Ask CITYVIEW

What are Des Moines’ goat ordinances?

According to the city of Des Moines website, which lists the ordinances and laws surrounding all shapes and sizes of livestock within the city limits, goats fall under many of the same rules as chickens. 

Section 18.4, article a, states, “No horse, cow, calf, swine, sheep, goat, llama, camel, ostrich, peacock, chicken, goose, duck or other agricultural animal or any nondomestic animal shall be kept within the city’s corporate limits on any lot or parcel of land unless such parcel of land shall be an acreage, except as provided under subsections (f), (g) and (h) of this section and article IV of this chapter. The area where any such animal is kept on the acreage shall be 75 feet from any neighboring residential dwelling and not located in a front yard area.”

The section dedicated to goats says the city allows three pygmy goats, and fencing for them needs to be secure.

What’s up with the construction on the proposed building to replace the old Kaleidoscope food court?

Demolition of the old Kaleidoscope at the Hub food court began in July 2023, and little progress has been made since. 

What was originally planned, and all signs continue to point to, was for the building is be replaced by a 33-story skyscraper that would make the 515 Walnut tower the third-tallest building in the state. Joe Teeling of St. Joesph Group, the project’s developer, told the Business Record in April 2024, “We’ve got a lot of time and money put in this, and we’re not going anywhere,” adding, “The project will move forward when interest rates drop to a level that makes financing feasible.” 

This is the latest update according to the City of Des Moines:

“The City stays in contact with the developer — they are working hard and have completed a significant amount of architectural legwork behind the scenes required for this project. The developer is waiting for interest rates to come down to what they are comfortable with to move forward and begin construction.”

Will Fleur Drive ever be ‘done’?

If you ask most any city planner, the answer would likely be no, considering the city is continually looking to expand and improve. However, for residents who live on or near Fleur Drive who often experience headaches with the road’s construction, the end is near. According to the city of Des Moines’ website, the Fleur Drive Reconstruction project is currently in Phase 3, its final phase. 

Phase 3, titled “Fleur Drive Northbound and Southbound lanes from McKinley Avenue to Watrous Avenue,” is expected to be finished in fall 2024, according to the site. A video can be watched at www.dsm.city/business_detail_T6_R424.php that details Phase 3’s soon to be finished plans. ♦