Local residents took the opportunity to air their concerns on various issues at the Olympia Planning Commission's public hearing on the Capital Mall Triangle subarea planned action ordinance on Monday, Jan. 6.
Neighborhood advocates warned the proposed high-density, high-rise development threatens to alter the character of their communities. Residents also pressed for more parks and green spaces, better public transportation and housing affordability.
Former Olympia mayor Robert Jacobs commented that the planning process contained only general language about the parks and funding, but lacked any commitment to providing adequate green spaces.
"I hope you will agree that this is unacceptable," he said.
Jacobs, an Olympia resident for 50 years and parks advocate, noted the project adds significant residential density without the backyards that single-family neighborhoods rely on to meet people's needs for health, wellness and children's play areas.
He added that this posed two problems. First, triangle residents would have to cross major streets with heavy traffic to access the planned neighborhood parks, which he said would be difficult for parents with young children.
Second, Jacobs argued that the city's one-half mile park access standard was developed for single-family neighborhoods, not high-density areas like the triangle, where the needs differ.
Jacobs urged the commission to consider these factors and include accessible green and play spaces in the plan, which he said are necessary for a decent quality of life.
In response to the public comments raised about the need for parks and open spaces, Olympia senior planner David Ginther clarified that the subarea plan itself included a recommendation to "consider a new performance metric for the triangle that focuses on park and public space access at close intervals, such as (one-eighth to one-quarter) mile to a small park."
However, Ginther explained that by the time the subarea plan was adopted, the broader Olympia 2045 Comprehensive Plan process, including the parks chapter, was already well underway.
Ginther noted that while this park metric recommendation from the subarea plan will be brought up again when the park plan is updated, the current park chapter does not yet reflect this specific proposal.
"When the parks plan is updated, this will be something we will be pushing for – consistent with the subarea plan," Ginther said.
While resident Larry Dzieza applauded the plan's goal, he pointed out that it has a long list of development incentives, many of which involve a cost to the public.
Dzieza cautioned the city not to underestimate its leverage when providing subsidies to the corporate interests that control much of the area. He emphasized that the city should prioritize meaningful returns on investment that align with higher values Olympians hold, such as equity, opportunity and social cohesion — not just increased sales tax revenues.
Dzieza specifically discussed incentives like multi-family tax exemptions that can increase property taxes for others.
In exchange, he urged the city to be strategic and firm in requiring developers to provide affordable housing for low-income families, as mixed-income housing benefits the entire community.
"The city should combine incentives with inclusionary zoning, or other methods that result in a mixed-income housing at the building level," Dzieza said.
"Finally, make sure that the developers are committed to these social infrastructure elements before granting them concessions at the expense of existing Olympian residences or businesses."
In his comments, Jeff Sowers advocated for affordable workforce housing, explaining that new market-rate development will attract a growing population requiring additional service workers. However, these service workers often cannot afford the market-rate housing being built.
Sowers suggested the city conduct a housing impact study to calculate the required subsidy to provide affordable units that these service workers can access.
This would help ensure the new development includes affordable housing options for the workforce needed to support the growth, rather than concentrating low-income housing separately.
Lee Riner, a resident of the west side of Olympia, expressed concerns about the proposal to build a high-rise in her neighborhood.
"Many of us live in small homes and (to) have the high rise immediately in our backyard looking down on us … basically is destroying the neighborhood," Riner commented.
Riner also criticized the lack of parking and the inadequacy of the public transportation system in the area. She said many elderly residents and families with young children rely on personal vehicles to transport groceries and commute to work.
"You are talking about allowing these high-density (residentials) in the Capital Mall subarea plan, but no transportation system will service these individuals," said Riner in urging the commission to address the disconnect between planned development and existing transportation infrastructure.
Colleen Graney has the same concerns about the proposed tall apartment buildings and the lack of required parking. She noted that the increased traffic and congestion in the area is already problematic, and without adequate parking, it will get worse.
Graney reiterated Riner's comment, saying taller buildings would dramatically change the neighborhood's visual character.
Graney emphasized that as people age, they often cannot rely on walking or public transit alone and need access to personal vehicles with places to park.
Commissioner David Garcia stated that the public has repeatedly voiced the inadequacy of the transportation system.
Garcia questioned why there has not been more coordination with Intercity Transit to improve and expand service to the area. The commissioner noted that the city has been planning to transform the area into a more urban, transit-oriented neighborhood since 2014.
Ginther replied that Intercity Transit had been involved as a stakeholder in the subarea planning process. He explained that back in 2017-18, Intercity Transit could not do the necessary transit planning for the specific area.
However, Ginther said Intercity Transit has now expressed more interest in focusing on transit planning for the Capital Mall Triangle, and the sub-area plan was structured to support and enable that future transit planning effort.
The Planning Commission approved the recommendation of the Capital Mall Triangle Planned Action Ordinance to the city council.
The commission also included a separate letter stating its previous recommendation regarding a new park metric tailored to high-density neighborhoods in the Capital Mall Triangle subarea.
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Yeti1981
Ahh yes, the "destroying the neighborhood" or the "neighborhood character" argument. The rallying cry of racists in cities and suburbs across the South for several decades now.
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