10-28-26 Zoning Board of Adjustment

The City of Des Moines Zoning Board of Adjustment met on October 28, 2026. The board approved four consent items by a 6–0 vote: three conditional-use requests, including worship, a community center, and limited wine or beer sales, and a zoning exception for an illuminated wall sign. On a separate sign application for Mercy Health Sciences University, the board voted 4–2 to approve a variance and related exception for a proposed 48-square-foot electronic display on the east-facing wall. Staff had recommended denial of the wall-mounted electronic sign, citing the zoning criteria; staff supported a separate, slightly oversized monument sign, proposed at 25.69 square feet where 25 square feet is allowed. The applicant said the existing display could not be repaired after its communication equipment was reportedly stolen and described the sign as a campus wayfinding and community-information tool.

The board also began hearing a variance request from a prospective operator of the former Get ’N Go at 1240 Keo Way to add liquor sales to the site’s existing beer-and-wine sales, despite the property being within 500 feet of Oak Academy. Staff recommended denial, finding the hardship criteria unmet and citing the nearby childcare use. The applicant described planned renovations and conditions it offered, while an Oak Ridge neighborhood representative began presenting opposition; the transcript ends before deliberation or a decision, so no outcome is recorded. No government procurement activity was identified.