Over 1 million square feet of office space is vacant in downtown Des Moines, according to CBRE Inc.’s third-quarter market report. There are also empty retail spaces and a smattering of vacant lots and little-used surfaced parking lots.

Des Moines Mayor-elect Connie Boesen wants to reach out to area real estate agents who are showing the spaces to potential tenants to find out what the city can do to help the agents close deals. She also wants to reach out to companies who are mulling relocating to new spaces.

“We need to bring all the major real estate people in and have a sit-down conversation about what spaces we have available to lease downtown and who do they have who has been asking about spaces,” Boesen said during an interview with the Business Record. “We also should explain what our economic development [department] can offer to help [attract] businesses to Des Moines. … I don’t know whether all of [the agents] know what we can offer.”

Boesen, a current city council member, also said she is willing to help recruit businesses – both small and large – to downtown.

“When we have empty office space, we need to do everything we can to build that tax base,” Boesen said. “I say we have to roll out the red carpet. … We need to make it very clear that we want businesses to locate in downtown Des Moines.”

Boesen beat three other people vying to become Des Moines’ mayor in the Nov. 7 election. She will replace Frank Cownie, who did not seek re-election after serving as the city’s mayor for 20 years. Boesen will be sworn into office on Jan. 8.

Economic development was among Boesen’s top campaign issues. She said she is willing to go outside of Iowa to recruit new businesses to Des Moines.

“We have a great place to live; in most cases, it is affordable,” Boesen said. Des Moines “is a community that offers you a lot of amenities, but you don’t have the big city hassles. … We have space downtown, and we need to fill it.”

The Business Record recently interviewed Connie Boesen, Des Moines’ mayor-elect, on a wide range of economic development and business growth-related issues. Look for more from the conversation in our daily and CRE newsletters and in the Business Record’s print edition.