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UPDATE: Sound Transit’s West Seattle station-planning open house, including a bridge view

March 5, 2024 5:49 pm
|      105 COMMENTS
 |   Sound Transit | West Seattle news

5:49 PM: Just under way at Alki Masonic Center (40th/Edmunds, lower-level entrance off the parking lot), Sound Transit reps are back in West Seattle to talk about station planning again. This is the promised followup to last October’s open house, and another precursor to the next major milestone in the West Seattle light-rail project, publication of the final environmental-impact statement, currently projected for the “middle” of this year. This event is mostly open-house style, with easels and renderings around the room focusing on the extension’s four stations (Junction, Avalon, Delridge, SODO), and many Sound Transit staffers to listen to your comments and/or answer questions. They’re promising a “short presentation” around 6 pm, and then this continues until 7:30 pm. We’re checking to see what’s new, and will add more to this report later.

7:50 PM: We’re expecting to get all the renderings/info boards in PDF tomorrow, and will publish that separately. We circulated and photographed some of the most interesting ones we saw, such as a concept for the bridge that will be needed to get the light-rail line across the Duwamish River:

Station concepts like these two were a little more fully fleshed out than last meeting:

Also shown, a concept for redesigning SW Alaska when the Junction station is built underground in the 41st/42nd/Alaska vicinity:

The turnout was sizable – we were there for the first hour and it felt busier than the one in October:

Again, we hope to have all that and much more in digital format tomorrow. Remember that the routing is not finalized yet, but the stations are being planned in what ST considers to be the most likely locations per the “preferred alternative” currently on the books. Woven through the boards with renderings and concepts were results of last fall’s community survey – for example, one board listed what survey respondents had said was most important to them in station planning, and safety topped the list, followed by “easy to navigate” and “welcoming.” Another board listed results of a question about bicycle and scooter parking; top preference was to have lockers, followed by a “secure room,” and then racks. Some boards also listed preferences that had emerged from “in-language focus groups,” and a common theme there was “wider sidewalks.” And others had details of what’s ahead in the process – including Seattle Design Commission consideration of station plans this spring. But this year’s main event – no date yet – will be the release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement, followed by the Sound Transit Board finalizing the routing, aka “the project to be built.”

ADDED WEDNESDAY: Here are the renderings etc. shown last night. (And the city-produced boards are here.) We’ll publish separately as promised later, too.

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105 Replies to "UPDATE: Sound Transit's West Seattle station-planning open house, including a bridge view"

  • WS Guy March 5, 2024 (7:21 pm)

    I enjoyed speaking with the professional shoulder-shruggers from SDOT about the needless damage that Avalon Station would inflict on mobility.

    • DC March 5, 2024 (8:07 pm)

      LOL. I’m so sorry the Avalon station will damage your mobility. I’m sure whatever perceived detriment it will cause you is totally worth cancelling a station that will add mobility for thousands of others. 

      • Scarlett March 5, 2024 (10:50 pm)

        Really?  Thousands of new, or current riders?  This area is already serviced by bus transit and likely the majority will be simply siphoned off from bus transit.  Light rail isn’t going to increase mobility or access to public transportation for anyone.  

        • skeeter March 6, 2024 (9:09 am)

          Scarlett, I see your point, but with a twist.  You are correct — most light rail users will be people coming from busses.  However — those busses are getting stuck in traffic more and more often.  We need a long-term solution to get transit moving quickly.  People riding in transit shouldn’t have to wait through multiple cycles of a light every time there is a collision or broken down car.  It’s intolerable.  

          • Pam March 6, 2024 (1:46 pm)

            Exactly this. Went to the space needle for new years with friends and it took 2 hours to get back to WS, and even then we took a bus that dropped us off 1/2 mile from our Avalon stop since the C was delayed by at least 1 hour. Went to the 4th of July firework show at gas works and it was faster to walk 2 miles to where we parked our car. Went to watch the blue angels and again, waited at least an hour for a bus. At all those events I told my partner we should have just drove. We need public transportation that won’t be impacted by road traffic. We need public transportation that is equal to or faster than driving a car, not double the travel time. Even on a normal day, I leave an hour prior to appointments downtown when it would take 15-20 mins to just drive. Buses alone cannot provide that. Those claiming it can, or that adding extra buses will solve everything, don’t rely on them. The most they can claim is using them to casually go downtown for an outing. 

      • WS Guy March 5, 2024 (10:53 pm)

        Thank you, I appreciate your support.

    • avalon guy March 6, 2024 (1:14 pm)

      haha this station will increase my mobility so speak for yourself.

  • Niko March 5, 2024 (7:38 pm)

    Defund sound transit 

    • SlimJim March 6, 2024 (9:25 am)

      Yeah, because your last defund someone effort worked so well?

    • my two cents March 6, 2024 (1:58 pm)

      Defund FILL IN THE BLANK = Tim Eyman

  • Jason March 5, 2024 (8:07 pm)

    This was great! Love Sound Transit and hoping we can get the ball rolling on lightrail!

    • platypus March 6, 2024 (10:04 am)

      Super excited and looking forward to having the train here!

  • Alki resident March 5, 2024 (8:07 pm)

    SDOT falling on deaf ears, can’t wait to spend those billions of dollars because people can’t get to Sodo any other way. Can’t wait to see it destroy the beauty and character West Seattle once was. 

    • Mark H March 5, 2024 (9:14 pm)

      Wrong agency but please continue to enlighten us all. 

    • skeeter March 6, 2024 (9:12 am)

      “Can’t wait to see it destroy the beauty and character West Seattle once was. ”  Thank you for this.  I’ve been saying the exact same thing ever since I arrived at Alki with the Denny Party in 1851.  Such a shame to see our beautiful area destroyed by more people.  

    • Ian March 6, 2024 (9:57 am)

      Why do you care ‘Alki resident’? You won’t even get a station

      • Alki resident March 6, 2024 (10:55 am)

        I won’t get a station? What does that even mean? You are clueless where I live but thanks. 

