Altoona has approved an agreement with Mitchellville to set a line that limits future annexation.
On the table was a proposed annexation moratorium agreement with Mitchellville that would draw a line along Northeast 96th Street from Interstate 80 to Northeast 46th Avenue. The cities could not cross the line as they expand, according to city documents.
The Altoona City Council approved the agreement following a public hearing at its Monday meeting.
Des Moines area communities can grow by annexing sections of unincorporated Polk County into their city borders. Under the moratorium agreement — which would last 10 years — Altoona could not annex land east of the line, while Mitchellville could not annex west of it. The line divides an undeveloped area.
More: Mitchellville, eyeing growth, wants farmers to annex in to keep Altoona, Bondurant at bay
Altoona also would not be able to annex Thomas Mitchell Park, which is south of the line and currently outside either city’s limits, but is strongly tied to Mitchellville’s community identity and named after the town’s founder, who played a significant role in the area’s history and development.
The proposal says the agreement would allow for orderly planning and development while ensuring communication between the two cities as they grow.
The Mitchellville City Council approved the agreement April 1.
Mitchellville officials have said they would have ideally wanted the dividing line to go extend further south than Northeast 46th Avenue. The agreement would not block the cities from making annexations across 96th Street south of there.
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_.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Altoona agrees not to annex land toward neighboring Mitchellville