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Marina Wayfinding Project

Categories Economic Development, History, Marina2 Comments on Marina Wayfinding Project

The UW CEP Marina District Wayfinding Project is a wonderful bit of history I hope you’ll find useful and interesting. It’s from the January 12, 2012 City Council Packet which is one of the more significant Marina-related meetings in our history.

The document was a senior-class project for the UW School of Community Environment Planning which goes over their design ideas for the downtown and the Marina. It’s only about twenty pages and very readable. I urge you to look at it because it demonstrates some very important ideas we should be thinking about today.

  • First of all, they worked in concert with a very wide range of stakeholders including the Public Planning Commission we used to have, the Arts Commission, Destination Des Moines and the Des Moines Historical Society.
  • Second, back in the mists of time, there had already been a set of stairs at the end of 223rd leading down to the Marina floor (what is now Parcel A.) They were removed and replaced with Overlook I.  They consider 223rd to be the backbone of the downtown and that having a way to connect Marine View Drive with the Marina floor is crucial. Remember this is 2011, many years before the current Holmes Group Marina Steps Project.
  • They also take a look at all kinds of low-dollar ways to re-imagine the downtown holistically. They mention a series of tourist amenities like signage, consistent theming, kiosks, etc.  Design-wise, they seem to have a bit of a bias towards a historic theme–or at least making the best use of the items that were available at the time. They note that although there is a good deal of public art, they suggest that it is not located in a strategic way, ie. as part of any holistic design.

A timeline of key events in city planning for the Des Moines Marina

Last Updated:February 25th, 2024 @ 07:23PM
Categories History, Marina, TransparencyTags 7 Comments on A timeline of key events in city planning for the Des Moines Marina

A list of key events in the history of the Des Moines Marina beginning with 2007 Master Plan, which laid out the broad outlines of the current waterside and landside options. Water side topics include removing the Sling launch, passenger ferry service, dock and seawall financing. Land side topics include segmenting the floor into separate funds, public vs. commercial uses, connection with 223rd, paid parking, boat storage, retail and restaurants.

Google Earth as a tool for Marina Development

Categories Marina1 Comment on Google Earth as a tool for Marina Development

This is a shameless plug for a free program called Google Earth. People with an interest in the Marina often mention Poulsbo, Edmonds, Point Ruston, Tacoma, Kirkland, and other spots, as models we could use for our economic development. I’ve used all these Marinas, so I’ve seen them from both ‘land and sea’. But I’m not sure most people have.

One thing I know for sure–they’re all very different from Des Moines. I tried and couldn’t find a single image that adequately captures any of these places. There’s simply too much ‘there’ there. That’s why having a way to visualise places (as I’ve talked about with a Virtual Marina Tour here) is so valuable.

Happy New Year

Categories Policy1 Comment on Happy New Year

No, it’s not Des Moines. This image is from the Seattle Times Pictures of the Year 2022. So. What. This is my fave image of the year. I’ll tell ya why and I’ll tell ya why I’m tellin’ ya why. My overview of how things went here in 2022, our biggest challenges, and the legislation I hope to work on for you in 2023. Big emphasis on economic development and the airport–both of which we’ve been getting wrong since I’ve lived here.

Des Moines City Council May 14, 2015 Marina Financing Presentation

Categories History, MarinaTags 1 Comment on Des Moines City Council May 14, 2015 Marina Financing Presentation

At this meeting, the council received, what I considered at the time, to be a fairly sensible plan for dock replacement. It kept the dock finances and the seawall separate and did not pretend to address big ‘plans’.

The City got yelled at because one method of financing depended heavily on raising moorage rates and raising fuel costs, both of which had always been below market rate. But that had always been intentional; the Marina had been intended as a public marina. What the boat owners failed to acknowledge at the time was that by now most people paying for moorage did not live in Des Moines.

2013 Budget: All options on the table

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Categories Engagement, HistoryTags 1 Comment on 2013 Budget: All options on the table

For me 2013 is the most useful and fascinating year in recent DM history. And if I could, I would insist that every current member of the Council and all future candidates listen to this stuff (especially the April 6, ‘all options on the table’ meeting) and take notes. Introduction As you’ve perhaps heard many times, … Continue reading “2013 Budget: All options on the table”

Weekly Update: 12/18/2022

Categories Airport, Neighborhoods, Policy, Transparency, Weekly Updates2 Comments on Weekly Update: 12/18/2022

Get get that 3rd COVID Booster (the new ‘bivalent’ model.) Now. Deaths are slowly rising. Again, again, it takes about a month to achieve full efficacy. They’re doing walk-ins now pretty much everywhere. 🙂 This Week Nothing! 😀 Please fill in the cold, empty days leading up to the joy of Christmas by giving me a call … Continue reading “Weekly Update: 12/18/2022”