Historic West Des Moines Design Guidelines
West Des Moines, Iowa
Co-created with the community and unanimously adopted by City Council, the Historic West Des Moines Design Guidelines set forth a unified vision for five distinct neighborhood districts, reinforcing the area’s image as cohesive, historic, eclectic, quaint and inviting.
For nearly 130 years, Historic West Des Moines has been a beacon of eclectic resilience. Time and again the area has evolved and with each transformation, the unique fabric, feel and ambiance has remained intact. Following the successful completion and adoption of the Teska supported Master Plan, implementation efforts soon followed. Over $37 million was invested in infrastructure and stormwater upgrades, alleyway paving, park improvements, trail connections, small business grants, public wifi, and more.
Guidebook Shapes Context-Informed Placemaking
“Historic West Des Moines is eclectic, endearing, and inviting — a destination to go and gather, a place to call “home”. Walkable, comfortable, and compact, it has evolved to reflect both diversity and commonality, while celebrating a richness of character that tells our story and reflects our railroad roots.” - Community Member
With this reinvestment came renewed interest and development, sparking concerns about what types of building designs were appropriate in the community. Teska partnered with the City and community to update the Master Plan they helped create. The result? A visually compelling, descriptive guidebook that ensures new development considers the established environment and reflects desired community character.
A depth of local insight and consensus was achieved through focus groups, workshops, online events and an in-depth visual preference survey. These findings and efforts led to successful adoption of the Historic West Des Moines Design Guidelines, inclusive of five distinct neighborhood districts, being approved by City Council.
Project Highlights
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Five Distinct District Typologies
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Context Informed Architectural, Site & Streetscape Design Guidelines
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Unique Transitional District created to help stabilize rent/prevent displacement
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19-Member Steering Committee comprised of residents and businesses
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Series of FAQ Brochures mailed to every household in the Study Area
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420 Workshop Participants, 600 Visual Preference Survey Insights
“This is the most clapping ever had at a City Council meeting…”
- Mayor Russ Trimble, City of West Des Moines, following adoption of the Guidelines
Engagement events included a Merchants Breakfast, Mindmapping, Polls, Neighborhood Listening Sessions, Workshops, Meetings, Interviews and much much more.
A mindmap session took place with the steering committee wherein the group discussed the anatomy of community character and importance of the historic business district and neighborhoods being unified.
“Excellent report. I commend you on the process. Love the visuals; for us those are so helpful.”
“Hats off to Teska, the team, steering committee, and all who attended the meetings… so many did."
"It was a pleasure to serve on the committee, a very good experience.”
“The Steering Committee reflects a great diversity of voices; respect of each others’ perspectives and viewpoints is essential.”
- Members of the West Des Moines Planning and Zoning Commission