.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Construction on a 36,000-square-foot multi-tenant retail building on Southeast Delaware Avenue in Ankeny will be completed within the month, with three stores expected to open in September.

Chris Murray, president of Denny Elwell Co., said Crossroads Center will feature restaurants and retail businesses, including a 7,000-square-foot Old Chicago restaurant, a 2,000-square-foot Batteries Plus store and 1,600-square-foot hair salon.

“Right now we are finishing internal construction and some work on the façade,” Murray said.

There is still 4,000 square feet of restaurant space left, he said, with the other available space open to standard retail businesses.

“We’ve had continued interest in the site,” Murray said. “We have several leases in the works right now that are close to being finalized.”

There are many reasons why the center is attractive to potential tenants, Murray said. The center’s proximity to two interstate interchanges, as well as the busy intersection of Delaware Avenue and Oralabor Road, means a lot of traffic will pass by it every day.

“It has really good visibility, and good access,” Murray said. “There is also a Walgreens on the property, so a lot of people are going to see the businesses in this development.”

Murray said traffic counts on Oralabor are around 33,000 vehicles a day, with 36,000 a day on Delaware.

“It is a very busy intersection,” he said. “That is a major selling point, and I think that is why we’ve had the interest in this project.”

Construction on Crossroads started late last year, Murray said, with steel arriving for the major construction this spring.

“The work progressed really nicely,” he said. “We are very pleased with how quickly the project has gone and look forward to the businesses already involved being able to open their doors.”

Homemakers Furniture

Construction continues on the renovation and expansion of Homemakers Furniture, 10215 Douglas Ave. in Urbandale.

The multimillion-dollar renovation, to be completed in phases, will result in a 215,000-square-foot retail center. The project is expected to be complete in 2009.

In addition to the store, the warehouse will also be expanded and updated. The capacity is expected to be increased by 50 percent. The store’s pickup area will also be reconfigured to ensure quick service.

“The expansion is being done with customers’ needs in mind,” said Dave Merschman, president of Homemakers.

The project began in June.