CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
title
AN ORDINANCE relating to land use and zoning; clarifying regulations related to detention centers and jails; amending Sections 23.47A.004, 23.49.044, 23.49.046, 23.49.092, 23.49.096, 23.49.144, 23.49.148, 23.49.300, 23.49.320, 23.49.324, and 23.84A.020 of the Seattle Municipal Code; approving a work plan; declaring an emergency; and establishing an immediate effective date; all by a 3/4 vote of the City Council.
body
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The City finds and declares:
A. Detention centers have been proliferating around the country. Consistent with Washington law, RCW 36.70A.200(1)(b), detention centers are facilities that are operated by a private entity in which persons are detained in custody under process of law pending the outcome of legal proceedings but are not used for punishment, correction, counseling, or rehabilitation following the conviction of a criminal offense, and exclude facilities detaining persons under RCW 71.09.020(7) or (16) or chapters 10.77 or 71.05 RCW.
B. The Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) does not currently define detention centers and does not identify where detention centers are appropriate within Seattle.
C. The SMC allows jails, but only in limited downtown zones, where one jail is currently located. The SMC also recognizes one youth detention center located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
D. New or expanded detention centers or jails are likely to draw significant public interest and would require a long-term security plan and a short-term construction staging plan. New or expanded detention centers or jails could have impacts on water, sewage and wastewater, transportation and parking, public safety, and public health. These plans and mitigation measures for identified impacts should be clearly delineated in the City's development regulations before the filing of any permit for a ...
Click here for full text