Des Moines has been working hard to renovate its marina and prepare the downtown for new development.

The City Council is now in the early stages of discussing new design guidelines and policy for the marina district.

Later in the year the city will vote on an ordinance that will completely change the development guidelines in downtown as part of many projects the city hopes will revitalize the marina district.
Among the possible changes being discussed is raising the building height along the west side of Marine View Drive and 7th Avenue South.

Council members are discussing raising the building height from 35 feet to 45 feet, with the possibility of a height bonus allowing buildings to go to 65 feet. Some buildings along Marine View Drive could go to 45 feet with height bonuses.

Many council members spoke out against the proposal.

"It is a question of whether we are continuing the character of the town," Councilwoman Carmen Scott said. "I don't feel comfortable with what is being proposed."

Staff said because of the grade change, buildings along the avenue are on average 20 feet lower than the buildings on the drive.

Also being discussed is the possibility of turning 7th Avenue into the main street of Des Moines. To encourage this, the city is discussing not regulating where the buildings have to sit on the lot, allowing for outdoor seating and other measures. The city is also looking at going away from their prescriptive design guidelines and using a more flexible method. Councilman Matt Pina compared some of the buildings downtown, which followed the city's prescriptive design guidelines, to wedding cakes.

In that vein, being looked at is the possibility of using floor area ratios to regulate building height and how much of the lot the building covers.

For example, a building covering the entire lot could only be one story. However, if it only covered half the lot it could go up another story.

A public hearing on the new policies will likely be held on May 12, at 7:30 p.m. The council will approve the public hearing on the consent agenda of the April 14 council meeting.

Mayor Bob Sheckler said because a public hearing notice will be sent to everyone in the city.

There will also be two open houses held at the Des Moines Activity Center before the public hearing.