Friday, October 2, 2026
The Olympia Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA) has developed a list of priorities residents want city leaders to address, with food access, emergency preparedness and housing affordability at the top.
At a city council meeting on Tuesday, March 3, CNA Communications Coordinator Daniel Garcia presented survey results and feedback gathered from a January neighborhood forum.
The CNA gathered input both online and in person at a packed community forum held in Olympia’s City Council chambers on Jan. 24. Organizers said about 140 people responded to the survey.
Garcia said the forum and survey were designed to better understand community priorities, and help neighborhood groups develop project ideas for the city’s Neighborhood Matching Grant Program.
According to Garcia, survey responses showed several issues consistently ranking among top concerns of residents:
Some residents also raised concerns about deteriorating infrastructure, including sidewalks.
Garcia said the feedback is helping recognized neighborhood associations identify project ideas. He added that neighborhood associations are using the survey results to develop grant applications due March 9.
Proposed projects range from community-building events, such as picnics and block parties. Another proposal would create an emergency preparedness zine that residents could easily share with neighbors, providing basic disaster readiness information.
Other proposals include mailers introducing residents to their neighborhood associations and installing garden boxes.
“We don't think that just because an idea wasn't applied for doesn't mean it's still not something that we could still pursue outside of the neighborhood matching grant process,” he said.
Building on the strong turnout at the January event, Garcia said the CNA hopes to hold more community forums in the future. Potential topics include sidewalks and food access, which residents identified as key priorities.
He said the group also wants to hear from more neighborhoods about additional topics for discussion.
Garcia added that the CNA hopes to broaden participation by engaging residents across the city, including people who live outside the boundaries of recognized neighborhood associations.
Council member Dani Madrone briefly updated the public on the food access plan. She said she recently met with other council members and city staff to discuss next steps for developing a food system plan for the city.
“We talked about doing a phased effort where the first phase focuses on public outreach and stakeholder engagement,” Madrone said. “A come-one, come-all event to bring people together to talk about what we should even be thinking about with a food system plan.”
Madrone said she was encouraged to see food access ranked as a top concern among neighborhood respondents.
Council members raised the possibility of renewing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Olympia City Council and the CNAs, which previously outlined the collaboration between the city and neighborhood groups.
City Manager Jay Burney said discussions about the MOU had paused previously while the groups focused on hosting community forums.
“We’ve had some stops and starts with the MOU. The last time we got together, we agreed to pause and focus on some forums first — see what we learn and how that might inform where we go with the MOU," Burney said.
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jimlazar
Food access is a top concern, even for Councilmember Madrone.
But Councilmember Madrone, and a majority of the Council, just voted to gut the grocery store requirement that was a part of the original Briggs Urban Village land use approval.
Unfortunate to see them say "this is important" until a developer does not want to do it. Then they ignore the neighborhood (which showed up in force in support of retaining the grocery store) when it's time to make a binding decision on development.
Friday, March 6 Report this
mhjwilson
How do we find out when the groups meet?
Alternative transit services is an issue for many of us that is not being addressed.
Saturday, March 7 Report this
northbeachcomm
Thank you for this article on the Olympia City Council, and their big, important issue to address "food access', in OLYMPIA. What does that mean? It is addressing the issue of grocery stores! But for the City to say it supports "Food Access", and then allow the huge BRIGGS URBAN VILLAGE,real estate development company not to supply a grocery store requirement, is JUST PLAIN WRONG. This Briggs Urban Village had an original land use approval by the City, to install a grocery store. This grocery store requirement, was baked into the planning process for this development. AND THEN THE CITY COUNCIL CHANGES ITS MIND? T
This group also wants "Affordability" in housing here in Olympia.
Yet the Olympia City Council allows the City Planning Dept. to give these big real estate developers 'NO TAXES' on
their City properties for so many years! This is called the MULTI-FAMILTY TAX EXEMPTIONS (FOR REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS), (MFTE). These are expensive units; not HUD housing. Most regular young people in Olympia, cannot afford these units. This rule forces the rest of us to pay more in property taxes for Apartments, Condos, houses. This kicks regular people in the gut, paying more for taxes.
BOTTOMLINE: The City DOES NOT REALLY CARE ABOUT FOOD ACCESS OR AFFORDABILITY! Check it out!
Saturday, March 7 Report this
Mugwump
Having attended this meeting, I'm frankly shocked that one of the most voiced concerns goes unmentioned in this article: the decrepit condition of the city's streets and sidewalks. Residents repeatedly called on the city to refocus its efforts on basic infrastructure improvements, yet those voices seem to have been silenced in this report. Do better.
Saturday, March 7 Report this
Boatyarddog
ClownPenis88
And YOU Are such a ringworm with Snarly Uglyness toward Anyone Not Like you!
You and the Orange Clown have your own Circus.
All we have to do is Wait as the WH. BURNS its self Down, then you and your compatriots will Evaporate along with it!
Saturday, March 7 Report this
Boatyarddog
jimlazar,
Thanks for the info.
Your such a help in Understanding, and Making Some Transparency Real.
BLESSINGS!
Saturday, March 7 Report this
susanh
I was at the January CNA meeting and sidewalk repair was mentioned by nearly every spokesperson for the groups of residents that voiced their concerns.. I mentioned sidewalk repair in my own survey response to the CNA after the meeting, as I am sure many other responders did.
The city council continues to ignore the services that residents are asking for and wastes money on consultants instead. As far as housing affordability, the tax breaks that the council provides to the developers shifts the tax burden to the rest of us. When will this end?
Monday, March 9 Report this