HomeMy WebLinkAboutA025 - September 8, 2026, Regular Meeting of the Ames City CouncilITEM #:25
DEPT:P&H
September 8, 2026
Staff Report
REQUEST TO INITIATE AMES PLAN 2040 LAND USE AMENDMENT FOR RURAL
RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AT 3600 190TH STREET (FORMER MANGELS FAMILY
LAND)
BACKGROUND:
City Council received a request (attached) from Chuck Winkleblack and Justin Dodge,
Hunziker Companies, regarding a 35-acre parcel of land in Story County on the south side of
W 190th and north of the Bella Woods development. The site is to the southeast of Alluvial
Brewing Company and known as the Mangels property based upon prior ownership. The site
is outside of the Ada Hayden Watershed. (A location map is attached.)
Hunziker Companies purchased the property in fall 2024 with an interest in developing rural
housing on the parcel without annexation into the City of Ames. Earlier this spring, Hunziker
Companies applied for a land use change to Story County's C2C Comprehensive Plan to
allow for rural residential development of up to 20 homes. The Board of Supervisors voted to
approve the change on April 14.
Although the County has approved changing the use of the site, the Developer is still
subject to City subdivision review standards because the property is within two miles
of the City. Staff has advised the applicant that without City Council approval of a
change to Plan 2040 there would be no basis for the City to support waivers of
subdivisions standards, such as sanitary sewer service requirements, to allow for rural
development. Because of this, the Developer requests the City approve a policy change
related to the site that would support applying in the future for a rural subdivision.
The site is situated to west of Christ Community Church and north of the Bella Woods
Subdivision. The site does not currently touch the boundary of the City for annexation.
However, the Bella Woods subdivision can be annexed in combination with the
Mangels site by existing annexation covenants. The Bella Woods development was
previously approved as a Rural Transitional Residential designated site that included
covenants for annexation and utility improvements at the City direction. A road extension to
the north to connect to the Mangels site already exists. This is similar to the the recent AGCC
and Irons Subdivision process; however, the issue of utility extensions for sewer are not
planned for the site at this time as was the case with the Irons.
If City Council did not elect to pursue the Bella Woods Covenants, the site would
require voluntary annexation by Christ Community Church. Staff's discussion with
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church representatives last spring indicated they did not need city services and were
not interested in annexation.
OPTIONS:
Ames Plan 2040
Ames Plan 2040 designates the property as part of the City’s Urban Reserve. The
designation was the result of City’s scenario planning for Ames Plan 2040 and the (since
abandoned) Ames Fringe Plan discussion with Story County.
Urban Reserve is described as areas not intended for immediate annexation and
development, but where City services could be feasibly extended in the future. Because of
this potential to meet urban development interests, Plan 2040 does not contain policies
that support rural development within the Reserve designation (see the attached Plan
2040 Policy Framework excerpts).
Plan 2040 also identifies Rural Residential areas intended for development in unincorporated
locations. These areas are located in existing Rural development area and beyond the Urban
Reserve to avoid limiting future annexation opportunities. If a property is designated Rural
Residential, Plan 2040 policies allow for consideration of rural subdivisions without meeting
City standards because there is no expectation of future annexation. This is the request of
the applicant, to become Rural Residential with no plan for annexation.
Option 1 - Initiate Applicant Request for Comprehensive Plan Amendment
Rural Residential land use is currently inconsistent with Ames Plan 2040. Allowing for
a rural subdivision with waivers of City standards requires a change of Plan 2040 for
policy consistency. The amendment process requires public hearings with the Planning and
Zoning Commission (P&Z) and with the City Council. Staff would also be involved with the
developer discussing the planned subdivision. The actual preliminary plat review and hearings
would be subsequent to the Plan 2040 amendment decision. Due to current Council
priorities, the earliest staff would have resources to begin this process would be at the
end of October.
Option 2 - Decline the Plan 2040 Amendment Request and Require Annexation
The site could be annexed to the City in combination with other properties. If brought into the
City, the ability of the Developer and the timing of providing for sanitary sewer would have to
be evaluated in greater detail. A preliminary evaluation indicates that gravity fed sewer
connections to the south or east to the City are not feasible and a force main of some type
would be needed. Any annexed land would remain under Xenia Water Service Territory per
the City's agreement with Xenia, but water service infrastructure would be built to City
standards.
With the recent changes to the state's General Fund and property tax regulations, it
would be worth reviewing the financial implications of the development happening in
the near future. This option would require additional time to evaluate the cost-benefit of
annexation to the City and how development of the area would best fit within the City's
development standards. It is possible development would still require certain waivers for
private streets and septic systems or a private sewer system. As with Option 1, this process
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could not begin until late fall or winter. The overall timeline would likely take a year to
complete.
