Children’s boutique opens in East Village

Malisa Mac Nab opened a children’s boutique called Minijoops at 424 E. Locust St. in the East Village on Aug. 1. The clothing store sells international brands for sizes 0 to 8, and the inventory includes tutus, T-shirts, swimwear and trendy play clothes, among other items. Mac Nab is a mother of three and started the business online in 2013 before deciding to expand to a physical store. Minijoops’ hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Visit www.minijoops.com or find it on Facebook.

Boutique hotel opens in Urbandale

Hotel Renovo opened in late July in Urbandale. The boutique hotel is located in the former Comfort Suites at 11167 Hickman Road. Heart of America Group of Davenport renovated and rebranded the building, which it owns along with the neighboring Machine Shed Restaurant. The hotel has an urban farm inspiration, with 102 rooms complete with Carrara marble floors and vanities, modern farm artwork and glass barn doors on the showers. Reclaimed barn wood is featured in the lobby, along with floor-to-ceiling windows and a bar. Hotel Renovo offers conference space, meeting rooms, a fitness center and an area for breakfast. The outside area consists of a patio with a fire pit, a bocci ball court and seating for guests. The owners planted eight apple trees to create a small apple orchard. Room prices start at $140 a night. Call 276-1126, visit www.hotelrenovo.com or find it on Facebook.

Hubbell aims to add whole neighborhood downtown

Hubbell Realty Co. has plans to create a 16-acre development south of I-235, on the east bank of the Des Moines River. The plan for the Bridge District includes more than 500 residential units. Hubbell wants to lure more residents to the northwest corner of the East Village in Des Moines by offering larger townhouses geared more toward empty-nesters. Hubbell plans to break ground on phase one of the Bridge District this month, and its scheduled completion is summer 2016. Phase one includes Verve, a five-story apartment complex with 128 units located at 700 E. Fourth St., which will feature micro apartments with up to three bedrooms and market-rate rent. Phase one also includes The Banks, a townhouse development with 47 units near the east side of the Iowa Women of Achievement Bridge. Sizes will range from 1,800 to 3,000 square feet per unit with two- and three-car garages. The expected range for list prices is $300,000 to $500,000.

Demolition starts on Riverfront YMCA

After months of debate over what whether or not to save and restore the Riverfront YMCA downtown, the building is finally coming down. Demolition crews have started to tear out the interior and the shorter parts of the building. The eight-story building will be imploded after that, likely in September. The demolition, by Walford-based company D.W. Zinser, along with necessary asbestos abatement, will cost the YMCA a little more than $1 million. Crews will be careful not to cause any damage to the adjacent riverwalk, but owner Dave Zinser said the work should be relatively straight forward. D.W. Zinser also did an implosion on the Iowa Methodist School of Nursing building in downtown Des Moines last year, which Zinser said was much more challenging than he expects the YMCA project to be. The famed YMCA murals on the side of the building will be coming down with the rest of it, but they have been photographed, and a pair of artists will recreate a few of them at the new YMCA.

Des Moines hotel to close temporarily for renovations

The Renaissance Des Moines Savery Hotel will close on Dec. 1 for three months in order to complete renovations that have taken more than a year. Louisville-based Schulte Hospitality Group bought the hotel in 2013 and plans to build a business-oriented hotel next door at the corner of Fifth and Locust, and the Savery renovations will also clear the way for construction to start. The brand of the new hotel hasn’t been released yet, but it will have about 140 rooms. Schulte plans to demolish the annex buildings that house ballrooms and mechanical systems on the Savery’s west side, and a skywalk section through the hotel will be closed temporarily. CV