A progress update and visual preview of CyTown and its future amenities was unveiled in a video presented by Jamie Pollard, the athletics director, on Thursday. The video detailed what to expect within CyTown–including a hotel, amphitheater and clinic–as well as an expected timeline for development.

According to the athletics department website, CyTown is a “unique, year-round destination to be built in the heart of the Iowa State Center–between Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum–that will enrich Central Iowa for generations to come.” 

The announcement follows a Jan. 15 approval by the Board of Regents allowing the CyTown project to move forward. The recent regents’ decision also approved bringing on Goldenrod Companies as the master developer for the project, according to Pollard.

In a statement to the Daily, University President Wendy Wintersteen gave her appreciation to all of those involved.

“The updated plans for CyTown provide an exciting look at how we will reinvigorate the Iowa State Center, expand the ISU Research Park’s footprint and create new amenities and attractions to enhance our campus and community,” the statement said. “I appreciate Jamie Pollard’s leadership, the work of our partner, Goldenrod, and the support of donors who are helping bring our vision to life.”

CyTown will feature eight new buildings on the 94-acre site in addition to the five existing buildings that make up the Iowa State Center complex. The buildings are expected to house 575,000 square feet of space, Pollard said.

Within the master plan is a seven-story, 200-room hotel to be named “The Cardinal,” which will be attached to the Scheman Building and Hilton Coliseum via skywalk.

The Cardinal will feature a rooftop bar and patio and will be branded an Iowa State property. However, it will be managed by Marriott, according to Pollard.

Serving as the “gateway” into CyTown will be a 15,000-square-foot food and beverage building that plans to host “diverse eating options, from casual eateries to fine dining,” according to the video presentation.

The plan also includes two resident suite buildings, each housing 30 units, for donors and alumni to lease from the university. These will be sold over the “next six months to fans and donors,” Pollard said.

“They’ll be two to three bedroom units roughly around 1,600 square feet,” Pollard said. “We look at these as really unique opportunities for our alums, our constituents, to have a place on campus when they come back for football games, basketball games, alumni events.”

Roughly 70,000 square feet of retail space and 90,000 square feet of office space will also be constructed. This will come in the form of two buildings, each housing three office levels above retail space on the ground level.

“What we have to be able to do, to make CyTown really viable, is bring other people throughout the day, 24/7, 365 days a year,” Pollard said. “It can’t just be football games and basketball games and events at Iowa State Center.” 

Pollard described the 2800-seat outdoor amphitheater, branded the “Sukup Cylo,” as the “crown jewel” of CyTown and cited it as a major attraction to bring visitors to the CyTown space.

“The Cylo will sit just south of Center Drive,” Pollard said. “It’ll face back toward Jack Trice Stadium and will be an incredible opportunity for us to host concerts, pep rallies–any kind of outdoor event.”

Pollard noted that the spaces between the aforementioned buildings are “just as important as the buildings themselves.”

The outdoor space has been divided into several programmatic areas to delineate spatial functions.

“Goldenrod has done an amazing job laying this out in a way that connects each of the areas through what they call ‘Celebrate,’ ‘Play,’ ‘Shop,’ ‘Gather’ and, ultimately, ‘Perform,’” Pollard said.

The “Celebrate” area will house McFarland Clinic, the food and beverage building and a large plaza, according to Pollard. 

“As you get into CyTown, you’re going to come upon spaces that allow people to gather, shop, play,” Pollard said. “One of the ideas that [Goldenrod] have is a very large, oversized playground for children to gather throughout the day.”

The playground, dubbed “Cy’s House,” is to be fashioned after birdhouses and branded in Iowa State colors, aiming to be a “destination for families throughout the work week,” Pollard said.

The area outside the retail spaces will feature artwork currently envisioned as a sculptural cyclone.

Between the offices and suites will be places to “Gather.”

“A really unique idea–that we’ve copied from the Dallas Cowboys–will be a replica Jack Trice Stadium Field that fans can gather on,” Pollard said. “It’ll be an opportunity for kids throughout the day to throw a ball around or just for people to gather.”

These areas will funnel visitors toward the Sukup Cylo as the final function of the outdoor programming, “Perform.”

McFarland Clinic is CyTown’s first “anchor tenant”

According to Andrew Perry, CEO of McFarland Clinic, the new clinic will be a 78,000 square foot facility housing family medicine, pediatrics, sports medicine, occupational medicine, pain management, urgent care and physical therapy.

The clinic will also feature supporting laboratories with imaging capabilities along with MRI machines.

Perry said that all paperwork has been completed with the university, and construction will begin as the weather warms up; he expects a completion time frame of Fall 2026 with occupancy beginning the end of 2026.

“We’ve been asking for a way to partner with Iowa State and have a facility near campus,” Perry said. “There really was no feasibility until CyTown. It’s a natural fit.”

According to Perry, there are not many places in central Ames where a facility of this scale could be built. Anything like this usually needs to be on the outskirts of town, making this a particularly unique opportunity.

“Iowa State is the largest employer in our community,” Perry said. “A new facility near all this makes sense from a convenience standpoint.”

Perry further cited the proximity to highways for easy access from nearby communities as a reason to construct the new clinic.

No McFarland clinics will close because of the new facility, according to Perry. However, some specializations will move to the new clinic, including sports medicine and urgent care.

Perry noted that the new clinic will bring day traffic into CyTown, but largely allow the space to remain open on evenings and weekends for Iowa State games and donor events.

“McFarland has always done a great job taking care of Iowa State students and faculty,” Perry said. “We’re in a nice position to continue doing this with the new facility. [We] feel strongly we’ll both be better off.. We’re looking forward to being on that site.”

Budget and timeline

According to the Board of Regents CyTown Development Agreement, CyTown will incur no debt obligation to the university despite an estimated $175-$225 million construction cost.

The agreement states that Goldenrod will construct and finance the buildings, which the university will own upon completion, with no financial liability to the university beyond the leasing, development, and operation rights.

According to Nick Joos, senior associate athletics director, the revenue generated from CyTown will target deferred maintenance on Iowa State Center facilities.

The CyTown project, which was originally announced in the Fall 2022, is intended to be “up and running” by Fall 2027, according to Pollard. 

There is yet behind-the-scenes work to be done, according to Joos.

“There’s lots of permits–things behind the scenes–before a shovel gets put in the ground which hopefully happens later this year,” Joos said.

Much of the work, according to Joos, is in Goldenrod’s purview now that they have been officially selected and approved as the developer following the Board of Regents decision.

“Goldenrod is actively out there pursuing restaurants and businesses to sell spaces,” Joos said.

Pollard further explained Goldenrod’s role in the coming months.

“Goldenrod is going to spend the next six months doing two things: one, vetting through potential contractors, and two, talking to potential tenants,” Pollard said.

According to Joos, over 300 “inquiries” have been received from potential CyTown vendors. Goldenrod will follow up with these leads in order to begin securing vendors.

“This is a big moment in time for Iowa State,” Pollard said. “This is going to be a major attraction not only for the university but also for the city of Ames and for Central Iowa.”