New state building in downtown Olympia eliminates 261 parking spots

Demolition is underway at Capitol Way and 11th Avenue in Olympia to make room for a five-story state office building.

The project eliminates 261 parking spaces, and lawmakers have called for a parking strategy to address the shortage.

Known for now as the 1063 Block Replacement Project, the future 215,000-square-foot building will occupy a city block on the west Capitol Campus.

Upon completion in August 2017, the building will hold about 735 state workers and serve as the new Washington State Patrol headquarters. Another major tenant will be the Office of Financial Management.

So far, the demolition has turned a parking garage and an office building — the former home of the Hands On Children’s Museum — into rubble. Construction workers are on the scene 7 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays.

The Capitol Campus still has about 5,900 parking spots available, according to the Department of Enterprise Services. State employees who use the new facility will need to park on the East Campus and walk. WSP employees will park at the nearby Columbia Street parking garage, according to the department.

State lawmakers have required DES to ensure that adequate parking is available during the legislative session. The Legislature also approved as much as $300,000 to devise a Capitol Campus parking strategy.

Olympia officials have had preliminary discussions on parking enforcement, but no agreements have been reached, assistant city manager Jay Burney said. He said plenty of parking spaces are available in the periphery of downtown.

This story was originally published September 12, 2015 at 8:09 AM with the headline "New state building in downtown Olympia eliminates 261 parking spots."