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Des Moines County grants variance to allow near-complete cabin at 400 Edgewater Beach Road
Summary
The Des Moines County Board of Supervisors approved Resolution 2026-041 granting a floodplain development variance for a largely built river cabin at 400 Edgewater Beach Road after staff and the Iowa DNR determined the structure would not cause a rise in the flood elevation.
The Des Moines County Board of Supervisors voted June 30 to approve Resolution 2026-041 granting a Flood Plain Development Variance for a near-complete river cabin at 400 Edgewater Beach Road.
Staff told the board the owner built the structure without county or DNR permits but obtained an engineer's elevation certificate showing the lowest finished floor sits well above the ordinance minimum. "The lowest floor of the dwelling has completed so far is 7 feet — 7 feet beyond the minimum clearance that's required," staff said during the public hearing, and county staff reported the Iowa Department of Natural Resources concurred that the building would not cause a rise in flood elevation.
The variance process cited by staff allows new construction in a regulatory floodway only when a no-rise determination and DNR concurrence are on record. The staff report said the property was purchased last year, that construction progressed before county land-use staff were notified, and that the developer worked with the county and DNR to provide required engineering review.
Board members moved and seconded the resolution after the public hearing. The measure passed in the meeting's recorded vote and will permit the owner to finish and occupy the structure under the terms of the variance and any outstanding permit conditions.
The decision resolves a case that staff described as initially noncompliant because construction began without permits; county officials emphasized the outcome followed review and the DNR concurrence required by the ordinance. The board did not add additional conditions beyond the standard variance requirements described by staff.
The next procedural step is to finalize any remaining building and floodplain permits and to document that the structure meets the terms of the variance and the DNR concurrence, county staff said at the meeting.
