Hy-Vee, New Hotels, Prairie Trail Highlight Ankeny Year Of Growth

ANKENY, IA — 2017 was a record year for Ankeny, with the city's highest ever level of permits issued for new taxable commercial construction at $95.1 million. Overall the city had its second highest year for commercial and residential construction activity with totals exceeding $337 million.

The city has seen four consecutive years with at least $300 million of total construction activity, City Manager David Jones said.

“This type of investment proves we are not only a great place to live, but also a great place to do business,” he said in a report. “Ankeny is firing on all cylinders and I see our momentum continuing; 2018 already looks promising with tens of millions of dollars in commercial projects in the queue. Developers continue to demonstrate a high level of confidence in Ankeny as they continue investing here.”

The city is growing at a rate of about five news residents per day. That's bringing in nearly 400 students a year to the Ankeny school district, which is preparing plans for an 11th elementary school if a Feb. 6 bond referendum for construction is approved.

Throughout the city, construction in 2017 included a mix of large, medium and small businesses relocating, expanding and remodeling to meet the needs of the market, the year-end report shows. The city annexed 224 acres and platted 687 lots last year. It issued 2,597 permits — second best to the record set in 2016 when 2,719 permits were issued.

More than 1 million square feet of commercial and industrial space was permitted in 2017.

The city's total residential valuation of $228.8 million included 567 single family homes, 174 townhomes/condos and 365 apartment units, making it the second highest year on record for residential growth.

While there were a number of new businesses and neighborhoods built in Ankeny in 2017, Jones cited in a report some of the more notable construction projects being the Hy-Vee/PDI expansion, Opus warehouse, Graham Group distribution center, three new hotels and overall growth in Prairie Trail.

The remaining $6 million in permit value came from other additions, alterations and miscellaneous permits issued by the city.

Image via City of Ankeny