Housing

Olympia's Site Plan Committee reviews Habitat for Humanity's 120-multifamily Boulevard Road project

Posted

Olympia's Site Plan Review Committee, on Wednesday, November 9, held a presubmission hearing on a 120-multifamily project at the site on 3900 Boulevard Road SE.

Tessa Bradley, the principal architect at Artisans Group, which manages the project, said Olympia selected the South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity as its development partner on the 10-acre parcel for an affordable housing project.

In a narrative submitted to the review committee, the Boulevard development proposal is to have a neighborhood of affordable townhouses, apartments, and senior housing options with an array of shared amenities.

Bradley said the Artisans Group designed a sustainable neighborhood with community gardens, parks, small commercial spaces, walking paths, and a connection to the adjacent woods.

The Boulevard Road project will consist of 48 townhouses, 48 condos, 24 senior cottages, and a 3,000-square-foot commercial space. The 3,000-square-foot commercial building will be on a separate parcel with a shared access easement.

Planning review

Lydia Moorehead, Olympia's associate planner, noted that the site is zoned for RM-18, which allows for various residential uses. However, she noted that the parcel for the commercial building has to be rezoned.

She said the RM-18 zone requires 25% open space for multifamily. "You want to consider having a mix of passive and active open space. These areas can include balconies, porches, walkways, and trails."

For a multifamily project over five acres, Moorehead said they have some specific requirements, including requiring a mix dwelling unit and transitional housing on the exterior of the site, specifically single-family homes.

"You need to have single family or duplex on the outside edges of these developments. Single-family units must be visible across the street," Moorehead said.

As for the commercial building, Moorehead informed the applicant of the specific standards for commercial in the neighborhood retail zone.

She said the maximum building size for a commercial building is 3,000 square feet for single-use or 6,000 square feet for mixed-use. The maximum height is 35 feet, and some operating hour restrictions are in place.

Moorehead advised the developers to pay attention to building orientation and clearly define entry from the street, either directly to the unit or through the courtyard.

The multifamily aspect of the project triggers a review of safe routes to schools. Moorehead noted that the site is outside the walking zones for McKenny Elementary Scholl and Washington Middle School.

"We will look for a safe route to the nearest bus stop. You will want to work with Olympia School District to identify where that bus stop might be," Moorehead said.

Transportation

Senior engineering plans examiner Tiffani King noted the site has no street connectivity issue. She said the parcel to the south is owned by the neighborhood association and Puget Sound Energy. The park to the east and the stormwater pond to the north also has no road connection issues.

King told the applicant to maintain two connection points to the park property. "There will be people traveling on those pathways. This puts you into a higher classification of the neighborhood connector standards."

She said the recreational pedestrian should be the standard, typically gravel path. However, King asked the applicant to upgrade that path to pavement, either asphalt or concrete, to keep the width.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here