This downtown Olympia building is finally being demolished. The work begins Monday
The former Griswold’s office supply building, which burned 18 years ago and then devolved into an eyesore before its exterior was brightened with a mural, is finally coming down, the city of Olympia announced.
The demolition begins Monday in the 308-310 block of Fourth Avenue East. The city awarded a $287,000 contact to Aberdeen-based Rognlin’s for the work, which will take place between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The project has 20 working days and is expected to be substantially complete by March 25, according to the city.
Residents should expect the following:
▪ Equipment noise during work hours.
▪ Inaccessible parking spots in front of the building.
▪ Sidewalk and alley closures.
▪ Minor traffic delays from trucks hauling debris from the site.
The city also will work with businesses to provide garbage service. Garbage bins will need to be placed at the street if affected by alley closures.
According to the city, Griswold’s was destroyed by fire in July 2004. The city later purchased the site in 2016, which was followed by a public-private agreement to develop a mixed-use building with 30-40 apartments.
Under a contract approved unanimously by the Olympia City Council last May, the city will pay to demolish the building before selling it for $50,000 to Urban Olympia, a development company owned by Walker John with a large presence downtown, The Olympian reported.
The contract also specifies that Urban Olympia will apply for a Multifamily Tax Exemption, which means the project will not pay property taxes on the value of the building for 12 years.
Under the contract terms, 60 percent of the units must be rented at affordable rates for 12 years. That percentage then drops to 30 percent of units from years 13-15, then finally to 20 percent of units, which must remain affordable for a full 20 years, according to The Olympian report.
“To be able to get affordable housing in downtown with a timeline for action on a piece of blighted property, it checks a lot of boxes,” said Mike Reid, the city’s Economic Development Director, at the time.
This story was originally published February 27, 2022 at 1:15 PM.
