Mitchellville, eyeing growth, wants farmers to annex in to keep Altoona, Bondurant at bay

A small town on the eastern edge of Polk County has plans to grow, while also building a buffer from its rapidly-expanding neighbors.

Many communities in the Des Moines metro have exploded with development over the past few decades, and communities like Bondurant and Altoona, once tiny towns, have transformed into bonafide suburbs. Developed areas in those communities are still miles away from Mitchellville, but they have plans in place to grow east should the market call for development to expand their footprints there.

Mitchellville has a plan, too, as officials look to bring new developments online and annex agricultural land around the city's current footprint, including from farmers who would keep farming.

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"We don't want to be like a Windsor Heights and swallowed up from all the big surrounding towns," said city administrator Tammi Dillavou.

City officials have laid out priorities for land they might want to annex, or bring into the city limits, that could help create an agricultural shield from the growth of other communities, or be a good place for future development that would help Mitchellville boost tax base while maintaining a small town vibe.

That could mean Mitchellville could reach out to property owners to see if they'd like to voluntarily annex in.

The short-term priority includes prime real estate to the north of Interstate 80, an area where Bondurant and Altoona each have their own concepts for potential development.

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"We're hoping that's how a lot of people in that area identify, as Mitchellville people, and that they want to stay in our community, because it's only going to be so long before they're in one of these three," Mayor Nicholas Murrow said. "If they identify as Mitchellville residents, and they have connections to Mitchellville, we'd like them to voluntarily come in."

Other short-term priorities for annexation include land immediately south of Northeast 62nd Avenue and east of Northeast 116th Street. The city's longer-term planning map stretches north from Northeast 70th Avenue and south to Highway 163.

Mitchellville's goal is to roughly double in size, to about 5,000 people, so the town can support amenities like a grocery store or a car wash. The 2020 U.S. Census recorded Mitchellville's population as 2,485, which includes the inmates at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women. The census counted about 570 people in the area that includes the prison.

Projects are already moving ahead: Kimberley Development is building a residential subdivision on Mitchellville's north side that will include 280 homes, while there are plans for a possible truck stop, gas station and warehouse near the interstate exit.

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New residents and businesses would help with the city's budget, too. Mitchellville has contended with the need to fix the water main to address issues with water quality and discoloration, a $10 million project that is being done in pieces. The city has also has proposed a new public safety building, and officials would like to add 24-hour police coverage, instead of contracting with the sheriff's office to fill in shifts.

The plan ultimately includes having a buffer of farmland around Mitchellville as nearby communities continue to grow out.

"We really like the fact that we're surrounded by farms here," said Murrow, whose family has farmed in the area since 1848. "It's been a farm community, and that's how it's always been. But we want to be able to sustain that, and right now we don't quite have the budgetary means to maintain what we want and to be able to grow without being potentially swallowed up in the future."

Chris Higgins covers the eastern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mitchellville, Iowa, eyes growth while buffering Altoona, Bondurant