Grimes Development Thread

[Cyclonefan]

That would mean 4 kum and gos in 4 square miles. They have two about a half mile from wal-mart, one south and one west of it. That seems a little overkill to me.

Wal-mart looks completely done from the outside. It should be opening in the next month sometime. No sign of the work on B-bops yet though.

The hwy 44 construction in Grimes is coming along slowly because of rain, the James st/44 intersection is being widened along with the stretch between there and the western city limits are being worked on first.

Also, Dallas Center-Grimes is in the process of planning a new 8th/9th grade school to be built behind the high school due to a high school/middle school overflow.

[DMRyan]

I drove out to Grimes for the first time in a long time a few weeks back and was actually pleasantly surprised how well the new Wal-Mart looked. They've certainly raised the bar in the aesthetics of their new stores over the past few years. The city also seems to have put a little money into streetscaping, light fixtures, etc. to give the area a more distinctive look. If there's one criticism I've always had of Grimes, it's how unplanned and hodge podge the growth has been, which results in a very hum ho appearance in comparison to other suburbs. Hopefully their investment, including into their small downtown can help shape the identify of this place being a suburb that stands out a little more as it continues to grow.

[DMRyan]

Here's the rendering of the Wal-Mart in Grimes (thanks for digging this up JB!). Much better than the standard prototype.

[Mastermind]

Anymore announcements coming soon? I find it hard to belive that B-Bops is the only confirmed business going in this space.

[Cyclonefan]

Anymore announcements coming soon? I find it hard to belive that B-Bops is the only confirmed business going in this space.

Not that Iv'e heard. The YMCA that will go in next door is still fundraising. The Wal-Mart should open very soon, it looks 100% complete from the outside

[Mastermind]

Someone on a Hawkeye message board is claiming that Lowes plans to build accross the street from Grimes. Anyone heard of this rumor. I find it hard to believe.

[Cyclonefan]

I havent heard that. But who knows. Do you mean across from Wal-mart? because across from Grimes could be a thousand places.

Wal-Mart has a sign out front advertising the grand open on August 18th. Yet the Wal-Mart signs aren't up yet, everything else looks done.

[econboy]

Lowe's wouldn't shock me. There's alot of open retail land around Walmart there and they could catch all the Perry, Woodward, Madrid, NW Polk/Dallas County traffic along 141 there.

[Mastermind]

Yes, sorry i meant acrross from Walmart. I would be shocked if Lowes located there. That would put 3 within 11 miles of each other.

[Cyclonefan]

Ya, theres also a home depot 3 minutes away and menards isn't far either. That would surprise me, though there is plenty of land out there. I know MidAmerican is planning to build a substation about half a mile to 3/4 of a mile north of Walmart along hwy 141. And there are some plans for townhomes just noth of there. But theres still alot of retail land there. Personally, it would make more sense to build it just south of Wal-Mart, where utilities are already there (stoplights are going in at 141 and SE 11th and the 11th extension towards Johnston)

[DMRyan]

A few snaps of the new Wal-Mart in Grimes:

[Mastermind]

Damn, i was hoping for some new material for the people of walmart site...

[lunksmoo]

While not as ugly as the 1990-2005 "Battleship Gray" stores that permeate the Wal-Mart empire, a little more stone and brick work might have been nice for this store.

[hawk61401]

While not as ugly as the 1990-2005 "Battleship Gray" stores that permeate the Wal-Mart empire, a little more stone and brick work might have been nice for this store.

Maybe the local officials melted in the presence of the Walmart architect. A community should be able to say to Walmart that you're going to conform to our localized attractive style. Other communities demand more brick and a streetscape feel, and they get it. The Des Moines metro shouldn't be any different.

[butters]

Maybe the local officials melted in the presence of the Walmart architect. A community should be able to say to Walmart that you're going to conform to our localized attractive style. Other communities demand more brick and a streetscape feel, and they get it. The Des Moines metro shouldn't be any different.

Good architecture and durable building material does not mean 'brick veneer only'. I think this is a pretty attractive building as far as big box retail goes. It's using some decent materials; Precast concrete and split face masonry with some fabric and exposed steel elements. And the grounds are very nicely landscaped. I do question how well Wal Mart will maintain the building and grounds (The Wal Marts in the Des Moines area seems to really lack on upkeep of buildings and grounds).

I think this building is quantum leaps ahead of most development in Grimes in terms of building materials used.

[Cyclonefan]

While not as ugly as the 1990-2005 "Battleship Gray" stores that permeate the Wal-Mart empire, a little more stone and brick work might have been nice for this store.

Maybe the local officials melted in the presence of the Walmart architect. A community should be able to say to Walmart that you're going to conform to our localized attractive style. Other communities demand more brick and a streetscape feel, and they get it. The Des Moines metro shouldn't be any different.

Actually, it was the exact opposite. there is an ordinance for the city of Grimes along hwy 141. All buildings along the highway must be like 80% brick or something like that. It took almost two years of fighting with the city to finally get it passed. The city is much stricter with things like that then you might believe.

[Cyclonefan]

Kennybrook Village is underway in Grimes, a retirement community
Not sure how big it is, but i believe its decent size. Its under construction on the corner of Brookside Dr and HWY 44 on the west side of town.

http://www.kennybrookvillage.com/press.php

[DMRyan]

Please post general discussion on development in Grimes here.

