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Cytown Update

Ames needs for sale condos downtown 1000%

The problem is who owns the best lots for redevelopment wont sell and only a few families are "in the club" and allowed to build in Ames (Not including student housing).

+ Building costs and interest rates, but those are both new problems..
 
cyfan92 said:
Significant challenges remain about how to pay for this.. It's still being worked on, but likely going to take some time, or have borrowing improve dramatically.
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They started initially buying up properties for this development almost 10 years ago. Why do they have no funding options figured out? Hunziker sucks as a commercial developer.
 
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ribsnwhiskey said:
They started initially buying up properties for this development almost 10 years ago. Why do they have no funding options figured out? Hunziker sucks as a commercial developer.
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Maybe they need to bring on an experienced partner to help get it moving.
 
ribsnwhiskey said:
They started initially buying up properties for this development almost 10 years ago. Why do they have no funding options figured out? Hunziker sucks as a commercial developer.
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The funding became an issue when the interest rates climbed - changed the entire financial structure of the project.
 
That project is perpetually delayed. The latest rendition included a lot more housing without the convention space IIRC. I'm super excited about the housing component, as all successful Main Streets and Downtowns have to have a certain amount of housing within walking distance to be truly vibrant.
 
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Crazy thought...but could Ames support a minor league baseball team and could Cytown be it's ballpark village? I know this is a crazy thought but why couldn't they steal the Kernels from CR? An ISU/City of Ames joint venture. Put the stadium in the south section of intramural fields. No need for additional parking. I'm sure there are plenty of challenges to making this happen but my brain is always thinking about ways to make CyTown successful.

I'm aware this is in the floodplain along with many other issues. Please list the issues and think of ways to work around them...not just poo poo the idea. I'm sure brining back ISU baseball will be discussed as well.
 
CycloneNick said:
Crazy thought...but could Ames support a minor league baseball team and could Cytown be it's ballpark village? I know this is a crazy thought but why couldn't they steal the Kernels from CR? An ISU/City of Ames joint venture. Put the stadium in the south section of intramural fields. No need for additional parking. I'm sure there are plenty of challenges to making this happen but my brain is always thinking about ways to make CyTown successful.

I'm aware this is in the floodplain along with many other issues. Please list the issues and think of ways to work around them...not just poo poo the idea. I'm sure brining back ISU baseball will be discussed as well.
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No. Ames isn't big enough after the reorganization MiLB did a couple of years ago and that's before we even talk about the I Cubs being 30 miles down the road.

Plus, where are you going to find the nine figure investment for a ballpark and MLB level facilities.
 
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CycloneNick said:
Crazy thought...but could Ames support a minor league baseball team and could Cytown be it's ballpark village? I know this is a crazy thought but why couldn't they steal the Kernels from CR? An ISU/City of Ames joint venture. Put the stadium in the south section of intramural fields. No need for additional parking. I'm sure there are plenty of challenges to making this happen but my brain is always thinking about ways to make CyTown successful.

I'm aware this is in the floodplain along with many other issues. Please list the issues and think of ways to work around them...not just poo poo the idea. I'm sure brining back ISU baseball will be discussed as well.
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1UNI2ISU said:
No. Ames isn't big enough after the reorganization MiLB did a couple of years ago and that's before we even talk about the I Cubs being 30 miles down the road.

Plus, where are you going to find the nine figure investment for a ballpark and MLB level facilities.
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CR barely hung on and has had to invest to bring the facilities up to expectations. It is not nearly a big enough market for a MiLB team and you are vastly underestimating the size of space needed for the stadium. Not to mention your parking will not be Midwest convenient.
 
1UNI2ISU said:
No. Ames isn't big enough after the reorganization MiLB did a couple of years ago and that's before we even talk about the I Cubs being 30 miles down the road.

Plus, where are you going to find the nine figure investment for a ballpark and MLB level facilities.
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There are 26 cities in the US with minor league baseball teams in cities smaller than Ames. Funding for a stadium would certainly be an obstacle. Some might have asked the same question about building CyTown?
 
wxman1 said:
CR barely hung on and has had to invest to bring the facilities up to expectations. It is not nearly a big enough market for a MiLB team and you are vastly underestimating the size of space needed for the stadium. Not to mention your parking will not be Midwest convenient.
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So you don't recognize the parking spaces that serve Cytown as a parking option? Weird.

There may be better options than the south intramural fields or none altogether. I thought about a ballfield where "The Link" devleopment is supposed to go on Lincoln Way but that wouldn't be close enough to CyTown for them to support each other.
 
If you build it they will come. **** it since Krause isn't getting off his ass Pollard should include a soccer stadium in CyTown and join the MLS
 
CycloneNick said:
So you don't recognize the parking spaces that serve Cytown as a parking option? Weird.

There may be better options than the south intramural fields or none altogether. I thought about a ballfield where "The Link" devleopment is supposed to go on Lincoln Way but that wouldn't be close enough to CyTown for them to support each other.
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I said Midwest parking. We expect to park right where we need to go/want to be. If the parking lot is not directly outside of the stadium it would not be successful. Also it would be yet another space to manage. It won't break even on a MiLB team alone.
 
CycloneNick said:
There are 26 cities in the US with minor league baseball teams in cities smaller than Ames. Funding for a stadium would certainly be an obstacle. Some might have asked the same question about building CyTown?
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And the vast majority of those are either now unaffiliated teams or suburbs of much larger cities.

Cedar Rapids and Davenport barely held on.
 
wxman1 said:
I said Midwest parking. We expect to park right where we need to go/want to be. If the parking lot is not directly outside of the stadium it would not be successful. Also it would be yet another space to manage. It won't break even on a MiLB team alone.
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Does Principal Park have "Midwest Parking"?
 
CycloneNick said:
There are 26 cities in the US with minor league baseball teams in cities smaller than Ames. Funding for a stadium would certainly be an obstacle. Some might have asked the same question about building CyTown?
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I'm curious about that list. Without seeing all 26, I'm guessing quite a few are small suburbs/exurbs in larger metros, or have another sizeable city in close proximity. Plus, the effective population for Ames during most of a minor league baseball season is probably 20k smaller than the listed population.
 
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