See where Des Moines metro's northern suburbs of Ankeny, Johnston, Grimes plan for growth
As the Des Moines metro area continues to experience significant growth in population, each city has a comprehensive plan in place to set a vision for the coming decades.
Always included are future land use maps — colorful mosaics that guide decision-making on where cities might want to have housing, shops, business parks, green space and new roads.
Development and city boundary expansions ultimately depend on market demand, what private developers propose and how landowners and city officials choose to move forward.
Here are the planning boundaries communities across the northern portion of the Des Moines metro are using to help carry out their visions:
Where Ankeny plans new developments, housing
Ankeny's planning map stretches from north of 126th Avenue, south to Interstate 80, east to Northeast 56th Street and west to Northwest 44th Street, with development potentially reaching Elkhart, Polk City, Altoona and Bondurant.
Most of the city's development is concentrated west of Interstate 35, but more recently it has spilled to the other side of the interstate with several hotels, light industry, Casey's headquarters, the Deer Creek housing development and, notably, a new Costco.
More: New restaurants, parks and more buildings: What's happening in Ankeny in 2023
If growth there continues, the city has a plan for an Ankeny "east side," with large tracts of low-density housing, nodes of medium- and higher-density housing, mixed-use developments and new businesses.
There also is a proposed beltway road that could run along what could be the far east side of Ankeny connecting the intersection of Interstate 80 and Highway 65 north to Interstate 35 near 126th Avenue. It would open up the possibility for more development along the ring road.
Ankeny envisions commercial and mixed-use development along Interstate 35 in the same undeveloped strip off Northeast 36th Street where Costco was built. Its map also calls for light industrial and business park development to the southeast, near the airport.
The west side of the interstate also could expand, with a possible extension of State Street to the north.
The Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, a regional transportation planning organization, projects Ankeny to have 118,688 people by 2050. There were 67,887 people counted in Ankeny in the 2020 census.
More: As suburbs annex land, how big will places like Ankeny and West Des Moines get?
Where Johnston could expand housing, open spaces
Johnston's future land use map stretches north to an area south of Northwest 114th Street. Some land would be protected as agriculture near the natural resources around Camp Dodge.
In the undeveloped northwest corridor, plans call for possible lower-density suburban residential housing, with some pockets of medium- and higher-density housing mixed in. The city envisions open space along the Beaver Creek watershed, with parks and corridors of commercial and other business development.
Granger recently approved plans to annex some of that land. Johnston opposes part of the proposed annexation, arguing it has been planning for growth in the area for decades and has made substantial infrastructure investments, Mayor Paula Dierenfeld recently said. The area was also included on Granger's land use map.
Other areas of development are imagined around the city in high-profile areas, including along 70th Avenue and Windsor Parkway, where a mix of residential and business could intermingle with protected open space. The plan also calls for upgrades to the Merle Hay Road corridor.
The Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization projects Johnston to have a population of 46,223 by 2050. There were 24,064 people counted there in the 2020 census.
More: A new brewery and sports complex: What's happening in Johnston in 2023 and beyond
Grimes' plans for growth include a business park, housing
Grimes envisions continued use of the south side for a business park and industrial development.
The map also plans for continued development of low-density housing to the west, building up mixed-use and commercial development along major roads and highway corridors and pockets of medium and higher-density housing around the city.
Further out, the map lays out areas north to 220th Street and west to W Avenue that could be "urban reserve," or agricultural areas that might accommodate future development and eventually access utilities. They are not expected to be developed soon, according to the comprehensive plan.
The Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization projects Grimes to have a population of 22,923 by 2050. There were 15,392 people counted in Grimes in the 2020 census.
Polk City may grow toward Ankeny
Polk City's future land use map plans for growth all the way north to Northwest 138th Avenue and east toward Ankeny, where the two cities might one day connect, with the urban reserve extending out.
The map focuses on lower-density housing if the city extends out north, east and northeast from its current footprint. Some medium- and higher-density housing could be mixed in near commercial and mixed-use areas along major corridors, including off Northwest 126th Avenue and Northwest 134th Avenue.
The MPO projects Polk City to have a population of nearly 8,000 by 2050. There were 5,500 people counted there in the 2020 census.
Elkhart plans for more housing
Elkhart's future land use map imagines new housing around where the city is currently developed, including some strips of higher-density housing, surrounded by land that would remain agricultural in the near future.
There also is a path planned for light industry leading to Interstate 35 and along the proposed Ankeny beltway leading to a block next to Interstate 35 for commercial development.
The MPO did not project a future population for Elkhart. There were 882 people living in Elkhart during the 2020 census.
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: Where new homes, businesses would be built in Ankeny, Johnston, more
