The city of Des Moines on Friday gave a Sumner-based developer the green light to demolish the former Masonic Home, a nearly century-old building overlooking Puget Sound that the city deemed too costly to restore.

In a July environmental impact study, the city said it would cost more than $160 million to restore the building about 15 miles south of Seattle on Marine View Drive South, which has been vacant for more than a decade, mostly due to safety concerns. Alternatives the city explored, like partially preserving the building or developing only portions of the property, still left a “massive funding gap,” according to the study.

The city issued the demolition permit to the property’s current owner, Zenith Properties LLC, with several conditions, including that the company pay the city

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