Like many folks, I’ve long had an appreciation for Olympia’s downtown.
Just the fact that we have one is a big deal and a huge community benefit. Fun small businesses, a sense of place, somewhere I run into my friends on the street. Having an actual downtown is a real advantage to living here. Unlike its neighbors, Olympia is fortunate to actually have one.
Taking care of Olympia’s Downtown has always been a challenge. Olympia isn’t alone, most cities and towns face challenges keeping their city centers alive and vital. That’s where people congregate and, while often there is a concentration of restaurants, bars and taverns, there could also be shelters, social services of all kinds. It’s the place where anyone can go and hang out.
What makes for a healthy downtown is a sense of safety and the businesses which draw in people, typically small and marginal, which face competition from malls and now online retailers. All of these factors contribute to a delicate balance, and once things start to slide it’s hard to recover. Throw a pandemic into the mix and we have the perfect storm.
Our downtown has clearly been hurting, but that doesn’t have to be a permanent situation. Breathing new life into the downtown can be done – we’ve seen it before after economic downturns – and we’re again at a crucial point in keeping the city core healthy, safe and inviting. City officials recently received the results from a Community Engagement and Public Opinion Survey they conducted. Not surprisingly, the results show that feelings of safety downtown are lower than in previous research. We’ve been through a rough time and it shows. People also don’t think we’re moving in the right direction.
But what is encouraging from the survey is that high on the list of solutions is increasing existing specific programs and services to support downtown. This is a necessary way to address the problems with safety, perceived or actual and is precisely what Olympia is doing. By their taking some action it shows the concern and willingness to act in downtown’s favor.
There is now a mix of city departments with recently added funding to address the condition of downtown, both in appearance and in safety. These include:
Many of these new positions haven’t been filled yet. The police department is adding staff so the walking patrol is staffed as fully funded as the Public Safety Levy intended. There are also hundreds of new residences in the city core. Much of that can be attributed to the Multifamily Property Tax Exemption. One of the major reasons for putting this program into place was to support downtown business. The concept is that more people living downtown means more shopping, and an increased sense of safety. After creating the tax incentive it has taken many years to get the actual housing built which shows how difficult it is to create a policy that has a rapid effect on a problem. Now to see if it actually works.
What’s also clear is that as the city puts money and resources into the downtown we need to see how it’s doing and support the businesses there. That’s the only way they can survive. Where we spend our money is political power; it’s one common way we have of expressing our values and acting upon them. Where we shop, whom we support, not only shows that we want those businesses to survive but in reality makes it possible. Choosing to spend a bit more for a product that is made locally or available at a small business is not unlike writing a check or making a donation to any community or service organization. What we receive in return is a healthier, more stable and enjoyable community.
There is clearly more to be done, we’re just starting to recover, and we have the ability to turn things around if we want to. New businesses are opening up, Harlequin Productions has a new season scheduled, the Washington Center is starting to schedule events and The Olympia Downtown Alliance is sponsoring a Summer Fest street festival on Saturdays starting July 10. We have an opportunity to make a difference.
Here’s a link to the Downtown Ambassadors and Clean Team for more detailed info on who they are and what they are doing.
Pat Cole - pcbiglife@gmail.com - is a former member of Olympia's city council. As a private citizen, he seeks to facilitate more action and better communication to assist with efforts to clean up the homeless camps in Thurston County.
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BobJacobs
Thanks to Pat for another very nice article. We do indeed need to support our downtown.
I would like to take issue with one statement: "There are also hundreds of new residences in the city core. Much of that can be attributed to the Multifamily Property Tax Exemption." I don't believe this is true. The increase in downtown housing construction was due to the increase in rent levels. That's exactly what developers told us over and over when we asked why they weren't building housing.
State auditors agree. They found no evidence that this tax exemption does what it is intended to do. So it's just a tax subsidy to wealthy land speculators and developers. It should be repealed and the savings invested in housing for really poor people.
Wednesday, June 30, 2021 Report this
Olycoley
Hi Bob,
I think we disagree on how effective the tax credit has been, but we do agree that the tax credit, if kept, should now only be available for affordable housing however we decide to define that. The need for reasonably priced housing is broader than only for people we categorize as poor. This is clearly a significant need and it will be interesting to see how we as a community find a way to accomplish this. Which we absolutely need to do.
Wednesday, June 30, 2021 Report this
AJoytoknow
Having grown up litterly in the downtown core I love downtown more than most. I love it for what it is and was, not for the vision of what it could be. I don't like seeing it changed into some sort of hoity toity overpriced yuppy haven. I think we need to do better to keep Olympia weird. That's what made it the special place it was. I'll continue supporting my downtown businesses, but first ask how they feel about all the new overpriced housing and businesses going in and replacing the community feel. If they are as frustrated as I am they have my support, I find most long existing places are. If they are new and in support of the takeover I will avoid them and ask my friends to do the same. We don't need what is being shoved down our throats downtown. It used to be such a wonderful community to thrive in no matter what your income. Now it seems city council wants to build a wealth hub where the people who work downtown can't afford to live down there but are still expected to show up and service yuppies and their ilk. I support keeping Olympia weird. It's what made it the awesome place it is/ was.
Friday, July 2, 2021 Report this
jlongley
Pat,
Thanks for another well-written & positive piece on Olympia. I appreciate that you do the research to compile the many positive steps the city takes for the benefit of the downtown, in general, and the homeless population in particular. I, too, appreciate that Olympia HAS an identifiable downtown, unlike our two urban neighbors on each side. Even though it's currently in a rather poor state it doesn't mean that with all of us pitching in can't make it better. Nicely done. Keep up the good work to keep us moving forward, thinking positive and *getting involved*.
Saturday, July 10, 2021 Report this