KIRKLAND, Wash. — The addition of a soon-to-be homeless hotel is causing a Kirkland business to move out of town.

INRIX CEO Bryan Mistele made the announcement on X.

BACKGROUND | Kirkland approves using La Quinta Inn to house homeless residents

“This week INRIX signed a lease which will move us out of Kirkland which has been our home for the past 18 years,” Mistele wrote. “Why? (The city of Kirkland) made a decision to put a homeless hotel right across the street from our current HQ.”

Mistele went on to claim that no drug testing is required at the facility and there is “no real supervision on-site.”

“Where this experiment has happened before in King County, crime rates have risen since according to reliable data, 70%+ of homelessness is the result of drug addiction and/or mental health issues,” he added.

As KOMO News first reported in March 2023, the Kirkland City Council approved a plan to turn the former La Quinta Inn hotel into housing for homeless people.

King County leaders said they selected the La Quinta Inn & Suites to serve as the next Health Through Housing location. According to county leaders, the building would house residents experiencing, and at risk of, chronic homelessness. Under the current plans, the facility is scheduled to open in 2025.

INRIX was one of Kirkland’s top employers. While a “move-out date” hasn’t been made public, nearby businesses predict the Kirkland economy will take a hit.

“You’re gonna move the tax base, the people who can move, will move—and basically the area will slowly deteriorate,” said Mike Dunn, owner of Dunn Lumber. “It’s the challenge of having employees coming into an area where their cars are gonna be broken into and where leaving at night is a scary deal. Anybody who’s either lived or worked next to a homeless shelter knows that it gets scary. It’s just the way it is.”

In response to Mistele’s X post referenced in this story, a spokesman for the city provided the following statement:

“The City of Kirkland is disappointed to hear about Inrix’s decision to leave Kirkland because of the Health Through Housing project. We understand that surrounding businesses and residents have concerns whenever a facility like this is sited. The safety of the facility’s residents, surrounding businesses, and the community is the City’s top priority. The City supports the facility to provide stable and safe homes for up to 102 disabled and chronically unhoused individuals while also being a positive addition to the community when it opens later this year. Up to 65% of these new residents will be people experiencing homelessness from Kirkland or the Eastside. To keep all parties safe, the City negotiated with King County for various important elements be included in the agreement regarding the facility. That agreement is available on the City’s website. The City continues to engage the community in the current drafting of the Code of Conduct, Safety Plan, Good Neighbor Agreement, and Community Engagement Plan for the facility to ensure community questions and concerns about safety are accounted for in the plans. Of note, the Safety Plan will be drafted in partnership with the Kirkland Police Department.

“Regarding Mr. Mistele’s statement about not being able to speak to the Council on this topic, the City has reached out to him for more information about this. We searched our records, and we have no record of Mr. Mistele being turned away at Council meetings.

“According to City records, Mr. Mistele wrote the City Council in February 2022 when King County first announced the purchase of the property. In response to Mr. Mistele’s and similar emails, the City provided various ways to get involved in our upcoming public process. We are seeking understanding from Mr. Mistele on any attempts to contact the City over the last three years.

“The City’s community engagement process welcoming people to get involved over the last three years has included, but is not limited to, the following activities:

“- Hosted an online town hall attended by over 250 people
“- Held multiple focus groups with nearly 50 attendees
“- Held a public hearing specifically about the project that had 22 speakers
“- Sent numerous email bulletins to a dedicated listserv with nearly 300 subscribers
“- Has met six times along with the County and facility operator (and continues to meet monthly) with businesses in close proximity to the facility

“With between 75-100 employees, Inrix is the 60th largest business in Kirkland. Inrix has been a valued part of Kirkland’s business community, and we hope they decide to return to Kirkland in the future.”