(Des Moines, IA) -- Downtown Des Moines foot traffic is getting closer to pre-pandemic levels. Renae Mauk of the Greater Des Moines Partnership says foot traffic during the work week is about 65 percent of the pre-pandemic level. She says when you factor in Saturday and Sunday the foot traffic is closer to 85 percent.
Mauk notes big events drew hundreds of thousands of people downtown this summer. The World Food & Music Festival pulled in more than 105 thousand people and the Downtown Farmers' Market pulled in more than 345 thousand.
The findings come from the Downtown DSM Quarterly Report.
The report also finds downtown economic development activity included four projects that led to $850,000 in capital investment reported in the second quarter. Projects that were announced in the most recent quarter included Iowa State University’s Ivy College of Business, Security Benefit, Cattlemen’s Heritage and the Algae Biomass Organization.
“Downtown DSM has a healthy buzz that has resulted in more people working and visiting,” said Renae Mauk, Vice President of Downtown Development at The Partnership. “Downtown’s world-class festivals and events were showcased in recent months, and companies continue to invest in economic development projects.”
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