Plans for the new East Prairie lifestyle center were discussed at the City Council meeting last night.

The shopping center has been discussed by the council for the last four years and the items up for debate were the major site development plan and the preliminary plat for land development. The developers, Wolford Development Options, LLC, showed renderings of what the lifestyle center architecture would look like.

“It’s been 10 months since the master plan was approved and the city staff has been thorough with the plans,” said Ian Macaskill of Architecture Plus, an architectural planning firm involved in the project.

Several members of Ames Chamber of Commerce, 1601 Golden Aspen Drive, Suite 110, supported the building of the center.

“I ask that the council approve this plan. The developers have more than met our expectations,” said Scott Bauer, chairman of the board of directors of the Ames Chamber of Commerce.

However, several complaints from citizens were brought up during the discussion.

“This is one area where we have a chance to get things right before we start,” said Joseph Rippetoe of Ames. “The council hasn’t had a chance to review any other options.”

Rippetoe argued politics and public relations were a part of the motion to pass the plan.

“The developer hasn’t purchased all of the land to rezone it, which is a part of any site plan,” he said. “I think that a reason for this might be the developer is looking for a favorable headline to send to clients.”

James Wolford, the president of the developer working the contract, was there to answer questions of those in attendance.

“We plan to close on the rest of the property by December 1, which is the final date in the contract,” he said. “Financing will be available and some letters of intent to buy have been filed.”

Wolford said that some of the concerns raised were due to a lack of knowledge of the developing process.

“It’s very difficult to move forward without people knowing what the reality of the issue is,” he said. “I’m not pointing fingers, but a lot of people don’t know the process.”

After a lengthy discussion, it was determined that the issues brought up by Rippetoe did not influence the items that were in the motion.

“There’s nothing in the process that would prohibit us from moving forward,” said Matthew Goodman, city council member.

The city attorney, Doug Marek, said that the council would have an opportunity to fix the issues brought up at a later time. The council passed both the Major Site Development Plan and the Preliminary Plat.