A swath of Des Moines running along Sixth Avenue from Interstate 235 north to the Des Moines River did not have a single commercial vacancy at the end of 2010.
    Instead, the area celebrated the opening of seven new businesses, reports 6th Avenue Corridor Inc., the nonprofit that coordinates commercial development in an area that includes the River Bend and Cheatom Park neighborhoods and Birdland Park.

In its first annual report, the organization said nearly $1.6 million in capital investment was pumped into the area, 13 jobs were created, volunteers served 1,384 hours on various projects and there were 10 improvement projects.

In addition, the organization hired Alicia Kates as executive director, completed a building inventory, hosted a music event that was attended by 300 people and launched a website.

Iowa State University landscape architecture students also provided a 20-foot-long, three-dimensional model of the area.