Cytown Update

[CycloneErik]

In addition to this, AAU tournaments, FFA conference, Odyssey of the Minds, Shrine Bowl, Special Olympics, Iowa Games, football youth camps, etc etc. These bring thousands of people to Ames for multiple days. Most would rather find a destination here than travel to one of the districts in Ankeny for entertainment and food.

The university already feeds the people for those events. Destination thing already solved there.

 

[Freebird]

The university already feeds the people for those events. Destination thing already solved there.

Families travel for it. I guarantee they will look for other options as well. I don't know how many events I've been to in other towns with one kid or another traveling for something and the parents are looking for somewhere to go during downtime. Which there is a lot of downtime to fill when you are somewhere for multiple days. Beer and wings, pizza, whatever. Something besides the inside of a rink, arena, field, hotel room, etc.....

 

[Mr Janny]

The university already feeds the people for those events. Destination thing already solved there.

They might offer them food, but other Ames restaurants are also quite busy during those events, as it stands, so clearly there's demand beyond what the university is supplying.

 

[cyfan92]

I think you're seriously overestimating demand for those types of facilities. You better create a HELL of an experience because you are on an island on non game days. There is absolutely no chance multiple food and beverage options can exist on that small footprint and all make it.

You're far more likely to see office and retail space that is filled during business hours and then is less dependent on weekends.

People grossly underestimate how difficult it is to make it in food and beverage. Everyone thinks they can do it and then most end up out of business before they've existed for a year.

How many days a year are there large events in the complex? Not including most weekends having a wedding. This will fail without multiple F&B options. Even if 5% of Cyclone fans use the F&B options on Hilton MBB gameday, that is 750 people, who would all not fit in 1 space.

There are thousands of residents who can walk to this daily (including units in the complex leased to ISU's best donors), thousands of daily cars passing by, plus 100K SF of office users that will want amenities to grab coffee, get lunch, and grab drinks after work. There are thousands of employees working in the ISU research park with only one option for lunch over there (Provisions Lot F)

I'll reserve judgement until Jamie speaks on this, but I'm incredibly nervous about this development in the BOR agenda..

 

[CycloneErik]

They might offer them food, but other Ames restaurants are also quite busy during those events, as it stands, so clearly there's demand beyond what the university is supplying.

If you were to check with the restaurants, that level of busyness has dropped substantially since ISU offered on-campus dining. The demand isn't very great for people to go off-campus for events.

 

[Mr Janny]

If you were to check with the restaurants, that level of busyness has dropped substantially since ISU offered on-campus dining. The demand isn't very great for people to go off-campus for events.

I can see with my own eyes how much more traffic there is around town, during those events. You can drive up and down Duff or Lincoln way or University and see groups walking around. They're clearly not just hanging around the event. You can't tell me that a retail area like the one proposed would get no traffic from these events, just because Iowa State is now providing lunch.

 

[CycloneErik]

I can see with my own eyes how much more traffic there is around town, during those events. You can drive up and down Duff or Lincoln way or University and see groups walking around. They're clearly not just hanging around the event. You can't tell me that a retail area like the one proposed would get no traffic from these events, just because Iowa State is now providing lunch.

I can use my own eyes, too, and I've talked with people involved. Yes, ISU absolutely guts the economic impact around town of the events you're talking about.

Anything about Cytown will be speculation, but the uni's track record isn't one of sharing with businesses in town right now.

 

[ISU22CY]

I can use my own eyes, too, and I've talked with people involved. Yes, ISU absolutely guts the economic impact around town of the events you're talking about.

Anything about Cytown will be speculation, but the uni's track record isn't one of sharing with businesses in town right now.

What do you mean one of sharing with businesses?

 

[Mr Janny]

I can use my own eyes, too, and I've talked with people involved. Yes, ISU absolutely guts the economic impact around town of the events you're talking about.

Anything about Cytown will be speculation, but the uni's track record isn't one of sharing with businesses in town right now.

So those scads of FFS jackets that I see all over town during their yearly events are just in my head?

 

[KidSilverhair]

They don't want an outdoor mall...they want commercial real estate space with realtors, lawyers, accountants, architects, doctors, etc. who utilize the space M-F and then leave it for ISU to use on weekends.

