First-Rate Bike-Friendly Apartment Complex In Des Moines, Iowa

Bici Flats, expected to open in 2016, will be a first-rate bike friendly apartment complex in… Iowa. Iowa loves bikes. The developers of these bike lovers’ flats are responding to the growing trend in bicycling in downtown Des Moines. Building a 154-unit apartment complex with bike lovers wooed as occupants, the apartment sits on the convergence of three bike trails.

On the periphery of downtown, Nelson Construction and Development is doing the construction. The company does not just mean for “Bici Flats” to attract only bike lovers. The site is good for everyone. However, the amenities they offer are valuable conveniences for cyclists.

The new apartment complex will manifest across the street from the trail-side bar Mullets. Perhaps Bici Flats will start a domino effect of development. Hope is for more activity — commercial and residential — in the Two Rivers district of downtown Des Moines, and bike-riding residents have been shown to engage in commercial activity a great deal, more than drivers, and result in very strong economic gains (while driving results in economic losses). Of course, most people prefer if their neighborhood is bicycle friendly.

“The $1.75 million project will feature bike storage areas, repair stands, and a bike washroom in each building,” according to 13WHOtv.com. “Developers say each balcony is designed for the most optimal view of the downtown skyline, as well.”

“When you look at downtown, if you’re not going to be right in the core, you start to look at what’s just on the periphery and on the edge. And I think this is the most exciting neighborhood close to downtown Des Moines,” said Alexander Grgurich, a development partner. “You’ve got a really dynamic park down the street, you’ve got an Italian grocery store, you’ve got the best Italian food… you’ve got all these amenities – great views, natural rivers, scenic.”

If you do not have the luxury of living in an apartment or neighborhood that caters to the bicyclist, here is another thought from GAS2 — the spokeless design of the Sada Bike. The whole bike can fold with a single movement. The packaging turns into a backpack. Thus, off the street and into your apartment. “It’s a clever design, no doubt, but it also means the wheel hubs are going to be quite heavy, and without the proper gearing, motivating this folding bike is gonna take a lot of muscle.”

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Images by Bici Flats