Bondurant city officials have their sights set on downtown transformation as suburb grows

City officials in Bondurant have their sights set on a full-scale transformation of a downtown area that's already changed dramatically as the town continues to grow.

The population in this northeast suburb of Des Moines has more than quadrupled since the year 2000 to more than 8,000 people, according to 2021 United States Census Bureau estimates — and with it has come more amenities for Bondurant.

The development of a hulking Amazon distribution center complex has received tons of attention, but public and private investment has also flowed into the central downtown district, with renovations and demolitions in recent years making way for coffee and ice cream shops, a home goods store, a craft brewery, new parking space, a learning center, a mural by a local artist and dining options.

A pie shop is the latest addition, and the city has made infrastructure improvements to tie everything together. Now, there's a mixed-use building under construction that would include office, retail and restaurant space with a rooftop patio, with tenants to be announced.

"It's really been transformational, all the investment," Bondurant City Administrator Marketa Oliver said.

And the city is planning for even bigger changes that would reshape the downtown.

What's next for downtown Bondurant?

A visioning study from 2015 called for investments into downtown Bondurant to create a vibrant focal point and suggested embracing and maintaining historic buildings, taking advantage of other buildings and open lots and putting up mixed-use buildings.

Oliver, who has been city the city for five years, said the before-and-after pictures show the major changes that have already taken place.

Bondurant's downtown has already seen major changes in recent years, including old buildings being renovated into new businesses. City officials have their eyes on an even bigger transformation. Special To The Register/City Of Bondurant

"A transformed downtown that is beautiful and welcoming and pedestrian-friendly and vibrant, with events, with festivals, people enjoying themselves," is the goal with further development, Oliver said.

City officials especially have their eyes on City Park, with a proposal to spruce up the park as a prominent part od downtown, with new elements like an amphitheater, more parking and extra wide sidewalks to accommodate events like the farmer's market.

"It's going to be an attractive destination here in Bondurant," said Nicole Van Houten, events coordinator for the city.

There's no specific timeline for work on the park yet as the city pursues design work over the next year.

There are also significant chunks of land that have the potential to multiply the area of what is now called downtown: the space where the Landus grain elevator now sits and is ripe for redevelopment.

The city envisions extending downtown into that area, with a focus on connecting the area for pedestrians. There would be more retail and more housing. The Chichaqua Valley Trail could be better linked with an arboretum-style connection.

There could also be a public plaza area for entertainment, food trucks and events.

Tiffany Luing, economic development coordinator for the city, said the vision is a place that gives a hometown feeling, even as Bondurant's population grows beyond a small town. She said residents want a place where they can walk around, get some ice cream, grab a drink on a patio or go for a bike ride, with connectivity to all the fun things one could do on a Saturday afternoon.

The city is pursuing redevelopment and improvements all over the city, not just downtown, including the restoration of Eagle Park and the new pedestrian underpass at Highway 65.

CHRIS HIGGINS, THE DES MOINES REGISTER

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 28, 2022