The Des Moines City Council has approved a letter of intent to sign a 99-year lease at $1 a year on roughly 7 acres of city-owned land for a redevelopment project sponsored by the nonprofit Pillars of Promise.

The organization released a conceptual rendering of its project that includes a rebuild of the John R. Grubb Community YMCA, the construction of a community center and redevelopment of recreational fields that would include a soccer field.

Pillars plans to lease property located in the River Bend neighborhood between Ninth and 11th streets on the east and west and between Jefferson and College avenues on the north and south. The ground was once occupied by Des Moines College and later became the home of Dowling High School. Redevelopment was triggered in part by the need for repairs and renovations of the Grubb Y, which the YMCA of Greater Des Moines leases from the city.

People associated with the project have said it provides an opportunity to design and construct a project that fits into and meets the needs of a Des Moines neighborhood. In this case, the hardscrabble River Bend neighborhood north of downtown.

According to a report to the City Council from the city’s community development department, the letter of intent allows Pillars to launch a fundraising effort for the project.

A Pillars spokeswoman said the vote triggers a need to establish hard costs for the project.

Judging by the rendering from RDG Planning & Design, the new YMCA would be 87,000 square feet and three stories. The Grubb Y would remain in operation until construction on the new facility is completed. In addition, conceptual plans call for a 54,000-square-foot, three-story community center. 

A new headquarters for Children and Family Urban Movement has been proposed for 1 acre of land located at the southeast corner of the city-owned property. The Pillars rendering shows a possible connector between the new YMCA and CFUM’s headquarters and tutorial center.

Developer Jake Christensen is working with Slingshot Architecture on that project, which calls for a $4.5 million, two-story building at 915 College Ave. The new building would have classrooms, office space, a kitchen and food preparation area, a market for donated food, student workspace, and a green space for outdoor recreation. Read more (Insider)

The CFUM project initially was proposed for a larger parcel on the city-owned land and would have accommodated two apartment buildings. That plan was scrapped in a decision that rankled developer Jack Hatch. By eliminating the multifamily component, Pillars was able to pick up more land for its project.

Housing could be part of future development if the Iowa Department of Correctional Services ever decides to sell a building on slightly more than 1 acre that adjoins the CFUM and Pillars projects, Des Moines City Manager Scott Sanders has said.

Meanwhile, the letter of intent with Pillars will expire on Feb. 5, 2019, if the organization has not made progress on its project, with the option for a six-month extension after a review by the City Council.