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Legislative candidate Henderson weighs in on city’s isthmus dispute

• Published August 04, 2009

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The isthmus issue is coloring the Olympia City Council races, and it could conceivably add tint to the 22nd Legislative District races next year.

Stew Henderson, the Democrat and consultant who announced his run last week for retiring Rep. Brendan Williams' seat, says he has not made up his mind firmly on the isthmus rezoning, and clearly he is not running on that issue.

But he shares some of the anxiety or unease that the City Council races are bringing out around the city's decision last year to allow taller buildings on the land between Capitol Lake and Budd Inlet.

"We obviously have to have downtown development. That's point No. 1. Point No. 2 is, it seems like the way it got handled and the way the public was involved left a lot of people infuriated. That was unfortunate … Now, the Department of Ecology may be saying you can't go through with it," Henderson said by telephone.

Having said that, he went on to say it was "not the best way to run a railroad." He added: "I haven't delved into enough to know the legalities and what all the alternatives are. I'm not as much in the loop as many Olympia people are."

Fellow reporter Matt Batcheldor produced a thorough look this week at how the issue is dividing the candidates in the Aug. 18 primary. His series is here, here and here, giving the distinct flavor of debate.

Clearly some candidates don't like the city's process used in authorizing the rezone, which still faces court and regulatory hurdles before Triway Enterprises can put up its five and seven-story structures on a portion of the isthmus.

The issue would not be worth asking a legislative candidate about except that Democratic Sen. Karen Fraser of Thurston County made it a cause celebre in the Legislature this year, offering Senate Bill 5800 to amend the shorelines act and prevent buildings taller than 35 feet in the area.

The 22nd district House members split on the issue with Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia, favoring Fraser's move and Rep. Brendan Williams, D-Olympia, working successfully to block it in the House. Williams said it was a local matter handled legally so it should not be second-guessed.

Now Henderson is running for Williams’ seat and says he is inclined — at "first blush" — to agree with Fraser’s view that high-rises mar the vistas from the Capitol Campus.

Henderson said, "the way it looks to me is, if I had a beautiful back porch with a beautiful view of the mountains and then I got a new big chrome refrigerator, that's a good thing. I wouldn't put it on the back porch."