The city of Des Moines is conducting a survey of housing conditions in every neighborhood
The city of Des Moines is undertaking an ambitious project to survey the condition of every house in the city.
The Property Condition Survey intends to survey more than 50 neighborhoods and 96,000 houses across the city, officials said.
The initiative employs coordinators to evaluate properties with a focus on safety, according to SuAnn Donovan, the city's deputy director of Neighborhood Services. As a part of the survey, coordinators will survey the condition of each property's roof, siding, windows, fence and gates, porch and balconies, and foundation.
The city has hired four new full-time inspectors and four temporary inspectors for the project, Donovan said.
Properties are then ranked on a scale of one to five, with one indicating the property is in good condition and five indicating it is in need of repair, according to Donovan.
The overall score will help the city and Invest DSM, a neighborhood revitalization project, decide where to invest in next, Donovan said.
Prevent degradation and promote development
The survey is being used in the development of a voluntary neighborhood assistance program coined "Improving Our Neighborhoods," or "ION," Donovan said.
Between 2011 and 2021, developers, homeowners and businesses have invested $2.1 billion in the city's downtown, supplemented by government tax breaks and incentives.
More: Downtown gets almost half of Des Moines' investment. Will it continue to pay off?
While Donovan believes the downtown development was an important step for the city, she said the city has recognized it is time to refocus its resources on other neighborhoods.
"We have neighborhoods that need the same kind of attention," Donovan said. "This is the step in that direction.”
ION is a new program which will provide assistance to homeowners whose properties are deemed in need of repair. While the program is still in development, Donovan said assistance is likely to be available in many forms, including through volunteer help, non-profit partnerships, loans and grants.
The survey serves to assist the city in locating which areas and properties are in need of help, she said.
Donovan emphasized the initiative is voluntary and the city will not be issuing any violations in regard to the findings of the survey.
"We want people to come to us and let us help them do their exterior property maintenance," she said.
The goal of the program, according to Donavon, is to promote redevelopment in neighborhoods and prevent home demolitions through proactive maintenance assistance.
"The idea is to keep people in their houses," she said.
To assist with this effort, the city will also be rolling out a vacant property registration program, which will make it easier for neighborhoods to get ahold of registered property managers when vacant properties are in need of repairs or updated security, Donovan said.
All three initiatives — the Property Condition Survey, ION and the Vacant Property Registration program — serve to support neighborhood development across the city, she said.
"They're all working together to stabilize the neighborhoods," Donovan said.
Both new programs are set to roll out in the fall, right around the time that the survey is expected to be completed, Donovan said.
The assessment, which will involve city workers, is separate from the property condition rating set by the county assessor's office when valuing property.
"It is my understanding that the county only updates condition if there is a triggering event, such as a permit pulled for an improvement that would raise value or something that alters them to go out," Donovan said. "We have found this information helpful but not always reliable."
Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at @francescablock3.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines city workers to rate every house's safety, condition
