Despite objections from nearbyhomeowners, West Des Moines city leaders are continuing to work with the developers seeking to build aSuite Shotsdriving range and restaurant, a smaller version of the wildly popular Topgolf.
Two council members who siton the Development & Planning Council Subcommittee directed city staff in a meeting Monday to draw upa planned unit development for Suite Shots, plus a hotel, four office buildings, and quick-service and sit-down restaurants. The complex is proposed for a site south ofGrand Avenue and just west of I-35.
The West Des Moines City Council will have the final say on whether to approverezoning for the project.
Councilmember Doug Loots said he's received dozens of emails and calls in support of Suite Shots.
"There's definitely an overwhelming response to build it," said Loots.
But Concerned Citizens for Grand Avenue Development, a group of homeowners who live in Glen Oaks Country Club, a gated community to the north of the proposed development, oppose the project. Their chief complaint is potential noise, and light pollution from the illuminateddriving range.
"We believe an entertainment venue with nighttime stadium lighting belongs somewhere further separated from residential development," Josh Janeczko, a Glen Oaks resident and the group's spokesperson, told the subcommittee members.
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Local developer Paul Cownie is working withFargo, North Dakota-baseddeveloper Kevin Christianson, who is currently buildinga Suite Shots in his community.
The 50,000-square-foot facility would have three floors of climate-controlled bays— the suites referred to in the name—from whichgolfers wouldhit into a 250-yard driving range surrounded by netting. Golfers try to earn points for their drives usingToptracer Range software— the same proprietary system usedby the Topgolf sports entertainment company.
With arestaurant and bar, the facility would be about half the size of a typical Topgolf.
Topgolf debuted in 2005. It website lists more than 70 U.S. locations— the closest to Des Moines is in Omaha, Nebraska — as well as others in Mexico, Europe, Asia and Australia. It draws some 20 million customers a year, according to the New York Times, and plans further expansion after last year completing a $2 billion merger with golf gear maker Callaway.
The local development team believes Suite Shots will attract tourists to the Des Moines metro, and will have a built-in customer base from the nearbyMidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex, a recently opened 300,000-square-foot youth sports facility thatwill regularly hold tournaments drawing families from throughout the region.
"Suite Shots is a win for West Des Moines.It's also a huge win for this entire community," Cowniesaid. "Suite Shots is not detrimental to property values. It's a value creator."
ArchitectKim Matteson told the subcommittee the driving range lights will not be on top of the 150-foot-tall poles that hold the netting. Instead they will be on the building, pointing down at the driving range, she said.
The development team did a study and found the nearest home in Glen Oaks Country Club is 670 feet away. Cownie said some homes in the Oaks on Grand development are closer, but he hasn't heard any complaints from residents there.
The Glen Oaksresidents withConcerned Citizens for Grand Avenue Development were unswayed.Janeczko argued the city should not allow a new development that is not aligned with its comprehensive plan. Approved in 2010, the plan does not call for recreational uses at the proposed Suite Shots location, which currently is zoned for commercial use and open space.
Neighbors said they built their homes in Glen Oaks Country Club based on the comprehensive plan and the general understanding of what may be developed in the fast-growing area.
In addition thepopular RecPlex, the area along Grand Avenue west of I-35also is home to the west campus ofDes Moines Area Community College, which opened in 2001. Nearby,Des Moines University, which is moving from a site near downtown Des Moines,is under construction.
"If you're going to change the rules to something that's going to have a detrimental impact on my property ...I think there should be a compelling public reason for that change. For me another driving range is not a compelling public reason," said Tom Halterman.
Janeczkosuggested Suite Shots instead be built at Valley West Mall, which has a plan to transform its aging and increasingly vacant facilities with more entertainment and restaurant options.
Lynne Twedt, West Des Moines' development services director, said the city's comprehensive plan has been amended at least 100 times since its passage 12 years ago. Such plans are designed to be changed as development trends change, she said, adding thatcity planners can't predict the future.
"To say we should never change the comprehensive plan is unrealistic," Twedt said. "That's just not how it works."
The Des Moines University property, for example, was zoned residential before the university started construction of its 88-acre campus, according to the city's comprehensive planmap.
Twedtalso said it's unrealistic to assume Valley West Mall would welcome Suite Shots.
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West Des Moines will work with the development team to create a planned unit development, which Twedt said will providemore assurances of what can and can't be built in the area. For example, she said, there would only be one hotel.
Loots, the council member, told the neighborhood groupthat while he understands their concerns, he doesn't believe the development will be "as detrimental as you think it’s going to be." Councilmember Renee Hardman, the other subcommittee member,said she's also heard overwhelmingsupport forthe projectand believes the full City Council should have the final say.
The pair moved to have city staff continue working with the development team on the planned unit development, which will be considered by the Plan & Zoning Commission before going toCity Council.
"This theory and concern of 'not in my backyard' is prevalent in West Des Moines and all communities, frankly," Chris Costa, a member of the Plan & Zoning Commission, told the subcommittee."There's a lot of development in West Des Moines that's happened over the last 20 years that if it had been an issue of listening to surrounding neighborhoods that didn’t want it in their backyards we wouldn't have some of the great developments we have. And Jordan Creek Town Center is one of those."
Though Glen Oaks is near the proposed site, it's not close enough for the residents to formally contest the site's rezoning.Janeczko, however,said he is prepared to sue should the project move forward.
Kim Norvell covers growth and development for the Register. Reach her at knorvell@dmreg.com or 515-284-8259. Follow her on Twitter @KimNorvellDMR.
