Letters to the editor for April 28

West Bay Yards is the best solution for community and environment

For a project with the potential to be a catalyst for the entire West Bay area and potentially downtown Olympia as a whole, West Bay Yards gets an awful lot of negative press. The arguments against it are a classic case of “not in my backyard,” hidden in a disguise of concern for the environment.

Contrary to what Oly Ecosystems and similar groups are arguing, the proposed development project would lead to a cleaner environment than any other redevelopment scenario. Environmental cleanup of contaminated sites costs a lot of money and is most likely to occur during redevelopment. Turning the site into a park does not resolve the subsurface issues that impair the Puget Sound aquatic life, and I am highly doubtful the Oly Ecosystems or any other environmental group has enough in their coffers to cleanup the site with an end use as a park.

I, for one, am all for development that results in an increased connectivity to downtown (e.g. bike path), additional dining options, and the removal of blight.

Leo Cejrehk, Olympia

Review impact of West Bay Yards

We agree that the proposed West Bay Yards should undergo a comprehensive environmental review. To better understand a sense of scale and impact, a comparison with East Bay Harbor Condominiums could be useful.

Admittedly, East Bay Harbor has a significant visual presence on East Bay Drive, and yet it sits on the hillside across the street from the bay and the public walkway. It does not block or interrupt pedestrian or vehicular views of the Olympics, the bay, or Swantown Marina.

In terms of scale, there are 100 units at East Bay Harbor, in nine three- and four-story buildings. In comparison, West Bay Yards would have almost five times that many units, along with additional mixed-use retail spaces.

East Bay Drive is a wide boulevard, with bike paths, streetside parking and a neutral center lane. Getting from the condo complex to downtown is easy via State Street or Legion Way, both of which have traffic lights. Lacey is accessible via Fourth, and the freeway is a direct route via four-lane Plum Street.

In contrast, West Bay Yards has extremely limited access to town or west Olympia from two-lane West Bay Drive, through pinch-point traffic circles. Full occupancy would likely add 500-600 cars, or more. How much traffic congestion can a traffic circle handle?

Chris and Joanie Bruce, Olympia

At a loss for (printed) words

If you are reading this letter by holding a newspaper, you may be old-fashioned just like me. Perhaps it is part of your morning ritual along with a fresh cup of coffee and a family pet on your lap.

I feel like it will not be long before we all must succumb to reading digital versions only. The Olympian has discontinued home delivery of its Saturday edition, perhaps to wean us all away from its printed versions. Open invitations to view content in the eEdition is a constant drumbeat and I know not only is my morning ritual in jeopardy, but so is the supply of newspaper for packaging, fires, protecting surfaces and washing windows.

I am good with technology and have read the eEdition on several occasions, so it is not as though I am incapable of reading anything online. I just enjoy having the newspaper in my hand. No need for an internet connection, I can cut articles out of it and I can take it with me and read it practically anywhere. I am just an old-fashioned, dying breed, I guess.

Maybe the paper grocery bag that I have filled with months and months of newspapers will be worth a fortune someday. Heck, even the paper grocery bag may become a collector’s item.

Dan W. Brown, Olympia