King County Administration Building Proposal
Executive Ron Sims Press Conference
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006
Talking Points
What: Proposal to replace the 35-year old King County Administrative Building with a new structure that is:
-
LEED-certified
-
44-story
-
200,000 square feet of office space for county staff (plus room for growth)
-
mixed use
-
Cost-neutral to the County through a public-private partnership with a developer.
Why:
-
The hot real estate market makes this concept of replacing the King County Administration Building economically possible at no cost to the taxpayers for the first time in four decades. We must seize this chance.
-
If the economics make this cost-neutral for King County, replacing the Administration Building presents a great opportunity to take an aging, asbestos-laden and inefficient facility and redevelop it to serve a host of needs.
-
Major maintenance reserve fund costs for the Administration Building’s upkeep are growing significantly.
-
It sits on a prime downtown land parcel centrally located next to other County and City offices.
-
Perfect opportunity to create a modern civic campus for serving the public more efficiently.
-
Redeveloping site would maximize taxpayer resource to build infrastructure for the future
-
Reduces the county’s use of leased office space and provide growth capacity for future county office needs.
-
Private development and occupancy of remaining floors in the building would make the project cost neutral for the County.
-
Also consolidates service locations and better utilizes County resources: unusable space in oversized halls and stairs of Admin. Building is inefficient. Staff currently using 220,000 sf could be more efficiently housed in 150,000 sq using modern office layout standards.
-
The project would include replacing sky bridges between the jail, Administration Building and Courthouse, with an underground tunnel.
-
Additional potential public benefit from the project if including proposal for management of City Hall Park to go to the county.
-
The proposed high rise building is in line with the type of efficient, sustainable development the City of Seattle is encouraging as part of its Center City Strategy, which calls for increased density south of downtown.
What’s needed: To maintain a zero cost impact to King County, City must rezone Admin. Block for adequate development capacity.
-
Admin’s DMC 340/290-400 (Downtown Mixed Commercial) current zoningallows commercial buildings up to 340’.
-
Proposed zoning: across the street, the King County Jail sits on land zoned DOC 1 (Downtown Office Core 1), a zoning classification that allows unlimited height for commercial structures and would be more suitable for the type of high rise building needed to replace the Administration Building.
-
The hope is that the zoning on the two lots can be swapped or that the DOC 1 zoning can simply be extended across the street to the Administration Building site.
What’s next:
-
The County is issuing a Request for Qualifications/Concepts (RFQ/C)
-
The RFQ/C will specifically address the question regarding the economic viability of the project under current zoning versus a DOC 1 zoning scenario.
-
The project contemplates the building’s private development partner assuming much of the risk for the project, rather than taxpayers.
-
Market economies will dictate whether the project pencils out for both sides.
Potential timeline
October 19 – RFQ/C available
November 2 – Pre-Submittal Conference
December 7th– RFQ/C due
First Quarter 2007 – RFP posted
Mid 2007 – Private partner chosen, permitting process begins
2008-2010 – Construction
2010-1011 – Move-in