What: Former city of Des Moines public works facility
Where: 212 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway
What: Demolition is underway of a building that previously housed Des Moines’ public works department.

The property on which the building is located is in what’s known as the Market District, a 260-acre area roughly surrounded by East Court Avenue, Southeast 14th Street, Scott Avenue and the Des Moines River.

District Developer LLC, a consortium of local developers and others, purchased the property at 212 E. ML King Parkway for $1.7 million in December. The group plans to develop a 39-acre portion of the aged industrial area.

When completed, the redeveloped area is expected to include multifamily residences, at least one hotel, and office and commercial space.

During the past two years, new sewers, streets, utilities and bioswales have been installed in the 30-acre area. Additional infrastructure will be installed in the coming months, Paul Hayes, president of JSC Properties, has said. JSC Properties is part of the consortium of developers that are part of District Developers.

The remaining buildings used by public works will be razed yet this year, city officials have said.
Des Moines’ public works department is now located in a new facility at 1700 Maury St.

Related article: Des Moines sells land in Market District to development group