In a presentation to the Planning and Zoning Commission Wednesday, Ames city planners outlined 16 reasons why the site of a regional mall should be moved. The planners gave only two reasons why the existing location, Highway 30 east of Interstate 35, was a better site than 13th Street east of Interstate 35, the location proposed by Tennessee developer James “Bucky” Wolford.

Joe Pietruszynski, city planner, gave a presentation to the commission on the effects of moving the location for a new regional mall north.

Pietruszynski said Wolford has requested the move because he says the location provides better access, less additional traffic for residential neighborhoods and high visibility.

One reason the site at 13th Street is better for a regional shopping center is because it would be cheaper for the city to extend a sewer line to the site, said Paul Wiegand, Ames Public Works director. At the Highway 30 location, the nearest sewer at Southeast 16th Street could not be used due to capacity problems, he said. To provide sewage for the location, a sewer would have to be extended across the South Skunk River and I-35, costing the city $5.5 million.

The 13th Street location would be able to use the sewer on that street, with a total cost of $1.7 million, he said.

“The existing site has a much higher cost than the proposed site,” Wiegand said.

The current location could also cause traffic congestion on Lincoln Way, already a concern for that street, Wiegand said. “The quality of access is much better at the 13th Street site.”

Pietruszynski said the proposed site at 13th Street is also a direct shot from an Ames fire station and Mary Greeley Medical Center.

The 13th Street site also has some environmental advantages, Pietruszynski said. The existing location is more prone to flooding and is a more wooded area in terms of natural habitat, he said.

Darryl Knight, Planning and Zoning Commission member, expressed concerns about the environmental impact on Kettleson Marsh, which is located directly north of the proposed site.

Pietruszynski said concerns about the marsh are valid. Winds could blow parking lot debris into the marsh, although most winds in Ames come from the north, he said.

Planning and Zoning Commission member Dan Rice asked planners about the urgency of building new retail stores.

“Is now the right time?” Rice asked.

Commission Chairwoman Jennie LeGates said the issue before Planning and Zoning was not whether the mall is needed, but if the requested map change was valid.

Pietruszynski said he can’t make an argument why the site of a regional commercial center should not be moved.

A presentation by Wolford and a public hearing on the issue will be held at 5 p.m. Dec. 11 in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, 515 Clark Ave. The Planning and Zoning Commission will vote on its recommendation to the City Council Dec. 17.