“Downtown Olympia is the heart of our region, offering our unique local flavor in a clean and safe setting while blending our contemporary quirkiness with historic charm.”
This is the new vision statement of the Olympia Downtown Association as envisioned by the board led by executive director, Todd Cutts, who was hired last spring.
Todd and his wife moved to Olympia in June of 2016 from the Seattle area where Cutts served as the city manager of SeaTac. They made a conscious choice to live in Olympia due to the sense of community not to mention his wife Alison Hellberg’s deep family roots. Alison grew up in the area and attended Olympia High School. “We are urban people and wanted to be close to a downtown environment,” shares Cutts. “Living in Olympia with great schools, less traffic and a walkable downtown equals a great quality of life for us and our three boys,” he adds.
Photo credit: ODA
Todd and his wife live within a mile of their respective workplaces and can walk or ride the Intercity Transit Dash bus to work. Their three boys attend the same local public schools that Allison attended when she was a child growing up in Olympia. All this equates to a real understanding of the benefits and challenges of the downtown core and surrounding neighborhoods.
Todd has started economic development programs both in SeaTac and in the city of Long Beach, CA. He has a passion for building and improving downtown areas while maintaining the unique flavor of each urban area. While Todd has extensive experience working with city government and downtown associations, he wanted to reach out to stakeholders here immediately. “I did not come into this job presupposing anything,” explains Cutts. “It was important to me to learn directly from the stakeholders what they see as the strengths and challenges in downtown Olympia.” Todd began with 75 interviews with business owners and downtown leaders. “Patterns began to emerge, and fairly quickly we knew where to focus our resources and time,” shares Cutts.
The ODA put together five focus groups that included retail, food services, hospitality, real estate and professional services. These groups listened to each other and developed a list of values that the downtown embodies. Cutts was able to glean what is going well in downtown Olympia and what the ODA can do to add value for the business members.
“We need to embrace the unique flavor that is present in Olympia while helping in a constructive way to highlight its offerings,” shares Cutts. The small city blocks provide lots of corner opportunities for businesses. The city is well served by public transit, and Cutts is very encouraged by the new residential growth. “I have seen the vibrancy that downtown residents bring to a 24/7 environment,” emphasizes Cutts.
Cutts sees downtown Olympia as a diverse and creative place. The beauty of any downtown area is influenced by the different walks of life that contribute to its vitality. Cutts believes that the job of the ODA is to help create a platform for businesses to succeed. “Inside the door is within their purview, but outside the door it is our job to create a welcoming environment,” explains Cutts.
Along with a new vision statement the ODA has developed a strategic plan that includes their mission, values and goals. The ODA recently organized a full day retreat with the entire board during which they identified where they will focus their resources and time. Cutts is currently building a budget that will reflect those decisions. “We are a small organization with great potential for growth and the ability to add value and help downtown to thrive,” suggests Cutts.
Cutts is also looking closely at what other cities have done with clean and safe programs, recognizing that there is still much to do. He is optimistic that a clean and compassionate community can be maintained.
The Olympia Downtown Association has several major downtown events including Music in the Park, Downtown for the Holidays and the newly added Sip, Savor and Stroll. “Sip and Savor was a big success,” shares Kim Combs, event and volunteer coordinator at ODA. “The energy downtown was fantastic, and we look forward to bringing it back next year.” Todd Cutts is eager to add even more frequent events showcasing downtown restaurants, breweries and shopping. Guided tours that would highlight the history of Olympia are also in the works.
Did you know that Nirvana played in the courtyard at the New Caledonia Building where the ODA office is located? For more fun historical facts and information on what the ODA is doing downtown, join executive director, Todd Cutts, on a “Wednesday Walkabout,” a new downtown tradition. Meet at the ODA office at 116 5th Avenue, Suite F, each Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. They cannot wait to meet you!
