Mayor’s Speech to Des Moines Marina Association Annual Meeting

Well yeah, one of the things that I want to talk about there and is the problem we have is science is saying that decking on docks. If you’ve all had before like solid wood planking and so forth isn’t the best. They prefer light to pass through, right? And in fact, an apartment ecology and DNR are totally on the board with this and the tribes are as well.

And that’s probably one of the reasons some of the covered more energy issues we have at the marina. It’s it’s an expensive fight. So we actually have to do a couple. We have to have pass-through light on the decking. Well, we’re looking at a couple options. Well, we can’t do clear, you know, like plastics or those are that kind of stuff and we because it would be slippery but we can do things like grading.

But I can tell you, the frustrating thing for me is that maybe the answer is using graded. But so, you know, it’s a fishing pier. So how many dads with their son and the tackle getting caught in grating will think we’re all idiots, right? But the truth is and maybe the best material we can use.

Anyway, I’m letting the staff handle that, but that’s the reality there, but it’s coming along an exciting Next slide.

Oh, I just got I just got informed. So the the ferry meeting will actually be December 1st, so it was going to be November 17th. It’s moving to December 1st. Thank you. I hadn’t looked at the ³futures. All right, so I’m just going to talk about this really quick.

I believe about several of the attended, a meeting with Scott, Dan and Katie talking about the element and docks and so forth. I mean, I think that’s that’s marina business. I want to see success, I want to find it, I want the enterprise fund to be sustainable. Um you know obviously with the dry stack storage and the, the moorage not being covered and so forth is a move forward.

I know everybody’s got an issue about that but we are moving forward, that docks need to be replaced and we’re excited to move on and get that process going and… Go ahead to the next slide. You’ll probably this was just I just did it where they showed Alabama with the phases were but I think if there’s not anybody aware of this the glad to take time afterwards to explain it to you.

But what they’re taking comprehensively they’re picking it out very well. I think in the I hope I hope we get to work on L,M,N as soon as we possibly can. And eventually as we replace all the docks, I will say one thing This part of the marina is going to need the sound, the sea wall redone.

So that’s going to be a little problematic, but we’re already working on permitting and things like that, to try to get ahead of the game. Next slide. All right. So we did the passenger ferry. I talked about a little bit. This is one of those things where The feedback from the public was tremendously tremendously positive and we were excited.

I don’t have the numbers here. Obviously, we’re gonna get in the first of December, but what was neat about it is a lot of our residences surrounding community, loved it. But what I was more surprised I knew we’d get people from Seattle coming to our city, but I was surprised at how many would come which was great to see.

And also I knew that some of our restaurants might do better but I was shocked to hear some of the feedback. Do you get deal? A lot of people know the Teacup. Right. Well, the Tea Cup wrote an email, and I forwarded some Michael and Bonnie. And on September 10th they’ had already made their month of September and it was due to the extra traffic that they were getting from the passenger year ferry.

So, what’s nice about this is it’s generating business for our downtown community and this is part of that economic driver. We’re trying to do is we move the city forward, I’m not sure if the thing will make money but I kind of look at it like a park you know we might have to subsidize it to some degree, but if it’s providing a great service for our community, like the beach park is where we ran out with the facility.

And it doesn’t break even even and and it also provides a draw in and starts to really give us recognition from the surrounding community. In our in tourism. Then it’s a big plus because in the end I think it will be a great game. The other thing is, how many people knew about the ferry?

Just raise your hand, right? Everybody raises their hand. I went to a meeting in South King County on a mayor’s evening and I asked to say question and not only did everybody raise their hand but the weight step rose their hand too. So the PR, you know, the fact that we got recognized throughout the community, this very one of the interiors might say it put us on the map.

Go ahead. All right. So a really quick, the marine developing we have one on the 27th, as I ask before, many of you attended it. Go ahead Next. Slide please. So obviously the big news is we we we were in the city manager, some of the staff in a few of us that had the opportunity to talk to the investors and developers.

We’re very honest about the feedback. We all think we have a great place there. We’re looking at a… to just remind you. The Adaptive Purpose Building which will do Dry Stack Storage. SR3 coming over there, which if we could set it up where people could see the treatment of the seals and things like that without affecting the animals would be a tremendous tourist draw. The community meeting area in there and so forth. They’ll all along very good. Fix the harbor steps with an urban stream, tie to the downtown in the alleyway to really tie the two together and really draw interest from investors and developers to to buy some of these vacant properties.

