DES MOINES (AP) — A group has proposed building greenhouses along railroad tracks in Iowa’s capital city.
The Des Moines Register reports that New York architect Mario Gandelsonas and local venture capitalist Jim Cownie met with the Des Moines City Council this week to discuss their plan to build the Des Moines Agricultural Corridor through downtown.
Cownie says the project could take 20 years to build and would likely cost tens of millions of dollars.
But he says the farms could meet demand for locally grown food and provide produce for area farmers markets, grocery stores and restaurants. He says the project could offer research space for Iowa State University students and agriculture companies.
Councilwoman Christine Hensley says she’d support the plan if the greenhouses operate as a for-profit entity that pays property taxes.