Ankeny, Iowa, a community of 36,000 a few

Ankeny, Iowa, a community of 36,000 a few miles north of Des Moines, unveiled plans in August for development of Prairie Trail, a 1,031-acre project that is expected to be one of the largest new urban endeavors in the Midwest. The site, most of which has been an Iowa State University research farm for the past 60 years, could become home to 10,000 residents when completed in seven to 10 years. The city bought the property, which included a former ordnance works, from the university for $23.6 million last December and sold it for the same price to DRA Properties, a local development company selected through an RFP process. The city chose Urban Design Associates (UDA) of Pittsburgh to produce the master plan. Prairie Trail will be “very evocative of the old town of Ankeny just north of the project, and parts of Des Moines around the art museum,” UDA principal Don Carter told the Des Moines Register. “We think the walkability of Prairie Trail is one of its strengths,” said City Manager Carl Metzger. At its heart will be a town square containing a variety of housing, civic functions, retail, and other business uses. Prairie Trail’s approximately 3,000 detached houses, townhouses, and apartments will be complemented by parks, lakes, pedestrian and bicycle trails, and public buildings such as a police station and possibly a library and cultural center. The city will pay for the first $20 million of infrastructure. DRA will contribute $25 million to help build the civic facilities.