        • my two cents March 6, 2024 (2:02 pm)

          When you create posts under  ‘Alki resident’, it’s not that much of a reach to assume that you reside in Alki … 

        • Ian March 6, 2024 (4:19 pm)

          You are, right I am clueless where ‘Alki resident’ lives. If only there were a clue somewhere. Not my fault you can’t be bothered to use a different name after moving away 😂

      • Jethro Marx March 6, 2024 (1:48 pm)

        You’re assuming they live in Alki, but that’s not clear. They do seem to have a personal connection to every person who dies, gets displaced by any kind of project, or is the victim of a crime.

        • Alki resident March 6, 2024 (3:16 pm)

          I’m from West Seattle if that matters. I’m a very social person and know a lot of people from all walks of life. It’s not that hard to figure out those people will die eventually so yes, have had a lot of loss. Particularly Steve who was my old neighbor who died on Marine View Drive. I also raised my kids here so that adds to more people I know and those losses along the way. Yes I have been a victim of crimes. So have many others that comment on WSB. Not sure why you’re so invested in my life. I’m not usually that concerned about those who comment or where they live or have lived. I lived on Alki for many years. Didn’t feel I needed to change my blog name when I moved. 

  • John March 5, 2024 (8:12 pm)

    I found the gathering very informative.   All my questions were answered.   The presentation boards were well thought out.   

    • Alki resident March 5, 2024 (9:24 pm)

      So destroying neighborhoods that have established community and families is completely fine by you, it must not be your block that’s coming down right? Did sound transit say anything about how awful they feel to be affecting so many business owners and home owners?

      • John March 6, 2024 (6:53 am)

        Alki resident,   Can you please tell me where I said ‘I was fine with it’?  Or even where I expressed the other concerns you’re claiming.   I simply said it was well presented.   You don’t know my feelings about the project.    You need to take a deep breath…..Maybe try yoga?

      • Jeff March 6, 2024 (8:28 am)

        “Destroying neighborhoods” gosh, what’s up with all the boogeyman hyperbole around West Seattle? Lightrail ENHANCES neighborhoods. Nevermind the quintipled amount of businesses and new foot traffic for old businesses the density and rail infrastructure will allow. If you want to talk destruction, talk the crumbling bridge and polluting car infrastructure.  Lightrail is an overwhelming success in Columbia City and Roosevelt neighborhoods that were dying without it. Delridge and Junction will be completely revamped. No one is going to miss the awful eyesore and deserted parking lot that is Jefferson Square. You can go to the many other grocery stores in the area when the Safeway is temporarily closed. And residents have ample time to move, leases are typically a year last time I checked so all have time to move over the next three years.

        • Alki resident March 6, 2024 (11:01 am)

          My friends and their children live a block off of Avalon. They’re on the exact block that will be totally demolished. This has caused so much stress on the neighborhood not knowing where they’d have to buy another home here or outside of West Seattle. They’ve established relationships and friendships with everyone. It’s a shame 

          • Jeff March 6, 2024 (1:56 pm)

            Alki Resident, this is a known as a concern troll. You are using a one concern to derail (no pun intended) an entire project that benefits an ENTIRE REGION. Not just your personal friends’. 

          • Alki resident March 6, 2024 (3:19 pm)

            You might need to be reminded that this rail only goes to Sodo. So no, it doesn’t cover the “ region” and this project isn’t even set to be started for a few years. 

          • Pam March 6, 2024 (2:03 pm)

            I live on Avalon. The people living in the single family homes are NOT friends with everyone. They’re friends with everyone else that has a single family home. They’re hostile towards the new apartments and townhomes, and complain about the lack of parking available, but don’t want to add more transit to fix that problem. I am sorry to your friends, but I also have a hard time feeling bad for the multiple airbnbs on the block, homeowners nearby that purchased solely to rent their home, for the driveway owners constantly complaining that they can’t park their car on the road because there’s no available space, and for everyone that keeps delaying this project because they can’t think about anyone but themselves. 

          • Alki resident March 6, 2024 (3:30 pm)

            Since you live on Avalon, you apparently haven’t ventured to the other streets that will be torn down for the rail. For you to say nobody has friends is really strange. My friends are professionals in West Seattle hence them moving here years ago. They’ve created close friendships all over our area and had friends living in West Seattle prior to even deciding this was the place for them. Yes parking is a huge problem on their street, especially when cars are found abandoned occasionally that have been stolen or broke down. There aren’t many spaces for parking in front of your own home at times and it’s frustrating. Whether someone is renting or owning on that street, it’s still a great place to be and they deserve to continue living there instead of having to possibly relocate out of the area. 

          • J March 6, 2024 (4:44 pm)

            so… is the claim being made here that lightrail and SDOT is going to level your friend’s homes all willy nilly? Pretty sure they can’t mow down any house they want to. Your friends would have to sell the property first. If they rent, then the property owner sold the housing. 

          • Jeff March 6, 2024 (6:29 pm)

            Why do you push this lie that it will “only go to SoDo” like it won’t continue to Ballard eventually or that I can’t transfer? It is a region. It stretches 3 massive counties. Stop lying.

          • Bus March 6, 2024 (7:48 pm)

            Your friends can speak for themselves, and so can their neighbors for that matter.  If you have to cite someone other than yourself to provide an example of impact, that means it doesn’t impact you so maybe you should sit down and let those it DOES impact have the floor.

          • Alki resident March 7, 2024 (8:16 am)

            My friends have made their comments about this topic and so will I as I have personal connections to the street I’m referring too. It’s even more personal when you know someone who’ll be affected by this plan. That block is set to be torn down for the rail and it’s not settling well for those who are established in their own homes. 

        • ttt March 6, 2024 (11:50 am)

          There are business that would not gain more foot traffic (like Mode Music that gives local music lessons and fosters local bands into becoming great bands) that will be destroyed. And also The Skylark which is a great local music venue. Local music venue are hard to come by in any new condo retail space… we NEED to be able to keep those types of businesses for our local culture.

