MATT DRISCOLL: A VIEW WORTH FIGHTING OVER >>>

As much as many in Olympia seem to hate it, things in our capital city cannot remain the same forever. Things change. They always do. As populations continue to rise, the downtown core of Olympia faces a decision. Should it allow this growth to happen in the strip mall-heavy suburbs, increasing the toll on the environment and ignoring the Comprehensive Plan? Or should it do something proactive â€" likely changing Olympia’s downtown forever and maybe even opening the door for hated developers in a town built on saying no?

Near the Fourth Ave Bridge, across from the Bayview Thriftway and between Capital Lake and Budd Inlet, there’s an area of land known as “the isthmus.” The fact that it’s not technically an isthmus doesn’t matter. What does matter is people’s vision for what the land should be now and into the future. In Olympia, it’s an issue worth fighting over. The land and the view that surrounds it are enough to stoke the passionate and often fierce emotions of many in this left-tilted college town.

The vocal majority wants a park. People such as Oly 2012 want high-density housing. Triway Enterprises, a development company that owns the land, wants condos â€" 141 condos to be exact, that, at least at the time of the company’s original proposal, were to go for one million dollars a hit. Since Triway asked the city of Olympia to rezone the area of land in question to allow 65- to 90-foot buildings over a year ago, the debate has raged, often degenerating into shouting, name-calling and vandalism.

To check out my cover story on the subject in the current issue of the Weekly Volcano, click here.

Art: Mary K Johnso