Zoning board approves six‑resident shared home for veterans and older adults at 529 48th Street, 6‑1

The Des Moines Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a conditional‑use permit to operate a shared home for up to six independent veterans and older adults at 529 48th Street, voting 6‑1 after substantial neighborhood comment and legal guidance on the board’s scope of review.

Bert Dross, planning staff, told the board the property’s floor plan provides one main‑floor bedroom and three upstairs bedrooms (one configured for two occupants in two rooms), basement laundry and an existing garage plus space in the driveway for two additional vehicles. Staff recommended approval with conditions that include limiting occupancy to six residents, providing at least three off‑street parking spaces, and complying with building and fire‑safety requirements and the supplemental group‑living regulations (80 square feet per bed, one plumbing fixture per 15 residents, and adequate common living area).

Operator Lisa (introduced by staff as Lisa Nani) and property owner Len Henen said the proposal would serve independent, private‑pay residents (age 60+) referred by the VA and local nonprofits; Lisa said most residents would not have cars and described screening, daily check‑ins by a resident house lead and scheduled staff visits. “We want to provide a safe, respectful, forever home for our older veterans and older adults,” she said.

Neighbors opposed the request, citing the site’s private dead‑end driveway and limited access, concerns about emergency access, potential traffic and parking impacts, and questions about the operator’s prior experience. One neighbor said the private drive serves adjacent rental buildings and asked whether the proposal would intensify congestion in the lane. A nearby property owner asked that the board consider whether the use would be “appropriately scaled.”

City legal counsel Gary Guidellock advised the board that certain attributes — including veteran status, age or disability — are protected characteristics under federal and state law and must not be considered in deciding whether the conditional use meets neutral land‑use criteria. He urged the board to focus on the nine zoning criteria and on whether the operation would impair the health, safety and general welfare of adjacent properties.

Board members debated scale, parking and the comparability to a family of six living at the address. After deliberation a motion to approve staff recommendations passed 6‑1; the dissenting member said the proposed intensity and access situation raised unresolved concerns. The approval is subject to the staff conditions on parking, building and fire code compliance, and the board may reconsider the conditional use if zoning enforcement determines the operation becomes a nuisance.

Votes at a glance: motion to approve carried 6‑1. A written decision and order will be issued within about a week.