The Des Moines City Council approved on June 26, with two conditions, the city's six-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for 2009-2014.

The conditions consisted of removing Redondo Beach Drive from the list of priorities and moving Kent-Des Moines Road improvements up on the priority list.

Improvement projects include phases two and three of the Des Moines Creek Trail Project, North Twin Bridge repairs, Saltwater Bridge repairs, street and road improvements, roadway reconstruction and intersection improvement on Marine View Drive, and Barnes Creek Nature Trail construction.

"There's over $100 million worth of projects on the TIP," said public works director Grant Fredericks.

In other business, council approved the Cedar Heights residential housing development, consisting of 5.82 acres bordering South 232nd Street and 14th Avenue South.

Fine Structures will build 27 single-family homes on the property.

Council members approved a second development, voting to reclassify the zoning in the Pacific Heights housing development in the Redondo Riviera Neighborhood area.

The rezone will make the area comply with a settlement agreement that Des Moines, Federal Way, Granville Southern Corporation and Donald and Marie Tavis reached in 2003. Zoning the area in this way preserves land ownership.

On another subject, Larry Corvari, president of the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs based in Normandy Park, gave the council a presentation summarizing the commission's activities in 2007 and 2008.

The commission provides environmental consultation to the Port of Seattle while seeking to honor environmental and transportation needs.

Sea-Tac International Airport's National Pollutants Discharge Elimination Systems permit, a water pollution permit, is up for renewal this year and the commission is involved. The commission's focus this year is on streams.

The RCAA is a nonprofit group that receives funding from citizens, civic groups and municipalities, including the city of Des Moines.