On Wednesday, the Olympia Site Plan Review Committee heard the Salvation Army's proposal to build 61 affordable apartments for seniors at 821 Fourth Avenue East.
In the narrative, the site is undeveloped and occasionally used as a gravel surface parking lot by nearby Salvation Army staff.
The proposal is to construct a new six-story senior house building with 61 one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, ground floor offices, tenant community rooms, and other tenant common areas for socialization, with each residential unit to be approximately 500 to 600 square feet in size.
John Putre of SMR Architects wanted to get more information about the city code relating to the development and asked the committee for some guidance on the design review and specific requirements for the project.
Olympia's Associate Planner Paula Smith told the applicant that building apartments is permitted in the general commercial zoning district. A board-level design review is required because it is located in the downtown design review district.
The project could designate Fourth Avenue and Pear Streets as front property lines, while the west and south boundaries would serve as side property lines.
The project is allowed 85% of building coverage, and the maximum height permitted would be 75 feet.
Smith noted that the site is in the exempt parking area. It means residential uses are exempt from providing parking.
The city planner added that there are no bicycle parking requirements for senior housing but encouraged the applicant to provide those types of services for the tenants to secure their bicycles.
"Seniors are known to ride bikes. I would highly encourage you to provide those, Smith said.
The project would be constructed on two lots owned by the Salvation Army. Smith advised the applicant to submit for boundary line adjustment to consolidate those lots.
Senior Engineering Plans Examiner Tiffani King said the project does not require a traffic impact analysis, but frontage improvements will be required.
King added that Fourth Avenue and Pear Street would be treated as commercial collector standards requiring a 10-foot sidewalk. She noted that Fourth Avenue has more than the necessary sidewalk width. However, the corner will need bulb-out with directional pedestrian ramps and allowances for the bus shelter.
Regarding the Fourth Avenue sidewalk, Smith said tree-lined vegetation strips are in place. If the trees are in good shape, they can be preserved, and the sidewalk can be adjusted to a minimum width of six feet, incorporating the planting strip. However, if the trees need to be removed, alternative options, such as a wider sidewalk with a planting strip, will be explored.
Affordable Housing Program Manager Jacinda Steltjes told the applicant team that the project is eligible for development incentives. The city offers up to 80% exemption on school and transportation impact fees.
The LOTT Clean Water Alliance's pilot program offers a 50% discount on LOTT connection fees for affordable housing development projects.
Steltjes noted that the project is located in one of the multifamily tax exemption (MFTE program) target areas, allowing for a tax exemption for 12 years.
Currently, the program requires at least 20% of units to be affordable, with a maximum income limit of 115% area median income (AMI).
Steltjes added that the program is subject to potential changes. It may transition to 100% affordability at 80% of AMI.
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