Bondurant wants to turn its iconic grain elevators into hotel, condos

The city of Bondurant has unveiled its vision for the future of its downtown and surrounding areas, which could bring big changes to town.

In recent years, agriculture company Landus Cooperative has put its land up for sale and moved a majority of its operations out of Bondurant, according to Mayor Doug Elrod.

The move saddened locals, as Landus had been a town staple for years.

Elrod said, since then, the town has been looking for ways to fill the gaps left behind. 

“The grain silos here in town is a landmark," Elrod said. "It’s something that’s part of our identity."

This spurred a study into how to repurpose those silos — which picked up momentum, becoming a bigger community initiative and, eventually, the Grain District Downtown Redevelopment Plan.

So far, the community has a lot in mind. 

“Multifamily residential, there’s the rec center, the grain silos and also a lot of mixed-use buildings for a lot of commercial development," Elrod detailed.

The area impacted will include downtown and some surrounding areas as well Landus' 25-acre work site adjacent to downtown.

It not only includes expanding downtown facilities and the city’s trail system, the plan could develop a new elementary school, too. 

“Our community is growing, so we have more kids that are joining the community," Elrod said. "We need more building space for them." 

Although Landus is leaving town, that doesn’t mean it won’t leave a trace. Elrod says the city is looking into converting a set of its grain silos into hotels or other similar uses, like condos. 

“It still draws the same landmark that’s already there. That our community is used to and loves. It celebrates the agricultural industry,” Elrod said.

The city is still figuring out what the future holds for the other silos, according to Elrod.

This plan hasn’t been set in stone, but Elrod told Local 5 they already have a developer interested in helping out. 

You can view the entire plan here.

LAURA BOWEN, WOI

PUBLISHED MARCH 1, 2024