Client Name
City of Huxley
Client Type
Location
Ankeny
Project Type
Services Provided
Blighted Land Area is Repurposed into Residential Neighborhood
Numerous utility improvements were necessary for the new Prairie Ridge Development.
Conveniently located between Ankeny and Ames, the City of Huxley is the epitome of a small town with big aspirations. After years of steady population growth, the city had accumulated a large amount of tax increment financing funds generated from residential development. These funds, however, could only be used to benefit people with low to moderate incomes. In early 2010, the city leaders decided to purchase and redevelop a blighted mobile home park and redevelop the land into affordable housing.
The professionals with Snyder & Associates were enlisted to assist the city with creating an alternative concept development for the area. To kickstart the process, the city provided relocation assistance to impacted residents and had the abandoned trailer homes removed. Since much of the underground infrastructure in the trailer park was poorly marked on city maps, our team had to be extremely diligent in locating and removing old infrastructure so that it didn’t interfere with new home construction. Our team then developed a preliminary and final planning design for the area. This included the cost estimating, environmental permitting investigations, and obtainment of the necessary rezoning permits for the addition of the planned unit development.
Detention Pond Addition Addresses Stormwater Drainage Needs
A new detention pond near the development helps to improve the quality of the stormwater runoff.
The area that was once home to the trailer park had been plagued by poor drainage and minor flooding issues during periods of heavy rainfall. To address this problem, our team designed a new stormwater detention facility in the northeast corner of the site. This detention pond reduces runoff and improves the quality of the stormwater by removing contaminants before the water is absorbed back into the ground.
The now thriving Prairie Ridge Development includes 41 single-family lots, ten bi-attached lots, a 2.3-acre site for a multi-family development, five commercial lots along East 1st Street, and direct access to a city park. After over a decade of new construction, the development is now nearing capacity and has created a safe and affordable environment for single residents, families, and retired couples to call home.
