OneVoice DSM Podcast: The Dico Superfund Site

The OneVoice DSM “Major Projects” podcast series highlights the major projects and initiatives happening in Greater Des Moines (DSM), as well as the key players and Partnership Investors making these projects happen. 

Dan Keough, Chairman and CEO at Holmes Murphy, Matt Anderson, Deputy City Manager for the City of Des Moines, and Jerry Haberman, President of Krause+, spoke with Greater Des Moines Partnership Chief Operations Officer Tiffany Tauscheck on the revitalization of the Dico Superfund site in Downtown DSM.

Pro Iowa, Holmes Murphy, Krause+ and the City of Des Moines are working to drive revitalization to areas in DSM, including the 48-acre Dico site, which will hold the proposed Pro Iowa Stadium & Global Plaza that will host a USL Championship Club. Haberman says the project is a gamechanger for the city due to the location, as well as the multi-use plaza, which will feature a hotel, shops, restaurants, the stadium and plaza district full of amenities and a new setting for festivals and events. Haberman is looking forward to seeing the Dico site connect and unite the city in activity, as well as physically unite it by connecting the core of the city south of MLK to the Gray’s Lake area.

The Dico Transformation

Andersen talks about how the City of Des Moines initially didn’t have an exit strategy for the Dico site prior to the stadium proposal. The idea of transitioning the area into a multi-use plaza and stadium opens up the master plan for more commercial-wide development, connecting to the other nearby developments, especially after momentum slowed due to the pandemic.

Regional Impact

Data shows that DSM was stronger in the 2010s due to the investments made in the late 2000s during the recession. Keough says thanks to the public-private partnership between business leaders and city leaders, he saw the development of the Pappajohn Sculpture Park and Western Gateway neighborhood take off after moving to the region.

In fact, many city leaders across the country are surprised to see so many different leaders come together for one project as they are with the Dico site revitalization. In DSM, this is par for the course and something that happens every few years when there’s a new major development opportunity. It is one of the things that sets DSM apart. The project is also a rounding out of the Downtown DSM transformation that in the next few years will lead to almost complete Downtown connectivity. 

Listen to the entire podcast above to learn more. Check out more episodes in the “Major Projects” series including updates on the Johnston Gateway District project and the Merle Hay Mall revitalization project. 

Throughout Greater Des Moines’ (DSM’s) 10-county region, a thriving economic environment is attracting more Investors to do business. Learn more about other recent development projects in the region. 

Downtown Des Moines (DSM) is a growing, vibrant community that offers the energy, sophistication, housing and attractions of a burgeoning city with a brilliant future. It’s also easy to visit with plentiful and affordable street and ramp parking options.