Mirroring the trend of building entertainment districts adjacent to professional sports venues, Iowa State University unveiled a master plan Tuesday for a 94-acre development between the school's football stadium and basketball arena.
As reported by The Associated Press, the development between Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum will be called CYTown and is scheduled to open in fall 2027.
Announced in 2022, the entertainment complex will be open to the general public year-round and the hub of activity on football game days. Construction cost is estimated at between $175 million and $225 million, with the master developer, Goldenrod Companies of Omaha, Neb., arranging financing. ISU will have no debt obligation.
Related: Iowa State Plans 'CYTown' Mixed-Use Development Between Stadium, Arena
The McFarland Clinic medical facility will be the anchor tenant. Also planned is a seven-story, 200-room Marriott hotel called The Cardinal that will be attached by skywalk to Hilton Coliseum, 70,000 square feet of retail space and 90,000 square feet of office space, as well as a 3,000-seat amphitheater and restaurants.
Related: Iowa State Selects Developer for $200M CYTown Multi-Use Entertainment District
Groundbreaking for the McFarland Clinic is scheduled for this spring, with most of the construction set for 2026.
ISU athletic director Jamie Pollard said the site had become outdated and presented a host of maintenance issues over the years. Former ISU president James Hilton in 1954 first proposed construction of an educational, cultural and athletic complex in the area.
“This is a big moment in time for Iowa State,” Pollard said in a video. “This is going to be a major attraction not only for the university but also for the city of Ames and for central Iowa because it’s taking an idea James Hilton had in the 1950s, which was so revolutionary and was so forward-thinking, and bringing it back to life.”
CYTown is envisioned to be similar to Titletown near Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers, the Power & Light District near the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, and The Battery Atlanta.
