What Birdland Park could look like after upgrades
Project near Des Moines River estimated at $54M
Des Moines is inching closer to breaking ground on an estimated $54 million plan to transform Birdland Park and Marina on the shores of the Des Moines River.
A nature playscape, a skating ribbon and new boat ramp are just the tip of the iceberg on a five-phase plan to turn the park at 2100 Saylor Road into a resort-like recreational area that will be the “crown jewel of the north side,” said city park planner Colby Fangman.
The city on Wednesday held an open house at the park’s Ding Darling Enclosed Shelter to show off renderings of the planned first phase and get feedback from residents. The phase one master plan improvements have been underway since early 2023 and city officials say the design plans are nearly 60% complete.
With its planned renovations, Fangman said he hopes the park becomes a regional destination for residents and visitors that’s “on par with Gray’s Lake, if not better.”
“And it’s already got good bones,” Fangman said. “This thing is a diamond in the rough. It really just needs a good injection of facility improvements and we think even this first phase is going to get us to that feel that this is a regional park.”
What does the master plan look like?
The master plan, written in 2021, seeks to enhance connections between Birdland, the Des Moines River and the Union Park neighborhood and make the park a regional destination that capitalizes on its proximity to the river.
The plan, created along with stakeholders such as park users, Captain Roy’s restaurant owners, the Des Moines Rowing Club, and organizers for Central Iowa Water Trails, outlines four major areas — a boathouse, a play area, an expanded marina and a River Gateway that would connect pedestrians and drivers from Saylor Road to the Des Moines River.
Additionally, the plan calls for reconfiguring and expanding current biking and walking trails, dredging the park’s lagoon, restoring wetlands, adding three fishing piers and moving and expanding Captain Roy’s.
Fangman said it’s hard to know a completion date for the entire project, but the proposed phases allow portions of the Birdland Park and Marina to remain open and operating while other areas are improved.
What’s slated for phase 1?
Phase one is broken down into two parts, which will include the construction of a boat ramp, trail improvements, an all-season skating ribbon and a playscape. The total cost is estimated at $10 million, according to Fangman.
Construction will be split into two parts. First, which is focused mainly on the west side of the park past Second Avenue and is estimated to cost $3 million, includes:
● A connection from the Neal Smith Trail to the Second Avenue Bridge. The Neal Smith between Second and Sixth avenues will be rehabilitated to include elevating a portion by 3 feet and building two open-air shelters off the trail with grill pits, bike racks, and electrical power. The Central Place Trail also will eventually connect to the park on the west side of the Des Moines River.
● A new motorboat ramp, which will provide improved access to the public, as well as emergency response. The boat ramp next to Captain Roy’s will remain, but it’ll be scaled down for kayaks and canoes.
● New parking lot for cars, trucks and trailers.
The second part, which will be on the east side of the park, includes:
● A skating ribbon that can be used in the winter and summertime.
● A traffic safety garden to teach children how to navigate urban environments like crosswalks.
● A nature playscape that will resemble a logjam structure.
● Scaling down the parking lot near Ding Darling Shelter off Saylor Road. Parking will instead be disseminated throughout Birdland.
● Rehabilitating the pathways throughout the park, and creating seating walls throughout.
● A deck over the lagoon on the backside of the Ding Darling Shelter.
● ADA accessibility throughout the park, including the playground and the deck.
How will the project be funded?
The city is applying for a $5.3 million grant though the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for the National Park Service’s Land and Water Conservation Fund Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Grants Program.
The grant would help fund the phase one improvements, as well as part of the ICON Water Trails project within
Birdland Park by the Guzman Building, which houses the Des Moines Rowing Club and a Parks and Recreation maintenance shop.
Birdland Park long has been a focal point for the $125 million ICON Water Trails project, which would transform 150 miles of waterway into a connected recreational amenity. Under that plan, Birdland would serve as the main putin location for paddlers and rafters heading to whitewater features to be constructed in the Des Moines River downtown.
The city will likely hear whether it received the grant by the start of 2025.
Fangman said if the grant funding is not awarded this year, they will pursue the award again next year alongside other grants.
When does construction start on Birdland Park?
Depending on grant funding and Des Moines City Council approval, construction on the first improvements could start as soon as the spring of 2025, according to Fangman.
“This thing is a diamond in the rough. It really just needs a good injection of facility improvements and we think even this first phase is going to get us to that feel that this is a regional park.” Colby Fangman, city park planner