King County has sealed the deal on the three-story Totem Lake office building in Kirkland that has been home since August 2024 to the region’s first 24/7 walk-in mental health crisis center. Public records and local reporting put the price tag at roughly $36.2 million, a hefty sum county leaders say is meant to lock in the clinic’s future as part of a planned countywide network of crisis centers.
County closes on the property
County records show the property at 11410 NE 122nd Way changed hands this week for a bit over $36.2 million, as reported by the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. CoStar also reported that King County acquired the three-story office building that had previously been leased for the crisis center.
The clinic that already serves people in crisis
Connections Health Solutions has operated the walk-in center since it opened in August 2024, providing 24/7 urgent care, observation and stabilization services for people in mental health or substance use crisis, according to Connections Health Solutions. Local reporting at KUOW described the center's urgent-care clinic and observation unit when it opened, and a Hoodline report titled the county's partnership with the operator previously noted the county's role in backing the site.
Why the county paid to own it
The purchase locks in space that King County had already supported through grants and a voter-approved property-tax levy to build five crisis care centers across the county; the levy also set aside money the county could use to buy facilities for the program, according to The Seattle Times. “This award makes Connections Kirkland the first official crisis care center for King County,” Executive Dow Constantine said in a statement from the county. King County's release noted the center had been open since August and will be part of a broader county network.
What's inside the Kirkland center
The Roxborough Group, which had owned and leased the office building, said the property totals about 67,500 square feet, while the clinic occupies roughly 45,000 square feet on the first two floors for patient services. KUOW and other local reporting described the center's setup as including an urgent-care clinic, an observation area with reclining chairs for short stays, and two 16-bed inpatient units intended for stabilization and short-term stays. Roxborough Group notes the scale and patient focus of the facility.
What comes next
County officials say the acquisition secures the Kirkland site while King County ramps up the rest of the levy-funded network of crisis centers, and Connections will continue to operate the Kirkland center as part of that system. Local advocates say owning the building removes a major uncertainty for staffing and services and helps ensure that mental health care beds remain available to North King County residents. CoStar provided additional details on the sale and the county's plans for the program.
For neighbors and first responders, the purchase is intended to reduce interruptions when someone needs care instead of an ER or jail. County and Connections representatives have pointed to earlier statements about expanding crisis care across King County as the program moves forward.