Or even the older buildings and redevelop to to move a store. The future is a tremendous benefit. We all knew we have an issue with parking and we were talking about that and we also had to look at at a hotel option. At first we had, we had the hotel being back here but we really didn’t have we had some answer for the parking but not a complete answer. Through some of the discussion with the investors and developers who participated in the first RFU process.

They quite frankly said they made suggestions and they talked about the fact that would we consider putting the hotel out on the parking lot, and this is controversial and so forth. And I get that, but I want you to hear me out, right? It’s a, it’s a, it’s a 90 room.

It’d be a 90 room hotel about 35 feet. And and I wrote some notes though because this is this important, this is the ultimate room and I want to talk about it right Downtown and I hear the results all the time. They want to grocery store, right? They want more restaurants, they want development.

They wonder why we don’t move. Like, we haven’t moved in some places off 1962. Uh, 10 years ago. I think it was about… one of the city councils offered height bonuses. Was it 10 or 8-bit Do you remember 10? And the thing was, is that the Adriana got built a few years later, the pit, the theaters finally, being finished in the pit between Wallis and Jack.

And the box is still there. Here was adding an extra story to their buildings. If not more and millions of dollars of value to their property and we still couldn’t get things moving.

And another thing is, is that, as as much as as I hate to say this, the residents Des Moines have been our own worst enemies. A little bit of history. So in the late 60s, when the marina was coming in there was there was a violent opposition to the marina coming in and it even went through the supremist, superior court, King County, which the opposition won, and then it was overturned in the Supreme Court.

But we all. Today could agree that the marinas were the greatest assets of the city has right? So the problem is is or we will need to change or we willing to consider things. Are we able to open our minds and look at things. So, I want to give you a couple of of things that I have personally of why I think we should consider a hotel down in a marina floor, where it’s showing in the vid.

But in the picture here. So, first is we’re trying to change the city, right? We’re trying to develop the downtown, and give a reason for investors and developers. Well, as a city, I’m a strong believer in private property. But the city, the marina floor is the city’s property, and we got to do what we’ve got to do something there. That improves the amenities that will bring interest to the downtown area for a future development, to get to see change the moving forward. There’s a couple advantages here.

It’s a, it is a career location. A lot of people talk about, why would you put a hotel there or versus against the wall or why don’t you put it in town?

Well, anybody in the business knows. Location. Location locations. One of the first and best rules of business there, this would be if you look at storefronts, it would have a south, north and west storefront. It would have 90 rooms. And the thing was said, we have the beach park.

That has events in it. We have a lot of the boaters that visit and they have people come. We have the theaters. I told you that would have 500 people, so there’s possible. Stays there, we have an advantage, We take the negative impacts of the airport. There’s an opportunity here to get some of the positive.

This is this is prime real estate for some kind of view like that. This other advantage would be. You’d have 500 people a week in there. Now they’re going to enjoy things. You guys are all marina folks, you go around to other marinas and so forth.

There are some amenities, at the other Marines. There’s hotels, there’s restaurants their shops and other things We need to have that too. Right. The thing is is it well you know and everybody’s got the right to their pivot no problem there. I understand that. But here’s the thing it’s those 500 people are going to even a restaurant shop in our shops.

If I was a business owner here, This is, this was, this is a golden opportunity. It’s also going to give us with with the rest of doing some more in the development coming in that we have strong desire to have more restaurants

[question from audience regarding building heights]

It’d be 35 feet, And I’ll be honest with you, the two condos down on the marina floor would have part of their view blocked. Other than that, not not much effect that walkability the bathrooms aren’t going anywhere. There’s a rumor that we’re going to tear out the brand new bathrooms and things like that.

You, it would be advantageous to us, and here’s another benefit, I believe. And I’ve seen this, when I go to other marinas, I’m down at Edmonds, or Mukilteo, or on Ruston Way, The hotels are always full. And I see people in the evenings and the mornings drinking coffee, or drinking wine in the evening.

And I truly believe, I think it makes the property surrounding the area much more valuable because I think there’s going to be a group of people that the desire to live here. We’ve all gone to places. We’ve seen the views, love it. And you look man. We live here, you know?

