Subcommittee recommends step-down land use at SE corner of I‑35 and Grand; council to send amendment to P&Z

Councilman McKinney told the West Des Moines City Council on June 2 that a development planning subcommittee recommended a change to the city’s comprehensive plan for a parcel at the southeast corner of Interstate 35 and Grand Avenue.

Under the recommendation, the subcommittee would amend the comprehensive plan so that the parcel nearest the interstate is designated Multi-Use Medium, stepping down eastward to Multi-Use Light, then to Mixed Residential and then to the existing Tass Residential designation closest to existing homes. McKinney said the recommendation responds to resident concerns about compatibility and notice and was intended to provide a buffer between the interstate-facing parcel and adjacent neighborhoods.

McKinney said the property owner was not initially aware of the comprehensive-plan action, and that staff and residents participated in the subcommittee discussion. He said the subcommittee spent roughly 45 minutes on the matter during its meeting and that the recommendation will go before the Planning & Zoning Commission in July, with the full council review likely in late July (estimates provided at the dais).

McKinney emphasized the subcommittee process is advisory and the full council retains final authority. He characterized the change as a recommendation to amend the plan to reflect graduated land uses across the parcel rather than one uniform designation. No formal ordinance was adopted at the June 2 meeting; staff will process the amendment request through normal P&Z and council public-hearing steps.