A Fruitful Enterprise
Middlebrook’s agrihood concept is thriving.
In the five years since Diligent Development broke ground on the Middlebrook neighborhood in Cumming, this quiet suburb south of Des Moines has become the community gathering spaces developers had envisioned from the start.
And this summer that vision continues to grow. “We already have about three dozen single-family homes occupied,” says Kalen Ludwig, Diligent Development’s Director of Sales and Marketing. “And the first townhomes are available now, both one- and two-story styles, with more underway.”
The neighborhood now includes about 100 residents; The Middlebrook Mercantile, a coffee and wine bar and party venue in the renovated schoolhouse; a 2-acre farm and farm stand with a new high-tunnel greenhouse for year-round growing; a 70-acre orchard that includes apple trees, tulip gardens, strawberry fields, a shop, and a restaurant with patio; a community park; hiking trails; and soon a 50-acre meadow with grazing sheep.
“Everything we envisioned for Middlebrook is becoming reality,” says Tim Portzen, Vice President of Diligent Development. “The master plan hasn’t really changed. The farm is right where we planned. The trails are connecting the neighborhood to the retail and farm space. The neighborhoods are being built and occupied. When you drive or walk through the area, you can see that we’re investing in the long-term.”
This summer, dirt began moving on the newest phase of that development vision—extending Cumming’s Main Street retail area to connect the old and the new. “We’re basically adding a full block of mixed-used commercial to tie the Cumming Main Street district and the Middlebrook retail and agrihood area.” Portzen says.
The first phase will feature 5,000 square feet of retail space with 26 apartments above. By the end of 2025, Diligent anticipates completing the second building, another mixed-use space that will anchor the expanded public plaza and back up to green space.
“Peoples Company will be relocating its offices there, and we’ll have boutique retail spaces for local vendors and artisans,” Ludwig says.
“We really want the Main Street district to provide a place where small start-up businesses can find a place to establish themselves without all the overhead of a huge retail space,” says Portzen. “At Middlebrook, they’ll be able to introduce their products to shoppers, and people can just stroll through the district and explore shops they might not discover otherwise.”
Already, the current activities at Middlebrook draw thousands each summer weekend with live music at The Merc and at Wilson’s Orchard and Fridays at the Farm. Wilson’s Orchard, which began in the Iowa City area, anticipates its first Middlebrook apple harvest this fall, but already held an inaugural tulip festival and has begun harvesting the first strawberries.
“The shop also sells apple treats, like donuts and cider, and there’s a restaurant with wood-fired pizzas,” Portzen says.
“The patio is amazing,” adds Ludwig. “Wilson’s is finishing the pergola and putting in vines so you can sit out there in the shade overlooking the hills. It’s just beautiful.”
Middlebrook was also the site of the 2021 HomeShowExpo. Its vision caught on with not only the wider metro audience but with potential homeowners from farther afield.
“We’ve gotten a lot of interest from outside the metro,” Ludwig says. “Homeowners who are moving to the Des Moines area from rural communities in Iowa or people relocating to Iowa from other states are looking for a place that fits their hometown vision. They’re wanting the community feel of a small town with the benefits of a larger metropolitan area.”
Middlebrook offers all of that. Just minutes from West Des Moines and the Jordan Creek shopping area, Cumming remains a small-town community at the outskirts of both Des Moines and Norwalk. The school district is large enough to provide everything families desire while still retaining its local culture.
“For a while, as the market slowed down, builders were hesitant about doing spec homes, but we’re definitely seeing more spec activity,” Ludwig says. “Middlebrook is the perfect location for that because builders can highlight their work and reach a much wider audience. Our inquiries come from all over, not just from local residents.”
Because of the growth south and west of the metro, Middlebrook is really at the heart of both those worlds and offers the amenities of the city and the connection to the country. A new distribution facility and two gas station/convenience stores have opened just off the interstate to the west of Cumming, and Norwalk continues to grow to the east of town.
But Cumming, buffered by Middlebrook’s farm, orchard, and green spaces along the Great Western Bike Trail, remains a thriving pocket of small-town life that represents not just the best of the past but also the best of what the future could look like.
Learn More. To learn more about the latest development activities, available lots, and construction opportunities, check out middlebrookfarm.com/live-in-the-agrihood#4 or contact Kalen Ludwig at Kalen@PeoplesCompany.com.
For the latest on events and seasonal products at Middlebrook, visit:
middlebrookfarm.com