Howdy, Historic West Des Moines: Please review the information below and click here to view the latest updates regarding the Draft Design Guidelines for Historic West Des Moines. Next step is to present pages 1-40 of the Draft Guidelines (as unanimously recommended by the Steering Committee on 2/2/2022) to the Planning and Zoning Commission on February 14th, 2022. For a detailed list of project related meetings and materials, please visit the documents page. Thank you for your ongoing support and participation in this process!
Process + Next Steps
February 2nd, 2022 · Unanimous Recommendation by HWDM Steering Committee, Pages 1-40:
On February 2nd, 2022 pages 1 – 40 of the Draft Design Guidelines (link below), were unanimously recommended by the Historic West Des Moines Steering Committee, which include:
- Pages 1-18: Important background and introductory information on the purpose of the guidelines, how to use such, historical resources, a visual glossary, and the robust community engagement process and visual preference survey that informed the guidelines and recommendations.
- Pages 19-40: Chapters 1A and 1B on Architectural and Streetscape Design Guidelines for the Mixed Use Commercial District. Click here to read the news update.
Clarification on Half-Story Building Heights: At the February 2nd, 2022 Steering Committee meeting, additional clarification was requested on height limitations of new development or additions that are adjacent to structures with half-stories; i.e. a 1.5 story residential home being the representative example. The draft guidelines currently state that new development shall not exceed 1-story over lowest adjacent primary structure. To further ensure context sensitivity of height of new buildings in the Mixed Use Commercial District, adjacent half-story buildings would be rounded down to the nearest whole number; i.e. 1.5 stories would be viewed as 1 story. This means new construction or additions cannot exceed 2 stories in height when adjacent to an existing 1.5 story building. The images below show updates to the Draft Guidelines that reflect these requested clarifications.
Planning + Zoning Commission
February 14th, 2022: Next step is to present the recommended sections of the Draft Guidelines (only pages 1-40) to the Planning and Zoning Commission on February 14th and seek their recommendation.
This Draft is identical to the one linked above but only includes pages 1-40.
City Council
February 21st, 2022: Following review and pending recommendation by the Planning and Zoning Commission, these sections will be presented to City Council for adoption on February 21st, 2022.
Steering Committee Meetings
The Historic West Des Moines Steering Committee Meets on 2/16 and 3/9 to Review Draft Guidelines for Transitional District + Railroad Avenue
The remaining sections of the Draft Design Guidelines (beyond pages 1-40) focus on the Transitional District and Railroad Avenue District. These chapters will be reviewed by the Steering Committee at their next two meetings on February 16th and March 9th – both meetings will begin at 4:30 pm and take place at the Human Services Building, 139 6th Street with virtual participation available. Once comments have been discussed, consensus reached, and edits reflected, recommendation by the Steering Committee will be sought for these remaining sections of the Draft Design Guidelines. Pending such, review will then take place by the Planning and Zoning Commission, followed by City Council.
Thank you for your ongoing involvement! Stay tuned for more updates.
