Des Moines City Council approves $8.5 million Marina Steps Project after heated debate

In a significant and divided decision, the Des Moines City Council on Oct. 23, 2025, voted to move forward with the Marina Steps Project, accepting an $8.5 million construction bid despite fierce debate over cost and timing.

The meeting also addressed forming a united front with Burien against the Port of Seattle over faulty residential port packages, a positive update on the new warehouse square footage tax, and the approval of a grant-funded study on the feasibility of a Des Moines water taxi service.

Marina Steps Project Bid Approved

The council accepted an $8.5 million bid for the Marina Steps Project. This momentous decision will allow the long-awaited project to move forward, with completion estimated for the summer of 2026. The decision was split, with Councilmembers JC Harris, Gene Achziger, and Yoshiko Grace Matsui opposed.

For his part, Councilmember Harris said that while he was really opposed to the whole project, he would support an adjusted plan that left out the spray park and play area, which would reduce the cost by over a million dollars. The spray park is expected to have an ongoing maintenance cost of up to $35,000. However, the council majority felt that these features were an essential element of the project, and that the community was generally in support of a more family-friendly design. The city has budgeted for the full amount of the project.

Councilmembers Achziger and Grace Matsui wanted to delay this decision until January, after the newly elected councilmembers take their seats. Achziger said the $8.5 million in bonds that must be paid back will hobble the incoming council, who should get to weigh in on this decision. He added that the city should be conducting studies on the impact and benefits of a project this big.

Councilmember Matt Mahoney said this project has been in the works for decades, and that many different councils have pushed for the steps project over the years. Mayor Traci Buxton added that she has been working on it during her entire eight years on the council. She thought it would be irresponsible for the council to change their minds now, after all the time and work the city and others have already put into this. Any kind of delay at this point made no sense to them. Deputy Mayor Harry Steinmetz added that the city would face arbitrage fees for not going forward, and that “the vast majority of the people I talk to are in support of this.”

Strongly Worded Letter To Port Approved

City Manager Katherine Caffrey estimated that there are over 3,500 port packages that were installed in homes in Des Moines. Many of these port packages, which were intended as a residential noise mitigation system, were installed incorrectly and have caused serious issues over the years. See link above for more on these port packages. There has been a huge push from communities around the airport to get these faulty port packages replaced, but a lot of resistance from the Port.

The city of Burien has sent a strongly worded letter, demanding action on this. They have asked the Des Moines City Council to sign on to a similar letter, and to get it to the Port as soon as possible in order to present a united front. The council voted 6–1 in support of this action. Councilmember Mahoney was opposed, saying that this is just another letter, and that we need to implement a negative use impact fee before there will be any money to help affected communities.

Warehouse Square Footage Tax Update

At a meeting earlier this year, staff had reported that there was only a 43% compliance with the new warehouse square footage tax. They had even been considering hiring an outside agency to help collect the taxes owed from warehouse businesses. However, this update brought the news that they now have a 91% compliance, and they estimate that revenue from the new tax will be $515,000 this year. They also predict that next year’s collection will be much more prompt, as businesses are now familiar with it.

Grant-Funded Water Taxi Study

The council unanimously approved a new water taxi study, which will be entirely paid for by a Department of Commerce grant. The data will show who might be likely to use a water taxi in Des Moines, and what kind of impact this ferry service would have on the city.

How Could The City Be More Transparent?

One person spoke during Public Comments, describing many ways Des Moines provides clear and useful information to the public. She said that under the guidance of the new city manager, communication has been better than ever, with many ways to access meetings, lots of outreach at public events, and frequent reports. She added that a lot of people are still criticizing the city, saying there is a lack of transparency, but wondered how the city could be more transparent.