State seeks comment on plan to demolish the old General Administration building
.jpg "The state of Washington’s old six-story General Administration building near 11th Avenue Southwest and Columbia Street has been unoccupied since 2018.")
The state Department of Enterprise Services (DES) is seeking comments through Sept. 11 on a draft environmental review for the demolition of the state’s General Administration Building, according to a Monday news release..
The six-story building near 11th Avenue Southwest and Columbia Street has been unoccupied since 2018. Its wiring, plumbing, and structural elements no longer meet building code, according to DES, and entry is hazardous to human health. Renovating the building would be more costly than replacing it, DES says..
The draft finds no significant environmental impacts from this project, which would replace the building with a restroom and a temporary parking lot for nearly 300 vehicles, according to DES.
In 2023, the Legislature appropriated $4.3 million to plan for demolition. Additional funding is needed to implement the plan, remove environmental hazards such as lead and asbestos, and build a temporary surface parking lot, DES says.
The environmental review process under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) ensures that state and local agencies consider the environmental impacts of planned projects. The draft environmental review, called a SEPA checklist, identifies potential environmental impacts and strategies to offset those impacts. It happens before other project steps, such as permitting.
The public can submit comments on the following documents:
DES says comments that address a specific part of the SEPA checklist are most useful. DES suggests commenters consult the Department of Ecology’s general tips for commenting.
Submit comments by Sept. 11 via email to DESSEPA@des.wa.gov or by mail to Department of Enterprise Services, General Administration Building SEPA Checklist, Attn: John Lyons, 1500 Jefferson St. SE, Suite 3050, Olympia, WA 98504.
After the public comment period, DES will review comments, make any needed updates to the SEPA checklist, and l post the updated checklist and comment responses to its website, according to the news release.
This story was originally published August 13, 2024 at 5:00 AM.