And I think it’s going to greatly benefit the surrounding community.

[Question from audience members about parking]

So that was the thing is because of that. Yeah. Underneath the harbor steps and part of that, we would have the parking right here.

I think we were talking in 150 or something like that, you know, and there are times where we can use portions of the south of the law and so forth, like that. But parking is always going to be a problem in the community like ours. But with with ferry service light rail Ubers, those kind of things.

We can offset some of that too. I’m not pretending that it’s not a problem, but that was one of our efforts was to add parking. So not only were the reporting with the green roof, but there would also be some parking underneath the harbor steps because it’s kind of a dead space.

You. Well yes and they would use that in the evenings and things like that. I’m not saying it’s perfect but it’s a way, we were able to have another 150 spots. And then In one of the one of the hotel or investor developers, I spoke to when he heard about the hotel, we were considering it putting it on North parking lot.

And I just asked of, what do you think His works? Were, it’s a game changer Now. I’m not saying it’s going to happen. I’m just saying that they need to explore the possibility because it’s got great potential. That’s, that’s when message you. And that’s why I’m asking for an open mind, We want those submit.

The thing is, is the marina will always be the marina, that we sectioned off the water. We’ve got the south parking lot. We’ve got CSR. We’ve got the, you know, we’re gonna have to Adaptive Purpose Building for dry stack storage. That’s going to be a revenue generating, an increaser, to think of things sustainably, We’re trying to build a marina for 2072 and 2122.

The truth is, is the marina got built in 1970 for 1970. Marinas today? This front part here would be developed already. So if we don’t consider it and we don’t look and that’s what I’m asking is have an open mind to think about it. This This economic generator here and interest and a tourism is that’s going to be the that’s what I believe.

It’s going to be the driving force of develop the downtown. It’s the amenities. We can control spur, the development, interest businesses coming in and so forth where we can get a vibrant town. And we can look the way we can realize the potential. We’ve all known Des Moines to be The other.

You know, you guys are not remember what 10 10, 12 years ago, there was an effort to do this. And the truth was, is, I think people fear the change honestly, right?

And I’ll talk about the Van Gasken property property. That’s now the deck. People didn’t want to see the building go Now, they love the new park. It’s because they saw the change. Unfortunately, with this, we can only talk about right now, but it did come to this fruition. The benefit for this community would be really great and it, and it’s a great economic developer.

Like I said, it’s with SR3 and that in the theater, you’re talking, hundreds, and hundreds of people being coming into our community and spending their dollars. That’s what changes the downtown and that’s what moves us forward to where we want to be, right? And, and so that, that’s just kind of my position there. I just wanted you to understand what is the perspective, we, we’re coming from. I, I the walkability is still gonna be there, you know, the great atmosphere. It’s just gonna have more.

We’re talking about another thing. We’re going to add is a splash park for kids in the summertime. You know. So there’s gonna be all this great things in the part are in the park and the marina and so forth. And it’s gonna have beautiful walkability. And I’m telling you, it’s gonna be a marina that you’re gonna be proud to bring your friends to going to stay.

[Question from audience]

So, so there’s talk. It’s all speculation in design. But we’ve talked about restaurants, rooftop things. We talked about something like a shop on the side. We’ve also talked about the adaptive purpose building having a couple shops that kind of thing as well. Um, you know, and the Quarterdeck’s proven that viability down there. If anything has, it’s it’s been a wonderful partner and we’ve learned so much from their experience. Ken’s been great to share those thoughts with us. I personally have watched and observed.

But to all that, we talked about that, a hotel is going to have a restaurant. They’re probably going to have a shop to in the natural design, but I’m not going to speak for them. It’s all possible, Like I said. But if we don’t entertain the possibility of this, we just discount it right now we sold ourselves short as my point. That’s what I’m saying here.

So, but the truth is, this would be such a huge economic driver to the downtown. Like I said, that’s 500 people a week. They’re going to eat, they’re gonna eat that restaurant. They’re gonna eat uptown, right? Because we’re accessibility to town. We’re going to have the alleyway and urban stream and walking path.

