July 2005

by Beth Ward

When people talk about the Olympia Downtown Association (ODA) it seems like they either love it or hate it. Some describe it as a welcoming, inclusive group while others view the ODA as an exclusivist association dominated by downtown retail interests. So what is the ODA?

Founded in the late 1980's, the ODA is recognized by the city as a neighborhood association, which is a conglomerate of people who join together to improve the quality of their neighborhood and can choose to complete the proper paperwork and be recognized by the city as an official association. The ODA's boundaries . . .