King County, Kirkland Celebrate Opening of Contentious Supportive Housing Facility

On Wednesday, officials with King County and the City of Kirkland celebrated the grand opening of the Eastside's newest permanent supportive housing facility in the former South Kirkland La Quinta Inn. Operated by Plymouth Housing and funded through King County's Health Through Housing initiative, the project has been in the works for more than four years, and has faced considerable opposition from nearby residents and business owners.

Kirkland's first permanent supportive housing (PSH) facility for individuals directly exiting homelessness, Sheila Stanton Place includes 101 units alongside on-site medical and behavioral health care, counseling, and meal services. The building gets its name from a longtime activist in Kirkland; Sheila Stanton was a well-known fixture in the community, regularly advocating for marginalized groups, until she was killed by a driver who crashed into a Grocery Outlet where she was shopping in 2025.

The project has faced pushback since King County announced it was purchasing the vacant La Quinta property in early 2022, with much of the opposition focused on the site's proximity to several schools. A lawsuit filed by a group called "Keep Kids Safe Kirkland" later that same year, contending that King County cut corners as it advanced plans forward, but that lawsuit failed to advance with Kirkland officials quickly embracing the project.

With the La Quinta project a major issue in Kirkland's polarized council elections last year, the city ultimately came to agreement with King County on a code of conduct, a safety and security plan, and community relations plan, which includes a "good neighbor agreement."

https://www.theurbanist.org/king-county-kirkland-celebrate-opening-of-contentious-supportive-housing-facility/

Guess Kirkland considers itself too upscale to have supportive housing.