I’m more skeptical of the city’s project. Cytown is further along,so more hopeful there.
Cytown Update
- Thread starter norsemen
- Start date
Not sure why there was such a negative reaction to this post. I agree. I think the project took too long and now the reality of what it is doesn't really fit the current economic landscape for the community or university. I also think the retail and restaurant markets right now are volatile and I question their long-term ability to pull in compelling options that will make it more than a glorified strip mall.
The location is also great for gameday, but not ideal for the 200+ days per year where there's not a notable ISU athletic event that could drive traffic. I also question just how many people are willing to wander through the area, shop, and grab a meal on a freezing cold Tuesday night in January when Cincinnati is in town for men's hoops. It being anchored by the McFarland Clinic also seems to be a pretty big indicator that they really didn't have much of a vision for this thing.
It also feels like we're on the cusp of a really volatile stretch for the athletic department, so that is going to put even more pressure on the university and developer to not let it become a ghost town. I would love to be wrong and see it flourish, but I just don't see it. That being said, I'm an idiot. Haha.
Ames has a history of needlessly ******** down development. The biggest problem with any complaints about Cy Town is there is no additional investment required of ISU. So the answer is why should we be negative about a basically zero risk project that has potential to be very successful.Show me the quote, article, or interview where Pollard said this would take ten years? I don't remember ever hearing that unless he had a crystal ball that COVID was going to happen and delay the project a couple of years. The planning and initial announcement was made in September of 2019 to donors in Cy Stephens. Development phases started in 2022, but COVID delayed the feasibility study.
And also, when did the label arrive that Ames citizens, Cyclone fans, and University stakeholders can't express concerns about the viability of the project? Why is a concern labeled as a debbie downer? I am sure Jamie, Rick Sanders, and President Wintersteen have had many discussions with Goldenrod. They, along with the Goldenrod, will do everything in their power to make the space occupied and busy throughout the year, I am sure. As many of you said, the liability is on Goldenrod at least for the next 30 years.
Separately, the city of Ames is also trying to launch a downtown convention center/hotel and parking garage. Hint: It's also been delayed. Should Ames tax payers and visitors just sit back and not ask questions about why a space along Lincoln Way filled with broken concrete has had no movement? Iowa State and the City of Ames have over $400 million of proposed projects, and some of us are trying to figure out how it all will survive. Seems like reasonable questions to me...
What comes of other projects or anything shouldn’t factor into this project as their value to the community is separate from Cy Town.
It was in early interviews. As I said it wasnt articles it was actually him saying so in interviews or shows. Might have been during the coaches show when he talked about it. He literally said this was going to take 10 years at least to get fully completed.Show me the quote, article, or interview where Pollard said this would take ten years? I don't remember ever hearing that unless he had a crystal ball that COVID was going to happen and delay the project a couple of years. The planning and initial announcement was made in September of 2019 to donors in Cy Stephens. Development phases started in 2022, but COVID delayed the feasibility study.
And also, when did the label arrive that Ames citizens, Cyclone fans, and University stakeholders can't express concerns about the viability of the project? Why is a concern labeled as a debbie downer? I am sure Jamie, Rick Sanders, and President Wintersteen have had many discussions with Goldenrod. They, along with the Goldenrod, will do everything in their power to make the space occupied and busy throughout the year, I am sure. As many of you said, the liability is on Goldenrod at least for the next 30 years.
Separately, the city of Ames is also trying to launch a downtown convention center/hotel and parking garage. Hint: It's also been delayed. Should Ames tax payers and visitors just sit back and not ask questions about why a space along Lincoln Way filled with broken concrete has had no movement? Iowa State and the City of Ames have over $400 million of proposed projects, and some of us are trying to figure out how it all will survive. Seems like reasonable questions to me...
I specifically remember it because I was bummed it was going to take that long.
The Debbie downers are the ones complaining it is not as awesome and cool as they thought it would be, and that it is not exactly as the initial rendering were. Having concerns is fine, but expecting this to be complete in a few years is ridiculous.
