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Des Moines council denies rezoning request near Southeast 14th Street after neighborhood protest
Summary
After testimony from multiple neighbors citing traffic, safety and property impacts, the council voted 5–1 to deny a proposal to re-designate a site near 3710 SE 14th St from medium- to high-density residential, blocking a plan to increase net density above 17 units per acre.
The Des Moines City Council voted Nov. 4 to deny a proposal to amend the city—s comprehensive plan to re-designate property near 3710 Southeast 14th Street from medium-density to high-density residential, a change that would have allowed a project with a net density greater than 17 dwelling units per acre.
Neighbors urged the denial during a lengthy public-comment period. "This property, if the rezoning goes through, the proposed building would be within 45 feet of my property...It would be a 3 story building overlooking my property," said Bernard Lippold, a resident who identified his address near the subject property. Claudia Lucia, Yvonne Morris and other nearby residents described repeated thefts, safety incidents and traffic congestion they said are already challenging the neighborhood and argued additional units would worsen those problems.
Planning staff told the council the site sits along a major transportation corridor with DART service and that the city—s land-use goals favor directing higher density to nodes and corridors with existing infrastructure. "Staff believes that the subject site would be an appropriate location for additional multiple household units, given the site's location along a major transportation corridor and access to a transit bus route," a staff statement read into the record.
Council members weighed the staff recommendation against neighborhood testimony. One council member who moved to deny said he had driven the area and cited the existing concentration of 324 units that back up to single-family homes; the motion to deny passed 5 yes, 1 no.
The council continued other zoning matters to its Nov. 18 meeting. There was no immediate appeal recorded in the meeting minutes; any developer appeal would follow municipal procedures and timelines.
