City
Economic Development
The City of Van Meter is conveniently located between Interstate 80 and County Highway F90, making it a popular destination to live, work, and start a business. A short commute to downtown Des Moines makes it an attractive place to live while also providing top-notch education through the Van Meter Community School District. The City offers a commercial and residential tax abatement program for new construction projects in certain targeted areas of the community and leverages Tax Increment Financing to advance utility extensions to critical development areas. The Greater Dallas County Development Alliance provides economic development staffing support to the City and assists with business attraction and retention efforts while also managing the City’s first-in-state Certified Site.
Inquiries can be sent to Liz Faust, City Administrator, at lfaust@vanmeteria.gov or Rachel Wacker, Executive Director, Greater Dallas County Development Alliance, at rwacker@dallascounty-ia.org.
Utility maps, land use maps, zoning maps, and other planning documents can be viewed here.
Site Selection
View Certified Site:Van Meter Vision Park
Greater Dallas County Development Alliance
Greater Des Moines Partnership
Partnerships
The City of Van Meter has partnered with a number of economic development resources in the Greater Des Moines Area to work toward our economic development goals. Van Meter is united with our neighboring communities and resources and is committed to positive change.
The City of Van Meter maintains relationships and partnerships in economic development with the following organizations:
Greater Dallas County Development Alliance
The Greater Des Moines Partnership
Workforce
Van Meter is in a competitive location on the edge of multiple major city centers in the central Iowa area, offering vast economic opportunities and amenities. Van Meter is included in the Waukee and West Des Moines regional labor shed.
Regional Labor Shed – Waukee and West Des Moines
Strategic Vision Plan
The City of Van Meter received a grant from MidAmerican Energy to assist in the cost of hiring RDG Planning & Design to work with the City to prepare a new Strategic Vision Plan. The first step in the preparation was the initiation of an email questionnaire targeted at city residents as well as the entire VM school district. The next step was the gathering of public input at a meeting which was very well attended. The Van Meter Economic Development Committee continued to work with RDG and a final draft of the Van Meter Strategic Vision Plan was made available.