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Madison County, here comes West Des Moines.

The city that seems to have no bounds in terms of where it can grow to the west and south plans to announce an annexation of 4,800 acres next year that will enhance its ability to expand beyond the Raccoon River and open up development in an area near its technology park along Grand Avenue.

For now, the property owners are willing, and for that, Clyde Evans, West Des Moines’ community and economic development director, is thankful.

Like nearly every city in Greater Des Moines, the mega-suburb has encountered its share of controversy when annexing some parcels. West Des Moines recently expanded to the border of Cumming in Warren County, and with that growth came charges that it was bullying its pint-sized neighbor to the south.

Evans acknowledges that annexations can generate some ill feelings. Some of the most public occur between municipalities. Like any city that experiences rapid growth, West Des Moines has been at odds with most of its neighbors over the last decade, Evans said.

Land disputes

All is peaceful there now, though. The row of the moment is the result of Adel’s plans to extend its border 3.5 miles east, within a stone’s throw of Waukee. The latter city has filed a lawsuit in Dallas County District Court to block the annexation, or at least force it before the state’s City Development Board, which weighs all elements of disputed annexations before declaring a winner.

In the last decade, a little more than 43 square miles of Greater Des Moines land has been annexed following hearings before the development board. The majority of that land has been absorbed into Des Moines, West Des Moines and Ankeny.

And despite the squabbling, those cities and others go to great pains to make certain that the land they acquire falls into what planners view as the long-term needs of their cities.

If cities can’t grow, they wither away and die, one planner said.

Though it’s nowhere near in need of life support, Clive is one city that has found itself locked within its current borders following a controversial annexation earlier this decade near Waukee. Clive won that battle, which landed before the Iowa Supreme Court, but it is hemmed in now in all directions and has little remaining open development ground.

Planning for growth

Larry Hulse, community development director for the city of Des Moines, pointed out that vacant and available land within a city does not always meet the needs of a particular developer or land use. In that case, cities need to plan for growth beyond their existing borders.

The city currently is involved in long-range planning for land that it has annexed along Iowa Highway 5, south across the North River and into Warren County.

In the plan, planners lay out the type of growth and development they envision for nearly every land form, from greenbelts along the river to commercial developments to estate-style homes overlooking the river valley.

Traffic patterns and street styles and bike paths are envisioned. Things might change, but from a planner’s-eye view, the future is orderly, thoughtful and tastefully designed.

Access to infrastucture

Gerry Neugent, president and chief operating officer of Knapp Properties Inc., which is part of an ownership group that has about 1,800 acres south of the Raccoon River that falls within West Des Moines’ proposed annexation in Madison County, said it is key for developers to know that they have access to the infrastructure that a city can provide.

The property, which lies largely between 105th Street and the river, provides a key gateway to the city. For now, a bridge is needed to access the property from the north, and that bridge isn’t possible unless the land falls within West Des Moines, Neugent said.

“We think the time is right now to keep this moving,” he said.

Knapp Properties broached the possibility of annexation with West Des Moines, he said, noting that the two parties have talked off and on for years about bringing the land into the city.

Up to now, there has been little opposition to the proposal.

Cities provide order

Neugent pointed out that the federal government recently approved funding for the extension of Grand Avenue into the technology center. In addition, an overpass is being constructed over Interstate 80 that will connect Waukee and West Des Moines and provide a link to a future route that would link Dallas, Madison, Polk and Warren counties.

“Some of this funding, we’re right in the path of it, and by being proactive, we can get stuff ready to go when the economy is ready,” Neugent said.

Knapp Properties has found itself in the center of annexation disputes, including the one involving Clive. Neugent said developers rely on the long-range planning that a municipality can provide.

“Orderly development requires municipalities,” he said. “Generally speaking, there’s not much in the way of county-funded sewer and other municipal services available in rural Madison County, and the same thing is true of other counties, although Polk County has been an exception.”

For the municipalities, which benefit when developers pay the costs of building streets and water and sewer lines within their projects, the key is to avoid lingering within their borders.

“Growth means new things – new tax base and expansion of the general economy,” Hulse said.