Council approves Capital Mall Triangle design standards and planned‑action ordinance; councilmember abstains citing insufficient community benefits

The Olympia City Council on second reading approved two ordinances related to redevelopment of the Capital Mall Triangle: an ordinance adopting the 2025 Capital Mall Triangle engineering design and development standards (amendment to Olympia Municipal Code chapter 12.02) and an ordinance amending municipal code Titles 14 and 18 to establish a planned action for the Capital Mall Triangle subarea.

Both ordinances were moved, seconded and adopted on second reading during the consent calendar. Councilmember Gilman announced she would abstain on both items and used her opportunity on the floor to explain why she would not give an affirmative vote. Gilman told colleagues she had reread notes and correspondence accumulated over three years and remained unconvinced the city had secured adequate community benefits or protected priorities raised by Westside residents.

Gilman said the Triangle subarea plan reads primarily like a zoning and code package aligned to what mall owners need to build a town‑center development, rather than the broader community vision residents sought. She listed specific expectations she said had not been sufficiently advanced in negotiations: prioritizing public open spaces (pocket parks, plazas), bike and pedestrian connectivity and gridded street networks, preserving existing housing and increasing below‑market‑rate housing, integrating climate resilience and prioritizing transit and active travel, and policies to support locally owned small businesses.

Public comment on the broader Triangle redevelopment also took place earlier in the meeting. Larry Jezza, who spoke during public comment, urged the council to require developers to build public physical infrastructure that fosters social infrastructure (parks, communal spaces), mandate income‑integrated housing rather than isolation of affordable buildings, and to avoid concessions that would shift costs to current residents.

Vote and procedural details: Both ordinances were approved on second reading under the consent calendar. The mayor noted he does not make motions and handed the motion to the mayor pro tem. Mayor Pro Tem Nguyen moved to approve item 4e on second reading; the motion was seconded and passed with one abstention. The council then moved to approve item 4f on second reading (the planned‑action ordinance) and adopted it with the same recorded abstention. Councilmember Gilman stated publicly that she abstained on both votes and explained her reasons; no amendments were adopted on the floor.

Authorities cited: Staff identified the code changes as amendments to Olympia Municipal Code chapter 12.02 (engineering design and development standards) and Titles 14 and 18 (planned action adoption) but ordinance numbers were not stated in the verbal record presented at the meeting.

Why it matters: The ordinances alter local development regulations and establish a planned‑action pathway that can streamline environmental review for future redevelopment in the Capital Mall Triangle; councilmembers and public commenters framed the issue as weighing developer readiness against securing public benefits and housing affordability.

Ending: The council approved the code changes and planned‑action designation on second reading; one councilmember abstained and asked for stronger community benefits, affordable housing protections and connectivity requirements as projects proceed under the new rules.