Businesses get pushed out as industrial districts rebuild

Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa

Leaning over the map, Brian Vincent turned to a city official and asked, “Why does it show a park instead of my business?”

The planner paused and then explained. Des Moines leaders had concluded that the park was a better use of the land than the low-slung building that had housed Corn Belt Aluminum for decades.

“I’m like, ‘Thank you for the 50 years I’ve been here,’” Vincent said.

Vincent was shocked by the exchange, but businesses across the country are landing in similar positions as cities remake gritty, industrial districts into trendy hotspots. The transformations are a point of pride for growing communities but difficult for manufacturers and warehouse owners, who, after operating successfully for decades, sometimes now feel shunned by their new, more polished neighbors.

The cold shoulder feels especially chilly in the Midwest, a region that has long prided itself on an unassuming work ethic and a long, prosperous history of steel mills, factories and meat-packing plants.

Des Moines businesses are focused on the makeover of an area dubbed the Market District, which stands nearly in the shadow of the golden state Capitol dome and borders a trendy area of shops, hotels and bars called the East Village. Planners envision replacing manufacturing buildings, warehouses and scrap yards with housing, offices and shops. It’s a dream that’s quickly becoming reality as sleek apartment towers, craft-beer bars and even a design-your-own cupcake bakery open in the neighborhood.

Apart from state government and insurance firms, Des Moines has long relied on a blue-collar workforce that produced soap, steel and other goods in drab buildings in and around the city’s compact downtown. Most of those buildings have been renovated or demolished, making room for a sculpture garden, loft apartments and townhouses. The businesses moved elsewhere.

The Market District will be one of the last industrial strongholds, and while Vincent said he likes the improvements, he’s puzzled why the city does not seem to value the well-paying jobs he provides for about 15 workers.

A few blocks away, the encroaching development convinced Teresa Van Vleet-Danos to sell a 2-acre property and move her stone-cutting business, which was started by a Scottish immigrant who came to Des Moines to help build the Capitol and stayed. Rowat Cut Stone & Marble has been at the same location for 138 years.

“I love this old building,” said Van Vleet-Danos, pointing out details of the cavernous wooden structure she’s owned for 32 years. “It has its own character, its own vibe.”

The company has until this summer to clear out. The weathered building will be knocked down and replaced with apartment towers.