City Infrastructure & Services

City Planning: Growth and Fragmentation (25 Responses)

• Build new attractions – school, businesses and social buildings to attract people into community
• Proceed with further development
• Resource old areas as well as new
• Plan for cost of aging infrastructure
• Control landscape on parkings and by interstate
• Minimize building of strip malls
• Provide more sidewalks (West Des Moines and Clive are anti-pedestrian)
• Get rid of overly restrictive building requirements
• Complete construction in downtown area soon
• Put utilities underground
• Monitor redevelopment and retention with Jordan Creek Mall coming in
• Don’t let growth overshadow historical aspects of our community
• Have less sprawl (development seems unplanned, independent, constant and same-looking)
• Need more definite town center (Valley Junction does not seem to be “it,” City/School Campus is sterile with no shopping)
• Address problems caused by suburban growth during urban decay
• Address detrimental effect of west-side development on other metro communities
• Foggy community identity (West Des Moines Community School District includes portions of Clive, West Des Moines, Windsor Heights and Urbandale)

Parks and Recreation (23 Responses)

• Need more, longer and diverse bike trails
• Put benches on Raccoon River Valley path
• Connect more bike trails and paths with surrounding communities
• Build more neighborhood parks, bigger and more distinct parks
• Create more outdoor recreation
• React more quickly to needs (aquatic centers long overdue)
• Put water fountains on bike trails
• Plant more wildflowers on trails and paths
• Plant more trees

Public Transportation (23 Responses)

• Expand public transportation, longer evening and weekend hours, commuter bus or train between Valley West Mall, Jordan Creek Mall and Valley Junction
• Need buses with lifts
• Offer transportation for entitlement and Head Start students
• Provide transportation for daytime programs

City Services (14 Responses)

• Recognize we have citizens who need assistance
• Improve taste of drinking water
• Plan to assess citizen needs and how to deal with those needs
• Offer drivers license station in West Des Moines or western suburb
• Plan for more fire, police and security for growth
• Maintain service levels with rate of growth
• Offer longer library hours, more post offices, more neighborhood associations
• Clean up litter by interstate and ramps

Housing (12 Responses)

• Need affordable housing for all, including diverse populations
• Develop more aggressive housing code and standards enforcement
• Provide home ownership education and opportunities
• Need better upkeep

Roads and Routes (11 Responses)

• Educate public on importance of slowing down and not speeding
• Need more street lights
• Improve traffic flow and relieve congestion
• Monitor intersection of two major interstates for illegal drug trafficking
• Reduce amount of construction at one time
• Plan to finance street improvements to accommodate growth

Collaboration (6 Responses)

• Need tax-base sharing with other western suburbs
• Remove county lines because it creates a barrier to metro community building
• Cooperate and/or combine services with surrounding communities
• Partner on major projects such as community centers
• Collaborate with educational and other metro programs rather than compete
• Get Character Counts in all cities so employees can help community