County Seeks to Develop Large Neighborhood Site
About 10 years ago, neighborhood residents began urging King County to develop the large surface parking lot area north of the Youth Services Center on 12th Avenue into uses that provided some vitality to the neighborhood. In 2004, King County Councilmember Larry Gossett was instrumental in the initiation of a master planning effort for potential use of the entire Youth Services Center site. The design firm of Arai Jackson led a series of public meetings attended by dozens of neighborhood and County stakeholders. That effort produced a concept plan that would allow replacement and expansion of inadequate County courtroom and office buildings, development of housing and retail space along 12th Avenue, and preservation of the Marvin Oliver artwork at the northeast corner of the site. In order to support future development, the City up-zoned a portion of the site to allow greater height at the west portion along 12th Avenue while keeping the lower height limit on the east portion of the site near 14th Avenue.
Since the publication of the concept plan in 2005, the County has been considering what additional courtroom and office space it might need at the site. Now that assessment has been completed, and the County would like to demolish the existing Alder Tower (the tallest building on the site) and attached Alder Wing and replace those buildings with a new larger structure. In addition, the County is proposing the development of the remainder of the site north of the new court and criminal justice building as a mixed-use development, which may include affordable and market-rate housing and retail and commercial space. The method and source of financing for the County portion of the development have not yet been determined. In mid-January the County expects to review and assess the list of developers who have responded to the formal Request for Qualifications.
—Bill Zosel