Bruce Lefkow, Builder’s Kitchen and Supply Co. & Mark Allen, A.J. Allen Mechanical Contractors Inc. discuss the impact of the proposed downtown Market District as the extension of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway brings attention to the area south of Court Avenue and east of the Des Moines River. With a goal of extending the vitality of the East Village as the Southeast Connector project punches through, the city of Des Moines last year commissioned what was originally dubbed the Lower East Village Urban Design Study to analyze the long-term potential for new commercial development along key traffic corridors in the 45-acre neighborhood.