Mistake on the Lake Deconstruction Underway

Above: The ongoing deconstruction of downtown Olympia’s much reviled nine story building provides a surreal view through the building’s framework to Budd Inlet, Puget Sound, and the Olympic Mountains. The almost unencumbered view has not been seen since 1964.

Mistake on the Lake by the Numbers

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The scene is surreal.

With window frames and outer metal sheathing removed, a stunning sight looking north from the Washington State Capitol Campus toward Budd Inlet, Puget Sound, and the Olympic Mountains is revealed through the building’s framework for the first time since 1964.

It is a visual tease that will not last long and gives false hope to those who may think that downtown Olympia’s much reviled nine story building is coming down once and for all.

We are talking about, of course, the building best known as the Mistake on the Lake, or the Capitol Center Building. The building at 410 Fifth Avenue is now known as Views on Fifth.

The owner, Ken Brogan, his investors, and representatives successfully navigated city permit processes and appeals to create a mixed-use commercial and residential building of the same height and two, three story buildings nearby.

City staff said on Monday that they do not have a schedule for the project, but estimate that it should take about a year to complete.

Above: A City of Olympia hearing examiner approved the redevelopment proposal for Views on Fifth. A public hearing on the project held January 9 lasted nearly six hours, with one five minute break. Hundreds of community members were in attendance.

Although the project could have been handled by the city, the building is so controversial that the city deferred to a hearing examiner to determine whether the proposed project is a permitted use within the urban waterfront-housing zone, and if it complies with all city codes.

“The Capitol Center Building is unattractive and its location is truly unfortunate. In a perfect world it never would have been constructed, and it could not be constructed today,” wrote City of Olympia hearing examiner Mark Scheibmeir, in his decision dated February 2.

The building cost two million dollars when construction started in 1964 and was completed in 1966. Although the state department of archeology and historic preservation deemed that it was eligible for the national register in 2013, it was never listed.

Above: The deconstruction of the nine story building as seen earlier this week in downtown Olympia.

Mistake on the Lake by the Numbers

2,000 + pages of case documents were available to the hearing examiner related to the redevelopment project.

$1,500 dollars was spent on overtime for additional City of Olympia police presence the night of the hearing on January 9. Despite advance chatter of possible disruptions, there were no known police actions related to the meeting.

1,022 new weekday daily trips are expected to be generated by the project. The applicant will mitigate the traffic impacts by payment of a traffic impact fee of $167,224.83.

248 wooden pilings are under the Capitol Center Building, according to a civil and structural engineer for the applicant. The timber is sound, according to a 2012 analysis.

200 feet from the Ordinary High Water Mark of Budd Inlet is a northeast parking lot adjacent to the project. It is owned by several individuals, some of whom own Views on Fifth through a different corporation. Ownership of the parking lot was jettisoned by the applicant, ostensibly to circumvent scrutiny by the city and state Shoreline Management Act jurisdiction. The applicant asserted that there was no evidence in the project record suggesting improper future ‘piecemealing.’ Just in case, the hearing examiner added a condition that precludes the applicant from using the parking lot for commercial use without undergoing a Shoreline Management Act review. This does not include parking on the property.

143 units of rental apartments are anticipated, some of which are defined as live/work spaces. These are defined in International Building Code as a dwelling unit or sleeping unit in which a significant portion of the space includes a nonresidential use that is operated by the tenant.

60 percent (over) of Olympians voted for the creation of a Metropolitan Park District in 2016. Purchase of the Capitol Center Building was specifically part of the ballot language, with the hope the area could be made into a park. 

15 feet is the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) of the southeast corner of the Capitol Center Building, which lies within a Flood Zone. City ordinance requires the Capitol Center Building to be flood proofed up to 16 feet BFE, or one foot. Sea level rise in downtown Olympia is predicted to be one foot by the year 2050.

7 former Governors of the State of Washington, some of whom who have since passed away, represented by local attorney Allen Miller, who want the building removed: Albert Rosellini (deceased, 2011), Dan Evans, John Spellman (deceased, January 26, 2018), Booth Gardner (deceased, 2013), Mike Lowry (deceased, 2017), Gary Locke and Christine Gregoire.

