Olympia Community Livability and Public Safety Committee Meeting - January 30, 2026

The Olympia City Council Community Livability and Public Safety Committee met to review the Rebecca Howard Park development plan, receive a preliminary evaluation of the Parking and Business Improvement Area (PBIA), hear an update on advisory body recruitment, and approve the committee's 2026 work plan. Chair Dani Madrone presided with Committee Members Kelly Green and Yến Huỳnh. The source record shows the meeting convening at 5:31 p.m. and adjourning at 8:21 p.m. Note: the minutes and transcript date the meeting as January 28, 2026, while the supplied meeting timestamp is 2026-01-30 13:30 UTC; this title uses the supplied date, and the summary otherwise follows the source record.

Consent Calendar

• The agenda was approved by motion.
• The October 15, 2025 Community Livability and Public Safety Special Meeting minutes were approved by motion.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Colin Bartlett, co-owner of Wobbly Cup Cooperative Roasters, Thurston County Planning Commissioner, and former unhoused Olympian, expressed support for the city's commitment to a Housing First policy that centers unhoused Olympians as decision-makers. He said solutions to encampments and no sit/no lie ordinances should meet unhoused people's self-identified needs, including long-term stability independent of government whims, freedom from paternalistic scrutiny, connection to found family, and daily agency. He offered to work with the city on these issues.

Discussion Items

Rebecca Howard Park Development Plan Recommendation

• Associate Planner Sarah Giannobile presented the proposed plan. The site was purchased in 2018, shifted from housing to healing during 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, transferred to Olympia Parks in 2021, named after Rebecca Howard, and developed through a steering committee and three phases of community engagement.
• The design includes a large lawn and stage, community hub with cafe and multi-purpose room, quiet garden, gathering circle, festival street on 9th Avenue, and connections to the downtown library with a reading nook. Art and storytelling would draw on Black history, including Dr. Thelma Jackson's book, and art would appear in pathways, seat walls, sculptures, wayfinding, plant ID signs, and murals.
• Sustainability elements include solar and rainwater reuse options, drought-tolerant and pollinator-friendly plants with Black cultural significance, tree preservation, and pedestrian and bike-friendly infrastructure.
• The consultant cost estimate breaks construction into three phases. The lower-end total is about $5.5 million and the higher-end total about $6.5 million, escalated to January 2027 dollars. Art and signage are not included; funding would use the 1% for arts program and grant opportunities.
• Community design advocates Shawna Hawk and Stephanie Cholmondeley voiced support. Hawk said the project was a promise being kept and noted the design uses the Black liberation flag rather than the Pan-African flag for crosswalks. Cholmondeley described segregated parks from her childhood, including Paradise Park in Florida, and stressed the importance of a park created by and for Black community members.
• Committee members praised the plan. Discussion covered removable bollards or planters for festival-street closures, a third-party cafe operator model, preserving mature fruit trees, and the future of the downtown library site. Kelly Green noted the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee and RS Commission unanimously supported the project.
• Staff recommended developing the first phase of Rebecca Howard Park before Lily Road Neighborhood Park and Skocks Park Inclusive Playground because of the project's significance and the need for visible progress. Committee members expressed agreement.
• Motion: Kelly Green moved, seconded by Yến Huỳnh, to approve the recommended Rebecca Howard Park Development Plan and forward it to the full City Council. The motion passed unanimously.

Parking and Business Improvement Area Preliminary Evaluation

• Economic Development Director Jennica Machado and Uncommon Bridges Founding Partner Brian Scott presented a briefing. The PBIA was formed in 2005, represents about 520 businesses in three downtown zones, and collected about $114,000 in 2024. The council assessed zero dollars in 2025 and 2026 while the evaluation was completed.
• Scott reported that assessment rates have not changed since 2005; adjusting the 2024 collection for CPI from 2005 to 2025 would make it about $190,000. He described the tenant-based structure as difficult to administer because there is no reliable business list. A recent effort to create a property-based district was unsuccessful.
• His preliminary recommendations included maintaining stable place-management funding, making a property-based assessment the long-term goal, collecting more from the existing PBIA through a public hearing process, transferring day-to-day administration from city staff to a nonprofit program manager, and substantially increasing rates and budgets. He also said residential properties are assessed far less than in comparable districts and should be part of the system.
• Scott explained national best practice as a three-part structure: the city council authorizes and collects the assessment; a ratepayer advisory board sets priorities and monitors performance; and a nonprofit operating entity carries out day-to-day services. The Olympia Downtown Alliance was cited as a proven possible operator, but had not agreed to take on that role.
• Committee discussion included compliance and collections, possible district boundary changes, the PBIA board's future role, and affordability concerns for downtown renters. Scott said assessment amounts are small relative to rent and that districts often consider discounts for nonprofits or affordable housing, but added that complex formulas can make administration harder. Machado said staff would meet with the city's housing manager to align recommendations with affordable housing goals.
• The committee received the information without formal action. It was agreed that staff would take the preliminary recommendations to the PBIA advisory board, return to this committee with a fuller recommendation, and then send a committee recommendation to the full City Council.

Advisory Body Recruitment Process Update

• Assistant City Manager Stacey Ray reported that the current recruitment cycle closed December 12 after launching in October. There were 62 applications for 19 vacancies, after a newly announced Planning Commission vacancy increased the original 18 total.
• Advisory bodies are reviewing redacted applications and recommending two more applicants than their number of vacancies by February 13. Committee interviews are scheduled for March 4 and 5, 2026, virtually from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., with 10 minutes per applicant.
• Committee members agreed to receive all 62 applications rather than only the advisory bodies' recommended lists, and to have names redacted for the committee as well to reduce bias. They also agreed not to hold a separate February committee meeting to select interviewees; staff would collect preferences and notify applicants before the March interviews.
• The committee discussed taking formal action on appointments after the March 5 interviews if consensus can be reached, with a March 31 City Council action and proclamation honoring outgoing advisory body members also scheduled. Ray said applicant expectations and the advisory body guidebook would be shared with applicants before interviews.

2026 Community Livability and Public Safety Committee Work Plan

• Assistant City Manager Debbie Sullivan presented the draft 2026 work plan. Changes included moving some topics to full Council study sessions, including reimagining public safety, the Thurston County District Court interlocal agreement, and the emergency management briefing; removing the Council Advisory Guidebook because it was completed in May 2025; rescheduling the April 22 meeting; and moving the advisory body work plan review to March 25.
• Committee members asked to schedule the park naming process, actions to strengthen the Sister City relationship with Kato, Japan, and the Olympia Strong implementation strategy. They also requested that the traffic safety referral be broadened beyond enforcement cameras to include other pedestrian safety tools, and that staff explore whether an update could come before August.
• The work plan was approved by motion and will be forwarded to the full City Council for approval.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the Rebecca Howard Park Development Plan recommendation for full City Council consideration, with a goal of scheduling council action in late February or early March 2026.
• Received and discussed the PBIA preliminary evaluation; directed staff to return after PBIA board feedback for a formal committee recommendation.
• Set advisory body recruitment logistics: see all 62 applications with names redacted, no February selection meeting, interviews March 4-5, and appointment recommendations to move forward afterward.
• Approved the 2026 Community Livability and Public Safety Committee Work Plan and forwarded it to the full City Council.
• Adjourned at 8:21 p.m.