I agree with you 1000%, and many other Olympia residents agree with you too. As someone interested in the future of Olympia's downtown, I've long imagined a different future for the area you describe (north of the Farmer's Market and south of KGY) - one that provides a waterfront experience for visitors and residents alike, celebrates the natural setting and unimpeded views of the bay and mountains, prioritizes environmental restoration (to complement and enhance the future removal of the dam on 5th Avenue), supports the boating community (one thing the Port has managed well, though visiting boaters that I've spoken with would really like a more lively and vibrant downtown to spend their "shore leave" in), brings open space to a downtown sorely lacking in it, and enhances cultural offerings (such as a jazz venue in a classy boutique hotel on the site of the former Marine Terminal).
A number of Olympia residents have advocated for a waterfront trail from West Bay Park to Percival Landing to Swantown Marina to Squaxin Park - an alignment that forms a "Big W" or "string of pearls." This concept has been adopted in the City's Parks Plan, though the Marine Terminal stand in the way to fully realizing this vision. All of this is to agree with you that the times have changed and it's time to measure success not in a commercial port that has outlived its utility, nor in cents on the dollar, but in the joy that a unique and priceless public asset could bring to millions of people.
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