7 magnitude earthquakes are the standard for minimum design loads for buildings and other structures in Western Washington, relied upon by the International Building Code and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). 

6.8 was the magnitude of the Nisqually earthquake in 2001. The Pacific Northwest is overdue for an earthquake larger than magnitude 7. Current simulations and research generally focus on the possibility of a magnitude 9 for the region.

For more photos and information about the Views on Fifth, or the Views on 5th, Mistake on the Lake, Capitol Center Building, owner Ken Brogan, downtown Olympia, sea level rise, flood events, King Tides, the proposed hotel, or the isthmus, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, and type key words into the search button.

Editor's Note/Clarifications, June 19: Little Hollywood made a couple numerical corrections to this story. Little Hollywood appreciates the feedback.

Above: Children play in the Heritage Fountain in downtown Olympia earlier this week.

Approved: Mistake on the Lake Redevelopment

Above: The 100 foot, nine-story Mistake on the Lake obscures the stunning Olympic Mountain range, as seen from the Washington State Capitol Campus in January. Adding two 35 foot buildings to the scene, a City of Olympia hearing examiner approved a redevelopment proposal for the building. A public hearing on the project was held January 9 and lasted nearly six hours.

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

“The Capitol Center Building is unattractive and its location is truly unfortunate. In a perfect world it never would have been constructed, and it could not be constructed today....Although I share in the popular dislike for this building I am left with no alternative but to grant it the same protection given to every other nonconforming building,” wrote City of Olympia hearing examiner Mark Scheibmeir. 

Scheibmeir’s decision, dated February 2, approved a controversial, proposed mixed-use redevelopment for the building by developer Ken Brogan.

Although the application could have been handled by the city, the nine-story building on the isthmus in downtown Olympia is so controversial that the city deferred to a hearing examiner to determine whether the proposed project is a permitted use within the urban waterfront-housing zone and complies with all city codes. 

Approval for the proposed housing and commercial project, Views on Fifth, is subject to some routine conditions.

In a previous case upon which Scheibmeir based some of his decisions, another city hearing examiner, Tom Bjorgen, called the building an “errant thumb” on the landscape. 

A nearly six hour hearing about the proposed project was held January 9 at The Olympia Center with over 200 community members in attendance.

“Refusing to allow this project to go forward in the absence of any conflict with the Comprehensive Plan or noncompliance with development regulations, just to encourage the removal of the building, would constitute a taking. This would impose a significant, involuntary burden on the city – a burden it has declined to voluntarily take,” wrote Scheibmeir.

In June, 2017, representatives for Views on Fifth submitted an application to change the proposed use of the existing Capitol Center Building from an earlier proposed hotel to a multi-family residential development, and to develop the rest of the project site into a mixed use commercial residential project called “Views on Fifth.”

The city made a State Environmental Policy Act determination of non-significance for the project in early December, 2017, which was appealed by attorney Allen Miller, on behalf of several clients, that same month. That appeal was denied by the hearing examiner on January 25.

Above: David Nicandri signs in to testify at the proposed Views on Fifth land use public hearing held January 9 at The Olympia Center in downtown Olympia. Nicandri testified in favor of the redevelopment.

Numerous individuals and representatives of organizations testified against and in support of the redevelopment of the Capitol Center Building. 

Supporters said the project contributes to sustainability, economic revitalization in downtown, and long-term Growth Management Act goals.

Todd Cutts, executive director for the Olympia Downtown Association, said his board endorsed the project, saying more foot traffic is needed downtown. 

Joanna West, chair of the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce, which also endorsed the project, called it a “unique moment for Olympia.”

David Nicandri challenged testimony about the original Wilder and White and Olmsted concept plans and spoke to the environmental challenges of demolishing the building.

Nicandri spent 25 years leading the Washington State Historical Society, was the founding president of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, and currently sits on the City of Tumwater Historic Preservation Commission.

In the late 1970s, he incorporated Citizens to Save the Thurston County Courthouse, resulting in an effort that successfully sued the state of Washington to preserve the building on Capitol Way. 

“In that case, you had another building…so incongruous, so ugly, so poorly designed in comparison to the state capitol group that it did not deserve to remain on the landscape. It was intended to be demolished because it would obscure views of the capital from the east campus, what eventually became the state Department of Natural Resources building. Of course, in the greatest irony, at present the state office of archaeology and historic preservation is housed in that building.”

