A Statement from Friends of the Waterfront
Olympia Planning Commission Hearing on Rezoning the Isthmus — June 24th, 2008

Friends of the Waterfront opposes rezoning the isthmus. We want more park there instead, sooner or later. We do support market-rate housing downtown - in other locations. We're submitting comments to the Planning Commission. This flyer summarizes some of our concerns beyond the widely shared ones about the large tax breaks for the rich and the impact of high-rises there on people's experience of the views and the feel of the sea, air, sky and hills in the heart of the city. For more information, see our website:

http:// www.friendsofthewaterfront.org

1. Bogus "compromises"

People began talking about "reasonable compromises" remarkably soon after Triway filed its application. They suggested Triway should give up on some parcels, but still get its own rezoned. In return, they suggested, people who didn't want the rezone should compromise too, and go along with rezoning Triway's half of the land for big buildings.

However, these other parcels were apparently only included in the proposal as negotiating chips to be bargained away. They are:

1) Part of the fountain block already owned by the city, and another part which the city has already promised to purchase and add to the fountain park. Why would the city ever grant a rezone request which would greatly increase the market value of land it intends to buy?

2) The lots between Bayview and the Oyster House owned by Jim Potter, who also owns the 120 foot building right across 4th Avenue. Another high-rise on those lots would block the views from one whole side of his current building, and it would block the views of the lake from one whole side of the new one. If he really wanted to put another high-rise downtown it just doesn't seem likely that he'd want to build it on lots where his two buildings would ruin half of each other's waterfront views.

People shouldn't be persuaded that it's only fair to "compromise" about the rezone request and give Triway what it wants to build on itself because they aren't getting all they asked for. Almost everything Olympia 2012 and city staff have suggested removing from the rezone was only there from the beginning to be negotiated away in the name of "compromise." Current zoning for the isthmus allows 35 foot buildings. This is already a huge compromise of what most Olympians really want there — public green space. Let's not give away more.

2. How smart is this particular piece of growth?

Environmental arguments for the rezone rely heavily on generalizations about the value of more housing downtown. They sound great, and they might well be true about new housing elsewhere downtown, which we support. But they don't fit Triway's application very well.

Traffic — Four major traffic streams mingle and pass through each other going across this particular strip of land, over the bridges and through the roundabouts. Traffic here is already a major concern for people on the Westside thinking about coming downtown, and the city predicts 65% more traffic here by 2030. Sometime before 2025 predicted traffic at 5th and Washington will be Level F, an unfortunate exception to the City's standards for acceptable wait-times. City staff estimates the development of these isthmus parcels, at the current low zoning or higher proposals, would add almost 20% to the current peak traffic. Having 500,000 square feet of new development someplace else downtown, and more park here, would help make coming downtown from West Olympia considerably more attractive.

More traffic will also make walking there less pleasant; whatever's in store windows, many people would rather not be on the sidewalk next to lots of moving cars. Applicants propose allowing 147,000 square feet of commercial space in this three blocks - twice the total floor space of the tall building there now — but lots of shoppers going back and forth across 4th and 5th Avenues would significantly interfere with traffic. Overall, this development would be much more pleasant for shoppers and drivers some place downtown where the street between the new stores could be a pedestrian mall, instead of the only direct connection between downtown and the Westside.

Downtown business — Another generalization claims that granting this rezone, and getting another three or four blocks of housing and retail on the isthmus will help downtown businesses. On its half of this land, Triway says it would build 141 condos and one full floor of commercial space, including roughly 47,000 square feet of retail. Their application argues this will "create and promote economic opportunity for new businesses by providing new space." In fact, there's already plenty of space available for stores downtown.

If Triway's 47,000 new feet of retail space were built, and filled with spiffy new stores, they'd compete with the other businesses downtown now. Of course, 141 new condos might mean 250 new potential customers. But some of them would shop at Costco or the mall or on the Internet. Some of these particular expensive condos might well house lobbyists who'd already be spending money downtown when they were here, or people with winter homes in sunny places who'd only be in town to shop half the year. Even if every person in the condos shopped in the new stores all year, 250 customers isn't nearly enough to support 47,000 square feet of retail; that's about two-thirds the floor space in the 120 foot tower there now. A lot of other customers would need to come from somewhere. Maybe some people in the suburbs would start driving past the malls and come downtown to these new stores (though discouraging driving farther is supposed to be a result of this project.) But some of the new customers needed to keep them going would be people who left the downtown businesses they patronize now. (Building out the other half of the rezone would double the problem.) If there were suddenly a second good toy store downtown, or a third specialty wine shop, or a third good bakery, or a big chain bookstore, or another couple of elegant restaurants, it really isn't clear how that would help the businesses down there that people like going to and supporting now...

In written testimony, we estimate that if the people in those 141 condos bought all their groceries at Bayview, it might raise the store's total sales three or four percent. That doesn't seem like a lot to get in return for the loss of a public space that so many people value, and a $13 million tax break (for Triway's half of the rezone.)

Transit — Triway's application says housing on public transit routes will "reinforce and encourage multi-modal transportation inside and outside of Olympia," will "reduce vehicle trips" etc.. Staff's recommendations to the Commission say increased density can "increase the pool of potential transit users and drive increased transit ridership." Again, this generalization sounds good and is probably true in lots of cases, but it doesn't fit this rezone. Very few millionaires in luxury downtown housing ride the bus. The Olympian's story on the presentation Triway's owner made to 150 invited guests in March reported he said he planned to provide up to 513 parking spaces for 141 condos and 69,000 feet of commercial space - more spaces than the city figures downtown retail and housing usually require. In fact, if you subtract the city's requirement for commercial space (3.5 spaces for every 1,000 square feet), the extra spaces Triway plans turn out to be almost exactly two cars for each condo. Triway doesn't actually expect buyers of this kind of downtown housing to think, " We won't need two cars, we can ride the bus!" (In fact, Triway's market analysis expects buyers of million dollar Olympia condos to mostly be retired; they wouldn't be driving to work even if they did live in the country.)

The city staff's analysis in the EIS estimates how many people in ordinary 850 square foot condos (who might well have to go to work) might ride the bus. Using standard transportation estimates, they figure that during the peak afternoon traffic period people in multi-family housing downtown will drive home or away 25% less than people in similar housing farther out. A quarter of 141 condos is 35. So, in return for having Triway's buildings, we could expect a grand total of something between 35 and 70 fewer trips in the whole city at rush hour.

Our comments on other issues including views, the tax break, and the myth that the rezone is necessary to jump start other market-rate housing downtown will be included in written testimony to the Commission and available on our website by June 30th. — http:// www.friendsofthewaterfront.org