Des Moines leaders want to transform an industrial area south of the East Village into a walkable mixed-use district with thousands of residential units, retail shops, offices and capped by parks on each end.

The reimagined Market District could include more than 3,400 apartments and townhomes and 345,000 square feet of commercial space that could generate an additional $111 million in property tax revenue over the next 20 years, the city says.

"I think it can have a huge impact, especially on the downtown," said Jake Christensen, president of Christensen Development. "It's basically going to be a whole other sub-neighborhood."

A master plan for the area was unveiled Tuesday by the Des Moines Urban Design Review Board.

The historic warehouse district — east of the Des Moines River between East Walnut Street and Scott Avenue — was first identified as an emerging neighborhood in the 2008 What’s Next, Downtown? plan.

In recent years, more offices and apartments have moved into the area:

Much of the district is owned by the city to house public works sheds and parking for snowplows and work trucks.

The city hoped a new federal courthouse would replace those facilities, making the area more desirable for private developers to buy aging industrial properties and build new apartments, offices and shops.

While the federal government ultimately picked the former Riverfront YMCA site, breaking ground on the project last month, city leaders say a Market District renaissance is still viable.

And now they have the master plan to shape the area's growth over the next two decades.

Here are some highlights:

Parks will bookend the neighborhood

Two large parks are expected to bookend the district.

One would occupy the MidAmerican Energy property along the Des Moines River north of East Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway.

Ryan Moffatt, economic development project manager with the city, said the riverfront park could be built within the next five years. It would be twice the size of the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park.

The master plan calls for a pavilion and space for food trucks. “This really is our signature element of the plan,” he said.

A second, larger park would sit on the district's eastern edge. This “naturalized” park would collect excess stormwater and include trees, native grasses and wildflowers.

The East Village Promenade would take the place of the former Norfolk Southern Railroad land between East Court Avenue and East Market Street.

"This bicycle (and) pedestrian-only corridor should be activated with amenities such as food truck stalls, community gardens and courts for sand volleyball, pickleball, bocce ball and basketball," the plan says.

The Market Street Plaza, with movable tables and chairs, public art and an interactive water feature, is proposed for the southeast corner of East Market and East Fourth streets.

The buildings that front the plaza would include ground-level restaurants, cafes, pubs and small retailers.

Market Street becomes 'green connection'

"The street network within the Market District is designed to accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles," according to the plan.

One of the focal points is a re-imagined East Market Street, an 80-foot-wide “green connection” that would link the eastern and western parks.

It would include two lanes of traffic with two lanes of parallel parking, a double row of trees and 8-foot-wide paths on each side of the street.

"Generous areas for outdoor dining and other programmed activities, such as festivals, markets and pop-ups should be provided along its length," the plan says.

The seven-block roadway would cost about $5.6 million to build.

The plan also calls for an interconnected network of paths that would connect to existing trails along the riverfront and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway as well as expanded transition options, including bus routes and, eventually, autonomous shuttles.

"New development should be pedestrian-oriented in order to encourage walking and dynamic street-level activity," the plan says.

Focus on diversity of housing

"The neighborhood should be characterized by low- to mid-rise buildings with urban character," according to the master plan.

The majority of the neighborhood would be made up of multi-family residential units, both apartments and condos, that encourage a variety of residents from young professionals and families to empty-nesters.

The plan calls for a mix of market-rate apartments and income-based units for residents earning 60% to 80% of the median income.

“Above all else, I really believe that’s what this plan needs to focus on — that diversity of housing and really providing opportunities (for) all income levels as well as all stages of life … homeowners as well as rentals in this neighborhood,” said Colleen MacRae, a member of the urban design board.

The Market District would have less retail than the East Village, Moffatt said. But there are plans for storefronts near the riverfront park and along East Market Street and East Court Avenue.

A small grocery store could be built on the corner of East Court Avenue and East Sixth Street and a drug store on East Sixth and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway.

Moffatt said the Market District will aim for buildings that are similar in size to those in the East Village, using three stories as a baseline. Developers would be encouraged to preserve historic structures like the East Des Moines Union Depot and the Standard Oil Building.

Infrastructure improvements first

Des Moines is planning extensive infrastructure improvements in the area, starting with a $3.8 million sanitary sewer upgrade this fall.

The sewer was originally designed for a warehouse district. It must be expanded to handle apartments and offices.

“We’ve actually had projects where we’ve had to go out and tell the developers, ‘Look, we really can’t accommodate you right now. Let’s wait until this gets accomplished and then we can come back and revisit things again,’” Moffatt said.

Overall, infrastructure improvements in the district, including storm sewer and road construction, could cost more than $50 million.

What's next

The Market District master plan will be considered by the Des Moines Plan and Zoning Commission on Oct. 3. The commission meets at 6 p.m. at the Richard A. Clark Municipal Service Center, 1551 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway.

Austin Cannon covers the city of Des Moines for the Register. Reach him at awcannon@registermedia.com or 515-284-8398. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Subscribe today at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal.