Boutique hotel pitched for downtown, get a piroshky soon, new restaurant opens in Lacey
A local representative of a California-based developer is set to meet with the city of Olympia’s site plan review committee next week on a proposal that could bring a boutique hotel and much more to a downtown office building.
The city’s site plan review committee provides feedback to developers on what will be required of their projects.
The developer 521 Capitol Way LLC — the same address as the office building at Legion and Capitol — paid $2.75 million for the property in December 2021, Thurston County Assessor’s Office data show.
Secretary of State data show the developer is based in Newport Beach, California.
According to a narrative description, the developer proposes to turn the three-story office building into a space for “restaurants, a boutique hotel along with a lower level spa and work-share office space.”
“The upper floor will house the remaining boutique hotel rooms with a common room for hotel guests,” the narrative reads. “The main and upper floors will be centered around a new atrium housing a planted area for visual and physical connection.”
More specifically, the restaurant is identified as a “sushi restaurant with wine tasting and a tea room,” while the lower level spa also shows “wine retail and office spaces.”
Other business happenings
Piroshky Piroshky, an Eastern European-inspired bakery that operates its flagship store at Pike Place Market in Seattle, is coming to Olympia.
The business isn’t opening a store here, but it is on tour, according to a news release.
“For our 30th Anniversary, we’ve been touring the United States with a Pre-Order Pop-Up tour, and we will be visiting Olympia, partnering with our friends the Elks Lodge on September 19,” the news release reads.
If you would like a piroshky — baked or fried yeast-leavened boat-shaped buns with a variety of fillings — or some other baked goods, here’s how the pop-up tour works:
Customers order the pies online at piroshkybakery.com, then the pies are made to order and delivered for pick up on Sept. 19 in Olympia.
Chipotle Mexican Grill has opened a new location in Lacey at 4002 Pacific Ave. SE. Its arrival is part of a new development that also includes a 7-Eleven with gas pumps at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Sleater-Kinney Road Southeast. The previous shopping center in that area was torn down. Former tenants, such as Cut Rate Vacuum, moved to Olympia Square, the shopping center that flanks Pacific Avenue at Fones Road in Olympia.
This is the third Chipotle in Lacey.
The Thurston County Saints Baseball Academy is exploring a project to turn a vacant warehouse at 2900 37th Ave. SW in Tumwater into a private baseball training facility, according to city of Tumwater information.
If you know of a retailer, restaurant, coffee shop or other business that is opening, closing, expanding, remodeling, or changing its focus, send an email to reporter Rolf Boone at rboone@theolympian.com.
This story was originally published September 2, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Boutique hotel pitched for downtown, get a piroshky soon, new restaurant opens in Lacey."
