Could controversial King County Crisis Care Center cost taxpayers more than planned?
Updated Tue, October 7th 2025 at 4:54 AM
SEATTLE — If you can stand at the corner of Broadway and Union, you can see how Seattle is at a crossroads.
A man is standing at a bus stop smoking fentanyl, as school kids walk by, fresh from a meal at 206 Burger, owned by Suren Shrestha.
“I like being on the hill because it’s one of the densest neighborhoods in the whole Pacific Northwest, north of San Francisco,” he said during the lunch rush, while simultaneously lamenting the problems outside his window.
“We want people facing mental issues to get help. We’re just against the crisis center coming in right on the neighborhood where kids are coming in,” he said.
It helps to explain why so many neighbors are conflicted and upset about the idea that King County could purchase the nearly vacant old Polyclinic building at 1145 Broadway with the intention to turn it into a 24/7 Crisis Care Center.
The money was approved by voters in 2023 to build out five crisis care centers to treat the mentally ill and chronically addicted. But here they ask: If the City and County can’t manage the existing problem, what makes anyone think they can do it by inviting more of the same? It is a spot, after all, that is right across the street from a Brewery, bowling alley, and Silver Cloud Inn.
“A big part of what we do here is welcome visitors to the area and try to sell them on the city and all that it has to offer. My suspicion is that the location of this is going to make that much, much harder for us to do,” said Silver Cloud Inn General Manager Dan O’Leary.
O’Leary said he understands the needs but struggles to comprehend why the county would quietly try to push through an effort to place one in a neighborhood that is already having issues with public safety.
“I’ve got family members who have dealt with some of these complex issues,” said O’Leary, who grew up on Capitol Hill, and said there often is a lot of criminal activity during nighttime hours and “What I know is placing them in an environment with lots of chaos, open air, drug use, street takeovers, I don’t know that you’re going to achieve the best outcome for them by placing them in that environment.”
Yet, the King County Council could vote on Tuesday to move ahead with the multi-million dollar transaction that O’Leary, Shrestha, and others say has not involved any sort of community outreach or a plan to handle the public safety burden. In fact, Seattle Council member Joy Hollingworth wrote an email to County leaders earlier this summer suggesting very specific improvements that are needed in her district.
“People would like a Properly Executed and Properly Resourced CCC. Properly is the key. I understand the community’s concern, as we are completely struggling and failing with the fentanyl and mental health crisis on the street every day. I know the county, community, and city have worked hard to tackle these complex issues, But It seems like we’re in the middle of the ocean with a mop. We keep focusing on how everyone wanted the new mop, and we’re proud that the mop is made from recycled wood and the fibers are eco-friendly. However, we continue to be in the ocean with a mop.”
There are other questions, too, about whether the County has done a full financial analysis of the site. An unearthed assessment of the property suggested it needs millions of dollars in seismic, HVAC improvements, and other structural repairs.
It’s going to cost more than it’s anticipated,” said Russell Normann, who has been part of a coalition of business owners and civic leaders seeking to slow down the process. “We’re spending an exorbitant amount of money on a building that’s not going to help the people in crisis. We’re going to be spending money on a building that’s mostly going to be empty at the beginning.
The issues that have been raised may have given pause to King County Council budget chair Rod Dembowski, who expressed some reservations during a recent committee meeting. In a text, Dembowski suggested his primary concern is with the “real estate components” of the deal, and “I am working to explore whether or not there are other sites that would work, but it’s pretty late in the process for the Seattle site, and there is a pressing need for this facility.”
King County spokesperson Hannah Kurowski said in an email to KOMO News that “King County has analyzed the property as part of our standard due diligence process and is aware that repairs and maintenance have been needed. These repairs and maintenance have consistently been a part of our financial planning. We are confident we can make the proper modifications to bring a Crisis Care Center online in this building.”
She added:
“The Broadway facility meets all five Crisis Care Center site requirements, as established by the Crisis Care Center Levy Implementation Plan that was unanimously passed by Council last year:
- It provides the right square footage
- Is zoned for this purpose
- Meets accessibility requirements
- Can feasibly meet state licensure requirements
- Is centrally located: Close to three hospital emergency departments and near major transportation corridors, providing for efficient access by first responders and other community members.”
She also said that the center would not open until 2027, but “If this site does not work out, it is likely that the opening of a Crisis Care Center in the Central Zone will be significantly delayed.”
“There’s been no transparency,” said Jeff Regelein, who works across the street and spoke Friday as a man in crisis sat outside his business on the sidewalk. He worries the intersection will devolve into what has been seen elsewhere.
“I’ve just seen the issues that they’ve had with Little Saigon, and the issues that they had and Occidental, and they put the things in there, and it ends up being more of a concentration over there, and not a lot of people are getting help,” he said.
Shrestha added, “It makes me feel angry, because this is going to impact my business. If they want to put something like that here, they should be getting some input from us before because we’re the ones who deal with these mentally challenged people every single day, so we’re not happy about it.”