[Cyclonefan]

The Grimes Public Library will be more than quadrupled in size in the next few years. Not sure on a timetable
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=186875178008968&aid=59195

Also, the continuation of the Hwy 44 widening has begun throughout the city.

[mastermind2]

Iowa Health broke ground on a new family clinic near the Grimes Walmart.
No rendering, but it will be 8,450 sq ft.

Any update on the Y, or B-Bops?

[Cyclonefan]

The B-Bops is behind schedule for some reason. It was supposed to be under construction now. The Y is still trying to get funding. This project is going on 6+ years behind schedule. They were waiting for the Waukee one to be done first but im not sure what the status is now. There is a sign up for the Iowa Health building although not much has been done on the site.

The Kennybrooke senior living complex on the west side of town is well under construction, almost done on the outside. Also,

They are adding onto the DC-G high school and moving 8th grade to the building. This includes a new gym that'll hold almost 4,000. Not sure how many square feet the whole addition is but its sizable. Its just staring to raise. The district has also bought land about 2 miles west of Grimes for a new bus maintenance facility and parking.

[DMRyan]

The Register mentions that Quik Trip is looking to build a new store at the corner of Highway 141 and NW 37th (the turn to get to Cutty's Campground I believe). There's a vacant Phillips 66 store there now. This is the 2nd new Quik Trip location announced, with the other being the Firkin and the Fox site on 22nd Street and I-235.

[lunksmoo]

This is the 2nd new Quik Trip location announced, with the other being the Firkin and the Fox site on 22nd Street and I-235.

Wow. This will be the first Quik Trip in West Des Moines.

[dogbo]

This is the 2nd new Quik Trip location announced, with the other being the Firkin and the Fox site on 22nd Street and I-235.

Wow. This will be the first Quik Trip in West Des Moines.

QT is the McDonald's of convenience stores. That is, (for the most part) you always know what to expect no matter which store you visit .

[Cyclonefan]

The current Phillips 66 there is gutted and is being demolished now

[Mastermind]

Buyers Realty has completed foundation work on a parcel near Walmart.

It looks like there will be 6 bays, with Verizon already committed to one.

http://buyersrealtyinc.com/property-detail.html?id=174

[Cyclonefan]

Iowa Health-Grimes (across Destination Drive from this location) has just opened its doors in the past week. No word on the B-bops or YMCA next door. I assume the Y is still fundraising after their expansions in other metro locations. B-bops was supposed to break ground this spring but that didnt happen.

Kennybrooke Village retirement center has put the finishing touches on its building and is moving in residents.

The massive new 8th-9th grade expansion to DCG high school is nearly completed on the outside. It doubles the high school size. This should help with the recent leap in the schools population. Aparently the elementary system is so overpopulated the district tried to rent out two different strip malls in the area ( i know one of them is the empty one at the corner of Meredith and 128th) but for some reason that fell through.

Also, Grimes has just began work on a brand new sports complex on the north side of town next to North Ridge Elementary.

[DMRyan]

I think Grimes will really make some inroads over the next decade as it continues to boom. They just need to dress up the Highway 141 corridor that really looks like a mix of crap right now. It's not a very welcome entrance into the community and gives off a bad image of the place. Making the road safer would help too, it always feels so dangerous going at highway speeds with that much traffic around you, only to screech to a halt at several stoplights.

First Street's new streetscape looks great, and I see they're looking to do a few things to try to dress up the downtown area also.

[butters]

I think Grimes will really make some inroads over the next decade as it continues to boom. They just need to dress up the Highway 141 corridor that really looks like a mix of crap right now. It's not a very welcome entrance into the community and gives off a bad image of the place. Making the road safer would help too, it always feels so dangerous going at highway speeds with that much traffic around you, only to screech to a halt at several stoplights.

First Street's new streetscape looks great, and I see they're looking to do a few things to try to dress up the downtown area also.

You bring up a good point here. The northwest metro is likely see significant development over the next decade. Yet Highway 141 is a disaster and I don't know that the Iowa DOT has much planned in the way of improving Highway 141. First and foremost, It would be nice if a modern and better thought-out interchange could be constructed at Highway 141 and 35-80.

[Cyclonefan]

You bring up a good point here. The northwest metro is likely see significant development over the next decade. Yet Highway 141 is a disaster and I don't know that the Iowa DOT has much planned in the way of improving Highway 141. First and foremost, It would be nice if a modern and better thought-out interchange could be constructed at Highway 141 and 35-80.

Its been discussed in the past when the NW Metro beltway was in discussion but I doubt a new interchange there will happen in the next decade at least. Although it is needed badly.

1st street, although a mess on the west side of town, looks much better and definitely fits the needs of the community more than it did with added turn lanes. Its now a much nicer thoroughfare through town. 141 looks better than it did say 10 years ago but still needs alot. The new Quicktrip going up just across from Des Moiens Imports looks much better than the old 80's Phillips 66.

Finally caught word the B-bops as pulled out of their Grimes location for one reason or another.

Also, a new apartment complex at the corner of SE Little Beaver and SE 11th has begun. So far 2 building are up and being built.
http://hubbellrealty.com/News/Article.cfm?ID=940