Site work finally under way on Dows Farm ‘agri-community’ project

After a series of procedural delays and setbacks, work on the Dows Farm “Agri-Community” project southeast of Cedar Rapids is finally underway. Crews from Rathje Construction began preliminary site work June 18 on the 179-acre Dows Farm tract, located north of Mount Vernon Road and east of Dows Road in rural Linn County, just east of Wanatee Park. And for developer Chad Pelley, the milestone couldn’t come soon enough. “We’ve got our team in place, and I’m really excited,” Mr. Pelley said. “It’s been too long.” Mr. Pelley’s development firm, Twenty40 Building Concepts, is leading the development of the Dows Farm project. With a development value of up to $119 million, Dows Farm will be one of Iowa’s largest 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 project, due in part to a determination that an existing water well on the site would be inadequate for their needs, and Mr. Pelley, through Twenty40 Building Concepts, continues to negotiate an agreement with Linn County to become lead developer for the entire project, including the agricultural 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.

Mr. Pelley said it’s taken longer than he expected to finalize agreements with both Cedar Rapids and Linn County to allow the county-owned project to proceed. “Getting it entitled through both Cedar Rapids and Linn County always presents its challenges, because of the uniqueness of the design,” Mr. Pelley said. “It pushes every design standard both of those jurisdictions have.” Specific plans for the project are still coming together, particularly regarding the agricultural component of the project, Mr. Pelley said. Various proposals are on the table, from beekeepers to organic farm operations. An agreement with a farming nonprofit such as SILT or Feed Iowa First is also a possibility, he said. Part of the development of the long-term plan will come from within, Mr. Pelley said, after a Homeowners Association (HOA) is formed for the Dows Farm project. “Let's get the neighborhood gardens up,” he said. “Let's get the compost set up. Let's get a couple of symbiotic relationships for an educational opportunity. We can work on many agreements and many relationships that benefit everybody. I think the coolest thing is having that happen organically.” Mr. Pelley compared his vision for Dows Farm to that of Twenty40’s Rookwood Estates development near Marion, a four-phased mixed-use development featuring Solar-Ready, SMART homes at various price points. The first phase of the development, now under way, incorporates 177 residential units and 14 commercial lots. Plans call for the addition of more residential units in a subsequent phase. As a Marion native, projects like Rookwood Estates and Dows Farm, with broad expanses of greenspace and a symbiotic connection to the surrounding ecosystem, hold a special meaning for Mr. Pelley. “This project takes our development to a whole different level,” he said. “Frankly, I’d want to live out here. I think it sounds cool.” Work on the Dows Farm site this year will focus on erosion control and infrastructure development, and Mr. Pelley said he hopes to begin digging foundations for the first housing projects on the site by this fall, with the first phase of housing development completed in about three years.