By Heidi Groover Seattle Times business reporter In just a few years, the income needed to afford a typical home in the Seattle area has shot up nearly 80%, illustrating how skyrocketing home prices and interest rate hikes together have reshaped the region’s housing affordability. A Zillow analysis published Thursday found that Seattle-area home shoppers need to … Continue reading “Here’s how much you need to earn to afford a Seattle-area home”

Burien sketches growth vision for busy, diverse Ambaum Boulevard

June 10, 2023June 16, 2023

External ArticlesBurien, Housing

By Daniel Beekman and Daisy Zavala Magaña Seattle Times staff reporters BURIEN — He saw this conversation coming. Before Travis Thompson sold out concerts, signed with a major record label and embarked on a European tour, the Burien-raised rapper wrote about change coming to Ambaum Boulevard Southwest. “Won’t always be a man on the corner slinging that roasted … Continue reading “Burien sketches growth vision for busy, diverse Ambaum Boulevard”

Shorelines legalizes ‘cottage housing’ clusters north of Seattle

June 9, 2023June 16, 2023

External ArticlesHousing, Seattle Times

By Daniel Beekman Seattle Times staff reporter A new type of housing will be allowed to sprout in Shoreline from now on, though officials aren’t sure whether many developments will actually be built under the city’s new rules. The Shoreline City Council voted Monday to legalize “cottage housing” in low-density zones that are currently dominated by suburban-style … Continue reading “Shorelines legalizes ‘cottage housing’ clusters north of Seattle”

Seattleites support denser housing, but only up to a point, survey finds

June 5, 2023June 15, 2023

External Articles, NeighborhoodsHousing, Puget Sound Business Journal

By Neetish Basnet – Data reporter, Puget Sound Business Journal Jun 4, 2023 Updated Jun 5, 2023, 2:54pm PDT More than 80% of Seattle metro area homeowners and renters support building denser housing in their neighborhoods, according to new Zillow research. However, their support is conditional. 2023 SUBSCRIBER STUDY Improve Your Experience By Taking A Short Survey Share your feedback … Continue reading “Seattleites support denser housing, but only up to a point, survey finds”

Considering an ADU? Here’s what you need to know

June 2, 2023June 12, 2023

External ArticlesADU, Housing

June 2, 2023 at 7:00 am Updated June 2, 2023 at 7:00 am 1 of 2 | With enough backyard space, a modern DADU was built in southeast Portland. (Courtesy of Neil Kelly Company) By Rob Van Houten Special to At Home in the Northwest Q: I want to add an Accessory Dwelling Unit to my … Continue reading “Considering an ADU? Here’s what you need to know”

Weekly Update: 03/12/2023

March 12, 2023March 13, 20233873

Airport, Environment, Marina, Neighborhoods, Policy, Weekly UpdatesDry Stack, HousingLeave a comment

Last City Council Meeting featured two housing issues. Orcas. An essay on how we got into the mess we’re in with the airport, which is really another land use issue, why we continue to handle it incorrectly… and something about casinos? 😀 Why I’m on the fence about HB1110 and multi-family housing.

King County needs 17K new homes every year to address housing shortage

March 3, 2023March 7, 2023

NeighborhoodsHousing, Seattle Times

Homes are seen along the east side of Beacon Hill in Seattle. King Co. needs 17K new homes every year to address housing shortage. (Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times, 2022) By Heidi Groover Seattle Times business reporter Just how much new construction is necessary to meet our region’s housing shortage? King County would need … Continue reading “King County needs 17K new homes every year to address housing shortage”

The battle is on to increase housing supply; we’ll see if it works

March 3, 2023March 11, 2023

External Articles, NeighborhoodsHousing, Seattle Times

Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood with the Magnolia neighborhood in the distance as seen from the Space Needle. (Amanda Snyder / The Seattle Times, 2021) By Jon Talton Columnist This may be the year of aggressive efforts to increase the housing supply in Washington and Seattle. A total of 13 bills are moving through the Legislature … Continue reading “The battle is on to increase housing supply; we’ll see if it works”

Weekly Update: 04/13/2020

Economic Development, Neighborhoods, Policy, Transparency, Weekly UpdatesHousing

I’m late (again) because of the holiday. It’s a funny thing what with the whole COVID-19 deal. The Internet is a wonderful invention and it definitely helps in coping. However, especially at Easter, I’m reminded me how much we all need physical connection. Which is to say, I hope you all found new ways to … Continue reading “Weekly Update: 04/13/2020”

Weekly Update: 04/05/2020

Neighborhoods, Policy, Weekly UpdatesHousing1 Comment

This Week So, the nice people at Destination Des Moines and the Des Moines Legacy Foundation put together this Restaurant Flyer. I’ll be talking more with them and Seatte South Side Chamber Of Commerce about how to get it out to the entire region. I’d like to see this placed everywhere within five miles of … Continue reading “Weekly Update: 04/05/2020”

Ongoing Stuff

Get vaccinated! Yeah I know you’d like to forget about it, but there are new variants and the infection rate is climbing. Fortunately, there is an effective booster, which is recommended for people 65 and older and those who are immuno-compromised. It is available now, effective, free and you can get your appointment today here and here , including walk-Ins at SAFEWAY, Walgreen’s, Rite-Aid, SeaMar and Healthpoint. And, And, AND, you can also get free rapid tests here and at KCLS Libraries!

