Department of Ecology finalizes permit approval for West Bay Yards development

The state Department of Ecology has finalized permit approval for construction of the West Bay Yards development in Olympia. 

The City of Olympia informed the Department of Ecology on Aug. 3 that it had approved, with conditions, West Bay Development, LLC’s application for permits to build five five-story mixed-use multifamily residential buildings, with 22,000 square-feet of commercial use, above a public plaza and structured parking along with an expanded waterfront trail.

Once the City of Olympia approved all permits associated with the project, the Department of Ecology was charged with reviewing the project’s conditional use permit. 

The City of Olympia Hearings Examiner approved that permit following a June 8 public hearing, simultaneously denying an appeal of the project’s State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) determination of non-significance. 

Upon review, the Department of Ecology approved the conditional use permit for the West Bay Yards development, with the condition that hard stabilization shall not be constructed at the site for the life of the project. 

The Department of Ecology also mandated that West Bay Development obey the conditions already required by the City of Olympia:

• The site plan must be modified to show all public amenities, mark the fire access lane, and add a note indicating that the expanded waterfront trail is a fire access lane.
• The project must adhere to the 2021 Development Agreement and be designed to achieve the restorative agreements of the 2016 West Bay Restoration Assessment. The hearing examiner approved the conceptual restoration approach outlined in “alternative three,”  and the final design must be consistent with that proposal. 
• Before they can apply for construction permits, project organizers must compile documents showing all of the shoreline restoration work and waterfront trail construction to be completed during phase one of construction.
• Before they can apply for construction permits, project organizers must update the construction timeline to account for shoreline permit review and modify the conceptual images to show the updated designs.
• All applicable maintenance agreements and easements must be submitted with the application for construction permits — specifically for shared use areas like the pedestrian plazas, waterfront pedestrian trail and conservation easement. Project organizers also have to provide a vegetation maintenance bond. 
• Olympia City Council must approve a vacation of 17,052 square feet of property along Farwell Road before project organizers can apply for construction permits. 
• Project organizers must receive approved engineering permits for each construction phase, and the engineering permit plans must show specific details outlined by the hearing examiner. 
• Building plans must show bird-friendly glass or window treatments on all exterior windows. 
• Project organizers can use non-structural, or soft, shoreline stabilization methods as proposed. Structural stabilization, such as new bulkheads or seawalls, is prohibited. 
• Soil volume at the site must be able to sustain a native plant community that includes a mix of native trees, shrubs and ground cover. Building plans must also be modified to show a minimum tree density of 217 trees. 
• The project must follow all building codes for developments within special flood zones and floodplains, and must obtain relevant permits from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Ecology and Department of Army for shoreline construction. 
• The City of Olympia will collect impact fees during each stage of construction. 
• Project organizers have to provide a suitable buffer to prohibit easy access onto the Reliable Steel property. 

Before West Bay Development can begin the work authorized by the permit, the company has to wait a 21-day appeal period, which began Sept. 2. 

Anyone who disagrees with any aspect of the permit approval can appeal the decision to the state Shorelines Board within that timeframe. 

All appeals must be concluded before West Bay Development can begin work authorized by the permit. 

The construction of the buildings is currently scheduled to take place in three phases. Phase 1 includes the two mixed-use buildings, Phase 2 includes two of the three single-use residential buildings, and Phase 3 includes the third  residential building. 

Abundant pedestrian plaza and amenities will be constructed during all three building construction phases, according to project organizers. 

The development of the site will be undertaken in two phases. Phase 1 of site development will include development of the shoreline, waterfront trail and partial frontage improvements, having accessible pedestrian, vehicular and fire access paths around the site with connections to West Bay Drive.

During this phase, all the required utilities for the Phase 2 residential buildings and infrastructure for future buildings will be laid. 

In Phase 2 of site development, all utilities and amenities required for the five buildings will be completed.

Project documents can be accessed online at: https://www.olympiawa.gov/info/construction_in_olympia/west_bay_yards.php 

Questions related to the shoreline permit review can be directed to the City of Olympia’s Community Planning and Development Department by phone at 360-753-8314 or by email at cpdinfo@ci.olympia.wa.us.