Skagit County Jail EPF

Materials & Information for EPF/Master Plan Permits

In September 2014 the Mount Vernon City Council passed Resolution 878 that approved the land use permits (Essential Public Facility and Master Plan) for a new jail facility in Mount Vernon.

View a copy of Resolution 878.

Prior to the City Council's hearing the City's Hearing Examiner held an open record public hearing on the land use permits that Skagit County was seeking approval of on July 29, 2014. View a copy of the Hearing Examiner's recommendation.

Select the following links for copies of the materials provided to the Hearing Examiner for this hearing.

STAFF REPORT

Exhibit 1 - Master Land Use Applications

Exhibit 2 - Procedural Documents

Exhibit 3 - Staff Comments

Exhibit 4 - Public Comments

Exhibit 5 - Narrative/Justification

Exhibit 6 - Site Plans

Exhibit 7 - Cursory Geotechnical Evaluation

Exhibit 8 - Stormwater Strategy

Exhibit 9 - Parking and Landscaping Summary

Exhibit 10 - EIS Materials

Exhibit 11 - Comprehensive Plan Amendment/Rezone Staff Report

Project Overview and Additional Information

Primarily due to overcrowding at the existing jail, Skagit County is pursuing the construction an approximate 100,000 square foot, single-story jail building with an estimated 400 beds to provide enough room to house inmates over the next 15 to 20 years. It is anticipated that the new jail will be open and running in May of 2017.

To-date, an Environmental Impact Statement and a Comprehensive Plan amendment with an associated rezone have been processed and approved by the City for the new jail. The next step in approving this facility is the approval of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for the jail which is classified as an Essential Public Facility (EPF).

Access to the site is planned off of Suzanne Lane with the western most access leading into a 65± stall parking area for visitors and to accommodate those coming to the court. The second access on the eastern part of the site will lead to the staff parking lot (that has 35± spaces), the inmate drop-off location (Sally Port), and a gated access road that will loop around the facility from Suzanne Lane to the north property line where it will curve to the west until it connects with Old Highway 99 South.

This site is located in a floodplain (zone AO2); and as such, the proposed building will be elevated five feet above the highest adjacent grade. The site will be graded such that stormwater runoff is directed to three distinct areas located near the northeast, southeast and along the west part of the site where stormwater will be collected, cleaned and attenuated before it is discharged off of this site. Stormwater runoff from this site will be conveyed in a closed pipe system and it eventually discharges into a portion of Lower Maddox Creek. Lower Maddox Creek flows to the south from this site and it ultimately discharges into the Skagit Bay.

Landscaping, fencing and solid walls will be placed near the perimeter of the property to screen this site and to ensure that no inmates will be visible by the public traveling past this site at any time. Architectural elements including modulation of the building and the installation of different types of exterior building materials are planned for aesthetic reasons and to break up the mass of this large building.

The County is anticipating that the currently planned building will need to be expanded sometime in the future to be approximately 165,000 square feet in size and to house up to 800 beds. Additional parking stalls will be added as necessary when this building is expanded in the future to include a projected additional 55± stalls.

Project Location:

Click here for a vicinity map. Generally, the approximate 10.4± acre site is bound by Old Highway 99 South to the west and industrial property to the east, industrial property to the north of the site, and Suzanne Lane to the south of the site. The Skagit County Assessor describes the subject site as parcels: P119262, P119263, P119265, P119267, and roughly half of P29546. All of the subject parcels are located within a portion of the NW ¼ of Section 32, Township 34 North, Range 04 East, W.M.

Additional Information:

Download the City's Notice of Application & Notice of Public Hearing.

Download the proposed site plans.

View information on the previous permit approvals/processes for this project.