Sherman Hill News

[iowacountyite]

So will the new school (assuming there will be a parking lot) make it all the way to school street/okridge drive?
I would hate to see the open space lost, yet would love to see more density... I dont know bittersweet I guess.

[DMRyan]

So will the new school (assuming there will be a parking lot) make it all the way to school street/okridge drive?
I would hate to see the open space lost, yet would love to see more density... I dont know bittersweet I guess.

The new school will not be pushed up to the street, or have minimal setbacks. Kind of a wash on open space, since the old school will be demolished for green space once the new school is finished.

This brings up another point at the DMPS taking a hard look at the land that they own to see if there is excess that could be developed for housing. They might not want to touch that more often than they have to though after the Rice Field debaucle.

[DMRyan]

August 2012 update:

[SFO2DSM]

Not sure where this should go, but look at what is going up at the Woodland Cemetery entrance as I type!

[dogbo]

This project seemed to have come to a screeching halt. Nothing has seemingly been done on it for a couple months now. I wonder what is up?

http://greenandmain.org/renovation-plans-updates/

[casbern]

This project seemed to have come to a screeching halt. Nothing has seemingly been done on it for a couple months now. I wonder what is up?

http://greenandmain.org/renovation-plans-updates/

Probably funds... I know that they have been an issue in the past for this project.

[dogbo]

I didn't realize these were so close to completion.

Grand opening Friday for 2 historic Sherman Hill apartment buildings

Read more: http://www.businessrecord.com/main.asp? ... z26T1W0zEg

[DMRyan]

The historic Lexington Apartments has recently been purchased by new owners and is undergoing significant renovation. The small neighborhood apartment renovations are small, but are having a big impact on continuing to stablize Sherman Hill. Still plenty of great apartment stock in the hands of bad property owners/slumlords to take on though!

[RDCFIC]

That's cool! Hopefully, developers in the DSM area and elsewhere will continue to rehab instead of tear down these vintage apartment buildings, at least the historic, aesthetically pleasing ones from vanished times. It's part of the historic character of a city. I wish I could do more to encourage this sort of thing.

[DMRyan]

A few Sherman Hill updates:

1. Wellsport & Portwell Apartments Renovation, completed and looking great!







2. Edmunds Academy School, very visible from the freeway.

[DMRyan]

Edmunds Academy coming along.

[dogbo]

I haven't seen anything in print about this, but one of the homes that was on the Sherman Hill home tour this year was being gutted and transformed into a combo single family home (upstairs) with a cafe to be located on the main floor. I also looked at the blueprints and they will be restoring the front porch that was removed long ago. Should be a nice addition to the neighborhood.

I don't know the address, but this is the house on Woodland Avenue that is sandwiched between the Woodland Brickstones and another neaby apartment building.

[SFO2DSM]

Is it this house? http://www.sheuermanhouse.com/Pictures.html or the one next door, which is also for sale? The one next door needs well over $100k of work to get it into decent shape (I've looked into it).

I haven't seen anything in print about this, but one of the homes that was on the Sherman Hill home tour this year was being gutted and transformed into a combo single family home (upstairs) with a cafe to be located on the main floor. I also looked at the blueprints and they will be restoring the front porch that was removed long ago. Should be a nice addition to the neighborhood.

I don't know the address, but this is the house on Woodland Avenue that is sandwiched between the Woodland Brickstones and another neaby apartment building.

[DMRyan]

No, it's 1530 Woodland Avenue.

[SFO2DSM]

That makes much more sense. Best of luck to the owners!

No, it's 1530 Woodland Avenue.

[Aulus]

Look what my daughter found on Craigslist today:

http://desmoines.craigslist.org/reo/3395839437.html

It's about damn time.

I noticed the for sale sign out front of it around November 1 and could see it was a sale by owner deal, i.e., no realtor involved.

Now, I just love this bit from the listing:

"This home is a city "public nuisance" due to neighbors complaining and our family not having the money and time to continue working at the pace that they want."

