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Des Moines council approves rezoning at 5702 Grand Avenue despite large neighborhood opposition
Summary
The Des Moines City Council voted to reclassify land at 5702 Grand Avenue and approve a rezoning request from Faithful Moments LLC after extensive public comment and debate. The decision overturns a Planning and Zoning Commission denial and comes despite petitions from hundreds of residents.
The Des Moines City Council voted Feb. 10, 2025, to approve a request from Faithful Moments LLC to amend PlanDSM and rezone property at 5702 Grand Avenue from N3C neighborhood district to the limited NX2 neighborhood next district, allowing redevelopment for row-home buildings.
The vote followed more than an hour of public comment and repeated objections from neighborhood residents and professionals who said the plan conflicts with the city’s comprehensive plan and would harm an established single-family area. Sharon Cooley, a resident at 5715 Grand Avenue, told the council, “I don't feel like we were heard in this process last time,” and urged members to follow best practices rather than favor familiarity with the applicant.
The rezoning was brought after the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial; council rules required six votes because the commission recommended denial and opposition exceeded 20% of relevant property owners. Opponents said the proposal amounts to spot zoning, cited tree-preservation concerns and questioned the topography and parking impacts. Architect and planner Bill Ludwig described the site as a single-family lot surrounded by single-family homes and said the proposed density and scant parking would not match the block’s character.
Adam Siran, officer of Faithful Moments LLC, defended the project and said the proposal had been reduced in response to neighborhood feedback — from an earlier concept of 15 units down to eight units — and that site work and utilities for his other projects are ready to build when market conditions permit. “I have reduced down to 8 units listening to the neighborhood,” Siran said.
Council members debated whether the property sits on the edge of a higher‑traffic corridor — Grand Avenue — and whether the rezoning would set a precedent. Council Member Josh Mandelbaum, whose ward includes the site, and Council Member Coleman both said they weighed neighborhood input heavily and believed the revised plan could result in a higher-quality project that would proceed through additional site-plan reviews for grading, trees and stormwater. Coleman emphasized that council approval is a rezoning decision, not final site plan approval.
The council approved the rezoning by roll call. Mandelbaum’s vote was recorded on the roll as “yes,” and the final tally was recorded as seven yes votes. The developer still must win city sign-offs on site plan technicals including grading, stormwater management and tree mitigation before construction can begin.
The decision leaves open next steps for opponents: because the rezoning was approved, future enforcement or conditions will hinge on the site-plan review process and any required mitigation. Neighbors asked the council for analyses of tax and property-value impacts and repeated concerns about developer track records and the project’s fit with PlanDSM, the city’s comprehensive plan.
