An outlet mall like the one in Altoona or Williamsburg would have been very successful drawing people to Ames. It would have been in before they one in Altoona and would have been another reason for those in the Northern burbs to drive up to Ames.
Cytown Update
- Thread starter norsemen
- Start date
If an outlet mall had been built, then yes that might have been a good development. But that was not what was proposed. The mall was to have 'four' anchors like a traditional mall.
Plans for second mall in Ames take shape
ISU students’ shopping options may change if a second mall is built in Ames. North Grand Mall officials said it’s too early to tell if another shopping center in Ames will affect business, however. Kurt Carlson, general manager of the North Grand Mall, said the project is not far enough along to...
iowastatedaily.com
The Ames City Council did approve rezoning of the property:
This is the company that proposed the mall:
Wolford Development
Wolford Development, Inc. is a privately owned development company headquartered in Chattanooga, TN. Company specializes in property / land development, commercial leasing, and property management.
www.wolforddevelopment.com
The Williamsburg outlet is a ghostown and I feel like Altoona struggles to fill it.
The Medford MN outlet is also really dead.
Does anyone remember the VF Outlet Mall in Story City?
I dont currently live in the area. Looking on google maps it shows Dose Mfg and Headhunter Trailers in the former VF Factory Outlet building. The building is located at the south end of Factory Outlet Dr; just south of Karl Ford of Story City and the Comfort Inn.
I'm sure a couple dozen people miss it.
Channel 13 did a storyline about downtown Ames. Someone from an Ames board said that the downtown area needs a hotel. WTF??? Roger Riley then mentioned the proposed project on the north side of Lincolnway. No mention of Cytown.
And I hate online shopping especially for stuff like clothing/shoes. You never know how anything fits until you receive it which sucks when you are borderline between sizes, or for shoes that all fit/feel different.
When my mom wanted to go there back in the day was the worst. I do remember thinking story City was huge because it has city its name and it has a mall.
While I hate Ames' culture of no, the "no" folks probably got it right on the mall thing because malls started shuttering after the Great Recession, and no East Ames mall was ever going to compete with Jordan Creek.
If the story was about downtown Ames, I don't see any reason to mention CyTown since it's nowhere near downtown. Honestly, a hotel in downtown is needed. Almost all of the hotels in Ames are on the outskirts. You have to drive to go to restaurants and bars. A downtown hotel has access to a lot of amenities within walking distance.
Downtown Ames needs condos badly, in addition to a hotel. It seems like every other college town has these in their downtown and/or college district except Ames.
Meanwhile we're stuck with soviet-looking student towers and mediocre hotels on the fringes.
Meanwhile we're stuck with soviet-looking student towers and mediocre hotels on the fringes.
A hotel, condos, and apartments south of the tracks with walking bridges across to downtown would be ideal.
A hotel/event center that could do weddings would kill near downtown.
The proposed idea is The Linc.
AREA Projects - Ames Regional Economic Alliance | AREA
CyTown is a unique, year-round destination to be built in the heart of the Iowa State Center — between Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum — that will
amesalliance.com
Ames eliminates parking garage but adds housing units in latest "Linc" plans
Design changes for the Linc include more residential units and less commercial space.
www.amestrib.com
