More apartments planned for Lacey and Tumwater. Here are the details
The most popular type of housing in Thurston County in recent years has been the apartment, and more are on the way, documents show.
In fact, more than a thousand apartments could soon be under construction.
In Hawks Prairie, developers submitted plans this month to build 350 units, according to city of Lacey information, and in Tumwater, developer representatives are set to meet with city officials this week about possibly building 600 units on Israel Road, Tumwater information shows.
In addition, a company called The Calida Group already has proposed more than 500 apartments in Hawks Prairie.
The demand for apartments reflects a Thurston County single-family residential market that is no longer affordable for many or that simply doesn’t exist. Years of little to no inventory of homes for sale has made it hard to find a house and, as a result, pushed the median home price even higher. The median price in the county now is about $450,000.
The latest proposal in Hawks Prairie was submitted to the city on Sept. 17 by Hogum Bay Mixed Use LLC. Public information shows two familiar names are associated with this project: Walker John, well-known for developing apartments in downtown Olympia, and Greg Bailey, a contractor who often works with John.
They aim to build 350 units to 2555 Hogum Bay Road NE, as well as 71,000 square feet of commercial space to an 18-acre parcel that is bordered by Hogum Bay Road, Willamette Drive and Marvin Road.
The city of Lacey received the application on Sept. 17 and deemed it complete on Sept. 23, public information shows.
In Tumwater, representatives of Israel Investments LLC will meet with city officials this week to get feedback on Belmont Flats, a project that would create 700 garage-parking stalls and 600 residential units at 1589 Israel Road SW.
The proposal, according to the Tumwater information, would spread the development across 15 acres in three mixed-use, mid-rise buildings that would include 45,000 square feet of commercial space.
The Tumwater proposal is more exploratory at this point, but there’s a comment period for the Hogum Bay Road project. To comment, send an email by 5 p.m. Oct. 7 to Senior Planner Samra Seymour at sseymour@ci.lacey.wa.us.
This story was originally published September 28, 2021 at 5:45 AM.
