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Council approves amendment to Northwest Market Center Urban Renewal Plan with new placemaking incentives
Summary
The Urbandale City Council approved Amendment No. 2 to the Northwest Market Center Urban Renewal Plan, updating CIP projects, adding affordable-housing acquisition authority and changing incentive schedules to a four‑year standard rebate while creating a new placemaking/catalyst incentive for North Park.
The Urbandale City Council on Monday approved Amendment No. 2 to the Second Amended and Restated Northwest Market Center Urban Renewal Plan, updating capital projects, development-agreement obligations and incentive language for the district.
Aaron Young, the city’s economic development director, told the council the amendment adds explicit authority for acquisition of commercial or industrial property for affordable housing, updates totals for existing development agreements and proposes changes to incentive schedules. Young summarized the standard incentive change: “We are proposing to modify that to a 4 year schedule with a 80, 60, 40, 20.” The revision shortens the standard tax-increment finance (TIF) rebate from five years to four, reducing total rebates modestly while keeping Urbandale competitive, staff said.
Young also outlined a new two-part placemaking incentive aimed at the North Park corridor. Part 1 would allow qualifying placemaking investments to receive a five-year, 90% TIF rebate equal to documented placemaking costs. Part 2 is a catalyst incentive that would offer an additional five years of 90% rebate for the first project in designated subareas to help offset higher up-front costs. Young said the program targets multi-story, mixed‑use projects of more than 20,000 square feet along the North Park focus area.
During council questions, members asked whether the placemaking incentives were limited to the four named subareas; Young said the program would be available across the North Park and Plum focus areas but that the extra five‑year catalyst rebate would be limited to the first eligible project in each of the four subareas. Staff emphasized the placemaking incentives are intended to encourage higher‑quality, mixed‑use developments with pedestrian amenities and sustainability features.
The council opened and closed the public hearing and then approved the amendment by motion (Resolution 321‑2025). Mayor and council members thanked staff for the work done on the plan; no public speaker registered opposition during the hearing.
What’s next: The amendment takes effect following standard post‑adoption procedures; staff said they will use the updated plan language in future development agreements and incentive decisions.
