The developer of a luxury owner-occupied condominium project in Ankeny is moving forward with plans for a similar development in West Des Moines.

Nick Jensen, owner of Caliber Iowa, is proposing to develop a 28-unit condominium project on an eight-acre, wooded tract located on the west side of South Jordan Creek Parkway, about one-half mile north of Booneville Road. The condo would be a three-story wood structure built over a one-story garage for vehicles, city information shows.

The project would be similar to the Collier, a recently completed 24-unit condo project at 1645 S.W. Magazine Road in Ankeny. Residents began moving into the Collier in August.

“This is a uniquely large piece of ground for the number of units we would be proposing to put on it,” Jensen said of the proposed West Des Moines project during this week’s Development and Planning Council Subcommittee meeting. About half of the heavily wooded parcel can be developed on, he said.

“It will have a lot of green space around it and another unique feature is that it will only have a single entrance … which will provide a private setting and control the number of people who are coming in and out of the development as a whole,” Jensen said.

While several for-sale condo projects can be found in Des Moines and its downtown, few are located in the suburbs, Jensen said. Demand exists for the product, he said. Twenty of the Collier’s 24 units have been sold at prices that range from $375,000 to $1.3 million.

About half of the owners of condos in the Collier own a second residence elsewhere in the U.S., Jensen said. The Collier’s residents also tend to be empty nesters or people who are single.
Zoning on the West Des Moines parcel currently allows for townhome development. Before the project can move forward, zoning needs to be changed to allow for a multi-level condominium.
Jensen said he hopes to begin development of the project in spring 2024.

Jensen is also proposing development of a 124-unit townhome project on about five acres one block south of Ashworth Road on the west side of 76th Street in West Des Moines. Jensen said he hopes to begin development of the proposed project in spring 2024.

More online: To view a video of the Collier, click here.