Sprucing up old downtown buildings

EcoCore Project 101 was launched with $250,000 in seed money from the city of Des Moines in an effort to identify properties and their owners who might see some benefit in retrofitting old structures in an effort to save costs on heating, cooling and maintenance while also attracting tenants. The effort is beginning to show dividends. EMC Insurance Co. offered its Hub Tower at 699 Walnut St. up for review as it remodeled the building after buying it out of receivership. Regus Management Group LLC, an international company that leases office space, announced in the fall that it would expand its Greater Des Moines operations into Hub Tower, a key part of downtown renovation in the 1980s. Knapp Properties Inc. also found two tenants – Alliance Technologies Inc. and the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization – for a structure at 420 Watson Powell Jr. Way that was part of the study. A consultant said owners of the five buildings in the study could save $300,000 a year in water and utility bills if they adopted 64 energy conservation measures at an estimated cost of $2.9 million.

West Des Moines development gets a name change, new owners

The planned Michael’s Landing residential, office and retail development in West Des Moines got a new name and new ownership for some of its 300 acres, most of which came under bank ownership after the collapse of the Regency development companies in 2008. Oppidan Investment Inc. of Minnesota bought developed lots from First National Bank Midwest and announced that more than 20 percent of the building sites had been sold by the time the deal closed. The Waukee Community School District bought nearly 19 acres from Oppidan for construction of an elementary school. The investment company also acquired commercial land and announced plans to pave a street and build an intersection at Mills Civic Drive and South 88th Street. The development is now called Woodland Hills.

West Glen partners go to court

West Glen Town Center is for sale, with a section of the upscale West Des Moines development under bank ownership and an investor facing a lawsuit brought by the other four partners in the project. West Glen was a first-of-its-kind center for shopping, living, partying and working when a group of successful businessmen decided to make the leap into commercial development. They weren’t completely green – the same group had been involved in development of Iowa’s first gated community, Glen Oaks, located just across the street.

Streets still a big deal

The significance of streets to development was driven home again this year. The city of Urbandale made good on a years-old promise to businesses and completed the construction of Plum Drive between 86th and 100th streets. That prompted the clearing of land for an office park and discussions about a second one. The city of Waukee got good news late in the year that the federal government would pick up part of the $13 million cost to extend Alice’s Road from University Avenue to Ashworth Avenue,leading to a bridge that connects the city to West Des Moines. A group of property owners has been sitting on development plans for the area, which is now farmland. In addition, Waukee and West Des Moines officials have submitted traffic studies needed to justify the construction of an interchange at the bridge. All of those connections would eventually tie Dallas, Madison, Warren and Polk counties together. Meanwhile, the city of Des Moines is pressing ahead with road construction that will link downtown to the U.S. 65 bypass east of the city.

Senior housing could enliven construction market

Ewing Land Development & Services LLC, with state-of-the-art senior living communities under construction or completed in Ankeny and Indianola, was recognized as being a trendsetter in what is predicted to be a growing segment of commercial development. Hubbell Realty Co. has entered the senior living market and is paying close attention to Ewing to determine how best to proceed. An aging population means that there will be a need for senior living units that suit all levels of income, experts say.