Two apartment projects that would add 40 rental units in Des Moines received final design approvals today from a city board.

The three-story Goldfinch Lofts, proposed at 3404-3422 Ingersoll Ave., would include commercial space on the street level and 28 apartment units, all with affordability restrictions, spread over the second and third floors. The Highland Park Flats is planned on vacant property at 3608-3610 Fifth Ave. The two-story structure would include 12 units.

The Urban Design Review Board unanimously approved both projects’ final designs.

Goldfinch Lofts

Scott and Molly Cutler, principals of Cutler Development, plan to construct Goldfinch Lofts with mass timber, a product that sequesters, or captures, carbon by taking it out of the atmosphere.

The project would be the couple’s third mass timber project in the Des Moines area. Cutler Development recently completed development of Star Lofts at 2701 Ingersoll Ave., a mixed-use project built with mass timber. The company also developed a three-story commercial, office and residential building using mass timber at 304 Fifth St. in West Des Moines.

“Mass timber comes with a number of benefits,” Scott Cutler told the board. One is that “mass timber buildings are designed to have a 250-year-plus life. We think that’s extremely important when you think about building quality, long-lasting housing stock in a community.”

In 2024, the Goldfinch project won an Iowa Housing Tax Credit Innovation Set-Aside Award, a pitch-style competition that values durable construction, unique partnerships, affordability and location.

“Cutler Development is really focused on mixed-use urban infill projects that have access to public transportation,” Molly Cutler told the board. The firm’s developments are “located in dense, walkable neighborhoods, and this area seems like a good fit.”

Cutler Development is participating in Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority’s unlimited access program, which will provide Goldfinch Loft tenants free bus passes. The firm is also partnering with Anawim Housing, a Des Moines-based nonprofit that provides permanent, supportive housing across Iowa.

Affordability restrictions will be in place for all Goldfinch Lofts units, with rents ranging between 30% and 80% of the area median income. The restrictions will be in place for 15 to 20 years, depending on the unit type.

The project cost is estimated at $12.35 million, according to information provided to the board. Construction is expected to begin in late summer with completion in the second half of 2026.

The Des Moines City Council in January approved preliminary terms of a development agreement with Cutler Development. The project is expected to receive three years of 100% commercial tax abatement and a $300,000 forgivable loan.

Cutler Development is expected to finalize acquisition of the property at 3404-3422 Ingersoll Ave. in May.

Highland Park Flats

The 12-unit Highland Park Flats is being developed by Jake Sparks of West Des Moines.

Sparks told the board that the area is in need of quality, safe housing. The development is one block north of Euclid Avenue and a block east of Sixth Avenue, where many Highland Park businesses are located.

“We want to bring something that will complement the area and be a bridge between the commercial area [along Euclid Avenue] and the residential part,” Sparks said.

The $2.6 million project will include all-electric appliances and heating, ventilation and cooling units. Construction is expected to begin this spring and be completed by mid-2026.

The City Council in November approved preliminary terms of a development agreement that includes capping incentives at $252,608.