THE DOWNTOWN: Planners hope to undo what freeway once did:

The Olympian
Olympia, Washington

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Progress Sunday, March 24, 2002

Steve Bloom/The Olympian
Recent building additions, including City Hall and a library, are part of an ongoing program to develop a new downtown area for Tumwater.

THE DOWNTOWN:
Planners hope to undo what freeway once did

RUTH LONGORIA THE OLYMPIAN

TUMWATER -- People in this town aren't content to rest on their vibrant history and geographical beauty.

Although Tumwater is perhaps best known for its magnificent Deschutes River waterfall cascading by the Miller Brewing Company, growth in this city isn't limited to the old and established.

Tumwater is rapidly becoming home to several newer chain stores, restaurants and other businesses and is the site of several housing developments. It also eventually will become the home of an urban village currently being planned for an area south of the city.

The city is preparing to meet the needs of its bursting economic growth and facing future traffic and zoning challenges before they become concerns, administrators say.

Plans also are under way for a town center to revive the downtown feeling that has been missing since Interstate 5 bisected the city in the 1950s.

"We've got a lot going on in Tumwater," said Mayor Ralph Osgood. "And it's pretty exciting."

The proposed town center will occupy 200 acres bordered by Airdustrial Road, Israel Road, Nicholas Street and I-5.

Plans for the mixed-use city center include a main street, parking behind buildings and business entrances that face the streets to enhance the downtown appearance.

City Councilwoman Karen Valenzuela has been active in promoting the town center idea since its conception in 1999.

"We've had some special planning issues in this town because of the freeway cutting through our town," Valenzuela said. "The town center is important to community cohesiveness. It will provide a welcoming, open, pedestrian-friendly place for people to gather."

At the March 5 City Council meeting, council members approved funding of up to $30,000 for a design consultant to work with the town center advisory committee on plans for the town center.

"This approval was a wonderful thing because it gives a reaffirming feeling, like we're finally moving forward," Valenzuela said.

Before the town center is completed -- which could be 10 to 15 years -- community members will be asked to provide input for the possible renaming of Airdustrial Way, Osgood said.

"I hope Airdustrial is renamed," Osgood said. "The name Airdustrial doesn't really set the tone for our town, it sounds more like the airport and the industrial area, which may be why people often mispronounce the name as Air- industrial."

Other important changes in the works in Tumwater include growth-inspired traffic revisions on the west side of town.

Plans include road improvements on Littlerock Road, widening Trosper Road and developing Tyee Drive, behind Fred Meyer and Costco, as an alternative route that would cut some traffic flow on Littlerock Road.

There has been significant growth in that area in the past few years. That growth trend is continuing, Osgood said.

Home Depot is working on plans to open a store south of Costco, and a medical facility -- Big Rock Medical -- is planned on Littlerock Road.

"Economic development is doing very well, and we're growing at a more rapid rate than we imagined," Osgood said.

Annexations

The fly in the ointment in Tumwater's recent growth spurt was the annexation issue.

In the 1990s, hundreds of acres surrounding the city limits were approved by city and county officials as part of Tumwater's urban growth area.

Those properties are supposed to become part of the city within the next 15 to 20 years.

However, recent attempts by the city to annex those parcels haven't been successful.

In February, the Thurston County Boundary Review Board declined a 475-acre annexation, citing irregular boundaries and the interruption of natural neighborhoods.

That annexation would have included nearly 300 acres owned by Case and Mieke Doelman.

The Doelman annexation was important to Tumwater in part because the Doelman family plans to develop an urban village at the location.

The village is expected to add about 2,460 people to the area.

If the Doelman property becomes part of the city prior to the development, revenue goes to Tumwater. If not, Thurston County receives the additional income from development fees.

Osgood said he is frustrated and dismayed with the annexation process.

"I applaud the residents who went to the council meetings and review board meetings," he said. "But I am concerned about the precedent this sets for other cities. Our goal was to annex smaller areas and slowly grow the city. But it seems the boundary review board wants us to annex larger areas all at once."

Osgood plans to meet with the mayors of Lacey and Olympia and Thurston County Commissioner Cathy Wolfe to discuss annexation procedures.

"This is important because we have more annexation hearings coming up," he said. "We need to see if we can work this all out."

Excluding the annexation problems, Osgood is pleased with progress in Tumwater since he took office nine years ago.

"We have some great youth programs and a lot of work going on in transportation and at the golf course," he said.

"But I think one of the things I'm proudest of is our staff. There's not a week goes by that someone doesn't come by or call to compliment our staff members," he said. "I love being mayor of Tumwater."

Ruth Longoria can be reached at 360-754-5435 or rlongori@olympia.gannett.com.

Tumwater by the numbers

- Population: 12,698

- Demographics in 2000: 88.4 percent white, 4.1 percent Hispanic, 1.2 percent American Indian or Alaska native, 1.4 percent black, 3.9 percent Asian, 1.5 percent other race, 3.2 percent two or more races.

- Population growth: The city grew by 3,270 people from 1980 to 1990, then grew by 2,723 people from 1990 to 2000.

- Business growth: Sales tax revenue in 1990 was $123.77 million, compared with $260.11 million in 2000.

- City history: Originally named Tumchuck by American Indians and New Market by white pioneer founder Michael Troutman Simmons, Tumwater was the first white American settlement in the Washington territory.

In 1844, Simmons traveled from Missouri with a group of 31 settlers, including his good friend, George Washington Bush, who was considered a black man, although records show him to be half Irish and half East Indian.

The Simmons party settled in Tumwater in 1845. They had originally planned to settle in the Rogue River Valley of Oregon, but a ban on black settlers in that area, which would have kept Bush from settling there, caused Simmons and his party to rethink their plans and continue north.

In addition to being major players in Tumwater history, Simmons and Bush are immortalized in the town today through their namesakes Michael T. Simmons Elementary School and George Washington Bush Middle School.

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