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As Norwalk evolves from a small town south of Des Moines to something more, city administrators are working to retool the community’s image and encourage economic growth.

“Norwalk is probably the closest that most people in my position get to work with a blank slate,” said Chris Nosbisch, development services director.

“We were always kind of considered a sleepy little bedroom community on the south side of Des Moines,” Nosbisch said. “What we haven’t done as a community, really, is establish an identity.”

Though the city embraces its close proximity to Des Moines, Nosbisch said, it also wants to preserve its small-town appeal and offer more amenities to its approximately 8,000 residents.

With that goal in mind, the City Council this summer approved a branding and marketing initiative that will give “the community that cares” a new logo and a new slogan.

Funded by $75,000 from the city’s economic development fund, Norwalk recently hired Strategic America, a Clive-based advertising, public relations and marketing agency, to spearhead the effort, which is expected roll out in spring or early summer.

The overall plan, Nosbisch said, is to determine exactly how the city wants to sell itself while utilizing economic development incentives to help jump-start small businesses and get land into the hands of those who want to develop it.

And while the city sorts out exactly what its identity should be, Nosbisch said, it is focusing on attracting retailers and creating “pockets of commercial activity” where residents can gather.

“We are not likely to have a mall now in Norwalk, but we will have a lot of centralized commercial areas that will hold the convenience that everyone is looking for,” he said.

“We are just kind of now getting to that point,” where the population base is able to attract the type of localized retailers the city is looking for, he said.

According to data from a special census, Norwalk’s population grew from 6,884 residents to more than 8,000 between 2000 and 2006. Nosbisch estimates that by the time the 2010 census is complete, that number will be closer to 9,000, and the city is projecting there will be as many as 16,000 inhabitants by 2030.

A report from the Greater Des Moines Partnership last week said Norwalk’s daytime population includes 1,291 employees at 159 establishments.

Between 2004 and 2007, Norwalk issued an average of 115 residential building permits a year, compared with an average of 33 permits a year between 2000 and 2003. The city issued 97 residential building permits in 2008 and 80 so far this year. Nosbisch called those fairly strong numbers for the community, especially considering the housing market slump and the down economy.

As Norwalk’s population swells and the economy recovers, Nosbisch said, he expects more retailers and other businesses to begin locating in the city.

Providing value

One pocket of commercial activity in Norwalk is located west of Iowa Highway 28 on the south side of town.

Norwalk Business Center, an 80-acre development that includes the city’s outdoor recreational complex, is home to six buildings and several local businesses, including Kelly Cortum Inc., Tri-Phase Drying Technologies LLC and La Quercia LLC.

On Sept. 17, the City Council solidified an economic development incentive package to attract a seventh building to the business park.

In a resolution approving the sale of a city-owned parcel on Hakes Drive, the council offered Rowe Electronics a grant of $10,000 per acre toward the purchase of the land. The development agreement effectively reduces the asking price of the 3.81-acre parcel to $15,000 per acre for Rowe, meaning the company could acquire it for about $57,000.

Rowe has proposed constructing an approximately 19,000-square-foot one-story building on the site and relocating there from a leased space in West Des Moines.

The incentive package also includes an economic development grant funded though tax increment financing dollars, which would give Rowe a five-year, 100 percent property tax abatement.

“The amount is determined on the building valuation,” which is yet to be ascertained, City Administrator Mark Miller said.

To the city’s understanding, Rowe intends to move forward with the project and is in the process of finalizing the paperwork. Steve Rowe, the company’s owner, was unavailable for comment last week. The sale was still pending at press time.

On Oct. 20, as part of an effort to promote sustainable building practices and job growth in the region, the Warren County Board of Supervisors approved a $10,000 economic development grant for the Rowe project. The grant, said Warren County Supervisor Doug Shull, is dependent on the developer’s ability to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the project and maintain a work force of at least 25 employees.

Once the building is complete and LEED certification is verified, Rowe would be given $5,000. The remaining $5,000 would then be paid out in three annual installments beginning July 1, 2010, assuming that the company can show it is employing at least 25 people at the end of each period.

“Our participation in this (project) is in regards to the environmental green aspect of the facility they’re building,” as well as the jobs aspect, said Kevin Middleswart, the board’s chair. “Any time we can keep 25 jobs in the area, we will certainly look at incentives that we can help with.

“We would expect them to have and maintain a certain level of employment,” Middleswart said, adding that Rowe indicated to the board that it currently employs 28 people. “I don’t think we raised the bar too high,” he said.

Nosbisch and Middleswart both agree that the electronics industry is positioned for growth and that the proposed site has room for physical expansion.

Future potential

Nosbisch said Norwalk’s roots in agriculture remain strong, which he considers a good thing. But he also said that heritage can present a challenge when it comes to economic development.

“That’s still kind of an important part of the community, too,” he said, adding that “you definitely don’t want to put pressure on anybody” to sell their land for development purposes.

Norwalk, however, has several large tracts of land for sale, including 70 acres owned by Hubbell Realty Co. in The Legacy Business Park, a mixed-use residential and commercial development at the intersection of Highway 28 and Colonial Parkway. Directly across the street from The Legacy, CB Richard Ellis/Hubbell Commercial lists 152 acres of development ground for sale.

Just south of the business park, on Highway 28 about a half mile south of town, Nosbisch said there are nearly 300 acres of agricultural land near a MidAmerican Energy Co. electrical substation. He said that land, which is owned by several individuals, could be of interest to big energy users, such as data centers.

“It does seem like a lot of the things that we see from companies kind of looking to relocate are power needs,” Nosbisch said.

When site selectors, developers and other companies realize the measures cities are willing to take to promote development in a community, he said, that makes “a big difference in your economic development policy.”

“That will be one of the things that I hope that we are able to market through this marketing plan,” Nosbisch said. “We are just trying to figure out what it is we want to sell.”