Editor’s note: This piece was also published as part of a regular column I write as a member of the Downtown Chamber’s marketing committee. 

A site that has been an eyesore for decades for both visitors coming to and from the Des Moines International Airport and residents alike could see a professional soccer game kicking off as early as 2024. 

Jerry Haberman, president of Krause+, shared the vision in a recent presentation to the Downtown Chamber’s Development Insight Group (Downtown DIG). Krause+ is the commercial real estate investment arm of Krause Group, which also owns the convenience store chain Kum & Go.

The intent to bring professional soccer to Des Moines – and with it a multiuse stadium – was first announced in 2019, and since then backers of the project have unveiled plans that include the stadium, a convention hotel, a plaza and more. 

Kyle Krause, chairman and CEO of Krause Group, has been working to bring a United Soccer League Championships franchise team to Des Moines. He has owned the Des Moines Menace for 25 years and in 2020 purchased the Italian soccer team Parma.

Krause+ has built its Des Moines portfolio with intentions of long-term investment and fostering community, Haberman said. The stadium was originally intended to be proposed at the site they refer to as the “Tuttle site,” which includes 18 acres south of MLK Parkway near Tuttle Street. Then the leaders heard about a different opportunity when Des Moines city officials last year announced plans to take ownership of the Dico site, which is east of the Raccoon River and south of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway.

“We purchased this land thinking we were going to build our stadium project [at the Tuttle site]. But then as things advanced, we started working closely with the city, and we learned that there was an opportunity for us to even do a bigger, bolder project and revitalize the Dico site to the west,” Haberman said. 

Krause+ doesn’t own the Dico site – which has been in need of cleanup since being placed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund list in 1983 – but is working closely with the city on a major redevelopment of the site. 
Haberman said there is a consent decree outlining the responsibilities of cleaning up the site. He’s excited about the opportunity for the project to create a much better entrance into Des Moines. 

“As you cross the bridge coming over the Raccoon River, and you look off to the right, you see this wasteland of the Dico site – and it’s the front door to the city,” Haberman said. “People coming from the airport or coming up from the exit, one of the first things they see coming into the city is the Dico site. One of the last things they see when they leave the city is the Dico site. … How exciting will it be to be able to showcase this … amazing stadium complex surrounded by new development with new energy and new excitement?”

Haberman said the site could also include a Kum & Go location, as well as a training facility for the soccer team. The plaza could be used for various festivals. And with 6,300 seats in the stadium, the site offers a new size range for events that aren’t big enough for Wells Fargo Arena (which can seat just over 16,000). 

Krause+ also owns the Bell Avenue Business Center, near the area for the proposed stadium and south of Gray’s Lake, and sees it as another long-term opportunity to continue developing the area, Haberman said.

“We see this as a connector, so it’s going to connect the southern edge of the existing city … down to the water trails project off the Raccoon River, and now you can even cross over the river and get to Gray’s Lake,” Haberman said. “So this is going to complete that loop for pedestrians and bike riders, and just really make that complete connection through the city. So that’s just another exciting advantage of bringing this to life.”

The backers hope to use sales and hotel-motel taxes generated from the Iowa Reinvestment Act to help pay for the $535 million project. The stadium’s leaders were among those from six projects across the state who were invited to present to the state leaders who will decide which ones get funding. 

About Downtown DIG

Downtown DIG is a monthly educational and informational event offering insight into downtown Des Moines development projects in their infancy to get ahead of general information and promote discussion on such initiatives. Downtown chamber members can attend for free and nonmembers can get a ticket for $25. The next event is set for 4 p.m. on May 12 and will focus on the Lauridsen Skatepark.