Hearing Examiner Approves Kaiser Woods Mountain Bike Park Conditional Use Permit on June 23, 2026
Hearing Examiner Approves Kaiser Woods Mountain Bike Park Conditional Use Permit on June 23, 2026
On June 23, 2026, Olympia Hearing Examiner Mark Scheipmeyer convened a public hearing to consider a conditional use permit application by the City of Olympia Parks, Arts and Recreation Department for the proposed Kaiser Woods Park (now officially named Marge Young Park). The project is located at 2549 Black Lake Boulevard Southwest, spanning approximately 71 acres. The proposal includes 3.5 miles of new mountain bike trails, 1.9 miles of existing trails to be formalized, pump tracks, skill stations, a 25-stall parking lot, restroom, stormwater detention facilities, and frontage improvements along Black Lake Boulevard. The hearing examiner approved the permit with additional conditions.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Neighbors (Park Drive/Westbrook area): Patricia Bracken, John Rich, Beth Gallatin, and Michael Godar expressed concerns about increased traffic, parking spillover onto Park Drive, safety, noise, and the lack of operational standards. They requested signage directing visitors to the main Black Lake Boulevard entrance and asked for measures to discourage use of the Park Drive access. Some also questioned the adequacy of critical area assessments and fire risk.
- Mountain bikers and supporters: Dan Albach, Beth Provo, Nathan Hamilton, Lisa Sweet, Rip Hemingway, Chris Song, and others voiced strong support. They emphasized the lack of dedicated mountain bike trails in Olympia, the family-friendly nature of the sport, and the community's stewardship ethic. They noted that the park would provide a safe, local venue for youth programs and skill-building, reducing the need to travel to other counties.
- Online participants: Chris Kernerk, Ryan McCord, Calvin O, Natalie Hibard, and Sam Ham (professor emeritus of natural resource management) also expressed support, with Sam Ham raising fire risk concerns and requesting a smoking ban (already in place in city parks) and active monitoring for homeless encampments.
Discussion Items
- City Planning Staff Presentation (Casey Mock): Mock reviewed the application process, noting the city served as both applicant and reviewer. The proposal complies with the comprehensive plan and development regulations. Key points: the project is a conditional use because it includes more than 10 parking stalls; it is allowed in the RLI (residential low-impact) zone. Critical areas reports addressed stream buffers, wetland buffer averaging, and steep slopes. The project removes 90 trees (66 diseased) out of ~24,000 on site. Staff recommended approval with conditions, including monitoring of critical areas, engineering permits from Tumwater, and a holding tank permit from Thurston County. Mock clarified that the city permitting staff does not dictate trail type (hiking vs. biking)—that is the parks department’s role.
- Applicant’s (Parks Department) Presentation (Diane Utter): Utter corrected that the project is a park with mountain bike trails, not solely a mountain bike park. She emphasized that the park was purchased specifically to address the lack of dedicated mountain bike trails in Olympia. She displayed a detailed map (Exhibit 25) showing trail designations: gray (new bike-only), yellow (existing bike-only), blue (shared use). She explained that 93% of the site remains forested, and trails are three to six feet wide. She addressed signage, e-bike policy (following state guidelines), lighting (only in pump track and skills area, but later clarified no lighting), and planned abandonment of half-mile of existing trails with physical barriers and better trail alternatives. She noted a 150-foot buffer of no new trails along neighborhood boundaries, with one exception at the request of Ken Lake residents for a walking-only connection. The garage on site will be retained for storage. Future expansion is not planned; monitoring will address any erosion or runoff issues.
- Hearing Examiner Questions: The examiner asked about the final plan vs. exhibits, cultural trees, fencing, informal access points, signage, hours of operation, e-bike policy, lighting, and the future road connection between Kaiser Road and Black Lake Boulevard. Staff clarified that the plan is substantially final, fencing is not required, and the road connection is not in the six-year transportation plan.
Key Outcomes
- Decision: Hearing Examiner Mark Scheipmeyer approved the conditional use permit for Kaiser Woods Park (Marge Young Park).
