With improvements to South 216 Street from Pacific Highway South west to Marine View Drive to begin soon and Des Moines and the Port of Seattle moving forward to develop the Des Moines Creek Business Park, the city is looking to make 216th into a shopping destination.
On 216th from 20th Avenue east to 1-5 widening from three lanes (two east and west and one turn lane) to five lanes (four east and west and one turn lane) will be done.
There will be a bicycle lane on either side, as well as a sidewalk on each side. A four and a half foot buffer will separate the sidewalk from the street. The buffer will be planet with trees or low maintenance plants.
On 24th Avenue north from 216th widening will also be completed. The main road into the business park will be 24th Avenue South.
As the 'gateway' into Des Moines a new "Welcome to Des Moines" monument will be put at 216th and Pacific Highway in front of Safeway.
Councilman Scott Thomasson questioned whether it is a good idea to put in an elaborate monument when it is unknown where light rail is going to go. He said if SeaTac has its way it would be right above where they are planning to put the sign.
There are plans to relocate the current Des Moines monument somewhere else in the city. But where it might go became a matter of some controversy.
The recommendation was to place it at the corner of Big Catch Plaza, facing the street. Councilwoman Carmen Scott said she had issues with it going there.
"That plaza is where a number of events occur, where people gather and the Christmas tree lighting is there and there may be a kiosk there at some point," Scott said. "That would sort of block your view as you come in of the fact that you have a fairly large plaza that may offer more things to see and do.
"I would like to see it somewhere where it is really useful but I don't like the idea of something that solid blocking what else that plaza can service."
She added, "I picture people arriving in downtown, who don't know the downtown. I would like a kiosk to be very visible because that is where you get your sense of, 'OK. what am I going to find, what is there to find?' and I am afraid if you have something that solid in that corner you will be hiding the sense of here is where I can get information."
Councilman Dan Sherman had a different problem with the monument.
"My concern is the letters, the sign and the letters are all chrome. I'm not sure that that's what I want to see," Sherman said. "In our little downtown I'm thinking chrome may not be the tone that we want to set."
