WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL: Sound Transit drop-in meetings start Wednesday; neighbor’s alternative vision

Two notes as Sound Transit moves toward finalizing the plan for West Seattle’s light-rail route and station locations:

DROP-IN MEETINGS: With the official release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement, Sound Transit announced three drop-in meetings, two in West Seattle. The first is tomorrow (Wednesday, September 25), 4:30-6:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW); the second is next Tuesday (October 1), 4:30-6:30 pm at Alki Masonic Center (4736 40th SW). We verified two things today with ST spokesperson Rachelle Cunningham: First, no presentation is planned for these meetings – they are 100 percent drop-in and circulate around the room. Second, both will feature exactly the same material (we had wondered if the Delridge meeting would be focused on the Delridge station/segment, for example). If you can’t get to either of those, there’s also a drop-in session in SODO 11 am-1 pm October 2 (Studio B612, 1915 First Ave. S.).

PRO-LIGHT RAIL NEIGHBOR’S VISION: The board has to decide – perhaps in just one month – which of multiple routes the line would travel. Some community members are getting in one more push for their preferences. In our report on last week’s ST Executive Committee meeting, we mentioned that a West Seattle property owner told the committee she favored Delridge 6A over 6B. We didn’t get into why. The property owner, Beth Boomgard-Zagrodnik, has since provided us with a written version of the vision behind what she voiced:

I did say that Del-6A option makes more sense than the currently “preferred” Del-6B from an impacts comparison perspective; but the more relevant dimension of the comment is that Del-6B leaves a parcel of 12 single family homes materially impacted, but not acquired in the dregs our current neighborhood (on 85K combined sqft) at Andover and 32nd SW [map].

Here is the rendering from the FEIS of the view south on 32nd from Andover. My driveways are shown on the right next to my neighbor’s mailbox. (Marilyn Kennell‘s (of Rethink the Link) house is also not acquired and is next to the Monkey Puzzle tree on the opposite side of the tracks for reference.) This proposal does not relate to that south side of the proposed track.

Here is the view of the 12 parcels from the FEIS. I have augmented the picture with triangles (red are the homes owned by my neighbors and the blue ones owned by Joe and I / our small business). These homes are in a 5-min walkshed of the Avalon Station and I believe it is worth exploring if there is a better use for this land than keeping it as single-family homes, low-density, car-centric – particularly given how dramatically the neighborhood will change with construction / operation.

Here is the image from the FEIS with pink homes being acquired and empty parcels mapping to above triangles.

I reached out to Homestead Community Land Trust for over a year to begin exploring how I might advocate for a better outcome for my neighborhood and a more pragmatic development vision for the Avalon Station – starting with the two lots we own. We continue to jointly explore avenues to both advocate to Sound Transit, City of Seattle, County, State and community housing organizations and paint a vision for what could be on these parcels.

Specifically, Joe and I are advocating for:

-the timely delivery of the light rail extension to West Seattle (a unique perspective in the verbal public comments [at the committee meeting])
-for Sound Transit to consider acquiring some or all of the triangle lots as a part of the acquisition process should the prefered alternative (Del-6b) proceed.

If acquired, we would encourage ST to then sell or transfer the combined parcels to the city / private affordable housing developers / community groups (like Homestead) as they have done with other parcels elsewhere in the system build out for transit-oriented affordable housing development.

OR

for the City to accelerate and increase the level of upzoning associated with these parcels to LR-2 and then working with a community land trust or similar organization to acquire some or all of the parcels to build transit-oriented affordable housing.

Should Sound Transit acquire the parcels, this land could be used for construction staging or immediately – instead of almost 20 years after the fact as was the case in the Rainier Valley – be transferred to transit-oriented affordable housing developers to redevelop the parcels, increasing the availability of affordable housing in the immediate walkshed of the Avalon Station in line with the construction timelines. This means Sound Transit would directly help increase the number of affordable housing units in the project vicinity – serving as a true development agency, not just one that provides transit. Moreover, should Mayor Harrell be bolder in the One Seattle Plan regarding zoning in the neighborhood, there is opportunity for tremendous transit-oriented, affordable density on this combined parcel.

Boomgard-Zagrodnik said her family and neighbors were scheduled to meet this week with Sound Transit. Time is running out to influence the board’s upcoming decision – a recommendation is expected to be presented to the System Expansion Committee on October 10, and the full board’s vote is penciled in for just two weeks after that, on October 24. Meantime, the board’s next meeting is 1:30-4:30 pm this Thursday (September 26), with a presentation on the West Seattle Final EIS, as well as a public comment periood; the agenda explains how to participate.

