Planning commission backs recommendation to vacate small strips of right-of-way so Woodland Realm can secure garden

The Des Moines Plan and Zoning Commission on Aug. 15 voted to recommend that the city convey narrow strips of public right-of-way adjoining 601 24th Street and 602 23rd Street to the Woodland Realm community garden, a move supporters said would preserve a neighborhood asset and give the garden owner certainty to invest in fencing and maintenance.

City planner Catherine Drahas told commissioners staff recommended denial of the vacation because the city seeks a consistent right-of-way along High Street to preserve options for utilities and future street improvements. Drahas said the alternative is a right-of-way license — a short-term, renegotiable agreement that staff and traffic engineering typically issue for uses that temporarily occupy the right-of-way. "The rationale that…