Iowa Economic Development Authority issued the following announcement on Feb. 26.
Today, Governor Kim Reynolds joined community officials to announce the Pleasant Hill Commerce Park as the latest site to achieve certification status through the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s (IEDA) Certified Site Program. The park joins 29 other sites in the state designated as project ready.
“With its central location and excellent transportation access, the Pleasant Hill Commerce Park is an ideal setting for the continued business growth of the community,” said Governor Reynolds. “I commend Pleasant Hill’s leadership for undertaking the rigorous certification process with an eye on the future. With this certified site, you are placing a sign in front of your city that says you’re open for business -- and, you’re open now.”
The Pleasant Hill Commerce Park consists of 203 developable acres and is located on four-lane Iowa Highway 163 with Interstate 80 only eight miles from the site. The site is zoned as a commerce park, which makes it perfect for logistics-oriented businesses.
“The City of Pleasant Hill appreciates the State of Iowa’s foresight to fulfill the need to attract high-quality economic development through the Certified Site program,” said Sara Kurovski, mayor of Pleasant Hill. “Years of visioning and intentional planning by leadership in our community have primed this location for a significant gain in workforce, and becoming a certified site solidifies these plans and prepares us for our great future of continued growth. Pleasant Hill understands the needs of developer(s) and is ready to partner.”
Site certification remains one of the fastest growing trends in the site selection business, and by introducing certified sites to the market, Iowa is better able to compete for projects. In fact, Iowa has attracted more than $1.14 billion in capital investment to-date due to the availability of these development-ready sites. Site selection is a rigorous process that ensures developers – working closely with local officials, utility partners and consultants – are better prepared to market sites with specific site-related information and community data. Additionally, all the site due diligence is completed, and plans are in place to address any issues, meaning sites are relatively “risk-free,” and the timeline to development is reduced.
The Iowa Certified Site Program was launched by IEDA in May 2012 to address the lack of project-ready industrial sites in the state; it is an independent, third-party certification program that uses the nationally recognized site selection firm Quest Site Solutions as the certifying agent. The program is designed to consider a combination of national site location standards, as well as Iowa’s natural assets and the needs of the state’s targeted industry sectors. In addition to the 30 sites certified, four additional sites are currently working through various phases of the program, and six of the 30 sites are working through the re-certification process. The next certification round opens in mid-July 2020.
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