Olympia receives the 2023 Washington Governor's Smart Communities Award

Olympia received the 2023 Washington Governor's Smart Communities Award for creating a community-led concept plan to repurpose the historic armory building as the Olympia Armory Creative Campus.  

Anne Fritzel of the Department of Commerce presented the award at the city council meeting on Tuesday, December 19. The award recognizes exceptional local government projects that engage the community in planning. 

Armory Building Manager Valerie Roberts recounted how the city and privately-owned design firm Framework Cultural Placemaking collaborated in 2022 and created a “community-led” concept plan to transform the former National Guard armory into a space for arts, education, and community programs.  

She said that over 6,500 community stakeholders provided input to develop a vision of repurposing the building.  

After engaging the community, Roberts said, the resulting concept plan outlines transforming the Armory into a new public arts center, meeting a long-standing goal in Olympia's comprehensive plan. She thanked Arts Program Specialist Angel Nava for leading the planning process. 

Roberts noted that this plan would help guide the armory project over the next several years as the city works to update the facility and identify community arts nonprofit partners to occupy the renovated space as a hub for arts, education, and cultural programs. 

Fritzel said the award highlights the governor's commitment to preserving Washington's high quality of life by recognizing the work of communities, residents, and local officials who contribute cultural resources. 

Fritzel explained that this year’s Governor's Smart Communities Award is meant to highlight so-called “smart” projects. The broader goal of the award is to formally recognize completed government projects that demonstrate innovation. 

Fritzel said Olympia's armory project addressed all of the award criteria, which include: 

- Carrying out documented community engagement objectives 

- Innovating public participation through thorough engagement   

- Serving as a model for other communities to benefit arts, culture, and collaborative planning