The isthmus area of downtown Olympia, Washington is at the center of a very controversial proposal to change zoning regulations. A private developer, Triway Enterprises, has proposed an increase of existing building height limitations.
Triway has also proposed the subsequent building of a massive super-structural luxury "up-class" mixed use condominium/retail development on the narrow strip of land that separates the Deschutes River (Capitol "Lake") from Budd Inlet and the Puget Sound.
The Olympia City Council is poised to vote on the controversial rezone amendment within the next two weeks. Here's a slideshow of isthmus and isthmus-related photos.
See full-size photos with more information: Isthmus 2008
More information is also available at OlyBlog.net.
Let me see if I understand this. With housing prices bottoming out, unemployment rising and in the midst of our worst recession in recent memory, some firm wants to build upscale condos?
ReplyDeleteYes, it seems cruel to me, and a waste of resources. But I suppose some don't see it that way. For some, trickle-down economics is "where it's at."
ReplyDeleteBuild it already! Let's bring some cash into downtown. If anyone is stupid enough to build on some fill next to a weed choked and polluted lake, let 'em!
ReplyDeleteI agree with security_six. Build the damn things already. We need growth, we need upscale and we need to start cleaning up the image downtown has.
ReplyDeletehm, I wonder, who is we?
ReplyDeleteBerd, I'm just curious is there ANYPLACE in Olympia you would support the construction of high end condos, or is it that you don't like the high end part? What if the proposal was to build a series of 90 foot high subsidized low income only condos there. What would your reaction to that be?
ReplyDeleteSix, I am undecided about my support for high-end condos in Olympia. However, due to my strong feelings about the social benefit of diversity (including financial diversity) I cannot imagine that I would offer resistance to a "high-end", or "up-class", luxury housing project...
ReplyDeleteI would oppose any housing project on the isthmus. It's just the wrong location. Doesn't matter if it's designed for financial elites, or those on the other end of the spectrum.
The only type of housing that I might even begin to consider not opposing would be housing designed to accommodate a cross-section of society, so that it would include low-income, as well as high-end units - all in the same building, so that tenants might have the opportunity to interact with one another.