Urbandale council amends zoning and first-reads ordinance to allow places of worship in more commercial districts

At the meeting, the Urbandale City Council voted to amend the city’s comprehensive plan and approved the first reading of an ordinance to update Chapter 160 of the zoning code, changing how the code defines and locates places of worship. The council and staff said the change is intended to modernize zoning language and allow religious assembly uses in more commercial districts by right at smaller sizes.

City Community Development Director Steve Franklin told the council the request came from the Iowa Sikh Association, which is seeking a site at 11000 Douglas Avenue. “This is a request from the Iowa Sikh Association to amend our zoning code,” Franklin said, explaining staff recommended broader edits rather than a narrow, parcel-specific change.

The ordinance replaces the older phrasing “churches and other religious organizations” with a longer definition — “churches, chapels, temples, and other similar buildings or structures primarily intended for conducting religious services/worship and associated accessory uses, but not offices as a principal use” — and shifts where the use is permitted or requires a conditional-use permit (CUP). Under the changes presented: in residential districts and the city’s office (CO) and industrial (M1/M2) districts, places of worship would remain subject to a CUP and Board of Adjustment review. In the three commercial districts (CN, CG and CH) a gathering space under 50 people would be permitted by right; spaces sized for about 100 people or more would require a CUP and a public hearing before the Board of Adjustment.

Franklin said the edits also remove a callout on page 44 of the Douglas Avenue Central focus area plan that labeled three parcels for commercial and business-park development, because two of the parcels already have PUD master plans and one is the subject parcel under consideration. “If we’re going to amend the zoning code and in this particular instance have something very different than that type of use here, then it seems like we shouldn’t call it out,” he said.

Council members thanked staff for the work. Council Member Carberry Montgomery moved approval of the comprehensive-plan amendment and moved the first reading of ordinance 2025-003; both motions passed on council votes at the meeting.

Because the Board of Adjustment is a separate review body, Franklin reminded the council that larger assembly uses would still be reviewed via CUP process, public notice and a staff report addressing seven standard factors the board considers. He also said the office-only use (church offices without worship) will remain a permitted use in the CO district under the proposed language.

The council action clears the path for the Iowa Sikh Association representatives present at the meeting to withdraw a previously tabled, parcel-specific request. The ordinance must return for second reading and final adoption to take effect.

The council did not provide a final recorded attendance tally in the ordinance vote beyond the roll-call affirmations recorded at the meeting.