I’ve oftentimes described the geographic nature of (mostly) partisan politics in Thurston County. If you are a Democrat or left of center, you try to drive up your margins in the areas close to downtown Olympia. Then you drive outwards in all directions and try to win as many other precincts as possible until you…
Year: 2020
Olympia’s failed experiment with single-family zoning
I was not able to make it to the Housing Options hearing with the Planning Commission tonight. But here is what I sent them (and what I planned on saying). I am asking for you to consider relegalizing housing types that have traditionally been allowed in Olympia. Up until 1980, housing patterns in Olympia followed…
Book Review: Red Coast: Radicalism and Anti-Radicalism in Southwest Washington
The Red Coast is a rare book of Pacific Northwest history that unpacks a vital era. The labor, free speech, and political wars in the first third of the 20th century is an often misunderstood and glossed-over part of our heritage. Written by three authors, including two St. Martins Saints (I guess), the episodic nature of…
Tract 105 in Olympia. Or a story of how the nodes argument of density is racist
Last week I wrote about how on the macro-level, Olympia’s neighborhoods are racially segregated along density lines. The more single-family homes in a neighborhood, the higher percentage of white people that live there. And now I’ve found an example of how adding high-density housing in one neighborhood, and preserving single-family housing in the neighborhood next…
Zoning and race in Olympia, WA
Last November I posted about the history of race and housing in Olympia. I tracked local ordinances to outlaw racial discrimination in housing. I also wrote about some housing developments that have racially-based covenants. One of the things I noticed in these racially-restrictive covenants is that they always came with another requirement, that the neighborhood…
Black Lake Way, old Black Lake Road and how history could have been
One of the most interesting, long-term and simmering debates in Olympia, is how several dozen blocks in SW Olympia are connected to the rest of the city. Southwest Olympia south of Division and east of the mall is an interesting place. Unlike anywhere else in the city, they are unusually cut off from the rest…
Who was Karen Frazier?
Not Karen Fraser, but Karen Frazier. Because the name of a street in Southeast Olympia resembles the name of a longtime local politician, I’ve always wondered who the Karen Frazier (not Fraser) of the street actually was. Who had been well-known or important enough in Olympia decades ago to name a dog-legged street after? Well,…