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DERT is concerned about a proposed development project at the West Bay Yards (WBY). Our concerns are rooted in science and consistent with our vision for a restored Deschutes River & Estuary. Here are some key points.
Background:
West Bay Yards (WBY) is a complex of five buildings that would include 478 market-rate rental housing units, 20,500 square feet of retail space, and 833 parking stalls. The proposed complex would require 0.77 acres of new upland to be created by placing ~40,000 cubic yards of fill into Budd Inlet, burying intertidal marine habitat. The proposed WBY will clearly have significant negative environmental impacts to Budd Inlet due to the dense capacity and uses onsite, the increased vehicle traffic at the site and along West Bay Drive, the reduction of salmon habitat, and the allowance for ongoing deposition of toxics from the site into Budd Inlet. These impacts are recognized, and not in dispute.
Why we are concerned:
- The proposed development is inconsistent with the restoration of the Deschutes River and Estuary, and the City of Olympia’s commitments to those efforts
- A complete Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) should be completed before consideration of a land-use permit.
- The proposed development does not adequately address legacy pollution and remediation of toxics at the site, nor propose any coordination with other remediation efforts underway by the Port of Olympia.
- The proposal does not adequately address future sources of contamination to Budd Inlet from the Project itself
- The proposal is inconsistent with the State and the City’s efforts to address climate change
The WBY project would preclude an opportunity to restore the nearshore of this section of Budd Inlet, where this development project is proposed. Budd Inlet is a critical nursery for juvenile salmonids from as far away as the Green-Duwamish River watershed (Seattle) and the Puyallup River watershed (Tacoma). The area has been degraded due to past development and neglect. However, the people and governments in this region have already committed—through activities and projects identified above, as well as in other efforts, like the Puget Sound Partnership—to restoration of the entire Deschutes Watershed, including Budd Inlet, with an objective of recovering fisheries and rectifying past injustices. Projects like WBY represent the kind of thinking that has created significant environmental issues in the past and will leave it to future generations in Olympia and Thurston County to fix the problems that this project would create. We should learn from the past and not leave our children with that kind of legacy and burden. Contact: Dave Monthie or Sue Patnude at olydert@gmail.com.
For more details, read our public comment submitted to the City of Olympia here.
We also encourage you to learn more about the proposal and potential impacts from our partners at OlyEcosystems, who went further into detail in their Newsletter earlier this month.
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