Mixed-use commercial and housing units proposed on Harrison Avenue

Olympia’s Site Plan Review Committee heard a proposal for a mixed-use building with commercial units and six apartment units at 2309 Harrison Avenue NW on Wednesday, January 11.

The project is a two-story building that involves turning the bottom front or the north side into a retail office space. The back part of the building or main floor would be a garage/storage area for the residential units on the second floor.

Planning review

Olympia associate planner Paula Smith announced that mixed uses that include retail office and residential are permitted in the High-Density Corridor (HDC) zoning district.

Smith said they would review the mixed-use building project as a commercial building subject to basic design criteria and HDC design standards. "You need to look at those as you design your project."

She also advised the applicant, Aaron Borden, to provide a detailed plan for the landscaping.

Smith commented that the project exceeded the parking plan by over 40% more than the code requires. She informed the applicants that within the HDC zone, there is a 10% reduction requirement. For this particular project, there are only 18 to 20 parking spaces are allowed.

 "If you kept it the way you were proposing, you would have to apply for a parking modification of 40% or more. It requires a hearing examiner approval," Smith said.

Engineering review

Zulaika Kim, the city's engineering plan examiner, started the discussion with the solid waste, saying that the city preferred this project to have its own dedicated solid waste because of the mixed uses.

Kim added that the city would require a solid waste scoping meeting, where applicants should show a site plan depicting the location of the enclosure with dimensions, the type, and the size of the containers. It also includes a plan showing ingress and egress for the front load collection truck and some estimated waste generation quantities based on the different uses.

Kim referred the applicant to LeMay Pacific Disposal for commercial recycling.

"The city does not do commercial recycling. However, Olympia is doing multifamily recycling," Kim informed.

As for the utility, Kim noted an existing eight-inch water main to the parcel to the north. She said they would require water extension to the southern boundary to serve the property. 

According to Kim, there is no right of way at the property's location. The city requires at least a minimum of a 20-foot easement centered around the utility for maintenance and repair.

Kim described that the primary soil type for this site is Group C, which has the potential for high runoff. "We have downstream capacity issues here on Harrison Avenue, where a lot of overflows are going to and would ultimately go to the neighboring pond right next to it. We also have known maintenance and capacity issues that have caused flooding," she said, adding that it needs to be addressed.