South Capitol residents want city to quiet lobbyist parties

Neighborhood group wants city to put new restrictions on area

By Adam Wilson | The Olympian • Published February 02, 2008

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Rep. Sam Hunt was upset when people who live near the Capitol recently canceled a meeting he had arranged between them and lobbyists.

Past neighborhood association President Russ Carstensen isn't sure what's left to talk about.

Upset by loud parties, paved backyards and houses left empty most of the year, residents of the historic neighborhood near the Legislative Building protested outside a lobbyist party two years ago.

A series of meetings followed, and in November 2006 the Olympia Planning Commission recommended changes to the city code to make it clear a residential house can't be used exclusively for parties or receptions.

But two legislative sessions later, the City Council has yet to act.

Hunt, an Olympia Democrat, said he saw an opportunity this year to have lobbyists who own houses in the neighborhood meet with residents to talk.

"I guess they don't want us to deal with it until they go to the City Council. Our offer of help has been graciously declined," Hunt said after residents said they didn't want to meet.

"The immediate question that comes to mind is, how is that going to be enforceable, if all we're going to come up with is a meeting of the minds?" asked Carstensen of the South Capital Neighborhood Association.

The lobbyists have said repeatedly that they want to be good neighbors but don't think the city should regulate who they can entertain, or how they do so, in houses they own and maintain.

The association wants a new city code that would limit commercial use of houses, including reducing the number of paid-admission parties allowed in homes from six to three a year.

Action on that is unlikely at least until summer, when the City Council will see results from efforts to better enforce existing rules about businesses in residential zones, Councilman Jeff Kingsbury said.

"I'm not sure there's a problem," Kingsbury said. "I'm loath to do regulations neighborhood by neighborhood, and I don't think it is a problem in the rest of the city. I'm hopeful this will work."

Steve Gano, a lobbyist who purchased a house at the edge of the neighborhood, had agreed to meet with Hunt and year-round residents. He said he hasn't heard of increased visits by city code enforcers.

"If they want to come over here, they can knock on the door. They'll be disappointed; there's some dirty dishes," he said. "We're just trying to quietly be part of the neighborhood."

The City Council has moved appropriately so far, but it shouldn't need any more information, said Greg Klein, president of the neighborhood association.

"I think they were very deliberative; they've heard from all sides," Kline said. "I do think we are at a point now, they need to act. We're at the end of the road. There's really nowhere else to go."

Adam Wilson covers state workers and politics for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-753-1688 or awilson@theolympian.com.