The DCLU's Applicant Service Center, Public Resource Center, planners, engineers and inspectors will occupy floors 20 through 22. The moves will result in the closure of the service and resource centers next Friday and the following Monday. Other DCLU operations will begin relocation to those same floors in February. Those included in the February move are the Review and Inspection Center South. Still others, such as the Inspection Center North, Codes, Policies and Community Relations and the Director's office will make the shift in March.
Key Tower was purchased by the city in 1996 for $120 million to house utilities and municipal offices. It also is a major piece of the city's larger $232 million Civic Center project, aimed at consolidating municipal services into three buildings.
The existing buildings the DCLU is in now are the Foster Marshall Building and the 13-story Dexter Horton Building, both of which they lease. The city owned the Dexter Horton from 1988 until last June, when it was sold to Goodman Carlisle Dexter Horton LLC of New York for slightly over $46 million. According to Rick Krochalis, director of DCLU, the timing of the department's move was sped up by about a year due to AT&T's decision to leave its space at the Key Tower before its lease expired. Krochalis says the new facilities at Key will allow for better customer service with a revamped permitting process and the splitting of the department into "north" and "south" divisions.
During the transition from old to new offices, the DCLU will provide shuttle services between the two. "We will be doing everything possible to keep the permits flowing," says Krochalis. Figures released this afternoon show that more than 50,000 people visit the DCLU each year, and nearly 7,000 building permits are issued annually. Over the last four years of Seattle's real estate fever, $5.4 billion worth of construction permits has passed through DCLU's process.
In 2001, the DCLU will delve into the feasibility of opening satellite offices. In lieu of that, the city has upgraded its online services. Some inspections and permits can now be requested online. The DCLU also has increased the number of building applications reviewed in 24 hours by nearly 60% over the past few years. It also now accepts credit cards.
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