“Late summer or early fall, a strip center will be built directly behind the Applebee’s and the Burger King,” said Schaeffer during a Greater Fort Dodge meeting on Tuesday at the Community Orchard, 2237 160th St. About 30 people attended.

Schaeffer reported that there will be six leasable spaces within that strip center.

According to Schaeffer, the developers are in negotiations with a “multitude” of retailers and restaurants. There haven’t been any specific businesses announced for that strip center.

“Hopefully in the near future we will have some announcements that can come forward,” he said.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Dust flies on the northeast side of the Crossroads Mall site on Tuesday as demolition continued.

Meanwhile, demolition on the Younkers portion of the mall continued on Tuesday. Multiple excavators were in use on the property. The heavy machines were used to remove and pile up debris from the structure.

Iowa Demolition, of Des Moines, is doing the work. DCI Group, of Des Moines, is construction manager. The interior and exterior structure is anticipated to be completely down by mid-August, according to Jeff Thacker, DCI Group senior project superintendent.

Eventually, the south half of the Younkers wing will have a different look and entryway.

“Those entryways will come from the south now,” Schaeffer said. “There will be exterior doors. It will be more like a strip center.”

In terms of street improvements, a new street, called Third Avenue South, will run east to west and essentially line up with the Taco Tico entrance, Schaeffer reported.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
The operator of an excavator reaches the machine's arm inside the former Younkers store as demolition continued at the Crossroads Mall site on Tuesday.

Additionally, the south end of 27th Street will run north to south between Kay Jewelers and Dunkin Donuts. Eventually, that will connect with Second Avenue South, a new road that runs east to west by the UnityPoint Health Clinic Express.

“That will have several phases and will be several years before it is connected,” Schaeffer said.

It was also recently announced that the city would be able to capture $17 million to help pay for the Corridor Plaza project, which is the name for the diversified retail, service and entertainment area to be located on the Crossroads Mall site.

The $17 million opportunity is through the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

But Schaeffer clarified that the $17 million isn’t exactly a grant.

“That $17 million is not a grant, necessarily,” Schaeffer said. “It’s going to be captured through local option sales tax and hotel motel tax over the next 20 years.”

He said that money would be generated from the Corridor Plaza once stores have opened up to produce that tax.

“That’s another reason why these retailers and restaurants are so key to the redevelopment,” Schaeffer said. “That’s how the city is able to capture that tax to help pay for that project.”

Schaeffer said the Corridor Plaza development is vital to the growth of Fort Dodge.

“Fort Dodge is a retail hub for north central and northwest Iowa,” he said. “As the Crossroads Mall came into disrepair, it was time for a face lift. For us to continue to be the retail hub, it’s so important to redevelop this site.”

Elanco

The recent announcement of Elanco Animal Health’s commitment to Fort Dodge was praised during the Greater Fort Dodge meeting.

The company’s recent acquisition of Bayer’s animal health business prompted a thorough review of all the company’s plants and three of them were sold. But the company decided to keep the Fort Dodge one, and has committed to investing $106 million there over the next six years. That money will be used for things like manufacturing, research and development and machine upgrades/replacements.

It will also create another 26 jobs and retain the current 441 jobs there.

“It’s all positive for Fort Dodge,” said Dennis Plautz, CEO of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance.

Plautz reported on Tuesday that the Indianapolis City Council approved $135 million in tax increment financing for the new administrative headquarters for Elanco/Bayer.

“They are moving everything from Kansas City to Indianapolis,” Plautz said. “They acquired additional facilities through Bayer and fortunately the Fort Dodge facility was chosen to be maintained and actually grow.”

Mark Campbell, chairman of the Webster County Board of Supervisors, talked about the commitment among Iowa Central Community College, the state, the city and county, to support Elanco.

“The county is putting up some cash over a time frame to assist with the transition and expansion,” Campbell said.

The county will be providing$500,000 over three years, he said.

Elanco will also be annexed into the city, Campbell reported.

Elanco purchased the plant from Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica in 2017 in an $885 million deal.

The plant was built by Fort Dodge Laboratories, and some longtime residents may still refer to the site as “the Labs.” The company’s name was later changed to Fort Dodge Animal Health.

The site was later owned by Pfizer Inc. and Boehnringer Ingelheim Vetmedica.

It has facilities for research and development along with manufacturing capability. Vaccines for dogs, cats, cattle and pigs are made there.

The plant contributes more than 40 percent of Webster County’s manufacturing gross regional product, according to Plautz.

Plautz said Elanco’s impact is regional.

“Over 50 percent of their employees commute from outside of Webster County to work there,” he said. “That speaks to its importance to the region.”

Plautz said the company is a good fit for the area.

“I think it’s perfectly suited to Iowa, to Fort Dodge and it is a company now with international connections to sell animal pharmaceuticals,” Plautz said. “The fact that they will expand research and development here is also a very important thing for our future, I believe.”

New mental health region

Webster County entered its new mental health region on July 1 through Central Iowa Community Services.

The county was previously in the County Social Services region.

“We are excited to join them and have them be our leadership for mental health in our area,” Campbell said.

A mental health access center with CICS is something Campbell would like to see.

“We are continuing our conversation about an access center and what that would look like in our area,” he said. “We would like to improve upon the ease of access so people don’t have to travel.”

Campbell believes in the leadership of CICS.

“They are a funder of services,” he said. “They pay providers to provide services we need. There is no confusion on who is a provider or a funder. They have an incredible administrative team. They have been a leader for many many years. Their leadership and expertise, it’s great to be a part of.”