A couple of announcements in recent weeks out of Urbandale had me looking for notes from a late spring meeting with a crew of city development and planning officials.

On Sept. 1, the Federal Highway Administration announced its official declaration that three new interchange projects were justified — the document is called an Interchange Justification Report. One report generated lots of excitement, over road building, yes, but more importantly over the fact that those roads would lead to development opportunities.

On Sept. 8, Homemakers Furniture announced the completion of the $10.6 million warehouse addition to its store at 10215 Douglas Ave. This is the project that included an inspired piece of problem-solving by erecting a conveyor over railroad tracks that run between Homemakers properties.

Road building, commercial development and residential development all came up for conversation this spring when City Manager A.J. Johnson, Community Development Director Steve Franklin, Economic Development Director Curtis Brown, Engineering and Public Works Director Dave McKay, economic development specialist Katie Gieszler and intern Ryan Siedenburg took me on a 90-minute virtual tour of the city.

Urbandale has rolled out more than $20 million in infrastructure projects to prepare for a future that, after the release of the federal report, includes an interchange at 100th Street, a half-diamond interchange nearby at Meredith Drive and improvements at the interchange of Iowa Highway 141 and Interstate 35/80.

The 100th Street project alone could fall in the category of game changer — there are many of those around Greater Des Moines these days — leading to the question of just how many development games one metropolitan area can support. That’s another story.

Back to the bridge project. It eases travel to more than 700 acres of development land. Some of that will support residential growth. A significant piece of property, the 62-acre Frampton Farms land that was bought last year by R&R Realty, already is zoned for light industrial and business park uses. The city is footing the approximately $22 million bill for the bridge, the ramps and additional improvements to 100th.

State and federal highway funds will pay for a half-diamond interchange at Meredith and what is called a flyover interchange to safely route traffic at I-35/80 and Highway 141.

Roads always lead to the future and, like many Greater Des Moines communities, Urbandale officials are trying to look it square in the eye.

For example, what does the future hold for the city’s senior citizens? Can they retire and stay in town? The city would like to develop more senior living communities. Developers say they would like to do the same. The question becomes where those projects would land. Many of the city’s current infrastructure projects are in the northwest in areas that are sprouting residential developments that sport price tags well above $350,000 for single-family homes. Developers tend to focus on those projects.

“It gets to a point where are we interested, but where is the land?” Johnson said. Additionally, the majority of the city’s senior population lives east and south of the interstate, an area of dominated by older housing stock.

Johnson said those areas of the city provide a supply of lower-priced starter homes. But finding vacant land for a senior housing development among the open land west of the interstate is difficult.

“Single-family has been our strength,” Johnson said.

Some developers have asked for the city’s help in locating land for senior housing projects. But compiling land would be a new venture for the city’s elected officials and professional staff, Johnson said.

Still, developers know that senior housing is important to city leaders.

“Today, compared to even two years ago, we do have more meetings with people who know this is a priority for us,” Franklin said.

“It all dovetails back to where can you find the land and make it affordable,” Johnson said.

Not all of the focus is on residential growth.

Renewed life at an aging commercial center at 86th Street and Douglas Avenue has invigorated efforts to extend what is called the Downtown Urbandale Neighborhood Association urban renewal area.

At present, the area runs north from Douglas along Merle Hay Road to I-35/80. The plan is to extend the district south to Hickman Road and west to 86th. Johnson said he hopes to have the area, which would generate tax increment financing revenues, in place by the end of the year.

One use of the funds would be to defray the estimated $3 million cost of improving three miles of 86th from Douglas to the interstate, Johnson said.

Brown pointed out that the renewed activity on the southeast corner of 86th and Hickman — at what was once called Parkwood Plaza and now renamed Urban Center by new owners Signature Real Estate Services — has shown that other aging properties in the other could one day be prime redevelopment projects. 

 

It should be pointed out that Hy-Vee Inc. also has made another major investment at the new Urban Center by purchasing the former Kay’s Merchandise store that had been vacant for the better part of a decade and converting it to an employee training center. In recent years, Hy-Vee undertook a complete rebuild of its store on the northwest corner of 86th and Douglas.

To say that city officials I interviewed last spring were excited about the future would be an understatement.

About the 100th Street interchange, Franklin remarked that he was “as curious as I can be to see what is going to happen” after it is completed.

Johnson acknowledged that the city is spending more money than normal during a budget cycle on public improvement projects.