Spokane County is in the planning stages of an estimated $15.7 million expansion of its existing Spokane Regional Stabilization Center, according to a predevelopment application filed with the city of Spokane.

The Spokane Regional Stabilization Center is a 19,000-square-foot, prebooking jail diversion option offering medical, mental health, and substance use services. The facility is a transitional treatment alternative for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis or substance use crisis who interact with law enforcement.

Located at 1302 W. Gardner, the proposed site sits west of the Spokane Transportation Authority administration building. The new 20,000-square-foot addition will house its Crisis Relief & Sobering Center and offer 23-hour services to walk-up and drive-in patients, according to the predevelopment application. 

A presentation by the county’s senior director of law and justice, Michael Sparber, and the director of community services, Justin Johnson, provided further details on the proposed addition. The Crisis Relief & Sobering Center will provide private clinic spaces, secure storage for medications and personal belongings, sobering rooms with 24 recliners, observation areas, and triage or treatment spaces, the presenters state. The addition will share a common intake point, lobby, and support functions with the existing stabilization center facility.

The county has selected Spokane-based Bernardo Wills Architects PC as the architect for the project, which is currently in the design and schematic stage. A contractor has not yet been identified.

County leaders anticipate receiving permits by the end of the year and breaking ground at the start of 2026. They expect to complete the project in mid-2027, according to the project presentation. 

The property is owned by the Spokane County Public Works department, specifically by the county road fund, says Patrick Bell, communications director for Spokane County. To use the property for purposes not related to roads, the property must be purchased from the county road fund. This, he notes, is a statutory requirement.

Funds from the 159 Mental Health Sales Tax Fund will be used to purchase the $1.3 million property. A draft of the resolution has been prepared to present at the next legislative session.

Other funding streams for the project include $5 million in Opioid Settlement Funds, $10 million from the Mental Health Sales Tax Fund, $3 million in state grant funds, and a pending $3 million federal grant fund. Any unused funds will be reallocated to other projects, Bell adds.