Olalla market ‘back to full service’ after county told it to stop serving food on-site
The Olalla Bay Market & Landing is back in the restaurant business following warnings from Kitsap County in March that it needed to stop serving food on site, among other restrictions.
The market posted on its Facebook page Thursday afternoon, March 28: “Are you able to dine (and enjoy a beer) on site again? Yes! We’re back to full service.”
The market opened last year at 13965 Crescent Valley Road SE after Gregg and Claudia Olsen bought the historic building in 2021, the Gateway previously reported. Built in 1884, it was formerly Al’s Market.
“We’re pleased to say we recently had a productive meeting with the owners and feel confident these issues can be resolved,” Kitsap County spokesperson Krista Carlson told the Gateway via email Friday. “We thank them for taking a collaborative approach to address our concerns and look forward to the successful completion of their permits.”
Owner Gregg Olsen said in an email to the Gateway Friday: “We are declining all public comments while we work with the county on a solution. Thank you for your interest.”
The permit they need to operate as a restaurant is in the works, Carlson said.
“A submitted permit is under review and we’re currently awaiting the owner’s response to comments from our reviewers,” Carlson’s email said. “This process must be completed to permit the Olalla Bay Market to operate a restaurant. Although, the restaurant appears to be open now, completed permits will be required for sustained operations.”
No open-mic events allowed
The market posted on social media March 2 that county officials told the operators at the start of the month that they needed to stop any live music and food service at the facility, and that they confirmed it was OK for the market to do to-go orders and to sell groceries and gifts.
“Our primary concern is the livelihoods of our 15 staff members,” part of the market’s Facebook post said.
The market also posted a copy of the letter it received from the county March 1.
“It has come to our attention that Olalla Bay Market is hosting events, including live music,” the letter said. “The purpose of this communication is to inform you that this is not a permitted or allowed use, nor is it something that was considered during the review of the building permits ... .”
It went on to say that, the way the property is zoned, “there is no pathway to allowing this type of use ... .”
That meant no open-mic events, now or in the future, the county explained. Carlson confirmed to the Gateway Friday that that remains the case.
“Effective immediately, you are directed to cease any live music events including ‘open mic’ events,” the letter said. “Any further violations of the zoning code in this manner will result in the revocation of your provisional occupancy status.”
As for food service, the county’s letter warned, the market must stop “functioning as a restaurant until such time a time that you receive occupancy approval for such use.”
The letter explained that “the primary use of the market is mercantile, as a convenience store and ancillary food operations with limited indoor seating. The only outstanding item that is holding up full occupancy approval of the market is the parking issue.”
It did not going into specifics about the “parking issue,” other than to tell Olsen: “In your last response you seemed to question the necessity of providing the level of agreement required to remedy the issue. A shared parking agreement is the only pathway to compliance without significantly reducing the occupant load of the building.”
The letter gave Olsen 30 days to meet the county’s requirements, “in order to consider further occupancy of the market,” and asked Olsen to work with staff “through the permit process to remedy the parking agreement and restaurant change of use permit.”
Asked how much parking the market has versus how much it needs, Carlson told the Gateway Friday that’s still being discussed.
“When adequate parking cannot be achieved on site (within the parcel), a shared-use parking agreement, with another property owner, may be used to fulfill this requirement,” her email said.
Asked by the Gateway how the violations came to the attention of the county, Carlson wrote in her email: “We have received many comments on both sides of this issue. Due to limited resources Kitsap County does not monitor businesses to assure they stay within the bounds of their permits. We practice complaint-based code enforcement. When we receive complaints, we investigate.”
Permitting challenges are not the only setback the business has faced in its early stages.
The market opened April 13, 2023, after fire in August 2022 devastated the market and pushed back its opening.
A GoFundMe page raised over $50,000 for repairs, the Gateway previously reported.
“Your gift was key to rebuilding this special spot,” Gregg Olsen posted on the page in January 2023. “Each step of this challenging journey we have felt buoyed by our community. Thanks for being there for us. We, in turn, can’t wait to be there to serve you!”
This story was originally published March 30, 2024 at 5:15 AM.
