Olympia council to vote on sale of Justice Center site to Squaxin Island Tribe. Here’s what to know
The Olympia City Council is set to consider selling the Lee Creighton Justice Center property to the Squaxin Island Tribe at its April 8 meeting.
According to a news release from the City of Olympia, the building is aging and there have been concerns about its ability to serve the needs of the Municipal Court. Concerns raised about the building’s condition led to the Municipal Jail closing in 2023.
Built in 1966, the 10.7-acre campus at 900 Plum St. SE housed Olympia’s City Hall until 2011. Repurposed as the Lee Creighton Justice Center, the campus has served as the location for the City of Olympia’s Municipal Court, Municipal Jail, the Yashiro Japanese Garden, the Plum Street Tiny Home Village and the Saturday Waste Drop Off Site.
According to the news release, renovating, relocating or rebuilding a new justice center would cost the city tens of millions, and the city is currently facing a “difficult budget environment.”
“We’re tremendously proud of our history on the property, as our former City Hall and as the place where we served so many in need through our municipal court,” City Manager Jay Burney said in the release. “And I’m excited about the future, our deepening relationship with the Squaxin Island Tribe, and the economic development possibilities their presence downtown will bring.”
Under the agreement being considered, the tribe will purchase the 10.7-acre campus for $8.2 million, and the City will have 18 months of full use of the property, until the tribe takes possession in December 2026. The City will use that time, and the $8.2 million from the property sale, to move the services and employees now based on the property.
Burney said the agreement allows the city to focus on determining the best option for its municipal court and its employees.
The city has been considering contracting with Thurston County for municipal court services, according to the news release. The county provides municipal criminal justice and jail alternative programs and services for most other communities in Thurston County.
“We have enjoyed a good relationship with Olympia City Council collaborating on many projects. This will be monumental as we look to imagine something big that will be mutually beneficial for the City and Tribe,”
Squaxin Tribal Chairman Kris Peters said in the news release.
If approved at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, the sale of the property would be final no later than June 4.
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