For years, Steve Bruere has had a fondness for small-town commercial areas where an array of businesses and residences line Main Streets and visitors wander from store to store, checking out shops and sampling coffees and foods.

This summer Bruere will begin developing the type of Main Street he is fond of in Middlebrook Agrihood, a $750 million development in Cumming that he founded about six years ago.

The commercial development is the next phase of the 800-plus-acre Middlebrook that includes single-family houses; the Mercantile, a general store located in a former one-room schoolhouse; a working farm; community gardens; and the recently opened Wilson’s Orchard & Farm. All of Middlebrook’s sections are connected with wide paths that pass ponds and stands of trees. The paths all connect with the Great Western Trail.

Twenty-six of the residences will be included in the mixed-use project planned along Cumming’s Main Street that will be extended south of County Highway G14. The project, which received $834,000 in Iowa workforce housing tax credits, will include 5,000 square feet of street-level commercial.

Bruere also plans on relocating Peoples Co., a land services company now headquartered in Clive, to a new building in the commercial district. Bruere is president of Peoples Co.

The mixed-use project and Peoples Co.’s headquarters are expected to include about 60,000 square feet of space and have a combined investment value of about $13 million.

“With this Main Street project, you’ll have all of the retail amenities that you need right next to the office,” Bruere said. “It will have that town-square vibe, which I think will be pretty neat.”

Geothermal energy: The next phases of Middlebrook Agrihood will be heated and cooled with technology using geothermal energy. Learn about the project

Middlebrook’s beginnings

Bruere never planned on becoming a developer. But during the 2008 recession, Peoples began marketing distressed real estate properties for some of its bank clients, which led to acquiring development land in the Greater Des Moines area.

“I had all of these projects – in Ankeny, Grimes, Waukee, West Des Moines – and at first it was fun, but then it turned into a job,” Bruere said. His work with Peoples Co. required a lot of out-of-state travel, and because he couldn’t keep close watch on the projects, he started selling them and acquiring land in Warren County, where he grew up and where he and his wife are raising their family.

Bruere drove through Cumming daily on the way to his office in Clive and had “always been in love with this area.” About seven years ago, he began buying farmland along Highway G14/Cumming Avenue, eventually amassing 800 acres.

“Originally, I didn’t have the agrihood concept in mind,” Bruere said. “It was just a piece of ground we were going to develop.”

But Bruere began hearing about agrihoods that were being developed across the United States and became intrigued with the concept. He visited Serenbe, an agrihood in Palmetto, Ga., that was one of the first developed in the U.S. The visit led to trips to other agrihoods.

Bruere hired a land planning firm to develop a master plan for Middlebrook and began sharing his vision with others, including officials with the city of Cumming.

“There were a fair amount of skeptics who questioned the concept and whether Cumming could actually support it,” Bruere said.

The original vision for Middlebrook is very close to how the agrihood has developed, Bruere said. The agrihood includes an orchard, community gardens, a working farm and residences.

“What’s been cool about it for me is to actually take a pretty ambitious vision and see it come to fruition,” Bruere said.

Middlebrook, which will eventually include 1,500 residences, has helped spark other development in Cumming. Hy-Vee is nearing completion of a $71 million distribution center that will employ over 200 people. A Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh convenience store with a Starbucks opened at 5237 Cumming Ave. in March, and a Casey’s convenience store will soon open across the street.

