Drafter
Clerk 11/07/2024
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A MOTION relating to the establishment of policy and operational priorities to inform long-term planning and implementation of the county's civic campus planning initiative.
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WHEREAS, King County owns and operates several facilities in downtown Seattle, and
WHEREAS, most of the facilities that King County owns and operates are on a civic campus centered around Fourth Avenue between James Street and Yesler Way, and include the King County Courthouse, King County Administration Building, King County Correctional Facility, Chinook Building, Yesler Building, Goat Hill Garage, and the 420 4th Avenue Building, and
WHEREAS, over the decades, the county has invested in these facilities to continue to provide services to a growing public, and
WHEREAS, the ages of the aforementioned properties span between eighteen and one hundred fifteen years old, in varying conditions, with some underutilized, functionally obsolete, and facing costly maintenance and repairs that are not financially sustainable, and
WHEREAS, in 2023, the executive embarked on the civic campus initiative visioning process that brought together all branches of county government, external government agencies, community partners, academic leaders, and industry leaders to address the aging building stock and underlying functional deficiencies, and
WHEREAS, the visioning process engaged all branches of county government, other governmental partners, experts from industry and academia, and a community advisory group, and
WHEREAS, the civic campus initiative looks ahead to 2045, identifying opportunities to: modernize facilities and deploy excellent county services, leverage the value of county real estate assets, improve personal and public safety and security, and better engage the built environment and surrounding neighborhoods in Downtown Seattle, and
WHEREAS, in July 2024 the executive delivered a community-informed vision for transforming the current civic cam...
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