Construction of new Shoreline police station underway

Grease Monkey demo on Friday
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

By Diane Hettrick

Work has started for the new Shoreline Police station, which will be located at Shoreline City Hall at 17500 Midvale Ave N.

The City owns the property where Grease Monkey was located. The City also owns Highland Plaza which had two tenants: Dr. Jensen and the Jersey's Sports Bar and Grill. Dr. Jensen vacated his location in late 2015. It will be repurposed / rebuilt for storage.

City Hall, Grease Monkey, and Jersey's in March 2017
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

The police station expansion is being planned around accommodating the Jersey's business, which has a multi-year lease.

From a presentation to City Council in May 2016
Photographed by Steven H. Robinson

The building diagram was part of a presentation to the City Council in May 2016, so some of the design might have been modified.

Plans are to move Planning and Community Development staff from the first floor to the third floor, so the police can take over the first floor.

City Hall elevator on Thursday
Photo by JM

Build out of the third floor is currently underway, including removal of a small kitchenette which was rarely used. The space will be the entry into a new area for permitting stations. The permitting area will be one stop for the public as the staff will come to them.

An extension to the current City Hall will be built out onto the Grease Monkey site. It will house police vehicles, and a sally port, which allows police vehicles to drive into a secure garage inside the building to bring prisoners to and from the station.

Prisoners would be kept in two holding cells in the station for an interim period only before being moved elsewhere or released.

There will be a booking area next to the holding cells, and interview rooms.

The rest of the new building has work stations, a meeting room, and a report writing stations. Police vehicles will enter and leave the site from a driveway onto N 185th.

Shoreline Police Chief Shawn Ledford was on the steering committee for the station and worked directly with the architects.

Construction will be complete in 2018. After police move into the new station, the old station on NE 185th will be sold, and proceeds applied to construction costs.

City Clerks will still be in the lobby but their area will be reconfigured slightly.