Des Moines

Axios Des Moines

A developer is proposing to build 15 new "smart homes" in Des Moines.

Why it matters: The row house project at the corner of Fleur and Willowmere drives would incorporate some of the latest technology for automated tasks into the housing design, such as apps or voice-controlled features. 

Driving the news: Des Moines' Plan and Zoning Commission will consider The Oaks on Fleur's rezoning request on Thursday.

State of play: The plans call for three buildings, each three stories high. 

Each unit would be about 1,800 square feet, with three bedrooms, a covered terrace and a heated two-car garage, developer Adam Sieren told Axios.

Prices will likely be around $500,000, he said.

The project will be designed similar to Elevate Townhomes, another row house project Sieren is developing along Indianola Avenue.

Of note: Developers have already purchased a single-story brick house at 3010 Fleur Dr. that will be demolished in coming months to make room for the project.

What's next: Construction could begin as early as May, with some of the first units on the market later this year.

Des Moines' newest "smart home" proposal

Each unit would have three bedrooms, a covered terrace and a heated two-car garage.

The Oaks on Fleur development would be designed similar to this ongoing row house project at 550 Indianola Ave. Photo: Jason Clayworth/Axios

A developer is proposing to build 15 new &quot;smart homes&quot; in Des Moines.Why it matters: The row house project at the corner of Fleur and Willowmere drives would incorporate some of the latest technology for automated tasks into the housing design, such as apps or voice-controlled features.

Real Estate

Axios Des Moines, anchored by Jason Clayworth and Linh Ta, is here to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news and developments unfolding in their own backyard.

Resistance is growing to proposals for multi-billion-dollar networks of underground pipelines that would cross Iowa and capture carbon dioxide from ethanol or fertilizer plants.

Why it matters: While the proposals claim the projects would greatly reduce greenhouse emissions, they're raising controversy among environmentalists and community leaders.

Groups like the Sierra Club claim the Iowa proposals are “false climate solutions” that “take us farther away from climate goals.”

And others argue the projects don’t benefit their communities. 

What's happening: At least four counties have announced opposition to the use of eminent domain to seize property for the proposed pipeline projects.

Meanwhile, a "pro-landowner" Republican lawmaker is drafting legislation to limit when the companies could use eminent domain.

State of play: Last week, Wolf Carbon Solutions became the third company to announce an Iowa pipeline proposal. It would connect facilities in Cedar Rapids and Clinton to a sequestration site in Decatur, Illinois.

Summit Carbon Solutions' proposal includes portions of Story County, while Navigator CO2 Ventures' would cross Polk's northeast corner. 

Context: In 2018, Congress expanded a federal tax credit to incentivize investments in carbon capture. 

President Joe Biden's Build Back Better bill has proposed billions of dollars to expand the credit even further, though talks over the plan have recently stalled.

What they're saying: Eminent domain should be limited to projects that serve the entire public rather than to the exclusive benefit of private companies, Linn County supervisors said in a letter to the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) last week.

Long-term land value losses are also a worry, the supervisors said. 

Ethanol plants and the pipelines could soon become obsolete as electric vehicles replace gasoline engines, a former member of the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission recently warned in a Des Moines Register op-ed.  

The other side: Gasoline or flex-fuel vehicles are projected to retain the majority of the market through at least 2050, Navigator spokesperson Elizabeth Burns-Thompson told Axios last week, citing a 2021 projection from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Landowners will be fully compensated for easements and all future expenses. That includes a 240% reimbursement for yield losses, said Burns-Thompson, who's also an Altoona City Council member.

What's next: The IUB is holding a virtual information meeting about Navigator's project tonight at 6pm. Registration is required.

The project has months of permitting and negotiations ahead, but construction could potentially begin in early 2024.

A map of a proposed pipeline project in Iowa.

Navigator CO2 Ventures' pipeline would cross 36 of Iowa's 99 counties, including Polk. Map courtesy of Navigator CO2 Ventures

Iowa's carbon pipeline race meets growing opposition

At least four counties have announced opposition.