Another interesting thing is the two buildings of residential, not to mention the hotel. All those people are going to need parking, and not just on weekday daytimes. Putting in parking for those apartments right in the middle of a dedicated sports/event parking lot is, well, an interesting choice.

 

[SolterraCyclone]

I don’t really care what’s in CyTown. It just needs to make money (and definitely not LOSE money).

They should be diversifying businesses in CyTown to limit risk. Commercials real estate and retail are super risky right now and food and bev have very high failure rates.

I’m wondering if they’ve explored a coworking space (WeWork or local company Gravitate) for some of this. Would help increase foot traffic, somewhat reliable revenue, and could be useful for people outside of just Ames

 

[ISU22CY]

I don’t really care what’s in CyTown. It just needs to make money (and definitely not LOSE money).

They should be diversifying businesses in CyTown to limit risk. Commercials real estate and retail are super risky right now and food and bev have very high failure rates.

I’m wondering if they’ve explored a coworking space (WeWork or local company Gravitate) for some of this. Would help increase foot traffic, somewhat reliable revenue, and could be useful for people outside of just Ames

Definitely could see something like the AgStartup Engine or similar accelerator having a some sort of co-working spot there.

 

[KennyPratt42]

Another interesting thing is the two buildings of residential, not to mention the hotel. All those people are going to need parking, and not just on weekday daytimes. Putting in parking for those apartments right in the middle of a dedicated sports/event parking lot is, well, an interesting choice.

At least some, if not all, of what is labeled as residential is the gameday condos that they are offering to big donors which include garages on the back side if I remember correctly. So they aren't traditional apartment/condo type units. The hotel will need some dedicated parking in that area however.

 

[Messi]

At least some, if not all, of what is labeled as residential is the gameday condos that they are offering to big donors which include garages on the back side if I remember correctly. So they aren't traditional apartment/condo type units. The hotel will need some dedicated parking in that area however.

im picturing our millionaire donors walking out their garage Saturday mornings in the fall to tailgaters already half in the bag right outside their condo

 

[Freebird]

I can use my own eyes, too, and I've talked with people involved. Yes, ISU absolutely guts the economic impact around town of the events you're talking about.

Anything about Cytown will be speculation, but the uni's track record isn't one of sharing with businesses in town right now.

I wonder if ISU Dining will have a Cy Town presence? I could see something similar to the Hub or UDA facilities branded with a university/athletics theme working there.

 

[NWICY]

Another interesting thing is the two buildings of residential, not to mention the hotel. All those people are going to need parking, and not just on weekday daytimes. Putting in parking for those apartments right in the middle of a dedicated sports/event parking lot is, well, an interesting choice.

They will have parking passes for HyVee west and a free CyRide pass to get back and forth to their condo.

 

[clonedude]

I feel like on non gamedays it will be more like a Ghost Town instead of CyTown. Hope I’m dead wrong though.

 

[alarson]

I feel like on non gamedays it will be more like a Ghost Town instead of CyTown. Hope I’m dead wrong though.

I mean, at the end of the day its a piece of commercial property dead in the middle of the city, with a ton of traffic around it.

That was the biggest reason to develop this. Those conditions make it a prime location regardless of if there happens to be an event going on.

 

[cyclone87]

I don’t really care what’s in CyTown. It just needs to make money (and definitely not LOSE money).

They should be diversifying businesses in CyTown to limit risk. Commercials real estate and retail are super risky right now and food and bev have very high failure rates.

I’m wondering if they’ve explored a coworking space (WeWork or local company Gravitate) for some of this. Would help increase foot traffic, somewhat reliable revenue, and could be useful for people outside of just Ames

Yea Gravitate or something similar I would think is pretty likely to have space in this.

 

[SCNCY]

I don’t really care what’s in CyTown. It just needs to make money (and definitely not LOSE money).

They should be diversifying businesses in CyTown to limit risk. Commercials real estate and retail are super risky right now and food and bev have very high failure rates.

I’m wondering if they’ve explored a coworking space (WeWork or local company Gravitate) for some of this. Would help increase foot traffic, somewhat reliable revenue, and could be useful for people outside of just Ames

Definitely could see something like the AgStartup Engine or similar accelerator having a some sort of co-working spot there.

I would think this kind of setup would be great during the career fair and/or recruitment drives as HR people could rent space for recruiting purposes.