This graphic shows the Olympic View Properties complex as it is designed. The two storefronts at the far left are the existing building.

Imagine an evening in downtown Sequim. You take in the First Friday Art Walk, admiring the work of talented people. Then you walk into a restaurant with subdued lighting and soft music to eat a well-prepared meal and drink a glass of fine wine.

Or in another image, the same fine dining and wine but this time you walk at a leisurely pace to Olympic Theatre Arts or the Sequim High School auditorium for a live performance.

This is the downtown Sequim that Brown M. Maloney would like to see in the near future.

"There is a nice dynamic to the downtown that I want to extend and develop," he says.

To that end, Maloney has purchased the vacant building at 157 W. Washington St. and the two vacant lots next to it. Contractors are gutting the building to accommodate four boutique-size stores.

Larger retail spaces

Once the city of Sequim issues a building permit, the lots next door will hold three larger retail stores and, behind them, a restaurant with an area for outdoor dining. The new store will have a light, airy feel with large windows and skylights, he says.

Maloney says this is the best piece of property in the downtown area. Even with the current poor economy, he sees the Sequim downtown as stable and steady.

No new buildings have been built in downtown in 30 years. Maloney thinks these new stores will help the entire downtown by bringing more people into the area and giving them more places to linger and browse.

Maloney owns the Sequim Gazette at 147 W. Washington St. and the building that holds the newspaper offices plus several retail stores.

He is working with Rick Anderson of LBR Construction, Pam Schneider of Bondeson Design, and Zenovic and Associates, engineers - all local businesses - on the project.

Interested parties should contact 683-3311 and ask for Brown Maloney or Olympic View Properties.

Reach Dana Casey at dcasey@sequimgazette.com.