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On the Move

New dining options coming to Ingersoll

5/13/2015

A local developer is working on a 6,060-square-foot retail center along Ingersoll Avenue that will host three new dining options when it opens in the fall. Pancheros Mexican Grill, Firehouse Subs and Pita Pit will open next door to Office Max. Pancheros is an Iowa City-based company with four other locations in the metro and operations in 18 states. Pita Pit also has plans to open another store in the historic Randolph Hotel at 202 Fourth St., which is currently under renovation. Firehouse Subs is a Florida-based chain that is new to the metro but has stores in Cedar Rapids and Council Bluffs. Located at 2708 Ingersoll Ave., construction on the new building is expected to begin soon. Hurd Real Estate has been buying properties with the intention to redevelop the area along the west-side commercial district.

Village of Ponderosa development to continue

The housing crash stalled the development of the Village of Ponderosa in West Des Moines, but a Texas developer has purchased the Village with plans to finish it. Evercore Construction subsidiaries bought a collection of properties for $3.2 million and presented plans to West Des Moines city officials in April for restarting the construction that would roughly double the amount of housing in the original design of the Village of Ponderosa. Plans include four senior apartment buildings with about 500 units and underground parking; an apartment complex with 300 units and underground parking; three high-end, loft-style apartment buildings with 60 units in each and underground parking; a boutique hotel with 110 rooms; 43 single-family home lots; and a private dog park. Evercore wants to begin construction this year on the single-family home lots and the lofts.

Waukee development denied funding

The major Kettlestone development, a 25-acre district north of I-80 and west of Grand Prairie Parkway in Waukee, was denied its request for $20 million in state funding. The funding application went through the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Reinvestment District program, which will allow the approved cities to take future tax money generated in those zones to use in new projects. Waukee was the only metro city to apply this year, with initial plans including a 10,000-person amphitheater and a hotel with convention center to have 12,000 square feet of event space. Officials said they are planning to move on with the project with the intent of creating a major public space, although they aren’t sure what it will look like now.

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West Des Moines pub now closed

English-themed bar Limey’s Pub and Grub has closed its doors at 1970 Grand Ave., Suite 29, in West Des Moines. Ken Taylor, the owner of Limey’s, said the lease expired, and he was unable to negotiate a new one. Taylor and his wife Kim, who is the co-owner, might consider reopening Limey’s at a new location, though they haven’t had time to consider the next step just yet. Taylor is from England and opened the pub 20 years ago in the Normandy Plaza.

East Village project halts in lieu of more options

Jake Christensen and Tim Rypma, local developers and real estate veterans in the East Village area, want to build a mixed-use project to include apartments, a parking garage, retail and possibly offices on two parking lots directly east of City Hall. The plans were close to being finalized when Hubbell Realty Co. CEO Rick Tollakson suggested the city open it up to other developers to see what options come up. The new development by Christensen and Rypma would cover about three acres, costing roughly $60 million and making it the biggest development in the East Village in recent memory. Two phases would be included in the preliminary plans, the first being a 90-unit apartment complex at 219 E. Grand Ave. The second would be a parking garage with approximately 500 to 600 stalls in the center of a city-owned parking lot covering the entire block within East Second Street, Robert D. Ray Drive, Grand Avenue and Locust Street. The City Council voted to table the project and requested that city staff come back with more options for the space. CV

One Comment

  1. Chris Adams says:

    FINALLY! A Firehouse Sub in Des Moines! Buyer beware though because not all Firehouse stores are great. The one on Sand Lake Rd in Orlando is AWESOME as well as the one I’ve been to in KC. Council Bluffs? Not so great and this will be the same franchisee. But a ordinary Firehouse still blows most others away!

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