All that’s paved turns to development in West Des Moines
A gravel road that has drawn a lot of attention from banks, developers and West Des Moines city officials has been paved, just as a Minnesota investment company said it would. Eighty-Eighth Street borders the east side of what is now called Woodland Hills, a 300-acre development that was to be a jewel in the Regency development company crown. That project went bust, but Oppidan Investment Co. of Minneapolis bought 131 lots in November 2011 and, as part of a development agreement, said it would pave three lanes of 88th, build sidewalks and install street lights. The road has been paved, and other improvements are scheduled to be completed in the next two weeks. The company also reconfigured some of the development to add more residential lots. To date, all but 57 have been sold. Woodland Hills also will be the location of a Waukee Community School District elementary school. Oppidan also has poked around the unfinished residential portion of the Village of Ponderosa in West Des Moines.