To prepare for the anticipated growth of Ames, the city council is considering plans for possible annexation of two areas.

Synder & Associates Inc., of Ankeny, and the Ames Planning and Public Works department were commissioned to study areas the city possibly could annex.

In the report, four options were presented, but only two sites were recommended. They are located south and southwest of the city.

“The report shows that the southwestern and southern boundary are the best suited for annexation in the area of those that were studied,” said Brian O’Connell, Ames director of planning and housing. “We will develop it in 15 years or less.”

The other areas named in the report were on the northwest and western city limits. The areas are not being seriously considered because of the difficulty and expense of providing basic services to them, O’Connell said.

The southern zone is 250 acres, 19 of which belong to Iowa State. The area is around Oakwood Road, which would eliminate some irregular city boundaries, according to the report.

The southwestern zone is comprised of 1,692 acres and is bordered by the Boone County line to the west, the Union Pacific Railroad line on the north and Zumwalt Station Road on the south. ISU owns 45 percent of the land, and the other 55 percent is privately owned.

Annexation of the areas would require a re-examination of where to locate fire stations but would satisfy the city’s growth needs for the next 15 years, O’Connell said.

Some of the city council’s concerns deal with the municipal services, such as water and sewer lines and the police and fire departments.

“I think that those things need to balance against each other,” said city councilman John Parks. “Plus, we are talking about the infrastructure commitment, the dollar commitment from the school district and the tax base to support that as a part of the cost of expansion.

I don’t think we can look at just what the city’s cost will be,” he said.

Mayor Ted Tedesco said the annexation proposals need to be investigated further.

“It’s reasonable that we should expect to provide all of the services to the area within a three- to five-year period,” Tedesco said. “So we really need to look at what is the cost of developing these services and what is our capacity to provide them.”

According to the report, the city’s population is projected to reach between 54,250 and 61,600 people in the next 30 years. The city is expected to fill 3,325 to 3,950 additional acres during that time but has only 1,020 acres available for expansion at this time.

The report is now in the hands of the planning and zoning commission for examination of the areas’ marketability, costs, benefits and service delivery issues.