For months the debate has raged in Washington’s capital city: to raise building height limits on the isthmus in Olympia, between Capitol Lake and Budd Inlet, or not? It’s an idea the Olympia City Council has been batting around for a while, and Tuesday, Sept. 30 we got our first indication of exactly where they stand. Voting 5-2 in favor of the height increase, Oly’s Council has now directed city staff to draft two laws — both of which would pave the way for substantially taller buildings in the heart of Olympia. The City Council is expected to take a final vote on the matter in December, though it seems certain a building height increase of some form is in Olympia’s future.

 

As far as subjects go, it’s a touchy one.

 

At the root of all that touchiness in Olympia is more than simply the idea of raising building height limits from 35 feet to 65 feet or even 90. By raising building height limits on Olympia’s isthmus the council will be setting the stage for developer Tri Vo and his company Triway Enterprises to build, according to plans, two mixed-use buildings scheduled to be five to seven stories tall and include 141 high priced condos.

 

Whether Vo’s visions become a reality remains yet to be seen, especially in today’s economic climate, but either way the five members of Olympia’s City Council that voted in favor of the height increase — and even one who didn’t — seem adamant about the need for more high-density housing in Olympia’s downtown core.

 

For City Councilmember Joe Hyer, one of the two officials who voted against the height increase, the decision comes down to weighing public benefit, environmental concerns and view considerations against the need to draw more residents and tax dollars downtown. While Hyer has received several e-mails from opponents of the height increase thanking him for his “no” vote, he says it’s not that simple. Hyer says, at this point, he supports raising height limits to 65 feet, but hasn’t been sold on the idea of 90 feet.

 

“I’ve come to the conclusion that raising the building height restrictions to five stories, or 65 feet, is economically feasible and provides enough public benefit, if we don’t give the project a tax exemption,” says Hyer. “I haven’t seen enough public benefit for raising the limit to 90 feet, which is why I voted against it.”

 

Hyer says increasing population density downtown is a must for Olympia to achieve sustainability. He says it’s a goal that should be achieved both through condo projects like the one now likely to pop up on Olympia’s waterfront, and more modest mixed-use developments like ones currently underway downtown. Hyer says he feels comfortable supporting a building height increase to 65 feet, assuming whatever development ends up there doesn’t receive a tax exemption, because of the huge economic impact for Olympia and especially Olympia’s public schools. 

 

“It’s massive,” Hyer says of the possible tax-base increase associated with the Triway proposal — or any development of that nature on Olympia’s much-garnered isthmus. “I’m an environmentalist. This is not all about money for me. But it does play a part.”

 

“The decision by the Council does pave the way for the Triway proposal,” says Hyer. 

 

Yes it certainly does. But maybe, just maybe, that’s not all bad.