By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

One notable achievement of Tuesday night’s Transit Town Hall: A few of the local business owners facing likely relocation because of light rail got a very public chance to put Sound Transit reps on the spot.

That happened during the live Q&A comprising almost half the two-hour event. As shown in our first report Tuesday night, the event – presented by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and 34th District Democrats – began with an ST recap of project planning, from 2016’s ST3 vote to the current status, awaiting the Final Environmental Impact Statement “in the late third quarter,” which will be followed by a final vote on routing/station locations.

Then it was time for Q&A – both pre-submitted and asked live. We’ll start with the latter. First, video of the in-person Q&A:

The most pointed exchanges were with business owners facing relocation, including Erin Rubin of Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) and nonprofit Mode Music and Performing Arts, which serve hundreds of students.

(WSB photo: Mode’s Erin Rubin, with moderator Jordan Crawley)

Rubin recounted waiting for a promised reply from ST real-property director Faith Roland – one of the panelists – that never came, and made a request that she’s made to ST before: Why can’t she get an evaluation from ST now rather than having to wait for the official vote on the Delridge station location that will almost certainly displace her business? Starting the resource-providing conversation now, she said, would “make us feel more secure.”

ST’s Leda Chahim, who’s long been the main communicator at project-related meetings like this, first said she would figure out why Rubin never got a response. Then Roland told Rubin, “I want to come see your business … let’s do an occupancy survey with you now,” something Rubin had been requesting for months.

Another local music educator likely facing displacement, Phil Gustavson of the West Seattle School of Rock at expected-to-be-demolished Jefferson Square, also got a public commitment from Roland to do better. Gustavson said businesses that’ll need to locate “are screwed, we’re absolutely screwed.” He said that in terms of resources, he doesn’t “need an attorney to negotiate a lease” for a new location, “we need money.” His relocation has costly specialty needs, such as moving soundproof walls. Gustavson said he had heard of a business owner in the light-rail path in another community that had received a much larger sum than is usually mentioned. Roland said yes, that particular grocery store in Snohomish County “has received over $2 million,” and she said she’s “looking forward to sitting down with (Gustavson) … let’s look at what we can do.” Moving walls, she wasn’t sure about, but “we’ve moved floors … I’m moving a basketball floor right now.”

Laurel Trujillo of Ounces, another business squarely in the footprint of the likely Delridge station site (and leader of a petition drive to ensure businesses can survive relocation), asked if ST covers 100 percent of a business’s moving costs. Roland said their policy is to cover “every actual, reasonable, and necessary cost to move a business,” and that within those parameters, “The moving expenses are unlimited.” She noted that so far, systemwide, ST has relocated more than 1,200 businesses and residences.

Those weren’t the only questions about displacement and relocation. A man describing himself as a landlord wondered if ST would potentially buy his property “earlier” and become his tenants’ landlord? Roland noted that “we work with both landlords and tenants” and they’d discuss lease duration with both parties. “Often we don’t take possession until everyone has moved out.”

Another question: Does ST buy underground easements, if they’ll be tunneling beneath your home/business? Roland’s answer: “We buy all of the above.” But another ST panelist, Sandra Fann, said they don’t always acquire property above tunnels.

The possible Delridge to Avalon routing that could go through the West Seattle Health Club‘s pool was the subject of another attendee’s question. Chahim said ST is “looking at ideas for how within this current alignment we could reduce effects (on WSHC).” She explained that the through-the-club alignment was meant to improve transit connections and lessen effects on supportive-housing/behavioral-health provider Transitional Resources. “We’re trying to see if we can problem-solve.”

Another attendee voiced general concern for the businesses facing displacement: Is there a guarantee that the businesses that want to stay in West Seattle can stay in West Seattle? What kind of guarantee do they get? Roland’s response: “We work closely with each resident and business to move where they want to move,” wherever that turns out to be. She contended, “Everyone who wants to stay in this community has the choice to stay in this community.”

Some skepticism was voiced by Michael Taylor-Judd, who chairs the West Seattle Transportation Coalition. “I’ve heard people over 7 years ask the same questions, the business owners say the same things … what are you doing to address things that are tying staff’s hands … it’s starting to sound like ST does not give a s**t about the community.” Chahim retorted, “We’ve been planning this for seven years … it’s not that our hands are tied, it’s that we can’t engage until we have direction from our board on what project is going to move forward.” She suggested patience is in order, as that direction is likely just a few months away.

There were some other moments of criticism, too. One attendee asked about a “rumor” that the project cost had grown to $4 billion. That’s not a rumor – we and others have long since reported that number. Chahim didn’t reaffirm the sum but suggested that ST, like other entities and businesses as well as individuals, is dealing with “cost escalation”/inflation. The questioner also wanted to know where the extra money was coming from. “We have a state statute that dictates how we collect money,” Chahim said.

Also on the subject of cost, another attendee asked why the extension couldn’t be cut back to two stations to save money. Though the voter-approved measure in 2016 called for three West Seattle stations, Chahim noted that the notion of dropping the Avalon station has been studied and that the results of those studies will be included in the Final EIS.

Others brought up what ST has already built elsewhere; one person voiced concern about pedestrian connections and safety, saying he and his toddler traveled to Bellevue and wound up “dumped onto an overgrown sidewalk”; ST panelist Daniel Turner‘s response was that ST3 projects have more of a focus on station planning than ST2, and that city funding will help shape station access too.

Speaking of existing ST facilities, Kirk Hovenkotter of the Transportation Choices Coalition wondered which new stations the panelists would recommend visiting for an idea of what the West Seattle stations will be like. The only clear suggestion that emerged was U-District, for a hint at what The Junction’s station might be like.

Those were the highlights from the “live” Q&A. Now, the shorter segment of the meeting, in which moderator Jordan Crawley asked questions submitted online – here’s our video of that segment:

First of those questions: Are there ways to expedite the West Seattle project? Where/when might there be delays?

Chahim said ST’s “aim” is to get it done “as soon as we can,” but in the short run, finalizing the routing/station locations this fall (“the project to be built”) will be an important milestone. ST also is working with the city to streamline the permitting process. “But there are always unknowns,” added Fann. “We’re only at 30 percent design … there’s only so much you can do until we know what the project is.” Since part of the WS route will be tunneled, underground surprises could be problematic.

Another question: At what point would Transit-Oriented Development be built in connection with the project?

Chahim said they hope to have those projects open when the light-rail service begins, but ST doesn’t do the developing itself, so that isn’t fully within their control, although they can set requirements in the Request for Proposals they would issue to find developer(s).

There was a request for a recap of what’s currently on the proposed station sites; you can review those on the continuing “online open house.” (Go here, choose “stations,” choose which one you want to review, and use the three lines at the bottom of the page to review different views.)

Other questions went back to the relocation/acquisition process, also detailed in the online open house.

When all the questions were asked and answered, and organizers had promised future conversations, the event concluded, but ST’s panelists stayed to answer one-on-one questions, as attendees clustered around them. Of note, the only elected official seen in attendance (though not speaking) was District 8 King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, who has been active in advocating for the local businesses fighting to get a fair shake.

She’s not on the Sound Transit Board; one West Seattle-residing elected official is, King County Executive Dow Constantine, the board’s current chair.

The projected launch date for West Seattle light rail remains late 2032. It will take riders to SODO until the extension to Ballard, including a new downtown tunnel, opens in 2039.