Complaints persist at Cooper Crest

Some in subdivision still report problems; developers say they're working on solutions

By Matt Batcheldor | The Olympian • Published March 12, 2008

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OLYMPIA – Cooper Crest was billed as an environmentally friendly, "low-impact" subdivision when homes began sprouting off Cooper Point Road in west Olympia more than two years ago.

But now that nearly all of the 140 planned homes in the subdivision have been built, residents say they've been plagued by soil and water problems — and they fear there is no end in sight. The subdivision's developer and one of its builders say they're addressing residents' issues.

Among residents' complaints: crawl spaces filling with feet of water; improperly mixed soil that's too rocky for grass to grow well; and trench drains and lawns that weren't installed properly, resulting in flooding.

Neighbors say problems have persisted, nearly a year after The Olympian reported on the issues.

"If I do need to sell my home for any reason, there's no way to sell it," said Scott Thalhamer, who has lived in the subdivision for a year.

Triway Enterprises, the subdivision's developer, and SoundBuilt Homes, one of the two builders of the subdivision, say they're addressing residents' concerns.

"We are very concerned that all of our clients or customers — be it the end customer that is the homeowner or the builder who is also our client — are satisfied," said Janine Smith, project manager for Triway.

Jonathan Koshar, chief operating officer for SoundBuilt, said his company is taking the lead in addressing several of the issues, and they will be fixed by June.

"We're not the kind of builder that's running and hiding and hoping the customer goes away," he said.

Ryan McGowan, president and CEO of the other builder, Premier Communities, declined to comment.

Cooper Crest was advertised as Olympia's first low-impact subdivision, featuring narrow streets and sidewalks on only one side of the road, leaving more grassy areas to absorb stormwater. Half of the development is open space.

Flooding in the subdivision has caused a number of problems, according to neighbors, city officials and state officials.

Among the areas of contention: