DES MOINES, Iowa — Invest DSM has announced a major development for the Highland Park and Oak Park neighborhoods.
The nonprofit hopes create a mixed-use development site, The Commons at Highland Park, on the southwest corner of Euclid Avenue and 6th Avenue.
To do this, the organization plans to demolish an existing space.
The building, originally built in 1915, has been home to several different commercial businesses over the years.
"It has been abandoned for years now and had several nonprofits look at it, several developers look at it since 2017, and tried to do development work on it and bring the building back," said Christopher Civitate, neighborhood development manager.
Originally, Invest DSM planned to renovate the property, before determining that renovating was not economically viable.
"Unfortunately, at this point, the building can no longer be saved," Civitate said. "The gap of funds that are needed in order to save the building is significantly more than we can spend."
However, since the building is part of the historic district, its demolition will need to be reviewed by the landmark review board and city council.
The Commons at Highland Park will feature affordable housing units as well as street-level commercial spaces.
"The future looks really bright for this lot and for the neighborhood," Civitate said. "We're really looking at bringing back 40 or more apartment units to the neighborhood, along with 7,000 square feet of commercial space. It's the opportunity to have a modern restaurant and modern amenities and those commercial spaces in a business district that's walkable and actually gives back to the neighborhood long term."
Civitate said Invest DSM plans on bringing the proposal to the city council on April 24, with hopes for demolition of the current building taking place as early as May.
In a statement, Invest DSM Executive Director Amber Lynch said,
"Invest DSM has been heavily involved in the revitalization of this neighborhood and business district. We have seen the results with new businesses opening up and the increased demand for housing in this area, the momentum is starting to build."