Olympia selective in fighting blight

I note the city is having a public hearing to address the Griswold Building as part of its community renewal plan. They label the building as a “blight” on the downtown area.

Why don’t they address the real eyesores that exist? The old DOC building, often called the “mistake by the lake” and the surrounding buildings with broken windows and plywood replacements greet every entrant to downtown. These are true blights but perhaps the property owners there are given a pass? Why is the city silent on these properties?

The property owner(s) need to be held to a higher standard and maintain the visual aesthetic such as it is for these derelict buildings. Renewing the look of just one small spot downtown (Griswold) while overlooking the larger is putting out a fire with a teaspoon of water.

Get with it city. Enforce your standards uniformly.

This story was originally published June 23, 2016 at 9:31 AM with the headline "Olympia selective in fighting blight."