In his March 7 state of the county address, Constantine - the new Sound Transit board chair - suggested that the transit agency could make use of the now-closed King County administration building to build out the CID north hub and adjacent affordable housing. However, the north-south proposal has not yet gone through the full environmental impact statement process, so the agency will still need to study it further to arrive at more precise cost estimates.Īhead of this important meeting, a number of policymakers came out in support of the north-south proposal, including King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales. The north station would be a block to the east of the existing Pioneer Square station, with an underground tunnel connecting the two.Īt a March 23 Board of Directors meeting, Sound Transit decided to back the north-south proposal, while leaving the Fourth Avenue station on the table for further consideration. If built, the south station would have one entrance a block south of the Uwajimaya grocery store and a second entrance just across the street from the current stadium station. 9, the Sound Transit Board of Directors reviewed these studies and identified a second proposal for two stations to be built to the north and south of the CID instead of at Fourth Avenue. The agency also commissioned additional studies to identify other station sites. After a chorus of opposition, Sound Transit retracted the Fifth Avenue option, leaving only a Fourth Avenue proposal between Union and King Street station buildings on the table. Early last year, Sound Transit’s draft environmental impact statement proposed the construction of a station in the heart of the neighborhood along Fifth Avenue, a location which would require the displacement or demolition of many businesses. Perhaps the most contentious is the station located in the CID. This process requires the construction of a second tunnel - and a corresponding set of stations - to handle the additional traffic. Some community advocates say that divisive online discourse about the various proposals may have caused lasting harm to progressive movements, with traditionally allied groups backing different sides of the increasingly polarized issue.Īs part of the 2016 Sound Transit 3 ballot measure, Sound Transit began planning for new light rail lines between West Seattle, downtown and Ballard.
Speculation over the location of a new light rail station in the Chinatown-International District (CID) neighborhood ignited a fierce debate over accessible transportation, displacement and equity in regional government planning and decision making.
0 kommentar(er)
