The first phase of extending utilities into the new Prairie View Industrial Center is nearly complete. Prairie View is the City’s largest area for industrial development and the Phase 1 project opens hundreds of acres of land east of Interstate 35 along East Lincoln Way for development. The timing of its completion coincides with the recent announcement of the first new development in the area, an expansion of Wyffels Hybrids into Iowa.
The new infrastructure includes installation of a sanitary sewer force main and a lift station on the south side of East Lincoln Way, and water main and a sanitary sewer gravity main on the north side of East Lincoln Way to Teller Avenue (580th Street). This first phase represents a $6.1 million investment, which included a federal Economic Development Agency grant and local utility funding.
Prairie View is a State of Iowa certified site for economic development. The City of Ames has worked in tandem with Alliant Energy and the Ames Economic Development Commission (AEDC) to bring this approximately 1,200-acre area online for industrial development.
“The Prairie View Industrial Center creates a foundational component of Ames’ economic development strategy to support a diverse industrial base. It offers options that are attractive to new companies locating in central Iowa as well as opportunities for existing companies to expand to new sites within Ames,” said Ames Planning & Housing Director Kelly Diekmann.
Prairie View offers a strategic location with convenient access to U.S. Highway 30 and Interstate 35 and an option for Union Pacific Railroad access. The sites are “shovel ready.” Additionally, Ames and Story County are within close proximity of a highly educated and skilled workforce and a diverse base of existing national and global companies.
Future phases of the infrastructure project will include installation of water main and sanitary gravity sewer east to Potter Avenue (590th Street) beginning this month and continuing through the winter. This will provide service to the full 1,200-acre Prairie View Industrial Center. The Iowa Department of Transportation will also begin its Highway 30 corridor improvement project in 2023. This project includes a new interchange at 580th Street as the primary entrance to Prairie View. Phase 2 represents a $2.2 million investment and is anticipated to begin soon.
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