Pleasant Hill Water Park Will Become Retail, Restaurants, Housing

PLEASANT HILL, IA — The abandoned White Water University water park will be razed to make way for shopping, dining and housing plans by a Des Moines developer whose previous projects have included the Des Moines Social Club, Raygun, Zombie Burger, and Des Moines' Liberty Building. Work is expected to begin this spring on clearing the property at 5401 E. University Ave.

Christensen Development of Des Moines, which specializes in in-fill and historic renovation in the metro area, is buying the property — with a current tax value of $469,000 — for an undisclosed amount and sees the location as having "endless possibilities for restaurants, retail, offices, and more," according to the city's news release. A conceptual draft on the city's website shows a strip mall and four stand-alone buildings along Northeast 12th Avenue and four buildings fronting East University Avenue.

“We have been so impressed with the engagement from the city and citizens on this effort,” Jake Christensen, president of Christensen Development, said in the news release. “We look forward to working to help transform this site into a mix of uses that add to the offerings in Pleasant Hill.”

Pleasant Hill Mayor Sara Kurovski said the area has been a focus of the city's comprehensive planning process "and now it is time to start acting on those plans with the perfect partner in Christensen Development.”

“Residents’ top desire is the revitalization of Pleasant Hill’s most visible corridor,” she said.

City officials said Christensen Development already has received interest from businesses about the nearly six-acre property, "though the campaign to attract additional businesses begins now."

One parcel will be purchased by Sand Development of Minnesota with the intent of developing what the city's news release deemed "high-quality multihousing." The project, called Vive, is a 49-unit apartment building for which the company is seeking $820,000 in low-income tax credits from the Iowa Finance Authority to develop affordable housing, according to the Business Record.

A public hearing to consider a development agreement for the White Water property will be held at Tuesday's City Council meeting, with a public hearing set for Feb. 13.

Image via City of Pleasant Hill