It’s a golden opportunity. We are setting the stage where people to come in. I’ll be honest with you. One of the biggest problems we have in town is we have land bankers and deadbeat landlords. No offense to them. They own property and they’ve done nothing with it.

A perfect example is uh the theater, right across from the movie theater. There’s a lot there that the city tried to negotiate to have parking and this was eight. Nine years ago. Okay, They we’re going to do retaining wall. The City was going to do a retaining wall. All we wanted was a guarantee of 10 years to use that as a parking lot.

It’s nine years later and nothing’s been done with that property because they didn’t want to sign a 10-year lease. This is our problem. So the truth is, as we’ve got to get investors in developers in this town that wanted build something. Change the state, the land improve the property, right?

We’re like I said, our height units are 35 feet downtown just like just like the hotel. So that’s all I’m asking is, have that open mind? See things from that perspective. It’s just not a superficial thing were we’re not we’re not vindictive to these people, I feel for them. If somebody built before me, I would fight like hell too, right? But I have to think of it as, as the mayor or council member. We’re challenged to think of things holistically. And candidly. A lot of times a vocal minority, sways the move and takes it and moves our city backward.

And in this particular case, what I’m asking for is open minds considering and if we decide to go this go go with it. Bravely as a community, we have to do this together. Voters have been powered as a rocket staff at a smaller quote for the grants. Yes. You and that’s our tradition of the farmers market.

[Question from audience]

All I’m going to tell you is since that building’s conception. Oh, there we go. It’s always been discussed that it would have enough room to clue. Those amenities to still be able to service the dry stack storage.

I’m just saying, yeah, no, that’s the first priority. That’s why we’re building the truth is that the rents on the other ones won’t pay the bills. It’s going to be, it’s going to be the origin there, and, and that is the just so, you know, that’s the first priority. But there’s angles and positions in a little bit of things that we can take advantage of. Like, on an upper level or something like that or might be above one of the repair stations or something like that, where it’s tied into the switchbacks off the walking list. Where you could get a couple shops.

But we’ve always wanted some kind of community gathering space because in the winter time or six to nine months a year. We’ve got I mean we’ve got the auditorium in the beach park, we like to have something word on the marina floor where the community gather where we can do farmers markets in the winter time and stuff like that.

So it’s always been part of the vision, whether it ends up somewhere else up here in the front or not I don’t know. But it’s part of the vision. But the priority is that is the smaller boats and dry, snack storage, that I know, that’s what I have in mind.

[Question from the audience]

It, it’s not now. I can’t make somebody invest in property.

Well, that’s the thing is, is I believe and we’ve already heard from a number of them.

In fact I know the City Manager’s be given a lot of investors and developers and a lot of it came out of the ferry service and the PR where it put us back on the map. A lot of people like what we’re doing and they’re interested in doing something downtown. The guys in the theater. They loved it so much. They may procure another property one day.

This is the thing is we’ve got to make an attractive for them to change it. We you know, there’s a, there’s one building where unfortunately some lady at least it to a guy that kind of ran a sham business and he had an alcohol problem and the longer, the short story of it is, some brewery wanted to do it but she didn’t want to rent it though because she didn’t want to trade me to alcohol, alcoholism because we’re [priorama?]

This is the kind of stuff. We just have to change. Now here’s the thing. They’ll do very well. Those people that own the property now, but if we can get it into somebody’s hands that can do it. Develop it and change the dynamic. The theater The theater guys hate when I use this but I believe it’s a domino as that one gets developed.

I believe all said the other buildings You already see one on 227th coming up now. And honestly If you go around other cities Kirkland, some of the others, This is what they go. We have mixed use, they have parking, they have some retail space and they got some residential.

The other advantage is if we can do that downtown and add the density, then we can start talking about a grocery store. I’m in the retail business and a grocery store the way they decide where they’re going to store, is they flip in where the story is and they draw us three miles, circumference around it, what’s half of ours?

It’s water. So we can increase the density here and up on the hill and stuff like that. We got a fighting chance of getting a grocery store, an Amazon Fresh, or somebody like that. I mean, I mean I’m pie in the sky here, but I believe it’s possible. And from what I’ve heard from, some of these individuals that I’ve been fortunate to talk to, they seem to be interested to want to play.

Okay. Okay, I’ve taken long enough. I’m going to turn back over to Todd. Thank you guys.