King County buys Kirkland crisis center building for $33 million

King County has purchased the Kirkland crisis center building it's rented since 2024, according to tax documents filed this week.

Documents filed Wednesday with the Washington Department of Revenue show the county paid $32.6 million for the building, where since August 2024 it has provided walk-in mental health services for people in crisis, regardless of their insurance coverage or ability to pay.

The county bought the building from the San Francisco-based Roxborough Group, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal.

In a written statement, King County spokesperson Karissa Braxton-Lytle said the goal of the purchase was to save the county money, and to ensure that the center could operate long term in that location beyond the center's current lease. She said the purchase will not impact or alter the center's operations.

Last year, the center served 3,600 unique patients through more than 5,400 visits.

Purchasing the building would allow the County to maintain this level of care while creating opportunities to expand services in the future," Braxton-Lytle said.

The building is the first of five mental health crisis centers to be built in King County, thanks to a $1.25 billion property tax levy voters approved in 2023. It is operated by the Arizona-based Connections Health Solutions group. A second center on Capitol Hill, to be operated by the same company, is expected to open in late 2027.

The center includes a 23-hour observation unit, small "calm rooms and beds where patients can stay for up to 14 days.

The purchase has been in the works for several months, according to letters from Kirkland city staff to King County Executive Girmay Zahilay. On March 13, Kirkland's mayor, City Council and city manager sent Zahilay a letter supporting the county's plan to purchase the building.

The building's assessed value is around $18 million, and the Roxborough Group bought it in 2019 for nearly $36 million, county records show.

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