Demolition day at San Francisco & Bethel garage has come!

Wednesday, April 26, 2023, the old garage located in our neighborhood’s hub at the corner of Bethel and San Francisco streets is coming down! 

NENA and the other neighborhoods in NE Olympia that are part of the Olympia NE Neighborhood Alliance (ONNA) have been working with the City and multiple owners of the garage for decades to make this happen. This is the first step toward transforming this public safety hazard, graffiti magnet, and hideous eyesore into a vital and vibrant space for neighbors to gather and get connected. 

As a next step, ONNA has applied for a City of Olympia Neighborhood Matching Grant to purchase picnic tables and beautify the property with attractive landscaping and a privacy fence for the neighbors.  The owner is planning to host food trucks on the property.  More to come about his plans when we learn more. 

And more details to come in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, we can learn more about how we reached this exciting crossroads below: 

• JOLT news article about the plans the owner submitted to the City for this property.
• City of Olympia news release 4/26: Northeast Olympia Anticipates Steps Towards Enhanced Neighborhood Center
• ONNA neighborhood matching grant application, sub-area plan, and future use survey. ONNA includes the NENA, and the Bigelow Highlands, Bigelow, and East Bay Drive Neighborhood Associations. 
• Photos and videos of the interior and exterior of the building today, and a curated montage of graffiti tags on the building going back to 2012.
• Permit application on the City’s website and a history of the property clean up on the Department of Ecology’s website.

With gratitude for our great neighborhood and our awesome NE neighbors, 

MIke Dexel and Peter Guttchen

NENA Board members