Jordan Creek Town Center

Jordan Creek Town Center is a regional shopping center in West Des Moines, Iowa. It serves the Des Moines metropolitan area and is one of the largest retail complexes in the Midwest. The center contains approximately 1.34 million square feet of gross leasable area and combines department stores, specialty retail, restaurants, entertainment, and lifestyle-oriented public spaces. Its principal anchors have included Dillard's, Von Maur, Scheels All Sports, and Century Theatres, while the complex has also housed Iowa's only Apple Store. The name comes from Jordan Creek, a tributary of the Raccoon River, which itself was named for James Cunningham Jordan, an early settler in what is now West Des Moines. The project originated in the mid-1990s when the family of local businessman Art Wittern proposed a mixed-use development called Village at Oakbrook on roughly 200 acres near 74th Street and E.P. True Parkway. The concept was intended to attract upscale retail and combine commercial, residential, and office uses. General Growth Properties later selected the site for a major town-center project, influenced in part by the success of Coral Ridge Mall in eastern Iowa. General Growth publicly introduced the Jordan Creek plan in 2000. The development faced opposition from operators of established Des Moines-area malls, including Merle Hay Mall and Valley West Mall. They challenged the use of tax-increment financing for public improvements associated with the project. The Iowa Supreme Court rejected the legal challenge on February 27, 2002, clearing the way for construction. The complex was developed at a reported cost of approximately $200 million and opened on August 4, 2004. Jordan Creek quickly changed the retail geography of central Iowa. It attracted nearly 17 million shoppers during its first year and drew sales away from existing regional malls such as Merle Hay, Valley West, and Southridge. During the final three months of 2004, it represented nearly 37 percent of taxable sales among the four major malls in the area. The center also contributed to a sharp increase in sales-tax collections in Dallas County, although the opening generated debate about whether the growth represented new regional consumption or a redistribution of sales from other communities. A 2007 study by Iowa State University economists reported substantial retail-sales growth in the Dallas County portion of West Des Moines while identifying declines in Des Moines and in smaller nearby communities. The tenant mix has evolved as department-store and specialty-retail conditions changed. Younkers, one of the center's original department-store anchors, closed its Jordan Creek location on August 29, 2018 after its parent company ceased operations. Von Maur announced a replacement location for the former Younkers space in 2018, and the new store opened on November 5, 2022. H&M also announced a two-story store adjacent to the main atrium, which opened in June 2021. These changes illustrate the center's continuing effort to refresh its tenant base and maintain its role as a destination shopping and entertainment complex.

Jordan Creek Town Center developed from a mid-1990s proposal by the family of West Des Moines businessman Art Wittern. The original concept, called Village at Oakbrook, envisioned a mixed-use project with retail, residential, and office components on approximately 200 acres owned by the Wittern family near 74th Street and E.P. True Parkway. The project sought to bring higher-end retail to the area and was compared in concept to destination-oriented shopping districts such as Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. After the success of Coral Ridge Mall in eastern Iowa, General Growth Properties selected the Wittern site for a large town-center development. General Growth presented its plans for Jordan Creek Town Center in May 2000. The proposal immediately affected the competitive landscape of the Des Moines metropolitan area. Operators of Merle Hay Mall and Valley West Mall challenged West Des Moines' use of tax-increment financing to fund infrastructure and other public improvements around the planned center. The dispute reached the Iowa Supreme Court, which dismissed the lawsuit on February 27, 2002. That decision removed a major legal obstacle and enabled construction of the approximately $200 million project. Jordan Creek Town Center opened on August 4, 2004. Its design and tenant mix combined traditional department stores with specialty shops, dining, entertainment, and lifestyle-oriented areas. The center's major anchors included Dillard's, Von Maur, Scheels All Sports, and Century Theatres. It also gained attention for hosting Iowa's only Apple Store. With approximately 1.34 million square feet of gross leasable area, the complex became Iowa's largest shopping center and one of the largest in the broader Midwest. The opening produced an immediate shift in central Iowa's retail activity. Jordan Creek attracted nearly 17 million shoppers in its first year, while Merle Hay, Valley West, and Southridge experienced short-term sales declines. In the last three months of 2004, Jordan Creek accounted for nearly 37 percent of taxable sales recorded across the region's four major malls. The center's influence extended beyond the property itself: Dallas County sales-tax collections rose from $16.7 million in fiscal 2004 to $33.7 million in fiscal 2006. New commercial and office development followed in West Des Moines, including West Glen Town Center and a Wells Fargo office complex south of Jordan Creek. The economic effects were uneven. A study released in 2007 by Iowa State University economists David Swenson and Liesl Eathington reported that retail sales in the Dallas County portion of West Des Moines increased by more than $310 million, or 503.7 percent, during Jordan Creek's first two years. At the same time, retail sales declined in Des Moines and in the Polk County portion of West Des Moines, and smaller Dallas County communities including Adel and Perry also experienced declines. The findings reinforced Jordan Creek's role as both an economic-growth engine for its immediate area and a force that redistributed retail spending across central Iowa. The center continued to change as the American department-store sector contracted. In 2018, the parent company of Younkers announced that it would shut down the chain, and the Jordan Creek store closed on August 29 of that year. Von Maur announced plans in February 2018 to open a new store at the property, ultimately occupying the former Younkers space. A two-story H&M store opened near the main atrium on June 10, 2021. Von Maur began operating in the former Younkers location on November 5, 2022. These transitions preserved the property's department-store and fashion-retail functions while updating its tenant composition. Jordan Creek remains an active regional shopping and entertainment center serving West Des Moines, the Des Moines metropolitan area, and visitors from across Iowa.

