Another major apartment project is pitched for northeast Lacey
Yet another major multifamily housing development has been proposed for northeast Lacey.
The latest proposal comes from Seattle developer Tarragon, which has pitched 200-plus units spread across 11 buildings in the area of Willamette Drive and 31st Avenue Northeast. Ten of those buildings are expected to be apartments while the 11th has been identified as an “amenity building.”
The specific project address is 3200 Willamette Drive Northeast, city information shows.
Hundreds of new apartment units already are coming to Lacey, hundreds more have been built in downtown Olympia and still more have been proposed in Tumwater. There are so many proposal: Is there really that much demand?
A contact at Tarragon could not be reached on Friday, but Pat Rants, president and chief executive of The Rants Group, a longtime commercial real estate company in Olympia, has seen surges of apartment growth over the years, he said.
The county’s population is growing — and some of that has been driven by the pandemic — plus there is a shortage of single-family residences here, Rants said.
He acknowledged, though, that the current cycle of apartment development seems to be much bigger in terms of total units.
Some other multifamily projects, either approved or proposed, for northeast Lacey include:
▪ Griffin Multifamily, an 183-unit development spread across 12 buildings in the area of Marvin Road Northeast and 32nd Avenue Northeast.
▪ 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.
▪ 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.
There’s also a chance that 500 apartments will come to Britton Parkway after representatives of The Calida Group, a Las Vegas-based developer of multifamily real estate, met with city officials earlier this year about what will be required of the project. However, a site plan review application has yet to be submitted to the city.
The Tarragon proposal was submitted to the city on Oct. 15 and deemed complete on Oct. 26, which triggered a 14-day comment period. The comment period ends at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9.
To comment, send an email to senior planner Samra Seymour at Sseymour@ci.lacey.wa.us.
This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 5:45 AM.
