Des Moines lowers speed limit on Keosauqua Way into downtown

Des Moines has reduced the speed limit on Keosauqua Way on the heels of two car crashes at a local business.

But the building's owner says the move is just one positive step of many the city should consider to make the busy gateway into downtown Des Moines safer for pedestrians and more attractive to entrepreneurs and community members.

The Des Moines City Council last month unanimously approved lowering the speed limit to 25 mph from 35 mph on Keosauqua Way between 10th Street and Interstate 235, according to a council communications memo. The City Council approved another speed limit reduction on 56th Street from Grand to Ingersoll avenues at the same special meeting on July 22.

The Keo Way speed limit change comes following two separate car crashes at the coffee shop Northern Vessel at 1201 Keo Way. The first crash happened in August 2023 and the second came less than a year later in May. Reckless driving caused both hit-and-runs, according to city officials.

"I just want to say, a lot of these speed modifications, based on some other accidents we've been having, people need to slow down," Mayor Connie Boesen said at the council meeting.

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Building owner and developer Matt Aust told the Des Moines Register the crashes have made it feel like "Groundhog Day." He said the recent ordinance change is a meaningful victory for the corridor and neighborhood that seems to have been off the city's radar in the past.

"I think it'll just make it safer for everybody. I think it'll be safer for pedestrians," Aust said. "The noise, hopefully, goes down a bit as well ... It's just been kind of dangerous because people are driving so fast."

Aust says the area, which historically has been dilapidated, slowly has transformed with housing complexes, businesses and gathering spaces such as Mainframe Studios. The 1201 Keo building, once home to the Reliable Rug and Carpet Cleaning Co. and rehabilitated in 2022, houses a mix of small businesses including the coffee shop, Solace Therapy and Consulting, Canary Consulting Group, Pauly Shears at Good Company Barbers and Sodalite Salon. It's also home to MA Architecture, headed by Aust's wife, Mindy Aust.

Speed reduction is only the first step in safety changes Aust would like to see along the corridor. He said crosswalk improvements and additional on-street parking on each side of the street "will just make a big difference for pedestrians." (Keo Way currently has three lanes going in either direction.)

Des Moines City Council member Josh Mandelbaum, who requested city staff consider the speed reduction, agrees the goal is to create a corridor that's more of a destination rather than a drive-through.

"There's a lot of vibrancy that's been added to that area. You want to make sure that the roads and infrastructure supports that vibrancy," Mandelbaum said.

Mandelbaum said Keo Way might be a solid candidate for the U.S. Department of Transportation's Reconnecting Communities Pilot Grant, which could help create bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure that helps bridge the gap between communities on the north side to downtown.

A downtown plan created to rejuvenate the city's core after the COVID-19 pandemic identified Keo Way as an area for improvement. Planners see transforming the street to serve as an entry into downtown that is more walkable and easier to navigate by car. The concept would convert Ninth Street to a two-way street, eliminate Eighth Street between Center and Park streets, and create a roundabout at Ninth and Center streets.

Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines lowers speed limit on Keosauqua Way into downtown