Isthmus Development Appeal Filed by Former Governors

photos by Janine Gates
Above: View of the isthmus area from the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial on the State Capitol Campus in Olympia.

Olympia - A petition for review of the proposed Olympia rezone of the downtown isthmus was filed last week with the Growth Management Review Board. Three former Washington State governors, Albert Rosellini, Dan Evans, and Booth Gardner, along with former Secretary of State Ralph Munro, joined in the appeal.

On December 16, 2008, the Olympia city council voted 5 - 2 to amend the Olympia Comprehensive Plan to allow for buildings greater than 35 feet in height on the narrow strip of land separating Capitol Lake and Budd Inlet. Triway Enterprises owns the land and sought the rezone to build five to seven story buildings for 141 condominium units. Despite overwhelming community opposition, the Olympia city council voted to approve the rezone.

According to the petition filed February 13th, the rezone violates the Growth Management Act, the Shoreline Management Act, the State Environmental Policy Act and the Open Public Meetings Act.

In part, the petition reads, "The proposed heights of 65 feet and 90 feet in the Olympia Isthmus violate the law and policy of the State Capitol Campus, and the rezone fails to avoid piecemeal and uncoordinated development of the Olympia Isthmus property....negating the statewide interest in preserving and enhancing the design and plans for the State Capitol Campus, preserving and enhancing the public views from and to the State Capitol Campus, the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains."



The petitioners request that the Growth Management Board reverse the Comprehensive Plan amendment and retain the 35 foot height limit in the Olympia Isthmus.

In related news, the House cancelled this Wednesday's Local Government and Housing committee hearing on isthmus bills HB 2081 and HB 2082. The Senate Government Operations and Elections Committee will still hold its hearing on its isthmus bills, SB 5800 and SB5799, on Thursday, February 19, at 3:30 p.m. in Hearing Room 2, Cherberg Building.

Karen Veldheer announces candidacy for Olympia city council

Photo by Janine Gates
Olympia - January 26, 2009

Karen Veldheer announced her candidacy for Olympia City Council last night at a meeting of the Coalition for Neighborhood Association steering committee. Veldheer serves on the committee as a homeowner and representative of the Cooper Crest Community Neighborhood Association.

In her statement to the committee, Veldheer resigned from the committee to run for office.

Veldheer said, "Olympia is a great city and has a great wealth of community knowledge and energy. People spend a great deal of time and energy studying critical local issues and they often feel like they are not heard. This is tragedy in a city with such a rich history of public involvement. City business can and should be done better. I pledge to work to build public confidence and listen to public input."

"I will continue to work with the City to make the the necessary repairs to homes in Cooper Crest and to serve as the Cooper Crest representative to the CNA. Thank you for all of the support and I look forward to seeing you all as I begin this new phase of my life," Veldheer concluded.

Veldheer, a married mother of five and an Olympia resident since May 2005, is best known for the difficulties she has had with the builders of her home on the Westside of Olympia. Other neighbors have had similar problems and have made those problems known to current Olympia city council members.

Veldheer wrote about the plight of homeowners at Cooper Crest in an article in the September/October 2008 issue of the South Sound Green Pages. In the article, she details the failure of the stormwater management system, the use of non-native landscaping, and other promised features characteristic of a low impact development.

The article can be read at http://www.oly-wa.us/greenpages.