The Ames City Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday recommended that the City Council rezone 57258200 Twentieth Street from Agricultural to General Industrial upon annexation into the city.

City staff said the site, which lies at the city edge along Thirteenth Street though addressed on Twentieth Street, will be incorporated into a larger master-planned GI area and “is not really gonna be individually buildable,” and that the owner plans two large warehouse logistics facilities for the combined site. Staff said council will consider the annexation next week and initiated the simultaneous rezoning to simplify the process.

Commissioners asked whether an applicant would present and whether public comment was expected; there were no members of the public who spoke on the item at the meeting. After brief discussion, a commissioner moved to recommend approval of Alternative 1, to rezone the parcel to General Industrial upon annexation. The motion was seconded, commissioners cast voice votes in favor, and the motion passed.

Discussion (staff and commissioners) focused on procedure and the site’s relationship to the existing GI area and master plan. Staff said the parcel would be merged into the Research Park–area master plan and that utilities, traffic, and stormwater will be addressed through that master-plan and rezoning process. No conditions or amendments to the rezoning were adopted by the commission.

The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for final action; staff indicated the council initiation step on annexation already occurred and that rezoning was intended to be effective at the moment the property is annexed into the city.

Commissioners present and voting on the motion included Julie Winter, Mike Clayton, Mike Sullivan, Mike Lipitra, Matthew Voss and Jim Blickenstorf. Vote was taken by voice and the motion passed.