Capital Crossroads sends its heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Michael Sadler who passed away last week. Michael was one of the chairs of the Physical Capital and did much to move the region forward both professionally and personally. He was known for his dedicated volunteer work, his friendly smile and advocacy for Greater Des Moines. He will be greatly missed.

A workforce housing study kicked off in early June with the Virginia Center for Housing Research at Virginia Tech (VCHR) to align our region's workforce needs with housing strategies. 

This is the first time Central Iowa will analyze our workforce goals as part of a housing assessment. We know that workforce is our region's biggest need, but as we attract talent, we need to ensure they can find housing that correlates with their income levels. Additionally, it's more and more important that housing is relatively close to where individuals are employed. 

As a part of the study, local staff will be trained on how to gather, analyze and monitor housing and workforce data. Ten trainees from Ankeny, Clive, Des Moines, Norwalk, Urbandale, West Des Moines, the Des Moines Area MPO and the Polk County Housing Trust Fund will work hand-in-hand with VCHR over the next six months after which they will be able to replicate the study on their own. Therefore, while the initial study focuses mostly on downtown, the practices can be replicated throughout the region.

The team will work closely with city officials and developers on strategies for both the entire metro and downtown specifically to fill identified housing gaps. The full study and recommendations will be presented in January 2019. For more information on the housing study, contact Nikki Syverson. 

The findings of the Water Trails Engineering Study are in, and not only is it technically feasible to develop a regional network of water trails for Greater Des Moines, there is also a coalition of partners dedicated to driving the next steps in this multi-year process.

Those two themes – what can be done, and how it can be done – were the focus of a pair of public meetings on June 21 called “The Dam Plan,” capping off the previous three Dam Debates.

“This project is the most transformational quality-of-life project of our generation in Central Iowa,” said Jay Byers, Greater Des Moines Partnership CEO and Capital Crossroads Tri-Chair. “We need to come together as a region and get it done.”

Each meeting included a short presentation, panel discussion with regional leaders and an open house where the public could ask questions about the span of topics related to water trails, including the more than 80 water trails projects throughout the region, the downtown dam mitigation and proposed adventure park, water quality, safety, fundraising and economic development and regional coordination.

The Water Trails Engineering Study, now coming to a close, was the first phase of implementation of the Greater Des Moines Water Trails and Greenways Master Plan, a road map for enhancing experiences in and along 150 miles of waterways in Greater Des Moines. For more information click here.