Scheibmeir stated that the proposed redevelopment meets all codes, even to scenic views.

“It might be argued that the two additional buildings, the Southwest Building and the Northwest Building, impair existing scenic views, but the view analysis provided by the applicant…adequately demonstrates that the views toward Capitol Lake and the Capitol from 4th Avenue are not worsened by these additional buildings,” wrote Scheibmeir in his decision.

Above: A screenshot of the proposed Views on Fifth and two additional 35 foot buildings as seen from the northwest corner of Fourth Avenue and Simmons Street. 

For more photos and information about Views on Fifth, or the Views on 5^th, Mistake on the Lake, Capitol Center Building, owner Ken Brogan, downtown Olympia, sea level rise, flood events, King Tides, the proposed hotel, or the isthmus, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, and type key words into the search button.

Mistake on the Lake Redevelopment Public Hearing Tuesday

Above: The proposed redevelopment of the nine story building best known as the “Mistake on the Lake” in downtown Olympia will be getting a public hearing on Tuesday, January 9, 6:30 p.m., at The Olympia Center, 222 Columbia St. NW, in downtown Olympia. Photo was taken from the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial on the Capitol Campus looking north in July, 2017.

-Hearing on Tuesday Evening Could Attract Hundreds 
-Sea Level Rise, Flooding, Traffic, Other Concerns About Project

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The proposed redevelopment of the nine story building best known as the “Mistake on the Lake” in downtown Olympia will be getting a public hearing in front of a city hearing examiner on Tuesday, January 9, 6:30 p.m., at The Olympia Center, 222 Columbia St. NW, in Rooms A and B, in downtown Olympia.

No, the building is not going away anytime soon. Instead, public comment will be taken about a proposed mixed use redevelopment project submitted by applicant Ken Brogan in 2016 to provide 140 market rate apartments, a ground floor restaurant, and retail space. 

A nearby one story building will be demolished and two new mixed use buildings will be constructed. The two new buildings will meet the current 35 foot height limit for that area and with some exceptions, reach higher.

The 100 foot, nine story building was built in 1965 as a bank before Olympia had a planning commission. It later served as an office building for the Washington State Department of Corrections and has been vacant since 2006.

The area proposed to be redeveloped is located between Fourth and Fifth Avenue, bounded by Sylvester Street and Simmons Street near the present day Heritage Park Fountain on what is called “the isthmus,” although it really isn't an isthmus. 

The narrow strip of land was created from fill in the early 1900s and is located in a flood zone between Capitol Lake and Budd Inlet.

The city owns two acres on the western part of the isthmus that the city purchased for a park and cleared of vacant buildings. 

The city issued a “determination of non-significance” for the proposed project and received approval from the city’s site plan review committee on November 29, 2017. 

In support of its case, city staff submitted a packet with 25 attachments to the city’s hearing examiner. After hearing the case and public comment, the hearing examiner will review the city’s findings and issue a determination on the land use approval permit at a later date.

While many are looking forward to the redevelopment project, many others have hoped and worked for years toward the building’s demolition to restore the scenic view north to Budd Inlet and the Olympic Mountains. 

The community has grown weary of the building’s blighted presence and past pie-in-the-sky proposals for redevelopment, but given strong feelings the community has about the building, hundreds of people could attend Tuesday’s hearing. 

Above: The applicant’s drawing of the proposed redevelopment from a southwest viewpoint.

While the city works to develop a sea level rise plan, it continues to allow the development of several new projects, including the proposed Views on 5th, within an area that is expected to be inundated with water from sea level rise.

In recent history, several city council members who supported a massive proposed development called Larida Passage on the isthmus in 2009 were voted out of office, replaced by those who supported the vision of a park. 

“We could be stuck with this nine-story eyesore for another fifty years,” says Jerry Reilly of the Olympia Capitol Park Foundation, a non-profit that has been working to get the building demolished.

“The plan to place residences in a high hazard earthquake liquefaction zone is foolhardy. Moreover, it is extremely short sighted to build apartments in a flood plain that will be regularly inundated during the high tides that will come with sea level rise. The project will constrain and make more expensive future efforts of the city to protect downtown from sea level rise and to maintain the vital transportation link to the west side, a cost that will be borne by all Olympia taxpayers. Finally, the height of the building violates the historic view corridor established by the Olmsted Brothers and Wilder and White in the design of the State Capitol Campus,” says Reilly.

