Until last month, the preferred station locations were at West Dravus and Prospect streets, and the Seattle Monorail Project's Web site still shows those choices on a map, along with potential future locations at West Boston and Republican streets.
But priorities have shifted. While a Dravus Street stop is still planned, West Republican Street outside of Interbay is now the preferred location for the next southbound station, monorail staffers announced last week at a meeting of the Queen Anne Community Council's Transportation Committee.
Suanne Pelley, who is working on Seattle Monorail Project outreach efforts for the Queen Anne, Seattle Center and Belltown portions of the proposed monorail route, also said that the monorail would run down the middle of 15th Avenue West, curve around the Magnolia Bridge on the upland side and then return to run down the middle of Elliott Avenue West.
However, Pelley wasn't sure what led to choosing Republican Street for a station, saying she'd only been on the job a few days. Bob Derry, who is covering the Ballard and Interbay sections of the route for the Seattle Monorail Project, had more details.
But he showed up at the meeting more than an hour late, having been delayed at other community meetings, according to Pelley. That prompted a steamed John Coney, co-chair of the Transportation Committee, to complain that the monorail project was shortchanging neighborhoods.
"The pieces (of the plan) are being moved around backstage," he said.
According to Amgen spokeswoman Kristin Wennberg, the original preferred choice for a Prospect Street station would have dovetailed nicely with plans for a pedestrian overpass leading to the Helix project (see story this issue). But she was also unclear about the reasons Republican Street made the cut instead of Prospect, which has now become a potential future location for a station.
"I think it would be helpful if that process was more transparent," she said. The choice of Republican Street for a station was also a blow to the Queen Anne Community Council and the Magnolia Community Club. According to recent letters to Seattle Monorail Project Executive Director Joel Horn, both of those organizations had been angling for a station north of the Magnolia Bridge near West Howe Street. Both community groups cited the potential for future commercial development as one reason a station there made sense.
Also championing a Howe Street station is Urban Commercial Properties LLC. That group wants to take the former Tsubota Industrial Supply property just north of the bridge and redevelop it to "provide the nearby communities with major, upscale goods and services," according to Ron Sudderth, a principal in the limited liability corporation.
Jeff Hummel, an architect working on the Tsubota property project, was at the transportation committee meeting, and he said the choice of Republican Street for a station came as "a big surprise."
The way the Tsubota property is developed will change if there isn't access to a nearby monorail station, Hummel said after the meeting. Referring to stations in the middle of the Interbay corridor, Derry said the Seattle Monorail Project organizers are worried about spending $7 million to build a station "in the middle of nowhere."
He also denied that wishes of community groups are being ignored. "The fact the community came up with one thing and we came up with another doesn't mean we didn't listen."
Republican Street, Derry said, was chosen as a preferred station location because of existing office and residential development in the area. "Currently, there's a higher potential for ridership there."
Staff reporter Russ Zabel can be reached at rzabel@nwlink.com.
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