Outlet center coming to prime Altoona location
New England Development announced its plans last week to develop a 325,000-square-foot outlet center in Altoona at the intersection of I-80 and U.S. Highway 65. Des Moines Outlets promises to house about 75 of some of the best brand names in retail to The Shoppes at Prairie Crossing, a Heart of America Group development. The site consists of 174 acres and more than 1.4 million square feet of leasable space with plans for hotel, additional retail, office and residential uses, including Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse opening on the eight-acre lake this summer.
Fetch! Pet Care offers new sitter services
Fetch! Pet Care of Metro Des Moines recently announced that it has diversified its services needed during important life moments, such as weddings or new births. Fetch! Pet Care has sitters ready for weddings, so the happy couple need not worry about dropped leashes, potty breaks or muddy paw prints, who can pick up the pet, be his date to the reception and return him home at the couple’s convenience. They can even arrange to surprise a significant other with a canine special guest (or help include them as part of the proposal). New baby born to the family? For no additional charge, Fetch! now offers “on call” services and “almost overnight” sitting during the evening and morning hours in the home, while still continuing to offer dog walks, potty break visits and in-home sleepovers when their families are away. Visit www.fetchpetcare.com/desmoines for a free in-home consultation or call (888) 229-5721.
We Are Tomorrow Open House set for Earth Day
Nearly four years in the making, Greater Des Moines’ plan for a more sustainable future dubbed the Tomorrow Plan is moving into the implementation phase. Based on input from thousands of local residents, the plan reflects the desires of the community on topics ranging from transportation to local foods and lays out a strategic blueprint for how the region could develop through the year 2050, involving things like watershed management and affordable housing issues. The Tomorrow Team will be hosting We Are Tomorrow at the Des Moines Social Club on Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22, from 4-6 p.m., featuring a variety of activities with DART, EcoFluence, the Polk County Housing Trust Fund and Eat Greater Des Moines. Green Iowa AmeriCorps members will host a T-shirt swap and also will help participants make reusable bags out of T-shirts. The Isiserettes will perform at 5:15 p.m., followed by comments from Polk County Supervisor Angela Connolly, who chairs The Tomorrow Plan Steering Committee. The Tomorrow Plan is available for download at www.thetomorrowplan.com/ttp-final-report and was made possible by a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant program and by over $1 million in local in-kind resources. For more information, contact Bethany Wilcoxon at bwilcoxon@dmampo.org or 334-0075.
Firestone earns 2014 Master Contractor honor
Firestone Building Products has announced the 251 firms who won the 2014 Master Contractor Program, two of which are Academy Roofing and Sheet Metal Co. in Des Moines and Bailey Roofing Contractors Inc. in Urbandale. This is the 27th year for the program. It honors Firestone Building Products licensed roofing firms in the U.S., Canada and Mexico that meet the aggressive Master Contractor requirements, which include square footage and quality parameters for various roofing installations. For more information about this program, contact Carrie Frillman at cbdmarketing.com or 312-661-1050.
The Iowa Donor Network opens new building
The Iowa Donor Network held its official ground breaking ceremony last week, on April 11, at 320 Adventureland Drive. IDN is committed to organ and tissue donation so no one in Iowa waits for a transplant. It is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) agency certified by the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and works with more than 100 hospitals across the state. IDN integrates its work in organ/tissue recovery and organ distribution by maintaining leadership in public education, hospital development and family support services. IDN also works closely with the Iowa Lions Eye Bank to promote eye donation. Learn more at www.iowadonornetwork.org. CV
On the Move is a new weekly column in Cityview announcing Des Moines area neighborhood changes, including businesses opening, closing, expanding or moving. Submit such announcements to be featured in On the Move to Amber Williams by Monday at 8 a.m. to be included in that week’s issue. Email to editor@dmcityview.com, or call 953-4822, ext. 320.
