PinSeekers golf facility anticipated to open summer 2023, will be next door to planned entertainment facility with IMAX theater.

TIFFIN — The developers of Park Place in fast-growing Tiffin have noticed how activity in the area has “drastically increased” over the last several years since the project started.

The development off Interstate 380 is an area where the city of Tiffin anticipates a significant amount of growth. Developers and others involved say it will create an entertainment destination not only for Tiffin residents but for all of Eastern Iowa.

PinSeekers, the new Topgolf-style facility, is anticipated to open summer of 2023. Next door, there are plans for a “massive new family entertainment center” from Des Moines-based Fridley Theatres that the company says will be a “game changer” for the area.

The 265-acre development is being planned by Ders Group of North Liberty and will include housing, entertainment, restaurants and shopping. Brothers Nick and Alex Andersen, along with their father Scott, wanted to do “something special” with the development and have activities for everyone.

“I think with PinSeekers and The Palms there’s going to be great synergy there,” Alex Andersen, chief executive officer and chairman of Ders Group, told The Gazette. “ … We want to supply what this area needs and to be able to do that is rewarding.”

Measured by percentage rate of growth, Tiffin — population 4,512 — is the fastest-growing city in Iowa, according to the most recent 2020 census. The city’s population has been doubling decade after decade starting in 1990 and is expected to double yet again come 2030.

PinSeekers putting Tiffin ‘on the map’

Tiffin Mayor Steve Berner, who was elected in 2012, recalled a conversation with Scott Andersen.

“He came to town and had this big idea that was going to put Tiffin on the map and said it was huge,” Berner said. “Well, he’s right. And it’s all going and PinSeekers is the thing that’s really going to make this happen.”

The Ders Group announced last summer that the Toptracer brand will expand its golf facilities into Tiffin. Just over a year later, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on Friday for the new PinSeekers facility, which will be located at 1515 Andersen Pl.

PinSeekers will have 56 heated bays with Toptracer ball tracking technology, Alex Andersen said. The facility will be open year-round and also include 18 holes of mini golf, a full service restaurant and two bars.

Ryan Ranguette with PinSeekers said he has a passion to grow the game of golf and is excited to bring that to Tiffin. The facility will be the first location in Iowa. A location in DeForest, Wis. is also scheduled to open next year.

The PinSeekers facility will be a blend of entertainment experience and a place for the avid golfer to improve their game, said Ranguette, who is part of the operations team at PinSeeekers. It will be a different way to engage people with golf, he added.

“We’re really excited to be a part of the Tiffin community,” Ranguette said. “Golf, as a whole, brings a community together in much different ways than other activities.”

Entertainment center will be ‘game changer’

The Palms Theatres and IMAX Family Entertainment Center will be a “game changer” for the I-380 Corridor, said Russell Vannorsdel, president of Fridley Theatres.

An exciting factor about the complex, Vannorsdel told The Gazette, “is PinSeekers being our neighbor.” By having the two facilities next to each other, he hopes the default for weekend plans — when everything is completed — will be to visit this area.

Among the goals is to provide a luxury moviegoing experience in the area, Vannorsdel said.

Ten auditoriums are planned with “large wall-to-wall screens,” he said. There will be about 1,000 seats in the entire theater, with the IMAX seating around 225. Seats will be Fridley’s “UltraLux Lounger,” which Vannorsdel said have gotten “rave reviews” in the Waukee location.

The company opened the IMAX facility in Waukee in 2019. Overall, Fridley Theatres has 17 locations in Iowa and one in Nebraska.

Tiffin’s IMAX will use the same latest technology as the IMAX in Waukee, but the auditorium and screen will be slightly smaller, Vannorsdel said. Tiffin’s IMAX screen will be 65 feet wide.

In addition to the theater and IMAX, there will be 16 lanes of bowling, along with gaming and arcade space. There will be a full restaurant and bar.

“We see that people want to leave their homes and enjoy a night out and have an experience,” Vannorsdel said. “That’s exactly what this entertainment center is going to bring.”

Getting ahead of growth

Nick Andersen, president and chief financial officer of Ders Group, said the city’s growth and the new Forevergreen Road interchange with Interstate 380 both play a factor in the increased activity and bringing more people into the city.

He added that with PinSeekers and the Palms Theatres there will be more people from surrounding communities coming into Tiffin.

Alex Andersen said the development group saw the opportunity to get the infrastructure in place knowing the growth that is anticipated.

“I think we’re sitting pretty good as far as being able to accept that growth at a faster rate,” Alex Andersen said.

Coffee shop coming early next year

Most recently, Coffee Emporium announced it will open a location in Park Place. Construction is anticipated to begin in a few weeks with a planned opening early next year, Alex Andersen said.

Other announced Park Place tenants include Casa Tequila, 380 Nails, Farmers State Bank and iGYM. These businesses are already open.

Speedy Mike’s car wash is anticipated to open in the upcoming spring or summer, Nick Andersen said. The group is preparing to break ground on a couple of buildings, including one that will be mixed-use with both apartments and commercial space called The Ventnor, Alex Andersen said.

“Hopefully we can have a few more announcements yet this year,” Alex Andersen said about upcoming deals in the works.

Article by The Gazette: https://www.thegazette.com/news/park-place-development-putting-fast-growing-tiffin-on-the-map/