Background

In 2005 the neighboring counties of Audubon and Cass in southwest Iowa received a Local Government Innovation Fund award to complete a feasibility Master Plan examining the possibility of  a joint partnership in the development of a multi-use business park, known as the Valley Business Park.  This partnership for rural economic growth is located at the Interstate 80/US Highway 71 interchange north of Atlantic, Iowa and south of Brayton, Iowa. 

Location

The Valley Business Park is located approximately 65 miles east of the Omaha/Council Bluffs metropolitan area, 70 miles west of Des Moines and approximately 69 miles north of the Missouri border.

Interstate 80 is a major east-west traffic corridor crossing through Cass County just south of the Audubon/Cass County line.  Highway 71 is a major north-south regional artery intersecting I-80 approximately half way between the Des Moines and Omaha/Council Bluffs metro areas.  This location provides access to regional and national markets.

Purpose

Cass and Audubon counties have coordinated economic development activities to market the Valley Business Park for industrial and/or commercial development.  The counties will build the regional economy with increased investment in the area in order to create new jobs and increase the tax base.

Relationship

The relationship between Audubon and Cass Counties is organized in accordance with Chapter 28E of the Code of Iowa.  This type of a development relationship between two counties is not entirely new to the State of Iowa, but it is unique.  A Steering Committee leads the development effort.  The Steering Committee includes representatives from the following entities:  Cass County, Audubon County, Cass/Atlantic Development Corporation (CADCO) and Audubon County Economic Development Corporation (ACED).

Master Plan

The Master Plan was developed in two steps by Foth & Van Dyke in conjunction with Region XII, SWIPCO.  The first step evaluated the existing conditions of the study area.  The second step created development concepts.  The Master Plan is the guiding factor in determining the optimum development site, needed infrastructure, a phased schedule for development (including which areas should receive initial investments), access, signage, and enhancements.  Information was gathered from numerous sources including:  Audubon and Cass Counties, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), Iowa Department of Transportaion (IDOT), United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) and the U.S. Census Bureau. 

The plan is intended to guide development of future county-owned property and to provide strategies for efficient and cost-effective provisions of infrastructure within the park.  The Master Plan will also serve as a basis for the development of a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District Plan.

Available Land

Preliminary discussions have taken place between the Steering Committee and landowners in the Master Plan area in an effort to identify any land considered "unavailable" for prospective development.  While some of the land owners did indicate their land is "unavailable," other land owners are open to discussions and some sections were already listed for sale and are available for purchase.

Phasing of Development

The proposed phasing plan for expansion of the Valley Business Park is tied to four phases of road construction; however, the phasing plan is intended to be flexible so that the Steering Committee can combine phases based on general market conditions, speed of sales of business lots within complete phases and/or progress of negotiations related to purchasing additional lands for business expansion.  Key phasing factors are the costs and timing of infrastructure improvements and whether the land can be purchased, or development opportunities be negotiated with the property owners, by the Valley Business Park Steering Committee.

The information on this page is mainly from the Valley Business Park Master Plan.