Reilly is disappointed that the city has not kept all its promises.

“In November 2015, Olympians passed, with a 60 percent vote, creation of the new Metropolitan Park District and taxing authority, in part, based upon belief that this would enable to city to buy and remove the existing building.”

City Determination of Non-Significance Appealed

Local attorney Allen Miller met a December 26 deadline to appeal the city’s determination of non-significance.

Miller, representing several former governors, former City of Olympia mayor Bob Jacobs, the National Association of Olmsted Parks, Friends of Seattle’s Olmstead Parks and others, states that the State Environmental Policy Act checklist ignores the architectural history of the Capitol Campus, blocks views from the Temple of Justice and is in the shoreline jurisdiction.

His says the building should be removed and replaced with a civic space due to community desire. His 161 page appeal details concerns related to sea level rise, liquefaction, and the need for transportation and utility corridors.

The Behind the Badge Foundation, also represented by Miller, asked the city to avoid making a decision that would change the landscape of the area. The Behind the Badge Foundation was involved in the creation of and maintains the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial on the Capitol Campus. The memorial faces a stunning view north toward Budd Inlet and Puget Sound.

Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks said replacement of the old tower with a new tower would perpetuate an existing visual obstruction to historic views from the Capitol Campus. 

The city responded to this concern in its application to the hearing examiner saying that the reuse of the tower is consistent with the nonconforming structure provisions in city code.

“Although not required by municipal code, the project includes efforts to reduce the visual impacts of the tower from the Capitol Campus. The applicant proposes to reduce the bulk of the rooftop mechanical equipment area and wrap the building in a glass curtain wall so that it will blend in with the surrounding colors of the sky and water,” says the city in its staff report to the hearing examiner.

Above: Looking south, a relatively tame storm surge from Budd Inlet to the north spilled over onto Sylvester Street in downtown Olympia in March 2016, reaching 4th Avenue and the Oyster House restaurant. The nine story Capitol Center Building and another vacant building, above, are also in the flood zone.

Addressing sea level rise concerns from Budd Inlet, the city says the project will be required to comply with the sea level rise requirements in current code. Regarding flooding associated with Capitol Lake, the project proposes to use dry flood proofing measures, which will be reviewed with the building permit application.

The traffic impact analysis anticipates that the project will generate 1,072 weekday daily trips. The weekday morning peak hour will experience an increase of 85 trips, and afternoon peak hour will experience an increase of 65 peak trips. This is intended to be offset by the addition of a turn lane on Simmons Avenue, says the city.

The city says the transportation impact analysis submitted by the applicant adequately addresses anticipated impacts to traffic and that the proposal is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan’s growth strategy for downtown.

Staff refers to the city’s 2016 Parks, Arts & Recreation Plan that discusses the Heritage Park Fountain and isthmus parcels.

“While the plan acknowledges that there is some community support for continued land acquisition for park features on the isthmus, it does not establish policies to do so. Instead, it looks to outcomes of the Community Renewal Area process and Downtown Strategy to help determine the appropriate city involvement in revitalization of this site. The plan supports the redevelopment and continual removal of blight in the isthmus area.”

Above: The northwest view of the block from the sidewalk near Simmons Street, across from Bayview Market as seen on January 3, 2018.

Above: The applicant's drawing of the northwest view for the proposed Views on 5th project.

“In a perfect world, this parcel would become a public space and this horrendous building would be demolished. In lieu of that, I hope the City of Olympia will send this ill-advised proposal back to the drawing board. I am not against development at this site. However, development should be scaled to fit its setting, and this is simply not the place for a massive tower. It never was,” writes Sam Wotipka of Olympia, in his comment letter to the city.

One person who is excited about the redevelopment project is Kevin Stormans, president of Stormans, Inc. and owner of Bayview Thriftway, which is located kitty-corner to the site.

