Proposed Hilton on Henderson Concerns Neighbors

Above: At a community meeting last night, Wildwood Neighborhood Association members look over the proposed plans for a Hilton Garden Inn on Henderson Boulevard.

By Janine Unsoeld

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Members of the Wildwood Neighborhood Association came out in force last night to learn more about a land use application recently submitted to the City of Olympia for a proposed Hilton Garden Inn. The public meeting held at city hall allowed citizens to ask questions of city staff and representatives for the hotel applicant, Capitol Hospitality, LLC.

The construction of the 122-unit hotel on Henderson Boulevard near Watershed Park is proposed to be five stories and is expected to provide 115 parking spaces and employ 25 people.
 

Janae Huber, president of the Wildwood Neighborhood Association, submitted a three page letter to the city citing numerous concerns about the project. The association of 200 households borders I-5, Capitol Boulevard going toward Tumwater, Moss Lake, Trillium Park, and Watershed Park.

Various property owners have come and gone over the past few years for this parcel, and development proposals have included office buildings, restaurants, multi-family dwellings, and a hotel, the latter of which resulted in the clearing of the property and the building of a roundabout on Henderson Boulevard. The clearing of the property has caused the neighborhood additional noise pollution from I-5.

Neighbors asked questions regarding construction and operations noise, traffic impacts, stormwater plans and environmental impacts to nearby trails, Watershed Park, Moxlie Creek, and Moss Lake, signage and light pollution, building design and color schemes, and more.

Leonard Smith of PacWest Engineering represented the applicant, who was unable to attend the meeting. Smith said that he was pleased to have this level of interest in the property.

"We want to hear your ideas, comments and concerns and we will give them serious consideration - we're here to listen," he said. Regarding the current noise pollution, he said that the hotel, when completed, will in fact act as a noise buffer. Neighbors were polite but weren't quite buying it.

 

Above: The view of Olympia as seen from the bridge over Capitol Way of I-5, heading north near Exit 105. The Eastside water tower can be seen in the distance. The trees on the right border the Wildwood neighborhood and are in the area of the proposed Hilton Garden Inn. Neighbors are concerned about the hotel's height, signage, visibility and impact on neighborhood homes.

 

Another citizen asked about the noise from refrigeration trucks that need to run all night in the parking lot. Hotel representatives said they don't see that being a problem.

Don Johnson of DJ Architecture said that the facility will be a business-class, high-end facility that is typical of other Hilton Garden Inns around the country and will include a pool, restaurant, a small bar and lounge, and fitness facility for its guests.

The Hilton Garden Inn website lists six other Garden Inns that have recently opened, and 14 more are listed as upcoming, located throughout the United States, Turkey, the Russian Federation, China, and India. It also says, "All Hilton Garden Inn locations strive to be involved in our local communities."
 
Asked by another citizen why Olympia needs another hotel, representatives referred to the city's zoning and wishes of the city council to allow growth in this area.

Johnson said that it has been determined that there is a shortage of rooms in this area and added his opinion that "the hotels here are old and rundown, not the kind that people want to stay in." 

While Johnson said many of the building features are dictated by the franchise, he does have some flexibility when it comes to exterior colors. The colors on display at this meeting included "Super White," "Spectrum Brown," and "Whisper."

Geoff Glass, a representative of the Woodland Trail Greenway Association, expressed his concern that this area is the epicenter of the city's proposed trail network, and that it sounds like the hotel representatives have "lost the spirit of the benefit" of being able to develop in this area.

"Maybe you don't understand the benefit the trail has to Hilton - think about the connections - it's an amazing amenity for this building. Your collaboration with the city would be appreciated," said Glass.

In about three weeks, a city site plan review committee will review the project and make comments. City of Olympia senior planner Cari Hornbein said that after that review, staff will most likely have further questions of the applicant. She tasked herself, based on the comments heard, to continue researching the project's impact on parks and trails.
 
She also said the project must also be reviewed by the Olympia's Design Review Board, which is currently scheduled for November 14.

