The Des Moines City Council on Monday will consider a resolution supporting the expansion of the Capital City Reinvestment District to add about 50 acres to include the Market District, and ask the Iowa Economic Development Authority for $13 million in Iowa Reinvestment Act funding to build a hotel and parking ramp in the mixed-use development.

The resolution seeking expansion of the reinvestment district and the additional funding, is one of three major proposed developments downtown that the council will address when it meets at 5 p.m. at City Hall.

The council will also consider accepting a proposal from Omaha-based developer White Lotus Group for the redevelopment of the Argonne Armory Building on Robert Ray Drive, and consider approval of a $7 million grant to help with the construction of the Iowa Soccer Development Foundation’s proposed soccer stadium and public plaza.

Capital City Reinvestment District expansion

The council’s request to IEDA is the result of the state agency’s September announcement that it was opening a 90-day window for established reinvestment districts in the state to apply for a share of additional dollars that had become available through the Iowa Reinvestment District Act.

According to council documents released late Thursday, city staff will recommend the amended Capital City Reinvestment District boundaries and request for additional funding be submitted to IEDA for approval.

Developers behind the mixed-use Market District, located east of the Des Moines River and south of the East Village, expect to see vertical construction begin in the next 12 to 24 months and they would like to tap into that additional funding to move the development forward.

The city’s reinvestment district previously included the Pro Iowa Soccer Stadium and Global Plaza that is being developed on the former Dico Inc. site southwest of downtown. That project had previously been awarded $23.5 million from the state fund, and organizers had said earlier this year that they had hoped to capture some of the additional dollars to help them close a funding gap.

The deadline to submit an application for the funding is Dec. 23, and officials with IEDA have said those applications will be reviewed in the first quarter of 2026.

Jim Cownie, founder of JSC Properties, and Tim Rypma of Rypma Properties have been collaborating — along with other partners — on the Market District development, and Cownie has said that the IRA funding would help advance the entire development, which will feature multifamily housing, retail and eventually some office space.

Soccer stadium grant

The council on Monday will also consider awarding a $7 million grant to the Iowa Soccer Development Foundation for the construction of the Pro Iowa Soccer Stadium, where organizers have said both men’s and women’s teams would play.

According to council documents, the grant would help facilitate redevelopment of land owned by the city that may otherwise remain underutilized.

Documents also state that the stadium and public plaza will be available for use by other organizations for various events and festivals. Construction will be complete by Dec. 31. 2029, documents show.

According to the documents, ISDF will only be eligible for the grant once construction is completed.

Argonne Armory redevelopment

The council on Monday will also vote to choose a developer for the redevelopment of the city building along the river that houses the city’s community development and neighborhood services offices. That includes planning and development, urban development, economic development, building inspector and permitting, legal/litigation and information technology.

Those operations will move when the city relocates to the Nationwide building at 1200 Locust St., a move that is planned for the first quarter of 2026.

The city issued a request for proposals for the building in July after Des Moines Performing Arts withdrew from talks with the city for redevelopment of the building. Two proposals were received: one from the White Lotus Group of Omaha and the other from Des Moines-based Ntontan Real Estate in partnership with Hubbell Realty Co.

According to city documents, staff will recommend the council accept the proposal from the White Lotus Group.

The firm’s proposal calls for redevelopment of the armory, which was built in 1934, into a mixed-use building that includes 43 residential units, a first-floor cafe and retail space, and a lower-level, upscale bar.

Ntontan Real Estate proposed a mixed-use development with a food hall, year-round public market, office space for cultural nonprofits and 40 mixed-income residential units.

Staff evaluated each proposal and will recommend the sale of the building to White Lotus for redevelopment.

The decision is contingent on several conditions, including that all design and construction comply with federal and city historic preservation guidelines, confirmation of a commitment from a quality architect and historic preservation consultant, and confirmation of having the financial capacity to complete the project.