WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL: More soil sampling, plus two events Thursday – Rally for Relocation, and ‘accountability’ group’s media briefing

| Sound Transit | West Seattle news

Three notes about West Seattle’s planned light-rail extension:

MORE SOIL SAMPLING: Sound Transit continues work in various neighborhoods, and Debora sent that photo after the latest notice for geotechnical work on the south side of SW Genesee east of 35th SW, potentially lasting through the middle of next week.

RALLY FOR RELOCATION: Reminder that tomorrow is the day businesses in the project path are hoping to rally community support for better relocation compensation, as first announced last month. All this will be happening in the 3800 block of Delridge Way SW – home to Ounces, Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor), Mode Music and Performing Arts, and The Skylark, 4 pm to 7 pm Thursday. We mentioned it when it was first announced; here’s the reminder from organizers:

West Seattle Businesses and community members will rally together in support of the 60+ West Seattle Businesses that face relocation as a result of light rail extension to West Seattle.

A Rally for Relocation will take place on Thursday, July 11th from 4-7 pm at Ounces Taproom & Beer Garden in West Seattle. From 4:30-6 pm, supporters will walk on Delridge Way SW in front of the North Delridge Businesses Facing Relocation (from Skylark Cafe to Delridge Deli Mart, just off the ramp to the West Seattle Bridge), followed by a rally and community gathering at Ounces.

The rally aims to raise community awareness and advocate for adequate relocation support for affected businesses, ensuring their survival if the West Seattle light rail project is approved this summer.

Businesses and residents will urge the Sound Transit Board: Preserve West Seattle’s character and economy. Ensure local businesses have the resources to relocate and thrive alongside the new light rail.

The rally stems from a petition at displacedbylightrail.com, initiated by local businesses to highlight their precarious situation. With nearly 2,000 signatures and growing, it underscores concerns about insufficient relocation funding from Sound Transit. Many affected businesses fear closure without adequate financial support and assistance.

MEDIA BRIEFING: Organizers of the Rally for Relocation reiterate that they’re not trying to stop light rail. However, a different group that is – at least temporarily – plans a West Seattle media briefing earlier in the day. At 10:30 am at Jefferson Square, the organization Smarter Transit says it will discuss its demands for ST accountability:

-Present key data showing ST3 work will not solve our region’s transportation issues nor alleviate greenhouse gas emissions.
-Ask the Legislature to require Sound Transit to create a post-pandemic plan to increase ridership, decrease single car drivers and lower greenhouse gases.
-Discuss their petition local residents may sign demanding accountability and pausing ST3 planning until the agency shows voters transit alternatives that achieve less congestion, lower emissions and promote greater cost efficiency with taxpayer dollars.
-Promote passing legislation to make the ST Board directly elected by district via publicly funded campaigns to end the cost overruns and lack of oversight.

This group is not exclusively focused on West Seattle; its roots go back to the ’00s.

West Marge July 10, 2024 (11:05 pm)

See you there.

22blades July 11, 2024 (4:58 am)

You fought the monorail for the small footprint. Now they’re after your whole property. What did you expect? No mass transit?

CarDriver July 11, 2024 (11:00 am)

22blades. We fought the monorail because before any construction started the estimated cost had DOUBLED. And they couldn’t/wouldn’t provide any ridership numbers they expected. Oh,speaking of transit the monorail people were in discussions with Metro to STOP all downtown bus service. They wanted Metro to only run a shuttle service in WS and drop off at monorail stations

SW Genesee July 11, 2024 (9:19 am)

Towing & Enforcement are underway!!! SW Genesee St if parked near Pecos best hustle

Another K July 11, 2024 (9:49 am)

It sounds like the group wants Sound Transit to spend more money generating paperwork while providing less actual transit, which is pretty much the opposite of both “smart” and “transit”. Really sick of fringe groups wasting ST money (read: my tax dollars) “investigating” spurious claims in an effort to stop progress. Can’t wait for construction to start. It has taken way longer than it should.

Jay July 11, 2024 (10:40 am)

It’s all the same group of clowns. They make many of their websites and organizations anonymous online, but it’s organized by a group of professional Tim Eyeman-style trolls. SkyLink, Rethink the Link, all the other anti-ST3 groups are all just one very small group of NIMBYs and professional obstructionists. I don’t know if we’re allowed to name names in the comments, but I feel like any mention of the groups in the media should mention the leaders of these organizations and their history and other organization affiliations. They’re abusing the system to artificially inflate resistance to projects and waste tax money.
- Scarlett July 11, 2024 (12:39 pm)
  
  Doesn’t describe me, Jay. I’m an independent voter, unaffiliated with any of these organizations and I came by my stance the old fashioned way – I used my own noodle to look at light rail’s ability to move substantial numbers of people around town cost-effectively, here and elsewhere, and found it to be largely as waste of taxpayer’s dollars, particularly when bus transit can accomplish the same thing. I have left out the human element here, which should be take seriously, as well.
  - k July 11, 2024 (3:10 pm)
    
    Didn’t just leave out the human element… left out the humans, too, who are in short supply as Metro has ongoing staffing issues. Buses can not accomplish the same as light rail without drivers. Looking at just the numbers, you can move far more people per operator with light rail than a bus. Maybe use your noodle next to work out how these buses are going to drive themselves.

Jon Wright July 11, 2024 (10:40 am)

I’m particularly fond of the euphemistic names of these anti-groups. And direct election of the Sound Transit Board (which sounds good in theory) is really a Republican ploy to try to wrest control. Similar to how Republicans have targeted school boards and canvasing boards elsewhere. Don’t fall for that pitch. Sound Transit Board members are already elected officials and accountable (at least as accountable as any elected person is). Direct election would just end up replacing nominally qualified people with partisan anti-transit apparatchiks.

CarDriver July 11, 2024 (12:32 pm)

Love the commenters saying that anybody that stands in the way of “progress” is an uneducated rube. Clearly they’re CERTAIN that the politicians and government agencies are always right and always only do what they’re certain is best for everyone. In their world citizens should never question anything the government tells them. They believe everything being told to them so should every one else. Their mantra is” sign the blank check and NEVER question anyone”

Husky July 11, 2024 (3:25 pm)

I read through all of the comments, and no one said any of that. People aren’t “blindly trusting the gubberment”, they wanted it, voted for it, and now they’re getting it. Disagreeing is fine, but doing a straw man argument and developing a persecution complex over it seems a little bit silly.

Sorry, comment time is over.