A $120 million mixed-use development is planned for the southern edge of Huxley in what the developer says will be an opportunity to provide jobs, housing and business to the Central Iowa community of about 4,800 people.

Chris Gardner, owner of Bella Commercial, is the developer of the 120-acre site on the west side of U.S. Highway 69. It’s divided into three 40-acre parcels that will be developed into a mix of retirement and senior living, retail and restaurant, apartments and industrial development.

There’s also plans for a convenience store and what would be Huxley’s first hotel, although those details haven’t been finalized. There’s also space for an events center and a public gathering space with a fountain. Included in the plans is a sports complex, and Gardner said he’s working on finding the right vendor to operate that.

There are also six parcels for light industrial, adjacent to the city’s industrial park.

The development, called Anthem, will help support the growth that Huxley has experienced in recent years and provide amenities that will draw visitors from throughout Central Iowa, Gardner said.

Huxley has been Story County’s fastest growing town, expanding nearly 28% in the past decade, U.S. Census data shows.

“This look and feel and the services we can provide fills a need,” said Gardner, who has lived in Huxley for more than 20 years. “We don’t want to lose our small-town feel but also believe that we can support this kind of growth with proper, strategic growth.”

He also believes the Anthem development could spur future development to the south and help buffer the city from the growth being experienced in Ankeny, 11 miles down the road.

“I don’t want to get swallowed up by Ankeny,” Gardner said. “I don’t want a bunch of people from Ankeny coming and doing what we’re doing here. This is my hometown and this is what I want for the city, and I think the city wants and deserves this.”

“Keeping people here in town has been a big goal of mine,” he said. “Historically, Huxley has always been slated as a bedroom community and I’m really trying to change that.”

Besides bringing jobs to the community, Gardner said amenities like the events center and sports complex would bring visitors to the community, and help drive revenue for other businesses in town.

The first phase of the senior campus on the most northern parcel will be a combination of for-purchase and for-rent townhomes, with programs and services being provided through a partnership with Bethany Life in Story City, where it provides a variety of services for older adults, Gardner said. (Map shows location of proposed development.)

The senior living campus will include an 18-unit for-sale condominium project. The next phase will be a 55-plus townhome community with a mix of for sale and for rent. Also planned are two, 45-unit senior apartment complexes. Bella Commercial will own and manage the for-rent senior units. Construction of the independent living townhomes will begin next spring and summer, Gardner said.

To the south will be a combination of apartments geared toward young professionals, along with retail, restaurants, the events center and public space.

There will be 270 total apartments, with a pool and dog park areas.

Three strip malls are planned with a mix of retail, restaurants and health care and wellness.

Gardner said Bella Commercial will also own and manage all the for-rent space on that parcel, including apartments, retail and restaurant space.

There will be angle parking and sidewalks throughout the area, giving it a “downtown feel,” he said.

The entire development could take eight to 10 years to complete, Gardner said.

Bella Commercial grew out of Bella Homes, which focuses on custom, high-end homes starting at $1 million. Bella expanded into commercial real estate in recent years with the construction of a shopping center on the north side of the city, where a restaurant, coffee shop and other businesses are located near a Fareway grocery store.

Bella Commercial also bought and renovated the Ballard Plaza, a long-time shopping center in the community.

For Gardner, it’s all about improving the community he calls home.

“I grew up in Ames and have been in Huxley now for 22 years, and have three kids in the school district here, so I believe in Huxley,” he said.