Brewery District Planning ProjectExisting Conditions Report

24 January 2013

Project Team

City of Tumwater, Washington

Thurston Regional Planning Council

SERA Architects

J Robertson and Company

Shea Carr Jewell

ECONorthwest

Cover photo: Tumwater, WA circa 1965

Report ContentsPROJECT BACKGROUND / LAND USE EXISTING CONDITIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Project Background and Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Description of Study Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 City-Wide and Regional Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Community Vision for the Former Brewery Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Current Zoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Current Land Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Site Development Patterns and Building Inventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Historic Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Parks and Natural Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORTATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Existing Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 TrafficCirculation...................................27 Roadway Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Non-Motorized and Transit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 ExistingTrafficVolumes.................................31 TrafficOperationsAnalysis.....................................35 Level of Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Volume to Capacity Ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Signalized Intersections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Unsignalized Intersections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Existing Challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 RoadwayandIntersectionDeficiencies.....................49 Non-motorizedDeficiencies..............................49

MARKET ANALYSIS / COMMUNITY PROFILE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Key Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Overview of Regional Demographics and Economic Conditions . . . . . . . .53 Residential Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Commercial Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Retail Opportunity Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Industrial Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

APPENDIX A: CURRENT TRANSIT USAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-1

APPENDIX B: TURNING MOVEMENT COUNTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4

APPENDIX C: CAPACITY ANALYSIS WORKSHEET. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-45

TumwaterwasthefirstAmericansettlementonthe Puget Sound, and one of the most important industrial and commercial centers of the Washington Territory. In recognition of this, the original historic settlement area (originally called “NewMarket”)islistedintheNationalRegisterofHistoric Places. The district boundaries as well as the boundaries of the Historic Commercial (HC) zone are illustrated in the map on page 22.

The historic district contains prehistoric archa eological sites as well as more recent historic buildings. The New Market Historic District Master Plan (adopted in 1993) indicates that the area near the mouth of the Deschutes River may have been occupied for 500 years or more before the arrival of white settlers in 1845. The town of New Market was established as an American foothold in the region, predating the boundary settlement between the United States and Great Britain in 1846.

The New Market Historic District includes 25 contributing features, which are listed below and

shown on the map on page 22. The map and list below also indicate buildings, sites, or monuments not located within the boundaries of the Historic District, but located within the Brewery District study area. Buildings, sites, and / or monuments officiallylistedontheNationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces are indicated in the list below with a star.

Historic Structures1. Nathaniel Crosby III House* (1858)2. Henderson House* (1905)3. Old Olympia Brewery Complex (beginning 1906)4. Leopold Schmidt House*

Historic Sites5. Biles House (1850)6. Esterly House (1895)7. Whitemarsh Sawmill (1872)8. S.N. Cooper Glazing9. McIntosh House (1890)10. Esterly Mill 11. Kendal Furniture and Chair Factory, Pressey Box Factory, and others

Historic Resources

The Capitol Boulevard Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places.

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New MarketHistoric District

Historic Commercialzoning

Historic Registerbuilding

Historic buildinginside Historic District

Historic site insideHistoric District

Historic structure, object, or monument insideHistoric District

Brewery District Plan study area

City Boundary

Brewery District Plan focus area

TUMWATER BREWERY DISTRICT PLANHistoric FeaturesCity of TumwaterThurston Regional Planning CouncilSERA ArchitectsJ Robertson and CompanyShea Carr JewellECONorthwest

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Historic buildingoutside Historic District

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12. Lincoln Flour Mill (1861)13. Puget Sound Milling Company (1847)14. Biles and Carter Tannery (1860s)15. Horton Water Pipe Factory (1868)16. Simmons Gristmill (1846)17. Olympia Light Company Power Plant No. 2 (1905)18. Olympia Light Company Power Plant (1883)19. Washington Flour Mill (23)

Historic Structures, Objects, or Monuments20. Puget Sound Power and Light Substation (1970s)21. Roadbed of the Olympia and Chehalis Valley Railroad 22. Granite monument commemorating arrival of thefirstsettlerstoTumwater23. Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish Ladders (1952)

Additional Buildings, Structures, Objects, or Monuments Outside of the New Market Historic District Boundary24. Flagg House*25. Whiting House*26. Anderson House*27. Lila Orff House*28. Ward and Hayes Sawmill (1852)29. Olympia Light and Power Company Penstock Headgates (1905)30. Capitol Boulevard Bridge*

The New Market Historic District Master Plan also evaluates the structural condition and potential redevelopment / rehabilitation possibilities for theoriginalBrewhouse.Thefive-storymasonrystructure was constructed in 1905 (with the adjacent brick warehouse building subsequently constructed). The Plan concludes that the structures, though in a state of general decay, can be renovated to preserve the historic exterior elevations while accommodating new uses. The most likely uses for such a redevelopment, as indicated within the plan, include a single tenant officecomplex(eithergovernmentagencyorprivatesector),amulti-tenantofficecomplex,a regional conference center, or a conference center with a hotel. The Old Brewhouse complex is separated from the adjacent Brewery District by a steep,woodedslopeandanactiveUnionPacific

The Old Brewhouse and Warehouse (photo credit: Michael D. Martin).

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rail line. Establishing multi-modal connections between the Brewery District focus areas and the Old Brewhouse complex will be a an important element of the Brewery District Plan.

In addition to the historic structures noted within the map on page 22, the old decorative streetlights on Capitol Boulevard, though not formally recognized, are also of historical value to the District. They may have been originally installed during construction of the Old Highway 99 system. The lights are found only in this area of the City (as well as small areas of Olympia). They are currently in poor condition, and are wired from the top to keep them operational. Though the lights themselves may not be salvageable, streetscape design concepts

Historical streetlights along Capitol Boulevard within the Brewery District.

for Capitol Boulevard as it traverses the Brewery District may explore opportunities to incorporate the design (particularly of the base) of these lights as part of the Brewery District Plan.

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Parks and Natural FeaturesA series of parks and open spaces line Capitol Lake and the Deschutes River as it traverses through the Brewery District study area, including Historical Park and Tumwater Falls Park (see map of parks and natural features on page 26). However, due to steep topographic conditions, bicycle and pedestrian access to the River and these open space areas from the Brewery District is a challenge. As noted in the previous section, a steep wooded slope creates a boundary between the Old Brewery complex area (and the lake and river) and the Brewery District to the east. Likewise, the elevated portion of Capitol Boulevard and a steep bluff south of the northernmost study area creates a barrier between the existing commercial nodes and the former brewery properties, the Deschutes River, and Tumwater Falls Park. An important part of the Brewery District Plan will be to improve multi-modal access to the natural amenities located within the District.

Tumwater Falls Park

The Deschutes River through the Study Area

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InterpretivePark

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BarcliftPark

CalvaryCemetery

Odd FellowsCemetery

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TrilliumPark

Tumwater Valley Municipal Golf Course

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Old Brewhouse

Old Town Center

TUMWATER BREWERY DISTRICT PLANParks and Natural FeaturesCity of TumwaterThurston Regional Planning CouncilSERA ArchitectsJ Robertson and CompanyShea Carr JewellECONorthwest

Brewery District Plan study area

City boundary

Brewery District Plan focus area

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100 year floodplain

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