Real Estate and Development

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Commercial property prices up

The average price of U.S. commercial property prices rose by 2.2 percent in the second quarter, according to a report by Investment Property Databank US Quarterly Property Index. According to CNBC.com, this was the first …

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Miami launches form-based zoning

The city of Miami has launched a new form-based zoning code guided by the tenets of new urbanism and smart growth, a national movement that involves the application of planning principles that support environmentally sensitive, …

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Home sales take a dive

U.S. sales of previously owned homes sank 27.2 percent in July — the biggest one-month drop ever — largely because of the phase-out of a federal tax credit, the National Association of Realtors said today.…

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‘Scuffling’ through the recession


Al Schroder has seen 40 years of booms and busts in the commercial construction business; the current recession tops them all.

His name is attached to a West Des Moines industrial park, and his Schroder …

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Downtown housing options swell


AP Lofts, a 70-unit market-rate apartment complex at 328 S.W. Fifth St., opened this month as an out-of-state developer hastens to complete a nearby affordable-housing project and a mixed-income development.

By Jan. 1, the three …

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Looking for renovation in all the Great Places


A vacant building in downtown Perry that once housed the Eagles lodge and later a bar is poised to begin a new chapter as a community resource center.

“The concept behind the resource center is …

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Habitat for Humanity builds hands-on homes


Sorry, Dyersville, but your city isn’t the only Iowa community with a “Field of Dreams.”

For 10 families that once could only dream about owning their own homes, an abandoned ballfield on Des Moines’ southeast …

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Council Bluffs casino owner eyes possible sale


Ameristar Casinos Inc., the owner and manager of eight U.S. casinos, including one in Council Bluffs, is evaluating a possible sale among other strategic alternatives.

The Las Vegas-based company hired Lazard Ltd. and Bank of …

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Time to fill the gap on Court


The last time we checked, the city of Des Moines was waiting to see how some nearby housing projects turned out before deciding how to develop the vacant land on Court Avenue just southeast of …

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RentPing lands in Greater Des Moines


As more companies look to the Internet to meet their advertising needs, a new professional online marketing service for apartments has landed in Des Moines.

RentPing LLC officially entered the local market on June 1.…