King County Mental Health Crisis Center Renovation Costs Double to $35 Million Amid Broader Project Overruns
King County's estimated cost to renovate a former medical office building on Seattle’s Capitol Hill into a mental health crisis center has more than doubled, rising from an initial projection of $16 million to $17 million to $35 million. This increase, reported by The Seattle Times, adds to growing concerns about the escalating costs of taxpayer-funded projects within King County. The overall cost for acquiring and transforming the property, which includes a crisis care center and a 16-bed residential treatment facility, now exceeds $76 million, following the county's $41.5 million purchase of the building last year. County officials attribute the revised estimate to more detailed planning, stating that the initial figures were preliminary and excluded significant expenses such as engineering, architectural design, permitting, and contingencies. The new $35 million construction authorization will be funded by reallocating money from the voter-approved Crisis Care Centers Levy, with the facility slated for ...
