It's utter folly to build housing on downtown isthmus

The recent Olympia workshop regarding Sea Level Rise (SLR) was excellent and informative. The local problem is far worse than I understood, and the isthmus is ground zero for the worst impacts.

Within the next 30 years, sea level rise is forecast between 1 and 2 feet. When regular king tides and periodic storm surges are factored in, it is clear the isthmus will be inundated many times. The east-west corridor of Fourth and Fifth avenues are a vital link between downtown and the west side. The current proposal to retain the Capitol Center building and intensively develop the surrounding block with 140 apartments and retail space is utter folly. The city needs to protect the vital Fourth and Fifth avenue corridor. It will be far easier and less expensive to do this if the isthmus is reserved for park that can incorporate attractive berms that will help protect downtown from flooding and keep the corridor open for normal traffic and emergency vehicles.

Moreover, the city will be spared the expense of rescuing in excess of 140 people living in the flood plain. Knowing what we now understand about sea level rise, it will be governmental malpractice for the Olympia City Council to not place a moratorium on any dense development, especially residential development, on the isthmus at least until the sea level rise plan is completed in late 2018. Have we learned nothing from the recent disaster in Houston that was made much worse because that city allowed housing in the flood plain?

This story was originally published January 26, 2018 at 3:30 PM with the headline "It's utter folly to build housing on downtown isthmus."