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Council Bluffs staff outline annexation plan tied to large rail-served industrial prospect; Mills County objects
Summary
City staff described a 470-acre annexation proposal that would involuntarily add about 37 acres and aims to secure rail-served sites for a prospective employer promising hundreds of jobs and large payroll; Mills County has submitted a resolution of non-support while Pottawatomie County provided support.
City planning staff briefed the Council Bluffs City Council on a proposed annexation of roughly 470 acres that would bring several rail-served sites inside the city, including approximately 37 acres of involuntary annexation.
Courtney, a city planner, told councilmembers the annexation is driven by interest from at least two companies in Mills County that need city services and rail access. “It is probably the second largest opportunity economic development wise for the city of Council Bluffs history,” Courtney said, adding the larger prospect “proposes to have a $45,000,000, salary, hiring 325 people.”
Courtney said the state of Iowa has offered up to $20 million in potential incentives for the project and that the chosen site is rail-served by a BNSF line. City staff said they intentionally limited the involuntary annexation to about 37 acres so property owners would not be split by the municipal boundary.
Staff and councilmembers discussed infrastructure needs if the annexation proceeds, including roadwork, sewer and water extensions and an anticipated application for a RISE grant (80/20 state-local split) to construct a connector road to the development area. Councilmembers and staff said road-maintenance obligations were a major point of discussion with county partners.
Courtney said Pottawatomie County provided a resolution of support for the annexation while Mills County provided a resolution of non-support. City staff said both county engineers have been engaged in plan review conversations and that the development board at the state of Iowa will review the petition at an April 7 meeting.
Councilmembers asked staff for maps of the parcels, and Courtney said maps appear in the Power Drive housing materials and related packet documents. No final development agreement or incentive acceptance had been executed by the city at the meeting; Courtney said the prospective company was still doing due diligence and had not accepted the city’s incentive offer.
City officials emphasized that if projects locate inside city limits, the city can require development to meet city standards and exercise zoning and permitting control; if projects remain in the county, the city would have less regulatory input. The council did not vote on annexation at the meeting; staff said public hearings and state review are scheduled as next steps.
