City Hears KWA's Take On the Olympus Hotel

Tonight the City Council Neighborhoods and Housing Committee heard from the Korean Women’s Association (KWA) in relation to their bid for the Olympus Hotel. The KWA stated their intentions to continue to use the Olympus Hotel for low-income housing and convert a few units to transitional use for victims of domestic violence as those units become available. They would use the revenue from the renting of the commercial space to support their programs, but would be reviewing the use of the commercial space. They are hoping to have a “concrete status” by the end of the year if all goes well.

The KWA manages other low-income housing projects and have a very good reputation for well-run operations. They stated that if they took over the Olympus they would be reviewing all of the tenants and units on an individual basis and if they did not meet the standards of the Association they would not stay. They also would have a staffperson on site 24 hours a day, like their other operations. Social services would be provided for residents but the building would not have a drop-in center.

Councilmembers Manthou, Stenger, and Fey, as well as community members, all raised questions about the project. The representative from the KWA claimed to have only recently found out about the controversy surrounding the area and the building.

As some of the questioners wondered, would a well-run Olympus Hotel actually contribute to a better 9th and Pacific? Or are there other issues that are more important?

Previously on Exit133