“We don’t need another Starbucks,” area resident Jaylen Cavil told Des Moines City Council members this week. “We don’t need Ingersoll to become like Mills Civic Parkway [in West Des Moines]. We need to keep the local businesses and shops on Ingersoll.”

Added resident Leah Plath: “This is not a very safe area for people who walk or ride bikes. The traffic there is congested and we don’t need more businesses that aren’t local to Des Moines filling up an area that could otherwise be pretty unique and safe.”

Cavil and Plath were among seven people who spoke against the rezoning proposal during the time allotted for public comments. At least one other person had requested to speak but wasn’t allowed because time for public comments had expired.

Woodsonia Acquisitions LLC requested that the property at 2510 Ingersoll Ave. be rezoned to allow a drive-thru for the Starbucks. City documents indicate Woodsonia Acquisitions is purchasing the property and plans renovations that exceed 50% of the building’s assessed value of $107,000.

According to a city document, when renovations exceed 50% of a building’s value, the site must be brought into conformance with current zoning standards.

The Plan and Zoning Commission approved the rezoning request in February. The City Council approved the request this week.

The property, with a total value in 2019 of $413,000, is owned by the Noah and Sara Ann Lacona Revocable Trust.