Community meeting on Masonic Home property will be Thursday, Aug. 21

EDITOR’S NOTE: This event posting has been updated to include corrected information that the upcoming Aug. 21 Community Meeting being put on by the City is not a forum for taking testimony for or against preservation.

A community meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Beach Park Auditorium, allowing the City to inform the public about next steps regarding the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the historic Zenith property, commonly known as the Masonic Retirement Home or Landmark on the Sound.

NOTE: This meeting is not a forum for taking testimony for or against preservation. The process for challenging the EIS and the permit decision under state law is the appeal process.

As we previously reported, after three years of study and public interest, the City of Des Moines announced on July 25 that it has completed its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the historic Zenith property, commonly known as the Masonic Retirement Home or Landmark on the Sound.

City officials confirmed the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) will be released Thursday, July 31.

The report will be posted on the City’s website and presented to the Des Moines City Council during its Aug. 7 informational meeting at City Hall.

The City commissioned the EIS after the property’s owners submitted an application to demolish the century-old structures on the blufftop site overlooking Puget Sound. The 11-acre property, long considered a cultural and architectural landmark, has been the subject of extensive community debate over its future.