The West Des Moines City Council unanimously approved two development items at its Nov. 20 meeting: a phased site plan for South Branch Business Park (WB Realty Company) and a modification to The Foundry's site plan deferring 67 parking spaces.

On the South Branch Business Park phased plan, council approved a resolution that permits construction of footings, foundations and private underground utilities but includes two conditions: no above-ground construction is permitted under the phased plan, and the owner proceeds at its own risk ahead of full site-plan approval.

On The Foundry (111 S. 11th St.), the council amended an existing approval to allow the owner to defer the required 67 additional parking spaces until a lease for a tenant or tenants that require those spaces is signed. Council members framed the change as balancing neighbor concerns about overflow parking and the burden of installing excess parking without a committed tenant. "We struck a good balance here," a councilmember said during the discussion.

Both actions were framed by council members as creative, flexible solutions intended to allow projects to advance while protecting neighbors' interests. Each item passed on recorded unanimous votes, and no public testimony opposed either measure during the meeting.

Next steps: Owners may proceed with permitted work under the phased approval conditions; The Foundry will be required to install deferred parking only when a lease triggers that condition.