MEETING AGENDA & MINUTES
Sound Transit Light Rail Expansion
WSBLE
Sound Transit Announces Restructure of EIS Process from CID to Ballard
On July 10th, Sound Transit announced that it is dividing the West Seattle Ballard Link Extension into two projects, one serving West Seattle to SODO, which will move forward immediately, and one serving Ballard to Downtown, including the new downtown train tunnel and stations near CID and Pioneer Square. Read the Letter.
While the text is complex, the key takeaways are:
1. There will be a new scoping period during which concerned community members will have an opportunity to suggest alternative placement for station locations and raise other priorities.
2. This separate and new process was required of Sound Transit by the Federal Transit Authority.
3. This separate and new process will result in further delay in opening new stations serving CID and Pioneer Square, and other areas of downtown.
4. We don't yet know the timing of the new scoping period or any other steps in the new EIS process.
March 23, 2023 Sound Transit Board Motion
On March 23rd, the Sound Transit Board passed a resolution that includes a preferred alternative for the Ballard part of the WSBLE project.
The section pertinent to the CID segment is below:
Chinatown/International District
1. In the CID Segment: The alignment would include a Station North of CID and a Station South of CID.
The Board directs further study of the CID 4th Avenue Shallower Alternative as part of ongoing environmental review. Additionally, the Board directs further study of the following concepts in the Chinatown/International District segment as part of ongoing environmental review: a) maximizing connections to all regional/local transit modes comparing the opportunities of the 4th Ave Shallow and 4th Ave Shallower alternatives to the Station North of CID and Station South of CID alternative; and b) ways to minimize/eliminate construction impacts to CID (i.e., truck trips, more carbon-friendly excavation and material disposal methods, etc.) and to significantly reduce the duration of construction.
Downtown
Midtown Station: Shifts the Midtown Station to the Station North of CID location (as noted above).
2023 ADVOCACY
LINKS
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Further Studies incl CID
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Sound Transit Survey (through 2/17)
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FINAL Workshop Materials -- reflects options we expect ST to present to the Board (from 1/5/2023)
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Board meeting calendar (System Expansion Committee and Full Board). Find out how to sign up to comment or join the meeting virtually here.
background photo courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives, item 78499, waterfront streetcar, 1982
July 28, 2022 Sound Transit Board Motion
On July 28th, the Sound Transit Board passed a resolution that split the West Seattle line (with a preferred alternative route) and the Ballard line (no preferred alternative yet).
The section pertinent to the CID segment is below:
"In the Chinatown/International District segment, further study and engagement between community and agency partners focused on the shallow CID station and alignment options will seek to collectively address remaining questions, minimize potential impacts and maximize community benefits through design, mitigation approaches and/or as part of broader partnerships. This work will include exploring how to create an integrated, well-connected hub for all modes of transportation, opportunities to enhance ridership and access, activation and/or modified uses of Union Station and the adjacent plaza, as well as funding and cost savings opportunities. The study should include concepts requested by community and agency partners, including but not limited to work to define a 4th Avenue shallow tunnel option with the goal of maximizing benefits while minimizing costs and impacts."
West Seattle Ballard Link Extension (WSBLE)
DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (DEIS)
HSD's Transit Tuesdays Newsletters
March 1, 2022: Why is the DEIS so big?
March 8, 2022: What is an "impact"?
March 15, 2022: What is a "preferred alternative"?
March 22, 2022: Trains, Traffic, and Transit, Oh My!
March 29, 2022: Tools and Tradeoffs, Oh My!
April 5, 2022: Property Impacts
April 12, 2022: How To Comment
April 19, 2022: HSD's Community Priority Lens
April 26, 2022: Last Week to Comment
June 9, 2022: What's Next: Sound Transit Board Meetings
June 14, 2022: WSBLE DEIS Comments Published
July 12, 2022: July WSBLE Updates
July 26, 2022: WSBLE, Sound Transit Board, and Your Comments
Station Planning
Station Planning report -- we find that many people find it easier to orient themselves with this shorter report.
Helpful Links
Sound Transit's official "online open house" has loads of information:
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CID Segment Alternatives (6 pages)
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Environmental Justice discussion (appendix G, 142 pages that cover outreach and input from community)
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Environmental Justice summary (Ballard Link Extension which contains CID)
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Draft Racial Equity Toolkit evaluation, done in collaboration with the City of Seattle.
The Draft EIS
We think these sections are particularly important for our neighbors to read:
[link goes to the beginning, where this concept is defined. Please also look at pages 49 (map), 50 (CID segment), 53 (demographics), 58-59 (property acquisition), 61-64 (construction impacts), 71-72 (operations impacts)]
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Cumulative Impacts (24 pages)
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If you learn better through hearing or seeing the project, you can watch Community Advisory Group meetings on Sound Transit's YouTube. Info for Historic South Downtown is in the SODO/CID CAG.