Des Moines' Prospect Park may lose neighborhood recognition
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Prospect Park will be removed from Des Moines' list of recognized neighborhood associations if new leadership or a merger plan with an adjacent neighborhood isn't identified in the coming weeks.
Why it matters: Neighborhood associations enable residents to voice their concerns collectively, affecting how local governments deliver services or make area improvements.
- Prospect Park's potential dissolution occurs as some of the first major developments are underway in the Douglas Avenue corridor, which could make it harder for residents to influence future growth, zoning or incentives in the area.
Driving the news: At the association's request, the City Council recently gave the group until Nov. 28 to act.
State of play: An ongoing lack of resident participation in neighborhood activities is leading to the potential dissolution, Tom Cameron, the association's vice president, tells Axios.
- In recent years, three people have handled most of the organizing, with speakers such as City Council members or the neighborhood's police liaisons joining monthly meetings that almost nobody attended despite outreach efforts to increase participation, Cameron said.
Flashback: The association was launched in 2009, and residents said it could help them get more done and attract additional investments.
Zoom in: The neighborhood is bordered by Hickman Road to the south, Douglas Avenue to the north, the Des Moines River to the east and 30th Street to the west.
- It is adjacent to the Beaverdale and Lower Beaverdale neighborhoods.
What's next: Councilperson Chris Coleman will lead a meeting about the neighborhood's future on Oct. 21.
- DSM Vineyard Church, 2332 Euclid Ave., starting at 6:30pm