Option 3 - No Action
If City Council prefers to maintain the Urban Reserve designation then no action is needed at
this time. City Council would select this option if it believed it was premature to
determine the development pattern for this area while awaiting for recently approved
development in the City to be built (e.g., Greenbriar and The Bluffs). Under this option
the Developer would be unlikely to proceed with a rural subdivision because they
would not be able to meet all of the City standards for infrastructure and the City would
not support waivers of standards.
STAFF COMMENTS:
Urban Reserve properties do not typically abut the City as they are viewed as development
areas for later in the life of Ames Plan 2040. The Mangels property is uniquely situated in
that it does not currently abut the City, but could be annexed in combination with the
Bella Woods subdivision to the south that is subject to annexation covenants with the
City. The Bella Woods subdivision was approved under the old Ames Fringe Plan as a
Residential Transition Area and included waivers of completing full urban infrastructure
with the development and to have covenants to annex at the direction of the City.
The Urban Reserve designation is meant to coincide with the City’s planned urban service
area where municipal services, most notably sanitary sewer, that could be feasibly extended
without excessive costs. This area of the Urban Reserve would be served by Xenia to City
standards for water.
Although the applicant has not addressed the feasibility of utility services to the property, City
staff did estimate the feasibility in relation to the recent review of options to extend sanitary
sewer to the Irons Subdivision. Design issues for utilities are formally considered with
subdivision review, but this information does help to guide the policy discussion for the
amendment.
Staff determined that gravity fed sewer for the Mangels would be unlikely based upon the
current sewer extension plan. However, a private force main could be to used to make a
connection to City sewer. Staff does not believe a deferred decision on sewer service is
advisable as was done with the Irons and Bella Woods and any subdivision approval
will be the final expectation regarding utility infrastructure.
While sewer service is a primary component of the decision process for the City regarding
development options, the City Council could also have concerns about how rural development
adjacent to the City affects City resources that are nearby. Substantial increases in rural
development do impact the City street systems on the fringe of the City and affect the
use of resources and ag land around the City. These are all factors within Ames Plan
2040 that were initially considered for the proposed land use designations.
Regardless of the option selected by Council, due to Council priorities regarding
Housing Development within the City, incentive programs, and data centers, there
currently are no staff resources available to immediately work on this request. With
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Option 1 or Option 2, Council should indicate a timeframe that an application from the
developer would be accepted. Staff recommends the earliest timeframe for submittal of
the Comprehensive Plan Amendment would be no earlier than February 1, 2027.
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachments-Applicant Letter and Plan 2040 Maps
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To: Honorable Mayor and Ames City Council
From: Chuck Winkleblack & Justin Dodge, Hunziker Companies
RE: Mangels farm
Date: April 9, 2026
Hunziker Development Group owns 35 acres of land just West of the Ames Country Club
and North of the Bella Woods development. Story County planning and zoning
commission recommended the change, and the Story County Supervisors amended the
C2C plan and passed the rezoning from agricultural to rural residential on 1st reading on
April 7th. The 2nd reading is already scheduled for Tuesday, April 14th.
Our request is to amend the City of Ames 2040 plan to allow housing on this tract of land.
We intend for this to be a rural subdivision and not be annexed into the city of Ames. Our
intention is to preserve the wetland areas and to develop the parcel into 16 to 18 single
family homes. The parcel has adjacent single-family development on the South and West
and Prairie Moon Winery to the North. We have attached an aerial photo from Beacon
identifying the parcel.
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Future Land Use Designations
Residential Neighborhood 3 -
Expansion (RN-3)
Residential Neighborhood 4 -
Village (RN-4)
Neighborhood Core (NC)
Neighborhood Core - Mixed
Use (NC MU)
Open Space
Story County Urban Reserve
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P L A N E L E M E N T S G R O W T H & L A N D U S E
A M E S P L A N 2 0 4 0
Guiding Principles for the
Urban Fringe
MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL PLANNING
UF1-1: Designated Limited Area for Rural Development.
Designate areas of existing rural development and limited
areas for new rural development as they relate to future potential expansion for the city. A fundamental objective is
for new development to occur within an urbanized area of the city after its annexation, limiting impacts to rural uses and
providing urban infrastructure and services that support a
compact and efficient development pattern for urban
services.
UF1-2: Regional Partnerships. Work on regional
partnerships for mutually beneficial planning of recreational
uses, conservation areas, and watershed management.
