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Tuesday, May 6, 2008

City Announces Four Potential Jail Sites

posted by on May 6 at 14:45 PM

Earlier this afternoon, the city announced it has whittled a list of 35 potential jail sites down to just four. The four potential sites are located in Haller Lake, Interbay, Highland Park—just southwest of Georgetown—and in West Seattle, near the reservoir.

Due to overflow problems at the King County Jail (KCJ), the city must build a new jail by 2012 to hold people for DUIs, domestic violence and other charges which require mandatory incarceration.

The city has determined it will be safer and more cost-effective to build a one story jail—as opposed to KCJ, which is about 10 floors—and they’re also looking for a seven-acre space outside of residential zones, near a major arterial. The city plans to begin the design phase for the jail sometime in 2009.

Of the four sites, Haller Lake seems an especially likely candidate. The Seattle Police Department’s North Precinct has been sinking over the last few years, and there’s been talk at the city about relocating the precinct. There’s also been talk of splitting the north precinct into two sites in the next five or ten years.

Of course, this doesn’t mean the Haller Lake site is a sure thing, but it sure would be a way for the city to kill two birds with one stone.


RSS icon Comments

1

The city has determined it will be safer and more cost-effective to build a one story jail—as opposed to KCJ, which is about 10 floors

Now the anti-tall-building NIMBYs have gone too far.

Posted by JMR | May 6, 2008 2:51 PM
2

Two birds with one stone? In Seattle we say two birds with one blowdart.

Posted by elenchos | May 6, 2008 2:51 PM
3

They should say fuck you to king county and put the jail in fucking bellevue or some shit so the hobos can live there instead of here.

Posted by Andrew | May 6, 2008 3:00 PM
4

the most prominent building in a city tells you what that culture's priorities are. therefore, the jail should be the tallest building in Seattle.

Posted by max solomon | May 6, 2008 3:00 PM
5

How about NONE?

Or else maybe we put them in the RICHEST NEIGHBORHOOD only?

That sounds fair to me.

Posted by Will in Seattle | May 6, 2008 3:09 PM
6

The four potential sites are located in Haller Lake, Interbay, Highland Park—just southwest of Georgetown—and in West Seattle

This sounds just like 1861, when Walla Walla duked it out with some other parts of Washington Territory to "win" the right to have the territorial penitentiary there. Hope you've enjoyed it, Walla Walla.

Posted by JMR | May 6, 2008 3:24 PM
7

@3: Bellevue is in King County.

Posted by raindrop | May 6, 2008 3:28 PM
8

@7: Yet not of it.

Posted by Greg | May 6, 2008 3:35 PM
9

I don't care where they put a new jail, so long as it's served by light rail transit and a bike path for staff reporters from The Stranger.

Posted by Smarm | May 6, 2008 3:47 PM
10

Yes, but will the bikes have a lockup, or will the guards steal them for drug money?

Posted by Will in Seattle | May 6, 2008 3:59 PM
11

@8,

Seattle comprises about 1/3 of King County - I'd say at this point we're less "of it" than the rest of it is.

This facility ought to be downtown by the Courts and existing jail, or perhaps co-located with the other County jail facility/ies that will also need to be sited when KC stops housing misdemeanor offenders.

Posted by Mr. X | May 6, 2008 4:33 PM
12

well, i don't like to hear about you killing birds because i'm an environmentalist....

Posted by sepiolida | May 6, 2008 5:26 PM
13

Why are we talking about a one-story seven-acre jail far removed from the urban center of town? That is pretty far from green and completely inconsistent with the density-is-good and reduce-your-commute philosophy of Greg Nickels.

It seems like the Interbay location is actually the greenest location.

Posted by Matt | May 6, 2008 7:48 PM

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