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Ames MallBy Rebecca A. Petersen Business Writer The Tennessee developer interested in building a regional mall in Ames is negotiating with at least one big box retailer without a store in the immediate area. The store could serve as an anchor to the 700,000-square-foot regional mall proposed by Chattanooga developer James "Bucky" Wolford. Wolford submitted a letter to city leaders in mid -March expressing interest in developing a regional mall on land in the northeast quadrant of the intersection of Interstate 35 and 13th Street. Wolford said Monday he plans four anchor stores for enclosed mall. "The existing mall you have now is one of the better in the area," he said. "The big problem is the department stores are just not large enough. I think we could develop something that would serve that market for the next 40 years." Wolford's proposal is nearly twice the size of Ames' North Grand Mall. While JC Penney seems satisfied with its space, Younkers and Sears are cramped, he said. The Tennessee developer first scouted Ames in late 2000. He brought two department store real estate representatives to Ames and they approved the site. Wolford currently has about 136 acres of land in a purchase option, he said. "Until I had the land under option, I had nothing to talk about," he said. "We're anxious to try and move forward. The city told us to write a letter. We feel the property we've located offers a much better opportunity with fewer problems." Before development, the city must approve a change to its long-term land use policy that currently identifies land at the intersection of U.S. Highway 30 and Interstate 35 as suitable for a new mall. There are problems with that site, including land acquisition and access from Interstate 35, Wolford said. Before the Ames City Council can consider Wolford's development request, he must submit an amendment to the city's Land Use Policy Plan and conduct traffic impact studies, said Mark Reinig, the city's director of economic development. The city's planning and housing department is studying the impacts of a land use change, including the costs of growing east. The city's land use plan designates the northeast quadrant as industrial land. Wolford's company hopes to begin construction this fall and open the center in 2003 or 2004. A new mall planned for suburban Des Moines poses little competition, Wolford said. His regional center would serve a trade area estimated at 180,000 to 190,000 people, ranging from Ames to areas west, north and east. "I think Des Moines is a totally separate market," he said. "Granted you'll always have people that will drive down. People are going to do their day in and day out shopping in Ames." Iowa State University economics professor and retail expert Kenneth Stone said last week that plans for a mall in suburban Des Moines would impact an Ames mall. "If the West Des Moines mall is built," he said, "that really creates a problem in getting what I think are good anchor stores for a mall that is being proposed here." Business writer Rebecca A. Petersen can be reached at 232-2161, Ext. 348 or by e-mail at rpetersen@amesti-ib.com.