Work on Westman Mill begins Monday with pile driving
Work on Westman Mill, a mixed-use development set to sprout on Port of Olympia property at 510 State Ave NE, begins Monday, according to the city of Olympia.
And the work will begin with pile driving — installing piles for a three-building project with 86 residential units and about 8,500 square feet of commercial space.
Pile driving will take place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and will continue for at least 30 days, according to the city.
Westman Mill is the latest project from developer Walker John, whose redevelopment and development work now dots downtown Olympia. He also is responsible for Annie’s Flats, at Fifth Avenue and Adams Street, and The Laurana, a mixed-use project that is under way on a parcel previously occupied by Les Schwab at State Avenue and Columbia Street.
Les Schwab moved to a site near Plum Street and Union Avenue.
For the Westman Mill project, John signed a long-term ground lease with the port in January 2017 for land along State Avenue that had sat unused for years until the the port cleaned it up.
The plan for Westman Mill was submitted to the city in February 2018. The project later received land-use approval and a determination of non-significance with regard to the state Environmental Policy Act.
A group called Olympia Urban Waters League appealed both city decisions, but a Hearing Examiner ultimately ruled in favor of the city.
Other Walker John projects in Olympia:
▪ The 321 apartments on Legion Way.
▪ The Franklin Lofts at Franklin Street and Legion Way.
▪ The Campus Lofts and townhomes at Jefferson Street and 12th Avenue.
▪ The Cunningham Building, a mixed-use renovation at Fourth Avenue and Adams Street.
This story was originally published February 20, 2019 at 3:01 PM.
