SEATTLE — Nearly 80 people signed up to speak at the King County Council meeting on Tuesday, with most weighing in on the county’s plan to open a crisis care center in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

The center, slated for 1145 Broadway in the former Polyclinic building, is part of a broader initiative funded by a voter-approved levy in 2023 to create five behavioral health crisis care centers across the county. One is already open in Kirkland.

Public comment reflected strong support for expanding mental health services, but also concern over the location, cost, and process.

“Expanding crisis and behavioral healthcare is important,” said Mark Newton. “But rushing this purchase may well prove a huge mistake.”

Others urged urgency and empathy in addressing the region’s growing beha

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