Relocation of Clark County’s family law annex and children’s justice center is set to begin as the County Council voted unanimously to approve a lease on the former Vancouver City Hall.
During its Aug. 15 meeting, the council approved signing a 20-year lease on the building at 210 E. 13th St. The council previously approved the relocation of the county’s family law annex and children’s justice center from its current location at 601 W. Evergreen Blvd. to the new location in April.
The current lease is set to expire next year, Clark County Director of Internal Services Michelle Schuster told council. The building was once Vancouver City Hall before being used for private business, she said.
Apart from an expiring lease, Schuster said in April that both departments were running out of space. The move to the new location will provide that space, particularly for the family law annex, since the new facility will allow for more courtrooms.
The move will increase the space of the two departments from 22,000 square feet to just under 30,000 square feet, Schuster said. Parking will also increase from 82 to 91 spaces, with an option to raise it to 116.
Rent on the current facilities for the departments is at about $497,000, according to a report from county staff. Under the new lease agreement, annual rent will be roughly $705,000. Schuster said the lease is more expensive because of the increased space.
The agreement has the new lease beginning Sept. 1, while the current lease is set to end May 31, 2024. The staff report stated about $626,000 will be needed to cover both leases and utilities in the interim.
Schuster said county staff looked at a number of potential properties for relocation.
“Some were too small. Some weren’t available on the needed time frame,” Schuster said.
County staff also looked at existing facilities the government had, including the Clark County Public Service Center on Franklin Street. That setup wouldn’t increase space for the departments, and with existing bond debt on the building, the “rent” payment would still be higher than what currently is paid, Schuster said.
The cost of the move has already been approved by the County Council. In November, the council approved using $15.7 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds to relocate.
The lease could be extended as long as 45 years with five-year extensions once the 20-year period of the initial lease is up, Schuster said.
Clark County Manager Kathleen Otto said a resolution on where to house the departments has been in the works for more than a year. She said that placement needed to happen before other reorganization of county facilities spaces could take place.
“We’re happy to have this option,” Otto said.
Councilor Sue Marshall said having more space would be good for the departments in the future.
“It allows us to have some room for growth, and I think, in the long run, that’s very beneficial, [rather] than having to look at an additional site a little ways down the road, and all the expenses that would be incurred if we needed to move yet again,” Marshall said.
