Olympia held a 30-day public comment period for the draft Capital Mall Triangle Subarea Plan with feedback from community members who participated, giving strong support for the intensive redevelopment approach in the area.
At Monday's Planning Commission meeting, the Community Planning and Development (CP&D) Senior Planner David Ginther mentioned that most comments received endorsed Alternative 3, which supports urban density, transit, and mobility actions and reduces urban sprawl.
The subarea plan envisions significant changes to the 300-acre area bounded by Black Lake Boulevard, Cooper Point Road, and Harrison Avenue. One alternative would allow taller buildings up to 14 stories around the mall.
Ginther said the primary project goal is to maintain and continue to support the areas as a regional shopping destination and to facilitate high-density residential and mixed-use development.
Currently, the project area has 343 businesses and 3,500 employees. Four owners own a significant portion of the site: Capital Mall company, WIG Properties, Cafaro, and Merlone Geier.
“The second part of the vision was high-density residential development and eventual transition into a full urban neighborhood. That’s the part of the vision that has not materialized. Part of this project is to find out why and how we can facilitate that while maintaining support for the existing business community,” the senior planner said.
According to Ginther, three alternatives are being considered as far as the development plan of the area is concerned:
Alternative 1 (Baseline): No action. No changes to make to existing plans and regulations over the next 20 years. Ginther said this would involve minimal changes as development continues under existing plans.
Ginther said there are some transportation improvements already planned.
Alternative 2 (Moderate): West Olympia Hub. Remove barriers and provide flexibility for developing three hubs, focusing on pedestrian/bicycle/rolling connections between existing neighborhoods and the triangle. Ginther said this moderate approach aims to concentrate growth in three hubs – one by Harrison Avenue, one by the east mall entrance, and one in the mall’s southeast corner. It would allow slightly taller buildings than currently allowed and reduce parking requirements for commercial uses.
Some flexibility in development regulations were also proposed.
Alternative 3 (Bold): Remove barriers and provide flexibility for developing a new interior hub while addressing climate mitigation goals by supporting increased urban density, transit, and mobility actions and reducing urban sprawl. It envisions significantly increasing building heights to 12-14 stories in certain areas to encourage dense mixed-use development.
Over 3,000 new housing units could be accommodated.
The CP&D initially discussed these three alternatives with the community in February when they hosted an open house on the triangle subarea plan. They asked attendees to share their ideas and inputs for the project.
He said the city has been actively doing public outreach since January 2022.
Ginther informed the public that three alternatives were drafted based on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) scoping comments and input from the stakeholder workgroup.
The Capital Mall Triangle Subarea Plan and the accompanying EIS were set for public review last September 28. The public is welcome to submit their comments on or before the October 30, 2023 deadline.
"We are in the middle [of the public comment process]. The vast majority of the comments say they support alternative 3, with only a few minor tweaks. People can say I want one aspect of alternative 2 put into alternative 3. So it can be a mix and match," Ginther said, adding that they are looking for comments on what people want to see as the preferred alternative.
Besides supporting alternative 3, Ginther, who is also the lead staff in the project, enumerated the top comments that people want to see on the subarea plan:
"For the EIS and the subarea plan, we would like people to help us find what they want for the preferred alternative. We want to know what they think would be environmentally significant adverse environmental impacts. Those are the two main things we want from the public on the EIS. Comments on the whole thing are welcome," Ginther said.
Ginther explained that current state laws make it difficult for condominium ownership and are beyond the control of the city.
"It is difficult with the state law right now for condos because once you get into apartments, the ownership alternative is condos, and that's been an issue with the state. It's a little bit out of the city's hands," Ginther told the commissioners.
Commissioner Carole Richmond emphasized the importance of resolving legal issues related to home or condo ownership in the area, highlighting the need to provide ownership opportunities for residents to secure their future.
"We really need to get it done…the issues must be resolved. It's been going on for years and years. I don't see what the hang-up is. I don't see why it can't be resolved if people want to get it done. Otherwise, you won't have any ownership opportunities in that whole area," Richmond commented.
Richmond also supports the increased height limits proposed in alternative three and suggests adopting an incremental approach, in which land could be reserved for future taller developments, potentially towards the end of the planning period.
Commissioner Tracey Carlos inquired about how soon they would see the high-rise apartments. "The need is there right now. There is a desperate need for housing today."
Ginther cited a consultant's market analysis, saying that the high-rise residential apartments may be possible towards the end of the 20-year planning period.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here