DES MOINES, Iowa — Des Moines' southside could be seeing improvements as the city council is exploring an urban renewal plan in the area of Southeast 14th Street.
It's important to note this project would differ from the construction currently taking place on the streets of Southeast 14th. It would focus on rundown, vacant buildings along the busy highway.
City council member Joe Gatto believes many of these buildings are long overdue for improvements.
"We've got some empty storefronts, we've got some blighted buildings, that will have an extra cost to redevelop," Gatto said. "And so part of that is kind of the same tools we used to do in the East Village, in the Market District, in downtown and Ingersoll, that we're going to be able to do the same thing for the Southeast 14th corridor."
Gatto hopes to have more business and housing take the place of these unattended buildings.
"We need storefronts that are amenities, like we used to have on the south side, whether that be different restaurants, whether that be coffee shops and storefronts that will be beneficial to the folks that we have here in our side of town," Gatto said. "Southsiders support southside businesses."
Southeast 14th is one of Des Moines' busiest areas, as it has over 3,000 cars a day. Gatto said this is a challenge, as it's difficult to see new storefronts as you pass by.
The road is owned by the state, so this project will be a collaborative mission.