Central Iowa’s newest industrial park is being developed on more than 700 acres of mostly farmland on the east side of Ames. City leaders hope to attract some large-scale manufacturing operations. Dan Culhane, president of the Ames Economic Development Commission, says they’re working with Alliant Energy to develop the property and to allow for easy access to Interstate 35 and to rail lines.

Culhane says, “I think we see advanced manufacturing, we see bio-renewable opportunities out there, a wide variety of industries that would be well-suited out there.”  The Prairie View Industrial Center is east of I-35 and north of Highway 30 and stretches to the Nevada city limits. Culhane says he’s in the early stages of recruiting manufacturers and distributors.

“The sewer and water won’t be extended until sometime in ’18,” Culhane says, “but the size and scale of the facilities that will likely go out here, those will take 18-to-24 months to build anyway and so we’re actively marketing.” The 730 acres will be broken into five lots. They will sell for 25-thousand dollars an acre.

(Radio Iowa)