River Bend Neighborhood

Cheatom Park and River Bend residents are continuing to press the need for a grocery store in the area, as the site of the former Top Value grocery remains vacant and real estate agents continue to seek buyers.

About 25 residents attended a meeting at Des Moines Area Community College Tuesday night to discuss the future of the property at 801 University Ave. and to listen to an update from city officials.

Top Value opened in 2003, bringing to the area a grocery store that area residents said was sorely needed. But the store closed within two years, partly because of the difficulty of competing against established grocery stores.
The development group that opened Top Value filed for voluntary foreclosure late last month. The process takes about 30 days. The property is assessed at $2.7 million. The site is zoned for neighborhood retail.

via the Des Moines Register