Council affirms Historic Preservation Commission on 1917 Center Street after neighborhood objections

The Des Moines City Council affirmed the Historic Preservation Commission’s approval of a proposed single-family house at 1917 Center Street on Jan. 12, rejecting an appeal from a nearby homeowner.

Nicole Beaman, co-owner of the lot at 1917 Center Street, told the council the project had undergone substantial revision and was unanimously approved by the HPC. “We’ve made over 12 changes to the design to address the questions and concerns identified by city staff, HPC, and where possible, the residents of the neighborhood,” she said.

Appellant and nearby homeowner Noah Brinkmeyer said standard outreach to the neighborhood and adjacent owners did not occur and argued that the commission moved quickly from public comment to a motion. “For this project, that did not happen,” Brinkmeyer said, asking the council to deny the certificate of appropriateness and direct the HPC on handling public comment for new builds.

Jason Van Nessen of the city’s planning staff reviewed the design guidelines, explaining that the HPC evaluates massing, materials and site relationships and that the guidelines allow either a contrast-based or similarity-based approach to infill design. Staff noted the proposal had evolved and that the commission had added conditions before voting to approve.

Several neighbors and a preservation consultant raised concerns about scale, roof pitch and window detailing and said the proposed house would tower and not match primary neighborhood features such as front porches. Staff responded that the proposed two-story form is within typical code allowances and that some nearby examples of modern architecture exist on 19th Street.

After council discussion weighing the record, revisions and neighborhood concerns, the council voted 6–1 to affirm the HPC decision and allow the project to move forward. The council’s action directs staff to proceed with conditions identified by the commission and initiate permit processing.

The decision ends the appeal process but leaves open the possibility of continued neighborhood dialogue about project execution and future HPC procedures.