Fighting for Nature South of Seattle

We are supporting Des Moines residents and the Defenders of Highline Forest who are rallying to save the Des Moines Creek West parklands. The Port of Seattle has leased this 40-acre forest to a California developer for warehouses. It’s currently a nature trail with forest, meadows, wetlands and streams, providing residents of this frontline community with access to green space and clean air.

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Des Moines Creek West Forest Protects Public Health

The Des Moines Creek West tree canopy is critical for the health of nearby residents. It grows directly under Seatac’s flight path, cleaning the air of jet exhaust and vaporized fuel which would otherwise be inhaled by those in the neighborhood below. King County Public Health reports that people living near Seatac suffer from higher rates of cancer, diabetes and asthma, live shorter lives than people further from the airport, and have babies with lower birth weights. The tree canopy over this expanse filters and encapsulates pollutants before they reach the lungs of people living nearby.

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History

The Port of Seattle acquired this parcel from WaDOT once they decided where to site the Highway 509 extension. Initially, it appeared in a Des Moines City Parks Department plan as a part of the Barnes Creek-Des Moines Creek Connector Trail.  At some point, however, a city manager quietly removed it from the parks plan, and the Port of Seattle acquired it then leased it to a California developer as part of a 5,000,000 square foot warehouse and business park development called Des Moines Creek Business Park. With an estimated removal of 18,000 trees to date, the latest plan expands the warehouse capacity by 400,000 square feet and 400 parking spaces. A variance is required to totally reengineer the site with a stream totally rerouted, wetland will be drained and moved, 500 trees will be cut down, a major water retention feature and tons of fill to form a building pad. Community members and Defenders of Highline Forest have filed an appeal.

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Our Objective

Despite the odds, we are fighting back. Dedicated neighbors have submitted a 14-page appeal on behalf of our community, challenging the finding of environmental nonsignificance issued for this project. We need your support now to amplify our impact and protect our tree canopy.

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Why This Initiative?

• Environmental Impact: The project will fill and reconfigure wetlands, remove 500 trees and reroute a creek and other drainage patterns, disrupting wildlife habitats for a massive business park.

• Community Use: The current greenspace is a vital recreational area, providing a natural wooded retreat and a primary entry point to a local trail system.

• Transparency and Equity: The project must find solutions that save our tree canopy and address the health inequities of a community already overburdened by the airport noise and pollution.

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Our Ask 

1. Sign up to receive the Defenders of Highline newsletter!
2. Join the Defenders at their appeal hearing wearing green at Des Moines City Hall on October 18 at 10 a.m. (or on Zoom!) The Defenders will send out eventdetails via their newsletter once the city releases them.
3. If you have an area of expertise related to SEPA appeals, please contact Sandy Hunt at SandyH@DefendersofHighlineForest.org.