Des Moines vacates and may sell part of Bates Park

Driving the news: The City Council last week approved the vacating of two adjacent undeveloped parcels totaling about 0.7 acres on the park's eastern edge.

• The site will be marketed to support redevelopment that continues neighborhood stabilization and reinvestment, the city's Office of Economic Development said in an unattributed statement to Axios.

State of play: The city is not launching a broader effort to sell inactive parkland, Parks and Recreation director Ben Page tells Axios.

• The Bates area that is being vacated at 220 Clark St. is sloped and rarely used for park activities, according to a council document.
• Its sale would have a low impact on how the park functions overall or on how it serves the community, Page said.

Zoom in: Sales of any of the city's more than 4,000 acres of parkland or cemeteries occur periodically, typically involving unused parcels deemed to offer no public benefit.

• Last year, the city sold about 0.4 acres of unused land at DSM Masonic Cemetery to a neighboring homeowner.
• In 2023, 2.24 acres of the Riverwalk Dog Park were transferred to Polk County for a public parking lot, but other adjacent city-owned green spaces were added to preserve the park's size.

What we're watching: Future proposals for the section of Bates Park that is being vacated.