Planning commission recommends council approve 74-unit Discovery Place PUD and preliminary plat with conditions

The Ames Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 15 recommended that the City Council approve a planned unit development and preliminary plat for 3200 University Boulevard, a 74-unit residential project known as Discovery Place, with conditions requiring final amenity, parking and tree-planting plans and confirmation of a county cross-access easement.

City planning staff said the PUD allows 74 dwelling units on the site — 14 townhome-style units and 60 apartment units — organized as two 18-unit buildings and several 12-unit buildings, with one covered parking space provided per unit in garage structures. “It has a cap of 74 units on it, and we’re looking at the layout of those 74 units on the property to approve a site plan,” Kelly of the city Planning Division said during the staff presentation.

The property borders a county park to the south and a Workiva parking area to the north. Staff described the project’s design as context-sensitive but noted two key staff conditions before council review: a usable open-space…