Former Mars Hill Church building still empty in Sammamish

Nearly two years after the city of Sammamish bought the building that used to house Mars Hill Church, it is still empty.

The city bought the 30,000-square-foot building in March 2015 for $6.1 million.

The plan was to lease the space to local colleges to offer Running Start and other college-level classes. The property is less than a mile from three high schools -- Eastlake, Eastside Catholic, and Skyline high schools.

According to the city, one-third of the population is age 18 or younger.

The city was in talks with Bellevue College, Cascadia College and Lake Washington Institute of Technology, but all three deals fell through.

The parking lot of the building is serving as a Park and Ride lot. The building itself is partially "mothballed," according to Mayor Don Gerend.

He said it costs about $50,000 a year to maintain the building in that condition.

He's not worried about the building being empty, because he says the value of the property has increased significantly since the city bought it.

After nearly two years of trying to find a tenant, the city thinks it is once again close to a solution. Central Washington University is considering leasing out the building for classes, which would include Running Start and English as a second language classes for the community, which has a diverse population attracted to the area from around the world for technology jobs.

Gerend says it has been a frustrating situation, but he is optimistic the city has found a tenant.

If the deal with Central Washington University isn't finalized by January, the City Council has finally agreed to consider what else to do with the building.

Some possibilities for the building include leasing it to a private business, rezoning the area for commercial development or selling it.

Cox Media Group