Hy-Vee partially restores entrances at downtown store
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This entrance from Hy-Vee's parking ramp was the only entrance to the store earlier this year. Photo: Jason Clayworth/Axios
Hy-Vee has reopened a second entrance to its downtown Des Moines location, partially reversing a modification that once forced some shoppers to walk around the store.
Why it matters: The change was made in recent weeks and restores access to the store near the corner of Court and 5th avenues after months of complaints regarding accessibility and safety.
Catch up quick: Store managers last year temporarily blocked some aisles near the liquor section and reduced operating hours following frequent theft and loitering issues.
- As Axios reported in January, a reconfiguration left the most direct route for some pedestrians attempting to enter from the northwest side of the store to navigate through a truck unloading area and between a gated lane for the site's parking garage.
- The city of Des Moines was assessing whether the store's modifications fulfilled accessibility requirements.
Driving the news: A glass partition that separated the grocery store from its in-store Starbucks has been recently removed, enabling shoppers to move freely between the coffee shop and grocery store.
Yes, but: Two other Court Avenue accesses remain closed.
What they're saying: The city concluded that the store now meets accessibility requirements, Cody Christensen, DSM's director of development services director, tells Axios.
- Hy-Vee did not respond to Axios' request for comment.
What we're watching: Whether the Court Avenue entrance will reopen on the store's northeast side, where a Wahlburgers restaurant was located before closing last year.
- The store was searching for a new tenant for the space, a Hy-Vee spokesperson told Axios in January.
