Testimony by Sue Lean — June 24th, 2008

Good Evening! Thank you for serving on the Olympia Planning Commission.

Olympia was recently designated the capital city with the MOST STUNNING SETTING in the nation. Today, it is very much at risk.

Over the years, as a historical exhibit project director, I have given a great deal of thought to the meaning and significance of the state capitol and the capital city. We enjoy daily the remarkable classical vision of the architects in expressing the heritage of democracy from ancient Greece in this distant outpost of western civilization.

We are now faced with an almost certain breach of faith in the city-state partnership. Major scenic views of the Capitol and two National Parks over the waters of Puget Sound and Capitol Lake are about to be blocked or impaired.

The view analysis presented to justify an increase in building heights for condos fails to address view blockage of the Capitol from boats on the water and from various points on Percival Landing. Worse, NO images of the Olympic Mountains for which Olympia is named were included. And no thought seems to have been given to the fact that from the west as people approach the City, the proposed massive condos looming large in the foreground will actually have the effect of making Mount Rainier appear smaller.

If the building heights are increased, from the Temple of Justice and the marble viewing plaza at the beautiful new Law Enforcement Memorial, the waters of Puget Sound all the way to the Olympic Peninsula will be blocked. The Olympic Mountains will merely peek over the condos and their rooftop HVAC equipment. This would be an insult to fallen officers and their families. And, it would be a tragic impairment of an irreplaceable heritage tourism asset.

This splendid view is a geographic view of national significance.

Soon various sites along coastal waters of Washington and Puget Sound are likely to become part of a National Maritime Heritage Area. Will the capital city with the most stunning setting in the nation have any views left to offer for a National Parks brochure? Or will we embarrassed for having given them away?

It seems rather like a breach of the social contract in the city-state partnership if the City suddenly changes legal protective height restrictions and allows these views to be privatized. Millions and millions dollars have been spent on public infrastructure. Think of the Port Plaza, Percival Landing, the Fountain, the Fourth Avenue signature "Gateway to Olympia" Bridge, Heritage Park, Capitol Lake, the Trail up to the Law Enforcement Memorial, the Temple of Justice and the Capitol Building beyond.

A capital city lucky enough to have views of a domed Capitol Building and, not one, but two National Parks should be protecting them. A worthy legacy of the 150th anniversary of the City of Olympia coming next year would be a plan that would strengthen existing building height restrictions and consider Heritage Park options before they are lost and gone forever.