Apr-5-2010
Interested in Renovating Downtown Buildings as Green Building Solution?
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Apr-1-2010
Another Feather in Des Moines’ Cap with New School for the Arts
Editor’s Note: This was originally ran as an April Fools Joke, but what a great concept.
Des Moines is becoming the Art Capital of the Mid-West! This week it was announced that a new school for the arts would be created and moved into the Ruan Center with classes starting Fall of 2011. With Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield moving into their new headquarters this summer/fall, the 2nd tallest building in the city would have had a tremendous amount of office space come open on the market. Problem solved! A newly chartered school for the arts is taking over the space.
Organizers stated that the new school, to be called, the Des Moines School of Art & Design, will be headquartered in downtown Des Moines. The Ruan Center will become the new home for up approximately 1,000 students, with campus housing for 730 of them in the Ruan Center. Previous office space will be converted to dormitories for the students and the remaining floors will become educational classes.
The school will over Bachelors of Arts and Masters of Fine Arts in photography, graphic media, paint, film/video, visual arts, architecture and design. With tuition starting at $30,000 a year for off-campus students and $42,000 a year to
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(4 votes, average: 3.75 out of 5)
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March 2010 Downtown Housing Sales Update
2010 is starting off with good sales so far, January was pretty good, but February not so much, but it could have been the horrible weather we had last month. Know one in their right mind would get out and look at places in that.
2010 Year-to-Date Downtown Condo Sales:
| Date of Sale | Property Address | Sales Price | Condo Building |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03-10-2010 | 112 11th Street #205 | $192,230 | Mulberry Lofts |
| 02-08-2010 | 201 Grand Avenue #213 | $365,000 | Brownstones on Grand |
| 02-02-2010 | 120 SW 5th Street #408 | $396,000 | Whiteline Lofts |
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(2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5) Loading ...Tags: Condos | Lofts
Mar-15-2010
Skywalk Study Underway – Please Respond!
The City of Des Moines, Operation Downtown, and Skywalk Association are conducting a survey to gather information about downtown Des Moines’ skywalk system and its users and are currently reviewing possible improvements to the Skywalk System. Your input as a user of the Skywalk System is very important in identifying areas of improvement. Please take a moment to fill out the following brief survey by Wednesday, March 24th:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7XWWVHX
Signage mockups will be displayed in April in the Skywalk System for your feedback as well.
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Tags: Skywalk
Mar-4-2010
Snapshot of Des Moines and Polk County Health Rankings
I found this online and thought readers might be interested in seeing some health stats on Iowa’s most populous county since it’s the home of the City of Des Moines.
Source: http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/iowa/polk
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(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5) Loading ...Tags: Recognition
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Feb-16-2010
Another Glowing Article on Des Moines from the NY Times
Here are just a few highlights from the article, you can read the full article online at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/realestate/commercial/17desmoines.html.
…recent commercial, residential and retail development in Des Moines, where public and private cooperation has produced a robust urban landscape matched by few cities its size.
…Des Moines was one of a growing number of cities that recognize the potential of downtown development, as well as the urgency of changing economic and political strategies to encourage it.
By MulderDSMDes Moines was able to find a nonpartisan formula for making decisions on taxes, infrastructure, parks and housing that support downtown construction. “Des Moines is one of those places that recognized that to pull off being a special place they can be proud of, people have to work together”
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(5 votes, average: 4.80 out of 5) Loading ...Tags: Recognition
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Feb-14-2010
Rooftop Terraces Could Provide an Oasis for Downtown Dwellers
It’s hard to believe, but with a lot of downtown developments, developers are not maximizing a huge area of square footage that they have. I’m talking about the roof. Developments that have planned for and provide the rooftop terrace amenity generally sell faster than developments that don’t have a rooftop terrace. Buyers moving from the burbs miss their outdoor spaces. If you are downtown, you may be lucky to get a small balcony, but no true socializing and entertaining outdoor space.
A rooftop terrace should be contemporary in style, and be the ultimate extension of a modern interior. To fit into its urban environment, low-maintenance plants are ideal. I’m personally fan of light colored pavers, large planters, and nice modern loungers and tables, also there’s nothing like a water feature to help drown out noise and provide a beautiful backdrop at night. Here’s some examples of other properties around the country and what they have done.
There’s lots more examples inside… Read the rest of this entry »
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(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5) Loading ...Tags: Condos | Lofts | Urban Gardens
Feb-5-2010
2010 Downtown Housing Sales Update
2010 is starting off with good sales so far. Let’s hope our housing market turns around this year, last year was pretty dismal, only 33 units sold downtown. Our city leaders should be doing whatever possible to help recruit people to move downtown.
2010 Year-to-Date Downtown Condo Sales:
| Date of Sale | Property Address | Sales Price | Condo Building |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01-29-2010 | 300 Walnut Street #709 | $105,000 | The Plaza |
| 01-13-2010 | 119 4th Street #407 | $289,000 | 4th & Court Condominiums |
| 01-13-2010 | 119 4th Street #103 | $230,540 | 4th & Court Condominiums |
| 01-11-2010 | 300 Walnut Street #1501 | $137,500 | The Plaza |
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(4 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5) Loading ...Tags: Condos | Lofts
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Jan-24-2010
Thanks Once More to the DCA (Downtown Community Alliance)
The Downtown Community Alliance (DCA) once again put their mind to an easy way to make something ugly beautiful. For the last few years, since Younkers moved out of the previous flagship store downtown, this skywalk area has been pretty dismal. Walkers were always greeted by a wall of black plastic covering the insides of the old main Younkers skywalk entrance, but as of last week, walkers now see a nice image of the city at night. Thanks again to the DCA!.
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(4 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5) Loading ...Tags: Skywalk
Jan-7-2010
Average Rental Prices in December for Des Moines, IA.
MyApartmentMap has just released compiled their average rental prices for Des Moines, IA apartments.
Average rental prices for Des Moines are broken down by bedrooms, they are as follows:
Studios: $596.00
One Bedroom: 590
Two Bedroom: 60
Three Bedroom: 802
In addition to the average rental prices, MyApartmentMap also includes nearby cities, the difference in rent and distance from the original city, in this case: Des Moines
| Nearby City | Diff* | Dist |
|---|---|---|
| West Des Moines, IA | +9.1% | 7.7m |
| Ankeny, IA | +12.23% | 8.1m |
| Johnston, IA | +14.63% | 8.1m |
| Urbandale, IA | -1.75% | 8.6m |
| Clive, IA | +2.35% | 8.9m |
| Altoona, IA | -11.2% | 9.2m |
| Grimes, IA | +1.07% | 11.3m |
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(6 votes, average: 4.17 out of 5) Loading ...
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