Neighbors weigh in on troubled property as Thurston Commission OKs condemnation plan
Thurston County will go ahead with plans to condemn a duplex and property located next to the Olympia School District’s L.P. Brown Elementary School.
During a Tuesday public hearing, the Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution directing the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to being condemnation proceedings for the property. The vote came after almost a dozen neighbors shared their support.
The 0.28-acre property at 1904 and 1906 26th Ave. NW has a reputation for hosting various unsafe and illegal activities for the past 15 years, according to the county. Such activity has caused fire damage and the accumulation of solid waste as people have trespassed on the property to camp and use drugs.
Commissioner Tye Menser said his office had been working on addressing this property for three years. He said he hopes this effort will serve as a template for similar situations.
“We don’t have a ton of these situations, but when we do it’s really frustrating because people are saying, ‘What’s the problem? It’s obvious this is a public health issue,’” Menser said. “We’re working toward an improvement to that.”
At the direction of the board, the county’s Community Planning and Economic Development department created this new template for dealing with this type of nuisance properties, CPED Director Joshua Cummings told The Olympian.
The county will engage with property owners where possible, he said. If that’s not possible, then the county aims to approach condemnation proceedings with a partner, in this case the Olympia School District.
“This is kind of a big deal,” Cummings said. “It’s complicated and maybe a little technical, but the crux here is we’re all working in partnership to serve our community.”
Patricia L. Hunt, the owner of the troubled property, has not responded to the county since 2015, despite repeated attempts, according to a draft resolution.
In 2019, CPED deemed the structure on the property an imminent threat to the public health, safety and general welfare, Kraig Chalem, Compliance Unit Supervisor at CPED, said during the hearing.
Then in 2020, a fire severely damaged the property, prompting firefighters to fence it off at county expense, he said. Multiple enforcement actions followed, including civil penalties and court actions, but Hunt has remained unresponsive, he said.
Public comments
During the public hearing, many neighbors voiced their support for condemning the property The first among them was J Benway, who lives across the street from the site.
Benway said she wishes the county had done more to notify neighbors about the planned condemnation proceedings. She also suggested the property be turned into a park.
“I would strongly encourage you to consider a public green space for that property,” Benway said. “As you probably know, there are many fewer parks in west Olympia than there are in east Olympia. … There is no public green space within walking distance of that property.”
If the district acquires the property, Benway said she wants the county to ensure it still offers some public benefit.
“I don’t think the neighbors that have been lobbying for years to have this property cleaned up envisioned a construction staging area on that property potentially for months or years,” Benway said.
Kyle Noble, who lives adjacent to the property on French Street, said she strongly supports the partnership with the Olympia School District.
“Young school children from the neighboring L.P. Brown School witness the site every day,” Noble said. “The proposed partnership is an opportunity to set an example for our children on caring for our environment. We can teach how local government can work together with communities to solve complex issues.”
Beth Woods, who’s children attend L.P. Brown, called the property a dangerous eyesore for the community.
“My primary concern is for the children’s safety, and I would love to see that turned over to the school district to hopefully benefit the community and the neighbors,” Woods said. “And of course, to alleviate traffic congestion that happens for drop-off and pick-up.”
Mark Kaufman, who lives on 27th Avenue near the school, called parking a major problem for the neighborhood around drop-off and pick-up times for parents.
“It’s almost impossible to get through that pick-up line of cars,” Kaufman said. “If the commissioners and school district are able to come to an agreement, I would strongly recommend that area be used as an open parking area for people to be able to pull in and take them off the street.”
Prior to the public hearing, two people submitted written comments in favor of condemning the property, Chalem said. No one submitted comments against the county’s plans.
A new partnership
Through an interlocal agreement, the county hopes to share the costs of addressing the property with the Olympia School District.
The partnership would involve the county paying the cost of legal filings and proceedings while the district would pay for an environmental review of the property. If appropriate, the district also would buy the property and improve it.
Improvements would include demolishing the burned building on the property and removing any hazardous materials, Jennifer Priddy, Olympia School District’s assistant superintendent for finance and capital planning, previously told The Olympian.
“The district will use the property to expand the L.P. Brown School, especially using the property to stage construction in an upcoming remodel,” Priddy said.
The interlocal agreement has not yet been completed, Cummings said, but the county should finalize its side of the agreement within two weeks.
The agreement does not require the district to use the property in any specific way, Cummings said. However, the county will review whatever the district proposes to ensure if meets county codes and ordinances.
The courts will determine when the property is condemned and transferred to the district, Cummings said.
“Depending upon how much more information the courts are going to want, the timeline is really up to that process,” Cummings said.
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
