Construction is progressing on the highly anticipated CyTown development at Iowa State University, as the project transitions from early infrastructure work to vertical building construction.
Located between Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum in Ames, the mixed-use development is designed to create a year-round destination for visitors, students and fans attending university sporting events.
University officials say the first phase — focused on parking infrastructure — has been completed, allowing construction crews to move forward with the next stage of development.
Rick Sanders, executive director of CyTown, confirmed that work is now underway on the project’s first vertical structure, the McFarland Clinic building.
“[The McFarland Clinic] is on schedule right now to be completed at the end of calendar year 2026,” Sanders said. “We expect McFarland to be up and operational in early 2027.”
Following completion of the McFarland Clinic, developers plan to begin construction on multiple buildings simultaneously as part of the project’s central “spine.” The development will include a mix of commercial, office and hospitality spaces designed to support both campus life and regional tourism.
“We’re planning on building the rest of the spine at the same time,” Sanders said. “That includes two buildings that are CyTown suites with retail and commercial on the ground floor. Two buildings that are office buildings with commercial and retail on the ground floor. One food and beverage that’ll go immediately across from the McFarland building.”
The project will also feature an amphitheater anchoring the north end of the development, further enhancing its role as a gathering space for events and entertainment.
In parallel, plans are moving forward for a hotel that will connect key facilities within the Iowa State Center complex.
“Then at the same time, we’re going to get started on the hotel,” Sanders said. “The hotel will basically be a connector between Hilton and Scheman, so it’ll sit out there. That one’s gonna take a little longer, but we’ll get started on that in the coming months.”
University leaders view CyTown as a transformative investment intended to restore and expand the Iowa State Center’s role as a regional destination.
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“The Iowa State Center, when it was finished 50 years ago, separated Iowa State University,” Sanders said. “We became a premier destination for concerts, conventions and meetings and over the last 50 years, we’ve lost that. CyTown is intended to bring that back, and even more importantly, to help us provide the funding necessary to take care of the deferred maintenance on some of the buildings in the existing Iowa State Center.”
The development is expected to strengthen economic activity on campus by extending visitor stays during football and basketball seasons while also supporting long-term infrastructure needs.
CyTown remains on track for completion in time for the 2027 football season, with Sanders noting that the timeline targets mid- to late-2027 delivery.
“It’s going to be mid to late 2027, but the goal has always been to be completed for football season 2027,” Sanders said.
Originally reported by Robert Ryan, Student Life Reporter in Iowa State Daily.
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