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Johnston pushes back deadlines for Ignit athletic complex off Merle Hay Road

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Johnston pushes back deadlines for Ignit athletic complex off Merle Hay Road

The Johnston City Council approved delaying deadlines for the planned Ignit sports complex off Merle Hay Road.

At a special meeting Sept. 30, the council signed off on an amendment to the development agreement with Ignit Sports and Fitness of Grimes that moves the deadline to start construction to Nov. 5. The deadline to complete construction is now Dec. 31, 2025.

Officials broke ground on the Ignit complex in 2023. The project was first announced in 2020. The proposed facility, with more than 200,000 square feet, would feature an indoor track, full-size indoor soccer field, fitness areas, basketball and volleyball courts, outdoor fields and more.

This is the sixth amendment to the original agreement passed in 2021; the fifth amendment and last deadline change was in May.

Ignit co-founder Chad O’Meara said in an email that the construction timing shifted a while back and the agreement needed to be amended to reflect the new timing.

“I wouldn’t call out any one aspect of the process,” O’Meara said. “There have been slight delays across the board that are driving the revised timing.”

Ignit would be one piece of a full-scale transformation of the Merle Hay Road corridor in Johnston, north of Interstate 80/35, with new amenities, restaurants, hotels, shopping and entertainment facilities. Officials envision a total remake of the main gateway to Johnston.

Another centerpiece project is the planned Bombers golf and hotel complex, which has also been delayed. Other projects include a new hotel, strip mall shopping center and ongoing Johnston Town Center development.

Officials expect the Ignit project to attract events and tournaments, bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors to Johnston each year and creating tens of millions of dollars in economic impact.

Chris Higgins covers the eastern and northern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_

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