Not having the money and time. Yeah, how about damn near a quarter of of century!

Mark my words, the crazy owner is going to drag this out for another decade, at least.

[Mastermind]

This house looks like it is in terrible shape. That price tag is way too high IMO

[Aulus]

This house looks like it is in terrible shape. That price tag is way too high IMO

Oh, it is a mess. The photo in the Craigslist ad looks to be one taken several years ago. As it is now, it is much worse and just nothing but an eyesore. The city should have gotten tough with the owner years ago but, as one city council member told me, thew owner is notoriously litigious and the city wanted to avoid the big legal expense.

The ad states the empty lots south of the place are not for sale. Tha't a pity, as it would be great to see something moved in there, like was done over on 16th Street as an in-fill or new construction, like was done a few years ago on the NE corner of 19th & Pleasant.

[Young DSM Social Club]

That may be the worst property sale listing I have ever seen. Yeah, I'd really be interested in a property with that much negativity attached to it!

[Aulus]

That may be the worst property sale listing I have ever seen. Yeah, I'd really be interested in a property with that much negativity attached to it!

I think that's the whole point. The owner really doesn't want to sell, so he's sabotaging the possibility with a totally crappy, negative listing, but can still point to it and say, "Look! See, I tried, but no one will buy!"

It's just his way of thumbing his nose at the city and the whole neighborhood. Look forward to another 25 years of putting up with this eyesore.

[Aulus]

BTW, here's a pic of the crappy for sale sign out front of the dump:

[Young DSM Social Club]

Don't worry, I am sure somebody will eventually buy it and turn it into Des Moines' favorite type of development. That's right - LOW INCOME HOUSING.

[DMRyan]

A small apartment at 739 17th Street should be starting renovation by a new owner soon. This was another Guy Roberts vacant and declining Sherman Hill special, but luckily multi-family renovations in Sherman Hill appear to be picking up steam.



The vacant brick apartments at 702 20th Street (the boarded up properties you see from MLK Jr. Pkwy) seem to have a few interested parties in their preservation and renovation lately as well.

[Aulus]

Also good news is that the new owner of 1611 Woodland if proceeding apace with renovations.

Polk County Assessor's office pic from 6/28/11:



The previous owner had done a lot, but had to bail. The new owners used the mild November and early December weather to paint the exterior and they tore out the old concrete steps from the street and poured new.

[Aulus]

I drove by 692 17th Street today and saw that the for sale sign is gone.

So, what happened?

A. some one actually bought the place
B. the owner came into a pile of $$$ and is finally going to fix it up
C. the "for sale" is and always was a sham

You decide.

[Aulus]

Also seen today, the house at the SE corner of Park and 16th, 721 16th, is under renovation. Looks like a lot of work going on. If I think to leave with a camera tomorrow, I'll get some pics.

[wmjindsm]

I drove by 692 17th Street today and saw that the for sale sign is gone.

So, what happened?

A. some one actually bought the place
B. the owner came into a pile of $$$ and is finally going to fix it up
C. the "for sale" is and always was a sham

According to the Polk Co Assessor, as of 4/17/13 the owners are now Julie/Stephan McMahon. They bought it through a QUIT CLAIM DEED from Guy/Sandra Roberts.

http://web.assess.co.polk.ia.us/cgi-bin ... 191000000&

http://landrecords.polkcountyiowa.gov/L ... earch=true

Not sure how these quit claim deeds go but it says they got it for $1, wonder what else is owed on it. Can somebody explain this to me.

http://landrecords.polkcountyiowa.gov/I ... 11&fmt=pdf

[Des Moineser]

Not sure how these quit claim deeds go but it says they got it for $1, wonder what else is owed on it. Can somebody explain this to me.

Quit claim does not ensure clear title and the previous warranty deed owner could always take it back. Quit claim is just that, "I quit my claim to this property, but I can't guarantee I ever had clear title to it in the first place."