A petition opposing plans to build a shopping mall near 13th Street east of Interstate 35 has received nearly 1,700 signatures after being put into circulation by 1,000 Friends of Iowa.

The non-profit, Des Moines-based environmental group tries to protect Iowa’s farmland and natural areas by combating urban sprawl.

The purpose of the petition is to let people know the amount of support for maintaining the City of Ames’ current land-use plan, said Rep. Ed Fallon, D-Des Moines. The current land-use plan allows for commercial development near Highway 30, not 13th Street.

“[The potential site] is very close to Ketelsen Marsh,” said Fallon, executive director of 1,000 Friends of Iowa. “It would compromise the environmental integrity of that source.”

The Jim Ketelsen Greenwing Marsh is a 68-acre park with a native prairie pothole and a restored wetland, restored and native prairie, pasture grasses, a sedge meadow and a shelterbelt.

Wolford Development, Inc., a Tennessee company, has made plans for a 700,000 square foot shopping mall to be built east of where Interstate 35 crosses 13th Street. The plan has not yet been proposed to the Ames City Council.

Developer James “Bucky” Wolford, of Signal Mountain, Tenn., could not be reached for comment.

David Maahs, executive director of the Ames Development Commission and the Chamber of Commerce, said an environmental assessment would need to be done to determine if the mall would have an impact on Ketelsen Marsh.

The area at Highway 30 would also pose a significant environmental challenge because of a stream that runs through the center of the location, Maahs said.

The Ames Chamber of Commerce has no position on the proposed mall, Maahs said, but supports and encourages development in Ames.

Steve Lekwa, director of the Story County Conservation Board, said the conservation board does not support construction of a new mall near Interstate 35.

The site adjoins an area managed by the conservation board as a wildlife area, Lekwa said.

“A mall right next door [to Ketelsen Marsh] would definitely degrade it as a wildlife area,” he said.

The state of Iowa could also demand funding for the marsh be returned, Lekwa said, because the area is supposed to be used as a public hunting ground, and development in the area would likely prohibit hunting.

The hunting grant is between $60,000 and $70,000, Lekwa said.

“That is a drop in the bucket compared to the billions of dollars spent on the site, if developed,” he said.

Fallon said oil stains in the parking lot of the mall could have hazardous effects on Ketelsen Marsh as well.

“My recollection is Ketelsen is downhill from the site,” Fallon said. “Washed off oil running into the marsh could have a significant, detrimental effect on the ecosystem.”

The proposed mall site itself causes potential problems for students, elders and low income families, Fallon said, since it is so far from the main part of Ames.

“A lot of communities build retail outside their cities and pay the price later on,” Fallon said.

Although nothing has been proposed to the Ames City Council, Mayor Ted Tedesco said the only change requested would be to change the location of the commercial development site east of the Interstate.

If any change is requested, Tedesco said public input would be allowed.

However, the city should not refuse to move the site to keep out competitors for local retail shops, Tedesco said.