Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has given his conditional support to siting a new county mental health crisis center inside a former medical building at Broadway and Union. Capitol Hill community groups are also formally weighing on the proposal as the King County Council begins debate on the plan.
“The primary concerns from our community members are about the public safety effects of the Crisis Care Center. Many residents expressed a belief that the Crisis Care Center would improve the public safety of the area,” a letter from the Capitol Hill Community Council also conditionally supporting the plan reads. “Other community members question that belief, and we support the careful consideration of their concerns and a public safety plan that addresses concerns of community members.”
In their letter, the volunteer community group agreed the King County Department of Community and Human Services is so far showing “good faith effort” in answering the council’s questions and responding to concerns.
“While not all the forwarded questions were addressed, and while not all answers are as forthcoming as we may have hoped, we believe that this represents a good faith effort by King County to engage with the concerns of members of the community in a fair way,” the council’s letter continues. “Based on this action, and others including neighborhood walks with community members, we anticipate that King County will strive to be good neighbors and run the Crisis Care Center in a positive way that reflects and responds to the community in which it is housed.”
The full Capitol Hill Community Council letter is below.
CHS reported here in August on Harrell’s conditional support for the planned $56 million Broadway Crisis Care Center that would transform a former Polyclinic facility at Broadway and Union.
In his letter, Harrell said the county and a yet to be announced operator of the center must partner with the Seattle Police Department to assess the former Polyclinic building and its surroundings for safety, execute a “safe operations plan for the building and the surrounding exterior spaces, including public sidewalks and other publicly accessible spaces,” and enter into a Good Neighbor Agreement with the city that “obligates the provider to meet certain safety and disorder standards to be negotiated with the provider.” Requirements would include forming a citizen advisory committee to guide the emergency and walk-in clinic that is planned to be part of a voter-approved, $1.25 billion network of five facilities across the county.
The mayor’s letter of support is a key milestone in the so far limited public process around the proposal.
Other groups are voicing support. Continue reading