31 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL: Sound Transit drop-in meetings start Wednesday; neighbor's alternative vision"

  • Casey September 25, 2024 (7:37 am)

    I’ll admit that I am not a fan of how the guideway in the preferred alignment completely cuts off 32nd. No vehicular access is fine, but they really need to include pedestrian access through the closed portion of street. From the rendering, it looks like they could easily include a small trail that goes through.

  • Derek September 25, 2024 (8:31 am)

    I will be there tonight. I will be advocating for keeping the Avalon station. What is the point of all the density right here if we aren’t going to utilize it in a way to get working class people to downtown quickly and home quickly? The lumber yard apartments will erect soon and many other properties along Fauntleroy too. We are only going to grow exponentially at the Triangle. I also agree on better pedestrian access. I would like to see more of a plan around the bus route coming to Avalon. 35th is pretty narrow and residential north of Fauntleroy.

    • WS Res September 25, 2024 (9:41 am)

      Derek, I can’t make it tonight because I work until 630. Thanks for going and advocating for keeping Avalon etc. If I remember right, in previous comments you shared my concern about closing the two blocks of Alaska to buses only? If I’ve got that correct, will you please add my voice to yours? I’m a homeowner who lives on 40th just south of Hudson and I’m fine with making 41st and 42nd pedestrian-only around the new Alaska station but closing two blocks of Alaska would push a LOT of traffic into side streets that can’t handle it (including Edmonds, with its super steep hill).  Thanks!

    • Matt September 25, 2024 (12:34 pm)

      If these apartments are at all like neighboring properties, their “working class” tenants will be paying $2k+/month for a studio by the time they’re built.

      I get the density is necessary, but let’s not delude ourselves into thinking a significant number of working class people will be living there.

      • Husky September 25, 2024 (3:51 pm)

        Beth (and ST) explicitly call for MHA LR-2 zoning for these properties.  I realize most people can’t/don’t keep up with policy enough to understand what that means, but please look into it before completely ignoring and dismissing their very informed and well thought out considerations.  It explicitly calls for permanently affordable housing, and she even provided examples you can look up for yourself just by searching WSB’s excellent coverage for the terms “affordable” or “homestead”.

      • Foop September 25, 2024 (4:01 pm)

        It doesn’t matter what “class” they are. When these apartments go up it’ll be better for everyone if the new tenants can move around the city with ease without a car.

    • Anony September 25, 2024 (4:37 pm)

      Until it is officially canceled, it would be stupid and negligent for the people this will directly affect to not participate in the process, as we are.  Also, any serious person who isn’t grifting wouldn’t be here commenting if they truly believed it was dead and done.  

    • Westseattle September 25, 2024 (4:58 pm)

      Go Derek!!

  • Seth September 25, 2024 (8:50 am)

    There are some weird houses left with the alternative option as well particularly where it cuts from delridge to Genesee it sweeps in an arch thru that entire neighborhood, and at a super high elevation.  

  • 22blades September 25, 2024 (9:16 am)

    The whole process is about as moot as a dead monorail. At $6B+, it’s dead whether you wanted it (like me) or not.

    • Derek September 25, 2024 (10:27 am)

      It’s pretty close to projected costs if they maneuver the paths, swap tunnel for elevated, even dropping a station if that’s the compromise. Ultimately it WILL be built. We voted on it. And if it went to re-vote, it would win again, despite costs.

      • 22blades September 26, 2024 (11:52 am)

        How many times did I vote for the Monorail? Sure Derek.

  • Question? September 25, 2024 (10:52 am)

    A couple questions I haven’t seen asked yet, what is the cost of weekly/monthly maintenance and what is the life span of  what’s being built. 7.1b plus any overages is a steep price.

    • Peter September 25, 2024 (11:51 am)

      Typically the life span for these kinds of projects is 50-100 years. 

  • Kennell September 25, 2024 (11:21 am)

    That Kennell’s house is not being acquired is irrelevant to this piece and is misleading.   Rethink the Link’s involvement in the Sound Transit West Seattle light rail debacle is about trying to do what is best for our entire community economically, equitably, and environmentally.    West Seattle  going to face years of upheaval and destruction whether our homes are taken or not.  $7 billion dollars for 4 miles of track that will get us only to SODO needs to be rethought.  

    • bill September 25, 2024 (11:34 am)

      We only need to get to SODO. Then transfer. Why is this so hard to understand?

      • Scarlett September 25, 2024 (1:23 pm)

        Because we don’t need to spend seven billion to do that, Bill.  Any other questions? 

        • bill September 25, 2024 (3:27 pm)

          Do you complain about traffic, Scarlett? Do you want it to get much worse as more people move to West Seattle, or just somewhat worse? Nothing will roll us back to the halcyon days of congestion-free freeways, but if we don’t build an alternative life-altering gridlock is guaranteed. Have you ridden light rail and seen the crowds that use it already?

