The West Des Moines City Council voted Monday to schedule a public hearing and consultation meeting for an amendment to the Valley West Urban Renewal Plan to lay out more details of a possible redevelopment of Valley West Mall.

The vote was taken without discussion, but council documents show the consultation meeting with all taxing entities is scheduled for April 13. The public hearing will be April 28, documents state.

The council approved the Urban Renewal Plan for the mall site in October. The amendment would add projects and expenses to the plan.

According to council documents, the city expects to enter into a development agreement with a developer who will buy the mall, raze it, and redevelop the site for mixed-use.

The city also anticipates providing incentives not to exceed $110 million in the form of public infrastructure, loans and grants that would be detailed in a development agreement.

Negotiations on a development agreement are ongoing. The identity of the developer who is under contract has not been made public, although council documents name an entity called Valley West Redevelopment LLC.

If the amendment is approved, it would be the latest in a number of steps taken over the past two years to facilitate redevelopment of the mall property.

The council rezoned the 60-acre site in June 2024 for mixed-use, allowing the site to be redeveloped for residential, office, retail and entertainment. In February 2025, the 865,000-square-foot mall went on the market. It went under contract in August of last year and a prospective buyer began its period of due diligence.

The beleaguered mall went into foreclosure in 2022 when U.S. Bank alleged the mall’s owner, Watson Centers Inc., had not made loan and other required payments since May 2021.

Valley West Mall opened in 1975 and thrived until Jordan Creek Mall opened in 2004 and retailers began to follow shoppers to the new retail hub.

The mall’s assessed value has declined to $19.5 million, online records show, and according to the mall’s online directory, only about 22 of its 138 tenant spaces are occupied.

The Urban Renewal designation approved last fall extended beyond the immediate mall property and includes 74 acres west of Valley West Drive along Westown Parkway where there are vacant office buildings, other vacant sites and a deteriorated housing project.