Date: April 25, 2002

To: Mayor Stan Biles and Olympia City Council Members Mark Foutch, Matthew Green, Jeanette Hawkins, Doug Mah, Curt Pavola, and Laura Ware

From: The Bigelow Highlands Neighborhood Association (contact: Rebecca Christie, President, 705.0701)

We would like to express our strong opposition to the proposed rezoning of Olympia’s downtown waterfront land, which would allow building heights of five to seven stories. Members present at or neighborhood association meeting on April 18^th voted unanimously to oppose the rezoning.

We recognize and support the need for downtown housing, but not at the price of the loss of public views of Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains, and other scenic vistas. The current waterfront should remain now, and for posterity, zoned to preserve unobstructed views that the citizens of Olympia, as well as Washington state, treasure. To do this, any building heights in the downtown waterfront area should be kept to the existing maximum.

Olympia is a beautiful, open capital city. The original architects’ 1911 vision of the Capital with open vistas for residents and visitors has been protected for nearly a century, for which we are deeply grateful. It would be a terrible loss to compromise this priceless asset. We encourage you to think beyond any short-term economic benefits that the zoning change might bring, and realize that we owe it to ourselves and future generations to maintain the priceless beauty of our open spaces, waterfront views, and public areas that are in such short supply in downtown Olympia.

Higher buildings in other parts of downtown could revitalize our urban core in a way that loss of the waterfront could never achieve. The long-term public amenities must not, and should not, be sacrificed for private gain.

Thank you for your continuing efforts to maintain the quality of life for all the citizens of Olympia.