- Additional Conditions Imposed:
- Hours of Operation: Park use is limited to dawn to dusk.
- Signage: The city must install directional signage on Black Lake Boulevard directing visitors to the main entrance, and signage at the Park Drive entrance indicating that the main entrance is located elsewhere. The examiner noted he lacks authority to prohibit parking on public streets.
- Standard Conditions from Staff: The approval includes conditions requiring monitoring of critical areas for three years, an engineering permit from Tumwater for the access lane and parking lot, a holding tank permit for the restroom, removal of noxious weeds, and compliance with state historic preservation processes. The parking lot is located in potential future right-of-way; if the road connection is built, the city must provide alternative parking.
- Next Steps: The hearing examiner will issue a written decision with findings of fact and conclusions of law within two weeks. Affected parties may request a copy from the city.
Meeting Transcript
Webinar. Nicole, does that sound good to you? Start. Beautiful. And is Ken our host tonight? It's me. I'm going to be the next clerk. Okay. Thank you, Nicole. So if uh you'll have us on record. Correct. We are recording. Oh, great. Good evening, Mark Scheipmeyer, the city hearing uh Sierra Hearing Examiner. I've been asked to convene a public hearing to consider an application by the Olympia Parks Arts and Recreation Department, seeking a conditional use permit to establish what is referred to as the Kaiser Woods Park, a proposed uh public mountain biking park located over 71 acres at 2549 Black Lake Boulevard Southwest. Uh the project proposing to include 3.5 miles of new mountain bike trails and some uh common use trails, 1.9 miles of existing trails, pump tracks and skill stations, a rust room parking lot uh with 25 stalls, stormwater detention facilities, uh, and frontage improvements along Black Lake Boulevard. In advance of today's hearing, I've received a staff report authored by uh Ms. Mock, who is uh present tonight and anticipated to give testimony. By the way, this bears the city's hearing number 23-3261. I've reviewed that report and all of the attachments that are associated with it in advance of tonight's hearing. I have received quite a few public comments, um, many of which arrived today. All those that did arrive, I have reviewed in advance of the hearing as they've come in today. So I am, I believe, familiar with all public comments that have been uh received uh at any time in the lengthy hearing of this report and including all that have been submitted today. So many of you have been participants in other public hearings of this type. Uh perhaps none or some of you have not. It's important to understand how this type of public hearing works differently than say a hearing before the city council or planning commission or something else of that nature. Um, most notably, this is not a political process. I'm not interested in how many are in favor of a project and how many are not. That's not how I uh render decisions on conditional use permits. Rather, I render them on the basis of the facts that are submitted and whether those facts demonstrate that the applicant has met all requirements. So while I'm certainly uh interested in those who are interested or in support or in opposition, I am not keeping count. Uh I am instead paying close attention to the testimony that's being provided and utilizing that testimony to render my factual determinations, which then support my legal conclusions, uh, which then render my uh ultimate decision. And so what I'm most interested in hearing tonight is your testimony and the in the factual reasons you either support or oppose uh this application, not again the total number of supporters or opponents, but the basis upon which that support or opposition is being uh made. So this hearing will have two or I'm sorry, three uh components. Uh we will first hear from the city staff, uh, the planning department as the one receiving the application and making recommendations to me in the form of their uh staff report. I anticipate that through Ms. Mock. It could be through other city planning staff as well. Once that presentation has been completed, we then turn to the applicant, which also happens to be the City of Olympia. So the city is wearing two hats in this hearing. One is the planning department and the other as the applicant through the uh parks uh department. I believe we'll hear from Ms. Utter uh on that, perhaps others who may add to or subtract from what the city planning department uh says. We'll wait and see. In each instance, I may have questions both for the planning staff as well as the parks department. I'll uh determine that as we go along. Once we have concluded uh those two presentations, uh we'll then turn to public comment. Um a few things about that. And those who wish to testify will do so under oath. Uh, because we have a relatively large crowd that has signed up in advance.
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