Drake University to convert Holiday Inn Express into dorm

Drake University will convert the former Holiday Inn Express hotel into a college dormitory, according to plans that will be reviewed June 27 by the Des Moines City Council.

Catch up fast: The two-story hotel at 1140 24th St. is adjacent to the university's legal clinic and the Drake Diner. It has been owned and leased by the school for more than 25 years.

• The hotel closed last year and has served as a backup for student isolation housing during the pandemic, according to The Times-Delphic (TD), Drake's student paper.

What's happening: Drake is asking DSM to amend a conceptual plan to allow for the hotel conversion. The city's Plan and Zoning Commission voted 11-0 in May in support of the application.

• If approved by the city council, the hotel will be renamed "Campus Suites at Dogtown" and become student housing before the next academic year begins, Ryan Arnold, director of community engagement at Drake, told Axios Tuesday.

Of note: Drake is separately exploring a concept to sell some of its other student housing, including the Norman and McCoy apartment buildings, Arnold said.

• Ross Hall, which has more than $6 million in deferred maintenance, could also be sold, he said.