Dows Farm ‘agri-community’ project set to begin this spring

Development work is finally set to begin on the long-planned and oft-discussed Dows Farm “agri-community.” Linn County planning and development director Charlie Nichols told the county board of supervisors Monday morning, Jan. 8, that the first phase of construction on the multi-faceted project is now expected to begin this spring. Mr. Nichols brought the discussion to the board because he said some key items in the purchase agreement for the property needed to be modified. Among them was a governing board for the project’s farming operations, which is no longer applicable, and a clause that would have established a Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) easement with a monitoring fund for the project. With those changes, Mr. Nichols said, developer Chad Pelley of 2040 Building Concepts is prepared to start work on the Dows Farm project this spring, including infrastructure and street construction. The changes are expected to be approved as part of the consent agenda for the supervisors’ regular meeting Wednesday, Jan. 10. The 179-acre Dows Farm tract is located north of Mount Vernon Road and east of Dows Road in rural Linn County, just east of Wanatee Park. The Dows Farm project, with a development value of up to $119 million, will become Iowa’s first land trust “agri-hood,” a mixed-use community to be built around a working farm that incorporates retail, a variety of housing, recreation and education components, while leaving 75% of the overall Dows Farm site open for conservation or agriculture.

The idea of bringing an “agri-hood” to the Corridor began in 2016, when Linn County bought the 179-acre Dows Farm property, as well as an additional 306 acres to expand Wanatee Park, for $7.2 million. County leaders shared and refined their vision via open houses and public meetings over a period of years, ultimately hiring Ahmann Companies to develop the property and the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT) to manage the farm component. SILT has since moved away from the Dows Farm, and Mr. Pelley reached an agreement with the county to become lead developer for the entire project, including the farming operation. As outlined, plans for the Dows Farm include clustered development on 25% of the property, or about 45 acres, including commercial, retail and a mix of residential from single-family homes to independent living and multi-family units. Another 45 acres will comprise the farm component, and the remaining 90 acres will be given over to conservation in perpetuity, with a major walking trail planned to enjoy the scenery. In all, Dows Farm is expected to include a mix of 381 dwelling units and 40,000 square feet of commercial space, including an event center, shops and restaurants. According to the Linn County website, “the Dows Farm Agri-Community will create a unique living, educational and economic experience,” offering residents direct access to trails and open spaces, participation in planting, growing, harvesting, eating and “celebrating food grown on the farm,” and housing options for all ages and income levels. The project is modeled after agri-community developments in several other states, including Minnesota and Illinois. In a May 2023 interview, Mr. Pelley said he decided to bring the farming operation under his development umbrella to remove a “heavy burden” from county staff and streamline the development process. “It felt like we should probably be in control of what that feels like and when it happens,” Mr. Pelley said. “Certainly before we start selling homes to people, we wanted to have a firm grasp on what that looks like. Otherwise, we're guessing and we’d potentially get ourselves into trouble with our future residents.” Mr. Pelley said he’s met with various nonprofits, farming groups, and representatives of Iowa State University and Kirkwood Community College, to determine the best path forward. “We've vetted quite a few different opportunities,” he said. “We'll keep the farm component, and actually it might even grow a little bit more. There's some substantial green spaces throughout the development, and we've got some creative ideas about bringing several groups in there and having some symbiotic relationships that are both educational and food-based ag businesses. Out of this might come a little bit more diversity for that part of the project.” Several opportunities are available for the project, he said, ranging from honey producers to organic chicken operations. “I don't want to even pigeonhole us into setting an expectation,” he said. “You can think of many ways to incorporate that into the neighborhood, and also turn it into an educational and a profit center. There's so many opportunities, I don't even want to start putting parameters on it. I think the sky's the limit.” Supervisors noted in May 2023 that the vision for the Dows Farm project has changed several times, and were quick to compliment Mr. Pelley on his flexibility on development plans, pointing out that the county declined to make further investments in a failing well on the property, leading to the exodus of Feed Iowa First, the nonprofit organization that had been pursuing ag operations for the project. “I have the utmost confidence in Chad, his team and his vision and ability to execute,” he said. “I think this is a really audacious goal for the county, one that (Mr. Nichols) inherited from his predecessor, and he has really run with it. It shows that we can really think in the big picture to create these agri communities and do it in a way that preserves most of the aesthetics of the land and gives people the opportunity to experience rural life in a city-urban setting.”