Iowa

By Harrison Kruse and Ned Turner, CBRE As we near the second half of 2025, the Des Moines industrial market is starting to see a shift in fundamentals, as new deliveries and the pipeline of new big-box speculative warehouse product have come to a complete halt.  Like many cities in the upper Midwest post-COVID, the Des Moines MSA saw an influx of out-of-state developers backed by institutional capital go ground up with new big-box product when the economy was stimulated by the Federal Reserve reducing the federal funds rate below 1 percent. This resulted in historically compressed treasury yields and an abundant amount of liquidity injected into the capital markets.  This effect on the national economy escalated consumer demand for e-commerce and locally, ag-related products, which are the state of Iowa’s most valuable export on an aggregate basis.  The Des Moines MSA between 2021 and 2024 had more than 6.8 million square feet of new industrial space delivered to the market, which is about 10.2 percent of the total market size on a square-foot basis. During those years, net absorption increased on an annual basis between 800,000 and 1.5 million square feet.  Pre-COVID, Des Moines’s average net absorption was between …

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DES MOINES, IOWA — Fitness Ventures LLC, the second largest Crunch Fitness franchisee, has opened its 60th Crunch Fitness with a new 60,000-square-foot facility in Des Moines. Located at 1200 E. Army Post Road, the new club is the company’s second Crunch location in Iowa. Built as a 3.0 Crunch model, the Des Moines location represents a $5 million investment. The club features cardio and strength equipment, a group fitness studio, dry saunas, performance turf, HydroMassage, tanning and the HIITZone. Fitness Ventures has partnered with Meaningful Partners, a private equity firm that invested in the company in 2024. The partnership has helped accelerate growth through a mix of new club development, mergers and acquisitions. Fitness Ventures is on pace to reach 75 clubs by the end of the year. The company plans to open 20 new locations annually.

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IOWA CITY, IOWA — Gantry has secured a $20 million permanent loan to refinance a renovated warehouse located at 2500 Heinz Road in Iowa City. The 346,062-square-foot distribution center is fully leased to Amazon for use as a regional delivery station serving the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City metropolitan areas. The facility occupies a nearly 40-acre site zoned for industrial use with parking, trailer storage and room for expansion. Tony Kaufmann and Joe Foley of Gantry represented the borrower, a private real estate investor. A credit union provided the 10-year, fixed-rate loan, which features partial interest-only payments and no prepayment penalties.

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CORONA DEL MAR, CALIF. — Corona Del Mar-based Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors has brokered the sales of seven net-leased retail properties totaling $18.4 million on behalf of a Minnesota-based 1031 exchange buyer. Jeff Lefko and Bill Asher of Hanley Investment Group represented the buyer in the transactions, which included a mix of newly constructed single-tenant and multi-tenant assets. Midwest transaction highlights include a 4,616-square-foot property occupied by Total Access Urgent Care in Oakville, Mo., and a 7 Brew ground lease in Des Moines, Iowa. Hanley Investment Group represented the buyer and sellers in association with John Shuff of Pace Properties and ParaSell Inc. for the Missouri and Iowa properties, respectively.  

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WATERLOO, IOWA — International Paper (IP) is building a new corrugated box plant in Waterloo that will replace its existing facility in the city. The project represents a $260 million investment and is expected to create more than 85 additional jobs for a total of 210 employees. According to the City of Waterloo, the project marks the largest box plant in the U.S. Construction is slated to begin this spring. Operations at the plant are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. Approximately 130 full-time jobs will be created during construction. IP is currently under contract with the city for the purchase of the land. The project team includes Miller Valentine Construction and Andrew Churchill Architect PC.

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ALTOONA, IOWA — Burger Shop has opened at the Outlets of Des Moines in Altoona. The restaurant offers a variety of burgers, sandwiches, salads, wraps and fries. Developed by New England Development, Outlets of Des Moines is an open-air lifestyle center that is home to brands such as Ann Taylor Factory Store, Coach Outlet, Gap Factory Store, Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike Factory Store and Michael Kors Outlet.

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WEST DES MOINES, IOWA — Greysteel has brokered the $38 million sale of Polo Club Apartments in West Des Moines. Built in 1998, the apartment property features 277 two-bedroom units. BJ Connolly, Zach Schneider and Ryan Carter of Greysteel represented the seller, Polo Club LLC/Premier Cos. The undisclosed buyer represented itself and plans to embark on a full renovation of the community.

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CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA — Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors has arranged the $17.5 million sale of Northland Square shopping center in Cedar Rapids. The 106,500-square-foot property is fully occupied by national tenants such as T.J. Maxx, Barnes & Noble, OfficeMax, Old Navy, Famous Footwear and Hallmark. Built in 1994 and renovated in 2000, the center is located on Collins Road Northeast. Jeff Lefko and Bill Asher of Hanley Investment Group, in association with ParaSell Inc., represented the seller, a Midwest-based private partnership. Doug Fielding of Marcus & Millichap represented the buyer, a private investor based in Southern California.

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FORT DODGE, IOWA — Cleeman Realty Group has brokered the $4.3 million sale of a 66,455-square-foot retail property net leased to Hy-Vee Supermarket in Fort Dodge, about 95 miles north of Des Moines. Hy-Vee has occupied the building at 115 S. 29th St. since 1997. Nearby national retailers include Walmart, Target, Marshalls, Hobby Lobby and Aldi. Jeremy Scheer and Michael Cleeman of Cleeman Realty Group represented the undisclosed buyer and seller. The seller sought to reallocate funds into a different asset class, according to Scheer.

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DUBUQUE, IOWA — The Annex Group has unveiled plans to build Union at the Marina, a $55.1 million affordable housing community in Dubuque. The 201-unit property will be designated for households whose income level is at or below 70 percent of the area median income. Union at the Marina will feature two four-story buildings with one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Amenities will include a playground, community center, fitness center, picnic area and dog walking area. Completion is slated for fall 2026. Project partners include ASK Studio; Axiom Consultants; Impact Housing Indiana Corp.; the City of Dubuque, which provided acquisition grants, tax-increment financing and lift station upgrades; WNC, which provided around $21 million in total equity; and Piper Sandler, which provided more than $24 million in permanent debt financing as well as $36 million in construction financing.  

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