After Glenn Lyons became president and CEO of Des Moines’ Downtown Community Alliance in 2010, he began asking a question: What’s the city going to do about Walnut Street?
“The experience walking through, you know, it’s pretty austere,” Lyons said. “When I was interviewed for the job I told them that. I figured I’d lose the job, but they agreed with me.”
The departure of department stores and smaller retail shops and the emergence of the bus transit mall contributed to turning the once vibrant area into a dreary street.
At noon today, Lyons will join New York architect Mario Gandelsonas in presenting a new vision for Walnut Street: A 24/7 hub for culture, retail and information in the heart of Des Moines’ business district.
The team hopes to break ground on Walnut by spring 2013. The street, though, could take up to 10 years and various public and private funding streams to become the first “people’s street” in downtown Des Moines, Lyons said.
