On March 9, the City of Olympia informed the NWONA that a proposal for a 7-Eleven convenience store on the southeast corner of the Harrison and Division intersection had been received by the City and that comments from interested parties would be received thru March 30. As a result of interest expressed by residents of both NWONA and the Southwest Olympia Neighborhood Association (SWONA), a community meeting was held at Garfield School on March 28. At that meeting, concerns were raised about traffic, lighting, pedestrian access, pedestrian amenities, conflict with bus access and an additional speculative future retail structure The need for an additional convenience store at this location and establishment of a franchise of a multinational corporation was questioned by some.
On March 31, the City notified potentially interested parties that as a result of the level of interest regarding the proposed 7-Eleven, the comment period would be extended through April 25. On April 11 the Board of NWONA submitted comments emphasizing the need for answers to the concerns raised at the meeting of March 28. The Board's comments did not state opposition to the project. The Board's position reflects its judgement that under the existing Comprehensive Plan and the Municipal Code implementing the Comprehensive Plan, the project may qualify for City approval. Moreover, at this time, the City lacks any statutes limiting franchises or regulating the number and location of convenience stores.
The Board's comments to the City requested a meeting of interested parties, including the project proponents, at which the City and the proponents would give response to the issues raised during the comment period. This would allow the interested citizens and the City to better determine whether the proposal is in compliance with the Comprehensive Plan and the Municipal Code. At this time, the City has not made a final determination regarding the NWONA Board's request for a meeting of interested parties and has not issued it's decision on the proposed development.
The Board recognizes opposition to the 7-Eleven proposal but is also aware of the limited legal basis for denial of the proposed project provided by the current Comprehensive Plan and Municipal Code. Consequently, our focus has been on getting a much more specific identification of the project and an official response to issues raised.
In the longer term, the Board will continue to work with the City to revise the Comprehensive Plan to better reflect neighborhood concerns and the vision of our members regarding development in the city . We will also be exploring how the City might work with the neighborhoods to promote development in line with community visions for this intersection and other commercial areas in or adjacent to our neighborhoods. We urge individual residents to do likewise.
