Opinion

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following letter was originally submitted as a comment to the Olympia City Council. I must express my concerns about the West Bay Yards (WBY) development proposal. Having recently provided public comment re: the proposed (a) relaxation of Olympia's Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) and (b) further development on the Port of Olympia, I had collectively expressed these concerns: The proposed SMP reduction in shoreline buffers (supposedly to provide more amenities for West Bay Park) was likely a "Trojan horse" for other development, which the recent WBY proposal has since revealed to be true.We don't need developments closer to the shoreline…

Mayor Selby and Council Members, By now, most of you have likely received an update about what took place along Ensign Road yesterday morning. Monday night, we were able to share the news with residents that the sweep was put on hold after the City received a letter from the Attorney General's Office asserting that they believed the sweep would likely be considered a violation of the State's eviction moratorium. We also let people know that the City would still be there in the morning asking people to leave, but that they would not compel anyone to leave. We did…

By Janae Huber, Olympians for People-Oriented Places With pressures from our larger neighbors--looking at you King County--and the ability for more people to work from home and live farther from their job--thanks technology--Olympia is welcoming new neighbors and the vibrancy they bring. Unfortunately, the approximately 1,000 new people arriving each year put pressure on our housing market. It may seem like we are building a lot of housing, but it is still not enough for Olympia’s growth. Vacancy rates are currently lower than 5%, which means that purchase and rental prices are rising rapidly.  To keep pace with the growth…