LOCAL NEWS
Apr 1, 2022, 8:12 AM
A vacant La Quinta Inn in Kirkland. (KIRO 7)
(KIRO 7)
BY
Former MyNorthwest.com Editor
A group who says they represent local parents has filed a lawsuit against King County and the City of Kirkland over plans to convert a vacant La Quinta Inn into a homeless shelter.
King County moving forward with plan to convert Kirkland hotel into homeless shelter
The group called “Keep Kids Safe” claims that the city ignored state and county laws when it purchased the hotel, and that the county should have been required to have a public meeting regarding the intended use of the property.
The former hotel is located near State Route 520 on the south edge of Kirkland, marking the latest site added to the county’s Health Through Housing initiative. As part of that effort, the county has already purchased nine other former hotel properties, spanning Auburn, Federal Way, North Seattle, Pioneer Square, Queen Anne, Redmond, and Renton.
When it first became known that the county was considering the Kirkland site for its next shelter space, several residents expressed concerns over its proximity to at least four schools, as well as the area’s status as “a major hub for several businesses” along the border between Kirkland and Bellevue.
Those concerns sit at the core of the lawsuit filed this week.
“We are absolutely supportive of finding solutions for the homeless crisis but feel the risks of locating so close to all of these schools and a daycare need to be carefully considered in an open public process by both King County and the City of Kirkland prior to approval,” parent Susie Kupferman said in a press release. “That did not happen.”
Pushback against hotel homeless shelters in King County has been prevalent for years, with similar complaints voiced by residents in Renton and Redmond. In the former, Renton City Council went so far as to pass a bill in 2020 to evict the residents of a homeless shelter housed inside a former Red Lion Hotel. The city and county eventually came to an agreement to stand up a new shelter inside a former Extended Stay America hotel, albeit with half the capacity of the Red Lion space.
UW researchers see ‘compelling’ results from bringing homeless into hotels
In Kirkland, local leaders are hoping to work with the community to develop what’s commonly known as a “Good Neighbor Agreement.” In the past, cities like Seattle and Bellevue have adopted these pacts to establish guidelines for security, crime prevention, shelter intake processes, increase police patrols, and provide resources that point unhoused individuals toward alternate shelter facilities when hotel spaces are at capacity.
That process will kick off with a series of public meetings set for this spring. Once an agreement is in place, the plan is to have residents move into the shelter starting in 2023.
Follow @NickNorthwest
Ted Buehner
The next ‘blue moon’ is set to rise Wednesday evening in the eastern sky at 8:13 p.m. in the Puget Sound region.
14 hours ago
L.B. Gilbert
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has reclosed State Route 20, also called the North Cascades Highway, as the Sourdough and Blue Lake fires continue to burn.
14 hours ago
L.B. Gilbert
One person was detained at Southcenter Mall in Tukwila Sunday night after several police agencies responded to a large fight.
14 hours ago
L.B. Gilbert
Lightning strikes have sparked a series of new wildfires in Mount Rainier National Park and Gifford Pinchot National Forest, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
14 hours ago
KIRO 7 News Staff
The Washington State Department of Health says that if more people don’t donate blood there might be a shortage this summer.
14 hours ago
Associated Press
In the first moments of the Maui fires, when high winds brought down power poles, slapping electrified wires to the dry grass below, there was a reason the flames erupted all at once in long, neat rows
14 hours ago
Dan Miller
If you’re confused by internet technologies and marketing jargon, you’re not alone. Here’s how you can make an informed decision.
Washington Virtual Academies (WAVA) is a program of Omak School District that is a full-time online public school for students in grades K-12.
What would you do if you woke up in the middle of the night and heard an intruder in your kitchen? West Coast Armory North can help.
Parents and students in Washington state have the power to reimagine the K-12 educational experience through Insight School of Washington.
Fraud costs Medicare an estimated $60 billion each year and ultimately raises the cost of health care for everyone.
June is Men’s Health Month, with the goal to raise awareness about men’s health and to encourage men to speak about their health.