“We will be able to provide them with grocery services without having to get in their cars, helping to reduce their carbon footprint and impacts on traffic all around the city....While previous development proposals for the site have not been perfect, they would have been much preferred over the current situation, and the latest Views on Fifth proposal represents our best chance to revitalize the area and address nearly all of the legitimate concerns most members of the community have about developing this area,” Stormans wrote the city on December 20, 2017. 

Little Hollywood last wrote about the project,“Mistake on the Lake Redevelopment Plans Underway,” on July 14, 2017 at https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com/2017/07/mistake-on-the-lake-redevelopment-plans.html

For more information and previous stories and photos by Little Hollywood since 2009 about the Mistake on the Lake, aka the Capitol Center Building, now Views on 5th, Larida Passage, Ken Brogan, Jerry Reilly, Behind the Badge Foundation, the isthmus, sea level rise issues, the Downtown Strategy, Community Renewal Area, flood elevation requirements, downtown flooding, king tides and storm surges, go to www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type key words into the search engine.

For more information about the project from the City of Olympia, contact Nicole Floyd, senior planner, (360) 570-3768 or nfloyd@ci.olympia.wa.us.

Mistake on the Lake Redevelopment Plans Underway

Above: Built in 1965 and vacant for about eleven years, the blighted nine story building in downtown Olympia, known as the Mistake on the Lake, is not so visible from the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial on Thursday as Capital Lakefair wrapped up for the evening. The building is intensely disliked by many community members. Many have worked for years toward the building’s demolition to restore the scenic view north to Budd Inlet and the Olympic Mountains.  

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The nine story building in downtown Olympia is not going away. It’s going to be redeveloped and it’s going to be great.

That was the message by local developer Ken Brogan and his architect, Ron Thomas, who presented their land use plans and architectural drawings at a city organized community meeting held on Wednesday evening at Olympia City Hall.

The project at 410 5th Avenue is bounded by 4th Avenue West, 5th Avenue SW, Simmons Street SW, just south of Bayview Market, and Sylvester Street NW, which is next to the Heritage Park Fountain.

It is planned to provide 138 new residences and a mix of ground floor restaurant and retail spaces. A vacant single story structure will be demolished and two new mixed use buildings will be built with onsite parking.

City staff kept a tight lid on the evening, allowing plenty of time for questions and answers, but also making it clear that the meeting was not a visioning process or a conversation about whether or not the city should buy the building from Mr. Brogan.

About 75 people were in attendance, many of whom seemed to be supportive of Brogan’s plan, but certainly not all.

“When will you be taking reservations?” a man enthusiastically asked Brogan. After considerable laughter, Brogan responded that he hopes to break ground by the end of the year, and have construction complete by the end of 2018.

The project will be subject to a State Environmental Policy Act review, a multi-permit process, and decided by a hearings examiner, which can be appealed.

Above: Plans for the proposed Views on 5th by architect Ron Thomas were shown at a community meeting Wednesday evening. 

Brogan’s architect, Ron Thomas, did most of the speaking, showing conceptual drawings, and answering questions. He quickly preempted known community concerns about sea level rise and risks of liquefaction in the event of an earthquake by highlighting the building’s features to address those issues up front.

City staff made the point of stating at the outset of the meeting that the project was not within the city’s shoreline jurisdiction. The area is zoned Waterfront Urban – Housing.

The project will have to plan to accommodate a 16 foot sea level rise, the city’s new standard for new construction for projects that are in a flood zone. The elevation in that area is 14.85 feet, said Thomas. The area is currently known to flood during minor storm surges.

Thomas said that in the event of flooding, a rapidly deployed barrier called a Flex Wall that rises up out of the ground 24 to 36 inches will be installed to protect the building.

Steel pilings up to 70-80 feet deep will be needed to support the new buildings, and the tower building is currently undergoing seismic upgrading, said Thomas.

For nearly an hour, Thomas presented his drawings, pointing out the obvious for any new construction, such as access for refuse and fire trucks, and public transit opportunities that already exist in the area, and all the “very Olympia things to do,” such as long term bicycle storage and colored pavers to delineate pedestrian walkways, without acknowledging the most obvious: that the nine story tower building is staying.

In response to that observation, he assured the audience that the “psychology of the building” will change with the application of a special glazing that will appear to reduce the size of the tower. A drawing on one side of the tower showed Native inspired salmon artwork that he said he hoped could be designed in collaboration with local tribes.

