The Linc

Residents and council members expressed concerns and excitement regarding The Linc, a development designed to add to the environment of downtown Ames.

The Linc project was presented in detail during the last City Council meeting. The area along Lincoln Way between Clark and Kellogg has gradually been acquired over the last three years to prepare for this project.

The two-phase project would be set in motion by Jan. 1 2024. The first phase includes a boutique hotel, hotel restaurant, parking structure, plaza and utility improvements, which would be completed by October 2025. The second phase would include an office building, a residential building and additional parking.

The Council provided direction as to how to proceed with the project. The only official motion made was to have developers clarify a plan regarding electric vehicle charging in the development.

Ames residents present at the meeting suggested that the project has not received enough feedback from residents and that the project has been hurried along too quickly.

“There are too many concerns which yet must be addressed and the public simply hasn’t been given the time to visually understand and weigh in,” said one resident.

Dan Culhane, president and CEO of the Ames Chamber of Commerce, spoke in support of the project.

“One thing I hear time and time again is we talk to industries, primarily office users, that are looking at our market is they love the critical mass of downtown Ames,” Culhane said. “Frankly, we see this project only accentuating the attractiveness of downtown.”

Ward 4 Rep. Rachel Junck and At-Large Rep. Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen both added that sustainability is important to keep in mind as this project moves forward.

“For me what’s really valuable about this project is increased density in the core of the city,” Beatty-Hansen said. “Nobody wants to see Ames grow out… the alternative to that is to grow up and I know seeing that kind of density in a city where it wasn’t before is a change, but I think it is a change that is better for sustainability.”

The project was presented before the presentation of CYTown, ISU Athletics plan for the Iowa State Center.

Grand Avenue traffic study

A study recently conducted on Grand Avenue detailed deficiencies in traffic operations. The study was shown to the City Council in an attempt to guide future improvements to the areas affected.

The study included key improvements to be made, expected benefits, public feedback and planning-level cost estimates for the intersections.

The study analyzed traffic safety along Grand from 9th St. to 24th St. Primary findings of the study recommended repainting traffic lanes to better accommodate for turning traffic and increasing bicycle and pedestrian safety with shared-use paths along the road.

Overall, the future improvements are aimed at reducing crashes while keeping the flow of traffic as efficient as possible.

Plaza naming

The Downtown Plaza, located across the street from City Hall, will be named after Steve Schainker, longtime city manager of Ames.

Schainker started working in Ames in 1979 as an assistant in the city manager’s office. Schainker has been the city manager since 1984.

“I think we all can attest to the fact that Steve has operated with the highest level of integrity, honesty and forthrightness with his interactions with our residents, staff and elected officials,” said Mayor John Haila. “He has set an exceptionally high bar for himself and his department heads to meet and for others to aspire to achieve.”

The plaza is meant to be used year-round. The plaza includes a water feature for warm weather and ice skating for colder temperatures, according to the city of Ames’ website.