          • Jeff March 6, 2024 (3:05 pm)

            I lost all my favorite spots. Parliament, original Benbow, Spiro’s, Charleston Cafe, etc. I promise that life will be okay for you. Skylark putting a new state of the art bar and stage in a newly dense building a la many of the bars on Broadway and Roosevelt will see tremendous business. Outside of Skylark, Delridge is pretty dead. Ounces business usually wraps up by 6PM. Everyone already says there’s a food desert, including Rob Saka. Density will fix that demand better than anything else.

          • Foop March 6, 2024 (7:17 pm)

            When looking for a new house last year I specifically avoided north Delridge because there’s nothing to do there between pigeon point and the junction is a nightmare to traverse with hills by foot or bike. I like living where I can walk to get one too many drinks and good food, especially late into the evening 

  • DC March 5, 2024 (8:29 pm)

    This looks amazing! LOVE making that portion of Alaska next to the station entrances transit only!!! Still interested to get more details on how they will prioritize transit at the Delridge station.

  • G March 5, 2024 (9:37 pm)

    It looks like the station is where the dilapidated red house is on delridge.   doe it destroy skylark and mode?

  • seatown March 5, 2024 (9:46 pm)
    1. I am so conflicted. 
    1. 1 – As a citizen and progressive I am elated. I love mass transit and these renderings are beautiful and when I see a sounder cruising by it makes me feel like we are headed in the right direction. 
    2. 2 – as a taxpayer, I’m pessimistic, sound transit is always over budget and behind schedule on project deliveries. It feels like a bait and switch requiring more and more only after we are too far down the path to turn back. I’m glad they have increased security but scale that and how much unplanned operating costs will that add which combined with very loose fare compliance puts the fiscal burden on taxpayers.  License tab fees will not go away.
    3. 3 – As someone who has lived in North Delridge for over a decade I’m frustrated. They are wiping out the little commerce available to residents including affordable childcare and the only walkable food options in a food desert. The construction will take the better part of a decade and once it’s completed there is no commitment or accountability for sound transit to put anything in its place. They essentially will let a property management company take over and do as it sees fit.
    4. 4 – as a small business owner impacted by displacement I feel defeated. I had assumed that the process would be fair and take care of the affected business owners. What I’ve found was the exact opposite. sound transit operates as a shadow operation towards business tenants providing minimal communications and minimal support.  States like California give fair compensation but sound transit does the exact opposite. In fact their shift to the new alternative was informed by the “cost savings” which was simply by taking out businesses and only compensating the property owner, not the businesses that created that value of the location through a lot of time and hard work. They have specifically targeted small family businesses not corporations – the affected business owners are the person next you in line at the grocery store exhausted from a long day just getting by like anybody else. 
  • Overall the whole thing is bittersweet. Mass Transit is the right thing to do but why does Sound Transit have to be so shady about it. Why can’t they be intentional and thoughtful and do things the right way. They’ve been doing this a long time so they need a revised playbook especially since they are still planning to affect so many more neighborhoods across the Puget Sound area. 
  • Millie March 5, 2024 (10:33 pm)

    Sound Transit always does a good job in their presentations (the photos the charts, etc.), where they run into difficulties is implementation.  Are these charts/graphs prepared in-house or by a public relations firm?  I, for one, am concerned about their continuous delays and over-budget expenditures on construction projects.  Ten years is a long time to uproot residential neighborhoods and small business enterprises.   Yes, mass transit is important.  The question is:  how much more will the taxpayers of King, Snohomish and Pierce be able to fund new Sound Transit-related taxes/levies?  

  • J March 6, 2024 (7:27 am)

    As a person that commutes to downtown for work now, what’s in place is very good. So to tear up whole neighborhoods where people are barely scraping by to just move us all out and say good luck doesn’t sound like progress. And my work has me out in the community. I drive a lot around the Columbia city/ Rainier valley. Those transit stations look beautiful. So good in fact you’ll notice the neighborhoods are being gentrified.   All of the beautiful diverse community is being driven out for the rich tech bros. As for WS extension we’ll only get four miles of service. FOUR! And what will it cost? And if we really want to cut down traffic I have an idea. There are plenty complaints in the summer about Alki traffic. Why not put a station to make it easy for the community that live there? They complain about not having parking and traffic. Why isn’t that on the table? Oh! That’s right. Dow and the rich folks won’t like that. 

  • Zig March 6, 2024 (8:06 am)

    This is a train wreck. It will ruin West Seattle if it is ever implemented. It’s unnecessary and ridiculously expensive. 

    • Bus March 6, 2024 (9:19 am)

      West Seattle has survived wave after wave of new residents and developments, the removal of the trolley, the addition of the bridge, and even the road diet on 35th.  The light rail will “ruin” West Seattle about as much as tearing down Super Supplements to build apartments “ruined” the Junction.  That is to say, West Seattle will be fine, Chicken Little, the sky is not falling.

    • Jeff March 6, 2024 (9:32 am)

      More hyperbole! You should have showed out to vote. We already voted on it and it overwhelmingly passed because we aren’t going to fail the citizens of Seattle on public rail infrastructure like we did in the past. Everyone thinks any change will “ruin” an area, then you take a deep breath, look at Roosevelt and Columbia City etc. and see how it enhances areas. 

      • Wseattleite March 6, 2024 (5:13 pm)

        Sorry, we did not vote for what is happening.  That ship has sailed. 

      • Canton March 7, 2024 (8:31 am)

        The vote for light rail was for Sound Move on Nov 5, 1996. A vote 28 years ago. Some relationships sour over the course of 28 years; heck alot of marriages don’t last that long. So why lambast people for having the OPINION, that this relationship isn’t working?

    • SeattleSteve March 6, 2024 (9:48 am)

      It will absolutely improve west seattle. It was successfully voted for. 

  • Delridge resident March 6, 2024 (8:18 am)

    It baffles me why they’re pushing so far forward on station designs when it seems like the route isn’t finalized and there’s zero clarity on how the project will be paid for. It’s clearly going to be way, way over the budget that was originally envisaged. The delridge station in this design is pretty disappointing. In their survey they suggested opportunities for a small park or square with businesses but none of that seems to be captured here. It’s just seem as a jump off jump on point with zero community intent. Overall it strikes me that this is just semi-pretty drawings with no substance, which basically sums up my experience of this project from start to finish. 

