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Council continues Scottish Rite Park sidewalk waiver to let applicant work with staff on ADA access and transit connection
Summary
The council voted 6–1, with one abstention, to continue consideration of Scottish Rite Park’s request for a Type 2 design waiver from a sidewalk requirement so staff and the applicant can explore narrower sidewalk placement, an ADA-accessible crossing and potential coordination with DART.
The Des Moines City Council voted to continue consideration of a Type 2 design waiver requested by Scottish Rite Park Inc. for property at 2909 Woodland Avenue so the applicant and city staff can further study connectivity and ADA access.
The motion to continue passed 6 yes, 1 abstain. Council members instructed staff to work with the applicant to explore a shorter sidewalk segment, evaluate an ADA crossing location near the facility’s internal driveway, and consider coordination with Des Moines Area Regional Transit (DART) about relocating or better serving the transit stop near the property.
Why it matters: the site is on steep terrain and staff said full frontage sidewalks would require major grading, retaining walls and utility relocations that would substantially increase project costs and could impair the applicant’s interior remodel plans. Council members and neighborhood commenters cited priorities including pedestrian access to transit, school routes and ADA access.
What was discussed: Elizabeth Dawley, chief financial officer for Scottish Rite Park, told the council the project is an internal remodel and does not change the building footprint. She said the site’s steep topography and existing utilities would make sidewalk installation costly and complex: “the minimum cost that we looked at for materials was like $55,000 … to do a sidewalk because we’re doing an interior remodel,” she said.
Cody Christiansen, director of development services, explained the sidewalk requirement arises from site-compliance triggered by cumulative improvements: “The property is assessed at just over $25,000,000 … over the course of the last 20 or so years there’s been over $12,500,000 worth of improvements made. That’s what triggers the overall review of site compliance.” Christiansen said city code would require sidewalks on all public street frontages but staff recommended a roughly 40-foot length of sidewalk and a short connection given the challenging grade.
Public commenters and council members pressed both sides. Resident Carol Maher (Ward 3) urged filling the sidewalk gap because it is a Priority 1 sidewalk and cited neighborhood school pedestrian routes and transit access. A council member who inspected the site noted the driveway does not line up with the street and questioned how an ADA-accessible crossing could be built at the proposed location.
Decision vs. direction: The council did not decide on the waiver itself. The formal action was to continue the item and refer it back to staff. The council’s direction asks staff to: - Work with Scottish Rite Park on a refined sidewalk proposal that focuses on connectivity and feasibility; - Evaluate an ADA-compliant crossing near the internal driveway as suggested by a council member; and - Confer with DART about the nearby transit stop and whether stop relocation or other coordination could improve access.
Next steps: staff will follow up with the applicant to study options and return to council with findings. The council’s motion directed staff to explore options rather than approving or denying the waiver at this meeting.
Speakers quoted in this article are from the meeting transcript and are identified in the speakers list below.