Illustration of two hands passing off a pipe instead of a baton in a relay race.

Resistance is growing to proposals for multi-billion-dollar networks of underground pipelines that would cross Iowa and capture carbon dioxide from ethanol or fertilizer plants.Why it matters: While the proposals claim the projects would greatly reduce greenhouse emissions, they&#x27;re raising controversy among environmentalists and community leaders.<ul><li>Groups like the Sierra Club claim the Iowa proposals are “<a class="gtm-content-click" data-vars-link-text="false climate solutions" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/26411512.22/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2llcnJhY2x1Yi5vcmcvaW93YS9jYXJib24tZGlveGlkZS1waXBlbGluZXM_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/6000782188cdd8159c5b680eB33205448" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/26411512.22/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2llcnJhY2x1Yi5vcmcvaW93YS9jYXJib24tZGlveGlkZS1waXBlbGluZXM_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/6000782188cdd8159c5b680eB33205448" target="_blank">false climate solutions</a>” that “take us farther away from climate goals.”</li><li>And others argue the projects don’t benefit their communities. </li></ul>

News

A refugee donation warehouse has opened in downtown Des Moines, Refugee Alliance of Central Iowa (RACI) director Stephanie Moris told Axios.

Why it matters: Hundreds of Afghan refugees have resettled in Iowa in recent months and donations are important in helping them get established. 

Details: The warehouse is serving as a centralized hub to facilitate contributions, including large donations like furniture.

The space, donated by Krause+, will likely remain open until around summertime, Moris said.

⏰ Donations are accepted at 515 16th St. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9-11am.

Visit the Central Iowa Volunteer Hub for current requests and volunteer opportunities.

A photo of the location of a new refugee donation warehouse in Des Moines.

Des Moines' new refugee donation center is located in a former Sherman Williams store, 515 16th St. Photo courtesy of the Polk County Assessor

New refugee donation center opens in Des Moines

Donations are accepted Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9-11am.

A refugee donation warehouse has opened in downtown Des Moines, Refugee Alliance of Central Iowa (<a class="gtm-content-click" data-vars-link-text="RACI" data-vars-click-url="https://www.refugeeallianceofcentraliowa.org/" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.refugeeallianceofcentraliowa.org/" target="_blank">RACI</a>) director Stephanie Moris told Axios.Why it matters: Hundreds of <a class="gtm-content-click" data-vars-link-text="Afghan refugees have resettled" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2021/09/16/afghan-refugees-iowa-resettlement-services" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2021/09/16/afghan-refugees-iowa-resettlement-services" target="_self">Afghan refugees have resettled</a> in Iowa in recent months and <a class="gtm-content-click" data-vars-link-text="donations are important" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2021/12/17/des-moines-afghan-refugees-resettlement-housing-food" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2021/12/17/des-moines-afghan-refugees-resettlement-housing-food" target="_self">donations are important</a> in helping them get established.

Iowa is testing a new recycled plastic mixture in asphalt in several spots across the metro in hopes of extending the life of roadways.

Why it matters: Inclement Iowa weather, like today's Saskatchewan screamer, can take a serious toll on our roads.

Taxpayers could save tens of millions of dollars in future annual road expenses if the experiments work.

State of play: More than 300,000 pounds of the additive known as NewRoad was used in metro road projects last year, the equivalent of 15 million water bottles.

The first metro-area test using the patent-pending technology was launched five years ago in an Iowa Department of Transportation project along Northeast 22nd St.

Preliminary results show a heavily traveled section near the Polk County Jail is holding up better than an adjacent portion that used conventional asphalt, Matt Miller, a construction technician with the DOT, told Axios.

What they're saying: NewRoad's Florida-based developer, New Village Initiative Advanced Materials Group (NVIAMG), claims its product can lower road costs as much as 30%, while simultaneously diverting plastics from landfills.

Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon are already using it at some of their DSM metro projects, said Perry Beeman, a spokesperson for NVIAMG.

It's also being tested in Pennsylvania and used in Minnesota and Florida, he said.

The intrigue: The plastics technology is also being used in concrete, which NVIAMG said makes the material as much as 63% lighter while maintaining its structural strength.

