Live/work studio building proposal reviewed by Olympia Site Plan Committee

The Olympia Site Plan Review Committee, on Wednesday, December 7, heard a proposal for developing a 3,800-square-foot parcel at 727 Adams Street SE with a five-story building for studio units. 

According to Lindsey Barronian of Thomas Architecture Studios, they plan to do live/work units on the ground floor and six micro-studio units on each floor above. They propose putting a roof deck on the top floor to meet the open space requirements.

The site is on the corners of 8th Avenue and Adams Street and is right across from the Timberland Library.

Planning and engineering review

Olympia associate planner Paula Smith said there is no record of the lot on their file. She said the records only described the south portion of the property.

Smith recommended that the applicant look for the oldest deed describing the parcel. "If you find a deed after 1969, I would encourage you to submit for a legal lot determination."

She added there would be no issue if the deed were before 1969. The applicant may provide the deed when applying for a land use review of the project.

The building's design, Smith noted, is considered residential as the primary use. She said she did not see a commercial element in the building.

The applicant mentioned they plan to have three live/work units on the ground floor.

"In order not to be considered residential, your plans need to demonstrate some form of the commercial function. That's the primary use of space, and that residential is accessory to the space," Smith told the applicant.

She recommended consulting the city's building design codes.

Engineering plan examiner Zulaika Kim said water service is available along 8th Avenue with a 16-inch cast iron water main and Adams Street with an eight-inch cast iron main.

"You can make service connections off the main on Adams or 8th Avenue. All service connections have to come off of the same mane. You could not do a mix and match where you have the underground fire line coming off of 8th Avenue and then having irrigation lines coming off of Adams," she told the applicant.

Kim noted that the water and sewer connection charges would still reflect 2022 rates. She informed the applicant that utility charges are set to increase in 2023.

Kim said the project triggers full frontage improvements based on a commercial standard. She would provide the applicant code section detailing requirements for both overlay and reconstruction of 8th Avenue and Adams Street.

Trees and fees

Shelly Bentley of Olympia Urban Forestry noted there are no trees on the parcel and no trees adjacent that the development could impact.

The applicant provided a site plan showing there is no space for trees.

The size of the parcel, Bentley added, would normally be required to have three trees planted on it. "Because of the location that is in the city, it is exempted from planting those trees in that location."

She offered an alternative by planting trees on both streets or a city property nearby. "Typically, we request trees to be planted downtown in an available location where we're missing one of our street trees," Bentley said. However, she said the locations are already filled up with trees.

Bentley said the other option for the applicant is to pay a fee instead of planting those trees on-site, which is $380 per tree. She said the fee includes buying a tree, watering, and maintaining the tree for three years.