Sign up for the King County Code Red Alert program. When you sign up for Code Red you’ll be notified immediately when there is a possible health threat. After the recent ‘Boil Water Notice’ I received just a few grouses that ‘it did not work’. I’m 99% certain that the problem is that you have to actually sign up for an account. Do It! There is this ‘guest’ option which is stupid and should not even be an option. Everyone who had an account in their system was notified. If you’re like me and signed up ten years ago (after the last notification), go to the site immediately and verify your account. Ten years is a long time for any computer system.
Check out the 223rd Green Street Project web site and take the 223rd Green Street Survey before December 11th!
Check out the Des Moines Marina Steps web site and take the Marina Steps Survey.
If you’re interested in any of our Kids or Senior activities, you can sign up here.
Learn more about our Comprehensive Plan and take the Housing Action Plan Survey.
Take the City Communication and Engagement Survey
Give blood! Schedule an appointment today. There is a CODE RED emergency shortage.
Masonic Home! There is a petition for those who are interested in historic preservation of the property. If you have questions, don’t contact me. Contact Barbara McMichael and Lloyd Lytle Jr
Community Service Officer Tonya Seaberry wants to hear from neighborhood groups interested in establishing block watch programs: Tseaberry@desmoineswa.gov or 206-878-3301.
City Of Des Moines Minor Home Repair Program: Low to moderate income households can get grants to do all sorts of necessary repairs. Email Tina Hickey (206) 870-6535.
Every home should have a Carbon Monoxide Detector–especially during the colder months! Full stop. If you need one but money is tight, South King County Fire And Rescue will get you one. Just call their Community Affairs Office at 253-946-7347.
And last, but not least: If you have a Port Package that is having issues, please go to SeatacNoise.Info

How to attend meetings and provide Public Comment

City Council Meetings are scheduled for Thursdays at 6:00PM at City Hall 21630 11th Avenue S., Suite #C Des Moines WA 98198. They can also be viewed live on Comcast Channel 21/321 or on the City’s YouTube channel. Committee Meetings are either at 4:00PM or 5:00PM, also on Thursdays.

There are three ways to provide Public Comment:

In person: Show up a few minutes before the meeting and sign the sheet. Public Comment is usually conducted at the beginning of the meeting.
By e-mail: All e-mails sent to citycouncil@desmoineswa.gov are considered public comment. They are instantly available to all members of the City Council and the City Clerk who includes them into the record of public comments at the next meeting.
By US Mail: Attn: City Clerk Office, 21630 11th Avenue S., Des Moines WA 98198 no later than 4:00 p.m. day of the meeting. Please provide us with your first and last name and the city in which you live.

All letters or e-mails requesting a specific action are referred by the City Clerk to the appropriate City department.

If you would like a follow up from me, personally please indicate that or call me (206) 878-0578.

The Clerk does not read e-mails to the Council in full; only the subject line. However, we do see them as soon as you send them. Your comments are added to the Agenda Packet available on the City web site following each meeting.

How to view public comments, correspondence and meeting materials

The City publishes a meeting agenda on the Friday (six days) before city council meetings. On the day after the meeting (Friday) the City updates that same file with all the slide presentations, the correspondence, and a list of the people who signed up to give public comment at the meeting. Currently, there is no button on the web site that says Show me the meeting comments for xx/xx/xxxx. You just have to know that this is the procedure. Below is a recipe to get you there.

Go to www.desmoineswa.gov
Once there, hover over Your Government and then click Council Meeting Center. (Or, you can skip Step #1 and just click on Council Meeting Center.)
Select the meeting date you’re interested in from the Schedule Of Meetings calendar.
Click on Regular Meeting for the meeting date you want. In this case, December 1, 2022.
Click the Agenda Packet link under “Print Verson”.
You can also select a meeting using the list near the top. You can also use the left and right arrows to select older meetings.
Once the agenda packet loads, there are two links we’re interested in:
- Correspondence to view all e-mails received by the City Council since the last meeting.
- Comments From The Public to view a list of the people who spoke in-person at the meeting.