Protect the LBA Woods. Kill the idea of extending Log Cabin Road
Last month something amazing happened at the Thurston County Transportation Policy Board’s meeting, an organization most citizens don’t even know exists. Twenty-seven people showed up virtually and over 50 letters were submitted in an effort to stop a road from carving through the LBA Woods.
They called on the board to remove the Olympia-sponsored project from the regional transportation plan. The only voices in favor were city officials. The board agreed with the city and kept the project in the plan.
The road gained prominence around 2012 when a nearly 150-acre woodland area was slated for an 800-plus housing development and the builder would have paid for most of the road. Learning of the woods’ imminent destruction, Olympia citizens self-organized and voted to pay $6 million in extra taxes for the city to buy the property from the would-be developer.
The LBA Woods have become a cherished respite from the traffic noise and a place to reconnect with the natural world. Yet, like some zombie project, the plan for the road lives on as part of Olympia and Thurston County’s vision for the future.
When pressed, the city says supporters of protecting the park should not fret as construction, driven by projected population increases, is 15 to 20 years out. They would like us to believe there is no urgency to take the road out of the plan. That serves to pacify the opposition until it is too late to stop it.
The longer the road remains in the plan, the more money will go into projects to connect to the future road. In 15 to 20 years, the weight of these “investments” and the foregone opportunities for alternatives will make it nearly impossible to stop the last leg of the road being built through the LBA Woods.
The city may see time as an ally for their road plan but there is a growing public response to take the road out of their plans now and return the right-of-way to the park, before it is too late.
In reviewing the 52 letters asking for the road to be stopped, I was struck by how the diversity of reasons mirrored the diversity of the Woods itself.
The most frequent sentiment was how a road would detract from the “peace, quiet, trees, and safety for children and wildlife.” It is clear road noise from cars, trucks and motorcycles will drown out the sounds of birds, frogs, and rustling leaves.
Others describe the many ways they use and appreciate the Woods as a safe place where people can walk, ride bikes, jog, bird watch, dog walk, and “generally experience the bliss of nature on a daily basis for their mental, physical and spiritual health.”
Other comments included:
The road will damage the eco-system and “scar the beloved woods forever.”
The waste of $8.5 million for a road that would “destroy what we voted to buy and preserve.”
Increased traffic on North Street and Log Cabin Road would make it less safe for children walking and biking to the nearby schools.
Questioning the City’s climate commitment: “You cannot approve this project and still be serious about addressing climate change.”
The city argues that as population increases, so does traffic, increasing the value of the road to maintain commute times. Those wanting to protect the Woods see the same growth as making the remaining open spaces increasingly more valuable.
This is about values. Now is the time to tell our elected officials what you value.
For more information, go to https://tinyurl.com/StopTheRoad
Larry Dzieza has been an Olympia resident since 1990 and recently retired from a public service career. He is a member of The Olympian’s 2020 Board of Contributors. Reach him at larryboc2020@gmail.com.