Kirkland neighbors concerned about proposal to turn hotel into homeless housing

KIRKLAND, Wash. — A proposal to turn a Kirkland hotel into housing for the homeless is getting pushback from the community.

Finding housing for the homeless has been a major priority for King County Executive Dow Constantine.

The former La Quinta hotel would be purchased through the Health Through Housing initiative, which uses tax money to buy vacant motels and convert them into housing.

Many motels saw business decline in the last two years due to the pandemic, and King County took the opportunity to buy them to help get people off the street.

In other locations where the county has purchased hotels, there has been some concern, but not as much as in Kirkland, where residents say the hotel sits closer to schools and a day care.

“Yes, we know there’s a homeless problem, yes, we’re concerned about it, yes, we know that they need to be cared for, but they’re not the ones that are voting, they’re not the ones that are paying property taxes to support the city,” said Kirkland resident Ted Barr.

The deal to buy the hotel has not been finalized. Officials say the city supports the purchase as long as it runs properly and syncs with the community.

City officials said:

• There would be a screening and referral process for permanent and supportive housing.
• All tenants would enroll in the homeless management information system.
• Unlawful activities would not be permitted.
• Staff would be on-site to engage with tenants.
• Those who repeatedly break the rules would be at risk of expulsion from the property.

The county currently has eight such facilities and wants to house 1,600 people by the end of the year.

Kirkland officials hope to hear a decision about the purchase of the hotel in the coming weeks.

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