The city invites comments and participation in the review of the project. Comments and inquiries regarding the proposal, File Number 13-0089, can be directed to Cari Hornbein, City of Olympia Community Planning and Development, 601 4^th Avenue E., PO Box 1967 Olympia, WA 98501, or go to the city's website at  www.olywa.gov for more information.

Above: The roundabout on Henderson Boulevard and a partial road and sidewalk indicate previous efforts to develop this property near I-5 and Watershed Park.

A letter submitted to the city from the Wildwood Neighborhood Association says, in part, "Critical nearby watersheds are little or not acknowledged in application materials. The neighborhood would like to see analysis of watershed impacts and significantly greater attention to water treatment and runoff during construction and operations" noting that Moss Lake is both a surface watershed and comprises significant area groundwater, and Moxlie Creek is a salmon-bearing creek.

 

Washington State Senate Honors 50th Anniversary of Americans on Everest

 

Above, from left: Jolene Unsoeld, Lt. Governor Brad Owen, Jim Whittaker, and Dianne Roberts in the Washington State Senate chambers after the passage of Senate Resolution 8655 last week.

by Janine Unsoeld
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

In one of many recent, national acknowledgements of the 50th anniversary of Americans on Everest, the Washington State Senate commemorated the historical event by passing Senate Resolution 8655 last week.

In attendance were Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mt. Everest in 1963, his wife Dianne Roberts, and Jolene Unsoeld, widow of Willi Unsoeld, who, with Tom Hornbein, summitted Mt. Everest three weeks after Whittaker via a first-ascent of the West Ridge route.

Jolene Unsoeld is a former Washington State representative and United States Congresswoman. A similar resolution, HR 4650, was passed in the House the same day.

Several senators spoke in support of the resolution, which was initiated by Senator Karen Fraser. Fraser said she was inspired to write the resolution because of Washington state's deep ties to the expedition, noting that a large percentage of those involved were from Washington State, and later built their careers here. Many Washington State individuals and companies contributed cash and gave in-kind contributions, including beer, candy, clothing, and supplies, and the team trained and tested equipment at Mt. Rainier.

Senator Curtis King of Yakima noted that the Yakima Rotary Club gave the expedition money; Senator Mike Hargrove showed off a 1963 National Geographic, saying he was not quite ten years old when the ascent was made, but the event got him fascinated in geography. Senator Rodney Tom, a three time summitter of Mt. Rainier, thanked the Sherpas on the expedition, and Senator Kohl-Welles said she once met Sherpa Nawang Gombu who guided her husband up to summit Mt. Rainier.

SENATE RESOLUTION 8655

By Senators Fraser, Hargrove, Honeyford, Kohl-Welles, King, Keiser, Tom, Kline, Parlette, Sheldon, Brown, Pearson, Murray, Dammeier, Mullet, Chase, Hill, Padden, Fain, Ranker, Baumgartner, Shin, Hobbs, Eide, Nelson, McAuliffe, Hasegawa, Conway, Harper, Schlicher, Darneille, Rivers, Cleveland, Rolfes, Becker, Schoesler, Holmquist Newbry, Braun, Roach, Litzow, Benton, Hewitt, Ericksen, Smith, and Bailey
 

WHEREAS, During May 2013, many Washingtonians will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the nationally and globally acclaimed successes of the 1963 American Mt. Everest Expedition, because Washington climbers achieved its most notable successes, and Washingtonians enthusiastically supported this historic achievement in many ways; and

WHEREAS, Members of this Expedition are famed for four unprecedented mountaineering

achievements:

(1) On May 1, Jim Whittaker, a Washington State native, climbing with Sherpa Nawang Gombu by the South Col route, became the first American to reach Everest's 29,028 foot summit, the highest point on Earth;

(2) On May 22, Willi Unsoeld, who would become a faculty member at The Evergreen State College, and Tom Hornbein, who returned from Everest to the faculty at the University of Washington School of Medicine, pioneered the unprecedented and exceptionally difficult West Ridge route to the summit and descended by the South Col route to complete the first traverse of a major Himalayan peak;

