There is no final agreement for developers of the Valley West Mall site in West Des Moines. But what has become clear is how much the city is willing to invest into its redevelopment.
The West Des Moines City Council will vote Tuesday, April 28 on an amendment to an urban renewal area that includes Valley West Mall. The amendment would allow the city to offer up to $110 million in financial incentives to the future developer of the mall site.
While $110 million is only a potential maximum amount of incentives, West Des Moines Mayor Russ Trimble told the Des Moines Register the city owes it to residents in the area to “invest in a big way to breathe new life into this part of the city and bring it back to greatness.”
The city expects a development agreement will be made with Valley West Redevelopment LLC for the company to buy the site, tear down the mall and redevelop the area. The developer has faced obstacles that have led to significant delays, Trimble said, but he added the hope is those will be addressed soon and plans for the site will be released within the next few weeks.
Trimble said what’s planned is “something out of a storybook, something that no one has ever seen before in this state.”
“The whole site will be walkable with restaurants, retail, residential, and entertainment with plenty of green space, trails, really cool water features for recreation and spaces where you can enjoy the day with loved ones,” he said.
In November, court documents revealed Valley West Redevelopment LLC as tied to the chief operating officer of an Ankeny-based real estate development company that’s leading plans for a mixed-use project at the site of Crossroads Mall in Waterloo.
Valley West has been in receivership since October 2022, after U.S. Bank foreclosed on then-owner Watson Centers of Minneapolis for failure to make payments on a $50 million loan from 2012. A Polk County judge approved a plan to auction the mall but no sale was scheduled.
Instead, the receiver has continued to let the mall operate. But the mall has lost most of its tenants, with many of those that were left having departed since it was listed for sale in February 2025.
Phillip Sitter covers the suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at PSitter@usatodayco.com. Find out more about him online in the Register’s staff directory.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: West Des Moines could give $110M for ‘storybook’ Valley West Mall plan
Reporting by Phillip Sitter, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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