Topgolf and a new aquarium: What's coming to West Des Moines in 2024

Phillip Sitter, Des Moines Register
·5 min read

New places to golf, encounter wild creatures or to enjoy scenic views are expected to be coming to West Des Moines in 2024.

Also in the works are a renovated music venue and an affordable housing project for seniors, according to city officials and developers.

Here are some of the development to look for in 2024.

Topgolf expected to open at intersection of Mills Civic and Jordan Creek parkways

Renderings provided to the city of West Des Moines in July 2023 depict the Topgolf planned for the northwest corner of Jordan Creek and Mills Civic parkways.
Renderings provided to the city of West Des Moines in July 2023 depict the Topgolf planned for the northwest corner of Jordan Creek and Mills Civic parkways.

Topgolf offers climate-controlled, computer-tracked driving ranges with food and beverage service.

While the Topgolf in West Des Moines will be smaller than facilities in larger markets, it will still include 72-hitting bays — eight of which, four on each of two floors, will be in luxury suites — as well as a covered patio and outdoor patio attached to the restaurant and bar area on the ground floor.

Topgolf will be at the northwest corner of Mills Civic and Jordan Creek parkways in West Des Moines. The 12-acre site is south of Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh and east of IMT Insurance.

Ryan Moffatt, West Des Moines' community and economic development director, said in mid-December 2023 that it should open in fall to early winter 2024.

Val Air Ballroom to host its first post-renovation show

Work at the Val Air Ballroom, 301 Ashworth Road, is slated to wrap up by the end of 2023, but its first post-renovation act is scheduled for February 2024.
Work at the Val Air Ballroom, 301 Ashworth Road, is slated to wrap up by the end of 2023, but its first post-renovation act is scheduled for February 2024.

Technically, West Des Moines gave the owner of the Val Air Ballroom until Dec. 31, 2023, to finish a $14.5 million renovation of the historic concert venue in order to qualify for a tax rebate and grant.

However, Val Air's first post-renovation show — featuring string band Greensky Bluegrass — is scheduled for Feb. 29, 2024.

Other scheduled acts in the first two weeks include Flogging Molly, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, and the Eli Young Band.

Val Air Ballroom, located at 301 Ashworth Road, began as an outdoor dance venue in the 1940s, according to its website. It was later enclosed.

In its 1950s heyday, rock 'n' roll performers become a part of the lineup, and the exterior renovations harken to those days.

Inside, in addition to updated systems and modifications for improved accessibility, concertgoers will see a bar and grill, new bathrooms, and a modernized stage with motors and lights so artists can use screens and other stage elements.

More information is available at firstfleetconcerts.com/first-fleet-venues/val-air-ballroom.

Blue Zoo aquarium coming to Jordan Creek Town Center

The Blue Zoo aquarium hopes to open in spring 2024 at the Village at Jordan Creek Town Center. The storefront location is pictured in September 2023.
The Blue Zoo aquarium hopes to open in spring 2024 at the Village at Jordan Creek Town Center. The storefront location is pictured in September 2023.

Blue Zoo is a for-profit aquarium chain that opened its first location in Spokane, Washington, in 2019 — and it's now bringing a location to West Des Moines' Jordan Creek Town Center.

The location is a storefront formerly occupied by Glowgolf near Buffalo Wild Wings in the Village at Jordan Creek.

Blue Zoo caters to children and families, with interactive exhibits that they can touch and where they can feed fish and stingrays. Some locations have additional animals such as parakeets and reptiles. Children also can interact with costumed pirates and actresses portraying mermaids who dive into tanks.

Jessica McQueen, spokesperson for Blue Zoo, said no opening date has been set yet.

"We are hopeful for a spring grand opening, but we are still in our construction phase," she said.

More information, including ticket prices and annual pass options, is available at desmoines.bluezoo.us/.

Concord at Marketplace affordable housing for seniors coming to West Glen Town Center

The red Xs mark the locations of a planned 156-unit affordable housing complex for people 55 years and older in West Des Moines. Concord at Marketplace would be located within the newly formed Ponderosa Urban Renewal Area, in green, which allows for city incentives like tax increment financing.
The red Xs mark the locations of a planned 156-unit affordable housing complex for people 55 years and older in West Des Moines. Concord at Marketplace would be located within the newly formed Ponderosa Urban Renewal Area, in green, which allows for city incentives like tax increment financing.

The developer of an affordable housing complex for those age 55 and older, to be located near the West Glen Town Center, said some units may open as early as May 2024.

Developer Jim Bergman said he expects it will be September before every unit — which include a mix of efficiency, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments in several multistory buildings — will be available at Concord at Marketplace, on Market Street between Stagecoach Drive and Village View Drive.

The first phase — 114 units out of the planned 156 — may be open by May 1, 2024, Bergman said this month.

West Des Moines has agreed to pay up to $19.5 million in tax increment financing toward the $35 million project.

Ryan Moffatt, the city's community and economic development director, said the new housing development shows "the city's continued commitment to housing affordability, with all of the units slated to be rented to seniors at 60% or lower of the area median income."

In 2022, single tenants could earn a maximum of $41,400 a year to qualify, according to area median income limits from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The maximum for a family of two was $47,280.

Athene Pedestrian Bridge to offer new scenic path over Raccoon River

A rendering of the Athene Bridge that will connect Raccoon River Park to Walnut Woods State Park. The bridge, which runs over the Raccoon River, includes an overlook in the middle.
A rendering of the Athene Bridge that will connect Raccoon River Park to Walnut Woods State Park. The bridge, which runs over the Raccoon River, includes an overlook in the middle.

The city of West Des Moines provided an online update in November saying the Athene Pedestrian Bridge over the Raccoon River may be completed by summer 2024.

The project — including a 620-foot long truss bridge named after the West Des Moines-based insurance company — broke ground in July 2023.

Once completed, the bridge will allow cyclists and pedestrians to travel across the Raccoon River from Raccoon River Park to Walnut Woods State Park.

Cyclists and pedestrians can then get to Brown’s Woods, the Purple Martin Lake Water Recreation Area and the Hidden Valley Soccer Complex, plus dozens of miles of greenway trails the city has planned.

The total estimated cost is about $9.3 million, including about $2.75 million from private donors. Athene donated $750,000 to the project in June 2022.

Des Moines Register reporters Philip Joens and Addison Lathers contributed to this report.

Phillip Sitter focuses for the Des Moines Register on reporting on suburban growth and development in the western metro areas. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. He is on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @pslifeisabeauty.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Coming to West Des Moines in 2024: Topgolf, renovated Val Air Ballroom