Delson Lumber – Since 1990 Smyth McIntosh has worked as general counsel for Delson Lumber concerning the redevelopment of its property along a busy and historic stretch of Puget Sound shoreline. Major milestones included obtaining a shoreline permit for demolition and cleanup of a sawmill, accompanied by the required environmental reviews; removal of two underground storage tanks, accompanied by soils and groundwater testing; and rezoning the property as “urban waterfront.” Smyth McIntosh worked with city and port officials to develop the new zoning designation and corresponding development regulations. The Delson Lumber site represented the first rezone from “industrial” to “urban waterfront” along Olympia’s West Bay.
Work has been completed on the first phase of the Delson Lumber site redevelopment. Future plans include a small office complex on the southern waterfront parcel, a pocket park and waterfront trail and twenty-four condominiums on the northern waterfront parcel with private moorage. See http://www.westbaydrive.org for more information on the remaining phases of this redevelopment project.
Smyth Landing – Smyth McIntosh successfully sought a shoreline and land use permit in 2000 on behalf of Delson Lumber for the development of Smyth Landing, a 54,000-square-foot office/condominium complex. The firm’s founder negotiated an agreement with the city, and the appropriate federal, state and local regulatory agencies, to replace a culvert though the property that serves a 600-acre watershed. Smyth McIntosh then pursued permits for Smyth Landing, the first redevelopment project on Olympia’s West Bay; in the process the firm’s founder worked closely with city officials (staff, planning commission and council members) and members of two stakeholder groups: the NW Olympia Neighborhood Association, and the Squaxin Island Tribe. As a result the necessary permits and agreements were obtained in 2002 without any appeals or significant controversy (visit http://www.smythlanding.com for more information on this landmark project).
Hardel Plywood – After an historic fire destroyed its plywood plant, Hardel Mutual Plywood Corporation decided in 2000 to develop a master plan for redevelopment of its property on Olympia’s West Bay. Smyth McIntosh gathered a team of experts and produced a preliminary plan that included three possible redevelopment scenarios, beginning with an application to rezone the Hardel property.
The effort to rezone the site as “urban waterfront” was undertaken during a major comprehensive plan review of the West Bay area. The proposition was made more challenging by an emphasis on planning for the area as a whole, and the desire of a small but influential community group to acquire major portions of private property on West Bay for public recreation.
The Hardel property was targeted as a possible site for a public park; therefore the issue of whether to rezone the property became entwined with a discussion regarding the cost of acquiring the land for a public park. Ultimately, Hardel obtained the rezone later in 2001; the property is now on the market and available for redevelopment. See http://www.westbaydrive.org for more information on the master planning done for this site, which is directly south of and adjoins the Delson Lumber site.