    • WSB March 6, 2024 (10:24 am)

      Hi, there was a board showing the plaza – what’s in my story are just a few of the displays last night. I am waiting for ST to send the packet with all of them and will upload/add as soon as received.

  • Heart March 6, 2024 (9:33 am)

    I want to plus 1 on so many of these comments. It’s great to hear more and more neighbors questioning the WS Link Extension (WSLE). I’m a long term resident and lover of WS (28 years), so I dove deep into the DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Statement) and connected with other caring Transit advocates to further discuss the environmental impacts (on nature and people. The impacts are severe and devastating and the final results are not worth it for the majority of our community members- esp. for those who currently depend on transit (their trip will go from one seat to two and same amount of time or longer). I’d love to connect with other folks that are rethinking the need for “light rail” into WS. https://rethinkthelink.org/

    • Tonenotvolume March 6, 2024 (8:57 pm)

      There is this “preservation” element in WS that speaks doom and gloom to anything that changes their concept of good Ole West Seattle. They need to think about everyone’s access and needs, not just their own little patch. Every city in the world except U. S. cities has better transit. Being in those other cities shows how provincial we are here and how much easier it is to get around. The West Seattle Preservation Society should take a trip and discover the benefits rather than hunkering down at home lamenting the loss of the old days that were car-oriented, carbon overspending, and mostly white. 

      • seatown March 6, 2024 (10:29 pm)

        This is a very odd place to bring up the race card. If anything the more diverse communities in lower west Seattle will be most impacted during construction while the “whiter” upper west Seattle communities will be unphased.  As others mentioned the neighborhoods post construction will likely be gentrified pushing out economic, ethnic and cultural diversity. If your intention was to make a point about diversity this will be doing the exact opposite.

        • JDB March 7, 2024 (9:08 am)

          Can you please direct me to the economic, ethnic, and cultural diversity in North Delridge? Is it the H&R Block or Subway there by the corporate offices? Or is it the dilapidated red house on the corner…?

          I’m not sure where you’re getting your information, but the current route is going through neighborhoods that are more than 70% white, down through North Delridge which is 60% white. It is really hard to gentrify an already majority white neighborhood.

          Source: https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/maps_race_seattle.htm

          • Martin March 9, 2024 (4:18 pm)

            Great map! It shows that the light rail will only benefit the least diverse population of West Seattle. People from more diverse parts (High Point, Westwood, Delridge, Highland Park…) will still take the bus but now need to transfer not only in West Seattle but also in SODO! 

  • SeattleSteve March 6, 2024 (9:46 am)

    Love it, going to make getting to and from west seattle so nice. Quick and easy access to UW, Cap hill, the airport, Bellevue, and hopefully Ballard soon after this is complete is going to seriously be a game changer.For all those a bus can get you anywhere the light rail can I can tell you’ve never used the bus. Remember, we successfully voted for this, sorry we couldnt get the stupid west seattle gondola that you so desperately wanted (even though I know y’all wouldve come up with the same excuses to oppose that if sound transit had been dumb enough to consider it).

    • Martin March 9, 2024 (4:27 pm)

      How many transfers and wait times will it take to get to Bellevue or downtown? The H will take me straight from Westwood to downtown or the 560 to the airport. With Light rail I will need to transfer at Delridge and SODO. It may take 20min longer! check out: West Seattle Now vs Light Rail – Seattle Transit Blog for more comparisons.

  • mibo March 6, 2024 (10:34 am)

    That bridge looks incredible! Really a shame that this project will not incorporate a full WS Bridge replacement into this massive infrastructure plan while we actually have a working bridge. One bridge – train, bike, and yes – cars. Do it all at once. Don’t get mad at me car haters – we need both (cars and transit) and always will. One beautiful bridge to rule them all!

    • Ron Swanson March 6, 2024 (12:50 pm)

      “We should put all our eggs into one new basket” is the lesson you took away from the bridge closure?

  • Keenan March 6, 2024 (10:42 am)

    Ok so what current buildings are going to have to be removed when the station gets built?  Best I could tell from that Avalon Station picture is that the Starbucks/Taco Time would get bulldozed, is that right?  Or am I looking at it from the wrong angle?

    • Crowski March 6, 2024 (3:31 pm)

      Keenan. The Sound Transit West Seattle Station forum planning meeting materials Oct. 2023 document, Avalon Station map on p.15, shows the businesses and residences to be bulldozed by Sound Transit. They are Pep Boys, House of Keen, Viva Arts, Jones BBQ, Starbucks, Taco Time, Pecos Pit, 7-Eleven, the City of Seattle property, and residences on Genesee St.<attachment webkitattachmentid="391b3eca-0579-4e62-945f-9e737593dfd2" id="” title=”www.soundtransit.org/.webloc” type=”” role=”button” aria-label=”www.soundtransit.org/.webloc” class=”Apple-web-attachment” src=”” save=”save” style=”margin: 1px; opacity: 1;”>

      • Alki resident March 6, 2024 (4:14 pm)

        Yes correct and the entire beautiful block of 32 nd, right off of Genessee. 

        • Jeff March 7, 2024 (6:51 am)

          But House of Kleen was already torn down and Taco Time and Starbucks are chains. The building with Jones, the BBQ guys talk about it all the time to me because I go there twice a week. It’s not “beautiful” and the building has long needed to be ripped down. West Seattle Brewing can hopefully find a new spot. I am sure they will.  The spot you’re talking about down Genesee have had ample time and notice and will be getting compensated for their property. It is mostly 40s war boxes, not sure what is “beautiful” about it, it’s a one way steep hill next to an extremely noisy freeway.

  • Rico March 6, 2024 (11:33 am)

    Rather than develop population density in West Seattle, which is separated from the city by a waterway, why not focusing on the SODO area?

