Des Moines' combination of waterfront and a traditional Main Street is the "perfect recipe for creating a positive downtown core" lawmakers were told July 17.

Des Moines City Council members praised the work of University of Washington senior architecture students following the presentation of their suggestions for connecting historic downtown with the waterfront.

Eight students and their professor, Jim Nicholls, conducted the Storefront Project from April to June, first evaluating and researching the city's Marina District, then developing strategies for enhancing the area including making it more pedestrian friendly.

The Marina District is located between Marine View Drive and the waterfront between South 216th Street and South 227th Street.

"I thought it was incredible what the students have done. Their enthusiasm was contagious," said Mayor Bob Sheckler. "They really did a good job of capturing what the citizens and businesses had to say in this presentation.

"We will take very seriously their recommendations. Very soon we will break them down and decide which we want to pursue now."

Councilwoman Carmen Scott complimented Nicholls and the two students who joined him in the presentation for doing "a very good job of tying together the details ... to show how the ideas all came together. [They] did a marvelous job."

Nicholls launched the presentation by observing that the "amount of community owned waterfront is an incredible wealth for the city," which also boasts "a beautiful, traditional little Main Street. This is the perfect recipe for creating a positive downtown core."

Joined by Jack DeBlau and Natasha Servo, who both graduated in June, he noted the Marina District is linked to the rest of the city by two primary east-west routes - South 227th Street and South 223rd Street.

"South 227th is a regional draw, a gateway, that can support higher density," including buildings, parking and amenities that renew its original function as an extension of Marine View Drive, Nicholls said.

By contrast, "South 223rd, which runs east through the city, provides community access to the Marina." Pedestrian enhancements especially were recommended along this street.

At the east end of the district, the city should take advantage of the connection between Beach Park and the marina, he suggested.

"A big part of what we did was to create a public art plan for downtown and the marina," Nicholls told council members. It includes suggestions for a sea serpent sculpture feature at the marina, which lawmakers seemed especially to like, and banners with maritime themes along Marine View Drive.

Another suggestion calls for transforming Des Moines Elementary School into a community and arts center. A cost-effective idea for small businesses to spruce up their building exteriors is simply a coat of paint.

Nicholls emphasized that implementing recommendations from the Storefront Project shouldn't be left to city government alone. "There are a lot of things that community groups could do, and also the private sector - small businesses," he said.

"My hope is that government will not get involved in all these projects," concurred Sheckler. "Citizen groups, clubs, businesses all can participate, even if it comes down just to getting a can of paint."

Scott added, "Some of these ideas can be carried out with very little cost. We just need to get someone to own them." Others were not affordable now, but would be studied by the council members with an eye to the future, she said.

One recommendation for South 227th Street is a hotel near the marina. To accommodate such a facility, Nichols suggested "height variations with the most positive impact and the least negative impact ... rather than one height limit over the entire city."

A parking garage against the embankment at the edge of Outlook Park was suggested for the east end of the marina. "The difference in height would be used to conceal the parking structure and it would not obstruct the view from above," he said.

It would increase parking at the marina, and stairs and a "handicapped" elevator also would provide easier pedestrian access to the waterfront from downtown.

Councilman Dave Kaplan said he was especially pleased that so much public art was incorporated into the students' recommendations.

A hallmark of the Storefront Project presentation was before-and-after "picture postcards," which show locations as they currently exist and depict what they might look like with suggested enhancements. These range from entire streetscapes to individual bus stops.

Students also provided technical assistance while the project was underway to businesses and property owners in the Marina District who were interested in improving their buildings and landscaping.

Parks and Recreation Director Patrice Thorell, who worked closely with the Storefront Project, told council members the proposed enhancements "create a sense of place."