Planned development agreement gives hope to troubled Bailey’s site in Olympia
The city of Olympia and the owners of the troubled Bailey’s Motor Inn on Martin Way are getting closer to finalizing a plan for the site that has been inactive since 2013.
Proposed for the first phase of development at the Bailey’s site is multifamily residential, said Leonard Bauer, deputy director of the city’s Community Planning and Development Department. Phase two is less defined, although it could be mixed-use, he said.
The plan, known as a development agreement, still requires a public hearing before the Olympia City Council, but it’s expected to give the city and the developer more certainty about what will happen to that property, Bauer said.
A public hearing is set for 7 p.m. Sept. 15.
“We’re glad to get it moving forward to the City Council in the near future,” Bauer said.
The council will have to decide whether to approve the agreement, either the same night or at a later meeting. And the developer will have to go through the regular permitting process, but city reviews of those permits will take place in the context of the development agreement, Bauer said.
Development agreements lock in expectations, and typically are used for multiphase projects, he said.
The city took the same approach with Bayan Trails, a six-phase development in Olympia that is expected to take place over 10 years, bringing senior housing and townhomes to a site on Sleater-Kinney Road across from North Thurston High School.
One of the owners of the Bailey’s site, which includes a former restaurant and lounge, is Han Kim of Seattle. Kim also is a partner in Hotel Concepts of Seattle, which is developing and redeveloping hotels in Olympia. Kim could not be reached Tuesday.
One of the group’s current projects is a Hilton Garden Inn, which is under construction at Henderson Boulevard and Interstate 5.
Kim and his partners bought the Bailey’s site in 2013, which they originally considered for a new hotel. In the interim, the property has devolved into a community eyesore. The property is fenced off from the public and it caught fire in June.
A development agreement for the Bailey’s site likely will be welcome news for those who conduct business or own property near that address, including Amy Turner, who contacted The Olympian in June, sharing her concerns about the site.
Turner couldn’t be reached Tuesday, but in her email she said she is looking forward to the old motor inn’s demolition.
“It’s been an ongoing problem for years,” she said about the Bailey’s site.
This story was originally published September 1, 2015 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Planned development agreement gives hope to troubled Bailey’s site in Olympia."