Will Olympia see 130-foot-tall buildings around the mall? No time soon, officials say
The Olympia Planning Commission is set to hold a public hearing Jan. 6 for the Capital Mall Triangle subarea planned action ordinance that contains development regulations making it easier for the area surrounding the mall to be built up into a dense residential neighborhood.
But officials said during the commission meeting this week that it’s unlikely people will see tall buildings or large development around the mall anytime soon.
Planning Commissioner Daniel Garcia said plans for the Capital Mall Triangle subarea were originally discussed in the 2014 Comprehensive Plan. He asked Senior Planner David Ginther when it’s possible people could start seeing buildings and change around Capital Mall.
Ginther said it’s a really difficult question to answer. He said the city can remove or reduce barriers to development, but most other factors that are out of the city’s hands.
“For example, the interest rates; I’ve had some developers mention that they can’t do anything with the interest rates where they’re at and the property values or lease rates in the area right now,” Ginther said.
As a result, he said affordable housing projects are likely to come before any market-rate development occurs, if an affordable housing developer were to partner with the city soon.
“It’s really hard to forecast or estimate when we would see development here,” Ginther said. “What we’re doing here is just trying to make sure that the city’s not in the way of it, and if we can offer any help with it, such as streamline development review, or streamline environmental review, that’s what we’re trying to do.”
The subarea plan
The Capital Mall Triangle subarea plan covers the mall area, bounded by Cooper Point Road and Black Lake Boulevard on the south and reaching north of Harrison Avenue to Capital High School. The city’s Comprehensive Plan identifies the area as a place that will gradually become urban neighborhoods with a mix of land use.
Building height maximums in the core of the subarea will increase from 105 feet to 130 feet. In other areas of the triangle, height restrictions will increase from 75 feet to 105 feet. Ginther said there will be special height limits to protect adjacent neighborhoods.
An affordable housing bonus will be offered to developers of residential buildings. For a developer to receive the bonus, 30% of units are required to be affordable. The units would be meant for those making 80% or less of the area median income.
Ginther said the original plan proposed moving the height limit up to 140 feet, but community members found that height pretty shocking.
“There were a few people that liked it, they thought it’d be great,” he said. “On the opposite end, some people were a little bit concerned about people being able to look into their backyard.”
He said the city already has a number of structures above 100 feet tall, such as Providence St. Peter Hospital, condos, apartments, and hotels. But it’ll be a while before any more tall buildings are seen in the city.
“Just to allay any fears, this was brought up during the planning process that 130 feet is a bit shocking for this area, yes. However, the consultants who worked on this project for us did say you’re not going to see anything that tall in the near to mid term of the 20-year planning process for this project,” Ginther said. “And they stress that maybe in the late term, and that’s because of the market conditions.”
Crosswalks, bike paths and roundabouts
The planned action ordinance also includes a number of transportation improvements for the west side.
The Harrison Avenue and Kenyon Street intersection will be improved to make it safer for pedestrians, as will the Harrison and Division Street intersection.
The city also will add mid-block crossings on Harrison east of Kenyon. Mid-block crosswalks will be added to Cooper Point Road north of the Skate Park crosswalk and south of Harrison Avenue, as well as just north and south of Capital Mall Drive.
Bicycle safety improvements will be made at the intersection of Cooper Point Road and Harrison Avenue. And an enhanced bike lane will be added along Seventh Ave SW/Capital Mall Drive/Ninth Ave SW between Kaiser Road SW and Fern Street SW and along Fern St between Ninth Ave SW and the 11th Ave Pathway.
A roundabout will be constructed at the intersection of Ninth Avenue and Black Lake Boulevard.
Other roundabouts or intersection improvements may come to Harrison Avenue, Black Lake Boulevard and Cooper Point Road, if corridor studies call for it.
This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 1:43 PM.
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