Public Health Labs: master plan for growth at Fircrest

Public Health Labs. Photo by Steven H. Robinson

By Donn Moyor, Communications Office, Washington Dept of Health

In late 2010, the Shoreline City Council approved the Master Plan for the State Public Health Labs at Fircrest on 15th NE in Shoreline in the Briarcrest Neighborhood.

The council’s approval was a big step for the Department of Health and its three year work to develop a 20-year plan for the Public Health Laboratories on the Fircrest campus. The master plan allows us to meet agency needs to keep up with workload and better serve the city and the state.

Agency staff members, community leaders, City of Shoreline staff members, other state agencies and consultants worked on the plan. We defined the agency’s 20-year needs and worked with community leaders to make sure our plans fit with their long-range goals. We sought community input that was incorporated into the final planning document. Community members have shown support for the master plan.

The agency studied current needs and forecast its space needs for the next 20 years. It consulted with public health systems from across the country several times and met with a community group to incorporate local needs. The final approved plan represents a long-range compass to guide agency work and facility needs at the Shoreline campus:

The plan is a 20 year roadmap for the Department of Health, Public Health Laboratories, agency consolidation, and future space needs. It’s a conceptual plan that defines space needs over the next two decades. It allows accurate planning and budgeting to meet future building needs.

Artist's rendition of completed building. Courtesy State DOH.

•  Additional space that’s adequate for the growing workload in the labs will enhance the existing safe environment for employees and community.
• Future growth needs for the agency are identified and incorporated into the plan. Space needs for current activities are identified and included. The plan anticipates adapting to the changing technologies that require adequate space. It includes long-range consolidation of other agency facilities in King County to reduce overall long-term operating cost.
• Over the 20 year planning horizon, it includes building additional laboratory space (23,000 square ft); additional office, mechanical, meeting, and support space (22,000 square ft); administrative offices to consolidate Kent and other King County offices (25,000 square ft). It’s a total of 90,000 square ft added over 20 years.
• We estimate about 190 additional employees will be relocated from other offices over the next 20 years; this will have the added economic benefits of additional wages and sales taxes from employee base and agency work.
• The plan addresses community and city needs for zoning, economic development, and open space. It takes into consideration the management needs of the City of Shoreline. It improves access to the property given new streets and future city plans. The campus plan also links with Fircrest and City of Shoreline community trails and open spaces.

 See story on building construction.