Cytown Update

[ZJohnson]

So did WestO Milford run out of beer when Ragbrai came through? Read on CF they either ran out or were out of Ames Lager.

Also thank you to WestO for supporting ISU athletics and letting some of smaller supporters of ISU donate through a secondary way.

I honestly don't know. I am on vacation this week but I highly doubt it. I'm sure they ran out of cans but doubtful they ran out of draft. Granted we just sent a huge shipment down to DSM on Friday to get ready for football season and the State Fair.

 

[Cycsk]

The difference is the bigger cities have young professionals working downtown that want to be around the nightlife. And, they have a bunch of disposable income because they don’t have kids. Ames doesn’t really have a ton of young professionals like that. There aren’t enough businesses to support those salaries.

I know young professionals who would like to stay and work here, but there is not enough good housing downtown.

 

[drmwevr08]

I know young professionals who would like to stay and work here, but there is not enough good housing downtown.

Too small a town overall, exacerbated by the split of campus town and downtown. This project will worsen that issue, although still could be an overall positive.

 

[StPaulCyclone]

Too small a town overall, exacerbated by the split of campus town and downtown. This project will worsen that issue, although still could be an overall positive.

Or, hopefully it “bridges” campus town and downtown.

 

[Havs]

I know young professionals who would like to stay and work here, but there is not enough good housing downtown.

this

 

[8thfloor]

Or, hopefully it “bridges” campus town and downtown.

Someone photoshop the stadium bridge from downtown to cytown to campustown!

 

[Nor'MidWester]

I don't think I'd enjoy living in Cytown and I don't think the objective is to be a real mixed use development that you'd see in a town like Ankeny or West Des Moines. Living in the middle of a sea of parking lot and being disrupted by activities many weekends of the year sounds kinda annoying.

But I imagine the lofts they are selling are more for rich donors to have a home base in Ames for games and events, not to really live in 365 days a year. The whole point is to be an incentive for donating to the AD so I don't think they'll be priced at market value, unless they can't sell them out. It's sort of like a Disneyland for ISU fans with bars and event spaces and fancy lofts for big donors. I'm not upset about it I just think it's different than most people think.

I do wish campus town and downtown had more housing and catered to the young professional more. The Link or whatever it's called they're trying to build in downtown will hopefully fill some of that need. I think downtown Ames/the neighborhood to the north of it would be the ideal spot if I were living in Ames as a young professional. Bars and restaurants in a real downtown environment with amenities you'd actually use as opposed to Cytown which is more solely focused on entertainment, I know the medical center is there but I mean grocery stores and shops.

Hopefully Cytown and other developments around Ames are successful, rising tide lifts all boats. More young people in Ames spending money the better.