    As for the renderings: What a horrific eye-sore.

    • Jeff March 6, 2024 (1:46 pm)

      SoDo is not zoned for dense development. Soil, industrial zoning, EIS, and many other reasons. West Seattle is and has already started. So let’s keep densifying West Seattle. Waterway has nothing to do with anything. The housing is over here, not SoDo. 

    • Ian March 6, 2024 (4:26 pm)

      Yeah, let’s build everywhere except in your backyard right? It’s so much better to build housing in a heavy industrial zone than in the predominatly single family house neighborhoods of West seattle, right? 🤣🤣🤣

  • Marcus March 6, 2024 (12:09 pm)

    Am I seeing this right? They want to make 3+ blocks of Alaska bus only? Oregon is already super busy and Edmunds isn’t a viable option for that much traffic to get up to California. What is their plan for getting the cars through that mess?

    • Jeff March 6, 2024 (1:47 pm)

      It is just one lane. And Oregon already has busses. You will barely see a difference other than way less cars on the road since those people are using train. 

    • Ian March 6, 2024 (4:24 pm)

      Their plan is to reduce the amount of cars on the car sewer that is Fauntleroy way so that you dont need car lanes on Alaska. The whole point of the light rail is to move way more people than car lanes are able toAlaska is way too wide as is for a ‘street’. I am looking forward to the day they take away the car lanes

  • Admiral-2009 March 6, 2024 (12:15 pm)

    ST is like a Bull in a glassware store.  From what I have seen the imminent domain compensation to small business owners is sorely lacking and needs to be fixed.  

  • New West Seattle March 6, 2024 (12:39 pm)

    I found the open house and presentation last night to be very well staffed with lots of people that genuinely wanted to help answer questions and refused to offer opinions. It was masterfully presented and run. Thank you to Sound Transit for that. And I also found it to be totally overwhelming. The vision laid out to implement light rail to West Seattle is, in many ways, incredibly impressive. But more than anything, it is massive. The idea that removing a building complex like Jefferson Square and have it make economic sense is probably the first red flag for me. It’s not that Jefferson Square is some sort of local treasure, it’s that the massive swath of destruction being asked of our community, is so big.  And then not to be outdone, SDOT (the same team of geniuses that recommended us tearing down the fully repairable West Seattle Bridge) presented their vision as an overlay of the redevelopment of the entire business core of the Junction and beyond, and again it’s absolutely massive.  Closing Alaska to traffic (an obvious and probably necessary ambition), moving traffic to go around the Junction and the significant “improvements” associated with that in about 3-6 block radius adjacent to the Junction , and the density (TOD – Transit Oriented Development) that would be required to justify all of that are again massive. Don’t get me wrong, I think the vision of both entities have put forth could be amazing. We really could adopt this vision and transform West Seattle from the towny, bustling community of small businesses just across the water from downtown with stunning vistas, spectacular parks, local vibes, but at what cost? To me this feels like urban planners taking their lofty utopian dreams and making the urban core of our neighborhood their personal sandbox for the next 15-20 years. Is this an experiment we can afford? And by afford, I absolutely mean the actual dollars spent, but I also mean afford meaning at what real cost? Are we willing to lose the likes of Skylark and Ounces (for sure and likely many, many others), but this is a redevelopment that the smaller niche business community is a lot less resilient to. Are we going to be left with Whole Foods, Chipotle and Starbucks? It’s very clear that this plan would be a massive boon to expanding affordable, dense housing. It would grow West Seattle dramatically. We would become a real destination within Seattle. The mobility that would be created to what would be a legitimate network of trains (when it actually opens), would create opportunity and social equity our entire metro area would benefit from (likely far greater than any other planning initiative we could ever execute in a reasonable amount of time, likely two decades). But can we afford it? Do we want to risk what we already have and love, for what could be? Will it not also further stratify our neighborhoods? North Admiral, Alki, Beach Drive and everything residential surrounding this new exploding urban core would be even that much further out-of-reach for our already disappearing middle class. I think that there is still a lot of gamesmanship and some “please don’t ask us about x,y,z” and some “don’t look behind the curtain” aspects of this project that are not being responsibly communicated. The real impact and consequences of this are not really front and center. Exactly how many residential structures are being demolished? How many acres of land are going to be razed of all current improvements to make way for the development? And how many people are going to be displaced to make way for this huge project? I have always believed that we should: “Build it Now”, the costs are only going to go up if we delay it even one day more, and that change is hard, but change is often necessary (even when painful). But what used to feel like a infrastructure project for those of us in West Seattle to be better connected to the rest of Seattle and beyond, is now starting to feel like an Etch-a-Sketch that is being wiped clean to make way for the next generation of Seattleites who are not us. 

  • CARGUY March 6, 2024 (1:24 pm)

    Renderings looks great! It looks like the stations are creating more business space than what is currently at those sites. That would be amazing! I walk to the delridge stripmall site frequently and it really needs a change.

  • Alki resident March 6, 2024 (1:29 pm)

    First of all Jefferson Square is a gem, it use to have a school on that property many years ago. Jefferson Elementary still is remembered by many West Seattleites. Also, the rail only goes to Sodo, so not sure how many people you think are going to be visiting West Seattle from Sodo because it’s certainly not people coming from much further areas on the train. Yes Ounces and Skylark are going to be a part of many businesses torn down because of the train. And no matter when it gets built, the price will be much more than we’ve been quoted. Especially if things don’t go according to plan like dirt settling like the Federal Way train rail is dealing with now or added unforeseen costs. 

    • Bus March 6, 2024 (5:35 pm)

      If replacing a school with a parking lot and a corporate grocery store is what it takes to make a “gem” in West Seattle, the new light rail station is bringing in the Hope Diamond!  Really, “Jefferson Square is a gem”?  Now I’ve heard it all.

    • Tonenotvolume March 6, 2024 (9:42 pm)

      Wow, we walk to Jefferson Square frequently and live half a block from the proposed Avalon Station. Jefferson Square has transitory businesses, the Safeway is outdated, there’s really no dine-in or takeout, just nothing special that highlights it as being anything but a little strip mall.

