To many in the audience it was a familiar exercise. When Sound Transit held another light rail open house last week at Seattle Central Community College, the proceedings had an air of déjà vu.
The Sound Transit event Oct. 25 was an opportunity to catch up with the status of the proposed North Link light rail segment, one intended to connect downtown to Northgate with stops included on First Hill and, notably, on Broadway.
"The North Link segment will provide the system's highest transit ridership corridor," said Ron Endlich, light rail's project manager. "The from downtown to Capitol Hill segment will take only six minutes."
The latest Broadway station proposal, one the Sound Transit board still needs to approve once it has made the decision to build the north segment, will be 90 feet below the surface. Platform access is to be achieved through a series of escalators.
Two station entrances are envisioned, both on the east side of Broadway; the north entrance will be on the southeast corner of Broadway and East John Street, with the south entrance at Broadway and East Denny Way. A third entrance, on the west side of Broadway at Seattle Central Community College, is also a possibility.
Notably, the proposed station is to be located under Nagle Place East, not under Broadway. Also, Sound Transit has determined that the system will not require crossover tracks as part of the Broadway station, thus reducing the scale of the project and thus its neighborhood impacts. (Crossover tracks are necessary for system maintenance and train reversal.) They would be required, however, if the Broadway station was the line's terminus.
While construction impacts with the Nagle option are reduced, the number of properties and businesses Sound Transit will need to purchase increases substantially. Sixty-eight residences and seven businesses are required for the project.
But light rail construction on Broadway, not to mention an operational line, won't be happening soon. While construction is underway for an initial southern segment running from downtown to just short of the airport, that line is not expected to open until 2009.
For the north segment, Sound Transit intends to publish its Environmental Impact Statement by Spring of next year. The Sound Transit board is expected to adopt the project during the summer. Assuming it does, construction on the north link light rail line would begin in 2007 or 2008. Under the presented scenario, the line would open sometime between 2013 and 2015. Sound Transit estimates that by 2030 the station will have roughly 12,000 daily boardings.
This assumes Sound Transit is able to acquire funding for the project. With funding such a question mark, it is not certain how far north Sound Transit will be able to build. While Northgate is the eventual goal, the Broadway station, as well as proposed University District stations, are being considered as interim end-of-the line locations.
"This is speculation, but I think there's a strong desire by the board to get to the U-district to get the increased ridership," said Endlich.
Property acquisitions are likely to begin in 2006. Roger Hanson, Sound Transit's real estate specialist, described the process for relocation assistance the agency will provide. At least 90 days notice will be given to anyone who will be forced to move. Relocation assistance for renters can be as high as $5,250; for owners the total may be as high as $22,500 beyond what a unit is sold for. Most of the displaced residences are located in three apartment buildings east of Broadway.
Depending on individual circumstances, businesses may receive up to $50,000 in relocation assistance.
"When will Sound Transit become my landlord?" said Twice Sold Tales bookstore owner Jamie Lutton. Her business is located in a building Sound Transit intends to acquire. "When will I send you my rent checks?"
Told she would receive at least 90 days warning, probably more, she requested six months.
That roughly 80 people came to the forum could be seen as testament to the neighborhood's continued interest in light rail. Given the profound impact light rail construction will have on the neighborhood, such concern is far from surprising.
Doug Schwartz is the editor of the Capitol Hill Times. He can be reached at editor@ capitolhilltimes.com or 461-1308.
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