New Ventures Group is currently under contract wit the City of Seattle Executive Services Department for the siting of the new Southwest Precinct for the Seattle Police Department. Currently, the City of Seattle is served by only four main precinct/jail facilities, and the Southwwest Precinct will compliment these from a 2-acre location in West Seattle.

New Ventures Group has completed the overall site search and has arrived at a "short list" of preferred sites after a systematic evaluation process. The preferred sites have been subject to a more thorough evaluation that involved the application of a weighted set of site selection criteria. This second round evaluation has resulted in 3 preferred sites, for which site programming is now underway.

New Ventures group carried out its 3-phase approach during the evaluation. This approach includes site evaluation, analysis and acquisition, and consists of the following tasks:

1. Development of basic site selection criteria
2. Compiliation of a "long list" of potential sites
3. Cursory-level analysis
4. Elimination of less desirable sites and documentation for rationale
5. Refinement of site selection criteria and establishment of "short list"
6. Further analysis of site finalists, including programmiing and appraisal
7. Selection and acquisition of the preferred site

The documentation of the site selection process, including the rationale for short-listing or rejecting potential sites, was critical. We expect that there will be much public scrutiny of this project, and siting is often the most contentious issue.

The Southwest Precinct site selection process has been very challenging; the survey area is a mature infill area that has extensive liquefaction zones and other critical areas, small lot sizes and virtually no undeveloped land. New Ventures Group had to be very creative in the search for potential sites. We utilized our real estate and property database resources, contacted all public institutions and agencies that have property interests in West Seattle and considered all possible assemblage scenarios. The survey was conducted on a block-by-block basis to ensure that all potential sites were listed for consideration. Several acceptable sites are currently under review.

The siting of the Southwest Precinct has been carried out under the informal review of a council of neighborhood representatives. The council provides input and receives updates in an organized forum, thereby ensuring community involvement throughout the process.