Johnston Development Thread

[Mastermind]

AKC Marketing is building a standalone office on Windsor Pkwy just off 86th Street. The building is nearly complete and should help spur development in the area. The company was founded in 2007.

[Mastermind]

$123,000,000 in school improvements include a $51,000,000 bond set for the new Johnston Highschool. The highschool could be voted on in September.

Opening in 2015
325,000 sq ft
1,800 students (600 per class)
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... igh-school

New Renderings for the Highschool. Very Modern!

[DMRyan]

Looks great! Johnston will definitely be a suburb to watch over the next decade. I wouldn't be surprised to see it hit the 30,000 people mark in 10-12 years.

If they can ever open up all of that land that Pioneer has for test plots, look out.

[Mastermind]

Looks great! Johnston will definitely be a suburb to watch over the next decade. I wouldn't be surprised to see it hit the 30,000 people mark in 10-12 years.

If they can ever open up all of that land that Pioneer has for test plots, look out.

There is quite a bit of land tied up in Pioneer, Camp Dodge and the Beaver Creek Greenbelt. Unfortuantely, i dont think large portions will be freed up anytime soon.

[casbern]

Looks great! Johnston will definitely be a suburb to watch over the next decade. I wouldn't be surprised to see it hit the 30,000 people mark in 10-12 years.

If they can ever open up all of that land that Pioneer has for test plots, look out.

Johnston is my favorite suburb.

But then again that's like saying it's my favorite type of disease.

[Mastermind]

Looks great! Johnston will definitely be a suburb to watch over the next decade. I wouldn't be surprised to see it hit the 30,000 people mark in 10-12 years.

If they can ever open up all of that land that Pioneer has for test plots, look out.

Johnston is my favorite suburb.

But then again that's like saying it's my favorite type of disease.

You stay classy Casbern.

[casbern]

Looks great! Johnston will definitely be a suburb to watch over the next decade. I wouldn't be surprised to see it hit the 30,000 people mark in 10-12 years.

If they can ever open up all of that land that Pioneer has for test plots, look out.

Johnston is my favorite suburb.

But then again that's like saying it's my favorite type of disease.

You stay classy Casbern.

[Cyclonefan]

Should be interesting to see Johnston grow the next few decades because of the lake. Johnston and Grimes i know have set a "prime meridian" of sorts along 141 so that would lead Johnston towards a collision course with Granger in the future. Unless they can annex across the lake. Is that possible?

[Mastermind]

New Senior Housing Propopsed by R&R
This is just up the road (West) from Iowa Health and accross from the new AKC Marketing builiding.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... ?Frontpage

[Mastermind]

The phot below is looking South at the intersection of Merle Hay and NW 64th Pl. In the distance you can see the new Senior Apartments. This is the T shaped building with underground parking. The foreground is where the Public safety building will be.

[Mastermind]

$123,000,000 in school improvements include a $51,000,000 bond set for the new Johnston Highschool. The highschool could be voted on in September.

Opening in 2015
325,000 sq ft
1,800 students (600 per class)
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... igh-school

New Renderings for the Highschool. Very Modern!

Bond Referendum voted down. Needed 60% approval, recieved 55%.
http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/ ... oted-down/
Not sure why they pressed this so fast. They definitely didnt make their case to the public IMO

[DMRyan]

Wonder what the history/case law is for requiring a super-majority on bond referendums, versus a simple majority??

This won't be a problem that goes away for Johnston. Wouldn't be surprised to see this referendum back on the ballet within a year.

[dogbo]

Not sure why they pressed this so fast. They definitely didnt make their case to the public IMO

I'm only guessing, but sometimes moving quickly can be to your advantage before a big resistance movement can be organized against a project. That said, the article in the Register this morning indicated that the Superintendant spoke to 40 different groups in the months before the election. Being in the Johnston school district, I know we heard more than enough about this between mailings, robo-calls, and from our daughter's elementary school.

I was in favor of this and Ryan is right, this won't go away. That said, it seems these school bonds often need to be presented 2 or 3 times before they eventual pass.

[hawk61401]

There are states where a school bond issue requires a 55% approval. California is one that changed to 55% in 2000. Now, the approval rate is 80% for school bond issues in California. In this case, if Iowa had a more reasonable law at 55%, the Johnston bond would have passed.

The Superintendant spoke to 40 different groups. I wonder if he spoke to the seniors. 25% of Johnston's population is age 45 - 64, 10% is 65 or older. I noticed several comments from seniors who questioned why they should vote for it.

Iowa hasn't caught up with other parts of the country where seniors make up a large percentage of the population and are targeted and wooed. A school bond issue effects a limited number of the voting population; primarily, the parents of the students and school employees. Senior citizens live on a fixed income so they may be more sensitive to higher property taxes. Seniors tend to support education expenditures if they have been a long time resident of the community. If not a long time resident, they tend to vote for less expenditures. But even those who have been a long time resident might feel detached from their community. Imagine being an 80 year old in Johnston today. When that 80 year old was a child in school in the early 1930's, the population was several hundred with dirt roads. They might no longer feel they owe anything to a community they no longer recognize.

