New highrise?

bmuff

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Apr 7, 2006
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From the ISU Daily, the city council is discussing a 5 story highrise in campustown. Supposedly across the street from Subway. Commercial on the ground floor, apartments on the top 4. What bars/restaurants would be lost during construction? Sgt Peppers?
 

mj4cy

Asst. Regional Manager
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Mar 28, 2006
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5 stories isn't really high rise. Thanks to the idiots in the Ames city council... you can't build a building over 75 feet tall anymore.
 

scottie33

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Nov 25, 2006
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Ames, Iowa
Could this be by west hy-vee as they have been doing clearing and grubbing the last couple months? I haven't read the article, but seems like a lot of money to tear down existing structures and re-build there.
 

bmuff

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Apr 7, 2006
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Could this be by west hy-vee as they have been doing clearing and grubbing the last couple months? I haven't read the article, but seems like a lot of money to tear down existing structures and re-build there.

Nope, right on Welch across from Subway. The article says that they will have underground parking and commercial on the ground floor.
 

cybirdie

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May 25, 2006
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From the ISU Daily, the city council is discussing a 5 story highrise in campustown. Commercial on the ground floor, apartments on the top 4.

5 stories is hardly a highrise.

How can anyone be surprised that we are building! Its not like anything made in the last 40years in the US is worth a damn its all throwaway crap, quality is an afterthought, especially in Iowa.

Single family homes are the most wretched things to see these days.

Yummy drywall box surrounded by vinyl with tacky brick near the entrance.

And I'm quite aware that this will be a cast in place or precast structure.
 
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ekim121

Member
Apr 13, 2006
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They tore down West Hy-Vee?


No, there was an run down trailer park across from West Hy-Vee between May House and Cazador.

Back on topic, it is utterly disappointing that five stories is a 'high rise.' I'd blame it on the city council but they're just a reflection of the majority of Ames residents. I am counting down until the lady graduates so we can move someplace that has a firmer grasp of individual and property rights.
 

d4nim4l

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When the old People's was undergoing renovations to become Papa's Corner I spent some time talking with the owners of all the buildings on that part of the block. The woman (Angie, yes Angie's Kitchen is named after her) was telling me that back in the 80s the original plan was to level part of the block along Lincoln Way between Welch and Stanton and add in a multi-story shopping center/living area/parking garage.

However, the city eventually scoffed at the idea because they did not want to commit money themselves to aid in construction.

There really was no moral to that story other than the City of Ames has always seemed to be anti-growth in regards to Campustown, and most of the city, for as long as people can remember.
 

scottie33

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Nov 25, 2006
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Ames, Iowa
5 stories is hardly a highrise.

How can anyone be surprised that we are building! Its not like anything made in the last 40years in the US is worth a damn its all throwaway crap, quality is an afterthought, especially in Iowa.

Single family homes are the most wretched things to see these days.

Yummy drywall box surrounded by vinyl with tacky brick near the entrance.

And I'm quite aware that this will be a cast in place or precast structure or steel.

Well we got all three of them...I don't know so much about 5-story precast apartments. Maybe precast 5 story parking garage with Double-T's or single-T's
 

bmuff

Well-Known Member
Apr 7, 2006
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5 stories is hardly a highrise.

How can anyone be surprised that we are building! Its not like anything made in the last 40years in the US is worth a damn its all throwaway crap, quality is an afterthought, especially in Iowa.

OK, well, that's what the Daily called it. 5 stories IS fairly tall for campustown, where most of the buildings are two story. I don't know that the building needs to be that much taller anyway. Not like there isn't enough apartments in Ames. I see a big one is going up on Beach across from C.Y. And there are three going up north or Somerset.

Either way, I'm more interested in the ground floor commercial than how tall the building is or how it is built. Maybe between that space and the closed down theatre on LW, there's a way to get Peoples back into Ames.
 

GeronimusClone

Well-Known Member
Oct 23, 2008
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Des Moines, IA
5 stories is hardly a highrise.

How can anyone be surprised that we are building! Its not like anything made in the last 40years in the US is worth a damn its all throwaway crap, quality is an afterthought, especially in Iowa.

Single family homes are the most wretched things to see these days.

Yummy drywall box surrounded by vinyl with tacky brick near the entrance.

And I'm quite aware that this will be a cast in place or precast structure.
I'm always a little confused after your posts, but not always in a bad way.
 

IcSyU

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Nov 27, 2007
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Not like there isn't enough apartments in Ames. I see a big one is going up on Beach across from C.Y.

The thing is there will always be a demand for apartments that close to being on campus. The new building on Beach had the 5, 4, and 2 bedrooms non-lofted all sold out last week already.
 

Aclone

Well-Known Member
Dec 14, 2007
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Des Moines, Ia.
5 stories is hardly a highrise.
I remember the original debate. At the time, the city had just purchased a new ladder truck, and someone decided that it wouldn't be "safe" to have a building higher than the seven stories the truck could reach.

So they "wisely" wrote that into code. Good heavens, we can't risk our students, can we?

Then a few years ago a company built a highrise with "vaulted ceilings", so that it was technically seven stories, but much taller.

I'm assuming the City Council had some sort of backlash to their will being thwarted.

Kind of amazing that public perception would be that the only way out of a burning high rise is via a ladder truck. Too bad there aren't any construction engineers or architects in town.
:jimlad:
 

d4nim4l

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Apr 23, 2008
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Disagree.

That would take up space for other worthy causes, i.e. restaurants and bars. :cool:

I'm just going to assume you're joking.

Hotel would be a great idea and would be full quite a bit. If not right in Campustown, then within walking distance.
 

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