Plan & Zoning advances two‑story Riverview parking garage at 200 East Court Avenue

The City of Des Moines Plan and Zoning Commission on May 15 voted to move staff’s recommendation to approve a public‑hearing site plan and four Type 2 design alternatives for the proposed Riverview Public Garage at 200 East Court Avenue, a two‑story parking structure with about 335 spaces.

The commission’s action forwards the project and the requested departures from downtown storefront standards — including a waiver of required occupied frontage along the primary street, reduced glazing/transparency and a proposed two‑story height where code generally requires three — to the city council, which makes final land‑use decisions.

Planning staff presented the site plan and design review package and recommended approval subject to standard administrative comments and “provision of public parking to the satisfaction of the planning and urban design administrator,” noting the structure largely meets parking‑structure standards while differing from the downtown storefront building type required on mapped primary streets in the DX2 district. Staff outlined the specific code relief requested: a reduction of the minimum 30‑foot occupied…