Thank you to all who expressed the many longstanding concerns we have had about the proposed Trillium development! Your long and hard efforts yielded measurable results last night when the Olympia City Council voted 4 – 2 to deny the Trillium Master Plan Application (MPA).The basis for the denial, based upon Olympia’s comprehensive plan, code and policies, was three fold: the inability to provide transit service, the failure to provide local school capacity and the failure to provide adequate bike/pedestrian connections. The official ordinance will be adopted by the Council in the near future and will also include the Hearing Examiner’s finding that a full service street connection to Highline Drive shall not be dedicated.

Mayor Pro Tem Stephen Buxbaum and Council Members Steven Langer, Jeanine Roe and Karen Rogers supported the successful motion to deny the MPA. Mayor Doug Mah and Councilmember Craig Ottavelli voted against the motion to deny the MPA, after earlier failing to receive any additional votes for Ottavelli’s motion to approve the MPA. (Councilmember Rhenda Strub was absent.)

We are currently trying to clarify whether the Hearing Examiner’s decision on the preliminary plat will soon be released. That decision would address issues such as stormwater runoff, drinking water, traffic and environmental impacts.

We appreciate the leadership the Mr. Buxbaum, Mr. Langer, Ms. Roe and Ms. Rogers demonstrated and their recognition that they — not developers, or the school or transit districts — are responsible to ensure the goals and requirements of Olympia’s comprehensive plan are maintained and implemented. If you’re similarly appreciative and would like to thank them, their email addresses are:

sbuxbaum@ci.olympia.wa.us

slanger@ci.olympia.wa.us

jroe@ci.olympia.wa.us

krogers@ci.olympia.wa.us

Mayor Mah, Councilmember Ottavelli, and Councilmember Strub may be contacted at:

dmah@ci.olympia.wa.us

cottavel@ci.olympia.wa.us

rstrub@ci.olympia.wa.us

Originally Posted by John Cusick at 4:23 PM on the WPOA original blog at: http://wpoa98501.blogspot.com/