Some bits of business…
City Manager Stuff
City Manager Report February 16, 2024 A very moving tribute to long time Building Official Larry Pickard who passed recently.
Since my articles are about politics, this seems a logical moment to talk about the Building department, which Mr. Pickard oversaw during a generational change. For the public, the building official is often the most polarising figure in a city and Mr. Pickard was often no exception. That is almost inevitable given that they are the purveyor of so much bad news- even though they are nearly always in the right. And in those rare cases where they aren’t, as any sane contractor knows, “You can argue or you can just do what they tell you. But sooner or later they get the last word.” Whether or not that is fair comment, it conveys the feeling some people will always have towards any permitting authority.
Sounds like a great job. 😀
To a large extent, a building official is a judge. Although their job is to rule on code compliance (and above all protect the community), they also reflect the values of a city. They enact a whole lot of de facto policy because they are both the domain expert and because what they say goes. So their influence persists for decades.
I’ve gotten a ton of feedback on over the years on our building department. I’m sure Mr. Pickard did a great job in protecting the public interest. Like any good building official, I’m sure he prevented many terrible outcomes–simply by saving people from themselves. And that in itself deserves high praise. But I’m also sure that the world has changed a lot since he joined the City.
We need to find ways to build faster, far less expensively, and above all more –without compromising safety. Oh, and we need to go beyond that, with far greater sensitivity to environmental and public health concerns.
As an example, we rescinded our sound code in 2012 partly on his recommendation. That isn’t ‘blame’. It just wasn’t the City’s value for that time. Many people wanted ‘cheaper windows’. Simple as that.
One of my goals is to encourage our Council and our administration to shift our values more towards the future. Today, we face immense pressures to avoid dealing constructively with climate change or the need to build more housing. Again, many people will always insist on maintaining the status quo since it meets the needs of today.
But safety, which is already a full time job, is no longer enough. So any building or planning department which leans more towards future-oriented values will likely face even greater challenges.
Sounds like a great job. 😀
This Week
Monday/Tuesday: Back to Olympia for SB5955 (the Port Package update bill). Read coverage and learn how you can help at Sea-Tac Noise.Info
Wednesday 3:00pm Regional Transit Committee.
It’s probably worth a word as to why there are so many ‘committees’ that seem to do similar things–and why I even wanted to be on this particular committee. In this case, Cm Mahoney is already on SCATbd and the Puget Sound Regional Council Transportation Policy Board. And then there is our own standing Transportation Committee. There’s a longer answer, but for now, it is my view that ‘more is more’.
Des Moines has far less influence than larger cities on any regional issue–including transporation where the dollar amounts are truly eye popping. (For example, at the PSRC, big votes are weighted. Seattle gets 99 points. Des Moines gets one. Not. Kidding.)
Electeds are essentially unpaid regional lobbyists. The more of us engaging in every possible venue on issues like how to connect people from the 2026 Light Rail Station and the Marina? The better. And I really care about making it easy for people to get to and from the new Light Rail–as they now do with the 216th Shuttle Bus.
Thursday 4:00pm Economic Development Committee (cancelled)
Thursday 5:00pm Municipal Facilities Committee. This is their second meeting and they will choose a chair.
Thursday 6:00pm Regular Meeting – 22 Feb 2024 Frankly, it’s another fairly blank agenda. The highlights include a contract to replace the City’s copy machines and a proclamation on Women’s History Month (1as if, right? 😀 )
But one genuine highlight: Port of Seattle Land Stewardship Partnership presentation. This initiative states the Port’s environmental values on land it controls. Since the Port controls a sizeable chunk of Des Moines (eg. the Des Moines Creek Business Park–including the upcoming Phase V near the Barnes Creek Trail on 216th, this should be interesting. Anyone interested in tree canopy and the future of animal habitat should attend.
Last Week
Tuesday 12:00pm: Port of Seattle Commission. The Order to implement a Port Package Update program, was pulled from the agenda. But we’ve been assured it will be taken up at their next meeting February 27.
That evening I attended a Listening Session held by Commission President Hamdi Mohamed where, candidly, I did not feel particularly listened to. 😀 Keeeeeding. Sorta.
Tuesday 6:00pm: Marina Steps Community Meeting Beach Park Auditorium. I bolted from the Listening Session and showed up at the tail end. To my horror, over time I have shifted from someone who knows what they think about an event almost immediately to a ‘processor’. I used to get soooooo irritated at my wife because whenever I would ask for her immediate reaction on almost anything she would say, “I need time to process that.” GRRRRRR! 😀 It took quite a while for me to learn to trust that she wasn’t simply saying ‘No’ in a passive aggressive manner. She often really did need a couple of days to come to a coherent opinion on some things. Well now, age has turned me into a processor. Curses!
So over the past few days I’ve been thinking about what I think about this. But the following is all I got at the moment.
Marina Steps Community Meeting Postgame…
Full slide deck
Des Moines Marina Steps Public Forum Presentation-02.13.2024
Video
Here is a cleaned up video originally shot by Mayor Buxton; with subtitles.
