Page 32 - Reflect DSM (City of Des Moines, IA)

City of Des Moines
While a community-wide effort is needed to implement this Plan, individual actions will be
largely implemented by City staff, and specifically, the Development Services Department.
The chart below identifies the City officials – elected and appointed – and departments
involved in the historic preservation program. Short descriptions are provided for the City
departments involved in historic preservation, but more detailed descriptions of the elected
and appointed officials involved are included in Chapter 3.

City Council
Elected City Council members have the authority to adopt this Plan and play an important role in
administering the historic preservation ordinance, which includes the designation of historic properties.

City Manager's Office
The City Manager's Office supports City Council and oversees the day-to-day business of the City. The
Equity Office and Sustainability Office are located within the City Manager's Office and are tied to
the work of making the preservation program more holistic in its approach.

Historic Preservation Landmark Review Plan and Zoning
Commission (HPC) Board (LRB) Commission (P&Z)
• Reviews Certificate • Reviews nominations for local • Review nominations for local
of Appropriateness landmarks landmarks and districts
applications • Reviews proposed alterations
• Advocates for preservation to existing local landmarks
• Considers potential historic • Composed of HPC members
district designations and members of the Urban
Design Review Board

Development Neighborhood Parks and Legal
Services Services Recreation • Interprets the
• Oversees the • Works with • Maintains and historic preservation
historic preservation neighborhood rehabilitates historic ordinance when
program and associations park structures, questions arise
ordinance • Maintains funding which also include • Provides legal
• Works with HPC, LRB sources that other historic opinions to the HPC
and P&Z overlap with resources and may as needed
be locations for
• Works with property preservation and events and festivals Civil and Human
owners of historic addresses property Rights
buildings and guides improvements and Facilities
the Certificate of housing • Leads planning and • Advocates for
Appropriateness Engineering design for City- an inclusive
process • Maintains and owned buildings preservation
Communications rehabilitates • Works closely program that
recognizes all
• Distributes infrastructure, with Engineering histories
some of which
information to the may be historically on vertical Information
community about significant infrastructure
the program • Provides operations Technology
• Designs and Library and maintenance • Designs and
implements website • Offers community for City facilities implements website
updates about programming and • Part of City with historic
historic preservation resources for the Manager's Office preservation
program historic preservation program details
program

26 DES MOINES Citywide Historic Preservation Plan