(3) A few hours earlier that same day, Lute Jerstad, a former Washington resident, and Barry Bishop of Washington D.C. reached the summit by the South Col route; and

(4) Both teams were benighted during the descent, Unsoeld and Hornbein catching up with Jerstad and Bishop. All four survived an unplanned and unprecedented all-night bivouac above 28,000 feet without oxygen, tents, or food, and Unsoeld and Bishop suffered severe frostbite; and

WHEREAS, These mountaineering achievements are successes of the human spirit, involving supreme human effort, extraordinary physical capability and endurance, clear vision and goals, intense determination and focus, superior teamwork, high tolerance for discomfort and danger, and exceptional organizational and logistical preparation; and

WHEREAS, These mountaineering achievements are also the successes of the highly appreciated, dedicated, expert Sherpa climbers who accompanied and supported the members of the Expedition; and

WHEREAS, Human survival at the upper elevations of Mt. Everest is possible only for brief periods of time because the air contains roughly one-third of the oxygen density of sea level, temperatures are generally around negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and hurricane force winds are frequent; and

WHEREAS, Throughout the 109 days of the Expedition, the team steadily engaged in scientific research relating to physiology, psychology, sociology, geology, and glaciology; and

WHEREAS, The Expedition's worldwide acclaim included recognition by President Kennedy at a White House ceremony, by the National Geographic Society, by King Mahendra of Nepal, by the United States Ambassador to Nepal Henry Stebbins, by India Prime Minister Nehru, by the United States Ambassador to India John Kenneth Galbraith, by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, by mountaineering organizations throughout the world, by major news media around the world, and more; and

WHEREAS, The people of Washington State played a very significant role in the historic successes of the Expedition, through team members with deep Washington ties, including Barry Prather of Ellensburg and John Breitenbach who attended the University of Washington and tragically died when a massive wall of ice in the Khumbu icefall shifted and buried him in tons of ice blocks; through many contributions of cash and in-kind donations from Washington businesses, organizations, and individuals; through Washington State's United States Senator Warren G. Magnuson serving on the Expedition's Advisory Committee; through the Expedition's training and equipment testing taking place at Mount Rainier; and more; and

WHEREAS, Washingtonians' outdoor recreation heritage of hiking, climbing, and camping in the State's extensive mountain ranges, and the widespread appreciation by Washingtonians of the State's beautiful mountains and stately snowy peaks, served as the inspiration for and enthusiastic support of the Expedition in 1963;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate, on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the historic first American ascent of Mt. Everest:

(1) Congratulate members of this historic Expedition Jim Whittaker, Nawang Gombu, Willi Unsoeld, Tom Hornbein, Lute Jerstad, Barry Bishop, and all those who supported them;

(2) Express appreciation to all Washingtonians, to the hundreds of others from around the country who assisted its achievements, and to Norman G. Dyhrenfurth who, with his determination and genius, organized and led the Expedition; and

(3) Encourage Washingtonians to continue to engage in outdoor recreation in Washington's welcoming mountain ranges and to continue to appreciate their splendor and be inspired to greatness by them; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to Jim Whittaker, Jolene Unsoeld, Tom Hornbein, Norman G. Dyhrenfurth, to the other four surviving members of the team, and to the surviving widows or nearest of kin of the team members now deceased.

 

I, Hunter G. Goodman, Secretary of the Senate, do hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of Senate Resolution 8655, adopted by the Senate

 

April 16, 2013

HUNTER G. GOODMAN

Secretary of the Senate

Above, from left: Tom Hornbein, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Jolene Unsoeld, and Jim Whittaker at a 50th Anniversary celebration of Americans on Everest in Seattle on April 20, 2013. Sponsored by The Mountaineers, the event honored Jim Whittaker, who was presented with The Mountaineers Lifetime Achievement Award.

 

 

Above, from left: Jim Whittaker, Norman Gunter Dyhrenfurth, Tom Hornbein, Jolene Unsoeld, and David Dingman at the 50th Anniversary on Americans on Everest held in the San Fransisco area, sponsored by the American Alpine Club and Eddie Bauer in February 2013.