POLK COUNTY, Iowa– The City of Johnston has officially filed a lawsuit connected to the failed Ignit Johnston project.
Court documents filed on Friday allege a breach of contract by the developers after they received more than $3.5 million in incentives to build the private recreational facility and outdoor sports fields.
The project was set to encompass more than 30 acres of land, including a more than 200,000-square-foot sports and recreation facility that would house the state’s largest indoor track and a full-size soccer field just north of Interstate 35/80 along the west side of Merle Hay Road.
The lawsuit alleges that before construction could begin, Ignit developers had to complete several pre-construction requirements, including securing financing, providing finalized plans and cost estimates, closing on a construction loan, ordering steel, transferring certain property to the city, and starting construction by a certain deadline.
Original Notice City of Johnston v. IgnitDownload
The city allegedly provided Ignit $3,527,361 in incentives through various grants and financial assistance to get the project off the ground. However, the city claims Ignit failed to complete many of those required steps…