Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Des Moines council narrows middle‑housing approach; signals move to state parking standard for small units
Summary
City planning staff presented options May 8 for middle‑housing rules that would allow additional units in single‑family zones and the council directed staff to draft rules that emphasize flexibility — an illustrative cap of four units per lot (or 24 units per acre), size ranges for ADUs and cottages, and alignment of parking rules with the newly enacted state standard (SB 5184).
City planning staff returned to the Des Moines City Council on May 8 for continued discussion of middle‑housing elements required for the comprehensive plan, including how many units to allow per lot, size and scale for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and cottage housing, and off‑street parking requirements.
The framework staff presented would allow a consistent, simple cap (for example, four units per lot or 24 units per acre, whichever yields more flexibility) while recognizing that setbacks, lot configuration and building codes will limit the practical number of units on many lots. Staff said ADUs are typically the smallest units and cottage…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