      • WSB March 6, 2024 (10:28 pm)

        This is not a critique of anyone’s viewpoint, con/pro/otherwise, but for accuracy’s sake, please note that Jefferson Square is far more than what you’re describing. There are the outer east side businesses (including longtime WSB sponsor Dream Dinners, locally owned, and School of Rock, also locally owned), the outer west side businesses (including popular Nikko Teriyaki, which has been there decades), and a multi-story office building full of businesses as wide-ranging as West Seattle Animal Hospital and ever-growing Tango Card. Plus some vacancies. Here’s the directory:
        https://properties.kimcorealty.com/properties/jefferson-square/114900/view

        • Crowski March 7, 2024 (5:32 pm)

          The Sound Transit West Seattle Station forum planning meeting materials Oct. 2023 document, Alaska Junction Station map on p.8, shows the businesses and residences to be bulldozed by Sound Transit. 

  • CarDriver March 6, 2024 (1:44 pm)

    New WS. Welcome.  My families been in north end of WS since 1917. The problem here is that we have a whole bunch of newbie’s(and oldbie’s) to WS that believe light rail is that shining orb on the hill that will solve EVERYTHING. They firmly believe that a blank check and NO hard questions asked will create utopia. Their short sightedness and willingness to plug their ears and hum loudly is subjecting us to an EXPENSIVE MESS. We DO need options and encourage transit/biking/walking but at what cost to the residents? Is money no object?

    • Tonenotvolume March 6, 2024 (9:58 pm)

      It is a shiny new thing that brings us into the 21st century with a more efficient and cleaner transit option than the commuters-in-cars over-burdened flue that is Fauntleroy Way. Just like the tunnel luddites, someone always resists change. The tunnel is such a breeze compared to the old viaduct. I think all the WS Preservationists will love the convenience of jumping on a light rail to get downtown. And won’t it be nice to save the $100 round-trip rideshares or taxi costs getting to the airport? No airport parking, no convoluted arrival and departure messes. Fewer cars getting on to Northbound 5 in the mornings. You personally may fear the changes but for the majority of us, the light rail will improve our quality of life and reduce the driving stress. 

      • Scarlett March 7, 2024 (9:08 am)

        No, we’re not all Luddites,  NIMBY’s, anti-density “taxidermists” trying to preserve West Seattle like a scene frozen one of those glass balls; none of those would describe me. The project simply falls flat on its face, as even a partial solution to transportation woes.  

        For example, you mentioned the airport.  Okay, let’s take the airport.  Assuming you are close enought to walk to a station (the majority will be outside a reasonable walking radius)  it will be a two-segment trip,  with a transfer downtown.  If not, you’ll need to add another segment to your trip, get dropped off, or Uber.  Better allow for a couple of hours to get from WS to the airport.  In contrast, if the 560 still runs, it is an easy leisurely short ride through Burien to Seatac.    

        Taking cars off the road?  Most riders will be siphoned off from bus transit and even under the most optimistic ridership projections light rail isn’t going to make the slightest ripple in reducing traffic congestion, whether on the bridge or I-5.   It won’t improve access or mobility in an area already serviced by bus transit. If light rail can’t live up to rosy promises now, what does that say about the future with expected growth?

        Light rail has not been a solution in other west coast cities where it has been peddled and Seattle is no exception, certainly not at the enormous cost, the disruption, the environmental harm that comes with it.   A better plan, especially for West Seattle, is to upgrade and expand bus service, upgrade and expand bike lanes, with perhaps modest “shelters” (think bus shelter) along the way for bicyclists to take a breather, get out of the rain.   

        • Ian March 8, 2024 (11:46 am)

          ‘if the 560 still runs, it is an easy leisurely short ride through Burien to Seatac’ Yeah for the people who live near the line, but it doesn’t run anywhere near where the light rail is going. By time this opens you will be able to take rail all the way from the junction to Redmond/Federal Way/Lynwood with only 1 easy transfer (light rail to light rail). C line is planned to be expanded as part of this project (Alaska street becomes bus only near junction), so you will get that too 

  • WA March 6, 2024 (2:05 pm)

    Voted NO – would still vote NO today – no light rail in WS

    • Jeff March 6, 2024 (3:02 pm)

      54% voted yes. 

      • Martin March 9, 2024 (4:38 pm)

        Voted yes for what? I don’t remember that the ballot mentioned closing of about 100 businesses and many more homes. I do know that the price has doubled ($1.7 b to $4b), ridership estimates have dropped (37,000 to 27,000) and projected opening has been delayed. 

    • Reed March 6, 2024 (3:51 pm)

      Well, we had that vote and light rail was approved, so we need to move on.

    • Ian March 6, 2024 (4:22 pm)

      Too bad cuz it’s coming! Enjoy yelling into the void for the next 8 years

  • Wseattleite March 6, 2024 (5:00 pm)

    This warms my heart.  The more they spend gazillions of dollars to do nothing, the more likely they are to spend more than they can find, causing what has evolved into a train wreck of a project to just go away.   

    • Alki resident March 6, 2024 (5:56 pm)

      Bingo

    • Jethro Marx March 6, 2024 (6:39 pm)

      Ha. Those of us who read the last ST package that was voted on noticed that it literally gave them unlimited taxing authority without any specific infrastructure promises. It is all up to their discretion to expand or improve the lines as they see fit, however we feel about it. It is not even clear that there is an end date to the taxing.

      Personally, I appreciate the rail, used to ride it to UW every weekday, and also voted no on the last round of funding because it was so deviously structured. It is as close to a blank check as it gets.

    • Tonenotvolume March 6, 2024 (10:32 pm)

      Uhhh… nah, just your minority opinion. This entire thread is indicative of the country’s moral and political climate. It’s not red VS blue or any of the other old norms. It’s a vocal (growling, trumpeting, cursing) minority trying to “resist” and get their way, usually because of a narrow, unexamined perspective built on “I’m right because… I am!” And you have a right to your opinion. The mistake the majority of us make is to shrug off that element because we figure it’s just a small bunch of cantankerous, ill-informed old dudes. Unfortunately, because of their inflexibility to change and their vocality, they’ve inflated their actual value to society. The rest of us need to speak up, often and by stating the principles of the majority. The few should not be ruling the many. 

