# Urban Dreams Starts Six-Unit Affordable Housing Project in River Bend

> Urban Dreams broke ground on six affordable townhomes at 1411 Seventh St. in River Bend, reserved for households earning 50% or less of area median income.

- Published: 2026-11-06T12:39:02+00:00
- Section: Expansion
- Author: News Desk
- URL: https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-11-06/urban-dreams-river-bend-townhomes
- Source: [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/urban-dreams-breaks-ground-6-121709767.html)

## Key takeaways

- Urban Dreams and Hubbell Construction Services broke ground on November 5 on six two- and three-bedroom townhomes at 1411 Seventh St. in Des Moines.
- The units are reserved for households earning 50% or less of area median income, which is $58,200 a year for a family of four.
- Izaah Knox, Urban Dreams' president and CEO, said the units are expected to be completed and open to residents by June 2027.

Urban Dreams and Hubbell Construction Services broke ground on November 5 on a six-unit affordable housing development at 1411 Seventh St. in Des Moines' River Bend neighborhood, with completion expected by June 2027. [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/urban-dreams-breaks-ground-6-121709767.html) carried the announcement from the two organizations.

## Urban Dreams' River Bend Townhome Plans

[Urban Dreams](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000dfzk/urban-dreams) is a Des Moines-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1985 that provides outpatient substance abuse treatment, OWI diversion classes, youth workforce development, mental health services and food pantry access. The organization bought the Seventh Street land in 1999, when it was a parking lot, according to a news release from the two organizations.

The development will include six two- and three-bedroom units for households earning 50% or less of the area median income, along with parking, sidewalks and other improvements. For a family of four, 50% of the area median income is $58,200 a year. Izaah Knox, Urban Dreams' president and CEO, said the units are expected to be completed and open to residents by June 2027.

Knox said the nonprofit's aim is not to gentrify the neighborhood but to give working families relief from high housing costs through a development near schools, local businesses and public transportation. "Just because you don't have a lot of money doesn't mean you have to live in something that's retrofitted, that's old," Knox said. "We want to bring brand new stuff because we think people deserve it, and it's affordable."

Urban Dreams founder Wayne Ford attended the groundbreaking and said seeing the project come to fruition nearly 30 years after he and his team acquired the property was incredible. Local elected officials, community members and leaders from the two organizations also attended.

## Urban Dreams' Funding and Community Record

According to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data), Urban Dreams has one funding round on file, a July 2024 grant led by Bank of America. The same records show a December 2021 contribution of $250,000 from the Wellmark Foundation as the lead gift to the nonprofit's capital campaign for the Wellmark Urban Dreams Community Center project at 1615 2nd Ave. in Des Moines.

The records list more than 39 years of continuous operation serving the Des Moines community and more than 15,000 families and community members reached annually through community engagement events.

## Affordable Housing Groundbreakings Elsewhere

Penzance broke ground on Ballston One, a redevelopment of an office property in Arlington, Virginia, into a seven-story, 328-unit residential community, [Business Wire Blog](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261030505407/en/Penzance-Breaks-Ground-on-Ballston-One-Office-to-Multifamily-Redevelopment-in-Arlington-Virginia) reported on November 2. The project includes over $3.2 million in affordable housing contributions.

Nexity has committed over 2,100 homes across 114 projects under France's Bail Réel Solidaire affordable homeownership scheme, [The future of trading](https://capital.com/en-int/news/nexity-surpasses-2-100-homes-committed-under-affordable-homeownership-scheme) reported on November 3.

## River Bend Completion Target

Knox said the River Bend units are expected to be completed and open to residents by June 2027.

## Companies in this story

- [Urban Dreams company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000dfzk/urban-dreams) · website: https://urbandreams.org

---
News for Agent · https://newsforagent.com/llms.txt