Above: For a wedding scheduled on August 1, 2015, scores
of guests parked at Marathon Park and along Deschutes Parkway, walked across
the road through oncoming traffic, then crossed the railroad tracks, seen here, to reach their destination at the Grande Terrace.
By Janine Gates
Grande Terrace on Capitol Lake, a downtown Olympia wedding
and event venue, violated the conditions of a temporary use permit issued to
operator Bart Zier last August, says the City of Olympia.
The city issued the permit to the properties at 915
and 1007 Deschutes Parkway SE in order to authorize five weddings scheduled for
August 15, 16, 22, 29, and September 12.
According to the city’s letter which was sent to
Zier yesterday, city staff inspected the property for compliance with the
conditions of approval on the Friday before each event. On each visit, staff confirmed that for each
event, the same conditions of approval were violated.
The letter details several violations including the use
of Burlington Northern Railroad property during the events, hours of operation
and noise violations, lack of provisions for accessible parking, and a lack of
written documentation of a current food handler’s permit, conformance of onsite
septic requirements, and adequate restroom facilities.
The city was also provided a courtesy copy of a
September notice of violation from the Thurston County Public Health Department
outlining violations of Thurston County sanitary codes.
In addition, on July 30, work occurred within a
known archaeological site that was not reported to the state Department of
Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP), tribes, and other interested
parties. That matter is currently under investigation by DAHP.
“This pattern of violations…together with violations
that occurred during the summer of 2014, unauthorized site improvements and
construction of a concrete pad in support of a commercial use, unauthorized
improvements on railroad property, disruption of the peace and welfare of
surrounding residences, and threats to public health – will be given serious
consideration by the City should you apply for permits in the future.
“While the City allowed events to take place in
August and September out of consideration to the wedding parties and their
families, this will not be the case in the future as there are no active approvals
for such uses at this time. Be advised that the subject properties used for
Grande Terrace are zoned for residential use and are not to be used for
commercial purposes. Because you do not have a conditional use permit, any
related activities such as marketing and scheduling events must cease
immediately,” says the letter written by city senior planner Cari Hornbein.
Above: A staff member directed people and traffic
over the railroad tracks and to the wedding site on August 1, 2015.
Prior to the permit issuance, Zier did not have a
permit to operate, and continued to market the venue, give tours of the property to interested parties, sign contractual agreements, and accept thousands of dollars from unsuspecting brides and grooms and their families.
Some brides were notified by Little Hollywood in advance of their weddings and were able to get
out of their agreements and receive full or partial refunds. One lucky wedding
party was glad to switch their event to the Indian Summer Golf & Country Club on Yelm
Highway.
Other wedding parties weren’t so lucky, and were hustled at the last minute to Zier’s other venue, the Grand Holiday Ballroom, on 4th
Avenue.
Above: Scores of guests parked along Deschutes Parkway and nearby at Marathon Park for a wedding on August 1, 2015 at the Grande Terrace venue. As parking nearest the venue grew scarce, some guests parked, crossed over Deschutes Parkway from cars seen here at the top of this picture, and walked the length of the railroad tracks to reach the main road up to the site.
Video by Little Hollywood also shows a driver doing a U turn on the railroad tracks and resting there for some time after being told by a staff person stationed near the road that there was no more room to park closer to the venue.
For past articles about the Grande Terrace on Capitol Lake, including pictures and stories by upset brides, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type key words into the search engine.
