Bellevue is among six potential sites for a new regional jail, a regional planning group announced Nov. 20.
Other possible locations include three spots in Seattle, one in Shoreline, and one in unincorporated King County.
The site under consideration in Bellevue is on 116th Avenue Northeast, between Northeast 4th and Northeast 8th streets.
Many cities in King County are contracting with the county for jail space, but that arrangement expires in less than five years.
A potential one-year extension is on the table, but King County claims it doesn’t have the capacity to house its own felony jail population beyond then. That means cities will have to collectively build a new jail or construct separate buildings of their own.
“At the end of the day, we have to figure out how to build additional capacity,” said Catherine Cornwall, senior policy advisor to Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. “Not having a place … would not be an option.”
Twenty-three municipalities, including Bellevue and Seattle, have banded together as the North-East Cities (NEC) municipal jail-planning group to formulate concepts for a new 640-bed facility that would house misdemeanor inmates.
A team known as the The South Corrections Entity (SCORE) – comprised of Auburn, Des Moines, Federal Way, Renton and Tukwila – is working to develop a separate plan for its members.
Preliminary estimates for building the new NEC facility put the cost at $174 million.
Developing and operating a jail collectively is thought to be less expensive than when it is done independently, according to NEC consultants.
The NEC group has decided to move forward with environmental reviews and public-input gathering for each of its sites.
One option under consideration would create an annex to the King County Jail in Downtown Seattle. Cornwall mentioned that this could be one of the more appealing alternatives.
“What kind of makes that option so attractive is that we would be able to take advantage of some of the support functions (of the existing facility),” she said. “They already have a kitchen, they already have a booking facility, and they already have a medical staff.”
A forum to discuss the potential Bellevue location will take place Dec. 15 from 6-9 p.m. at the Meydenbauer Center (11100 Northeast Sixth Street, Bellevue).
An additional meeting to discuss environmental impacts is scheduled for Jan. 15 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Meydenbauer Center.
The NEC will be looking to mitigate any impacts from the future facility, some of which could be related to traffic and safety concerns.
“We might look at what our release policies are, and maybe people end up being released in neighborhoods where they were arrested instead of at the (jail) site,” Cornwall said.
Municipal jails house only misdemeanor inmates and not felons, but that hasn’t traditionally made people feel better about having a facility in their neighborhood.
“I think just the fact that it’s a jail, people are not going to be happy about it,” Cornwall said.
Breakouts are uncommon at King County correctional facilities.
“Escapes are very rare,” Cornwall said. “There hasn’t been one (in King County) in over 10 years.”
Joshua Adam Hicks can be reached at jhicks@bellevuereporter.com or 425-453-4290
