City provisions for a new mall in Ames have prompted second thoughts for developer James “Bucky” Wolford — raising questions as to whether the mall will materialize.

“I’m trying to decide how, or if, to go forward,” he said. “When they tie your hands so tightly, you can’t conduct business the way you should conduct business. When they control every move you make, you have no flexibility.”

Wolford has spent the past two years pushing for the ability to build a new mall at the corner of 13th Street and Interstate 35.

He said city requests for a 498,000-square foot minimum area with at least two 80,000-square foot anchor stores are posing some problems. The council has said at least one of the anchors would have to be new to the Ames market.

“The City Council wanted to know what kind of project they would get in return,” City Manager Steve Schainker said. “The council has given staff direction to explore. The policy makers will have to decide what’s a deal breaker.”

Wolford said the request for a new store in Ames may not be possible with the changing retail climate.

“With what’s going on in the industry, it’s hard to meet specific guidelines,” Wolford said. “If I were to get Dillard’s and all of a sudden they bought Younkers, that’s not a new store.”

Matthew Flynn, Ames planning and housing director, said the proposed square footage and anchor requirements were a result of discussion between the city and Wolford. He said Wolford’s preliminary plan proposed 550,000 square feet and three or four anchors.

Since plans have changed to include two anchors, the city requested that 218,000 square feet be designated for minor anchors like Best Buy and Borders that focus on a specific market.

“Minor anchor sales in terms of square footage bring as much money as major anchors,” Flynn said. “We saw them as a possible replacement for the other anchors.”

The city has been waiting for a response from Wolford since last month. Schainker said negotiations are complicated, and it is common for developers to take weeks to go over documents with their attorneys. He said the only requests he thinks Wolford may object to are paying for a new CyRide route to the mall and bike path to Dayton Avenue.

“They’re asking me to do things no developer would,” Wolford said.

“Nothing’s ever enough.”

Schainker said although it is unusual to request CyRide funding and construction of a bike path off the property, the requests were a result of resident feedback to the City Council.

“We didn’t think the mall was a good idea in the first place, but if it goes forward, Wolford should pay for the development,” said Jim Popken, chairman of Ames Smart Growth.

“The idea is to have goods and services where people live and encourage redevelopment of existing commercial land in areas like South Duff.”

Wolford said campaigns opposing the development have slowed down the negotiation process.

“Overall, I think the majority of people in Ames want the project to go forward,” Wolford said.

“It’s just the vocal minority is expressing their viewpoint. Them coming to all the meetings is making the process of getting it approved much longer.”

Flynn said the city decided to release the plan publicly in response to distrust from residents.

“It definitely strengthens the microscope,” Flynn said. “The whole community wants a decision to be made.”

Kay Berger, member of Ames Smart Growth, said if Wolford had proposed building the mall on the west side of Ames, there would have been no objections.

“It is a bad location, especially for a strip mall,” Berger said. “He’s likely to fail anyway. Why he can’t see that, I don’t know.”

After the agreement is finalized, it will go before the planning and zoning commission, which will then make recommendations to the City Council for rezoning.

The area is currently designated as a regional commercial area.