Joel Aschbrenner

jaschbrenn@dmreg.com

Construction was king in downtown Des Moines in 2016 so far.

Work began on a new convention hotel, the Court Avenue Hy-Vee started taking shape, hundreds of apartments were built, and construction in the East Village shifted into an even higher gear.

Don’t expect it to slow down in 2017, local officials say.

The Des Moines Downtown Chamber's annual list of 10 developments, ideas and initiatives to watch in the year ahead includes high-end housing, new restaurants and retailers and a major hospital expansion.

The chamber released the Top 10 list at a recent panel discussion.

Here’s what the chamber says to watch out for downtown in 2017:

1. Luxury living

Developers are testing the upper limits of downtown's rental market, building apartments that feature high-end amenities such as pools, heated parking, stone counters and stainless steel appliances. They come with price tags to match: Some 500-square-foot studios cost $1,000 a month.

Confluence on Third, an apartment complex near Court Avenue, boasts underground parking, a pool, a hot tub, a gym and yoga studio, and a business center. The lobby will have a $7,000 coffee machine and a $15,000 package locker that will send a phone alert to tenants when they receive a parcel.

Blackbird Investments’ proposed apartment tower at 701 Walnut St. will feature a concierge, business center, gym and underground parking, with electric cars that tenants can rent by the hour. On the top floor, a cantilevered pool will hang over the building's edge, giving swimmers an unobstructed view 26 stories down.

Justin Doyle, a partner in Modus Engineering and a principal at Blackbird Investments, a local development firm that has proposed the apartment tower, said there is demand for high-end housing downtown, but the city and developers can’t forget about low- and moderate-income renters.

“We are underserving the affordable housing community downtown, so it should turn into a policy discussion about do we encourage development that blends both?” he said.

2. More people

Downtown’s apartment boom is expected to draw thousands of new residents to the heart of the city.

More than 2,300 new downtown apartments are scheduled to open before the end of 2017, increasing downtown’s housing stock by more than 40 percent.

Employers are also poised to bring more people downtown. Kum & Go is building a $150 million headquarters that will open in early 2018, and Cognizant Technology Solutions, an IT and consulting firm, has announced plans to build a downtown office and add more than 1,000 jobs in coming years.

3. Growing areas

Several corners of downtown are growing into new neighborhoods and trendy districts.

The Market District (the industrial southern end of the East Village) is poised to see several new projects, including a brewery, an office and an apartment complex.

Construction is underway on the Bridge District, the residential development Hubbell Realty Co. is building on the east bank of the Des Moines River, just south of Interstate 235.

The west end of Walnut Street is seeing a resurgence, with the opening of several businesses, and plans for a few new apartment complexes.

In the sprawling area south of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, apartments continue to rise. The big question is what will happen to a 75-acre parcel Hubbell Realty Co. has under contract.

4. Downtown mobility

As downtown attracts more residents and businesses, civic officials and corporate leaders are putting more focus on how to move around the area. Initiatives are in the works aimed at making downtown more bike-, pedestrian- and transit-friendly.

One initiative to improve downtown streets, called Connect Downtown, just kicked off. Business groups have paid engineers to create a computer model of downtown’s streets that will show how adding bike lanes, parking and two-way streets will affect traffic.

Changes such as adding bike lanes and converting streets from one-way to two-way likely will cost tens of millions of dollars, Assistant City Manager Matt Anderson said.

“It sounds easy, but it’s going to be a lot of work,” he said.

5. Skywalks reopening

The surge in construction projects has severed several skywalk, but a few bridges should reopen in late 2017 or early 2018.

The skywalk to the Iowa Events Center, which is closed for construction of a convention hotel, should reopen about the time the hotel is complete in early 2018.

Two projects near Seventh Street and Grand Avenue will also restore skywalk connections: A Principal Financial Group parking garage is scheduled to open in late 2017, and Miesblock, a 12-story apartment complex, is scheduled to open in early 2018.

6. Walnut Street revitalization

A face-lift for Walnut Street is in full swing. The project will revamp the sidewalks and landscaping to convert the former bus depot into a more attractive street for retailers and restaurants.

The first phase, which will renovate Walnut between Fifth and Seventh streets, is under construction now. Ultimately, the project will span from Second Avenue to 10th Street.

Several projects are in the works along the street, including a new EMC Insurance Cos. office building, the renovation of the former Younkers building and an overhaul for the Fort Des Moines Hotel.

The 26-story apartment tower is scheduled to break ground this fall, and Wells Fargo just opened a company museum at Sixth and Walnut streets.

Now, there’s talk of turning the aging shopping center known as Kaleidoscope at the Hub into a year-round market.

“I think it will be a great way to complement what is going on on Walnut,” said Tim Leach, senior vice president of downtown development for the Greater Des Moines Partnership.

7. New restaurants and retail

All the new development is attracting more restaurants, bars and retailers.

Urbandale restaurant Sam & Gabe's is opening an East Village location, high-end eatery Goldfinch just arrived on Court Avenue and Draught House 50 is in the works on Walnut Street.

Visitors will find several new downtown watering holes in 2017, including Hello, Marjorie, a cocktail lounge in the old Register & Tribune building and a Peace Tree Brewing tap room in the East Village.

Most notably, a downtown Hy-Vee is scheduled to open in early 2017. Anderson said other retailers are starting to look at downtown.

“I think you’ll see a couple big retail developments in 2017,” he said.

8. Tourism development

Officials hope several developments in the works will help attract more visitors downtown.

A 330-room Hilton attached to the Iowa Events Center is under construction. Tourism officials say the hotel will help the city land more and bigger conventions and sporting events.

After several delays, construction is moving forward on an aquatic center at downtown’s Wellmark YMCA, a facility Y leaders hope will attract regional swimming tournaments.

9. Mercy Medical Center expansion

The hospital plans to break ground in the coming months on the first phase of a $500 million renovation of its campus, just north of downtown.

The project will add an 11-story hospital tower, multiple parking garages and a new power plant.

Changes are also coming to Mercy properties south of I-235. A local developer is renovating Mercy Court, an old dormitory, into apartments and offices for the adjacent Mercy College of Health Sciences.

10. A downtown university?

Business leaders have long dreamed of establishing a joint-university campus downtown.

The idea gained some traction this year when the Iowa Board of Regents, the panel that oversees the state public universities, commissioned a study that said downtown would be the best location in the metro area for a multi-university campus. But it noted that cost would be a major barrier.

“We’re the largest state capital in the country without a regents presence in their downtown,” Anderson said. “It’s an opportunity we have not taken advantage of.”