Development on the Des Moines Business Park (DMCBP) is again moving rapidly forward, after the loss of the developer when the housing market collapsed.

Des Moines and the Port of Seattle are now working on an agreement to develop the 89 acres of Port owned land in the area designated as the Des Moines Business Park.

The business park extends from 20th Avenue South to 24th Avenue South, along South 216th Street and goes north to South 208th Street. The Port originally bought up the houses in this area for the third runway.

A new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) office building is one of the possibilities being looked at for development on the DMCBP site.

The FAA is looking to build a new office somewhere in Renton, SeaTac, Kent Tukwila or Des Moines. According to Grant Fredericks, Des Moines planning, building and public works director, the DMCBP site is one of two places that meets the FAA's criteria. The other location is Port owned property on South 200th Street across the street from the Federal Detention Center.

The FAA wants a 518,000 square foot office building, 40,000 square feet warehouse and 10,000 square foot child care facility. The FAA is looking to occupy the building by Sept. 2014.

The city has to give the FAA their expression of interest by March and will be soliciting offers by late spring or early summer.

Des Moines is also looking at the possibility of a large retail store on the southeast corner of the DMCBP.

Des Moines council members gave city staff the go ahead to do a feasibility study on what would have to be done to make retail work in that area.

The Port is offering the city a conditional, five-year assignable option to acquire 27 acres in the southeast corner of the business park, fronting South 216th Street and 24th Ave South in order to put in retail. If the city decided to accept the Port's offer, they would give a developer the right to buy the land from the Port.

The city and the Port are currently working on negotiating an agreement to sell the streets inside the DMCBP to the Port and begin the process of subdividing the land. The current map shows the land being subdivided into five parcels.

The Port wants a reappraisal of the street values inside the business park. They were last appraised in 2007.

Councilman Dan Sherman balked at the Port's request, describing it as the Port pulling the rug out from under them.

"We are already suffering," Sherman declared.

Mayor Bob Sheckler said he wanted to make sure if the Port does get a new appraisal done, Des Moines would have the opportunity to challenge the bid.

The city's counterproposal to the Port says they will expedite the transfer of the street ownership to the Port and move forward immediately on the subdivision and commercial planned unit development (PUD) and master plan for the site.

Everything is still in a very conceptual stage, but the Port and the city are moving forward to make the land ready to develop soon.

State Rep. Dave Upthegrove proposed legislation to make the DMCPB more attractive to businesses.

The bill would redirect six percent of the state portion of the leasehold excise tax from property inside and within a quarter mile of the DMCPB to Des Moines to be available for gateway improvements until 2025.

It would also allow businesses inside and within a quarter mile of the DMCBP making sales, manufacturing or performing service to retain the state portion of the business and occupation (B&O) tax until 2025.

The legislation also increases the city portion of the state sales tax by .1 percent until 2025 for gateway improvements.