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Problems with Process, Place and Purchase
We need expanded behavioral health care now and we need it done right. The decision to locate a King County Crisis Care Center (CCC) and a Residential Treatment Facility (RTF) at the former Polyclinic building raises serious questions.
No Genuine Stakeholder Outreach
Little or no contact with nearby residents, schools, businesses, non-profits, hotels, workers. Plans for a Residential Treatment Facility (RTF) were concealed until the August Executive Notification Letter.
Audit Begs Questions
The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) has already been cited for mismanaging millions in public funds. This purchase is moving forward without research or studies validating financial feasibility.
No Studies
There was no site-specific review, no due diligence. DCHS bypassed safeguards by issuing a non-project, non-site-specific determination of nonsignificance (DNS).
Complex Neighborhood Environment
Site selection criteria ignored the surrounding environment: dense residential housing, eight schools with over 14,000 students, a vibrant but volatile nightlife corridor, and essential services and businesses at the tipping point.
Existing Safety Risks
The City and County lack a coordinated plan and necessary resources to address Capitol and First Hill safety issues: open air drug markets, crime, and violence. See the 2024 Seattle Office of City Auditor Report.
Patient Safety Unaddressed
The surroundings compromise the safe, stable environment needed for recovery. There are no funds currently allocated for post-crisis sheltering and support resources.
Better Options Exist
County did not compare alternative sites. Overpaying for an oversized, aging building is poor financial stewardship of taxpayer dollars. This purchase could prematurely exhaust the CCC levy funds.
Financial Red Flags
King County paying far above market value. The $38.75M deal includes an $11.5M flip fee to Guntower Capital LLC.
Change of Use
The change of the building’s use to CCC and RTF will trigger substantial upgrades. Experts estimate these costs at $57–80M. It will take years to address these requirements.
Poor Property Conditions May Exhaust CCC Levy Funds
The Property Condition Report (PCR) rated the Polyclinic in “fair to poor condition.” The PCR called for studies for seismic, mold, ADA and water remediation. These conditions remain unknown.
Secret, Oversized, and Unvetted
DCHS quietly signed a purchase and sale agreement for 115,000 square foot building four times larger than needed for a CCC with over half its use unclear.
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