Open design thread to discuss what folks would like to see in our downtown "built environment"-

Concrete sidewalks or green paths?

Glaring sun or shady trees?

Water fountains or a crude pipe?

Vacant lots or parking garages with townhouses above?

Dark alleys or pedestrian-friendly byways?

-as an example, I'm of the mindset that the cost of cutting tree wells into existing concrete sidewalks is offset or recovered by the savings on cooling costs for adjacent buildings (in summer), and also by creating a "positive externality" for our community...

...so these are just my musings, what do you-all think?

...any thoughts of what could work or what does not work downtown?

During this whole Triway deal, I realized that the process starts when folks ask for it, and I'm positive that our community has enough "vision" to direct our muni.gov where we need to go-

-so let's "be the developer", in consensus as a community & with the mindset that if we design and facilitate this understanding, the result will be Olympia Renewed, not someone's "legacy".

For Immediate Release: June 3, 2008
Contact: Janine Gates, President, SPEECH, 360-791-7736

Community Forum, "Envision Downtown Olympia"

A public forum on Downtown Olympia's future will be held on Thursday, June 19, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 1224 Legion Way SE.

The forum, "Envision Downtown Olympia," is sponsored by the non-profit organization South Puget Environmental Education Clearinghouse (SPEECH) with support from the Community Sustaining Fund. The public is invited to envision different perspectives on what we, as a community, want for downtown Olympia. The forum will also address the Urban Waterfront Rezone proposal submitted to the city by Triway Enterprises.

Forum speakers include Rich Hoey, Water Resources Director at City of Olympia Public Works, who will give a presentation on predicted sea-level rise in downtown Olympia; Barbara Gooding, former director of the Washington State Department of Community Development and former City of Olympia planning commissioner, who will offer a brief history of Olympia's current downtown zoning issues; Steve Cooper, downtown property owner; and Bob Jacobs, former mayor of Olympia and member of Friends of the Waterfront. Eve Johnson, former president of the League of Women Voters, will be the moderator.

Audience members will actively participate in the visioning and discussion.

SPEECH can be reached at (360) 528-9158, speech.greenpages@gmail.com or www.oly-wa.us/greenpages.

I'm new in town (9 months), and would love some background info on the Capitol Center Tower. I live near the Capitol, and cannot believe how such an ugly building could have been built right in the middle of one of the most beautiful scenes in North America. How could it be allowed to happen? I'm assuming money, greed, and stupidity is involved, but that thing belongs in the Guinness Book of the World's Ugliest Buildings. If someone could direct me to good resources of information I would be grateful. Also, why is it currently vacant? Has anyone thought about putting a private foundation together to buy the building and tear it down? If someone can also let me know how to sign up for e-mail notification on public meetings related to the "mistake by the lake", I would love to get involved. Dave

Members of the Downtown Neighborhood Association recently received this interesting communication from Peter Stroble of OLY 2012:

"Dear Readers of OLY DNA, We, the OLY 2012 Steering Committee, are THRILLED that there has been such vigorous discussion about our group on this listserve. Stimulating constructive discourse about Olympia's downtown is key to making it a better place, and we appreciate all of the questions, concerns, and criticisms that have been expressed. In fact, much of the discussion has helped us learn more about how we can do a better job of informing the community about what our mission and approach truly is. As a result, we have created a FAQ section on our website (http://oly2012.org/page26.html), which we have included for your convenience at the bottom of this email. Finally, we encourage all of the members of OLY DNA who believe in our mission to join our network supporters. As the FAQ says, doing so simply means you want to stay informed and be a part of the conversation.

Sincerely,

The OLY 2012 Steering Committee