Page 70 - Reflect DSM (City of Des Moines, IA)

factors, contribute to the increasing costs Decommissioning of Historic Schools,
of development. While the City’s historic
preservation program recognizes tangible
resources through designation as landmarks
and historic districts, creating a strategy that
finds common ground between affordability
and historic buildings has not yet been
determined. Considering an adaptive
reuse strategy, especially when looking
for existing “missing middle” housing types
(such as apartments, quadplexes, etc.), or
identifying and creating funding initiatives,
will help support many citywide goals.
Homogenized Development
Many contemporary redevelopment
projects employ a standardized design
program that ignores local and regional
building traditions and contributes little
in the way of dynamism and beauty to
the Des Moines cityscape. Creating and
employing a range of tools that promote
context-sensitive development and
emphasize the importance of maintaining,
where feasible, the existing building stock
will serve to distinguish Des Moines’ built
environment as unique in the region and
nation.
Development Impacts to Landscapes
Des Moines’ riverfront corridor is a central
landscape in the city. As development
pressures along this landscape and along
other important landscapes continue due
to increased population, protections must
be considered to ensure the longevity of
these important resources that do not fit the
traditional historic designation typology. As
previously mentioned, tools that require new
development to protect, but also to draw
attention to the importance of these unique
features, are vital to ensuring the landscape
remains a key feature of the City.
64 DES MOINES Citywide Historic Preservation Plan
Churches, Fire Stations and Other
Institutions
Deferred maintenance, evolving building
requirements, building design specific
to certain uses, and demographic shifts
pose significant challenges for some of
the community’s most public-facing and
historic buildings. However, where the
typical reaction to the decommissioning
of these public institutional buildings may
be to demolish and leave a vacant site
or construct something unrelated to the
former use, the City should consider a new
strategy. For many neighborhoods, these
buildings serve as a visual focal point. Rather
than automatically resorting to demolition
when the building is underutilized or vacant,
a strategy that focuses on the building or
site’s importance to the community must be
developed. In some cases, demolition may
still be inevitable; however, some projects
may find an opportunity to renovate and
reuse part or all of a structure, maintaining
the visual focal point and the potential for a
community function.
Negative Reputation of Historic
Preservation
Preservation has often been seen as a
regulatory function that is not responsive to
current community needs and aspiration,
or that is an elitist activity that only serves
certain populations. Through this plan effort,
the City recognizes the gaps the current
program leaves, especially regarding
education around historic preservation,
outreach to all community members and
accessibility to the historic preservation
program. The City must develop a strategy
to inform community members about the
existing program, while emphasizing the
goals of this new Plan, which strive to reach
beyond the traditional focus on tangible
resources. Singular outreach will not suffice.
Instead, regular contact with neighborhood