CITY OF DES MOINES SHORELINE MASTER PROGRAM

Des Moines Shoreline Inventory and Characterization
Existing and Potential Public Access Sites
Approximately 25 percent of the City’s shoreline is available for public access and use, the
remainder being residential development. Figure 10 shows the locations of all the shoreline
public access sites within the City’s shoreline Jurisdiction. Existing parks, open space, and
public facilities in the City’s shoreline jurisdiction include the following:
• Des Moines Beach Park – This 19.6 acre Community Park is located directly north of
the City of Des Moines Marina. The mouth of Des Moines Creek is located in the park.
The park provides access to the Puget Sound waterfront and 2.7 acres of tidelands. The
park also contains a picnic shelter, meadows, historic and recreation buildings, play
equipment, parking and access to the Des Moines Creek trailhead (City of Des Moines,
2003).
• Des Moines Marina and Fishing Pier – The Marina and fishing pier occupy 13 acres
along the City’s northern Puget Sound shoreline. The marina offers boat moorage, a boat
ramp, boat repair, restaurants, shops, walkways, parking/storage, a fishing pier,
restrooms, benches and picnic tables (City of Des Moines, 2003).
• South 239th Street Access – This 0.1 acre mini-park offers access to the Puget Sound
shoreline at the end of South 239th Street. Its amenities include a picnic table, stairway
and ladder for beach access (City of Des Moines, 2003).
• Saltwater State Park – Saltwater State Park is an 88-acre marine camping park with
1,445 feet of shoreline on Puget Sound. The park provides two kitchen shelters without
electricity, plus 147 unsheltered picnic tables. Most picnic sites are near the beach or
along McSorley Creek. The park also has an underwater, artificial reef on Puget Sound.
The area is often used for scuba diving and fishing (City of Des Moines, 2003).
• Redondo Beach Park – This 2.79 acre waterfront park provides access to the Puget
Sound shoreline as well as a fishing pier, boardwalk, walking path, and boat moorage and
launch. The park’s other amenities include restrooms, picnic areas, scenic views, and
parking (City of Des Moines, 2003).
• Highline Community College Marine Science and Technology Center - Located at
the Redondo waterfront, this facility is occasionally open to the public for lectures,
facility tours, guided experiments and interpretive displays intended to engage and
educate the public about Puget Sound marine ecology and water quality.
Opportunities for enhanced or expanded public access to the shoreline in Des Moines is limited.
The City and State park resources and the public piers, marina, and boat launches offer access to
the shoreline and Puget Sound throughout the City. Most other areas are developed residential or
commercial properties. The City could explore developing additional street-end overlooks or
beach access points similar to the South 239th Street Access. Undeveloped street-end right of
ways are located at South 240th Street and South 249th Street.
Historical/Cultural Resources
The Historical/Cultural Element of the 1988 Des Moines Shoreline Master Program provides a
general goal and policy to retain and protect shoreline features having historic, cultural,
scientific, or education value and to encourage development and interpretation of those sites
Page 20 March 2005