[dogbo]

^ I wonder if Johnston schools have an additional hurdle to overcome?

While I don't know the numbers, they do have Des Moines proper residents (like my family) that fall into the Johnston School district. Imagine the households that consider themselves Des Moines residents (because they are) and don't have kids in school. How motivated are they to vote yes?

[Mastermind]

^ I wonder if Johnston schools have an additional hurdle to overcome?

While I don't know the numbers, they do have Des Moines proper residents (like my family) that fall into the Johnston School district. Imagine the households that consider themselves Des Moines residents (because they are) and don't have kids in school. How motivated are they to vote yes?

Precisely, i didnt vote on the issue, because i dont really know how i feel. I dont have kids, and I dont necessarily want to be assesed another $100+ every year. In addition, our H2O bill has doubled and added a storm water utility fee (capped for commercial businesses of course), we just had the Public Safety Building bond pass. The problem that i saw was they just pumped millions into the Highschool, and they were spending millions more for new athletic facilities at the new proposed highschool. Also why would you spend $50 Million to increase capacity by 300 students?

[Emil]

the school can bring the bond issue up every six months no matter how many times it fails so I'm not sure that 60% is unreasonable. 60% is a good standard considering the committment and the fact that so much of the burden will fall on businesses (and corporations don't get votes).

[Mastermind]

The roundabouts on NW 62nd Ave are nearly finished. The entire street will be 4 lanes from Merle Hay to NW 100th St.
My intitial concern is the effect on pedestrians. Sure vehicles are suppose to yield to pedestrians, but i will believe that when i see it.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120920/COMM/309200019/Johnston-road-construction-project-nearing-completion?Frontpage

[Mastermind]

Jerrys Homes is seeking to build 3 - 24 unit apartment complexes near 103rd St and NW 62nd Ave.

Dallenbach & Larson is proposing to build a 56 unit complex at 57th Ave. near NW Beaver Dr i believe.

[Mastermind]

After 7 years, Mojo's on 86th St will be closing.
http://johnston-ia.patch.com/articles/j ... even-years

[DMRyan]

That's a blow! The only restaurant in Johnston worth driving to, unless you like the Greenbriar.

[hawk61401]

Unless I have my restaurants mixed up, I think they just did a major remodeling job last year. Soooo, I wonder what happened.

[dogbo]

Victim of the economy? Never made it there (for us it was more a location thing) but always heard/read great things.

[DMRyan]

I think this was a location thing, being obscured in a strip mall location not visible from the main street. Being a very amateur foodie, I would've easily put Mojo's in the top 10-15 restaurants in the metro.

They really specialized in using locally grown, very fresh ingredients in their seasonal menu. Hopefully, the chef behind this restaurant can land on his feet with a restaurant of similar caliber.

[Mastermind]

Update on Aslan Hallmark Senior Housing
60 units would be located to the east of Merle Hay behind Bank of the West.

This same piece of land is being rezoned for regular market rate apartments. It will be called Iowa Heritage Village. It will have 56 apartments in 6 seperate buildings.

They are also asking to relocate the existing stoplight on Merle Hay at Hy-vee.

[Mastermind]

-Greedy Development (yes that is the name)
Is seeking to build 18 twinhomes (36 units) This is an extension of the existing twinhomes on NW 50th St.

2013 City Projects
-NW Beaver Drive Widening from Johnston Dr, North to 62nd Ave
-NW 54 Ave and NW 100th St (Casino proposal location) will be rebuilt in 2013 with cooperation of Urbandale & Grimes
- Terra Lake Phase I
-NW 66th St Bridge over Des Moines River
-NW Beaver Dr. Trail Phase I (West Saylorville Trail)
-Merle Hay East Improvemnet Phase 1 (brings rural type roads in Eastern Johnston up to modern standards 4 year Project. Starts South and moves North)

2014 City Projects
-NW 70th Avenue Widening (4 lanes from 86th St., West to 107th)
-Merle Hay Rd and 62nd Ave Intersection reconstruction

[Mastermind]

Walls are starting to go up on the The Publlic Safety building.

[Mastermind]

Public Safety building in the foreground, Johnston Commons Senior Apartments in the background.


Public Safety Building


Johnston Commons in foreground, Johnston Public Safety in left background

[Mastermind]

Snow and the holidays have slowed the Public Safety Building a bit. It looks as if they are about 50% finished with the exterior walls.

This is the North and East elevation


North and West elevation

[DMRyan]

Thanks for the updates Mastermind. We're definitely in the slowest two months of the year for development and construction news to discuss, and my camera doesn't work so well for updating when it's below 40 degrees. Luckily, things start to get moving construction-wise again in late February if the snowpack is gone.