Tumwater extended its agreement with Craft District, LLC to help develop infrastructure for a 5.6-acre property at a portion of the Brewery District located on Capitol Boulevard at Tumwater Valley Drive. The location is the site of South Puget Sound Community College’s (SPSPCC) craft brewing and distilling program as well as a location of Heritage Distilling Company.
Tumwater City Council approved an amendment to its 2018 development agreement with Craft District on Tuesday, June 6, extending the partnership until the end of 2025. The project has been delayed due to the pandemic.
Engineering Director Brandon Hicks told the city council that the development would help generate tax and jobs, draw in visitors, and help redevelop historical brewery properties.
A major component of the agreement is the realignment of Tumwater Valley Drive so that it connects with Capitol Boulevard instead of terminating at E Street. The city will be responsible for planning and design, while Craft District would construct the realignment. The portion of Tumwater Valley Drive that currently connects to E Street would be converted to parking, which the two parties look to share.
Part of the agreement also includes infrastructure development for a 3.5-acre residential lot south of the main property.
Craft District would also develop traffic signals for the new intersection at Capitol Boulevard and the realigned Tumwater Valley Drive, as well as other improvements for water and overhead power utilities. In return, the city would credit the company development fees up to $700,726. Hicks added that the city already planned on developing these infrastructures before they partnered with Craft District.
The development team is now working to complete the traffic signals at the intersection, which is slated to be completed within the next months, according to Hicks. The agreement requires the traffic signals to be completed before occupancy of a newly constructed market building on the site.
Hicks said the building would open in phases, and the first tenants would arrive in late August. Tenants include Finn River Cidery, Percival Creek, which is owned by SPSCC, Sweetlee’s Ice Cream, Olympia Seafood, Left Bank, Pattaya Thai, Julie Kluh Art, Don Juan’s Mexican Kitchen, and another unnamed brewery.
Hicks added that city staff would return to the city council for other agreements with the Craft District concerning shared parking usage and an amphitheater.
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DeaneTR
It's so infuriating that there's not a single mention of how this is the final nail in the coffin on total deforestation and species extinction along the lower Deschutes River. Not a single tree will be saved according to this photo... And just a couple decades ago this entire length of Capitol was a recovering forest that was healing the previous wounds.
When they built the La Quinta Hotel we had biologists that explained this deforestation alone is a threat to the health of the river and all the species that depend on it. And now here we are in the so-called "Evergreen State" where the entire corridor is about to be turned into a treeless desert of pavement and tar shingled roof tops while the heart of Tumwater is still a burned out ruins of Brewery that's too toxic and expensive to redevelop compared to where the last trees are still standing.
Over 600,000 acres of the highest quality low elevation forest growing soils in Puget Sound region has been permanently deforested in the past couple-few decades because growth is more important than preventing future generations burning in hell (aka: uncontrolled global warming). Seems that's always ignored if someone rich can make a profit sooner than later. Just tell the city that you'll give them lots of money and they'll give you knife to slit the throats of quality of life and basic planetary survival for all who live here in the future.
Perhaps most disgraceful is that the Jolt News is so inspiring and beneficial to our community and even they are silent and mention absolutely zero concern or even basic mention for this out of control unmitigated planetary disaster that is going to make future generations remember us with hatred for our negligence, rather than reverence for putting an end to our species own suicide because money is more important than survival
Tuesday, June 13, 2023 Report this
AugieH
"Perhaps most disgraceful is that the Jolt News is so inspiring and beneficial to our community and even they are silent and mention absolutely zero concern or even basic mention for this out of control unmitigated planetary disaster ..."
Perhaps JOLT isn't so inspiring and beneficial after all, you think? Perhaps Danny can make a response to JOLT's apparent indifference to the deforestation.
Wednesday, June 14, 2023 Report this
DStusser
Thank you for commenting on our story.
The issues related to construction and deforestation along Capitol Boulevard started several years before we made plans to launch The Journal of Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater -- The JOLT. We were unaware of these issues until now.
At this point, our staff of five half-time reporters, two associate editors and I are running as fast as we can to cover three cities, the county, the port, three or more school districts, and some crime and business and environment reporting. Plus several death notices, (FREE) obituaries, and dozens of events each week in our Calendar. That's not an excuse for failing to look for an opposing perspective for this story.
As we grow The JOLT News Organization, with more support from the community, we'll be able to do a better job.
Wednesday, June 14, 2023 Report this
AugieH
Danny, thank you for your response!
Thursday, June 15, 2023 Report this
Citizen
In addition to the import environmental concerns, I wonder how one can safely turn left out of the new development. The driveways limit safe left turns, durning heavy traffic because the road design does not have middle left turn lane. A turn aids driver by giving us a safe lane to use while waiting for a safe opening in oncoming traffic. The location of the driveways are only a short distance from the traffic light.
Friday, June 16, 2023 Report this
JasonS
Danny, thanks for all you folks do at Jolt and for your thoughtful reply to the comments on particular story. While I share many of the concerns and disappointments cited by Deane, he has been known to get excessive with his rhetoric on other sites as well. I think after letting his post sit and his pulse return to normal, even he would admit that saying Jolt News' lack of mention of these issues was the "most disgraceful" of the disappointments he cited was over the top, so I would say try to take that criticism with a few grains of salt. If you COULD address these deforestation issues and government hypocrisies in follow-up pieces, though, I think we'd all appreciate that.
Friday, June 16, 2023 Report this
MattInOly
Different from some of the other comments here, I am happy for development of commerce in Tumwater, and particularly this area in the heart of our community. The old brewery itself is such a prominent eyesore, and having new things nibbling away at the edges of that decrepit complex may, hopefully, move us towards it not having to remain an eyesore forever.
Saturday, June 17, 2023 Report this
52237123abc
Very, very sad and sorry to see Tumwater City Councils greed win at the cost of so many beautifully forested areas. We’ll never get them back.
Friday, June 23, 2023 Report this