RURAL CHARACTER AREAS
UF2-1: Existing Development. An Existing Development designation applies to previously developed areas of varying density below three dwelling units per acre. These areas were primarily developed through rural subdivisions and lack urban infrastructure. They are subject to county zoning for limited levels of residential development. Only limited development of existing lots or minor subdivisions of existing lots with existing zoning are anticipated during the life of this Plan. Minimum lot sizes should reflect the rural character of the area and limited infrastructure capacity to
support development intensification. Annexation of these areas is undesirable due to the low-density of development and minimal infrastructure improvements. These developments fall under the Rural Character category of the land use plan.
UF2-2: New Rural Residential. Rural Development Areas
reflect county planning interests and are limited to areas that are well beyond the potential Urban Reserve areas and city
limits. Designation of this land use should consider impacts to
infrastructure, adjacent agricultural uses and natural areas;
changes to storm water runoff and drainage basins; and
cumulative effects of development near other cities on
county and state highways. The low suitability of the site for
agricultural uses due to a CSR score of a LESA score does not
alone justify change of use to rural development. County
zoning will vary for density and use; typically, a rural
subdivision would be limited to a minimum of one unit per net acre and a maximum density of 2.5 units per net acre and are
to be developed as a subdivision plat. The city will review infrastructure needs for rural development and consider
case-by-case waivers of urban infrastructure standards.
UF2-3: Rural Non-Residential Development. Certain areas
adjacent to the city but in the county may include activities such as mining that are not desirable as an urban use or typically compatible with surrounding uses. In addition,
limited areas of pre-existing commercial or light industrial
uses also occur within two miles of the city. The largest such
areas are within Boone County. The Urban Fringe Area
recognizes these existing uses. However, further expansion
of these non-residential uses is undesirable, especially within the growth areas, as they can impact the future plans for city
expansion. Further development in these existing areas will be limited by current infrastructure improvements. The city will review infrastructure needs for rural development and consider case-by-case waivers of urban infrastructure standards.
AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL AREAS
UF3-1: Agricultural Preservation. Agricultural areas are
designated to preserve appropriate land for farming and limit
the encroachment of residential and other uses into these
areas. Land divisions are permissible only to allow for splitting off an existing homesite or farmstead from a farm area. Minimum lot sizes are proposed at 35 acres matching the Story County A-1 zoning standard.
UF3-2: Natural Area Conservation. Natural areas include
sensitive areas of natural habitat, steep slopes, and
waterways. Natural area designations are informational
based upon the Environment Element and the 2006 AUFP.
Creation of new parcels within these areas for new
development is prohibited. Property divisions for land conservation purposes is permissible with city approval.
Land conservation is typically for larger areas to be preserved
within outlots under common or private ownership or to
transfer ownership to a governmental or non-governmental
organization for its management. Creation of private open
space may not be appropriate under this designation. Natural areas adjacent to the city may still require annexation to
further city goals for orderly development patterns and
resource conservation.
URBAN RESERVE AREAS
UF4-1. Urban Reserve District. Create an Urban Reserve area
for the short- and long-term expansion of the city. These areas
fall within the urban service area where municipal services,
most notably sanitary sewer, can be feasibly extended. Only
subdivisions that meet full urban development subdivision and
improvement standards would be allowed.
UF4-2: Annexation. Urban Reserve Areas are appropriate for annexation to the city to meet future growth needs of the city.
Areas are planned for residential, commercial, and industrial
expansion based upon the scenario and Tiers analysis of this
Plan. A precise determination of use will be determined upon
annexation.
UF4-3: Lot Subdivision. Land divisions are permissible only
to allow for splitting off an existing homesite or farmstead
from a farm area. Divisions should not create parcels that can
limit future annexation options. Land Divisions within the
Urban Reserve Area shall meet a minimum lot size of 35 acres.
UF4-4: Infrastructure. All developments are subject to urban
infrastructure standards unless a conditional waiver is granted by the City Council.
URBAN FRINGE: POLICY FRAMEWORK
The following policies are the foundation for planning related to the two-mile Urban Fringe Area. Note that the two-mile Urban Fringe Area expands with every annexation of land by the city. These policies are intended to guide actions regarding development
proposals subject to City of Ames review as well as the coordination of policies with other jurisdictions. In addition to the Future Land Use Map designations designed to guide annexation and development of the primary growth areas, the city has established land use classifications for the Urban Fringe Area to guide decision making prior to annexation. See Urban Fringe Area classifications within the map on page 71 and also references on pages 50-52.
UF3-3: Park Areas. Natural areas may allow for future recreational opportunities within the city or the county. The area south of Highway 30 and west of I-35 that is currently a quarry may be an area suitable for a future regional park. This is identified within the Parks, Trails, & Greenways Element.
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