Des Moines to consider redeveloping 300 blocks of housing

Axios

13-02-2025

About 300 city blocks would be redeveloped through a mix of acquisitions, demolitions and infill reconstruction under a draft housing strategy presented to the city council this week.
Why it matters: The annual $60-million-plus that governments spend to improve DSM's housing won't boost overall conditions without whole-block redevelopment, Charles Buki, director of Colorado-based urban planning firm CZB, told council members.
DSM has "an albatross" of 45,000 small and often neglected homes, Buki said.
Catch up quick: DSM has among the oldest housing stock in the nation, with nearly 28% of homes built in 1939 or earlier compared to 12% nationally, according to Census estimates.
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on revitalization in recent decades, but problems with housing conditions and affordability are still widespread.
CZB was hired last year for $200,000 to help draft the first citywide plan to guide future housing decisions.
Driving the news: This week's recommendations include voluntary property buyouts to help redevelop entire city blocks.
The focus would be on a few blocks at a time that would be completed over decades.
How it works: It's unlikely that some property owners would sell, which Buki told the council is fine because each block would be developed differently based on its characteristics and open spaces.
Contiguous properties could be acquired mostly for new housing with market factors influencing improvements or redevelopment of the remaining older homes, he said.
Zoom in: Specific blocks were not identified in this week's presentation, but examples given include areas along Southridge and Merle Hay malls, East 14th Street and the Fairgrounds neighborhood.
Stunning stat: CZB estimates redevelopment would cost private, nonprofit and public entities around $20 million per block, which includes incentives to maintain affordability for families with lower incomes.
Inside the room: Councilperson and real estate agent Linda Westergaard accused Buki of using "scare tactics" by predicting that property conditions would continue to worsen under the council's current housing plans.
"The market is not strong enough for there to be an alternative outcome," Buki responded. "I'm sorry."
Mayor Connie Boesen and the other five council members supported further reviewing the recommendation.
The intrigue: A Baltimore pilot project using the whole-block approach in 2009 resulted in $58 million in reinvestment and about 200 new or rehabbed homes, according to nonprofit ReBuild Metro, which assisted in the development.
The city is now adopting a widescale version.
CZB was commissioned to study Baltimore's vacant property problems and recommended the concept in 2022.
What's next: The city manager's office will provide the council with financing details in the coming weeks.
Formal council consideration could take place as early as next month.