      • CarDriver March 7, 2024 (8:45 am)

        Tonenotvolume. So, you believe the many have the right and privilege to rule the few and ignore/trash their opinions? Providing FACTS and PROOF is unnecessary???

  • Jason March 6, 2024 (5:27 pm)

    I really like the full blueprint and plans that have been especially concerning ST4 where it branches out in different directions. I know it may take years to get it all built, but I hope to see it all become a reality

  • WSB March 6, 2024 (5:58 pm)

    Also adding above – the boards from last night are here:
    https://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/WSLE-station-planning-materials-english.pdf
    We’re also uploading for posterity’s sake – government websites tend to break links in periodic redesigns, we’ve noticed in our archives!

    (Added) There’s a second PDF – the city’s renderings, including the SW Alaska street design we showed above:
    https://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/WSLE-soc-station-planning-materials-english.pdf

  • bradley March 6, 2024 (10:37 pm)

    Anyone been to Cap Hill lately?  U District?  Roosevelt?  Rainier Ave?  Columbia City?  Telling me ST improves traffic, I haven’t seen it.  Accidents?  Attacks?  Shootings?  You can’t try to make ST a perfect solution, it has plenty of warts.  I also don’t see any parking options for the Stations, which means it really only serves the Junction areas.  Parking has always been a sticking point in Seattle for mass transit options for those not living within the boundary areas.  Use the bus to get there?  Wut?  Busses are supposed old school and out dated you said.  It is a Utopia dream for the WS Junction only as it sits.  That and the 1-2 hour parking limits for anyone trying to use the train outside the walking boundary are left out.

    • Laura March 7, 2024 (10:41 am)

      Good point about the 2 hour zones and general lack of parking….. hhhmmmmm. I’m lucky to live on a busline to get to a station. It’d be much faster to ride my bike to a station sometimes, but I don’t feel confident my bike wouldn’t get vandalized or stolen locked up at the Junction if left for many hours. I guess I’d welcome bike lockers.

  • Keenan March 7, 2024 (7:49 am)

    Anyone been to Tokyo lately?  Melbourne?  Vienna?  London? Chicago?

    Great cities all have great public transportation systems where all major neighborhoods are connected via rail.  I understand if you’ve never left America your entire life you might be so car-brained to think public transportation = crime and poor people, but that’s simply not the case. 

    Those cities I mentioned are all much easier to get around than Seattle. Cities need to be walkable, accessible, and densely built at a human scale to be efficient and affordable.  That means a great rail network.  Seattle is LONG OVERDUE for one. 

    If you’re a current resident, it’s going to increase your property values and open the entire city to you without forcing you to own a car and contribute to all the costs, pollution, traffic, frustration, and physical danger that comes with cars.

    If you still want to own a car – no one is going to take it away!  If you’re so concerned about “the changing character of your neighborhood” I suggest you zoom out and take a more historical view and realize that Seattle has always changed, and always will change.  This city WILL grow, and we need its infrastructure to grow with it.  Stop being so short sighted and selfish. 

    If you want to live somewhere less dense with cars as your only option to get from A to B, move to literally any other city in the state of Washington besides this one.

  • sam-c March 7, 2024 (1:50 pm)

    I’m glad they showed the revised Nucor route on the plan. I wasn’t sure how that was going to work when I saw the original diagrams and renderings.    Their rendering makes it seem pretty flat but there’s a drop off from Delridge to the area behind (what is now) Ounces.- which will be Nucor trucks’ new route out of there.  Will be interesting to see how that gets worked out.

  • A H C March 9, 2024 (12:15 pm)

    It seems so wasteful to build three stations so close to one another and none are servicing north and south. It is a really weird plan and very costly.  Meanwhile AI, driverless cars, uber, lyft, electric motorized objects and work from home may be the force in the future. The last time I took the bus I was grossed out and frankly a little scared and I am one of the humans who will need to bus to a light rail station, take the light rail to sodo then hop a second bus to get to work. NOT going to happen for most people who work 10-12 hour shift work.

  • Todd March 9, 2024 (12:57 pm)

