I’ve gotten a bunch of messages along the lines of, “What’s the skinny on the Shield AI project on 216th?” Apart from anything else, this is what I’ve gleaned as to the product and the facility:
A factory that assembles autonomous combat drones called X-Bat. They claim many advantages over current fighter planes: unmanned, less expensive, portable, greater range, and deployable either individually or in coordinated swarms. Their purpose is to destroy targets more efficiently and with minimal or no direct human intervention.
In its initial communications, the City mentioned none of the above, promoting Shield AI as an aerospace company, and the facility as ‘Design and R&D’. This strikes me as a bit like saying that tabbies and tigers are both ‘cats.’
Shield AI seems well-financed. X-Bat may be the future of warfare. The facility could provide significant benefits for Des Moines. But if one feels a need to be coy about any of this, that alone warrants at least some caution. Going forward, I would ask everyone to be more direct on every aspect of the project and the products.
Planning?
When I ran for office, I strongly supported restoring the Planning Commission–precisely because I wanted residents to have more of a say in the direction of our city. I did not want major projects happening without you having a voice on the front end.
But regardless of your feelings on the project or its outcome, one thing is sure: it will change the city with an efficiency any elected or planning commissioner might envy. Since learning of the project, I confess it’s made me wonder why anyone would volunteer for so many years of annoying meetings–when so much change happens outside it.
To be clear, none of this should be read as a critique of any individual. But I do think this points out a major flaw in how local government works.
Land use is the least transparent of all city processes. Cities will often know about projects months ahead of the public–or a city council. A city also acts in a dual role: as the primary economic development agency, and then also as its permitting agency. So long as the developer complies with permitting requirements, the City will say there’s not much to be done–plus or minus.
If you favour the project–or if you don’t, but appreciate the administration–you may struggle to acknowledge these conflicts. But note that this is exactly the same approach taken by the Port of Seattle with airport expansion: one office makes dramatic claims concerning regional benefits, while another approves the permits to make it happen. Both report to the same person. Electeds seem to be there primarily to conduct listening sessions.
The developer, on the other hand, can announce hundreds of millions of dollars in investment and promise thousands of jobs–with no firm commitments for Des Moines. That does not mean they will not occur. But it is up to all of us to make sure that a significant portion of those benefits actually happens here.
So my advice to anyone who asks: look for good journalism wherever you find it. I have already posted several articles from reliable sources and will continue to do so.
Some Business Park History
This ‘new’ project is called Des Moines Creek Business Park West for a reason. It is the sequel to the original Des Moines Creek Business Park–land bought by the Port of Seattle many decades ago as part of the Sea-Tac Communities Plan. Thousands of trees and hundreds of homes were removed. But then the land lay fallow for so long people started talking about it as a ‘forest’.
What was always meant to happen finally started happening in the 2010s with the development of the original Business Park. The developers (and my predecessors on the City Council) made lavish promises similar to the ones we are hearing now. But even after it opened in 2016, it took another decade to yield any benefit for the City. During that time I’m sure it made a lot of money for others, including the property owner (the Port of Seattle), but not for your city.
As most of you know, I’ve spent a lot of time on airport issues and the poor ongoing treatment we’ve received from the Port of Seattle. Part of that work brought to light the lack of Business Park revenue. Thankfully, we’re finally addressing that shortfall now–and that new revenue is significant. But getting there took years of effort, and many millions were lost along the way.
Neighbours: old and new
And since this new development is also Port of Seattle property, the Port has a role to play. They talk a lot about being the greenest port in America and all sorts of progressive values. As Shield AI’s landlord, they should be an active partner in (finally) mitigating the harms created by that original development–and offering more with this do-over.
A good signal of what kind of neighbours Shield AI and the Port will be will be apparent by their public engagement. So far, I’ve only seen press releases directed towards the entire region, not Des Moines. Hopefully that changes quickly. Hopefully Shield AI, the Port, and the City recognise they have an obligation to convince, not simply listen politely to public comments and explain the limits of the law. That’s been a constant Port of Seattle move, and if we expect more from them, we ourselves should do better.
What do we want this place to be?
An ‘aerospace design facility’ is a very different use case from a production facility. So the has practical consequences for Des Moines, including both revenue and environmental impacts, remain to be seen.
The City says it has offered no tax incentives. Good. It also says it is currently doing an analysis of revenue opportunities. Even better. That’s already ahead of where we were in 2016. But because of that history, and because there are no guarantees, we should wait before talking about benefits.
If there are better outcomes to be had, they will only occur with your help. You can always make a project better. But you will really have to work at it. Time and again I’ve watched people adopt an all-or-nothing approach–and frequently get nothing. Don’t do that. This is your City.
Which leaves the elephant in the room: I was direct about what the factory will produce because it is reasonable to express concerns about the very nature of these products. Whether or not they bring economic benefits should not make us oblivious to what they are and what they represent.
In the City Manager’s words:
“…these jobs and this investment reflects exactly what we want Des Moines to be…”
That really is the question: What do we want Des Moines to be? Narrowing the discussion to jobs, investment or a permitting decision by a small city council avoids what I think is an even more important discussion.
City of Des Moines: Shield AI FAQs Final
X-BAT: Unmanned VTOL AI Fighter Jet | Shield AI
Puget Sound Business Journal: Shield-ai-des-moines-x-bat-washington-kansas
Finance.yahoo.com: Shield-ai-names-kansas-washington
Shield AI IPO Timeline and Financing Details
Any thoughts on the company Shield AI? r/Aerospace Defense Employees