Council approves Magnolia Heights plats after questions on sidewalks, school access and 150th Street timing

The Urbandale City Council on April 14 approved final plats for portions of Magnolia Heights but pressed staff and the developer for details on pedestrian access to Waterford Elementary School and the timing of related road construction.

Planning staff presented plats 5, 6 and 7 for the Magnolia Heights development and said the larger subdivision will ultimately be completed in a series of plats. Steve Franklin described Plat 5 as seven single-family detached lots (minimum 60-foot lot width), Plat 6 as 33 townhome lots north of the new Walnut Meadows Drive and Plat 7 as 37 townhome lots south of Walnut Meadows Drive. Franklin said the entire Magnolia Heights development covers about 104 acres and earlier plats included the lot where Waterford Elementary was built.

Council members asked for clarification about pedestrian access to the school and when 150th Street reconstruction (a separate capital project) would occur. Franklin pointed to existing and planned sidewalk connections within the development and to a trail that now connects from Waterford Road under a power line into the area; he said sidewalks will be provided along the new internal streets as they are built. John Larson, director of engineering and public works, confirmed that reconstruction of 150th Street is currently in the city's capital improvement plan for 2028 and typically the city completes sidewalk work internally as streets are constructed. David Albright of Paladin Properties told council he expects internal streets to be completed so bus routes can use 150th Street once that reconstruction occurs; he said the developer plans to sequence work so most internal sidewalks will be in place before heavy school-year impacts. Albright noted the developer anticipates major construction activity in 2028 tied to the CIP schedule but acknowledged that schedules can change and that drainage and the north-half-mile development unknowns affect timing.

Council members expressed concern about relying indefinitely on a north-half-mile extension to trigger 150th Street construction. One council member said they did not want to wait ‘‘indefinitely’’ for the north half to develop and urged staff to consider keeping sidewalk and access improvements more current so school access is safer for students. Staff said the city typically closes a street during reconstruction and stages work to minimize disruption, and that alternate access from the east will remain available during construction.

After discussion the council approved Resolutions 132-2025, 133-2025 and 134-2025 to accept the final plats for Magnolia Heights plats 5, 6 and 7; motions and seconds were recorded on the transcript (no roll-call tallies were included in the record).

What was new or notable

• Sidewalks and trail connections: Staff highlighted an existing trail from Waterford Road that now reaches into the Magnolia area; sidewalks will be required along newly constructed internal streets, and staff recommended routing pedestrians along 150th Street to access the school until major street reconstruction occurs.

• Timing and CIP linkages: 150th Street reconstruction is currently in the CIP for 2028; staff and the developer said internal subdivision streets will be completed to provide school access and allow bus routing when the road project proceeds.

• Planning process: Franklin said the preliminary plat is a working drawing and that final plats may vary slightly from the preliminary layout; any increase in lot counts beyond the preliminary plat would trigger a new preliminary plat process.

Next steps and implementation

The council recorded approval of the three final plats; the community development department and the developer will complete final engineering, coordinate required sidewalk installations with street construction and record each final plat with the county. Staff noted that timing for 150th Street reconstruction remains subject to broader CIP scheduling and drainage design work for adjacent areas.