Todd Field Stays Put, No Plans to Move for Otter Creek Development

Sign up for Ankeny Patch's free newsletter | Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter

Plans for developing Ankeny's north gateway, the Otter Creek Planned Unit Development, contain development sketches with and without a private air service called Todd Field, but the owners of the business have no plans to leave.

Edna Todd built the air service with her husband Allan, first opening in 1968. They erected the service's first building in 1976 and now Todd Field includes eight hangars, a lighted runway and Edna Todd's home.

Allan Todd died 16 years ago, but Edna and Allan's sons plan on carrying on the family business. Todd Field houses airplanes, conducts maintenance, and the Todds aerospray about 60,000 to 80,000 acres of farmland each year. The private service is included in Otter Creek Development plans, but Edna Todd said city representatives have told her that it would be in the city's best interest for her to leave the area.

“Why would we spend a half million dollars moving somewhere else?” Edna Todd said.

John Peterson, Ankeny Assistant City Manager, said he never suggested that Todd Service relocate, but said the airport could have an impact on adjacent properties that have the same development rights as they do.

The city has been putting together a plan for development near the newest Interstate 35 interchange since 2009. The Ankeny City Council hopes the 265-acre site east of Interstate 35 and north of NE 36th Street would become a retail and entertainment destination and draw people from the Ames area and the metro, Peterson said. The city does not own any of the property, but some landowners in the area are interested in selling their land.

Peterson said the development agreement states that it would allow for development whether or not the airport is in place and would not restrict the airport's ongoing operations. But Peterson said development of the surrounding land could have an impact on the airfield and all surrounding property owners have right to develop their land.

“Nobody wants to hurt anybody,” Peterson said.

When the Todds built the airfield they were about four miles from Ankeny, but the city has slowly crept north.

“We are just caught in the middle here. We don't want to sell. We don't want to move,” Edna Todd said.

Growing pains are frequent in Ankeny, one of the fastest growing areas in the state. The city gained a total of 1,905 people from July 2011 to July 2012, more than any other city in the state when looking at shear numbers.

Peterson said people often move out of town and the town catches up with them, which is why they try to annex land ahead of time. The city annexed Todd Field about six years ago even though Edna Todd didn't want to become part of the city.

“We fought that too. We were county and we were happy,” Edna Todd said.

Todd said she and her sons wouldn't know where to move their airfield, even if they wanted to.

“You don't pull the rug out from underneath people,” Edna Todd said.