Construction of townhouses is underway at Middlebrook Agrihood in Cumming. The townhouses will be heated and cooled with geothermal heat pumps. Fifteen one-story and 13 two-story townhomes are planned. Photo by Duane Tinkey

A single-family house is in one of the first plats developed at Middlebrook Agrihood, which includes over 700 acres. Architectural guidelines require houses to feature pitched rooflines and have garages that aren’t prominently featured. Photo by Duane Tinkey

Middlebrook Agrihood includes a working farm and community gardens. Photo by Duane Tinkey

An agricultural-inspired park is in the center of Middlebrook Agrihood, Iowa’s first agrihood. Photo by Duane Tinkey

Construction of a mixed-use project that will include 26 apartments and street-level retail is expected to begin this summer in Middlebrook Agrihood. Also planned is a new headquarters for Peoples Co. The two projects are estimated to have a combined value of $13 million. Rendering special to the Business Record

A barn located in Middlebrook Agrihood’s new commercial district has been renovated and will include a courtyard near its entry. Rendering special to the Business Record

A rendering shows what Main Street could look like in Middlebrook Agrihood’s new commercial area. Rendering special to the Business Record

A map shows how Middlebrook’s Agrihood commercial area could be developed. Map special to the Business Record

Steve Bruere, founder of Middlebrook Agrihood, and Tim Portzen, vice president of Diligent Development, stand in an area that will feature a mixed-use project and the headquarters of Peoples Co., of which Bruere is president. Construction on the commercial projects is expected to begin this summer. Photo by Duane Tinkey

Next phases of Middlebrook

Construction of the first phase of development in Middlebrook’s town square, or commercial area, is starting this summer. The first phase will include four commercial lots. As demand dictates, additional commercial phases could be added to the south and east.

“The market will drive the timing and size of projects in future phases,” said Tim Portzen, vice president of Diligent Development.

Development of the first commercial lot will include the two-story, mixed-use building. The front half of the project will be commercial space that fronts Main Street. The back half will be loft-style residences. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

A geothermal system will heat and cool buildings in the commercial area.

“We think this will be a place that young professionals and maybe empty-nesters will want to live in,” Portzen said. “The backside of the building will literally look over the bike trail, so you’re just feet away from a trail that will take you to downtown Des Moines.”

To the north of the new commercial area is Cumming’s original downtown that now includes Iowa Distilling Co., Cumming Tap, an American Legion Hall and a U.S. Post Office.

A barn in the new commercial area has been renovated and will eventually include a courtyard near its entrance. A house in the area is being remodeled and could be used by a restaurant. A garden will remain.

“To think about this whole commercial area having a really unique urban design is really incredible,” Bruere said. “I think any community in the metro would want to have this. To think that we’re doing it in Cumming is pretty remarkable.”

Wilson’s Orchard opens in Cumming 

The owners of Iowa City-based Wilson’s Orchard & Farm had specific goals in mind when they decided to expand to a second location:

They wanted the new orchard to be in Central Iowa with access to a large customer base. They wanted the orchard to have a country feel but also be easily accessible to visitors.

They found what they were looking for in Middlebrook Agrihood, a $750 million development underway in Cumming.

“It’s a great combination of a lot of different things,” said Jacob Goering, general manager of Wilson’s Orchard & Farm’s new Cumming location. “It has a lot of the rural agrarian community that we were looking for in terms of setting up our business. It’s not too metropolitan, but at the same time it’s close to a large consumer market.

“Those two factors are quite hard to find.”

The farm fits perfectly with Middlebrook, Goering said. Some residential communities are centered around a golf course and country club. “Here you have a farm, our orchard, restaurant and farm market … with the houses around it.”

The Wilson’s Orchard & Farm, spread over 110 acres, opened in April. It is anchored by a 22,000-square-foot event center, bakery, market and Wilson’s Ciderhouse & Bar.

The structure, which cost about $7 million to build, is made from reclaimed barn wood salvaged from Midwest farms.

The orchard includes about 25,000 apple trees, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and a wide array of flowers. Fifteen acres is devoted to the apple trees, Goering said. About 10 acres are planted, and plans include eventually adding more trees. Three of the five acres for strawberries are planted. There are 35 acres of pasture, 20 acres of flowers, two acres of raspberries, and one acre of blueberries.

“One thing we want to do is raise awareness about the importance of quality farming and treating the land well,” Goering said. “The agrihood is front and center of that because the people who choose to live here believe in that type of quality of life.” 

— Kathy A. Bolten