Thurston Chamber, Squaxin Island Tribe voice support for West Bay Yards development

The Thurston Chamber of Commerce and the Squaxin Island Tribe have joined the small list of supporters for the proposed mixed-use West Bay Yards development in Olympia. 

The development is being proposed by West Bay Development, LLC, and would be located at the site of the former Hardel Plywood facility, 1210 West Bay Drive. 

West Bay Development first submitted an application for the project in 2021.

The proposed development includes a mix of uses across five buildings, including 478 residential units, 823 parking stalls, cafes, restaurants, public amenities, an elevated public plaza, public access through and around the site, shoreline restoration and a waterfront trail. 

The Thurston Chamber of Commerce formally expressed its support for the project in public comment during a public hearing held by the City of Olympia Hearings Examiner on June 8. 

The chamber reiterated its support for the project in a news release published Monday afternoon. 

“The Thurston Chamber believes that the project will provide positive community benefit,” said

David Schaffert, chamber president and CEO. 

The Squaxin Island Tribe has also expressed its support for the project, according to the chamber. 

Squaxin Tribal Chairman Kris Peters is quoted in the chamber’s news release, saying, “The Squaxin Island Tribe believes that the West Bay Yards project, as presented, will provide positive environmental benefit to Budd Inlet and the Southern Salish Sea.”

The chamber claimed that the project will benefit Olympia by investing in major shoreline restoration and environmental improvement, enhancing public access and recreation along Budd Inlet, and adding a large swath of market rate housing units. 

The chamber also said the project represents a $100 million private sector investment in Olympia and is estimated to generate $176 million in economic impact. 

According to the chamber, West Bay Yards addresses three significant community needs: housing, economic development, and restoration of the Budd Inlet shoreline. The project also advances multiple goals identified in the City of Olympia’s comprehensive plans for transportation, parks and trails, shoreline management and land use, the chamber said. 

“West Bay Yards represents a significant investment in our community,” said Schaffert. “It is imperative that the project move forward.”

The project has also been publicly supported by the Olympia Master Builders, which submitted written public comment ahead of Monday’s hearing.  

The majority of public comment on record as of Monday morning was opposed to the mixed-use development due to concerns about traffic and environmental impacts. 

The City of Olympia did determine in January that the project met all the requirements of the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), but that determination has since been appealed. 

The appeal of the SEPA determination was combined with the June 8 project hearing, but those who are not affiliated with the appeal will not have an opportunity to comment on the SEPA determination.

Many Olympia residents who submitted public comments following the January SEPA determination claimed that project developers did not adequately study the potential environmental impacts of the development. 

They expressed concerns about further degradation of Budd Inlet, impacts the new buildings will have on birds with historic flight paths through the development site, a lack of sea level rise mitigation efforts, and the proposed shoreline restoration methods being improper. 

Shoreline restoration project components would include placement of granular fill over the existing hard armored shoreline to create a naturally functioning intertidal beach. 

The project will also replace the existing degraded nearshore with native vegetation, convert approximately 0.5 acres of aquatic land to upland, and extend intertidal restoration to 150 feet beyond the existing ordinary high-water mark. 

Environmental groups who have publicly opposed the West Bay Yards development include the South Sound Bird Alliance, Olympia Ecosystems, Deschutes Estuary Team and Olympia Coalition for Ecosystem Protection. 

Many public commenters also expressed concern that the current roads and intersections in the area are not equipped to handle the high traffic volume the development will create. 

The City of Olympia’s review team made a recommendation on the project to the hearing examiner, who will make the decision after Monday’s public hearing whether to approve the project application. 

That decision will be forwarded to the Department of Ecology for a final review that must be completed before the process is complete.

Project development would 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.

The staff report and supporting documents are available on the city’s website at: https://www.olympiawa.gov/info/construction_in_olympia/west_bay_yards.php

 These documents are also available for review through the following link 10 days prior to the scheduled public hearing. https://olympia.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx