The Des Moines City Council’s study session on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 focused on the potential acquisition of two separate parcels of land.

Following an executive session regarding a potential land purchase and subsequent approval to seek a conservation grant, the council discussed the purchase of a lot off 216th Street. This $5.3 million parcel, adjacent to the Barnes Creek Trail, sparked significant public interest, with numerous community members advocating for its preservation.

Despite passionate pleas and offers of volunteer stewardship, the council grappled with the financial feasibility of the purchase, the city’s existing fiscal priorities, and the long-term implications of developing the land for multi-family residential use.

At the start of the meeting, the council went into executive session to privately discuss the purchase of some land, after which they directed staff to apply for a conservation futures grant for that purchase. 

Then they publicly discussed an unrelated plot of land that the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is selling. The land consists of 6.1 acres off 216th Street, and is valued at $5.3 million. Des Moines has the opportunity to buy it first, before it is offered to adjacent landowners and then available for public auction. In 2023 the city zoned this parcel as “Multi-Family Residential” and it was described as sparsely wooded; mostly covered in blackberries and brush, with ivy climbing the existing trees.

Many community members have been writing to the council, just in the last few days, urging them to buy and protect this land. More spoke during Public Comments, offering that many volunteers would be more than willing to steward the land, which is adjacent to part of the Barnes Creek Trail, if the city acquires it.

City Manager Katherine Caffrey said it was not feasible for the city to purchase the land outright, but they could apply for a conservation grant to help pay for it. However, they are already applying for the same grant for the parcel discussed in executive session. Even if awarded the grant, the city would be on the hook for $1.3 million. Caffrey explained that spending money on this purchase does not meet the city’s current fiscal priorities.

Councilmember JC Harris expressed a lot of concern for losing the trailside lot to development, and expressed the desire to try anything to obtain the land for preservation. Deputy Mayor Harry Steinmetz agreed with the need to preserve greenspace, but said the city needs more housing. That parcel was already zoned Multi-Family after a long planning process, and the council should stick with the decision already made. He also said Des Moines has a tree code, and any trees removed during construction of the parcel will be replaced.

Councilmember Matt Mahoney concurred with the deputy mayor, adding that developers will bring needed revenue, as well as eventual customers to local businesses once the housing is inhabited. Councilmember Harris balked at that, saying housing doesn’t generate ongoing revenue, and stating his belief that opportunities to purchase land should never be turned down.

City Manager Katherine Caffrey said there was not currently room in the city’s budget for taking on management of additional greenspace. Mayor Traci Buxton said she frequently volunteers for park clean-ups and conservation, and the turnout at those events is sparse. She said if there is an army of volunteers ready to take care of a newly acquired greenspace, as was expressed during public comments, they are not showing up for the parks that already need care. Deputy Mayor Steinmetz pointed out that the improper management of undeveloped land can lead to wildfires, as recently demonstrated in Los Angeles.

In the end, the council was split 4–3, with Councilmembers Gene Achziger, Yoshiko Grace-Matsui, and Harris voting in favor of trying for a conservation grant, and the rest ready to move along with the land becoming housing as intended. They voted to decline the offer for the city to purchase this lot.

Mellow DeTray is a Seattle native who has spent the last 16 years raising her family in Burien. She has volunteered at many local establishments over the years, including the Burien Library, Burien Actors Theatre, and Hot Feet Fitness. After working for 10 years at Burien Community Center, she moved on to teaching fitness classes and to work the front desk of a Burien yoga studio. For many years Mellow kept a moderately popular cooking & lifestyle blog, and she had a brief stint in political journalism during a local election. Clear and informative writing has always been a side hobby of Mellow’s and she looks forward to bringing you unbiased coverage of City Council meetings.