It's official: Target is coming to Waukee
A $132 million Waukee shopping center will include a much-anticipated tenant as its anchor.
Developers and city officials announced in a Monday news release that, as anticipated, a Target store will be the anchor tenant for the upcoming 62-acre Waukee Towne Center. The shopping center will occupy a tract southwest of the intersection of Hickman Road and Alice's Road.
Construction is expected to begin this spring on the outdoor shopping center, which is slated to include an 8-acre lake with a fountain, access to the Raccoon River Valley Trail, an amphitheater, restaurants, green space, an ice skating rink and retailers including the Target.
The planned opening date for the store, the westernmost in the Des Moines metro, was not announced. At 148,000 square feet, its size will be in line with the chain's plan, unveiled this year, to build larger standard Target stores with extra backroom space for fulfilling digital orders and room to provide a full range of merchandise.
"As Waukee grows, our residents expect a variety of dining, shopping and entertainment options within the community," Mayor Courtney Clarke said in a statement. "The City Council and I are pleased to have Target and the rest of Waukee Towne Center coming to Waukee, fulfilling a longtime request of many residents and enabling residents to shop closer to home."
The first phase of construction in spring 2023 will include the store, the lake and some of the other commercial spaces and lots. The second phase will build out the rest of the lifestyle shopping center and the restaurants along the lake.
Firms involved in the development include Pierson Companies, CBRE and Fischels Commercial.
"Waukee Towne Center will be a great new development for the Waukee community offering desirable shopping, services, restaurants and entertainment in a uniquely-designed setting, creating attractive community gathering areas," said Mike Pierson, co-owner of Pierson Companies.
It's the latest major addition to the retail sector in Waukee, which has grown with additions such as the similarly sized Fleet Farm store at Grand Prairie Parkway and Interstate 80, opened in summer 2020.
Chris Higgins covers the eastern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Target coming to Waukee, Iowa, with construction starting in 2023
