13 real estate projects will shape metro Des Moines in 2016

Construction crews around metro Des Moines shouldn’t expect a lot of downtime in 2016.

Real estate developers are bullish about the year ahead, with new apartments, offices, hotels, commercial buildings and housing developments planned throughout the region.

In downtown, the housing boom appears poised to continue, while high-profile projects like Hy-Vee, the convention hotel and Kum & Go's new corporate headquarters figure to start taking shape in the coming year.

The western suburbs and Ankeny — the engines of growth for the metro area’s real estate market in recent years — also have major developments in the works. And the south and east sides of the city can’t be ignored. They both have major housing and retail projects slated for 2016.

Here is a look at 13 real estate projects around the metro to keep an eye on in 2016.

Kum & Go's headquarters

Kum & Go owner Kyle Krause has started construction on the company’s new downtown headquarters, the Krause Gateway Center, at Grand Avenue and 15th Street. The $150 million office was designed by renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano, who says it will serve as an extension of the adjacent Pappajohn Sculpture Park. The building is scheduled to open in early 2018. Krause, meanwhile, has bought several adjacent properties, including the Butler Building, which houses the bar and music venue Gaslamp, and will begin a master-planning process in 2016 to determine how those properties will be used.

Downtown Hy-Vee

Downtown’s long-awaited Hy-Vee grocery store, 420 Court Ave., is under construction now and is expected to open in late 2016 or early 2017. The $30 million project will include a 35,000-square-foot grocery store, 82 apartments above the store and a two-story parking ramp.

Prairie Crossing outlet mall in Altoona

An outlet mall in Altoona called the Shoppes at Prairie Crossing is scheduled to be built in 2016. Construction crews have begun preparing the ground at the 175-acre site directly south of Bass Pro Shop. Developer Mike Whalen said construction of the outdoor mall should begin as soon as the weather allows this spring, and the first stores should be finished by late 2016. It would be the first outlet mall in the metro area and add to Altoona’s growing retail and entertainment hub near Adventureland and Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino.

Jordan West

Construction firm Ryan Cos. has broken ground on a mixed-use development called Jordan West on the southwest corner of Jordan Creek and E.P. True parkways. The development will include a hotel, apartments and more than 100,000 square feet of retail space, filling one of the most visible empty plots near the Jordan Creek Town Center mall.

Development south of MLK Jr. Parkway

Several housing projects and commercial buildings are under construction in the burgeoning downtown district south of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway.

The second phase of Cityville on 9th, a 320-unit apartment complex on Southwest Ninth Street, is under construction.

Gray’s Landing, a pair of apartment complexes just north of Cityville on Southwest Ninth Street, is also under construction.

A Holiday Inn Express under construction just south of MLK Jr. Parkway on Southwest 11th Street is scheduled to open in 2016.

A 72,000-square-foot office building is under construction near the Southwest Ninth Street bridge over MLK Jr. Parkway.

5fifty5, a townhouse development just north of the Raccoon River on Southwest Seventh Street, is scheduled to begin opening units in 2016.

Construction has started on Harbach Lofts, a renovation project turning two former furniture warehouses into apartments on Southwest Fifth Street.

The Bridge District

Hubbell Realty Co. plans to build a new residential neighborhood called the Bridge District on the north side of the East Village. Two apartment complexes and a section of high-end townhouses are scheduled to be built in 2016. The 16-plus-acre development, which sits just south of the Greater Des Moines Botanical Gardens, will replace the recently demolished River Hills warehouse park. The Bridge District stands apart from many other downtown housing developments because it offers enough space to create an entire residential neighborhood, rather than just a single building or block.

Kettlestone in Waukee

The first buildings in Kettlestone, Waukee’s new 1,500-acre development, will rise from the ground in 2016. The planned community surrounds Grand Prairie Parkway on an untouched swatch of farmland expected to attract real estate developers thanks to a new Interstate 80 interchange that opened earlier this month. One of the first projects is the Coves at Kettlestone, a $65 million project covering 42 acres near University Avenue. It will include three commercial buildings, 216 apartments and 137 row houses. Kum & Go is building a large gas station near the interstate ramps.

Apartments in downtown’s core

Residents have filled apartments in the core of downtown Des Moines as fast as developers can build them. Several more projects are in the works:

A $40 million apartment complex called Confluence on Third is being constructed at Third and Market streets, covering the block directly north of the beer bar El Bait Shop.

An apartment complex called Dwell with about 60 units is being built at Ninth and Mulberry streets, directly across from the Des Moines Social Club.

Developers are renovating the Equitable Building into more than 150 apartments.

The former Register and Tribune building is being turned into about 160 apartments called R&T Lofts.

Prairie Trail in Ankeny

Prairie Trail, Ankeny’s mixed-use community being built on farmland previously owned by Iowa State University, continues to boom. Hundreds of apartments and townhouses are being constructed in the 1,000-acre development.

Two Rivers area

Three apartments are in the works near the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers, bringing nearly 450 new apartments to the area.

Bici Flats, a 154-unit apartment complex catering specifically to cyclists is under construction at 1405 S.E. First St., across the street from the restaurant Mullets. It’s scheduled to open in October 2016.

Dunham Square, a 172-unit apartment complex at the corner of Indianola and East Dunham avenues is under construction. The project is scheduled to open in phases between late summer and November.

Eagle View Lofts, 120-unit apartment complex on the east bank of the Des Moines River at the corner of Southeast Sixth and Shaw streets, is scheduled to start construction in the spring and open in spring 2017.

Downtown convention hotel

The years-in-the-making convention hotel at the Iowa Events Center will begin to rise from the ground in 2016. The $101 million, eight-story Hilton will stand at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Park Street, southwest of the events center. In the first few weeks of the year, construction crews will begin tearing down an office building at the site. The hotel is scheduled to open in early 2018.

Walnut Street redevelopment

A $4.5 million renovation of Walnut Street between Fifth and Eighth streets is scheduled to begin in the spring. The project aims to update the streetscape to bolster foot traffic and attract retailers. At Walnut and Eighth streets, EMC Insurance Cos. is building a four-story office building, and developers are turning the former Younkers building into apartments.

City Hall area

Several projects will transform the area around Des Moines City Hall on the east bank of the Des Moines River into one sprawling construction zone this spring.