Its building materials are cheaper and more resistant to fire, earthquakes, and hurricanes, according to the company.

What's next: The Des Moines test site shows the road is more durable and "you'll probably start seeing more of it," Shane Fetters, a field technician for the Iowa DOT, told Axios this week.

Editor's note: Beeman is a former journalist who worked with Axios Des Moines reporters Jason Clayworth and Linh Ta in previous jobs.

Iowa puts recycled plastic roads to the test

Sections of Northeast 22nd Street in Des Moines are being used to test the NewRoad recycled plastic mixture in asphalt. This is after five years. Photo courtesy of New Village Initiative Advanced Materials Group

Iowa is testing a new recycled plastic mixture in asphalt in several spots across the metro in hopes of extending the life of roadways.Why it matters: Inclement Iowa weather, like today&#x27;s <a class="gtm-content-click" data-vars-link-text="Saskatchewan screamer" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/snow-saskatchewan-screamer-winter-storm/" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/snow-saskatchewan-screamer-winter-storm/" target="_blank">Saskatchewan screamer</a>, can take a serious toll on our roads.<ul><li>Taxpayers could save tens of millions of dollars in future annual road expenses if the experiments work.</li></ul>

Vaccination rates among Polk County's government employees increased almost 9 percentage points since its vaccine-or-test mandate began in late September, according to records requested by Axios.

Why it matters: Supervisors established the mandate as a public safety measure to protect workers, but there were some concerns that it could prompt an employee exodus. 

By the numbers: At least 151 more of the county's 1,573 employees have gotten fully vaccinated since the mandate took effect. 

Just over 77% of its workforce is now vaxxed.

State of play: No resignations or terminations have resulted from the mandate but one on-call security officer has been removed from scheduling until he complies with the requirements, according to the county's HR department.

Reprimands were initially made to multiple employees but they have since complied with weekly testing, county administrator John Norris told Axios.

Initial complications linked with sheriff employee testing are resolved, he said.

Of note: Des Moines does not have a mandate but recently implemented a voluntary reporting app to help track progress. 

City employees are asked to file their initial status report by Friday, city spokesperson Al Setka told Axios.

Vax-or-test mandate boosts one Iowa county's rate

Supervisors established the mandate as a public safety measure, but there were concerns that it could prompt an employee exodus.

An illustration of a vaccination and a clock.

Vaccination rates among Polk County&#x27;s government employees increased almost 9 percentage points since its <a class="gtm-content-click" data-vars-link-text="vaccine-or-test mandate began" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2021/09/30/polk-county-employee-vaccine-test-policy-begins?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sendto_localnewslettertest&amp;stream=top#_ga=2.170292192.1152905600.1642447849-amp-K5IeWi69GbOVyiDVEbCMwg&amp;_gac=1.54700377.1641849482.CjwKCAiAz--OBhBIEiwAG1rIOsRduo29uPmPSd1yebVSoaqeRsrKzbA5UZPDmZtxAFinojeFfDeZeBoCRSEQAvD_BwE" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2021/09/30/polk-county-employee-vaccine-test-policy-begins?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sendto_localnewslettertest&amp;stream=top#_ga=2.170292192.1152905600.1642447849-amp-K5IeWi69GbOVyiDVEbCMwg&amp;_gac=1.54700377.1641849482.CjwKCAiAz--OBhBIEiwAG1rIOsRduo29uPmPSd1yebVSoaqeRsrKzbA5UZPDmZtxAFinojeFfDeZeBoCRSEQAvD_BwE" target="_self">vaccine-or-test mandate began</a> in late September, according to records requested by Axios.Why it matters: Supervisors established the mandate as a public safety measure to protect workers, but there were some concerns that it could prompt an employee exodus.

Jason Clayworth

Featured stories

Iowa's carbon pipeline race meets growing opposition

Vax-or-test mandate boosts one Iowa county's rate

New refugee donation center opens in Des Moines

Des Moines' newest "smart home" proposal

Iowa puts recycled plastic roads to the test