More Info
https://desmoinesmarinasteps.com
What do I think? 😀
In my weekly meeting with Interim City Manager, I was asked what I thought. And I’ve been thinking about what I think. Currently I have a ton of uncoordinated impressions:
- Many residents will assume that ‘the boat has sailed’ (see what I did there? 😀 ) After all, we voted to spend the money. The City has no more plans for community meetings, and the engineers describe the project as being “at 30%”, which is generally developer-speak for ‘baked’. So a certain number of people will think that any critique is at minimum pointless, and at worst impolite. As I said, I don’t know my own mind yet, but I do know that I disagree with that.
- Beyond that, my feelings are in two broad categories, the project itself and the presentation. The presentation probably looked great to some by comparison with the last Marina Redevelopment Community meeting. But that’s like comparing your last cruise with the Titanic. 😀
- As far as the project, the one slide in the presentation that was not there and which kinda irked me, involved the ‘interfaces’, ie. the bottom and TOP OF THE FREAKIN’ HILL. 😀 What I desperately want to know is what the edge of 223rd will look like (what is currently known as Overlook I). To me, that is the key spot to the whole shebang because that is where people will head down (or up) to 223rd.
- There’s one other thing: When people heading west on 223rd hit that interface, they have another choice. They can turn right and head down Cliff Ave. Currently one of the most popular (and often dangerous) choices a pedestrian can make in the entire city.
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The top of the hillside, aka the foot of 223rd is Overlook Park I (not to be confused with Overlook Park II to the north. The core function of the Marina Steps is to allow people a way to walk up and down to and from the Marina. 
The road past Overlook II connecting 222nd to Cliff (and the hairpin turn) will be closed off
In my view, that top interface and improvements to that pathway down Cliff Ave. should be presented now. Why now? Because *we’re rebuilding the entire freakin’ hill, man! 😀 If we’re building those steps, we’ll be pushing a ton (actually many tons) of dirt around. I think we should have the design of that top interface, including the design of pedestrian-friendly walkway down Cliff Ave. now.
Iconography
One last thing while I’m thinking out loud…
On my way home I took this piccie of the fishing pier. And I’ll irritate some by saying that this is absolutely nothing special. You can see that image pretty much any night of the week. What makes it very special is the fact that you can see this glorious image pretty much any night of the week.
What’s ‘nothing special’ is the Fishing Pier itself. It has no uniquely great ‘design features’. It just does what a fishing pier is meant to do. The beauty is just a bonus. I would argue that the beauty overtook the functionality many years ago. In other words, it’s become an iconic civic space that now just happens to allow for some fishing.
Get it? It’s unintentionally iconic. And along with some sailboats, it is the branding of Des Moines. It sets us apart. But it wasn’t like someone designed it to be ‘iconic’. They designed a fishing pier.
I guess what I’m saying, and this just might be my engineery bias showing, if the core functions of the thing yer building perform well, the other jazz takes care of itself. (And by ‘jazz’ I mean aesthetics, entertainment, tourism, etc.)
The Marina and Fishing Pier have both performed their core functions admirably. Again, the beauty and civic benefits are just a bonus.
At bottom, the Marina Steps core function should be to efficiently connect people of all ages and abilities with the Marina and Downtown.
So the question I’m asking, as I talk to people and stare at these slides is the following: “How well will this Steps project perform its core function?”
*Best resident comment of all time. Finalist. Actually, the complete quote is “I didn’t really think about it until now but we’re rebuilding the entire freakin’ hill, man.” Yes. Yes we are. 😀
1Wanted to see if you were awake. Long time readers know I have a healthy disdain for proclamations on principle unless they are accompanied by some form of sincere policy. And whether they admit it or not, frankly, so does everyone who gets elected–unless it’s an issue they have a personal stake in, of course. One could literally fill up every meeting with extremely worthy proclamations. But to this issue, on a Des Moines level, I’d rather have pictures on the wall of the three women we’ve already had serve as mayors before Traci Buxton rather than a proclamation.
Regarding the steps. Why is the city planning on building this? Will it help bring more folks to the area? Will it help businesses in the area? Will it destroy any natural habitat? Again, apologies if these questions have been asked and answered, I’m hoping other questions were asked previously, if so, feel free to post a link to them in your reply. I think its important for those of us who missed the bus. Thanks!
These are excellent questions. The idea of whether or not the Steps will be a tourism draw or increase business has not been rigorously studied. That is why it is really only being spoken of as a civic park space.
I did ask a couple of engineers. I found their answers, frankly somewhat evasive. I watched the video. Since you have campaigned quite a bit concerning better communication and transparency I hope you will support my efforts to get more (and more detailed) information, and to get it disseminated to a wider group of the public.
It’s really too bad you didn’t get there for the entire presentation or to ask your pertinent questions of the numerous architects/project managers there, because those are the same questions I asked them and I was relieved that they had answers to satisfy me. So, duh, ask THEM.
I agree fully that the top of the steps at the end of 223rd is an important spot. It should be more friendly to people congregating and enjoying the views. I made some doodles to show what this would kinda look like.
https://i.imgur.com/3Ux6GwC.png
https://i.imgur.com/6S6ZDug.png
I provided my feedback here, https://desmoinesmarinasteps.com/contact-us , so hopefully somebody is still listening.
Des Moines really lost something when the final condo was built on the west side of 6th avenue on top of the cliff between 223rd and 226th, creating a solid wall blocking all views for pedestrians in the downtown area around 7th. Building the Steps goes a long way to make up for that.
Thanks for doing those! Hopefully the project is not considered too ‘done’ to make improvements. I’ve gotten lots of suggestions like yours. 🙂