2 apartment proposals for Hicks Lake in Lacey are on hold, city says
Two apartment proposals totaling 310 units for Hicks Lake in Lacey are on hold, a City Council committee learned on Tuesday.
The update on the two projects, known as the Hicks Lake apartments and the Gayteway at Hicks Lake, was part of a larger update that committee members Carolyn Cox, Lenny Greenstein and Cynthia Pratt received on a number of projects throughout the city.
Both Hicks Lake projects, which first emerged last spring, have been proposed for the west shore of the lake, south of Wanschers Park. The two proposals were met with immediate resistance from neighbors, who raised concerns about impact on the lake, the forested area, wildlife and traffic.
Planning and development services manager Grant Beck, who is new to Lacey after spending 20 years as the planning director for the city of Yelm, said both projects are on hold while the city seeks more information.
The city has requested more information about how the developers plan to address stormwater on the sites, Beck said. The city also is waiting on a revised site plan for Gayteway and more information regarding traffic, he said.
Both projects will come before the hearings examiner, but Beck doesn’t expect that to happen this year, he said.
Projects that have received land-use approval
Lacey’s land-use and environment committee also learned more Tuesday about a number of projects throughout the city. Here are projects that have been approved:
▪ Bradley Park subdivision, an 80-lot subdivision between Sixth Avenue Northeast and 15th Avenue Northeast.
▪ Coastal Farm & Ranch, a new store that will fill the former Shopko building off Martin Way.
▪ Griffin Multifamily, an 183-unit development spread across 12 buildings in the area of Marvin Road Northeast and 32nd Avenue Northeast.
▪ The Landing, a shopping center under redevelopment at Sleater-Kinney Road Southeast and Pacific Avenue Southeast.
▪ Martin Way Mixed Use, a five-story mixed-use building with 96 dwelling units. This project is east of Hoe Street on Martin Way.
▪ MHK Mixed Use, a two-story, 18,000-square-foot mixed-use project at Hoh Street Northeast and Martin Way East.
▪ Olympia Behavioral Health, an 85-bed mental health hospital at Marvin Road Northeast and 31st Avenue Northeast.
▪ NC Machinery, a 39,000-square-foot building in the area of 31st Avenue Northeast and Hogum Bay Road Northeast for the sales, rental and service of heavy equipment.
▪ Tec Equipment, a semi-truck dealership on Marvin Road Northeast, north of Britton Parkway.
▪ Serenity Apartment Homes, Lacey’s first development in the city to have live/work units. It also will have a coffee shop on the ground floor. The project is on Carpenter Road, between Martin Way and Pacific Avenue.
▪ Sixth Avenue Apartments, an 151-unit mixed-use project in Lacey’s Midtown.
Projects still under review
▪ Hawks Prairie Mixed Use, a 350-unit development, including pickleball complex, which is bordered by Hogum Bay Road Northeast, Willamette Drive Northeast and Marvin Road Northeast. Prominent downtown Olympia apartment developer Walker John is part of the team pitching this project.
▪ Meridian Campus Neighborhood Market, which is proposed to have a 4,000-square-foot convenience store and gas pumps, as well as a second 5,000-square-foot food service/retail building with office space at Campus Glen Drive Northeast and Willamette Drive Northeast.
▪ Campus Reserve Townhomes, a 39-unit townhome development spread across seven buildings at Willamette Drive Northeast, north of 31st Avenue Northeast.
▪ Campus Spring Townhomes, a 28-unit townhome development spread across five buildings. It’s been proposed across the street from the Campus Reserve Townhomes.
Development services manager Beck said the neighborhood market proposal is on hold because the city wants a revised site plan as well as additional clarity on the convenience store to make sure it meets the neighborhood commercial zoning district. The developer is also seeking a conditional use permit, which means the project will come before the city’s hearings examiner, he said.
Councilwoman Cox asked about the Hawks Prairie Mixed Use proposal. Spurred by residents in northeast Lacey who are concerned about the state of the city’s tree canopy, Cox inquired whether the city guides developers to remove as few trees as possible.
“Part of the city’s requirement is to be sensitive to what you’re cutting down,” Beck said. “And if you cut it down, you have to replace it at a certain ratio and provide additional trees and landscaping.”
This story was originally published October 27, 2021 at 5:45 AM.
