Community speaks, Kingland Systems answers

Since+construction+began+last+spring%2C+much+of+the+Campustown+area+on+Lincoln+Way+has+been+closed+for+construction.+The+project+is+intended+to+offer+new+housing+and+parking+options+for+ISU+students.

Since construction began last spring, much of the Campustown area on Lincoln Way has been closed for construction. The project is intended to offer new housing and parking options for ISU students.

Sarah Muller

The construction brought on by Kingland Systems’ renovation of Campustown and an entirely new building on the corner of Welch Avenue and Lincoln Way is well underway.

The entire 2013 year was spent working with the city and various student groups on Kingland’s project. Now, completion is the goal.

“The outcome of the project is a combination from the students, from the community, the Campustown Action Association and the city. The outcome is it’s a good mixture of office and retail space,” said Todd Rognes, president of Kingland Systems.

The third floor will consist of Kingland Systems offices.

“It will add a lot of excess space for the growth of our business as we add more full time employees and as we expand our data center,” Rognes said.

The second floor will consist of administrative offices for Iowa State, including the Iowa State Daily. Two-thirds of the ground floor will be a CVS and the remaining third will consist of retail suites.

Delays on the project were caused by weather. However, Kingland is still expecting the building to be in use by this fall. 

“They have been working in campus town for about 10 years now,” said Kim Hanna, the director of Campustown Action Association. “They are just as much a part of campustown as any other business.”

During the beginning of development, Hanna admits there was a small amount of concern from the community about the new additions. However, Kingland reached out multiple times to take in suggestions from the community in order to provide the most useful services.

“They have been amazing to work with,” Hanna said. “They have really bent over backwards to take suggestions from the community. They changed their entire layout even.”

Kingland’s contribution to Campustown will be supplying over a hundred jobs to the community.

“We will expect this to be one of our most important offices, we will see significant growth, not only in student population but in full time staffing in Campustown area,” Rognes said.