City Council Approves 33-Story 515 Walnut Project, Redefining the Downtown Skyline

Press Release

Des Moines, Iowa- Monday, December 23, 2024 - The transformative project to reshape the downtown skyline is ready to break ground. After Monday night's City Council vote, 515 Walnut, the 33-story apartment tower, will proceed with construction.

"A project on this scale hasn't occurred in over 30 years," Mayor Connie Boesen said. "The demand to live and work downtown is strong-This project that will bring great vitality to the downtown core."

The project, which will be the tallest and largest residential building ever constructed downtown, will occupy the former site of the Kaleidoscope Mall. This project will feature 390 residential units, accounting for nearly one-third of the roughly 1,300 new housing units currently planned for downtown to meet a surging housing demand. In addition to residences, the building plans include amenities such as a coffee shop, bike storage, a dog park, coworking spaces, fitness rooms, and a rooftop deck with a pool.

"This is a rare opportunity for our city," Deputy City Manager Matt Anderson added. "We don't get many proposals for buildings of this magnitude; this project will change Des Moines' skyline and continue adding to the excitement in our city core."

This project, anticipated to create more than 700 construction jobs, will also reconnect a key portion of the downtown skywalk network, which was removed for the 2023 demolition of the Kaleidoscope Mall.

The project is anticipated to be completed and opened in 2027.