Proposed apartment complex would be biggest yet in West Des Moines

A Michigan developer wants to build a 522-unit apartment complex in West Des Moines, the biggest apartment project proposed around the metro in recent memory.

The complex, called Roger’s Farm West Apartments, would sit on 37 acres just south of Wells Fargo’s corporate campus in the Jordan Creek area. It would feature 15 apartment buildings, a clubhouse and more than 1,000 parking spaces.

Proposing the project is Edward Rose & Sons, an apartment development and management firm based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Few if any apartment complexes around the metro area include more than 500 units. One of the largest recent developments is Autumn Ridge, a 434-unit apartment complex under construction in Waukee.

Plans for Roger’s Farm West emerge as thousands of apartments are being built around the metro. More than 2,500 are in the works downtown and several thousand more are being built around Jordan Creek.

Some local real estate professionals have expressed caution about the apartment boom, saying they think renters will flock to the new downtown apartments, making it harder for Jordan Creek apartment owners to fill their units.

Many of the Jordan Creek apartments are being built by out-of-state developers, while many local real estate firms have shied away from the area, saying it has become too crowded.

Will downtown Des Moines rental boom hurt suburbs?

The Jordan Creek area, though, has a growing job base that developers say is driving demand for apartments. Wells Fargo recently completed a $100 million addition to its offices and has room for several more expansions.

“We have had a lot of apartments built, there is no denying that, but they seem to fill up as fast as they can build them,” said West Des Moines Community and Economic Development Director Clyde Evans.

The project went before West Des Moines’ Plan and Zoning Commission on Monday.

Mark Harrison, manager of land search and development for Edward Rose, said the firm is still seeking approval from the city of West Des Moines for several aspects of the project and has not yet decided when it will break ground.

The firm also owns Fieldstream Apartment Homes in Ankeny and is building an apartment complex in Grimes called the Reserve at Destination Pointe.