• 2022

  Von Maur opens

  [1]Jordan Creek Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Von Maur opened in the former Younkers location on November 5.

• 2021

  H&M opens

  [1]Jordan Creek Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  A two-story H&M store opened beside the main atrium on June 10.

• 2018

  Younkers closes and Von Maur plans replacement

  [1]Jordan Creek Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Younkers shut its Jordan Creek store after its parent company ended operations, while Von Maur announced plans for a replacement department store.

• 2007

  Economic-impact study published

  [1]Jordan Creek Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Iowa State University economists published research documenting major retail-sales growth in the Dallas County portion of West Des Moines and declines in several neighboring areas.

• 2004

  Center opens

  [1]Jordan Creek Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Jordan Creek Town Center opened on August 4.

• 2002

  Legal challenge dismissed

  [1]Jordan Creek Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Iowa Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit concerning tax-increment financing and public improvements, allowing construction to proceed.

• 2000

  General Growth unveils Jordan Creek plans

  [1]Jordan Creek Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  General Growth Properties publicly introduced its town-center development proposal in May.

• 1995

  Village at Oakbrook concept proposed

  [1]Jordan Creek Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Wittern family proposed a mixed-use commercial, residential, and office development on land in what became the Jordan Creek site.

A large, upscale-leaning regional shopping and entertainment destination serving the Des Moines metropolitan area and broader central Iowa.

• Retail · 2004

  Department stores

  Jordan Creek's department-store offer has included Dillard's and Von Maur. These anchors provide broad assortments spanning apparel, accessories, beauty, home merchandise, gifts, and seasonal goods. The replacement of Younkers by Von Maur reflects the center's adaptation to changes in the department-store sector while retaining a major anchor function.

• Sporting goods · 2004

  Scheels All Sports

  Scheels All Sports is a major destination retailer within the center's anchor lineup. Its assortment focuses on sporting goods, athletic apparel, footwear, outdoor recreation, and related equipment, complementing Jordan Creek's broader fashion, department-store, and entertainment mix.

• Entertainment · 2004

  Century Theatres

  Century Theatres provides cinema entertainment and serves as one of the center's principal anchor attractions. Its presence supports Jordan Creek's positioning as a destination combining shopping, dining, and leisure rather than functioning solely as a conventional enclosed mall.

• Consumer electronics

  Apple Store

  The Apple Store at Jordan Creek offers Apple's consumer technology products and related customer services. It has been notable as the only Apple Store in Iowa, giving the center a specialized regional draw in addition to its department stores and fashion retailers.

• Apparel · 2021

  H&M

  H&M expanded Jordan Creek's fast-fashion offer with a two-story store beside the main atrium. The location adds apparel, accessories, and related fashion merchandise and represents a later-generation specialty-retail addition to the center.

• 2018

  Replace the departing Younkers anchorM&A

  Background

  Younkers' parent company announced that it would cease operations, creating a vacant department-store space at Jordan Creek.

  Action taken

  Von Maur announced plans for a new Jordan Creek location and later opened in the former Younkers space.

  Aftermath

  The department-store role was retained, with Von Maur beginning operations at the property in November 2022.

  Source

• 2000

  Proceed with a regional town-center developmentStrategy

  Background

  General Growth Properties selected the West Des Moines site for a large retail and entertainment complex after the success of comparable regional mall development in Iowa.

  Action taken

  The developer unveiled plans for Jordan Creek Town Center, pursuing a destination-oriented center with department stores, specialty retail, dining, and entertainment.

  Aftermath

  The proposal triggered litigation from competing mall operators but ultimately proceeded after the Iowa Supreme Court dismissed the challenge.

  • Merle Hay Mall — The mall operator joined a lawsuit challenging public financing and infrastructure support for the project.
  • Valley West Mall — The mall operator also challenged the development's use of tax-increment financing.

  Source

1. 1Jordan Creek Town Centeren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Jordan Creek Town Center official websitejordancreektowncenter.com