Welch Ave station and Thumbs are sufficient to scratch the alumni itch in my opinion. I drove on Welch the other day and seemed like there were less bars than when I was in school
Campustown Redevelopment
- Thread starter Haverhill
- Start date
You're probably right, I just think Campustown needs a facelift, but if you're limiting it to dumpy college bars, it's going to remain no better than Decorah. Honestly probably worse than Decorah.
I agree that campustown could always use some updating as things move out, but there are at least a half dozen or more restaurants that would be fine for lunch or dinner.
It's going to take some sort of new anchor business which is why Cytown's first business is an anchor business. Smart development. I have no idea what business could be located in Campustown.
Since the charm of Campustown is gone, they might as well continue to build more 5-over-1s with 1st floor retail and a ton of student housing so there can at least be a dense clump of students right down there so that more establishments can succeed.
Honestly, I’ve always been surprised Sheldon Ave, on the west side of campus, by all the Engineering buildings hasn’t been more densely developed to cater towards engineering students.
Just has always seemed underdeveloped considering its location and, in my guess, probable demand for close living/walk for the engineering students.
-I’m obviously not a developer, but just glad people are talking about Campustown good or bad, right or wrong.
Just has always seemed underdeveloped considering its location and, in my guess, probable demand for close living/walk for the engineering students.
-I’m obviously not a developer, but just glad people are talking about Campustown good or bad, right or wrong.
You’d probably have to raze a significant chunk of it like old “LANE4” proposal and add parking and plaza space.
The Battles BBQ sauce recipe was sold and you can find it in some area Hyvees and other stores, or online and looks like they ship it as well. Sauce Slingers is the name, $10.00 per bottle and they have the Mild or Spicy. I've bought it, and can confirm it is spot on the recipe (just loses a point bc George isn't grumpily serving it to me).
About
Tangy, deep and complex sauce that's not too sweet. Well balanced, deep flavor with a little heat.
sauceslingers.com
As a student here, I promise you students don’t care about the aesthetic. They’re still going to the Welch Ave bars.
I agree with you that campus town needs a face-lift but the university is not significantly bigger than in the past. When I attended 45 years ago the enrollment was around 25,000 compared to 30,000 now. The big difference between then and now as far as campus town is concerned is that back then 20,000 of those students were of legal drinking age.
Enrollment in 1979 was 23,486. Enrollment in 2023 is 30,177. It was 36,000+ in 2019.
That does surprise me, but enrollment isn't the only way to measure the size and feel of the university. The campus facilities have continued to evolve and be updated while Campustown maintains the look it had in the '90s, but without the quaint or individual charm that we usually see on college campuses. It's an ugly block of old buildings that you'd see any small town in Iowa with the only difference being that thousands of college students keep it in business. I'm not telling you guys anything new, I've just always thought the area was ugly.
Not in Campustown, but west of there (block west of baseball field)
Low-income housing units coming soon to Ames, near the Iowa State University campus
The city of Ames is partnering with a real estate development group to bring 38 units of affordable multi-family housing to the city in the next year.
www.amestrib.com
Do you have an example of a peer institution that has a much nicer campus business district? The two other campuses I know best are Rutgers and UNC. Rutgers may be even dumpier, and UNC seems nicer/more aesthetically pleasing, but it’s still primarily restaurants and bars catering to the low cost student crowd. Maybe like one slightly nicer brewpub that caters to a slightly more refined crowd.
In my opinion, most large scale redevelopment done these days has a cheap plastic look that is no more visually pleasing than Campustown.
Iowa city and Athens, GA, off the top of my head, have much nicer campus business districts. There’s something about Ames and development that don’t mix. If something does get built it’s usually underwhelming/doesn’t age well.
Iowa City (and it looks like Athens as well) has one main central business district. Ames has two (Campustown and Downtown... and soon CyTown?) so development is split between those and other parts of the city which means both aren't as great as they could be, imo. Also I think Ames is smaller than both of the cities you mentioned.
There are lots of pages here and I apologize if this has been brought up. Talk to three or four of the local real estate developers and the Ames city council and related approval authorities are incredibly difficult to deal with. The expectations and requirements of new developments drive up cost and ultimately drive down what can be built and have a fair return on investment.
What real estate developer is going to have to live with Scottsdale type requirements to serve 33,000 college students? The formula doesn't work. Someone above their stated to build apartments with first floor retail. That's probably the only type of investment that will drive a return to build new.
Somebody with more information and expertise can chime in on Cytown. I am very bullish on Cytown because of who it is really serving for approximately 150 days a year of sporting events, cultural events and other related activities. They are not trying to serve 33,000 college students. CyTown's customers will be at different profile - people attending sporting events, continuing education, Research Park, and with McFarland Clinic, medical patients.
Sorry for hijacking it to the CyTown development, but I'm just trying to point out the difference even though they are less than a mile apart.
What real estate developer is going to have to live with Scottsdale type requirements to serve 33,000 college students? The formula doesn't work. Someone above their stated to build apartments with first floor retail. That's probably the only type of investment that will drive a return to build new.
Somebody with more information and expertise can chime in on Cytown. I am very bullish on Cytown because of who it is really serving for approximately 150 days a year of sporting events, cultural events and other related activities. They are not trying to serve 33,000 college students. CyTown's customers will be at different profile - people attending sporting events, continuing education, Research Park, and with McFarland Clinic, medical patients.
Sorry for hijacking it to the CyTown development, but I'm just trying to point out the difference even though they are less than a mile apart.
I guess I’m in the minority but as a 30 year old, that now lives in Arizona, that goes back to Ames once a year for a football game, I still love campus town. It’s fun to go back to all the gross college bars, even if I am 7-8 years older than everyone else there.
To the people saying there needs to be an “alumni friendly” option in campus town, that’s a bit nicer than fast food or a bar, I don’t necessarily disagree. I just think about how hard it is for any business, retail or food/drink, to survive in campustown and I don’t see how a place like that would last more than a couple of years.
To the people saying there needs to be an “alumni friendly” option in campus town, that’s a bit nicer than fast food or a bar, I don’t necessarily disagree. I just think about how hard it is for any business, retail or food/drink, to survive in campustown and I don’t see how a place like that would last more than a couple of years.