Part of the idea for the clinic which was always in the plan, is that it is open every day, with a lot of workers and patients, meaning there is always people using the area driving customers to businesses. There is a medical clinic in TitleTown too, which is what this is modeled after.
I also believe there will be a lot more activities than what you are counting. Sure some will be bigger than others, but you never gear any business for the few extremely busy days, you plan around the slowest days, then the busy days are bonuses.
Here are just the events I can think of off the top of my head.
Home Football games
Home MBB games
Home WBB games
Home VB games
Home MWrestling
Home WWrestling
CY Stephens events
Fisher Theater events
Concerts in JTS
Concerts in Hilton (heard that is going to be a thing again, we will see)
Concerts in Outdoor amphitheater
State Basketball tourney
Graduations
Special Olympics
Prairie Rose Renaissance Festival
Conventions
Job Fairs
Anything else they add to the area.
This is just off the top of my head, I know there are more, but again you dont count on the busy days, you count on the average days and then the major events give you a boost.
Are the Iowa Games still happening? live out of state so don't know.
I think it makes sense to be wary about the timeline of the project and whether the project fits into current economic conditions. It's perfectly reasonable to have different perspectives on that. For me, I guess the partnership with ISU Research Park gives me a fair amount of confidence in the project's ability to draw businesses, because the Research Park certainly has done well in that area.
Criticisms and concerns about location, amount of business throughout the year, etc. have really never made sense to me.
First, because there's a lot more traffic in that area than most people realize. Even disregarding other events at the Iowa State Center (which there are a lot of), if you drive past the area on a random weekday during the academic year, the parking lots have a ton of cars, just from commuters and other visitors to campus. Plus, besides for Main Street, pretty much every other place in town requires a car or bus ride anyway, so I also don't see that as a barrier.
Second, why is CyTown less capable of doing well than literally any other area in Ames? Every business in Ames, whether restaurant, retail, or otherwise, has to deal with the ebbs and flows of the Ames population. Many are successful, some are not. I think the biggest challenge will be getting over the initial hump to get spaces occupied, but I would think that CyTown's central location in Ames and proximity to those events and traffic should help with that.
Finally, on the point about McFarland Clinic. If anything, I feel like that shows more of a plan? That's taken pretty much directly from Green Bay's Titletown, which also has a clinic. It also shows some understanding of the need to have a stable weekday population in the area.
Either stop by the Rally House or go to their website. Much better selection than either place, and on the website you can purchase and have it shipped to the store or to your home. There are two Rally Houses in Ames one on Lincoln Way around campus town and one at the strip mall with the theater and Jethro's off of Duff.
Fwiw here is what the City of Ames is planning. Two different projects but the proximity to downtown and Cytown is notable.
I definitely remember him saying 10 years, because we discussed as a family that, unfortunately, it won’t be done by the time our brood was done at ISU. Even if that timetable moved up, things are rarely on schedule. Remember when construction in general was delayed during Covid due to lack of supply?
Everyone keeps referring to this as a city project, isn't this all being done privately?
The Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau is leading the development of the events center. Funding for the project is coming from multiple sources including private investment, city and county support, federal and state grants, and tax incentives.
Yea, the downtown project is definitely not happening on that timeline. They don’t even have a development agreement with the city at this point. Cytown is much further along with all agreements in place, schematics approved, and construction bids going out.
It's crazy to think about how long ago they cleared out all those businesses on Lincoln Way for this project. I think Harris TV closed almost 10 years ago now and I think the Mandarin was at the end of 2019.
Well the city has yet to finish the downtown park area which is going on 2 years now.... let's not count on them to do anything in a timely fashion.
The thing I hate the most when cities try to redevelop lots is when they evict and bulldoze what was there then nothing happens for years. ESPECIALLY when it was a historic building. That doesn't apply here but it doesn't look good for the city to have a giant abandoned lot on one of your main roads.
I don't think it's happening especially at that scale but I'm surprised the idea hasn't died yet either and are still trying to make it happe
Agreed, 1 abandoned lot doesn’t look good but this has been 2 city blocks worth on a main thoroughfare.but it does give people traveling on Lincoln Way a better view of Romantix.
