DES MOINES, Iowa — Monday morning, the Des Moines City Council approved a plan to officially build a Fareway Meat Market in the Beaverdale neighborhood.
The store, which will be located at 2716 Beaver Avenue, had a few bumps in the road before being unanimously approved. The Des Moines Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-3 on June 3 to deny the request to redevelop the lot formerly belonging to U.S. Bank Mortgage.
Once Monday morning came, only one Beaverdale resident showed up to the meeting.
Garrett Piklapp, executive vice president of Fareway, said he is not surprised to hear people in the neighborhood are not happy it's being built but said the majority of feedback has been positive.
“There was a concern about not having access onto Beaver Avenue," explained Piklapp. "The site has a host of constraints though. It’s only .89 acres and we are trying to put a building next to two sidewalks.”
RELATED: City Council to vote on new Beaverdale Fareway store design Monday following denial of site plan
The new Fareway will be visible from a residential street.
"They got the approval to tear down a house and have a parking lot here," said one Beaverdale resident to Local 5's Lakyn McGee.
Kara Mohs' backyard will soon be touched by the Fareway parking lot. She works from home and is not prepared for the construction to come. However, she is hopeful that the store may be helpful with enforcing laws of the road near her community.
“I know things are going forward, but if they can really, really try to enforce the no left-hand turn out of the entrance here that would really help the people on this street," said Mohs. "And, also, abide by the no commercial trucks on this street. Both of those things would be really, really helpful for residents here.”
Piklapp said they redesigned the building, per the city's request, to make it more of a Beaverdale vibe.
The only thing they did not accomplish was finding alternative access onto Beaver Avenue.
Construction is scheduled to begin within the coming weeks.