    I have lived here in WS for a long time. I went to Madison Middle School in 1982, but got bussed to Rainier Beach HS in the early 80’s (this is not intended to start any debate about the bussing program). My mom graduated from WSHS in 1959, went to Madison like I did and went to Jefferson Elementary School (Where Jefferson Square is now). In fact, Jefferson School was still there when I had my Seattle Times paper route, because my route took my along there. It was closed and abandoned by that time, though. I’m writing this because I’m reading all of the holier-than-thou-we-know-better-because-we-are-the-future-and-the-future-is-now comments shouting-down anyone who mentions preserving the character of West Seattle. True, progress must happen or we will move backwards. Business cannot stay static – it must move grow or shrink. I am also a small business owner here in West Seattle and I pay a lot of taxes. The idea that the light rail extension to West Seattle is going to be a magic bullet and make life wonderful is hard to swallow. I’ve lived here for so long for the exact reason this project will eliminate – the neighborhood feeling we have, apart from the hustle and bustle of the city, but close enough that with a quick trip over the bridge, we can be be in downtown in 15 minutes (insert gripes about traffic here). I grew up here, going into Penny Lane before Easy St. came along, I remember when the Rite Aid on California was the Safeway and I never heard of street crime and robberies, shootings or the amount of burglaries and vandalism we have now. Car theft was around, but just occasionally. There were tool shops, lots of locally owned service stations, several locksmiths, the steel mill and other service-oriented businesses and employers that we don’t have anymore.  We have tuned into a place to live, but not work. We have redeveloped High Point, moved town homes and apartments into former single-family lots and turned California Ave into a low-rise residential canyon.  Now, before you accuse me of sitting on my porch, screaming “Get off my lawn” (which, I might just do), I turned 21 in 1989. At that time, the Junction was about 25% Empty or boarded up. There were no places to eat past 10 and very few bars, save for the handful of taverns (The Poggie is still there!) and a sports bar (The Caddyshack) in the Admiral, when there was still a parking lot across from the theater.  My friends and I complained there was nothing to do here and had to go down to Pioneer Square (to be part of the Grunge scene) and downtown to find fun. Now, we have a long list of great places to go and a vibrant nightlife! Sometimes progress is good!  The theater is still there (I was there for opening night for Friday the 13th part 2), Husky Deli is still here, Spud’s is still here and many other long-standing local businesses. I LIKE the fact that we don’t have a big, corporate presence, save for fast food joints, Chipoltle and Starbucks, but Alki Beach used to have a bike shop, a small convenience store, an actual grocery store and a few other spots…now? Just restaurants and bars.  The problem with moving our great, little community away from a  place to live AND work and more to a place to live, but COMUTE to work, we lose something – our tight knit connection to one another – and gain something – increased traffic, long commute times and frustration. Which leads us to now. Some of us feel that this shiny, new toy will solve the problems and eliminate those nasty, evil cars. Take away the cars and you take away a major part of the funding for Sound Transit in the first place. Car tabs, sales tax, rental car tax and a portion of property taxes cover over 50% of the budget for ST – and not just for planning and construction, but for maintenance and operation. They have been plagued with problems collecting fares, having violence on the trains and the stations and I won’t even mention the giant SNAFU with the rail ties to the new Eastside extension being installed wrong and having to be done all over again.  The agency just wants a blank check and they’ll figure it out later. As long as we treat West Seattle as just a place to live, but not encourage businesses who actually employ people with good paying jobs, we will never overcome the congestion. Sure, you may have a station at the Junction, but what if you live by Lincoln Park?  My final gripe will be about all of the businesses and residents who will be displaced by eminent domain. Skylark, MODE, the daycare, Ounces, the little strip mall with the only store in the whole area  at the proposed Delridge site – all local business owners like me who connect with the community, provide a place to go and meet people and in the case of Skylark – the ONLY live music-focused venue in West Seattle (Tim’s is in White Center, so let’s stay in our lane). Jone’s BBQ, West Seattle Brewing, on and on. This will make us better? The fact that some of you cite enjoying rising property values as a reason to celebrate…really? With the number one complaint about housing is the lack of affordable housing and how hard it is for a young person to get started on the path to home ownership? How about homelessness? You can’t ignore that it is all around us (something else that was not a part of life here, when I was growing up) and this will make a difference? Fewer locally owned businesses, rising property costs (with a nice little revenue bump for the city and ST, I’m sure) and more housing will only mean more people LEAVING WS every day – not working here.  OK, here is my “get off my lawn” moment…if you need to work in Redmond to make the money Microsoft gives you, why insist on living in WS and needing a “solution” to your problem? If you have to work downtown or SLU  to rake in the tech dollars, why not move to Belltown or Capitol Hill and decrease your own commute and not make the rest of us pay for it? We had a system that was working pretty good…2 lanes on 35th, Fauntleroy, California and Deldridge, lots of busses. I got my drivers’ license the same year the WS bridge was built (and didn’t I feel old when it broke down before I did!) and we never thought we’d need anything else. I guess people gotta live somewhere…and West Seattle is still beautiful…but, I like the idea of encouraging business here, to give people an opportunity to not have to commute away from where they live. This project is the opposite of that and all of the drawings clearly show a focus on more housing. We will see more crime, more street-level crime, more homelessness and a less-diverse local population because we will be just a transitory place to live and not invest in. I know so many people who have lived here for a long time and would have NEVER even considered moving. WS for life for a lot of us…but, more and more, I know people cashing in and giving up. I think that’s what it means when people say “protecting West Seattle”. If you know, you know. I think I’ll go set up a kegger in Whiskey Woods for old-times’ sake – who wants to meet me there?

  • Bronwyn March 9, 2024 (4:05 pm)

    Comment submitted in person  to Sound Transit Executive Board meeting, March 7 2024:We are a coalition of West Seattleiites who have studied traffic problems (and solutions) locally, nationally and internationally. Some of us have devoted our lives to environmental issues.  Our members care deeply about assuring our planet will be livable for the next generation.  We, all, are for mass transit, we ride the bus, some of us our car-free; to a person we believe Sound Transit light rail to West Seattle needs to be rethought.  There is a federally mandated law that requires a NO BUILD OPTION to be included in the Environmental Impact Statement.  Sound Transit has not given that option serious, if any, consideration.  We are asking for them to do so.  We, also, are on the record repeatedly asking for a town hall.   • The heron rookery on Pigeon Point is also legally protected – but Sound Transit plans to shave off the north end of Pigeon Point – heron and human habitats. There is no oversight, no accountability, no transparency.  ST 3 WSBLE DEIS uses the words “irreparable” and  “permanent” to describe the “damage” that will be done to our various and many eco-systems. “Mitigation” policy is not addressed. • The “heat zones” that will be created by cutting down 2-3 acres of West Seattle forests will hurt all of Seattle; poorer neighborhoods like Delridge will suffer the most.    • For $4 BILLION we are getting 4 miles of light rail track that will cut through our businesses, homes, services and ruin the community ST purports to serve.  The light rail double-track will be the height of the West Seattle Bridge – and will be built on a known earthquake fault line.  Sound Transit’s answer is to drive the pilings 100 feet deep.  Who is overseeing that?  How do we know that deeper means more stable?   • THESE ARE “COMPONENTS THAT REQUIRE FUTHER STUDY”.  • WE REQUEST THAT YOU KEEP WEST SEATTLE IN THE DRAFT EIS PROCESS UNTIL THESE SERIOUS ISSUES ARE ADDRESSED.   rethinkthelink.orgsign up to be on our mailing list

  • bronwyn March 9, 2024 (4:13 pm)

    rethinkthelink.org

    • Sorry, comment time is over.