The Urbandale City Council last week approved a site plan that will allow the creation of a five-acre wetland at Living History Farms.

The project, intended to mitigate the impending elimination of an existing wetland in Heritage Park, a 35-acre property located northwest of the intersection of Interstate 35/80 and Hickman Road, is expected to commence this spring.

Living History Farms, which sold the parcel to S&S Heritage Park LLC, owned by Robin Seiser, agreed to replace the wetland within one year of the sale as part of the purchase agreement, said Chuck Bishop, president of Bishop Engineering Co. Inc.

Polk County records indicate that S&S Heritage paid nearly $7.2 million for the property on July 1, 2008.

Bishop said the proposed development is “pretty much on hold,” for the time being, adding that Seiser had seen a couple of prospective tenants back out, a symptom of the struggling economy.

In the interim, Bishop said his firm and the developer are working closely with the Iowa Department of Transportation to complete improvements to Hickman Road, including traffic signal modifications and the installation of two turning lanes.