Des Moines to consider Douglas Avenue revitalization plan
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A few of the closed businesses or vacant lots along Douglas Avenue. Photos: Jason Clayworth/Axios
Drive along Des Moines' Douglas Avenue and you'll notice multiple closed retailers and empty lots.
- City planners are trying to change that under a proposed development incentive for the 2.8-mile stretch between the Des Moines River and Merle Hay Road.
Why it matters: It's one of the city's busiest corridors, with more than 15,000 vehicles traveling along the avenue daily.
- Successful redevelopment could contribute to the local economy and improve overall quality of life in the community.
What's happening: The Douglas Avenue Coalition, a neighborhood revitalization effort that launched in 2015, is pushing to make tax increment financing (TIF) available for future development in the area.
- The plan goes before the Des Moines City Council Dec. 6.
State of play: The 105-acre area was in its prime about 60 years ago when restaurants, shopping and entertainment venues like a drive-in theater made it a destination point.
- But the area has faced issues in recent years, including a 2017 fire that destroyed the Plaza Lanes bowling alley.
What they're saying: Having TIF already in place can help jumpstart revitalization, Lower Beaver neighborhood president Jeremy Geerdes told Axios yesterday.
- A hotel or mixed housing and retail project on the nearly four-acre former bowling site is among his hopes for the neighborhood, he said.
Of note: Should the plan get approval, incentive costs and a timeline for redevelopment would largely be dependent on proposals by private property owners and developers.