He also said that Brogan is committed to creating a vertical green wall and seek a LEED Silver certification, making the building highly energy efficient.

“I'm sitting here trying not to scream at the fact that we're not even talking about the elephant in the room, which is that people in Olympia have been working for years to make this area a park. A green wall does not compensate, and enclosing the tower does not hide what's there,” said Ann Holm, a member of Friends of the Waterfront.

Community questions included how the flood barriers and automated compact parking mechanisms will work in the event of an earthquake or a loss of electricity, whether or not the building will get a multifamily residential tax credit (it will not), whether or not the building can accommodate low income individuals (it will not), the building’s impact to stormwater systems, the difference between the use of steel vs. wood pilings, estimated traffic patterns and impacts, the process of assessing impact fees, job creation and overall tax revenue to the city, and the possible regulation and code enforcement of blighted commercial property.

Above: The proposed Views on 5th development in downtown Olympia.

City planner Nicole Floyd said staff has received about 70 comments so far. The first deadline for public comment was July 7, but comments will be taken throughout the land use process, she said.

A city advisory committee, the Design Review Board, will review the plan’s designs to determine if it meets the city’s design criteria on August 10, 6:30 p.m. at Olympia City Hall. Public comment will not be taken at that meeting.

Little Hollywood wrote a detailed article on October 19, 2016 at http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com/2016/10/new-plans-for-olympias-mistake-on-lake.html about Brogan’s plans to purchase the building, its history, and his initial plans. Some ideas, such as a swimming pool, have gone by the wayside. The article also features an interview with Jerry Reilly, chair of the Olympia Capitol Park Foundation.

For interior photos and information about the Capitol Center Building, aka the Mistake on the Lake, or Views on 5^th, previous hotel plans, the isthmus, scenic views, the Olympia Capitol Park Foundation, the city’s Downtown Strategy, king tides and sea level rise, go to Little Hollywood and type key words into the search button.

Project plans and documents provided by the City of Olympia can be viewed online at http://olympiawa.gov/news-and-faq-s/construction-news/views-on-fifth.aspx . For more information, contact City planner Nicole Floyd, nfloyd@ci.olympia.wa.us or (360) 570-3768.

Above: The Capitol Center Building has been purchased by developer Ken Brogan, above, who has mixed use and residential plans for the property. He stayed to answer one-on-one questions after the formal presentation on Wednesday evening.

Olympia Sea Level Rise Website Coming Soon

Above: When it comes to sea level rise, downtown Olympia is running out of time. Here, the waters of Budd Inlet reach the floorboards of the Olympia Yacht Club office at high tide the morning of March 10, 2016. Luckily, favorable weather conditions created a tide lower than expected, peaking at about 17.4 feet.

Sea Level Rise Language Clarified for Views on 5^th Plans

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

In light of a possible redevelopment of downtown Olympia’s nine story “Mistake on the Lake,” also known as the Capitol Center Building or Views on 5^th, Little Hollywood checked in earlier this week with City of Olympia's water resources director Andy Haub.

What progress has the Olympia City Council made about sea level rise issues since city staff dropped their sobering report about Olympia's vulnerabilities on the council last February?

The briefing by Haub and other staff last February was so frank, it caused one council member to throw into the conversation the consideration of abandoning downtown.

Council members have been updated on sea level rise issues informally since February, and adopted an ordinance on August 30 to raise finished floor elevations in downtown for new construction. 

Although the council’s Land Use and Environment committee hasn’t been updated on the topic since April, staff updated the city’s Utility Advisory Committee (UAC) on October 6. 

The UAC will be helping the city develop the scope of a sea level rise program plan. One goal will be to develop a formal community plan that prioritizes downtown investments. The city is working on establishing participation with the Port of Olympia and the LOTT Clean Water Alliance and looking at the sea level action plans of San Francisco and Vancouver, B.C.

“We continue to make progress in 2016 and the plan is on schedule to begin in early 2017,” said Haub.

Haub also said that an interactive sea level rise webpage on the city website is scheduled to be up later this week. 

The link will be: www.olympiawa.gov/SeaLevelRise.

“The webpage will include a map of downtown. Folks can select various levels of sea rise and see how it affects downtown, degree of inundation, buildings affected, street impacts, and so forth. It should be helpful,” said Haub.