    • Fillet September 25, 2024 (11:50 am)

      What’s best for the entire community is investing in safe, sustainable transit options for the long term. Light rail is about as well-proven a solution as you could ask for, and is currently working successfully not only in cities around the world but also right here in Seattle. The shameless, bad faith invocations of environmental and equity concerns to oppose this badly needed, too-long-delayed investment are entirely without merit. 

    • K September 25, 2024 (1:31 pm)

      What’s best for our entire community economically, equitably, and environmentally is to build the light rail.  

  • Brandon September 25, 2024 (12:06 pm)

    OK class: what’s a $7,000,000,000 cost divided by the 27,000 riders ST plans to add with this extension equal? A whopping 259,000 cost per added rider for a train that travels along a straight line.  Now imagine spending 1/3 of that to buy each of those 27,000 riders a $86,000 EV that can drive anywhere about the state and having 2/3 of it to spend elsewhere.  Surely, we wouldn’t want to pay taxes to buy cars for a small collective of people – what a terrible idea. Instead, let’s spend the equivalent of buying them THREE and say you can only go from West Seattle to Sodo.

    • bill September 25, 2024 (3:29 pm)

      Yeah sure. Let’s put 27,000 additional cars on the high bridge at least twice a day. What could go wrong.

      • Brandon September 25, 2024 (4:15 pm)

        The train isn’t increasing west Seattle’s population by 27k. Nowhere is ST saying that. Those people already travel the bridge twice a day, so color a different downside. Spend half other money on expanding the lower bridge if thats a concern. Not that I’m defending the idea of replacing cars, just that it’s 2/3 less of a waste of money. And if it’s so easily dismissed then a train should be dismissed 3X as easily.

    • Husky September 25, 2024 (4:07 pm)

      Posting an example of an alternative solution (that doesn’t even begin to address the primary issues of traffic, infrastructure, or people unable to drive) and then explaining why your alternative solution is ridiculous and will never happen has actually convinced us even more of how necessary the light rail is, thanks!

    • Sisko September 25, 2024 (4:18 pm)

      Your math appears to assume that the train will only be running for a single year. That’s wrong.

    • Odo September 25, 2024 (4:24 pm)

      “The West Seattle Bridge only takes you to SoDo and then you have to transfer, what a stupid thing to waste money on!” 

    • K September 25, 2024 (4:27 pm)

      This is the thinking that has gotten us into this mess.  Where, exactly, are those 27,000 cars going to fit on the West Seattle Bridge?  Cars have much bigger footprints than people.  They take up space on the bridge.  They take up space at their origin and their destination.  There.  Is.  No.  More.  Space.  For.  Cars.  The light rail will get people downtown without requiring more parking spaces downtown, and without requiring more capacity on the bridge.  Not even going to speculate on the cost of widening the bridge or digging out more underground parking downtown.  We are moving masses of people on and off the peninsula using transit that relies on roads and we know it is not enough.  The cost is high because we waiting 50 years too long to make it happen, due to bad faith arguments like this one.

  • AF12 September 25, 2024 (4:22 pm)

    How about a dedicated transit route from WS to SODO which will include buses and bikes only bridge across Duwamish Waterway which will be feed for example by Rapid Ride C and H line?  I wonder how much that is going to cast?  Do I hear possibly less then one billion dollars?

    • Scarlett September 25, 2024 (8:45 pm)

      LA converted a planned light rail line into a dedicted bus lane because the cost was prohibitive.  I’ve taken it and it works great – always full, convenient stations and good frequency. https://www.metro.net/riding/guide/g-line/

  • OGK September 25, 2024 (7:07 pm)

    Years ago, many members of the Sound Transit’s Community Advisory Group came to the conclusion that there were no good route options. Plus, the ridership experience would not improve- especially for the Delridge riders. Plus,the ST daily ridership numbers are very low. Even if we upzoned all the areas around the WS stations, we still wouldn’t have the density to make it worth it. ST says it will only take 400 cars off the road. Most riders already ride transit. There will still be traffic and emissions. The environmental issues are the most concerning. Our tree canopy is already on the low side. Cutting down mature trees will create more heat islands. The carbon released from the construction will be huge. Building the section over the Duwamish River is bound to have negative affects. Speaking of- this latest EIS should be considered a supplemental EIS or another draft EIS given how new things have been revealed like the cable stayed bridge! Does ST even care about environmental impacts? For more info, check out rethinkthelink.org or the wider transit advocacy group, SmarterTransit.org ,  that wants to keep ST accountable. 

    • Chumo September 26, 2024 (7:22 am)

      The links you provide don’t contain any data to support your many dire claims, just more repetitive assertions pulled out of thin air. The use of phony environmental arguments in defense of the car-centric status quo is the most obviously galling, and most revealing of this group’s absolute lack of intellectual honesty.

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