More apartments pitched in Lacey, restaurant opens downtown and a tweak for drive-throughs?
MJR Development of Kirkland, which owns and has redeveloped much of the property that surrounds or is near Huntamer Park in Lacey, has a new project in the works, according to the city of Lacey.
The city announced it has received a site plan review application to convert an existing office building at 629 Woodland Square Loop into a 50-unit apartment building, featuring studios and one- and two-bedroom units.
Although MJR has redeveloped existing office buildings in the area that have remained for office-type uses, housing, too, has been a focus of their efforts. They developed The Hub apartments at Sixth Avenue and Woodland Square Loop and have a much larger plan to bring more than 350 units to a site east of Huntamer Park.
If you would like to comment on the 50-unit apartment proposal, send those comments to Senior Project Planner Sarah Schelling at sschelli@ci.lacey.wa.us by 5 p.m. Nov. 1.
Other business happenings
Downtown Olympia is home to a new restaurant called Don De La Colombiana, which opened this month at 609 Capitol Way, across from Sylvester Park. It also sits between the Burial Grounds Coffee Collective and the hotel on the same block.
The owner is Marly Machacon Villarreal, who is originally from the South American country of Colombia. She opened the business to recreate the street food experience of her home. Not many own a car in Colombia, she said, so many take the bus and there are street food vendors who cater to those morning commuters who need something quick to eat.
Here are some of the foods she serves: Arepas (cornmeal cakes), empanada (a turnover filled with meat or vegetables), bunuelos (fried dough covered in cinnamon and sugar), pan de bono (a cheese bread) and tequenos or deditos de queso, both of which are cheese sticks.
She added that it’s the kind of food that would be served in the morning with coffee or some other beverage, such as soda or panela water, a sugar cane drink.
The business is open Thursdays through Mondays.
It opens at 11 a.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays and at 9 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The business closes at 7 p.m Fridays and Saturdays and closes at 5 p.m. the other days, she said.
Tickets are still available for an event organized by Olympia-based Delmonico’s Butchery that takes place 2-5 p.m. Sunday at Broadfields Farm, a 250-acre farm 10 miles from downtown Olympia, according to website information.
The event will feature a live-fire barbecue, farm tours and disc golf.
In addition: “Ten sustainably pasture-raised heifers and steers available to sponsor for harvest in December 2024,” the event information reads. “It’s going to be a fun-filled afternoon for everyone.”
Thomas Architecture Studios, a business that has designed several mixed-use projects downtown, is proposing a change to Olympia City Code, the city announced.
The proposed text amendment would allow drive-through businesses in mixed-use multifamily developments with ground floor commercial space, according to the city.
“The requested change would apply to a geographic area that is limited to properties abutting Plum Street between Union Avenue and Fifth Avenue Southeast,” the announcement reads.
A public hearing before the Olympia Planning Commission is set for sometime in early 2024, according to the city.
If you would like to comment on the text amendment proposal, send them to Associate Planner Casey Schaufler at cschaufl@ci.olympia.wa.us by Nov. 13.
Olympia-based Northwest Cooperative Development Center, which helps cooperatives in the region, has received a $45,000 grant, Capital Impact Partners announced.
The grant was awarded by Capital Impact Partners and National Cooperative Bank.
The grant will support Northwest Cooperative’s work to design a process for buying and converting multi-family properties into resident-owned housing cooperatives.
“The (grant) is crucial to transforming our current co-op housing program into a scalable model for preserving more types of housing across more states in the western United States,” said Sam Green, co-executive director of Northwest Cooperative Development Center, in a statement.
Restaurant opens in Lacey, Tenino farm wins award, housing projects emerge and advance
Remember the new pickleball complex in NE Lacey? The restaurant and bar have opened
If you know of a retailer, restaurant, coffee shop or other business that is opening, closing, expanding, remodeling, or changing its focus, send an email to reporter Rolf Boone at rboone@theolympian.com.