Above: High tide at Percival Landing earlier this month, with the nine story Capitol Center Building, the proposed Views on 5th, in the background. 

Language Clarified for Views on 5^th Plans

The community is in need of a sea level rise primer specific to Olympia. 

Recent verbiage used by staff in a meeting to describe how the proposed Views on 5th project must be raised to 16 feet, for example, caused confusion for readers of Little Hollywood.  Admittedly, Little Hollywood didn’t do a good job of explaining that the reference didn't mean 16 feet above the street, and added a note of clarification to the story.

Developer Ken Brogan showed city staff his preliminary plans to redevelop the nine story building and a nearby one story building at last Wednesday’s Site Plan Review Committee meeting. The one story building would be converted to a three story building. 

The elevation reference was in relation to mean sea level, and in the case of the vacant nine story building bordered by 4th Avenue and 5th Avenue, and Simmons Street and Sylvester Street near the Heritage Park Fountain, the sidewalk is 12 feet above sea level. This means the project would need to accommodate a four foot sea level rise.

This analysis is in keeping with the city’s projection of about four to eight feet of sea level rise in downtown Olympia by 2100. 

“....The construction of the project must be designed so that the lowest occupied floor is raised to 16 feet elevation. Alternatively, the applicant can dry flood proof the exterior walls to ensure flood proofing is accomplished with barriers or panels that close entrances, should there be a flooding event,” said Tim Smith, principal planner for the City of Olympia, in an email to Little Hollywood.

The 16 foot elevation is an incremental step toward preparing the city for sea level rise and adds one foot to the minimum finished floor elevation required by the current flood prevention ordinance for properties within Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mapped flood hazard areas. This would be two feet above FEMA’s coastal flood elevation, 14 feet, for downtown.

Parking is proposed under the new one story building, but not three stories. Smith says there is about a six foot differential shown on Brogan’s preliminary plans with regard to the lowest parking floor elevation.

“Staff believes it is very possible to design a foundation or other structure so that it is impermeable to water intrusion and the effects of buoyancy. The design for these considerations will be addressed and calculations performed by the soils and structural engineers based on the conditions and as these elements come together,” said Smith earlier this week.

“If water were to infiltrate or seep into the area, pumps could be used to remove the water. We see this often on a much smaller scale when we have a sump pump in a basement or subterranean garage with a hillside condition that may have a water infiltration issue.”

Above: The Oyster House restaurant prepared for the high tide on March 10, 2016 with a wooden barrier and a few sandbags.

Downtown Strategy

Many other downtown issues are ongoing through processes that have separate timelines and decision tracks.

Another city sponsored Downtown Strategy open house will be held on Saturday, October 29, from 10:00 a.m. to noon, at the Olympia Center at 222 Columbia Street NW in downtown Olympia.

The public can review proposed actions related to housing, transportation, business, and urban design. Staff will ask participants about their priorities for what should be the most immediate actions the city should take within the six year implementation period.

A final draft report will be released later this year, leading to its adoption by the city council by the end of 2016.

“As we mapped and evaluated the downtown land uses, we were struck by how much critical infrastructure and how many emergency transportation corridors are encompassed by our relatively small downtown. 

“We all concluded that downtown needed to be protected in its entirety, or not at all. It’s all or nothing,” explains a descriptive flyer produced by the city for the Downtown Strategy process.

For more photos and information about the staff report to council in February, sea level rise, king tides, and flooding issues in downtown Olympia, Andy Haub, the Downtown Strategy, and more, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type key words into the search engine.

For more information about the Downtown Strategy, contact Amy Buckler, Senior Planner, City of Olympia, at (360) 570-5847 or dts@ci.olympia.wa.us. 

A full description of the Dowtown Strategy goals and process can be found at http://olympiawa.gov/community/downtown-olympia/downtown-strategy

Above: Ryan Kang, general manager of The Governor Hotel, speaks with his tablemates at a Downtown Strategy meeting for developers and businesses on April 28, 2016 in city council chambers. Other businesses at his table represented the Port of Olympia, Ron Thomas Architects, Big Rock Capital, Olympia Federal Savings, Petworks, Prime Locations, Rants Group, and Adroit Contractors.