After a long, protracted and at times ugly fight, the decision has finally been made — at least as far as the Olympia City Council is concerned.



Building height limits along an area of Olympia commonly referred to as the isthmus — between Capitol Lake and Budd Inlet — are on the rise. Thanks to a 5-2 vote during the Olympia City Council’s last scheduled meeting of 2008, on Tuesday, Dec. 16, height limits on the isthmus are going up, up, up — to as high as 90 feet in some spots. Prior to the vote, height limits on the isthmus had been set at a measly 45 feet.



The decision would seem to pave the way for Triway Enterprises’ vision of building 141 luxury condos on the isthmus — which (if built) will reportedly sell for roughly a million dollars a piece, and naturally, will feature stunning views. Triway — a South Sound-based development company led by head-honcho Tri Vo — originally requested the building height limit increase, saying their proposed development would help bring new economic life to downtown Olympia, and, under their breath, surely telling friends and business associates about the gobs of money they stood to make if such a decision was reached.



On Tuesday, Dec. 16 that decision was reached, and Olympia’s skyline, pocketbooks and overall vibe may never be the same. Council members Joan Machlis, Rhenda Strub, Jeff Kingsbury, Craig Ottavelli and Mayor Doug Mah voted in favor of raising the height limits, while council members Joe Hyer and Karen Messmer voted against it.



At the root of the contentious debate over building height limits on the isthmus is Olympia’s future, and what form it will take. To many, while the added tax revenue that may come from a large development on the isthmus is great (in theory), it won’t make up for something a number of Olympians seem to feel is far more important — their established way of life and the community shared views.



“The isthmus is precious. This is a community area. I see it as our legacy to protect it,” said Bonnie Jacobs earlier this year. Jacobs helped found the Friends of the Waterfront organization, which has worked to fight the Triway rezoning proposal. “Our waterfront is the soul of our city,” she continued.



However, city council members like Joe Hyer, who voted against the rezoning, say there are bigger issues for Olympia to deal with.



“I don’t think it will have much impact on the future of Olympia,” says Hyer. “I’m not saying it’s not an issue, but I think there were a lot of other things we did — like the (2009) budget — that will impact the people of Olympia a lot more.” 



Jerry Reilly, of the Olympia Isthmus Park Association — which earlier this year championed an initiative asking the city of Olympia to study the feasibility of a park on the isthmus — says the ballgame is far from over. Reilly and others are preparing to fight the decision to raise height limits along the isthmus in court — saying, among other things, it violates the state’s shoreline management act.



“We’re not going away. We’re here for the long haul,” says Reilly. “I remain optimistic that we will prevail.”



And so the saga continues.