HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE WEST BAY YARDS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT? The City of Olympia is considering a Development Agreement for a project that would add 478 market-rate rental housing units within five mixed-use buildings, parking spaces for 680 vehicles, and over 20,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, and recreation spaces on West Bay Drive in Olympia. This site has significant restoration potential, yet developers would rather profit from luxury housing units built on an industrial site with a toxic legacy, overlooking Budd Inlet, the most polluted section of South Puget Sound. Does this style of development fit with your vision for Olympia? MAKE SURE THAT YOUR VOICE IS HEARD ON THE WEST BAY YARDS DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL! Send your written comments to the Olympia City Council by noon this Friday, March 25th. Their email address is citycouncil@ci.olympia.wa.us A link to the City's West Bay Yards webpage

Below is an excerpt of DERT's letter to the City Council that includes some of the questions we are urging the city to address. DERT is requesting the City Council vote against entering into a development agreement on this project. The City must conduct a thorough environmental analysis of the project. The density and intensity of the proposed development will without question have numerous impacts on Budd Inlet water quality already burdened with low dissolved oxygen and other pollution issues. What level of environmental analysis is Olympia requiring of the developer and of the city itself prior to approval of such a large project? Conducting an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to determine impacts from this development must be considered – at a minimum.   Some of the issues to be addressed include:   How will the large number of logging trucks be dealt with – as well as new vehicle traffic?  How will the development mitigate for sea level rise and help the City meet climate change targets? The development is requesting to fill 1.5 acres +/- of intertidal wetland. How can this be allowed on the already compromised water body of Budd Inlet - low in dissolved oxygen and suffering from an overload of nutrients? How will intertidal fill and stormwater discharge at this site impact LOTT’s ability to discharge wastewater in the future with the pending Puget Sound Nutrient NPDES permitting currently underway by Department of Ecology? In other words, does LOTT have sufficient capacity to serve this development considering the need for nutrient reduction in Puget Sound to meet water quality standards which will necessitate current loadings from wastewater discharges?  Has the City evaluated the impact of this proposal on local services such as schools, police, fire, parks? Will the development enhance or hinder the City’s plan for a West Bay trail system? Will an archaeological inventory survey be conducted into the planning and/or permitting process?  How will stormwater be managed? The number of unmonitored stormwater outfalls into South Sound present a significant water quality problem.  Additional traffic and congestion will add to this issue. Will the development be analyzed to be compatible with full estuary restoration, i.e., Deschutes River dam removal?  How will contamination at the Hardel site be cleaned up? This alone should require an EIS process. Will the developer be required to build affordable housing? Will the developer be getting an 8-year property tax exemption? The existing “exemptions” are not enforced as it is.

The links below will direct you to articles from Works in Progress and The Olympian discussing the West Bay Yards development

A "fixed and functioning West Bay" for whom and to what end? As new "market rate" apartment buildings sprout up all over downtown Olympia, developers have set their sights on prime shoreline across the bay. What is more appealing to a well-heeled transplant than a view of sailboats and an iconic mountain... Read more olywip.org

A Development Agreement without a development? West Bay Yards Development Project was initially presented to Olympia's Community Planning and Development staff (CP&D) in May. At a "presubmission conference" the architect provided 19 pages of detail, including a site plan, designs showing the... Read more olywip.org

Group opposed to West Bay Yards says it will appeal... A group opposed to a mixed-use waterfront proposal known as West Bay Yards says it's prepared to file an appeal should Olympia City Council vote in favor of a development agreement associated with the project. That's according to Daniel Einstein, ... Read more www.theolympian.com

Click on the image to your right to access the City of Olympia's West Bay Environmental Restoration Assessment

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