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Urbandale staff pitches $36 million downtown infrastructure plan to prime private redevelopment
Summary
City staff told council the Downtown Urbandale master plan has momentum and recommended a $36 million CIP allocation to fund initial infrastructure — pavement markings, preliminary engineering and plaza work — intended to leverage private investment and spur mixed-use redevelopment.
City staff presented the Capital Improvements Plan update that includes a major push to implement the Downtown Urbandale master plan and seed private redevelopment. Aaron and John said the city has bought and contracted for strategic parcels and wants to proceed with targeted infrastructure so private developers will follow. "We've made two major purchases and one under contract to really get the middle of the big block going," Aaron said, describing city efforts to create a market-ready core.
Staff framed the package as catalytic: initial work in 2026 would fund pavement markings on Douglas Avenue to test a three-lane, center-turn-lane configuration with parking on the north side, plus preliminary engineering and design for Madison and 71st Street. The engineering work is intended to define right-of-way, sidewalk widths, and grooming needed to align private development with the public realm. John said the pavement markings and a limited set of early improvements will make it easier for developers to tie in when they build: "Doing the pavement markings on Douglas will kick things off," he said.
Why it matters: staff told council the city's investment is meant to be paired with private projects — including a proposed office building by Cadence Development and a mixed-use block that would sit adjacent to the city-owned plaza — to create street-level activity and reduce the risk that the city builds infrastructure the private sector then ignores. Aaron said the downtown implementation aligns with zoning work the council will need to finalize so designers can produce more certain engineering deliverables.
Councilors pressed staff on sequencing, cost and timing. John recommended a staged approach — design and pilot striping in 2026, preliminary design and zoning changes the next year, and construction of major elements in later years — and emphasized development-driven timing. "It's a big number," Aaron said of the $36 million estimate, "but we've got things to move the private sector along." The city scheduled the CIP for formal consideration Jan. 6 and asked staff to return with refinements and a clearer phasing plan.
Ending: Staff will pursue consultant work next year for preliminary designs and a pavement-marking pilot on Douglas; the council expects a more detailed cost and zoning package before final approval.
