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What will downtown Olympia be in 10 years?

Tue, 07/21/2009 - 7:37pm — Abe_Lincoln
Can anyone envision anything major happening to the downtown area in terms of new buildings, improvements, etc?  I have lived her for 15 years and in that time the only thing that I've seen is further things falling apart or just flat leaving. Like any living organism, growth is needed for survival. The city council needs to have a serious plan about the downtown area. Building a city hall on prime real estate isn't going to cut it. Driving away developers with red tape and allowing anarchist to intimidate developers won't either. I'd like to see whole city blocks demolished and new multiusage buildings put in place. How about a nice movie theatre? How about a store like Macy's or Target or Kohl's? What about building a low hourly rate parking structure. And getting a zoning ordinance with some backbone to drive out all those ridiculious tattoo parlors, et al. out.

Any thoughts?

Comments

Tue, 07/21/2009 - 8:39pm — OlyDowntowner

What a great idea! This is

What a great idea! This is so true. Let's all contact the city council and tell them they need to have a serious plan about downtown so some developers will come in and put in some mixed-use buildings, and maybe some big box stores. And don't forget parking. I can't believe those jokers haven't thought of this yet. I'm calling Rhenda right now!
Tue, 07/21/2009 - 10:39pm — Crenshaw Sepulveda

Olympia has one of the best downtowns

I never can understand why people complain about downtown, how it is falling apart, how no one goes there anymore.  Olympia has a terrific downtown.  It could stand some more housing but that hasn't held it back.  Downtown is a thriving place, compare downtown Olympia to downtown Tacoma and you have a far move vibrant downtown in Olympia and in a smaller town as well.

 

It may be that downtown doesn't suit everyone.  Maybe there are those that want big box stores and fancy department stores.  That is why they invented Lacey.  Downtown Olympia has done pretty well for herself.  She can stand improving some but she doesn't need to be another cookie cutter disney land version of a downtown.  We have a good model, we just need to let it grow and evolve.

"I would make it impossible for the covetous and avaricious to utterly impoverish the poor. The rich can take care of themselves."
^@^

—
"I would make it impossible for the covetous and avaricious to utterly impoverish the poor. The rich can take care of themselves."
^@^
Sat, 07/25/2009 - 6:44pm — CIAGuy

Uh, really?

"compare downtown Olympia to downtown Tacoma and you have a far move vibrant downtown in Olympia"

So I guess you are discounting the Washington State History Museum, The Tacoma Art Museum, the Museum of Glass and the University of Washington campus to get to this conclusion?

Sun, 07/26/2009 - 10:56am — OlyDowntowner

There's no community in

There's no community in downtown Tacoma. Tourists come and go. It's really dead at night.
Sun, 07/26/2009 - 11:59am — chad360

true

Dorms for UW Tacoma will turn that around...

...the only thing is The Swiss...everything else is up-town near old Tacoma.

In Tac? try Satellite Coffee =)

chad360

Wed, 07/22/2009 - 9:25am — Guglielmo

Uh...

Have you not noticed the multiple constuction projects?
Wed, 07/22/2009 - 9:42am — Rob Richards

Yeah

Two new projects on Union.

Colpitts' market rate housing project will break ground this year.

In the initial faze of development on the port's SE parcels.

The new city hall, which will bring hundreds of visitors and employees into our downtown daily.

There's a lot going, but no Wal-Mart, so I guess we fail.

Wed, 07/22/2009 - 9:38am — Rob Richards

Some data to get you started.

Street Level Use

The following provides you with rough square footages of existing business types and vacancy, as well as a percentage of total. The square footages are likely high, in that they are based on building footprints, but they do provide relative figures that may be useful.

Total Street Level: 1,247,193 (100%)

Vacancy: 79,482 (6%)
Retail (General): 280,902 (22%)
Theater/Performance: 50,509 (4%)
Coffee House/ Cafe: 14,743 (1%)
Restaurant/Bakery: 115,689 (9%)
Bars/Taverns: 48,101 (4%)
Residential: 13,494 (1%)
Retail (Gallery): 35,434 (3%)
Government: 118,049 (9%)
Professional: 197,797
Light Industrial: 100,772 (8%)
Auto Service: 86,140 (7%)
Financial: 62,402 (5%)
Religious: 16,421 (1%) Hotel: 7,000 (only 1st floor)

Wed, 07/22/2009 - 9:44am — Laurian

Neat numbers Rob

What's the source?
Wed, 07/22/2009 - 9:54am — Rob Richards

It's based on research I did downtown over the last three months

It was an addition to the alley project to map out all of the storefronts in the downtown. I'm seriously considering finding the time to volunteer to map out the upper floors of buildings as well. It's great data that, I think, most cities don't have. It's also mapped out in GIS.
Wed, 07/22/2009 - 10:01am — Guglielmo

Excellent contribution, Rob!

...
Sun, 07/26/2009 - 12:09pm — chad360

GIS?

Is that map online? 

great contrib

chad360

Sun, 07/26/2009 - 12:55pm — Rob Richards

The City has it.

I reported my findings to the City of Olympia, and they mapped it in GIS.

It's not online at this time, though I will post a pdf of the streel level use map as soon as I have it, as well as the updated numbers that account for the new parking lot data which we didn't have when I posted the statistics you see here above.

Sun, 07/26/2009 - 2:02pm — chad360

GIS club

I ponder the value of an informal GIS club to share data and techniques.

chad360