fee,” he said. “That’s going to be about $25,000 to $30,000 a year, so roughly $80,000 a year is the commitment between the philanthropic component and then the operations and maintenance fee.”

There are also opportunities for multiple companies or individuals to partner and share a suite.

CyTown Suites is scheduled to open in fall 2027. Much of the CyTown development is scheduled to be complete in 2027; a planned hotel isn’t slated for completion until 2028.

McGuire said the suites are a unique concept and something that “we’re not aware of that is happening at any other institution.”

“It’s either for a donor or a business that wants to have access 365 days a year,” he said.

Another possible use for CyTown Suites is talent recruitment for Central Iowa companies, McGuire said.

A company could bring in a recruit and house them at their suite during their stay, he said.

“We’re continuing to think about different ways that we can make this a really high-end experience for the people that are using them,” he said. “It’s a place to stay but there’s all this stuff you can access. It’s really trying to give people an opportunity to sample and be a part of everything that is happening here at ISU.”

Nick Joos, senior associate athletic director/communications, said CyTown Suites, and the CyTown development in general, is perfectly located to create synergy between the university, the city of Ames and the Central Iowa business community with its proximity to the Iowa State University Research Park and U.S. Highway 30 to the south.

He also said CyTown will generate revenue by converting the parking lots where it is being developed into commercial use that will help update the Iowa State Center and “preserve it for the next generation.”

“Our parking lots were really bad, so we’ve elevated our parking game and now we’re going to monetize the land and put the proceeds back into the Iowa State Center, and I think for our community that will be well received,” Joos said.

McGuire said CyTown Suites will complement business opportunities in the area and further add value to CyTown as an economic driver for the region.

“It’s obvious from a retail and office space perspective, and if you have interest in the Ames market, this is going to be the place to be,” he said. “There’s a lot of companies, not just statewide but nationwide, that are doing business in Ames. This is a place where it will be really attractive for businesses and their employees.”