City tries to ease parking concerns for businesses

Downtown retailers complain about effects of housing plan

By Rolf Boone | The Olympian • Published September 02, 2008

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OLYMPIA – An alternative parking strategy is in the works to help ensure that two longtime downtown businesses stay in their locations, the Olympia city manager says.

126-unit project

What: Seattle-based Colpitts Development Co. plans to build a seven-story, 126-unit apartment complex. It would be the largest addition of market-rate housing downtown in more than 30 years. The second floor would have a handful of apartments and party and exercise rooms.

Where: A parking lot behind Ken Schoenfeld Furniture and Olympia Federal Savings in downtown Olympia.

When: Construction on the site could begin in 2009.

Concern: The furniture store and bank say the project will take away parking that their customers and employees use.

Other downtown Olympia projects

Columbia Place

What: A five-story, 136,000-square-foot office and retail building that will have six levels of parking, including a basement. It is set to include 411 parking spaces.

Where: 503 Capitol Way N., near the Olympia Farmers Market.

When: Construction is set to continue through mid-September, and the project could be complete in late 2009, a building architect says.

Concern: Residents of neighboring buildings had tried to scuttle the project, saying it would block their views of Budd Bay. Olympia's hearing examiner approved the project in March 2007. But the Olympia City Council sided with neighbors, voting unanimously against that decision in June 2007. Vine Street Investors appealed to the state Shoreline Hearings Board, which approved the project in March. Bob Jacobs, a representative of Citizens for Waterfront Views, said in August that the neighbors had decided to drop the matter because of legal expenses.

Pearlwater at Larida Passage

What: Local developer Triway Enterprises wants to build two mixed-use buildings - one five stories, the other seven stories - containing 141 high-end condominiums and parking, office and retail spaces. The proposal involves raising building heights in part of downtown from 35 feet to between 65 and 90 feet.

Where: About 5 acres on the narrow strip of land between Budd Inlet and Capitol Lake.

When: The Olympia City Council is scheduled to have a public hearing about the proposal Sept. 16. It likely will make a final decision in November or December.

Concern: Opponents say the buildings will block views of the state Capitol dome and Budd Inlet and cater to the wealthy. Proponents said the buildings would bring much-needed housing and economic development to downtown and meet the city's comprehensive-plan goals to concentrate growth in its urban core.

The owners of Ken Schoenfeld Furniture and Olympia Federal Savings, which have been downtown for more than 100 years combined, have expressed concerns about parking limitations created by new market-rate housing downtown. The furniture store's owners have said the store could relocate as a result.

Olympia City Manager Steve Hall said the city is working on a plan that involves leasing two nearby downtown parking lots that are owned by Intercity Transit and converting two more city-owned lots into a combination of short-term and long-term parking. One of those lots was the first home for Camp Quixote, and the other serves the Olympia Center, he said.

Ken Schoenfeld Furniture

The McHugh family, which has owned the furniture store at 403 Capitol Way S. since the 1980s, says the new development could eliminate up to 16 parking spaces for employees and customers.

Kerry McHugh, who works at the downtown store with her sister, Tricia, and father, John, said the family has had informal discussions with a real estate agent and has looked at other locations, including spots along Interstate 5 in Thurston County.

The store is holding a "remodel clearance" sale as it installs a new elevator. The sale won't affect whether the store moves, according to the McHugh family.

The family plans to sell its two downtown buildings and move if the business can't maintain its current parking requirements, she said.

"We like downtown," Tricia McHugh said. "It has a vibe that we really like, it's diverse and it would be difficult to leave."

The family had planned to renovate the third floor of its building for a future tenant, but the tenant would have required 10 to 20 parking spaces, Kerry McHugh said.

The family says it also has put some building redevelopment plans on hold, although work on installing a new elevator continues.

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