INITIATION OF ANNEXATION OF THE PROPERTY AT 4140 UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD
The Iowa State University Research Park (ISURP) has recently acquired 4140 University Boulevard, a 3.17-acre property that has a single home on it. The site is located at the south edge of Ames along S 530th Street (which becomes University Blvd. inside Ames' corporate limits) and surrounded by recently annexed land owned by the ISURP (See the attached Location Map). No other territory can be added to the annexation request.
In July 2025, the City Council considered a request to annex the subject property as part of a larger request to annex ISURP property with an 80/20 annexation to make more uniform boundaries. At that time, the previous owner objected to annexation and the City Council removed the property from the larger annexation, which proceeded. A new annexation must now be initiated to bring the property into the City.
Ames Plan 2040 designates the subject property and adjoining properties as “Employment” (Emp.) and shows them as a future urban growth area for the City. The Employment designation is for industrial and large-scale employment uses, such as ISURP. Applicable zoning districts include the RI Research Park Innovation District and GI General Industrial District.
Upon annexation, the site is intended to be rezoned Research Park Innovation District (RI), instead of Agricultural (A), and incorporated into the Iowa State University Research Park Phase IV, 1st Addition Subdivision, to allow for operations that are consistent with the surrounding property.
Staff has previously reviewed all infrastructure needs for the area with the prior ISURP annexation from 2025. Annexing the subject project does not impact any of the infrastructure planning that was completed with the Master Plan rezoning process for the abutting ISURP land. The ISURP Master Plan for the adjoining property that surrounds the site will be updated to include this site with the future rezoning process. City water and sewer utilities exist within the current ISURP boundaries and can be extended by the applicant to serve the ISURP site.
- Initiate the application for 100% Voluntary Annexation for the property at 4140 University Blvd and initiate the concurrent rezoning of the site to Research Park Innovation District rather than Agricultural upon its annexation approval.
- Decline to initiate the requested annexation.
Staff has reviewed the request for a 100% voluntary Annexation of the property at 4140 University Blvd. The proposed annexation is consistent with Ames Plan 2040 projections for growth and is envisioned as the ISURP’s next phase of growth. Annexation of the property will create more uniform boundaries and be combined with the existing surrounding ISURP land. Therefore, it is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council adopt Alternative No. 1, as described above.